ST 3152 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3152

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3152

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 20th March 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ****

Straightforward to solve (apart from the error in 27a) and easy to explain – the perfect crossword for a Sunday morning when it was too nice to stay indoors 

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Meeting finding improbable treatment for software? (11)
APPOINTMENT – We start with a smile – I did like the improbable idea of software being treated with APP OINTMENT

9a    Cheerful, just like some pianos (7)
UPRIGHT – UP (cheerful) RIGHT (just)

10a    Chatterbox adoring senseless babbling, initially breaking silence (6)
GASBAG – The initial letters of Adoring Senseless Babbling ‘breaking’ GAG (silence)

12a    Stop chorus (7)
REFRAIN – Double definition, one a verb, the other a noun

13a    Register years on earth, digging (7)
TILLAGE – TILL ([cash] register) AGE (years on earth)

14a    Ultimately invisible, brainbox went to school for praise (5)
EXTOL – The ultimate letters of invisiblE brainboX wenT tO schooL

15a    A rave gone mad, usually (2,7)
ON AVERAGE – An anagram (mad) of A RAVE GONE

17a    Interior designer, one delivering Christmas lecture? (9)
DECORATOR – Someone delivering a Christmas lecture could be a DEC ORATOR

20a    Seaside platform hosting piano player (5)
PIPER – PIER (seaside platform) ‘hosting’ P (piano, musical abbreviation to play quietly)

22a    Snacks primate found in tins (7)
CANAPES – APE (primate) found in CANS (tins)

24a    Container seen through opening, illuminated (7)
SPOTLIGHT – POT (container) ‘seen through’ SLIT (opening)

25a    Attack a small boat (6)
ASSAIL – A (from the clue) S (small) SAIL (boat)

26a    Breathe life into a friend touring Northern Ireland (7)
ANIMATE – A MATE (a friend) ‘touring’ NI (Northern Ireland)

27a     Original clue: Items here collected by mum and dad afterthoughts (11) Revised clue: New items here in spare ground, afterthoughts (11)
PARENTHESES – The original clue left you with a spare T: THESE (items here) ‘collected’ by PARENTS (mum and dad). The revised clue: The abbreviation for New and THESE (items here) inserted into an anagram (ground) of SPARE

Down

2d    Narrated story of wolf blowing houses down? That’s hairy! (7)
PIGTAIL – A homophone (narrated) description of the story of the wolf blowing houses down

3d    Unqualified, twice dismissed? (3-3-3)
OUT-AND-OUT – Dismissed twice

4d    Dark near end of street (5)
NIGHT – NIGH (near) T (the end of streeT)

5d    Wine merchant briefly under doctor (7)
MOSELLE – A truncated (briefly) SELLEr (merchant) goes under MO (Medical Officer, doctor)

6d    A steeplechaser at the back, once more upended, falls (7)
NIAGARA – A reversal (upended) of A (from the clue) R (the back of steeplechaseR) and AGAIN (once more)

7d    Every diamond, for example, in area on ship? (11)
QUARTERDECK – The diamonds in a pack of cards would be a QUARTER DECK

8d    Return for match (6)
PROFIT – PRO (for) FIT (match)

11d    Big names born in Leicester, I gathered (11)
CELEBRITIES – B (born) inserted into an anagram (gathered) of LEICESTER I

16d    Comic operas, brilliant atmosphere (9)
AEROSPACE – An anagram (comic) of OPERAS followed by ACE (brilliant)

18d    Chap oddly claiming a foul after cut in card game (7)
CANASTA – The odd letters of ChAp, NASTy (foul after cut) and A (from the clue)

19d    Take position of agent on thread (7)
REPLACE – REP (agent) LACE (thread)

20d    Word in mantra brought into force (7)
PROMISE – OM (mantra) ‘brought into’ PRISE (force)

21d    Supporter in thrall I picked up (6)
PILLAR – Hidden in reverse (up) in thRALL I Picked

23d    Separate city in Croatia (5)
SPLIT – Double definition, a verb or a lovely Croatian city that I wouldn’t mind visiting again one day

 

4 comments on “ST 3152

  1. Good morning, CS. Thank you for your review, and to show that someone reads the full Prize Puzzle reviews after the event, I think you’ve missed the “new” from the revised clue for 27a.

    1. It is a well-known fact that if you want someone to comment on a weekend puzzle review, you should make a deliberate error – whether this was one or not, I’m not prepared to say ;)

  2. 3*/3*…..
    liked 6D ” A steeplechaser at the back, once more upended, falls (7) ”
    re 7D ” Every diamond, for example, in area on ship? (11) ” ..the answer may not be strictly correct perhaps if one’s pack includes a joker.

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