Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3218
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 25th June 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
A Dada Sunday Prize Puzzle with quite a few anagrams and insertions. My favourite clue was 5a
Across
1a Very cold metal in jumbo (6)
BITING – TIN (metal) inserted in BIG (jumbo)
5a Famous solver’s friend in battle? (8)
HASTINGS – The surname of the friend Hercule Poirot’s (famous solver) or a battle which changed the course of British history
9a Charge I had on running water meter reader found? (4-6)
TAXI-DRIVER – TAX (charge) ID (I had) on RIVER (running water)
10a Sleeping accommodation that’s choice on the outskirts of Durham? (4)
DORM – The ‘outskirts’ of DurhaM are D OR M
11a Jargon surrounding cooker contract (8)
COVENANT – CANT (jargon) surrounding OVEN (cooker)
12a Ben and Ray, terribly close (6)
NEARBY – An anagram (terribly)of BEN and RAY
13a Greek character lost in maze, Tantalus (4)
ZETA – Found in maZE TAntalus
15a Honestly three sheets to the wind, under the table (2,3,3)
ON THE SLY – An anagram (three sheets to the wind) of HONESTLY
18a Couple covering grass in competition (4,4)
BOAT RACE – BRACE (couple) ‘covering’ OAT (grass)
19a Place of refuge where some industrialist retired (4)
LAIR – Hidden in reverse (retired) in industRIAList
21a Hand round last of wine before a party (6)
FIESTA – FIST (hand) goes round E (the last letter of winE) before A (from the clue)
23a Drill ending in coolant, wet (8)
TRAINING – The letter at the end of coolanT followed by RAINING (wet)
25a Joint weak when ankle broke, finally (4)
KNEE – The final letters of weaK wheN anklE brokE
26a Alcohol on the house for bohemian (4,6)
FREE SPIRIT – SPIRIT (alcohol) FREE (on the house)
27a New article about new instrument (8)
CLARINET – An anagram (new) of ARTICLE ‘about’ N (new)
28a Put off gobbling last of spaghetti — might one be? (6)
DIETER – DETER (put off) ‘gobbling’ the last letter of spaghettI
Down
2d Adult picture cut, offensive originally (5)
IMAGO – An IMAGe ‘cut’ and the original letter of Offensive
3d Wandering in, Queen and soldier after it (9)
ITINERANT – IN (from the clue), ER (the regnal cipher of our late Queen) and ANT (soldier) all go after IT (from the clue)
4d Not entirely appropriate language (6)
GERMAN – Almost all of GERMANe (appropriate)
5d Don’t own right to be a terrible dancer? (4,3,4,4)
HAVE TWO LEFT FEET – Rather than one right and one left!
6d Calm novel set in Rye (8)
SERENITY – An anagram (novel) of SET IN RYE
7d Individuals leaving Jakarta’s country — for another? (5)
INDIA – ONES (individuals) ‘leaving’ INDONESIA (Jakarta’s country)
8d Soldier punched by a filthy general (9)
GARIBALDI – GI (American soldier) ‘punched’ by A (from the clue) and RIBALD (filthy)
14d Having vandalised loo, inmate charged (9)
EMOTIONAL – An anagram (having vandalised) of LOO INMATE
16d Rose, inelegant drunk! (9)
EGLANTINE – An anagram (drunk) of INELEGANT
17d Fuel: scent a strike coming up (8)
PARAFFIN – A reversal (coming up) of NIFF (scent) A (from the clue) RAP (strike)
20d Gathered sea has claimed a ship (6)
MASSED – MED (Mediterranean Sea) has ‘claimed’ A (from the clue) and SS (ship)
22d Very fine cut, did you say? (5)
SHEER – A homophone (did you say) of SHEAR (cut)
24d Sound, one coming through feature with two holes (5)
NOISE – I (one) coming through NOSE (a feature with two holes!)