ST 3136

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3136

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This puzzle was published on 28^th November 2021

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

Trickier than the previous two Sundays with one clue that took an age to parse

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Across

9a    Capital never safeguarded by locks, ultimately lost (5)
HANOI – NO (never) ‘safeguarded’ by HAIr (locks) without the R ‘(‘ultimately lost’ being an instruction to remove the final letter)

10a    Make a comparison, as a legion on manoeuvres (9)
ANALOGISE – An anagram (on manoeuvres) of AS A LEGION

11a    Back sore at first, one crying (7)
SWEEPER – A back in football – S (sore at first) WEEPER (one crying)

12a    Guide: one goes on foot (7)
TRAINER – Double definition

13a    Century after century by India, restorative (5)
TONIC – C (100, century, in Roman numerals) goes after TON (century) and I (IVR Code for India)

14a    Blighter’s puppet, is one wearing cap? (9)
TOADSTOOL – TOADS (blighter’s) TOOL (puppet

16a    Game whose winner won’t have had a shot (7,8)
RUSSIAN ROULETTE – A cryptic definition of a dangerous game where the winner is the person without a shot or bullet in the cylinder of the revolver

19a    A hunger to join team next door (9)
ALONGSIDE – A (from the clue) LONG (hunger) SIDE (team)

21a    Beethoven’s Seventh, a top sound (5)
VALID – V (the seventh letter of BeethoVen) A (from the clue) LID (top)

23a    Offensive act not in fashion (7)
OUTRAGE – OUT (not in) RAGE (fashion)

25a    Auditor’s painting jug (7)
PITCHER – A homophone (auditor’s) PICTURE (painting)

27a    An on-line figure? (9)
NUMERATOR – The number above the line in a fraction

28a    Monsters of ghastly reputation, enormous size originally (5)
OGRES – The original letters of Of Ghastly Reputation Enormous Size

Down

1d    Part of Macbeth usually like that (4)
THUS – Part of MacbeTH USually

2d    An educational officer on the mountains (6)
ANDEAN – AN (from the clue) DEAN (educational officer)

3d    Critical intervention, the police initially stopping criminal activity (10)
NITPICKING – The initial letters of Intervention The Police ‘stopping’ NICKING (criminal activity)

4d    Imitate rock, music genre served up (6)
PARROT – A reversal (served up) of TOR (rock) RAP (music genre)

5d    Is tango dancing captivating a South American capital? (8)
SANTIAGO – An anagram (dancing) of IS TANGO ‘captivating’ A (from the clue)

6d    Seat is for flat, used regularly (4)
SOFA – The regular letters of iS fOr FlAt

7d    Indicator by the way in initial letters? (8)
SIGNPOST – If you initial letters, you SIGN POST

8d    Keen driver later hoped to go travelling (10)
PETROLHEAD – An anagram (to go travelling) of LATER HOPED

13d    Opportunity with a period of boxing for reversal of fortune (10)
TURNAROUND – TURN (opportunity) A ROUND (a period of boxing)

15d    Dribbling Italian wingers in Salerno about to net five (10)
SALIVATION – An anagram (about) of ITALIAN and the wingers or outside letters of SalernO into which is inserted (to net) V (the Roman numeral for five)

17d    Let’s go with some rocks (8)
SHOWTIME – An anagram (rocks) of WITH SOME

18d    Chocolate: one hardened in minute (8)
NOISETTE – I (one) SET (hardened) in NOTE (minute)

20d    Ace, old and bold! (6)
EXPERT – EX (old) PERT (bold)

22d    City in Pakistan I see inspired by traditional beliefs (6)
LAHORE – AH (I see) ‘inspired’ by LORE (traditional beliefs)

24d    Some land in water, carried towards the surface? (4)
ACRE – Hidden in reverse (towards the surface) in watER CArried

26d    Wine was revolting! (4)
ROSE – Double definition