Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30323
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 10th June 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
It is quite a strange experience solving the Saturday Prize Puzzle on a Monday evening – we were away at No 2 son’s wonderful wedding in Ireland,while the rest of you were getting to grips with this Chalicea crossword. I didn’t look at the hints or comments until after I’d finished, but had I been around on the day, my 50p would definitely have backed Chalicea as the setter of this crossword
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Across
1a Freely opt in earnest for formal introduction (12)
PRESENTATION – An anagram (freely) of OPT IN EARNEST
9a Undeterred by spume in Welsh river (7)
DESPITE – SPIT (spume) in DEE (Welsh river)
10a Court order cardinal put on paper (7)
WRITTEN – WRIT (court order) TEN (cardinal number)
11a Stretchy laciest pants (7)
ELASTIC – An anagram (pants) of LACIEST
12a Fruitless steps to hide hesitation (7)
STERILE – STILE (steps) to ‘hide’ ER (expression of hesitation)
13a General tendency to tear to pieces after tantrum, essentially (5)
TREND – REND (tear to pieces) goes after the essential (middle) letter of tanTrum
14a Seems upset with short short periods of learning (9)
SEMESTERS – An anagram (upset) of SEEMS followed by a truncated (short) TERSe (short)
16a Small old city highly valued we hear, struck with wonder (9)
SURPRISED – S (small) UR (the Old Testament (old) city beloved of crossword setters everywhere and a homophone (we hear) of PRIZED (highly valued)
19a Drink with some Acapulco coastguards (5)
COCOA – Hidden in some acapulCO COAstguards
21a Empty marquee a certain size (7)
MEASURE – The outside (empty) letters of MarqueE, A (from the clue) SURE (certain)
23a About to become weary, daughter went to bed (7)
RETIRED – RE (about) TIRE (become weary) D (daughter)
24a Pinning down any number in poor health (7)
NAILING – N (any number) AILING (in poor health)
25a One revised a Latin language (7)
ITALIAN – I (one) and an anagram (revised) of A LATIN
26a Still calm about reconstruction of shelters (12)
NEVERTHELESS – A reversal (about) of EVEN (calm) followed by an anagram (reconstruction) of SHELTERS
Down
1d Father’s wise transaction (7)
PASSAGE – PAS (fathers) SAGE (wise) – as usual with a Chalicea crossword, you can find the link between definition and solution in the BRB
2d Was left sheltering son (7)
EXISTED – EXITED (left) ‘sheltering’ S (son)
3d Puts into practice duties surrounding English king (9)
EXERCISES – EXCISES (duties) ‘surrounding’ E (English) R (Rex, king)
4d Lots circling western urban areas (5)
TOWNS – The third insertion clue in a row – TONS (lots) ‘circling’ W (western)
5d Second Police Sergeant providing muscle (7)
TRICEPS – TRICE (second) PS (Police Sergeant)
6d Dismissed team? Unlikely (7)
OUTSIDE – OUT (dismissed) SIDE (team)
7d Public notice determines VAT wrongly (13)
ADVERTISEMENT – An anagram (wrongly) of DETERMINES VAT
8d Making sense of redundant sign being moved (13)
UNDERSTANDING – An anagram (being moved) of REDUNDANT SIGN
15d Update sermon I’d reworked twice in the end (9)
MODERNISE – An anagram (again!) of SERMON ID followed by the E at the end of twicE
17d Understand increase of price involving brewed ale (7)
REALISE – RISE (increase of price) ‘involving’ an anagram (brewed) of ALE
18d Regular performance of marsupial and adolescent for the audience (7)
ROUTINE – Homophones (for the audience) of ROO (marsupial) and TEEN (adolescent)
19d Too much stored in prison house (7)
COTTAGE – OTT (over the top, too much) ‘stored’ in CAGE (prison)
20d Conveys vehicle on trailer not oddly singular (7)
CARRIES – CAR (vehicle) on the even (not oddly) letters oftRaIlEr followed by S (singular)
22d Boat crew‘s condition of being tall originally ignored (5)
EIGHT – Ignore the original letter of hEIGHT (condition of being tall)
2*/4* …
liked 18D ” Regular performance of marsupial and adolescent for the audience (7)” & the cartoon.