ST 3174 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3174

A full review by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A friendly Sunday puzzle from Dada, although it did seem to me that if I wasn’t typing ‘anagram’, I was explaining the insertion of something into something else!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Punt taken on fish shop (6)
BETRAY – BET (punt) RAY (fish)

4a    Start of May, end of three months for elected representative (6)
MEMBER – M (the ‘start’ of May) and EMBER (the end of three months of the year, September, November and December)

8a    Behind closed doors, centre is being refurbished (2,6)
IN SECRET – An anagram (being refurbished) of IS BEING

10a    Pirate for example mean, as furious (6)
SEAMAN – An anagram (furious) of MEAN AS

11a    A picnic eaten at seaside, yummy first of all (4)
EASY – The first letters of Eaten At Seaside Yummy

12a    Perfectly chaotic boarding jet (10)
FLAWLESSLY – LAWLESS (chaotic) ‘boarding’ FLY (jet)

13a    Top off beer — with this? (6-6)
BOTTLE-OPENER – Something used to take the top off a bottle of beer

16a    Unresponsive period from Disraeli, once ruffled (5,7)
RADIO SILENCE – An anagram (ruffled) of DISRAELI ONCE

20a    A cake put on cloth for urchin (10)
RAGAMUFFIN – A (from the clue) and a MUFFIN (cake) put on or after RAG (cloth)

21a    Company surrounded by money (4)
COIN – CO (company) IN (surrounded by)

22a    Part of New York where Mahler composed (6)
HARLEM – An anagram (composed) of MAHLER

23a    Item of clothing stolen by boy or dog (8)
LABRADOR – BRA (item of clothing) inserted between (stolen by) LAD (boy) and OR (from the clue)

24a    Plain fish cut by doctor (6)
TUNDRA – TUNA (fish) ‘cut’ by DR (doctor)

25a    Top island (6)
JERSEY – An item of clothing (top) or a Channel Island

Down

1d    A French girl in East London location, small house (8)
BUNGALOW – UN (French indefinite article) and GAL (girl) inserted in BOW (East London location)

2d    Minute within fifteen years (5)
TEENY – Hidden within fifTEEN Years

3d    Somewhat towards arm (1,6)
A TRIFLE – AT (towards) RIFLE (arm)

5d    Slip-on shoe ultimately designed for Greek character (7)
EPSILON – An anagram (designed) of SLIP ON and E (the ultimate letter of shoe)

6d    Restaurant in old club welcoming queen (9)
BRASSERIE – BRASSIE (old golf clue) ‘welcoming’ ER (the regnal cipher of our current Queen)

7d    So, that seems unlikely (6)
REALLY – An adverb meaning very (so) or an interjection expressing surprise, the latter usually followed with a question mark

9d    Taste of sugar, say: one floats up when cooked (11)
TEASPOONFUL – An anagram (when cooked) of ONE FLOATS UP

14d    Jack: boy in sheet (9)
TARPAULIN – TAR (jack, sailor) PAUL (boy) IN (from the clue)

15d    Bitterness one day encapsulated by a lament (8)
ACRIMONY – I (one) MON (Monday) ‘encapsulated by’ or inserted between A (from the clue) nd CRY (lament)

17d    Rich, say: odd million invested in wine that’s brought over (7)
DRUMMER – Although he’s apparently considered one of the most influential drummers of all time, I wonder how many people knew of Buddy Rich? A reversal (brought over) of RED (wine) into which is inserted (invested in) RUM (odd) and M (million)

18d    British in Foreign Legion, common (7)
IGNOBLE – B (British) inserted into an anagram (foreign) of LEGION

19d    Empty vessel filling another? (6)
VACANT – CAN (vessel) ‘filling’ VAT (another vessel)

21d    Vulgar, vacuous character, fool (5)
CRASS – The outside (vacuous) letters of CharacteR and an ASS