ST 3169 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3169

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 17^th July 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

This Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle started off in quite a friendly manner and then the bottom half turned out to be a lot trickier

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

9a    Supply on-line gag? (5)
EQUIP – An on-line gag might be an E QUIP

10a    Quick-witted — getting one’s kicks? (2,3,4)
ON THE BALL This informal expression does sound like a footballer would be getting his kicks

11a    Great Swiss hero wearing short Indian garment (7)
STELLAR – TELL (William the Swiss hero) inside (wearing) a truncated SARi (Indian garment)

12a    Toxic element misbehaving in races (7)
ARSENIC -An anagram (misbehaving) of IN RACES

13a    Whine about ultimate in poor media coverage (5)
BLURB – BLUB (whine) goes ‘about’ the ultimate letter of pooR

14a    Travelling abroad, met Mr Right (9)
DREAMBOAT – I haven’t heard this informal name for a wonderful, attractive and desirable person (Mr Right) for many a long year. It’s obtained from an anagram (travelling) of ABROAD MET

16a    Rise in order to score — and hit the mark? (4,2,2,7)
COME UP TO SCRATCH – COMED UP (rise) TO (in order to) SCRATCH (score)

19a    Fluttering down first, cold particles piled up (9)
SNOWDRIFT – This clue actually describes the process of forming a SNOWDRIFT. It actually requires an anagram (fluttering) of DOWN FIRST

21a    Nothing right, darling (5)
LOVER – LOVE (nothing) R (right)

23a    Again, spark just maintaining enough luminosity, initially (7)
RELIGHT – RIGHT (just) ‘maintaining’ the initial letters of Enough Luminosity

25a    A shade sinful? (7)
SCARLET – This brilliant red colour (shade) is associated with sinful things

27a    Another place English and Welsh built before (9)
ELSEWHERE – An anagram (built) of E (English) and WELSH followed by ERE (before)

28a    Net empty (5)
CLEAR – Double definition, the first one meaning make as a profit

Down

1d    County plots (4)
BEDS – The abbreviated county of Bedfordshire or some garden plots

2d    Office furniture (6)
BUREAU – Double definition

3d    Fascinated in period before spring (10)
SPELLBOUND – SPELL (period) goes before BOUND (spring)

4d    Stabbed by blade, revolutionary howled (6)
ROARED – OAR (blade) ‘stabbed by’ or inserted into RED (revolutionary)

5d    Craft with art seems crafty! (8)
STEAMERS – Craft here being a plural word – an anagram (crafty) of ART SEEMS

6d    God featured in bronze, usually (4)
ZEUS – Featured in bronZE USually

7d    Actor in plays carrying a garment (8)
RAINCOAT – An anagram (plays) of ACTOR IN ‘carrying’ A (from the clue)

8d    Bird in web? (10)
FLYCATCHER – The name of this bird could also describe a spider’s web

13d    Illicit support on way (10)
BACKSTREET – BACK (support) STREET (way)

15d    Faint during demonstration somewhere in London (6,4)
MARBLE ARCH – BLEAR (faint) inserted into MARCH (demonstration)

17d    Dark novel so solemn (8)
MOONLESS – An anagram (novel) of SO SOLEMN

18d    Rite developed in the aforementioned decade (8)
THIRTIES – An anagram (developed) of RITE inserted into THIS (the aforementioned)

20d    Heart finally captured by stunner, for example (6)
TASTER – The final letter of hearT ‘captured’ by TASER (stunner)

22d    Ball taken before bouncing, lovely shot! (6)
VOLLEY – An anagram (shot) of LOVELY

24d    Something formal on? Attend when on vacation (4)
GOWN – GO (attend) and the outside (on vacation) letters of WheN

26d    Cutting something for dessert? (4)
TART – Double definition