Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30791
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This puzzle was published on 7th December 20*24
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Another Saturday Prize Puzzle from NY Doorknob with his usual long anagrams spread around the grid
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Letter from the front? (7)
INITIAL – A single letter or something happening first (from the front)
5a See 17 Across
9a Encouraging words spoken by Guardiola? (3,4)
PEP TALK – Some encouraging words from Mr Guardiola, the football manager
10a Rider in mask endlessly following behind (7)
PROVISO – VISOr (endless mask) following PRO (behind or in favour of)
11a Agents around in flat ring criminal (9)
DESPERADO – An anagram (around) of REPS (agents) inserted into DEAD (flat), O (ring) being added at the end
12a See 13 Across
13a/12a/26a Some nuts, including Kelvin and Mickey, inhale insanely? (5,4,1,7)
SMOKE LIKE A CHIMNEY – An anagram (nuts) of SOME and (including) K (Kelvin, SI Unit) MICKEY and INHALE
15a Starting in Channel Islands, English plunged into beer (9)
INCIPIENT – IN (from the clue) CI (Channel Islands) and E (English) ‘plunged’ into PINT (beer)
17a/5a London side at Portsmouth then thrashed (9,7)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR – An anagram (thrashed) of AT PORTSMOUTH THEN
19a Square loaf shortly devoured by dad (5)
PLAZA – LAZe (loaf ‘shortly’) devoured by or inserted into PA (dad)
22a Sanctimonious crowd in very first episode (5)
PILOT – PI (sanctimonious) LOT (crowd)
23a Boy back at one welcomed by man and dog (9)
DALMATIAN – A reversal (back) of LAD (boy) and AT (from the clue) I (Roman numeral for one) inserted into (welcomed by) MAN
25a Oil supply on flow easily makes capital (7)
TRIPOLI – An anagram (supply) of OIL goes after TRIP (flow easily, trip off the tongue)
26a See 13 Across
27a Charity event that’s no fashion show? (3,4)
RAG WEEK – Rags wouldn’t be worn in a fashion show
28a Instructed Edward to carry bucket down? (7)
TRAINED – TED (Edward) to ‘carry’ RAIN (bucket down)
Down
1d Little devil distributed seed in hampers (7)
IMPEDES – IMP (little devil) and an anagram (distributed) of SEED
2d Paint thickly applied: finished in one second (7)
IMPASTO – PAST (finished) inserted in I (one) MO (second)
3d Firm haggles periodically for representation (5)
IMAGE- The even letters of fIrM hAgGlEs
4d See 23 Down
5d Joint surgery reversed for thick-skinned sort? (5)
HIPPO – HIP (joint) and a reversal of OP (operation, surgery)
6d Lackey with hint for Spooner: see you later! (6-3)
TOODLE-PIP – For Spooner, a POODLE (lackey) TIP (hint)
7d Something sharp puts king in predicament (7)
PRICKLE – R (Rex, king) in PICKLE (predicament)
8d What might be read as warning to mob? (4,3)
RIOT ACT – A fairly obvious cryptic definition
14d Conductor to choose route did you say? (9)
ELECTRODE – ELECT (choose) and a homophone (did you say) of ROAD (route)
16d Firm with politician within the law, but sharing guilt (9)
COMPLICIT – CO (company, firm) MP (politician) LICIT (within the law)
17d Row about parking on street calls for better adviser? (7)
TIPSTER – TIER (row) ‘about’ P (parking) ST (street)
18d Snitch’s activity significant (7)
TELLING – Double definition
20d Soon to invest six grand in French city (7)
AVIGNON – ANON (archaic word for soon) to ‘invest’ VI (Roman numeral for six) G (grand)
21d Cross ground one day bearing north (7)
ANNOYED – An anagram (ground) of ONE DAY ‘bearing’ N (north)
23d/4d Fakir led in with Sikh bent down a lot (5,4,1,4)
DRINK LIKE A FISH – An anagram (bent) of FISH LED IN with SIKH
24d Soul found in Jungian 3 (5)
ANIMA – Hidden in jungiAN IMAge (the latter being the solution to 3d)