Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29257
A full review by gnomethang
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This puzzle was published on 11th January 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Morning All! Quite a solid puzzle I thought for a Saturday. There were a few easy starter clues and a few that took a bit of unravelling..
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
7a Mostly grumpy character in bar (8)
CROTCHET – A Musical bar and most of CROTCHET(y)/grumpy
9a Drunk prepared to be fired (6)
LOADED – An American word for drunk and a gun or armament that has been primed and locked etc.
10a Arrived with artist one means to produce portrait (6)
CAMERA – CAME for arrived and R.A. for an artist (A Royal Academician).
11a Explosive made tiny fragments (8)
DYNAMITE – The letters of MADE TINY having been fragmented.
12a Outwit in front of girlfriend? Things go off after that (4-6,4)
BEST-BFORE DATE – A charade of BEST (outwit)/defeat), BEFORE (in front of) and a DATE or girlfriend.
15a Get topless to make an impression (4)
ETCH – Remove the Top letter in (f)ETCH or get.
17a Partner’s issue on leaving flight (5)
STEPS – Remove the ON from STEPS (on) or the issue of one’s new partner.
19a Obscure European coin (4)
DIME – DIM for obscure and E for European.
20a Developing match stamina, i.e. they work out a lot (14)
MATHEMATICIANS – An anagram (developing) of MATCH STAMINA I.E.
23a Fake the compiler’s advertisement (8)
IMPOSTER—Start with I’m for ‘the compiler is’ and add a POSTER for an advertisement.
25a It arouses pity giving power to musketeer (6)
PATHOS – P for Power and then ATHOS – one of the three musketeers.
27a Harmony is found in rejection of what’s unacceptable (6)
UNISON – Place IS from the clue inside a reversal (in rejection of) NON-U for ‘what’s not acceptable’.
28a Group of horses leading lady for hack (8)
STRINGER – A STRING of horses and then E.R for our Queen (the leading lady in the UK and Commonwealth).
Down
1d Girl in West Side Story fails to start song (4)
ARIA – Remove the first letter (failst to start) in (m)ARIA from West Side Story.
2d Give evidence during trial (6)
ATTEST – If you are present during a trial you would be AT (a) TEST.
3d Boss, hard-working, having debts cancelled (4)
STUD – Cancel the IOUS or debts from STUD(ious) or hard-working.
4d Gamble taking breather during exercise (6)
PLUNGE – Place a LUNG or breather inside PE for Physical Exercise. One takes the PLUNGE in a gamble.
5d Worker needing fine body parts (4,4)
FARM HAND – F for Fine and the two body parts – an ARM and a HAND.
6d A warm spell centrally then storms — he might say that (10)
WEATHERMAN – An anagram (storms) of A WARM, the central letter in (sp)E(ll) and also THEN.
8d Makes great effort to pick up name that’s surprising! (7)
HEAVENS – HEAVES or makes a great effort carried/includes N for Name.
13d Strangely, men bet not to cover mass burial (10)
ENTOMBMENT – A strange anagram of MEN BET NOT outside (it covers) M for Mass.
14d The last one to appear in home game (5)
OMEGA – A hidden word for the last letter or thing appears in h OM E GA me.
16d Watering device you once put in place to encourage plant growth (8)
HOTHOUSE – THOU (you, once) is put in HOSE or watering device.
18d Miss a captain (7)
SKIPPER – TO miss is to SKIP. Add PER meaning A as in Miles PER (a/an) Hour.
21d Current navigator’s device needs to start (6)
EXTANT – A SEXTANT or navigator’s device with the first latter removed (it needs/lacks the start).
22d Mean nurse to support home (6)
INTEND – To TEND or nurse under (supporting in a Down clue) IN for (at) home.
24d Shrub sprang up (4)
ROSE – A perennial double definition.
26d Old soldiers warning (4)
OMEN – O for Old and MEN for soldiers.