Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3308
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 16th March 2025
BD Rating –Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
I quite enjoyed this Sunday Prize Puzzle, not so many anagrams as usual but four lots of A from the clue and quite a few insertions
Please let us know what you thought
Across
9a Staff guarding old boat (5)
CANOE – CANE (staff, walking stick) ‘guarding’ O (old)
10a A risk throwing English dessert for a joke (5,4)
APRIL FOOL – A (from the clue) PeRIL (risk ‘throwing’ the abbreviation for English), FOOL (dessert)
11a Scoundrel involving outsiders in deceitful trick (7)
SWINDLE – SWINE (scoundrel) ‘involving’ the outside letters in DeceitfuL
12a Smooth wing for insect (7)
SANDFLY – SAND (smooth) FLY (wing)
13a Finished, a dish from Italy (5)
PASTA – PAST (finished) A (from the clue)
14a A biscuit in general? (9)
GARIBALDI – A type of biscuit named after the Italian general
16a Tsar I haven’t suggested? (4,3,8)
IVAN THE TERRIBLE – This clue suggests that an anagram indicator – TERRIBLE- tells you what to do with I HAVENT
19a Mark in music: number fifty in force after adjustment (5,4)
TENOR CLEF – TEN (number) and L (Roman numeral for 50) inserted into an anagram (after adjustment) of FORCE
21a Reportedly, college tucked away (5)
EATEN – A homophone (reportedly) of ETON College
23a Bound by rules, leader in secret hands in notice (7)
RESIGNS – The ‘leader’ in Secret inserted into (bound by) REIGNS (rules)
25a Knight in action, loved (7)
DESIRED – SIR (knight) in DEED (action)
27a Move efficiently to secure a place for flight (9)
STAIRWELL – STIR WELL (move efficiently) to ‘secure’ A (from the clue)
28a Corinthian character embraced by handsome Gaul (5)
OMEGA – Embraced by handsOME GAul
Down
1d A musical, not a book (4)
ACTS – A (from the clue) CaTS (musical without – not – A)
2d Clothing comes back to life, might you say? (6)
UNDIES – UN DIES (comes back to life)
3d Same hatred, unfortunately, for education chief (10)
HEADMASTER – An anagram (unfortunately) of SAME HATRED
4d A rotten rotter? (3,3)
BAD EGG – Cryptic definition
5d Keep sub beneath surface of Pacific (8)
PRESERVE – RESERVE goes beneath (in a Down solution) the ‘surface’ of Pacific
6d Family left to board vessel (4)
CLAN – L (left) ‘boards’ CAN (vessel)
7d Whip up group in wood, say (4,4)
GOLF CLUB – A reversal (up) of FLOG (whip) followed by CLUB (group)
8d Change of age policy before end of session that may be targeted (4,6)
CLAY PIGEON – An anagram (change) of AGE POLICY goes before N (the end of session)
13d Constable might have used this, finding page isn’t clean (10)
PAINTBRUSH – P (page) AINT (isn’t) BRUSH (clean)
15d US composer’s dance music (10)
BARBERSHOP – BARBER’S (US composer’s) HOP (dance)
17d One’s unlikely to remember cinema, as dilapidated (8)
AMNESIAC – An anagram (dilapidated) of CINEMA AS
18d Registered men heading off leaned to one side (8)
ENLISTED – mEN (remove the heading) LISTED (leaned to one side)
20d Toy instrument (6)
FIDDLE – Double definition, one a verb the other a noun
22d Artist, one going round the twist? (6)
TURNER – The artist or someone who twists
24d Lass getting in really late, all kicking off (4)
GIRL – The first letters of Getting In Really Late
26d Tie, attractive thing? (4)
DRAW – A final double definition