DT 30677 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30677

A full review  by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 27^th July 2024

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

NYDK gave us a  very enjoyable Saturday Prize Puzzle, the clue for 10a being the highlight for me.

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Across

1a           Vanishing cream consumer? (8,3)
CHESHIRE CAT – The feline (cream consumer) who vanished in front of Alice in Wonderland

7a           Double served with beer for Glastonbury headliner (3,4)
DUA LIPA – DUAL (double) IPA (beer)  I was quite surprised how few people had not heard of this Brit and Grammy award winner, not least because she featured in those BBC ‘Missed Glastonbury, watch on iPlayer’ reminders

8a           Cruise say to sail past French island? (7)
MISSILE – MISS (sail past) ILE (French island)

10a         Above a glen – where this nests? (5)
EAGLE – A great piece of wordplay – a bird which often nests above a glen is found hidden in abovE A GLEn

11a         Saint was a cannibal – time for announcement (9)
STATEMENT – ST (saint) ATE MEN (was a cannibal) T (time)

12a         Show drama following detectives … (7)
DISPLAY – PLAY (drama) following DIS (Detective Inspectors)

14a         … or As You Like It? (2,5)
TO ORDER – The name of this Shakespeare play is often followed by “Or What You Will” – made exactly as you like it – TO ORDER

15a         One escapes porpoise thrashing rival (7)
OPPOSER – The Roman numeral for one ‘escapes’ an anagram (thrashing) of PORPOiSE

18a         London footballers more into tea? (7)
CHELSEA – ELSE (more, in addition) inserted into CHA (tea)

20a         Biscuit from German in hotel filling belly (6,3)
GINGER NUT – GER (German) inserted into INN (hotel), the result then ‘filling’ GUT (belly)

21a         What to do when in power shower, we hear? (5)
REIGN – A homophone (we hear) of RAIN (shower)

22a         Fellow on strike delivers touching line (7)
TANGENT – GENT (fellow) on or after TAN (strike)

23a         Rodent meat back in short supply? (7)
HAMSTER – HAM (meat) and STERn (back – in short supply telling you to omit the last letter)

24a         Presence at a ground in South African location (7,4)
EASTERN CAPE – An anagram (ground) of PRESENCE AT A

Down

1d           See 17 Down

2d           Direction and distance finding Zola? (5)
EMILE – E (East, direction) and MILE (distance)

3d           Gossip from 13 in dried grass (7)
HEARSAY – EARS (listeners, the solution to 13d) in HAY (dried grass)

4d           Sheepish male on some defensive wall (7)
RAMPART – RAM (sheepish male) on PART (some)

5d           Fool with little hesitation tucks into cabbage dish (9)
CASSEROLE – ASS (fool) ER (little hesitation) ‘tucks into’ COLE (cabbage)

6d           Nurse seen about trouble in coccyx? (4,3)
TAIL END – TEND (nurse) seen ‘about’ AIL (trouble)

7d           Warship at last complete and at sea in dry spell (11)
DREADNOUGHT – The last letter of completE and an anagram (at sea) of AND inserted into DROUGHT (dry spell)

9d           Performer to go on stage – Shaky in tears endlessly (11)
ENTERTAINER – ENTER (go on stage) and an anagram (shaky) of IN TEARs (endlessly telling you to omit the S)

13d         Frenchman elevated in heels finds audience (9)
LISTENERS – A reversal (elevated) of RENE (Frenchman) inserted in LISTS (heels or leans to one side)

16d         Cornish town expels last character in punishment (7)
PENANCE – Expel the last letter of the alphabet from the Cornish town of PENzANCE

17d/1d How Enright is made to create new order? (4,3,7)
RING THE CHANGES – An anagram indicator – CHANGES – tells you what to do with ENRIGHT

18d         Become popular – gun won’t fire with this! (5,2)
CATCH ON – A gun won’t fire with the catch on

19d         Gear in street and lane not an item in alley? (7)
SKITTLE – KIT (gear) in ST (street) and LanE (not an!)

21d         Syrupy cake one graduate leaves for dance (5)
RUMBA – RUM BAba (syrupy cake) without one of the graduates