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DT 29915

by crypticsue  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29915

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 19th February 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

Chalicea provided this week’s Saturday Prize Puzzle – sadly the repetition indicator was working overtime!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought

Across

1a    Somewhat evident if you recognise what a thing is (8)
IDENTIFY – Hidden in (somewhat) evIDENT IF You

5a    Singular units of linear measure for beams (6)
SMILES – S (singular) MILES (units of linear measure)

9a    Precise brief conjecture whenever in charge (8)
SPECIFIC – SPEC (brief conjecture) IF (whenever) IC (in charge)

10a    Surmise about tense invitees (6)
GUESTS – GUESS (surmise) ‘about’ T (abbreviation for Tense)

12a    Curiously sift ideas for content (9)
SATISFIED – An anagram (curiously) of SIFT IDEAS

13a    Motif in anthem emerged (5)
THEME – Hidden in anTHEM Emerged

14a    Questions fool about king (4)
ASKS – ASS (fool) ‘about’ K (chess abbreviation for King The second use of ‘about’ to indicate an insertion, sadly there are three more appearances to come

16a    Achievement of one who inherits disregarding gold (7)
SUCCESS – SUCCESSor (one who inherits) without (disregarding) OR (the heraldic word for gold)

19a    Enthusiastically performing gay reel (7)
EAGERLY – An anagram (performing) of GAY REEL

21a    Reportedly apprehend witnesses (4)
SEES – A homophone (reportedly) of SEIZE (apprehend)

24a    Cure small donkey (5)
SMOKE – S (small) MOKE (donkey)

25a    Advancing copyright in designs produces these responses (9)
REACTIONS – Advancing C (copyright) in CREATIONS (designs) produces REACTIONS

27a    Labels balance sheet including Durban’s currency (6)
BRANDS – BS (balance sheet) ‘including’ RAND (the currency used in Durban and other parts of South Africa)

28a    Contrary to work attitude about technology (8)
OPPOSITE – OP (work) POSE (attitude) ‘about’ (again!!) IT (technology)

29a    Absolute anger pursuing field of medicine (6)
ENTIRE – IRE (anger) ‘pursuing’ ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat – field of medicine)

30a    Most recently arrived surprisingly gutsy one (8)
YOUNGEST – An anagram (surprisingly) of GUTSY ONE

Down

1d    Press is and isn’t organised (6)
INSIST – An anagram (organised) of IS and ISNT

2d    Quits accepting last of test results (6)
EVENTS – EVENS (quits) ‘accepting’ T (the last letter of test)

3d    Blunders and removes clothes, going topless (5)
TRIPS – sTRIPS (removes clothes) without the first letter (going topless)

4d    Little folks‘ charity bazaar is gathering energy (7)
FAIRIES – FAIR (charity bazaar) and IS (from the clue), the latter ‘gathering’ E (Energy)

6d    Rodent pinching upset hospital cat’s facial hair (9)
MOUSTACHE – MOUSE ‘pinching’ a reversal (upset in a Down solution) of H (hospital) CATS

7d    Auditor of catalogue before intermittently lean years (8)
LISTENER – LIST (catalogue) goes before the intermittent letters of lEaN yEaRs

8d    Uncertainty of opinion about US policies primarily (8)
SUSPENSE – SENSE (opinion) ‘about’ US and P (policies primarily) 

11d    Appends public notices, it’s said (4)
ADDS – A homophone (it’s said) of ADS (public notices)

15d    Give up on French and translate (9)
SURRENDER – SUR (the French word for one) and RENDER (translate)

17d    Drunk is seen outside British Library, initially sober (8)
SENSIBLE – An anagram (drunk) of IS SEEN goes outside the initial letters of British Library

18d    Lacking knowledge, I storm angrily about disorderly NGO (8)
IGNORANT – I RANT (I storm angrily) goes (once again) ‘about’ an anagram (disorderly) of NGO

20d    Tale
that might be spun? (4)
YARN – Double definition

21d    Shock cleaner? (7)
SHAMPOO – A cryptic definition of something that cleans your shock of hair

22d    Refined central European possessing personal magnetism (6)
POLITE – POLE (central European) ‘possessing’ IT (personal magnetism)

23d    Appearance of messy patches husband abandoned (6)
ASPECT – An anagram (messy) of PATChES without the H (husband abandoned)

26d    Unsure about husband’s old character (5)
THORN – TORN (unsure) ‘about’ H (husband) – Not only ‘about’ again, but the second use of H for Husband in successive clues

 

4 comments on “DT 29915”

  1. Further and better explanation required for the answer to 26d please! What has “thorn” got to do with character?

    1. When you see the word ‘character’ in a clue, you are more often than not required to look for a letter.

      A Thorn is an Old English and Old Norse letter

  2. Oh, dear crypticsue – my turn for the naughty step with that repetition. Many thanks for your review.

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