DT 30083 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30083

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 3^rd September 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A Saturday Prize Puzzle which, once you’d got the long anagrams, didn’t take much time to solve. We did, however, have to play ‘guess the setter’ until Chalicea arrived to confirm that, just as some solvers had suspected, with some more unusual definitions, it had to be her

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Across

7a    Chaotic disintegration can become most confusing (14)
DISORIENTATING – An anagram (chaotic) of DISINTEGRATION

9a    Financial correspondent, one making urban changes? (4,6)
CITY EDITOR – A newspaper’s financial correspondent does sound like he might be making changes to an urban environment

11a    Moon cheers, a little bit (4)
IOTA – IO (a moon of the planet Jupiter) TA (cheers, thank you)

12a    We’re told progeny is a source of light (3)
SUN – A homophone (we’re told) of SON (progeny)

13a    Security guard in the dark hours stargazing? (5-5)
NIGHT-WATCH – a security guard who works at night (in the dark hours) could, without the hyphen, refer to star gazing

16a    Tease about black clothing (4)
GARB – A reversal (about) of RAG (tease) followed by the abbreviation for black

17a    Never-ending road heading west round twisted stunted tree (7)
ETERNAL – A reversal (heading west in an Across solution) of LANE (road) goes around an anagram (twisted) of the first three letters (stunted) of TREe

18a    Dismays, admitting ecstasy is tempting (7)
APPEALS – APPALS (dismays) ‘admitting’ E (ecstasy)

20a    Husband taking long time over race (4)
HARE – H (husband) and a reversal (over) of ERA (long time)

21a    Sadly no acid test for raconteur (10)
ANECDOTIST – An anagram (sadly) of NO ACID TEST

23a    Remote military force returning (3)
FAR – A reversal (returning) of RAF (military force)

24a    Dress put round large lass (4)
GIRL – A reversal (put round) of an informal term meaning to dress followed by the abbreviation for large

25a    Missing classes, feeling low (3,2,5)
OUT OF SORTS – OUT OF (missing) SORTS (classes)

28a    Music player for each child and adult dancing to reels (8,6)
PERSONAL STEREO – PER (for each) SON (child) A (adult) and an anagram (dancing) of TO REELS

Down

1d    Cleric lacking energy involved in a case related to management (14)
ADMINISTRATIVE – MINISTeR (cleric ‘lacking’ the E for energy) inserted (involved) in A (from the clue) and DATIVE (case)

2d    Catch glimpse of European agent (4)
ESPY – E (European) SPY (agent)

3d    Produced food we hear (4)
BRED – A homophone (we hear) of BREAD (food)

4d    To put it differently, others dined (7)
RESTATE – REST (others) ATE (dined)

5d    Southern sailor gave promising signs, resembling a heavenly body (4-6)
STAR-SHAPED – S (southern) TAR (sailor) and SHAPED (part of a verb, one definition of is “gave promising signs”)

6d    Most lean and sinewy form of grittiness (10)
STRINGIEST – An anagram (form) of GRITTINESS

8d    Troubled Australian surprisingly into acquiring citizenship of another country (14)
NATURALISATION – An anagram (troubled) of AUSTRALIAN followed by an anagram (surprisingly) of INTO

10d    Swallow penalty from time to time (3)
EAT – The occasional letters (from time to time) of pEnAlTy

14d    Fresh holes constructed for the equine race (10)
HORSEFLESH – An anagram (constructed) of FRESH HOLES

15d    Dress warmly before a game of golf in this garment (10)
WRAPAROUND – WRAP (dress warmly) A (from the clue) ROUND (game of golf)

19d    Pal kept busy in attempt to instil enthusiasm (3,4)
PEP TALK – An anagram (busy) of PALL KEPT

22d    Almost identify upcoming military actions (3)
OPS – A reversal (upcoming) of almost all of SPOt (identify)

26d    Food — some platefuls sent back (4)
FETA – Hidden in reverse (sent back) in plATEFuls

27d    Grim villain, therefore overturned (4)
OGRE – A reversal (overturned) of ERGO (therefore)