ST 3036

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3036

A full review by gnomethang

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This puzzle was published on 29^th December 2019

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Morning All and a belated Happy New Year! This one just crept into the 2 star territory for difficulty but was more interesting to review as I missed a few parsings on the clues that went straight in.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Flashing light set or not, beep occurring intermittently (6)
STROBE – A hidden word in every other letter (occurring intermittently) of S e T o R n O t B e E p.

4a           Paper supply on time (6)
TISSUE – ISSUE for supply after (on in an across clue) T for Time.

8a           A fool shut in the spinning drier (3,5)
TEACLOTH – Place A CLOT/fool in a spinning anagram of THE.

10a        Copper symbolically said farewell (3,3)
SEE YOU – The chemical symbol for copper is CU which phonetically (said) is SEE YOU.

11a        Politician: choice of extremes for Trotsky? (4)
TORY – The choice between the extreme letters of T(rosk)Y is either T OR Y.

12a        Superstar finally getting involved, some roles shifted about (4,2,4)
MORE OR LESS – Place the finally letter of (supersta)R in an anagram (shifted) of SOME ROLES. Nicely deceptive.

13a        PM and Queen talk, in series of minor knocks (6-6)
PITTER PATTER, William PITT for example as a Prime Minister, then E.R. for the Queen and finally PATTER for talk.

16a        Secondary aim to revise properties of flying objects (12)
AERODYNAMICS – An anagram (to revise) of SECONDARY AIM.

20a        Roman Catholic in small boat off the Sussex coast? Speedy vessel (10)
HOVERCRAFT – Place RC (Roman Catholic) inside a HOVE RAFT, or small boat just outside of Brighton etc on the Sussex coast.

21a        Servant forced to dictate? (4)
MAID – A homophone (to dictate) of MADE.

22a        New unit is correctly installed (2,4)
IN SITU – An anagram, indicated by ‘new’, of UNIT IS.

23a        Wrong and bad, a Spanish dish (8)
TORTILL – A charade of a TORT/wrong, ILL/bad and A from the clue.

24a        Twenty to eleven — confirmed the later showing ends there (6)
YONDER – Take all the last letters (showing ends) in ‘TwentY tO eleveN — confirmeD thE lateR’.

25a        Tool sellers dropping drink at the front (6)
PLIERS – Remove the SUP/drink at the front of (sup)PLIERS or sellers.

Down

1d           When jiggled about, pin set to move! (4,2,2)
STEP ON IT – An angram (when jiggled about) of PIN SET TO.

2d           Wobbly old picture (5)
ROCKY – The second definition refers to the original Sly Stallone boxing film/picture.

3d           Baker’s mistake? (7)
BLOOMER – A cryptic definition of the type of baker’s loaf that is synonymous with  a mistake or gaff.

5d           Briefly visible through lens, river captured (2,5)
IN SHORT – Place R for River inside IN SHOT or ‘visible through the lens’

6d           Horse fed large alcoholic drink, one of those beaten (5,4)
STEEL DRUM – A STEED or horse is fed with L for Large and then RUM (an alcoholic drink) is added.

7d           Six out of nine go, I stay — one considers no one else (6)
EGOIST – Six letters out of ‘nin E GO I ST ay’

9d           Fixed, as nails? Quickly too! (4,3,4)
HARD AND FAST – Nails are proverbially HARD – AND FAST is quickly, too!.

14d        Player saw red, one wearing bronze (9)
TRAGEDIAN – RAGED for saw red/was angered and I for one are both inside/wearing TAN for bronze.

15d        Mythical hero being cool in rising water (8)
ACHILLES – CHILL for cool in a reversal/rising of SEA/water.

17d        Solitary type referring to sign welcoming son (7)
RECLUSE – RE (referring to) and CLUE (sign) including/welcoming S for Son.

18d        Normal insect dropping head on flower (7)
NATURAL – Remove the head letter (dropping) of a (g)NAT/insect and ad the river (one that flows = a flower) that is the URAL (not found in China).

19d        Down perhaps, reckon needing holiday finally (6)
COUNTY – COUNT for reckon/tally and the final letter of (count)Y.

21d        So-called fundamental state (5)
MAINE – A homophone (so-called) of  MAIN/fundamental

Thanks to the setter – I’ll be back tomorrow.