Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3289
A Full Review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 3nd November 2024
BD Rating –Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Another Sunday, another Prize Puzzle from Dada
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Red and blue housing or a research facility (10)
LABORATORY – LAB (Labour, red) TORY (blue) ‘housing’ OR A (from the clue)
6a Comfortable when weapons returned (4)
SNUG – A reversal (returned) of GUNS (weapons)
9a Seaside toy tampered with – be careful! (4,4,2)
EASY DOES IT – An anagram (tampered with) of SEASIDE TOY
10a Wine quaffed by Romanov in Omsk (4)
VINO – Hidden in the last three words of the clue
12a Substantial rope’s held on bank, right? (12)
CONSIDERABLE – CABLE (rope) ‘held’ ON (from the clue) SIDE (bank) R (right)
15a Plant computers correct again (2-4)
RE-EDIT – REED (plant) IT (computers)
16a Repeater’s funny funny conversation (8)
REPARTEE – An anagram (funny) of REPEATER
18a House done, Edward cleaned up (8)
HOOVERED – HO (house) OVER (done) ED (Edward)
19a Dark bruise, light? (6)
SHINER – A black eye (dark bruise) or a description of a light
21a A prescription for fitness fanatics? (8,4)
MEDICINE BALL – Something that sounds like it might be prescribed for fitness fanatics
24a Honey at a high price (4)
DEAR – Double definition
25a A few drunken ultras flip (10)
SOMERSAULT – SOME (a few) and an anagram (drunken) of ULTRAS
26a Carbonated drink sent back in Colorado Springs (4)
SODA – Hidden in reverse (sent back) in the last two words of the clue
27a Clear sheet awfully coarse (3-7)
SEE- THROUGH – An anagram (awfully) of SHEET followed by ROUGH (coarse)
Down
1d Vegetable in bottom of boat brought up (4)
LEEK – A reversal (brought up) of KEEL (bottom of boat)
2d Work of art in pieces (4)
BUST – Double definition
3d Surprising lack of communication from Icelander, so I gathered (5,7)
RADIO SILENCE – An anagram (gathered) of ICELANDER SO I
4d Fly goes down into middle of gateau (6)
TSETSE – SETS (goes down) inserted into the two letters in the middle of gaTEau
5d Animal coloured in red, always (8)
REINDEER – An anagram (coloured) of IN RED followed by EER (poetic word for always)
7d Getting to squeeze part – very tight? (4-6)
NAIL-BITING – NAILING (getting) to squeeze BIT (part)
8d Sour thing sandwiched by cupcake and sweetie? (10)
GOOSEBERRY – An unwanted third person two people romantically inclined (cupcake and sweetie) wouldn’t want sandwiched between them
11d Test for the drinker, a table with sherry all over the place (12)
BREATHALYSER – An anagram (all over the place) of A TABLE with SHERRY
13d Old mathematician God claims rang a bell (10)
ARCHIMEDES – ARES (Greek God of War) ‘claims’ CHIMED (rang a bell)
14d Old timer? (6-4)
SECOND-HAND – Pre-loved (old) or something that helps to tell the time
17d Where runner observed, tall thin person (8)
BEANPOLE – Where runner beans grow or an informal term for a tall thin person
20d Mind item (6)
OBJECT – Double definition
22d Sage generally unwanted, rosemary unusually for starters (4)
GURU – The ‘starters’ of Generally Unwanted Rosemary Unusually
23d Church overcome by film score (4)
ETCH – ET (film) overcomes (in a Down solution) CH (church)