Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30737
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 5th October 2024
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
A fun crossword – reading the clue for 10a left me in no doubt at all that it was set by NY Doorknob
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Walk at easy pace – better to avoid extremes (5)
AMBLE – A gAMBLEr without his ‘extreme’ letters
4a/21d Widescreen mambo dancing involves a double act (9,3,4)
MORECAMBE AND WISE – An anagram (dancing) of WIDESCREEN MAMBO and (involves) A (from the clue)
9a See 10 Across
10a, 13a, 9a and 17d Take me with busty schoolteacher to party? C’est la vie! (5,3,3,3,6,8)
THAT’S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES – An anagram (to party) of TAKE ME WITH BUSTY SCHOOLTEACHER
Someone suggested on the day that this anagram was devised to stop people using e-help. But e-help was available if needed – I put the anagram fodder into Anagram Solver.net and the solution appeared in no time at all. There was also a suggestion that this might be an Americanism but it has been in use here since the 1950s
11a Impaired crossing island with spouse? (7)
MARRIED – MARRED (impaired) ‘crossing’ I (Island)
12a Initially Androcles is trapped in big cat affair (7)
LIAISON – The initial letter of Androcles and IS (From the clue) ‘trapped’ in LION (big cat) Nice surface reading if you know the story of Androcles and the Lion
13a See 10 Across
15a Obscene English used in explosive CNN edit (8)
INDECENT – E (English) in an anagram (explosive) of CNN EDIT
18a And not the river close to Skipton? It’s up that way! (8)
NORTHERN – NOR (and not) THE (from the clue) R (River) N (the ‘close’ to SkiptoN)
20a Pale-looking old rocker sought by police? (6)
WANTED – WAN (pale-looking) TED (old rocker)
23a Chaps bothering you? Try this! (3,4)
LIP BALM – Something to use on chapped lips
24a Methodical attendant (7)
ORDERLY – Double definition
26a Unshaven hooligan (5)
ROUGH – And another
27a Weakness – it leads us astray (9)
LASSITUDE – An anagram (astray) of IT LEADS US
28a No diamonds around in robberies for pleasure-seekers (9)
HEDONISTS – A reversal (around) of NO D (diamonds) inserted in HEISTS (robberies)
29a Some Aberdeen terriers go in (5)
ENTER – Hidden in aberdeEN TERriers
Down
1d Gold coin finally found under fruit machine (9)
AUTOMATON – AU (chemical symbol for gold) and the final letter of coiN, the latter going under TOMATO (fruit)
2d Dim student breaking shoulder (5)
BLEAR – L (learner, student) ‘breaking’ BEAR (shoulder)
3d Saucy material in books Heather’s collected (7)
EROTICA – OT (Old Testament books) ‘collected’ by ERICA (heather)
4d Fuss after Kipling hero backs emperor (6)
MIKADO – ADO (fuss) goes after a reversal (backs) of KIM (the eponymous title of a hero in a Rudyard Kipling book)
5d White female leaving chips and fish (8)
RIESLING – fRIES (chips without the F (female leaving)) and LING (fish)
6d Anything but restrained in prison house (7)
COTTAGE – OTT (over the top, anything but restrained) in CAGE (prison)
7d Scot losing company in tightest financial assessment (5,4)
MEANS TEST – ST (Scot without – losing- the abbreviation for company) inserted in MEANEST (tightest)
8d Odd characters from East Sheen in German city (5)
ESSEN – The odd characters from EaSt ShEeN
14d Poet, unknown, in time associated with pen (4,5)
EZRA POUND – Z (mathematical unknown) inserted in ERA (time) and followed by (associated with) POUND (pen)
16d Derby date changed for sleeping partner? (5,4)
TEDDY BEAR – An anagram (changed) of DERBY DATE
17d See 10 Across
19d Warm up chicken for pagan (7)
HEATHEN – HEAT (warm up) HEN (chicken)
21d See 4 Across
22d Saint surrounded by snakes and crows (6)
BOASTS – ST (saint) ‘surrounded’ by BOAS (snakes)
23d Tree‘s large span (5)
LARCH – L (large) ARCH (span)
25d Nonsense written about us causes stir (5)
ROUST – ROT (nonsense) written about US (from the clue)