ST 3132

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3132

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 31^st October 2021

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

You do have to wonder why, if Dada can produce a crossword of this difficulty for a Sunday, he can’t do the same for the Tuesday Toughie spot. Once again, once you’ve solved his clues, they are definitely the easiest for a blogger to explain

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

7a    Shape of washer attached to source of water, tight (7)
SPARING – RING (shape of washer) ‘attached’ to SPA (source of water)

8a    Taken to the cleaners — as teddy bear has been? (7)
STUFFED – A slang term meaning utterly defeated describes what a teddy bear has been

10a    Bird: that female nesting in most important tree (10)
KINGFISHER – HER (that female) ‘nesting’ in KING (most important) FIR (tree)

11a    Colourless
stake (4)
PALE – Double definition – the second referring to a strip of wood driven into the ground to form part of a fence

12a    Blue ring secured by boy for file (8)
DOWNLOAD – DOWN (blue, sad) and O (ring) ‘secured’ by LAD (boy)

14a    Untouched, it can’t degenerate (6)
INTACT – An anagram (degenerate) of IT CANT

15a    In great condition in boxing match (8,3)
FIGHTING FIT – FIGHTING (boxing) FIT (match)

19a    Work has gone into hit for maestro (6)
CHOPIN – OP (work) inserted into CHIN (a slang word meaning to hit on the chin)

20a    Darling ready for run of four aces, perhaps? (4,4)
LOVE GAME – LOVE (darling) GAME (ready)

22a    Test opposites, right and left primarily (4)
ORAL – The primary letters of Opposites Right And Left

23a    Suit in church perhaps moved by sad tunes (6,4)
SUNDAY BEST – An anagram (moved) of BY SAD TUNES

25a    Eat quantity in hard fruit (7)
CONSUME – SUM (quantity) in CONE (hard fruit)

26a    Group, Liberal in general (7)
CLUSTER – L (Liberal) inserted in General CUSTER

Down

1d    Date for fooling around on bed — that’s fruity! (7)
APRICOT – APR I (the date for fooling people) on COT (bed)

2d    Jumper for woolly garment, initially (4)
FROG – An anagram (woolly) of FOR and the initial letter of Garment

3d    Colour I like, no clothes! (6)
INDIGO – I (from the clue) and DIG (like) ‘clothed’ by NO (from the clue)

4d    Flier, best swimmer (8)
STARLING – STAR (best) LING (fish, swimmer)

5d    Disconcerting, inaccurate strokes with golf club (3-7)
OFF-PUTTING – OFF (inaccurate) PUTTING (strokes with golf club)

6d    Poisoner, tuft of hair beneath fringe (7)
HEMLOCK – LOCK (tuft of hair) goes beneath HEM (fringe)

9d    Revolution in older Danish state (5,6)
RHODE ISLAND – An anagram (revolution) of OLDER DANISH

13d    Become fluent in language as painter and decorator? (4,6)
NAIL POLISH – NAIL (become fluent in) POLISH (language)

16d    Give a little, being generous (8)
HANDSOME – HAND (give) SOME (a little)

17d    Talk about location of carnival vehicle (7)
CHARIOT – CHAT (talk) goes about RIO (location of carnival)

18d    Wasted — as tennis ball may have been after lob? (7)
SMASHED – A slang term for drunk (wasted) describes what might have happened to a tennis ball after a lob

21d    Sailor overwhelmed by abominable sound (6)
VIABLE – AB (sailor) ‘overwhelmed’ by VILE (abominable)

24d    Chest
broke (4)
BUST – Double definition