Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30557
A full review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 9th March 2024
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
An enjoyable Saturday Prize Puzzle from NY Doorknob
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Doctor training causes misery (4)
MOPE – MO (Medical Officer, Doctor) PE (training) – here MOPE is a miserable person
3a Traveller of sound mind in Glasgow? (5)
NOMAD – A Glaswegian way of saying of sound mind – NO MAD
6a Stole yen for violent woman … (4)
FURY – FUR (stole, warp) Y (Yen)
8a … an old bat from Yorkshire? (8,7)
GEOFFREY BOYCOTT – This one made me smile – Not Nora Batty but an old Yorkshire cricketer (bat)
9a Native American father is in pain (6)
APACHE – PA (father) in ACHE (pain)
10a Submissive old criminal about to pass on (8)
OBEDIENT – O (old) BENT (criminal) ‘about’ DIE (pass on)
11a Plug stops leak in daring exploit (8)
ESCAPADE – AD (plug, advertisement) ‘stops) ESCAPE (leak)
13a Polish Romeo getting black eye (6)
SHINER – SHINE (polish) R (Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet)
15a Go astray with mission (6)
ERRAND – ERR (go astray) AND (with)
17a Couple permitted to make wrist ornament (8)
BRACELET – BRACE (couple) LET (permitted)
19a Strange as sheep could be, but not goats (8)
SINGULAR – Sheep can be SINGULAR or plural – goats can only be plural
21a Completely fashionable dog taken to Oz? (2,4)
IN TOTO – IN (fashionable) TOTO (dog Dorothy took to the Land of Oz)
22a Crazy part with rage will involve boy soon becoming pariah (7,3,5)
PERSONA NON GRATA – An anagram (crazy) of PART with RAGE into which is inserted (will involve) SON (boy) ANON (soon)
23a No twitching around the ears? (4)
OTIC – O (no) TIC (twitching)
24a Spinner runs over to fielder at the close (5)
ROTOR – R (runs) O (over) TO (from the clue) R (the letter that closes fielder)
25a Heidegger here and there showing bite (4)
EDGE – The even letters of hEiDeGgEr
Down
1d College managed somehow to admit the French (9)
MAGDALENE – An anagram (somehow) of MANAGED to admit LE (French definite article). This is the Cambridge College, the Oxford one doesn’t have an E at the end
2d Klebb maybe lurking inside shot pedestrian (7)
PROSAIC – ROSA (Klebb maybe) ‘lurking inside’ PIC (photograph, shot). Although we were obviously supposed to think of the fictional Russian spy, I did for a moment think fondly of the crossword setter Arachne, Rosa Klebb being her alter ego in the FT
3d Wayward Sumerian daughter’s nanny (9)
NURSEMAID – An anagram (wayward) of SUMERIAN followed by D (daughter)
4d Seasonal staff needed for traditional celebration? (7)
MAYPOLE – A cryptic definition of a MAYPOLE
5d Finished circling river in unmanned aircraft (5)
DRONE – DONE (finished) ‘circling’ R (river)
6d Imitation easily accomplished with SIM inserted (9)
FACSIMILE – SIM (from the clue) inserted into FACILE (easily accomplished)
7d Following on, batting during day (7)
RETINUE – RE (on the subject of) and IN (batting), the latter inserted into TUE (day)
12d Account including a single corrected number? (9)
ANALGESIC – AC (account) ‘including’ an anagram (corrected) of A SINGLE
13d One pushing paper to insert a cryptic? (9)
STATIONER – An anagram (cryptic) of TO INSERT A
14d What temperance movement might do for explanation? (9)
RATIONALE – A temperance movement might RATION ALE
16d Clothing torn violently saving goal (7)
RAIMENT – RENT (torn violently) ‘saving’ AIM (goal)
17d Noble from circle in a London borough? (7)
BARONET – O (circle) inserted into the London Borough of BARNET
18d Stretchy costume fat member brought back in (7)
LEOTARD – A reversal (brought back) of TOE (member) inserted into LARD (fat)
20d Refuse to be carried in this cruise ship? (5)
LINER – An insert for a rubbish bin or a cruise ship
2d appeared word for word in The Times 28721 back in September.
Sorry for posting this comment here, and also in the hints blog entry from last week. I thought it had gotten moderated away last week, but apparently not! Anyway, it seemed unusual to have the exact same clue (and not just a vaguely similar one) repeated mere months apart.
Anyway this wasn’t my finest hour, barely got half way. Maybe I was just too busy last weekend to make a proper stab at it. (Excuses!)
NY Doorknob also sets for The Times, so it’s likely to be a case of the setter repeating himself rather than someone else.
I’ve just checked the review and blog of that Times crossword and I’m fairly confident it’s the same setter’s style.
Anyway, did this one in somebody else’s paper last weekend (with their permission!) and remember enjoying it hugely. The three cryptic definitions were brilliant.
3*/5* ….
liked 14D “What temperance movement might do for explanation?(9)”