ST 3148

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3148

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

A bit of a geography lesson from Dada this time in what seems like quite a lot of anagrams for one crossword

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Across

1a    Leaders in different division hosted by affiliates playing very well (3,2,1,6)
FIT AS A FIDDLE – the ‘leaders’ in Different Division ‘hosted’ by an anagram (playing) of AFFILIATES

9a    Lake ever so fresh, one between rivers (9)
RESERVOIR – An anagram (fresh) of EVER SO and I (one) inserted between two abbreviations for River

10a    Recurring idea in article on focus of autobiography? (5)
THEME – THE (definite article) ME (focus of autobiography)

11a    Excellent call for expression (6)
AIRING – AI (excellent) RING (call)

12a    Pause having grabbed team cap (5-3)
SCREW-TOP – STOP (pausing) having ‘grabbed’ CREW (team)

13a    Clean domesticated animal, dear little thing (6)
MOPPET – MOP (clean) PET (domesticated animal)

15a    Conspicuously offensive, standard tirade (8)
FLAGRANT – FLAG (standard) RANT (tirade)

18a    City in Africa strange, I gathered (8)
TANGIERS – An anagram (gathered) of STRANGE I

19a    Figure disappeared into middle of shantytown (6)
TWENTY – WENT (disappeared) inserted into the middle of shanTYtown

21a    Wickedness on the other hand in hatred (8)
ENORMITY – OR (on the other hand) inserted in ENMITY (hatred)

23a    Oh dear, Kenya evacuated state (6)
ALASKA – ALAS (oh dear) and the outside (evacuated) letters of KenyA

26a    Training session, boring thing (5)
DRILL – Double definition

27a    Religious Education proper with lecture (9)
REPRIMAND – RE (Religious Education) PRIM (proper) AND (with)

28a    Dazzling fall of old Peruvian? (12)
INCANDESCENT – INCAN (of old Peruvian) DESCENT (fall)

Down

1d    Part of body, organ in shape (7)
FOREARM – EAR (organ) in FORM (shape)

2d    Temporarily incapacitate some bandit, as errant (5)
TASER – Some of bandiT AS ERrant

3d    East African region where tiger seen, bizarrely (9)
SERENGETI – An anagram (bizarrely) of TIGER SEEN

4d    Game up for strike (4)
FLOG – A reversal (up in a Down clue) of GOLF (game)

5d    Straight line into city, red originally (8)
DIRECTLY – The abbreviation for Line inserted into an anagram (originally) of CITY RED

6d    Drink second, not last (5)
LATTE – LATTEr (second) without its last letter

7d    Limit water after sleep (8)
RESTRAIN – RAIN (water) goes after REST (sleep)

8d    Tyrant, heartless duke, see (6)
DESPOT – The outside (heartless) letters of DukE plus SPOT (see)

14d    Sorrow about awfully long animal often trafficked (8)
PANGOLIN – Sadly true and so very sorrowful – PAIN (sorrow) goes about an anagram (awfully) of LONG

16d    Disappear — as might dog and owner? (2,7)
GO WALKIES – Double definition

17d    Report I reviewed on a city in Africa (8)
PRETORIA – An anagram (reviewed) of REPORT I goes on A (from the clue)

18d    Posh leader of Tories, weak (6)
TWEEDY – T (leader of Tories) WEEDY (weak)

20d    Dear toy broken a long time ago (4,3)
YEAR DOT – An anagram (broken) of DEAR TOY

22d    1320 yards? An Italian city (5)
MILAN – My favourite clue – 1320 yards is three quarters of a MILE so the first three letters of MILe should be followed by AN from the clue

24d    Extra furious (5)
SPARE – Double definition – to go spare being a slang expression meaning furious

25d    Vegetable, initially swede, parsnip under discussion (4)
SPUD – The initial letters of Swede Parsnip Under Discussion