DT 29610

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29610

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This puzzle was published on 27^th February 2021

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

This exceedingly straightforward and very enjoyable Prize Puzzle was the work of the Telegraph Puzzles Editor

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Across

1a    Rush head teacher limiting right for extended time off (6,5)
CAREER BREAK – CAREER (rush) BEAK (head teacher) ‘limiting’ R (right)

7a    Reportedly charge criminal gang finding dried-up food (7)
BILTONG – A homophone (reportedly) of BILL (charge) TONG (criminal gang)

8a    Stay away from castle in the open (4,3)
KEEP OUT – KEEP (castle) OUT (in the open)

10a    Comedian entertains a minister (8)
CHAPLAIN – CHAPLIN (comedian) ‘entertains’ A (from the clue)

11a    What might be appropriate in the air? (6)
HIJACK – Cryptic definition

13a    Powerful type caught going after banker (4)
EXEC – C (caught) going after EXE (river, banker)

14a    Feature cool American animal (10)
CHINCHILLA – CHIN (feature) CHILL (cool) A (American)

16a    Meal arranged on new piece of furniture is terrible (10)
LAMENTABLE – An anagram (arranged) of MEAL goes on (top of, usual found in a Down clue) N (new) and TABLE (piece of furniture)

18a    Stew when between husbands (4)
HASH – AS (when) goes between two H for Husbands

21a    Decided silver buck perhaps must be returned (6)
AGREED – AG (the chemical symbol for silver) and a reversal (must be returned) of DEER (buck perhaps)

22a    Beer Dane brewed in city (8)
ABERDEEN – An anagram (brewed) of BEER DANE

24a    Top political strategist (7)
SPINNER – Double definition

25a    Suggestion about Queen’s houses (7)
TERRACE – TRACE (suggestion) goes ‘about’ ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen)

26a    Somehow trace online prejudice (11)
INTOLERANCE – An anagram (somehow) of TRACE ONLINE

Down

1d    Arrange 70 per cent of security (7)
COLLATE – 70% of COLLATEral

2d    Jumper let out for grub (6)
ROOTLE – ROO (jumper) and an anagram (out) of LET

3d    Mad dog’s companion in The Sun? (10)
ENGLISHMAN – Because, according to Noel Coward, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun

4d    British sailor raised capital (4)
BAKU – A reversal (raised) of UK (British) AB (sailor)

5d    View certainly restricted by rowers (8)
EYESIGHT – YES (certainly) ‘restricted’ by EIGHT (rowers)

6d    Clever-clogs opener for Kent short of boundary? (4-3)
KNOW-ALL – K (the opener for Kent) NO (short of) WALL (boundary)

7d    Lots of damaged blades cut OK (11)
BUCKETLOADS – An anagram (damaged) of BLADES CUT OK

9d    Risk action when playing Monopoly? (4,1,6)
TAKE A CHANCE – Chance cards being part of the game of Monopoly

12d    Child vandalised rental bike (5-5)
ANKLE-BITER – An anagram (vandalised) of RENTAL BIKE

15d    Trainee occasionally rents place to surf (8)
INTERNET – INTERN (trainee) and the occasional letters of rEnTs

17d    Drink hot Italian stuff on the way up (7)
MARTINI – A reversal (on the way up) of IN (hot, fashionable) IT (Italian) RAM (stuff)

19d    Adult, extremely short, mature and mean? (7)
AVERAGE – A (adult) VERy (extremely ‘short’) AGE (mature)

20d    TT race rehearsal (3,3)
DRY RUN – DRY (teetotal) RUN (race)

23d    River over in Belarus (4)
URAL – Hidden in reverse (over) in beLARUs