Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3101
A full review by Big Dave
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This puzzle was published on 28th March 2021
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Our Sunday Setter was in a generous mood and gave us a reasonably straightforward puzzle this week.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Cleaner reprimands mourner (6-7)
CARPET SWEEPER – a seven-letter verb meaning reprimands followed by a mourner
9a Police force, or its new yard (4,5)
RIOT SQUAD – an anagram (new) of OR ITS followed by a yard
10a Rocket scientists heading for landing on a central feature (5)
NASAL – these American rocket scientists are followed by the initial letter (heading) of L[anding]
11a Playwright featuring in one’s biography, retrospectively (5)
IBSEN – hidden (featuring in) and reversed (retrospectively) inside the clue
12a By the sound of it, viral disease went quickly (4)
FLEW – sounds like flu (viral disease)
13a Some pretty poor mistake (4)
TYPO – hidden (some) inside the clue
15a Particle in some science (7)
ANATOMY – ATOM (particle) inside ANY (some)
17a Space available, or filling arena? (7)
STORAGE – OR inside an arena
18a Hands down, palms dry evidently? (2,5)
NO SWEAT – could describe dry palms
20a Time allocated to worshipping flock by upper circle (3,4)
GOD SLOT – a LOT (flock) follows a name often given to the upper circle in a theatre – when going to a poorly attended play in a London theatre I often used to ask for a seat here and was given one in the stalls
21a Girl built for audition? (4)
MAID – sounds like MADE (built)
22a Journo back before second public meeting (4)
DEMO – the reversal (back) of a journalist followed by a second or brief period of time
23a Birdie — another one better? (5)
EAGLE – a name for two under par in golf, which is one better than a birdie (one under par)
26a Use dinosaur egg initially the wrong way (5)
EXERT – the reversal (wrong way) of T-REX (dinosaur) and E[gg]
27a Negative reaction about small mark (9)
BACKSLASH – a BACKLASH (negative reaction) around S(mall)
28a Helper in white revised political order (5-4,4)
THREE-LINE WHIP – an anagram (revised) of HELPER IN WHITE
Down
1d Church official, less sensitive figure (8,6)
CARDINAL NUMBER – a church official followed by an adjective meaning less sensitive
2d Family tree — those keeping it upright? (5)
ROOTS – these could be said to keep a tree upright
3d Giddy where one is president (10)
EISENHOWER – an anagram (giddy) of WHERE ONE IS
4d Case of somebody bandaging cut, drunk (7)
SQUIFFY – the outer letters (case) of S[omebod]Y around (bandaging) a cut (of hair)
5d Very many lacking purpose? (7)
ENDLESS – could mean lacking END (purpose)
6d Kick boat (4)
PUNT – two definitions
7d Truly is an awful cocktail (5,4)
RUSTY NAIL – an anagram (awful) of TRULY IS AN
8d Where contents of overturned trolley might roll, in every direction (3,4,3,4)
ALL OVER THE SHOP – could be where contents of overturned trolley might roll
14d After pass, don seems remarkably gracious (8,2)
GOODNESS ME – GO (pass) followed by an anagram (remarkably) of DON SEEMS
16d Dry, missing quaffing amount of beer? (9)
ABSTINENT – ABSENT (missing) around (quaffing) TIN (amount of beer)
19d Rock maiden’s penetrating voice (7)
TREMBLE – M(aiden) inside (penetrating) a singing voice
20d Cook coaching without a dish in Italy? (7)
GNOCCHI – an anagram (cook) of CO[A]CHING without the A from the clue
24d Cut around base of iron grate (5)
GNASH – GASH (cut) around the final letter (base) of [iro]N
25d Source of light lead (4)
STAR – two definitions – the second being to play a lead role in a film
I’ll be back here in two weeks.