DT 29856

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29856

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A typical Chalicea crossword – this one ideal for fans of insertions and anagrams

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Across

4a    Shook with cold three times as much around start of March (8)
TREMBLED – TREBLED (three times as much) goes around the ‘start’ of March

8a    Last goal not oddly hurried (6)
ENDURE – END (goal) and the even (not oddly) letters of hUrRiEd

9a    Cut vegetation indeed round hill for high-speed road (8)
MOTORWAY – MOW (cut vegetation) and AY (indeed) go round TOR (hill)

10a    Vexed nuisance made a mistake, losing heart (8)
PESTERED – PEST (nuisance) ERrED (‘losing heart’ telling you to omit the R in the middle)

11a    Outcome of unsettled Ulster (6)
RESULT – An anagram (unsettled) of ULSTER

12a    Main computer network in roof space (8)
ATLANTIC – LAN (computer network) inserted in ATTIC (roof space)

13a    Benevolence of sort shown by head (8)
KINDNESS – KIND (sort) shown by NESS (head)

16a    World‘s response when Conservative comes to fore (8)
CREATION – The abbreviation for Conservative in REACTION (response) moves to the front of the word

19a    Ride with team travelling the Circle Line (8)
DIAMETER – An anagram (travelling) of RIDE with TEAM

21a    Cut into pieces parasitic insects inside coat of seed (6)
SLICED – LICE (parasitic insects) ‘inside’ the outside letters (coat) of SeeD

23a    Natural ability of a quiet little bird you’d picked up (8)
APTITUDE – A (from the clue) P (musical instruction to play quietly) TIT (little bird) and a homophone (picked up) of you’d – U D

24a    I clear up misrepresented characteristic (8)
PECULIAR – An anagram (misrepresented) of I CLEAR UP

25a    Relaxing occupations? (3-3)
SIT-INS – a cryptic definition of some occupations that sound as if they might be relaxing

26a    Workers keep score using brainpower (8)
MENTALLY – MEN (workers) TALLY (keep score)

Down

1d    Insignificant people in dissenting cliques (7)
INSECTS – IN (from the clue) SECTS (dissenting cliques)

2d    A lake in alpine country or a distant one (9)
AUSTRALIA – A (from the clue) L (lake) inserted in AUSTRIA (alpine country)

3d    Rue raising sample of winter geraniums (6)
REGRET – Hidden in reverse (raising sample of) in winTER GERaniums

4d    Misbehaving Mack did not harass anybody (3,4,3,5)
TOM DICK AND HARRY – An anagram (misbehaving) of MACK DID NOT followed by HARRY (harass)

5d    Fellow losing head over electronic band’s recording (8)
ENTERING – Remove the head from gENT (fellow) and put the result over (in a down solution) E (electronic) RING (band)

6d    Uncovers wild animals, we hear (5)
BARES – A homophone (we hear) of BEARS (wild animals)

7d    Gives power to English overturning prohibition covering the French (7)
ENABLES – E (English), a reversal (overturning) of BAN (prohibition) covering or going on top of in a Down solution, the French definite article

14d    Intermittently encounter nitwit; truly gutless lightweight (9)
NONETITY – The even (intermittent) letters of eNcOuNtEr, TIT (nitwit) and the outside (gutless) letters of TrulY

15d    Toy‘s success with daughter followed by grind (8)
WINDMILL – WIN (success) D (daughter) MILL (grind)

17d    To ease burden, consider having change of leader (7)
RELIEVE – Change the first letter of BELIEVE (consider)

18d    Sadly ended day mostly in blind alley (4,3)
DEAD END – An anagram (sadly) of ENDED and DA (day ‘mostly’)

20d    Section of part is tough for performer (6)
ARTIST – Hidden in a section of pART IS Tough

22d    Royal entourage overheard in conversation (5)
COURT – A homophone (in conversation) of CAUGHT (overheard)