Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29586
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 30th January 2021
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
This had the feeling of a different setter to ‘usual’ – old friends, lots of anagrams and insertions and a couple of definitions to make you think
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a The car of your dreams? (7)
SLEEPER – A cryptic definition of somewhere you’d sleep and perhaps dream while travelling by train
5a Approachable female appears in a moral tale (7)
AFFABLE – F (female) appears in A FABLE (a moral tale)
9a Parking arranged at a price for each person (3,6)
PER CAPITA – P (parking) and an anagram (arranged) of AT A PRICE
10a Leader in congregation cut chat short (5)
RABBI – This week’s old chestnut – cut short RABBIt (chat)
11a Strained decimal point (7)
INTENSE – IN TENS (decimal) E (compass point)
12a Plan announced for man on board (7)
DRAUGHT – A homophone (announced) of DRAFT (plan)
13a Guy Busby-Brown making this cocktail? (9)
MANHATTAN – MAN (guy) HAT (busby) TAN (brown)
16a Notice being shut in day before escape (5)
EVADE – AD (notice) being ‘shut’ in EVE (day before)
17a Seconds brought in Waller perhaps doesn’t eat (5)
FASTS – S (seconds) brought in FATS (Waller perhaps)
18a Corporation accepting revised date after some delay (9)
BELATEDLY – BELLY (corporation) ‘accepting’ an anagram (revised) of DATE
21a Rat’s head Olivia cooked for food parcels (7)
RAVIOLI – R (the head of Rat) and an anagram (cooked) of OLIVIA
22a Good to follow advice and shine (7)
GLISTEN – G (good) LISTEN (follow advice)
25a Social need at regular intervals to get sloshed (5)
OILED – The regular letters of sOcIaL nEeD
26a SPECTRE to supply such documents as Bond may see? (3,6)
TOP SECRET – An anagram (supply) of SPECTRE TO
27a Remote southern mortgage company? (7)
SLENDER – S (Southern) LENDER (mortgage company)
28a Renowned as impotent? (7)
NOTABLE – NOT ABLE (impotent)
Down
1d Thus PM defends his specious argument (7)
SOPHISM – SO (thus) PM ‘defends’ HIS (from the clue)
2d Bird with taste for fish, Ruth wants no starter (5)
EGRET – rEGRET (ruth without its starter)
3d Creature devouring rook and crustacean (5)
PRAWN – PAWN (creature in the sense of an easily manipulated person) ‘devouring’ R (rook)
4d Clobber river people invading small island (7)
RAIMENT – R (river) MEN (people) ‘invading’ AIT (small island)
5d Adult with young man dressed at last in rubber? (7)
ALADDIN – A (adult) LAD (young man) D (the last letter of dressed) IN (from the clue)
6d The last word in unchanging time and space (9)
FIRMAMENT – AMEN (the last word) inserted between FIRM (unchanging) and T (time)
7d New arrival with £1,000 for instrument (4,5)
BABY GRAND – BABY (new arrival) with GRAND (£1,000)
8d Message left in eastern skiing area (7)
EPISTLE – L (left) in E (eastern) PISTE (skiing area)
14d Architect horrible about large country home (9)
NASHVILLE – NASH (architect) VILE (horrible) ‘about’ L (large)
15a Free cod ends after sailor vanished (9)
ABSCONDED – An anagram (free) of COD ENDS goes after AB (sailor)
17d Hide debts, making one angry (7)
FURIOUIS – FUR (hide) IOUS (debts)
18d Maybe second-rate celebrity in bubble? (7)
BLISTER – B LISTER (second-rate celebrity) – another ‘old friend’
19d Bowling succeeded, breaking two stumps! (3,4)
LEG SPIN – S (succeeded) ‘breaking’ LEG and PIN (two stumps)
20d Get drunk with zany banker (7)
YANGTZE – An anagram (drunk) of GET with ZANY
23d Awkward person originally held in one trap (5)
INEPT – P (person originally) ‘held’ in I (one) NET (trap)
24d Pulse in broth that needs stir (5)
THROB – An anagram (that needs stir) of BROTH
B1