ST 3047

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3047

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This puzzle was published on 15^th March 2020

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

Dada on the trickier side this Sunday, with what seemed like a lot of anagrams and insertions but also some great surface readings and anagram indicators

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Leg fractured originally: justifiable concern for player (5,6)
STAGE FRIGHT – STAGE (leg) F (fractured ‘originally’) RIGHT (justifiable)

10a    Slipping, perhaps? Not for now (2,3)
ON ICE – An expression meaning put on hold (not for now) sounds like somewhere you might slip

11a    Short battle to save Italian river sport (5,4)
WATER POLO – Truncate (short) the Battle of WATERLOo and insert (to save) PO (my fellow weekend blogger’s favourite river?)

12a    Short serial broadcast — you can bet on it! (9)
TOTALISER – TOT (short, small drink) and an anagram (broadcast) of SERIAL

13a    Heart, say — that’s stopped? (5)
ORGAN – Heart is an example (say) of an ORGAN of the body; a musical ORGAN has stops

14a    Calling time, Harry locks up (6)
NAMING – NAG (harry) ‘locks up’ MIN (minute, time)

16a    Thus, cases for philosopher (8)
SOCRATES – SO (thus) CRATES (cases)

18a    Welshman perhaps touring outskirts of garish resort (8)
BRIGHTON – BRITON (Welshman perhaps) ‘touring’ the outskirts of GarisH

20a    Journalist applying spin to nonsense I had encouraged at first (6)
EDITOR – A reversal (applying spin) to ROT (nonsense) I’D (I had) and E (the first letter of Encourage)

23a    Knocked to the left in garret, lamp switch (5)
ALTER – A reversed (knocked to the left) lurker in garRET LAmp

24a    Greenest resorts, with one in National Park (9)
SERENGETI – An anagram (resorts) of GREENEST with I (one) produces Crosswordland’s National Park of the Month

26a    Confidence in dieter cut after wobble (9)
CERTITUDE – An anagram (after wobble) of DIETER CUT

27a    Loaded flat (5)
FLUSH – Double definition, the first one an informal term meaning have lots of money (loaded), the other an adjective

28a    Gain energy facing job — is one puffed up? (11)
PROFITEROLE – PROFIT (gain) E (energy) ROLE (job)

Down

2d    Dickensian character‘s unexpected turn of events? (5)
TWIST – Double definition

3d    After change of leader in Russian government, defect (7)
GREMLIN – Change the ‘leading’ K in KREMLIN to a G

4d    Minimum iron on bearing (6)
FEWEST – FE (chemical symbol for iron) on WEST (compass bearing)

5d    Switch on metric paging system (8)
INTERCOM – An anagram (switch) of ON METRIC

6d    Shelter under roof of houseboat in port (7)
HARBOUR – ARBOUR (shelter) under the roof of Houseboat

7d    Parts of plane, for example, complete (4,3,6)
ROOT AND BRANCH – Parts of a plane tree form an expression meaning the whole of something without any omissions or exceptions

8d    Fake flier — never mind! (6,2)
FORGET IT – FORGE (fake) TIT (flier)

9d    Reforming — as ruler will be? (5,8)
GOING STRAIGHT – Double definition, the first referring to an ex-con, the second to the edge of a ruler

15d    Wet suit more bedraggled (8)
MOISTURE – An anagram (bedraggled) of SUIT MORE

17d    Chip fat, for example, wonderful thing (3,5)
HOT STUFF – If chip fat was in the fryer, it might be referred to as HOT STUFF

19d    Avian canine (7)
HARRIER – Double definition – a bird or a dog

21d    End of novel otherwise ruined (4,3)
DONE FOR – An anagram (novel) of END OF followed by OR (otherwise)

22d    For example, painting walls in office, very enthusiastic (6)
ARDENT – ART (painting for example) ‘walls in’ DEN (office)

25d    The same English queens used another language, initially (5)
EQUAL – The initial letters of English Queens Used Another Language