Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30875
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 15th March 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
The NY Doorknob set us yet another of his multi-word clued crosswords, which as usual divided opinions on the day
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a See 13 Across
5a Leading club optimistic (6)
UPBEAT – UP (leading) BEAT (club)
9a Most ancient ateliers renovated (8)
EARLIEST – An anagram (renovated) of ATELIERS
10a Teetotallers outside followed by goddess (6)
ATHENA – AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, teetotallers) goes ‘outside’ THEN (followed by)
12a Feel bird, not rook, is flapping in amazement (9)
DISBELIEF – An anagram (flapping) of FEEL BIrD without the R (not Rook)
13a, 1a , 24a Should my sibling adopt that mischievous child … (3,2,1,7,5)
I’LL BE A MONKEY’S UNCLE – If your brother or sister adopted a mischievous child, then …
14a Atahualpa say almost eaten by lion? (4)
INCA – IN CAt (almost eaten by lion)
16a Something unknown in humour about bowlers? (7)
WHATSIT – WIT (humour) goes ‘about’ HATS (bowlers)
19a See 11 Down
21a Indian state welcoming Yankee painter (4)
GOYA – GOA (Indian state) ‘welcoming’ Y (the letter represented by Yankee in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
24a See 13 Across
25a 18d Nanook at last hooks gigantic eel, possibly in great demand! (5,4,3,5)
GOING LIKE HOT CAKES – An anagram (possibly) of GIGANTIC EEL ‘hooks’ the last letter of nanooK
27a Sioux sent back satisfactory inside information (6)
DAKOTA – OK (satisfactory) reversed (sent back) inside DATA (information)
28a Incautious taking wine and pork pie before run (8)
CAVALIER – CAVA (wine) LIE (pork pie) R (run)
29a Silly to eat son’s bananas (6)
INSANE – INANE (silly) to ‘eat) S (son)
30a Useless personnel for city in South 27 (8)
DEADWOOD – Useless personnel or a city in South Dakota
Down
1d Object in cooker: this might be hidden! (6)
AGENDA – END (object) in AGA (cooker)
2d Fiona maybe to advance, renouncing PR (6)
OGRESS – Mrs Shrek! prOGRESS without (renouncing) the PR
3d Blade made with three metals (5)
KNIFE – A blade made with the chemical symbols for three metals: K (potassium) NI (nickel) and FE (iron)
4d You must meet Hindu god in Jewish school (7)
YESHIVA – YE (you) SHIVA (Hindu god)
6d 26s Excitedly at it during play? It affects growth (9,5)
PITUITARY GLAND – An anagram (excitedly) of AT IT DURING PLAY
7d Yours truly picked up good girl – reader’s assistant? (8)
EYEGLASS – EYE (homophone – picked up) of I [yours truly) followed by G (good) and LASS (girl)
8d Go without an item of underwear in burlesque (8)
TRAVESTY – TRY (go) goes outside (without) A (an) VEST (item of underwear)
11d 19a Several coming before spirit, grotesque demon in film (1,3,4,3)
A FEW GOOD MEN – A FEW (several) comes before GO (spirit) and an anagram (grotesque) of DEMON
15d Last-but-one batter in Starmer’s residence? (6,3)
NUMBER TEN – The last but one cricketer in the batting order or where Sir Keir lives
17d Prayer somehow anguished, hard to be ignored (5,3)
AGNUS DEI – An anagram (somehow) of ANGUIShED without (to be ignored) the abbreviation for Hard
18d See 25 Across
20d Nearby sound made by horse expending energy (4)
NIGH – NeIGH, the sound made by a horse without (expending) the symbol for Energy
21d Covered in dirt a Conservative gives scowl (7)
GRIMACE – A (from the clue) C (Conservative) ‘covered’ in GRIME (dirt)
22d Corrupt oil bid: one’s appetite for it? (6)
LIBIDO – An anagram (corrupt) of OIL BID – it here being an informal name for sexual attraction
23d Be annoyed and stop when you do this? (3,3)
SEE RED – Double definition
26d See 6 Down
weird ! not enjoyable