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DT 30251 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Crossword No 30251

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 18th March 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment ***

An exceptionally friendly Saturday Prize Puzzle 

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought

Across

8a    Pointed remark that is ignored by Ken’s partner (4)
BARB – BARBie – the partner of Ken the doll without the abbreviation for that is

9a    Group of loudmouths on strike (3)
OUT A group of the letters in loudmOUThs

10a    Banker welcoming Harry? Don’t hold your breath! (6)
EXHALE The River EXE (banker) ‘welcoming’ HAL (Harry)

11a    Run short of gear (6)
STREAK – A cryptic definition of a run without wearing clothes (short of gear). A clue which gave some of us the chance to relive the fun Ray Stevens 1974 record – which always makes me think of my much-missed youngest sister, as whenever we weren’t to look at anything, we always said “Don’t look Ethel!”, the response to which was always ‘but it was too late, Ethel was moved’.

12a    Publicity from trade fair guaranteed (8)
EXPOSURE – EXPO (trade fair) SURE (guaranteed)

13a    Soldier’s characteristic warning to keep out? (7,8)
PRIVATE PROPERTY – PRIVATE (soldier) PROPERTY (characteristic)

15a    African runner‘s wealthiest, having lost millions (7)
OSTRICH – mOST RICH (wealthiest) without (having lost) the abbreviation for Millions

17a    Concert bootleg occasionally getting support (7)
PROMOTE – PROM (concert) and the occasional letters of bOoTlEg

20a    Where white lines might be dull? (6-2-3-4)
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD – Literally where white lines may be or unexciting (dull)

23a    Support journalist and set out to enter China (8)
PEDESTAL – ED (journalist) and an anagram (out) of SET to ‘enter’ PAL (friend – China being Cockney Rhyming Slang for a mate)

25a    Something for smoking jacket (6)
REEFER – A slang term for a cigarette containing marijuana or a type of jacket

26a    Chemistry test paper (6)
LITMUS A paper used in chemistry to test for acidity or alkalinity; what makes the clue just about cryptic is that it could be read as a reference to a chemistry exam paper

27a    Fuss about god-awful houses (3)
ADO – Hidden in reverse in gOD Awful

28a    Cover old pool (4)
LIDO – LID (cover) O (old)

Down

1d    Buffet food might be fried in this (6)
BATTER – A verb meaning to bash about (buffet) or something food is fried in

2d    One watches over British person in court? (8)
OBSERVER – O (cricket abbreviation for Over) B (British) SERVER (person in a tennis court)

3d    Boffin succeeded in tricks to entice criminal (6,9)
ROCKET SCIENTIST – S (the abbreviation for succeeded) inserted into an anagram (criminal) of IN TRICKS TO ENTICE

4d    Try some of latte MP tasted (7)
ATTEMPT – Found in some of lATTE MP Tasted

5d    Stay calm and don’t undress! (4,4,5,2)
KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON – Stay calm and don’t take off your shirt

6d    Broadcast trailed ‘Like a Virgin‘ (6)
CHASTE – A homophone (broadcast) of CHASED (trailed)

7d    Drink noisily, not quietly — what one might do when drunk (4)
SLUR – SLURp (drink noisily) without the P (musical instruction to play quietly)

14d    Measure the same both ways (3)
TOT – This small measure is a palindrome and reads the same both ways

16d    Regularly sickest going uphill? Go downhill! (3)
SKI – A reversal (going uphill) of the regular letters of sIcKeSt

18d    Spoil pretty Italian resort (8)
MARBELLA – MAR (spoil) BELLA (the Italian word for pretty)

19d    Get shot of rotten cargo (7)
OFFLOAD – OFF (rotten) LOAD (cargo)

21d    Lovely day to play with R.E.M. (6)
DREAMY – An anagram (to play) of DAY with REM

22d    Programme that’s mature and different (6)
AGENDA – AGE (mature) with an anagram (different) of AND

24d    Impressive electronic image (4)
EPIC – E (electronic) PIC (image)

 

4 comments on “DT 30251 (Full Review)

  1. What’s happened to the Telegraph Puzzles website. I normally download the Saturday Prize Cryptic and Giant General Knowledge, this week I was obliged to use the new website on the third attempt I managed to print both puzzles but Giant General Knowledge was missing clues and Saturday Prize Cryptic is missing its number making it hard check to the following week.

    I’m sure there must be more than me that’s disappointed with the new format so make your thoughts known then hopefully Mr Lancaster the Puzzles Editor will put things right

  2. 2*/4*….
    liked 15A “African runner‘s wealthiest, having lost millions (7)”

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