Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3200
A full review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 19th February 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Another Sunday, another Sunday Prize Puzzle from Dada
I don’t suppose anyone who wasn’t typing a review of this crossword would have noticed but this one has eleven clues requiring something to be inserted into something else (eight of the fourteen Across clues, and seven of those one after another). Could this be because I understand from someone who knows a thing or two about cryptic crossword setting, that insertion clues are the easiest to write?
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Food for cooking dinner gets prepared after one (11)
INGREDIENTS – An anagram (gets prepared) of DINNER GETS goes after I (one)
9a In reverse, place a rock in wheels (7)
ROTATES – As the clue says, in reverse SET (place) A TOR (rock)
10a One visiting a French apartment, due (6)
UNPAID – Another ‘one’ this time ‘visiting UN (French indefinite article) and PAD (apartment)
12a Bird in queue behind rail (7)
SPARROW – ROW (queue) goes behind SPAR (rail)
13a Tailless insect absorbs second bodily substance (7)
HORMONE – A HORNEt (without its tail) ‘absorbs’ MO (second)
14a Gong banged finally, dinner say brought round? (5)
MEDAL – The final letter of banged inserted into (brought round) MEAL (dinner, say)
15a Islander, like chap I dressed in brown (9)
TASMANIAN – AS (like) MAN (chap) I (from the clue) inserted into (dressed in) TAN (brown)
17a Incompetent Dan put in, opener finally trapped in cricket game (3-3-3)
TIP-AND-RUN – An anagram (incompetent) of DAN PUT IN into which is inserted (trapped) the final letter of opener
20a Gift first of lemons in yellow (5)
FLAIR – L (the first letter of Lemons) inserted in FAIR (yellow)
22a Employ too many staff, thousand in Verona, surprisingly (7)
OVERMAN – M (the Roman numeral for 1,000) inserted into an anagram (surprisingly) of VERONA
24a Eject bags with shallow box (7)
SANDPIT – SPIT (eject) ‘bags’ AND (with)
25a Fill puzzle (6)
RIDDLE – Double definition
26a Made off with bag — loot! (7)
RANSACK – RAN (made off) with BAG (sack)
27a Very little grain? (11)
CHICKENFEED – Something of very little or grain to feed chickens
Down
2d Green note (7)
NATURAL – In a natural form (green) or a musical note which is neither sharp nor flat
3d Fragrant liquid so rare and wet, splashed around (9)
ROSEWATER – An anagram (splashed around) of SO RARE and WET
4d Cash: bread, though not ready? (5)
DOUGH – A slang term for money or a mass of flour moistened and kneaded but not baked
5d Shops all opening, eight million people outside running in, apparently (7)
EMPORIA – The opening letters of Eight Million People Outside Running In Apparently
6d Pilot I suspect circling right capital city (7)
TRIPOLI – An anagram (suspect) of PILOT I ‘circling’ R (right)
7d Unproven belief in fresh start under leader in parliament (11)
PRESUMPTION – RESUMPTION (fresh start) goes under the ‘leader’ in Parliament
8d Leave property on Monopoly board (6)
STRAND – Leave or abandon or the name of a property on a Monopoly Board
11d Communist playing knotty roles (4,7)
LEON TROTSKY – An anagram (playing) of KNOTTY ROLES
16d ‘Ass’ infers stupid type (4,5)
SANS SERIF – An anagram (stupid) of ASS INFERS
18d Uriah upset about Victor is grumpy (7)
PEEVISH – A reversal (upset) of HEEP goes ‘about’ V (the letter represented by Victor in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) and IS (from the clue)
19d Wandering casually initially, I had a day going uphill (7)
NOMADIC – A reversal (going uphill) of C (casually initially) ID (I had) A (from the clue) MON (day)
20d Back African party, well on the fringes (7)
FINANCE – FINE (well) into which is inserted (on the fringes) ANC (African political party)
21d Ask a page to put on ring (6)
APPEAL – A (from the clue) P (page) PEAL (ring)
23d Relative in fleece instantly turned up (5)
NIECE – Hidden in reverse (turned up) in fleECE INstantly
2*/3*….
liked 4D “Cash: bread, though not ready? (5)”