DT 29509

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29509

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This puzzle was published on 31^st October 2020

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

Fortunately for your blogger this was one of those crosswords where explaining the clues was considerably easier than solving them.

Across

1a    Weak sense about black and white’s last piece (6)
FEEBLE – FEEL (sense) goes ‘about’ B (black), E (white’s last piece) is then added at the end

5a    Bust on returning fresh funds for election? (3,5)
WARCHEST – CHEST (bust) goes on or after a reversal (returning) of RAW (fresh)

9a    Charlie on hiking route sees skyline? (8)
CONTRAIL – C (Charlie in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) ON (from the clue) TRAIL (hiking route)

10a    Count on this posh taxi reversing when outside (6)
ABACUS – A ‘reversing’ of U (posh) CAB (taxi) with AS (when) ‘outside’

11a    Bishop buzzing with energy in gown (8)
BATHROBE – B (Bishop in chess notation) ATHROB (buzzing) E (energy)

12a    Trinity student stops nonsense (6)
TRIPLE – L (learner, student) ‘stops’ TRIPE (nonsense)

13a    Sort date out — this to confirm running order? (4,4)
ROAD TEST – An anagram (out) of SORT DATE

15a    Low born idiot (4)
BASS – B (born) ASS (idiot)

17a    Good free network (4)
GRID – G (good) RID (free)

19a    Widely shared image includes fibre layer (8)
MEMBRANE – MEME (widely shared image) ‘includes’ BRAN (fibre)

20a    British comedian Henry provides fish (6)
BLENNY – B (British) LENNY (Henry the comedian)

21a    Limited changes involving Liberal — not right now! (3-5)
ILL-TIMED – An anagram (changes) of LIMITED ‘involving’ L (Liberal)

22a    Celebrity chef‘s duck pâté ingredient? (6)
OLIVER – O (duck in cricket scoring) LIVER (pâté ingredient)

23a    Brave husband left to introduce Beethoven symphony (8)
HEROICAL – H (husband) L (left) to ‘introduce’ or have inserted EROICA (Beethoven symphony)

24a    Party clothes news boss creased (3-5)
DOG-EARED – DO (party) GEAR (clothes) ED (news boss)

25a    Cover point with erstwhile Prime Minister (6)
SHEATH – S (compass point) with HEATH (erstwhile Prime Minister)

Down

2d    Say Arab initially abhors narcissism (8)
EGOMANIA – EG (say) OMANI (Arab) A (the initial letter of Abhors)

3d    Look kills (8)
BUTCHERS – Cockney rhyming slang or a verb meaning kills

4d    Complex Greek character has mug with beer raised (9)
ELABORATE – A reversal (raised) of ETA (Greek letter) ROB (mug) ALE (beer) ROB (mug)

5d    Film director ad-libs the moves around set (4-11)
WELL-ESTABLISHED – WELLES (Orson the film director) and an anagram (moves) of AD LIBS THE

6d    Show Spartan having whip-round? (7)
CABARET – BARE (spartan) having CAT (whip) ’round’

7d    Being timeless, The Prince somehow reveals code (8)
ENCIPHER – An anagram (somehow) of tHE PRINCE – being timeless telling you to ignore the T

8d    Sensor locates son in gallery with American friend (5,3)
TASTE BUD – S (son) located in TATE (gallery) with BUD (American friend)

14d    Such weapons as come shortly to hand? (5,4)
SMALL ARMS – A cryptic definition

15d    Wicked family shows animosity (3,5)
BAD BLOOD – BAD (wicked) BLOOD (family)

16d    Notice cut in smart cloth (8)
SHEETING – Cut short HEEd (notice) and insert in STING (smart)

17d    Roman’s possession in this case? (8)
GENITIVE An adjective relating to possession

18d    Operate reciprocally having Virgin Queen inside (8)
INTERACT – INTACT (virgin) with ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen) ‘inside’

19d    African leader forced to hold northern city (7)
MANDELA – MADE (forced) to ‘hold’ N (Northern) LA (Los Angeles, city)