ST 3040

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3040

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This puzzle was published on 26^th January 2020

BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ***

A tricky crossword – and it wasn’t just those of us who been at the Bash the day before who thought so

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    In establishment serving drinks, another empty bottle (6)
CARAFE The outside (empty) letters of AnotheR inserted into CAFÉ (establishment serving drinks)

4a    Happy and rich — as may be image from computer? (8)
UPLOADED – UP (happy) LOADED (rich)

9a    Money — a nicker? (6)
COPPER – A double definition, the second bit of which made me smile when I realised what Dada was on about

10a    Mean girl somehow beginning to develop (8)
GERMINAL – An anagram (somehow) of MEAN GIRL

12a    Nail course of action (4)
TACK – Double definition

13a    Greenish-brown mist by lake (5)
HAZEL – HAZE (mist) L (lake)

14a    Opening oven, tray’s grabbed (4)
VENT – Lurking (grabbed by) oVEN Tray

17a    Informed — as is a film actor? (2,3,7)
IN THE PICTURE – Where you will find many a film actor

20a    Gathering container, go off to collect first of gooseberries (12)
CONGREGATION – An anagram (off) of CONTAINER GO which ‘collects’ the first letter of Gooseberries

23a    Hold onto unworkable relationship, initially for some time (4)
HOUR – The initial letters of Hold Onto Unworkable Relationship

24a    Temperature on oven grill (5)
TOAST – T (temperature) on OAST (oven)

25a    Food market, we hear? (4)
FARE – a homophone (we hear) of FAIR (market)

28a    On drinking limit, cardinal plastered (8)
RENDERED – RE (on) ‘drinking’ END (limit) the result followed by RED (cardinal)

29a    Stick fences in for dog, say (6)
CANINE – CANE (stick) ‘fences’ IN (from the clue)

30a    Cut needed in extra injury (5,3)
BLACK EYE – Almost all (cut) of LACKEd (needed) inserted into BYE (extra)

31a    Dire situation adding pressure to match? (6)
PLIGHT – P (pressure) LIGHT (match)

Down

1d    Before last part, raise drink (8)
COCKTAIL – COCK (raise) goes before TAIL (last part)

2d    Blame a financial centre for greed (8)
RAPACITY – RAP (blame) A (from the clue) CITY (financial centre)

3d    On the radio, channel ran well (4)
FLEW – A homophone (on the radio) of FLUE (channel)

5d    Offering figure solace after stuffing knocked out, might this be simple? (7,5)
PRESENT TENSE – PRESENT (offering) TEN (figure) SE (SolacE without its stuffing)

6d    Take out odd parts of both amps — electrical units (4)
OHMS – Take out the odd letters of bOtH aMpS

7d    Oxbridge lecturer, important fool (6)
DONKEY – DON (Oxbridge lecturer) KEY (important)

8d    Water down funnel you invert, all ends in sink (6)
DILUTE – The ‘ends’ of funneL yoU inverT inserted into DIE (sink)

11d    Old film: cinema gold that’s funny in every case? (6,6)
EALING COMEDY – An anagram (that’s funny) of CINEMA GOLD inserted into the ‘case’ of EverY

15d    A model written up for Greek writer (5)
AESOP – A (from the clue) and a reversal (written up in a Down clue) of POSE (model)

16d    Wide secondary route? (5)
BROAD – A secondary route is a B ROAD

18d    Like to claim language is expanding (8)
DILATING – DIG (like) to ‘claim’ LATIN (language)

19d    Stake put underground, set to rot (8)
INTEREST – INTER (put underground) and an anagram (to rot) of SET

21d    Revolutionary massage for infant (6)
CHERUB – Crosswordland’s favourite revolutionary CHE plus RUB (massage)

22d    Some old capital in African country (6)
GUINEA – Double definition

26d    Kiss cheek (4)
NECK – Double definition

27d    By the sound of it, white container for liquid (4)
PAIL – A homophone (by the sound of it) of PALE (white)

B1