Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3086
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 13th December 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A nice Sunday puzzle with the sort of difficulty that I expect from Dada these days. My favourite clue was 5d
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Across
8a Devoted, a group getting behind party (7)
ADORING – A (from the clue) and RING (group) ‘behind’ DO (party)
10a Vessel returning in long boat (7)
PINNACE – A reversal (returning) of CAN (vessel) inserted into PINE (long)
11a Series of severe measures hit NI county (9)
CRACKDOWN – CRACK (hit) DOWN (NI county)
12a Junk in window, a steal (5)
WASTE – Hidden in windoW A STEal
13a Roof worker fired up again after being laid back (5)
TILER – A reversal (after being laid back) of RELIT (fired again)
14a Encircled by him, men seized monster (7)
IMMENSE – Hidden in (encircled by) hIM MEN SEized
17a Novel man put together for team (9,6)
NEWCASTLE UNITED – NEW (novel) CASTLE (chess man) UNITED (put together)
19a Award bagged by American subject for play (7)
MACBETH – CBE (award) ‘begged’ by MATH (what the Americans call the subject of mathematics)
21a Approach race ahead (3-2)
RUN-UP – RUN (race) UP (ahead)
24a Initially town house inexpensive, essentially for a nicker? (5)
THIEF – The initial letters of Town House Inexpensive Essentially For
26a Ceremony in country during days of biblical fasting (9)
FORMALITY – MALI (country) in FORTY (the number of days of a Biblical fasting)
27a Green: two-thirds of all bananas develop (7)
ENLARGE – An anagram (bananas) of GREEN and the first two letters (two-thirds) of ALl
28a Deceitful conduct in the last broadcast (7)
STEALTH – An anagram (broadcast) of THE LAST
Down
1d Bed for mum? That’s lucky (6)
MASCOT – MA’S COT (bed for mum)
2d Born: a new rule for old PM (5,3)
BONAR LAW – An anagram (new) of BORN A followed by LAW (rule)
3d A kind of welcome cardiograph? (6-4)
TICKER-TAPE – Something produced by a cardiograph
4d Range in figures under a pound (9)
APENNINES – A (from the clue) PEN (pound) NINES (figures)
5d Drifter ending in rags at this time (4)
SNOW – The ‘ending’ in ragS plus NOW (at this time)
6d Climbing up, wayfarer grabs small fruit (6)
DAMSON – A reversal (climbing up) of NOMAD (wayfarer) into which is inserted (grabs) S (small)
7d Minister split trousers always (8)
REVEREND – REND (split) ‘trousers’ EVER (always)
9d Good, soft light (4)
GLOW – G (good) LOW (soft)
15d Underground worker inspiring awe, extraordinary communicator (4-6)
MIND-READER – MINER (underground worker) ‘inspiring’ DREAD (awe)
16d Travel bug, result of flea-bites on walkers? (5,4)
ITCHY FEET – This desire for travel could also be the result of flea-bites on walkers
17d Regardless of what’s in a vacuum? (2,6)
NO MATTER – A vacuum has NO MATTER in it
18d Solid bangle: it proving malleable (8)
TANGIBLE – An anagram (proving malleable) of BANGLE IT
20d Cold peak in Cumbria, mountainous (6)
CHILLY – C (the peak in Cumbria) HILLY (mountainous)
22d Horror film taken in by tipsy choirboys (6)
PSYCHO – Another lurker, this time in tiPSY CHOirboys
23d Coloured membrane in flower (4)
IRIS – The coloured part of the eye or a flower
25d Get rid of blazer? (4)
FIRE – Double definition
Yes, this was a surprise from Dada and loads of fun!