DT 30959 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30959

A full review  by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 21^st June 2025

BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

A very hot Saturday morning and a tricky prize puzzle from the NY Doorknob

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Join touring band with Italian maestro? Fancy that! (4,1,5,3)
WELL I NEVER DID – WELD (join) ‘touring’ LINE (band) and VERDI (Italian maestro)

10a         See that workers will restrain Musk for example? (5)
MELON – LO (archaic/poetic word for see) inserted into (will restrain) MEN (workers)

11a         Minister leaving day after less sensitive political address (6,3)
NUMBER TEN – TENd (minister without the abbreviation for Day) goes after NUMER (less sensitive)

12a         Clinical patient is shivering with cold (10)
ANTISEPTIC – An anagram (shivering) of PATIENT IS with C (cold)

13a         Starmer’s allotted time in Westminster mansion? (4)
TERM – Hidden in westminsTER Mansion

14a         See 20 Across

16a         Stare as your compiler sheds tears audibly? (7)
EYEBALL – A homophone (audibly) of I (your compiler) BAWL (shed tears audibly)

18a         Edith, Osbert or Sacheverell to be agreeable? (7)
SITWELL – SIT WELL (be agreeable)

20a/14a   Cheers actor Tom feeding Sri Lankan cat? (6,1,7)
THANKS A MILLION – HANKS (actor tom) ‘feeding’ TAMIL (Sri Lankan) LION (cat)

22a         Comedian Catherine tense and worried (4)
TATE – T (tense) ATE (worried)

23a         Walk a long way carrying the relative (10)
STEPFATHER – STEP FAR (walk a long way) ‘carrying’ THE (from the clue)

26a         Old officer (over 100) in Court Nine collapsed (9)
CENTURION – An anagram (collapsed) of COURT NINE goes ‘over’ C (Roman numeral for 100)

27a         Pair to skip overture in escape (5)
ELUDE – PR (pair) removed )to skip) from prELUDE (overture)

28a         Carol has a means to enter a mile heat (4,2,1,6)
AWAY IN A MANGER – A WAY IN (a means to enter) A (from the clue) M (mile) ANGER (heat)

Down

2d           Chapter in story set up striking effect (5)
ECLAT – C (chapter) inserted into a reversal (set up) of TALE (story)

3d           That big Labour win? Country is led astray (9)
LANDSLIDE – LAND (country) and an anagram (astray) of IS LED

4d           Bowler wants this knocked over square leg (7)
NINEPIN – NINE (square number) PIN (leg)d

5d           Primeval bats, not large, one out for blood (7)
VAMPIRE – An anagram (bats) of PRIMEVAl without (not) the abbreviation for Large

6d           Athenian maybe losing final in ping pong (4)
REEK – Someone from Athens ‘losing’ the last letter in pinG

7d           Uninformed where Noah’s creatures were sheltering 500? (2,3,4)
IN THE DARK – IN THE ARK (where Noah’s creatures were) ‘sheltering’ D (the Roman numeral for 500)

8d           Business graduate entering wood to prepare for burial (6)
EMBALM – MBA (business graduate) ‘entering’ ELM (wood)

9a/24d  In Australia Ian Holm worked on English film (6,5)
ANIMAL HOUSE – An anagram (worked) of IAN HOLM inserted into AUS (Australia)

15d         The French songbirds at once offering Xmas classic? (3,2,4)
LET IT SNOW – LE (French definite article) TITS (songbirds) NOW (at once)

17d         Maybe bitter about struggling to walk in battle (2,7)
EL ALAMEIN – A reversal (about) of ALE (maybe bitter) followed by LAME (struggling to walk) and IN (from the clue)

18d         Quiet moment in comic’s routine (6)
SHTICK – SH (instruction to be quite) TICK (moment)

19d         EU national left a telly with Scotsman (7)
LATVIAN – L (left) A (from the clue) TV (telly) IAN (Scotsman)

20d         Uncle in Stowe keeps small horse, Shetland for instance (7)
TOPONYM – TOM (Harriet Becher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin) ‘keeps’ PONY (small horse)

21d         Adult with mortal sin? Yes (6)
AGREED – A (adult) GREED (mortal sin)

24d         See 9 Down

25s         Peers inside a box? (4)
JURY – A cryptic definition of a jury