DT 30473 (Full Review) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30473 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30473

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 2nd December 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

This Saturday Prize Puzzle required a smattering of knowledge of both the works of Shakespeare and Dickens and was definitely one for lovers of anagrams

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Across

1a    Irony perfect somehow in Pericles (6,2,4)
PRINCE OF TYRE – Shakespeare’s Pericles was the PRINCE OF TYRE, an anagram (somehow) of IRONY PERFECT

8a    Magistrate of past and of future events (5)
REEVE – Hidden in futuRE EVEnts

9a    Smitten peri had to love goddess (9)
APHRODITE – An anagram (smitten) of PERI HAD TO

11a    Song of no great length about husband’s cat (9)
SHORTHAIR – SHORT AIR (song of no great length) ‘about’ the abbreviation for Husband

12a    Loyal vassal in Belgian city (5)
LIEGE A loyal subject or the name of a Belgian city

13a    Sort of western pie that’s cooked, good to be consumed (9)
SPAGHETTI – An anagram (cooked) of PIE THAT’S into which is inserted (to be consumed) the abbreviation for Good

16a    Walk to embrace cold spell (5)
PATCH – PATH (walk) to ’embrace’ C (cold)

18a    Sound of my army band? (5)
CORPS – Sounds like COR (like ‘my’, an interjection of surprise

19a    Coat‘s second layer worn by ‘umble character (9)
SHEEPSKIN – S (second) SKIN (layer) into which is inserted (worn by) HEEP (Uriah, the Dickens character who was always saying he was very ‘umble

20a    Your compiler’s Conservative, not Liberal, making charge (5)
IMBUE – IM BLUE (your compiler’s Conservative) without the abbreviation for Liberal

22a    Stops one throw being returned in cricket series (9)
ABOLISHES – I LOB (one throw) being reversed (returned) and inserted in Ashes (cricket series)

25a    Invalid filled in forms when touring university (9)
NULLIFIED – An anagram (forms) of FILLED IN ‘touring’ U (University)

26a    Crisis where District Attorney takes stuff in … (5)
DRAMA – RAM (stuff) taken in by DA (District Attorney)

27a    … this was used to prevent it! (8,4)
CHASTITY BELT – A device said to be worn by wives of absent crusaders to prevent them indulging in ‘it’ while their husbands were away

Down

1d    Old lizard Mauro’s content after pint with love (9)
PTEROSAUR – the ‘content’ of mAURo goes after PT (pint) and EROS (God of Love)

2d    Still at the crease: no boundaries in Perth (5)
INERT – IN (batting, at the crease) and the inside (no boundaries) of pERTh

3d    Learner driver in vehicle with a woman (5)
CLARA – L (learner driver) inserted in CAR (vehicle) with A (from the clue)

4d    Mum, not married, sensible apart from that (9)
OTHERWISE – mOTHER (mum without the abbreviation for Married) WISE (sensible)

5d    Spooner’s dog — pointer — makes farewell (6-3)
TOODLE-PIP – POODLE (dog) TIP (pointer) as the dreaded Reverend might say

6d    River‘s river with carp, not wide (5)
RHINE – R (river) wHINE (carp or complain) without the abbreviation for Wide

7d    Displeased with department’s representative sample (5-7)
CROSS-SECTION – CROSS (displeased) with SECTION (department)

10d    Marine mammal and mammoth, perhaps close up (8,4)
ELEPHANT SEAL – ELEPHANT (mammoth perhaps) SEAL (close up)

14d    Sit and cry — he’s suffering these? (9)
HYSTERICS – An anagram (suffering)of SIT and CRY HES

15d    Conductor‘s constipation appalling — pot not needed (9)
TOSCANINI – An anagram (appalling) of CoNStIpATION without (not needed) the letters POT

17d    Choose to study organ: be encouraged (4,5)
TAKE HEART – TAKE (choose to study) HEART (organ)

21d    Sir Toby‘s noisy expulsion after dinner? (5)
BELCH – A character from Twelfth Night or an expulsion of noise after eating food (dinner?)

23d    Bond I’d play regularly in unusual fashion (5)
ODDLY – The regular letters of bOnD iD pLaY

24d    Cool to check out music genre (5)
INDIE – IN (cool, fashionable) DIE (check out)