Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29491
A full review by gnomethang
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BD Rating: Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
This puzzle was published on 10th October 2020
Morning All! I quite enjoyed this puzzle, particularly the cryptic definitions, although it was fairly straightworward.
Across
5a Bind helium in nucleus (6)
COHERE – Place He (The chemical symbol for Helium inside CORE or nucleus
8a Great loss of liquid for flushing lavatory? (8)
WATERLOO – Liquid for flushing os WATER and a LOO is a lavatory.
9a Apply pressure to burden tradesperson (7)
PLUMBER – Place the P for Pressure on LUMBER or burden.
10a Gets sticks (5)
TWIGS – Two definitions – cottons onto and the lights bits of tree.
11a Nasty sneers set to show abrupt manner (9)
TERSENESS – An anagram (nasty) of SNEERS SET.
13a Hard border control? That’s prickly! (8)
HEDGEHOG – H(ard) followed by an EDGE or border and finally to HOG or control something.
14a Non-Equity presentations shot in the afternoon? (2-4)
AM-DRAM – A shot can be a small amount of spirit i.e. a DRAM. But surely this should be a ‘shot in the morning’ to give us an A.M. DRAM as opposed to a P.M. DRAM. Having said all that Gazza mentioned on the day that if the shot is in the afternoon it comes after A.M. and this would indicate the need for the Question Mark.
17a Send back rotten fish (3)
DAB – Reverse or send back BAD for rotten.
19a Company located in Brentwood? (3)
TWO – The numerical definition of what constitutes Company rather than a CROWD is hidden/located in bren TWO od.
20a Rodent traps doctor in shopping centre (6)
MARMOT – Place an M.O. (Medical Officer) inside a MART or shopping centre (short for market).
23a Substantial weight is in wood floor (8)
ASTONISH – A TON (substantial weight and IS from the clue inside the ASH tree/wood.
26a One unofficially upholds law, leaving it in ruins (9)
VIGILANTE – A nice surface reading and an anagram (in ruins) of LEAVING IT.
28a Animal pound Tibetan priest guards (5)
LLAMA – L for pound/Librum inside a LAMA (of which the Dalai is an example).
29a Alteration for the late one running? (7)
ATHLETE – An altered anagram of THE LATE.
30a Wet weather protection designed into a car (8)
RAINCOAT – Make an anagram (designed) of INTO A CAR.
31a Old weapons in unopened graves (6)
ARROWS – Remove the first letter (it is unopened) of (b)ARROWS or graves.
Down
1d Ultimately malicious sorceress making light flicker? (6)
SWITCH – The ultimate letter in (malicious)S and then a WITCH for a sorceress.
2d Poor kid last in Scottish archipelago (2,5)
ST KILDA – A ‘poor’ anagram of KID LAST.
3d Sound rising? Time to exit street party! (9)
CRESCENDO – Remove the T for Time from a CRESCEN(t) or street and add DO for party.
4d Murphy dropping old rubbish in river (6)
POTATO – Place or drop O(ld) and TAT/rubbish inside the well known Chinese river, the PO (ahem!!)
5d Old king’s rule for salad (8)
COLESLAW – An old Kings rule might cryptically be referred to as COLE’S LAW.
6d Mum stuffs chicken for macho sort (2-3)
HE-MAN – MA for mum inside/stuffing) a HEN/chicken.
7d Those out to stop traitor that changes Resistance? (8)
RHEOSTAT – An anagram (out) of THISE containing/stopping a RAT or traitor.
12d Very early bird? (3)
EGG – Simple enough! A cryptic definition of what a bird is very early on in its development.
15d Second number scheme on European aircraft (9)
MONOPLANE – A charade of MO/second, NO for number, PLAN/scheme and finally E(uropean).
16d Heater that’s cooler for car (8)
RADIATOR – A Cryptic def. of the thing that heats the interior your home whilst conversely cooling the engine in a car.
18d Having reached 50, worker lives in fantasy land (8)
ATLANTIS – A charade of AT/having reached, L for fifty in Roman Numerals, and ANT or worker and then IS for lives/exists.
21d Moggy fur lacking nothing (3)
CAT – A fur C(o)AT with the o/nothing lacking/removed.
22d Ovid was forced to deny knowledge (7)
DISAVOW – An anagram (forced) of OVID WAS.
24d Something for children to observe now and then? (6)
SEESAW – The present and past tense (now and then) of observe (SEE and SAW).
25d Back-slapping ambassador with cultural pretensions? (6)
HEARTY – An ambassador is His/Her Excellency or H.E. Add ARTY for ‘with cultural pretensions’.
27d Digs in snow and ice? (5)
IGLOO – A nice cryptic definition of the accommodation/digs created from snow and ice.