Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30509
A full review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 13th January 2024
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
A Prize Puzzle with quite a few anagrams – I found it a little trickier than a usual Saturday cryptic, but I’m not entirely sure why
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Fresh spider crab in dry biscuit (10)
CRISPBREAD – An anagram (fresh) of SPIDER CRAB
6a Waterfowl first away from Nile dam (4)
SWAN – Remove the first letter of the aSWAN dam in the Nile
9a Stick knife into second fruit (5)
SPEAR – The abbreviation for Second and PEAR (fruit)
10a JFK co-star, reformed man of low degree? (4,5)
JACK FROST – An anagram (reformed) of JFK CO STAR produces the personification of low temperatures
12a Endlessly evil book returned as contentious (7)
EMOTIVE – A reversal (returned) of EVI(l) without its end and TOME (book)
13a American leaves queen heading to the West Country (5)
REGINA – A reversal (to the west) of REGINa (queen) without the abbreviation for American
15a Take a bit for the horse (7)
SNAFFLE – To take or steal or a jointed bit for horses
16a Warming weather Malta embodies (7)
THERMAL – Hidden in (embodies) weaTHER MALta
18a Treat is playing The Entertainer (7)
ARTISTE – An anagram (playing) of TREAT IS
20a Frame way to describe Princess Royal? (7)
CHASSIS – The Princess Royal could be described as CHAS SIS, although I’m not entirely sure she’d like to be referred to as informally as that!
21a Lassitude seen in pupil regularly (5)
ENNUI – The regular letters of sEeN iN pUpIl
23a Is this a shady put-up job? (7)
PARASOL – A cryptic definition of a sunshade
25a Upper hand at court? (9)
ADVANTAGE – This advantageous position (upper hand) could be a score in a tennis match that would indeed put the player in an advantageous position
26a Table in church to change did you say? (5)
ALTAR – A homophone (did you say) of ALTER (change)
27a Marketing event is small beer (4)
SALE – S (small) ALE (beer)
28a Forerunner‘s entente cad ruined (10)
ANTECEDENT – An anagram (ruined) of ENTENTE CAD
Down
1d Play group? (4)
CAST – A group of people in a play
2d Awkward fine leg anticipating catches? (9)
INELEGANT – Hidden in (catches) fINE LEG ANTicipating
3d Drivel entered into standard form by rote (6-7)
PARROT-FASHION – ROT (driven) ‘entered into’ PAR (standard) FASHION (form)
4d Delight about 11’s author expressed (7)
REJOICE – RE (about, on the subject of) and a homophone of JOYCE (the author of 11d)
5d Old canine barking on time (7)
ANCIENT – An anagram (barking) of CANINE on T (time)
7d Wife right on, and good, and bad! (5)
WRONG – W (wife) R (right) ON (from the clue) G (good)
8d A line crossed by nudist in Darwin? (10)
NATURALIST – A (from the clue) L (line) inserted into (crossed by) NATURALIST (nudist)
11d A challenging read: fans weakening terribly! (9,4)
FINNEGANS WAKE – Apparently the most difficult book to read – an anagram (terribly) of FANS WEAKENING
14d Land Rovers? (6,4)
ESTATE CARS – ESTATE (large plot of land) CARS (Rovers for example)
17d Excuse to kiss me dancing with TS Eliot? (9)
MISTLETOE – an anagram (dancing) of ME with TS ELIOT
19d Say why more attractive lover was sought? (7)
EXPLAIN – Because the EX was plain!
20d Get wheels in middle for train (7)
CORTEGE – A reversal (wheels) of GET inserted in CORE (middle)
22d Innovative literary work? (5)
NOVEL – Of a new kind (innovative) or a work of literature
24d Legal instruction: run in Oscar Wilde? (4)
WRIT – R (the cricket abbreviation for Run) inserted in WIT (Oscar Wilde)
4*/4* ….
liked 19D “Say why more attractive lover was sought?”