DT 31031 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31031

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 13^th September 2025

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

A most enjoyable themed crossword

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           See Holstein’s fantastic footballers! (3,9)
THE LIONESSES – An anagram (fantastic) of SEE HOLSTEINS

9a           Defensive structure great for Scottish hero (7)
WALLACE – WALL (defensive structure) ACE (great)

10a         An attempt by Chuck to return sausage (7)
BOLOGNA – AN (from the clue) GO (attempt) LOB (chuck) all reversed (to return)

11a         Stylish English worker entertaining cricket side (7)
ELEGANT – E (English) and ANT (worker) ‘entertaining’ LEG (side of a cricket pitch)

12a         Petition beginning to exercise new doctor (7)
ENTREAT – The ‘beginning’ to Exercise, the abbreviation for New and TREAT (doctor)

13a         Smart female copper with Bond (5)
CUTIE – CU (the chemical symbol for copper) and TIE (bond)

14a         Supporters of team such as 1 Across? (9)
CHAMPIONS – Defenders of a cause or teams such as 1a

16a         Swimmer embarrassed by hilarious hairstyle (3,6)
RED MULLET – RED (embarrassed) and MULLET (the BRB brilliantly defines this as ‘a hairstyle that is short at the front, long at the back and ridiculous all round’)

19a         1 Across opponents s-suffering? (5)
SPAIN – S (from the clue) PAIN (suffering)

21a         Affair in which adult is eaten by one chasing 1 Across? (7)
LIAISON – The abbreviation for Adult and IS (from the clue) ‘eaten’ by a member of the 1a

23a         Answer arrived about Donne’s case in scholarly life (7)
ACADEME – A (answer) CAME (arrived), the latter going about the ‘case’ of DonnE

24a         European sailor hurried round to tell story (7)
NARRATE  –  A reversal (round) of E (European) TAR (sailor) RAN (hurried)

25a         Virtue-signaller seen with low-down element (7)
HALOGEN – HALO (virtue-signaller) GEN (low-down)

26a         Roman emperor keeping young male ape (12)
IMPERSONATOR – IMPERATOR (Roman emperor) ‘keeping’ SON (young male)

Down

1d           Most High to examine everyone within (7)
TALLEST – ALL (everyone) put within TEST (examine)

2d           Eastern sea creature shedding tail in spring (7)
EMANATE – E (Eastern) MANATEe (sea creature without its ‘tail’)

3d           Similar in every detail, papers a client misplaced (9)
IDENTICAL – ID (identity papers) and an anagram (misplaced) of A CLIENT

4d           One billion stolen from dope? Impressive! (5)
NOBLE –  One of the abbreviations for Billion is ‘stolen’ from NOBBLE (dope)

5d           Drunk amid mounting litter? Divorce results! (5,2)
SPLIT UP – LIT (drunk) inserted into a reversal (mounting) of PUPS (litter)

6d           Composer wanting area green for painter (2,5)
EL GRECO – ELGaR (composer) without (wanting) the abbreviation for Area, followed by ECO (green)

7d           Leicester won somehow without a song sung for 1 Across? (5,8)
SWEET CAROLINE – An anagram (somehow) of LEICESTER WON going outside (without) A (from the clue)

8d           Corrected draft seen in no great poem (6,7)
DANTES INFERNO – An anagram (corrected) of DRAFT SEEN IN NO

15d         Almost lost Asian ruler in Russian city (9)
ASTRAKHAN – Home of the famous hats and coats – almost all of ASTRAy (lost) and KHAN (Asian ruler)

17d         Taj Mahal location in dull illustration (7)
DIAGRAM – AGRA (location of the Taj Mahal) inserted into DIM (dull)

18d         Outstrip London-bound coach? (7)
UPSTAGE – UP is usually used to indicate a form of transport going to London, in this case a STAGE

19d         Small onion all you’ll get, do we hear? (7)
SHALLOT – Depending on how quickly you say it, a homophone of THAT’S YOUR LOT

20d         Score-settler against foe at last in fury (7)
AVENGER – V (versus, against) and the last letter of foE inserted into ANGER (fury)

22d         Can’t do without Geordies called Edward? (5)
NEEDS – NE (the part of the UK where Geordies are found) EDS (Edwards)