ST 3034

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3034

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 15^th December 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A typical Sunday crossword – not much to hold up the solver, apart from my slight inability to spot what was going on in 16d

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Across

8a    Piece of cake tethering stray dog (7)
TERRIER – TIER (piece of cake) ‘tethering’ ERR (stray)

10a    Extra rioting on earth (7)
ANOTHER – An anagram (rioting) of ON EARTH

11a    A gross I counted, sold (9)
AUCTIONED – A (from the clue) plus an anagram (gross) of I COUNTED

12a    Hunter of rhino regularly ending in prison (5)
ORION – The regular letters of Of RhInO followed by the ending in prisoN

13a    Stone to kill, lobbed over (5)
TOPAZ – TO (from the clue) plus a reversal (lobbed over) of ZAP (kill)

14a    Jumpy little thing in game of ins and outs? (7)
CRICKET – The perfect description of a game of CRICKET

17a    Political understanding required, as nation re-elected maverick? (7,8)
ENTENTE CORDIALE – An anagram (maverick) of NATION REELECTED

19a    Provider of food feeding endless tea to guardian (7)
CATERER – TEa (‘endless’ tea) ‘feeding’ CARER (guardian)

21a    Change dress (5)
SHIFT – Double definition

24a    Colour isn’t on front of package (5)
PAINT – AINT (isn’t) goes on or after P (the front of Package)

26a    Relate to a forward in agony (9)
APPERTAIN – A (from the clue) and PERT (forward) inserted into PAIN (agony)

27a    By the sound of it, roof closing (7)
SEALING – A homophone (by the sound of it) of CEILING (roof)

28a    Idiot put fish with pork pie! (7)
CHARLIE – CHAR (fish) LIE (pork pie)

Down

1d    Sound artist out (6)
STRAIT – An anagram (out) of ARTIST

2d    Impractical figure out to cover cooking vessel (8)
CRACKPOT – CRACK (figure out) to cover (in a Down solution) POT (cooking vessel)

3d    Takeaway food put in large vessel for horse (10)
LIPIZZANER – PIZZA (takeaway food) put in LINER (large vessel)

4d    Marsupial, one breaking ring on bird (9)
BANDICOOT – I (one) breaking or going between BAND (ring) and COOT (bird)

5d    Very, very unremarkable (2-2)
SO-SO – SO (very) SO (very)

6d    Quiet moment for routine (6)
SHTICK – SH (quiet) TICK (moment)

7d    Animal skirting round trap in dark (8)
BRUNETTE – BRUTE (animal) ‘skirting round’ NET (trap)

9d    Payment cut (4)
RENT – Double definition

15d    Business proceedings under Asian runner (10)
INDUSTRIAL – TRIAL (proceedings) goes under INDUS (Asian river – runner)

16d    Shuffle around selection of lowest parts? (9)
REARRANGE – A RANGE (selection) of REAR (lowest parts)

17d    Dreamer is set to travel around peak (8)
ESCAPIST – An anagram (to travel) of IS SET ‘around’ CAP (peak)

18d    A message about motorway showed goodwill (8)
AMICABLE – A (from the clue) CABLE (message) ‘about’ MI (motorway)

20d    One in temple raised on an island off the Chinese mainland (6)
TAIWAN – I (one) inserted into a reversal (raised) of WAT (temple) put on AN (from the clue)

22d    Sun seemingly in old money? (6)
TANNER – What the sun can do or an old sixpence

23d    Great film inferior to theatre, ultimately (4)
EPIC – PIC (film) ‘inferior to’ or after E (the ultimate latter of theatrE

25d    Slight guess, inconclusive (4)
THIN – THINk (guess) without its last letter (inconclusive)