ST 2994

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2994

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 10^th March 2019

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

Dada provides the sort of trickier Sunday offering that I’d also be thrilled to find when he appears in the middle of the paper on a Tuesday.

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Across

1a    Boomerang champion let go (8)
BACKFIRE – BACK (champion) FIRE (let go)

5a    Nation of Britain in recession, hang on! (6)
KUWAIT – A reversal (in recession) of UK (Britain) followed by WAIT (hang on)

9a    Odd pieces cut out, spam retains remarkably fresh flavour (9)
SPEARMINT – Remove the S and A (odd pieces cut out) from sPaM and an anagram of the remaining letters and RETAINS will give you the flavour

11a    Saved by superhero, delegates go to pieces! (5)
ERODE – Lurking in (saved by) superhERO DElegates

12a    Take a chance with fish shop (6)
BETRAY – BET (take a chance) with RAY (fish)

13a    Certain to get into drink — it’s deliberate (8)
MEASURED – SURE (certain) to get into MEAD (drink)

15a    Fool, regarding single mistake, shut up (6,4,3)
BUTTON ONES LIP – BUTT (fool) ON (regarding) ONE (single) SLIP (mistake)

18a    Finally, how might an inclusively unique show be performed? (4,3,3,3)
ONCE AND FOR ALL – An show might be performed ONCE (unique) AND FOR ALL (inclusively)

22a    Stylish woman making first appearance, broadcasting (8)
DEBONAIR – DEB (woman making first appearance) ON AIR (broadcasting)

23a    Riser in the East rounding corner, Japanese ruler (6)
SHOGUN – SUN (riser in the East) going round HOG (corner)

26a    French runner, one in legend (5)
LOIRE – I (one) inserted into LORE (legend)

27a    Exuberant testament written by endless online trolls? (9)
EBULLIENT – E BULLIEs (endless online trolls) followed by NT (New Testament)

28a    Break down summary (6)
DIGEST – Double definition, one a noun, the other a verb

29a    Rare, one abroad on public land (8)
UNCOMMON – UN (the French – abroad – word for one) on COMMON (public land)

Down

1d    Primate — shaggy hair own creation? (8)
BUSHBABY – BUSH (shaggy hair) BABY (one’s pet project – own creation)

2d    Prowler perhaps catching male shark (5)
CHEAT – CAT (prowler perhaps) ‘catching’ HE (male)

3d    A mess, newspaper in Algarve city (7)
FARRAGO – RAG (newspaper) inserted into the Algarve city of FARO

4d    Some track bird (4)
RAIL – Another double definition

6d    Implement: hollowed-out tool in use when cooking (7)
UTENSIL – Remove the inside letters (hollowed-out) of TooL and an anagram (cooking) of the remaining T and L and IN USE will produce the implement

7d    New approach penning conclusion of story, text often excluded (9)
APOCRYPHA – An anagram (new) of APPROACH ‘penning’ the Y that ‘concludes’ storY

8d    Attempt to net goal with it (6)
TRENDY – TRY (attempt) to ‘net’ END (goal)

10d    In ancient city, last bits in pension fund suffering when going under? (3,5)
THE BENDS – Put the last bits in pensioN and funD into THEBES (ancient city)

14d    Surrealist into an amazing mix of chemicals (4,4)
SODA LIME – A mix of caustic soda and quick lime is obtained by inserting DALI (surrealist) into SOME (amazing, remarkable)

16d    Pained grunt, boil causing distress (9)
TROUBLING – An anagram (pained) of GRUNT BOIL

17d    Some wood, a hundred drifters at sea (8)
PLANKTON – PLANK (some wood) A (from the clue) TON (hundred)

19d    Report of defeats in game with strikers (7)
CONKERS – A homophone (report of) CONQUERS (defeats)

20d    Play the fool ultimately in middle of monologue (7)
OTHELLO – THE (from the clue) and L (the ultimate letter of fool) inserted in the letters in the middle of monOLOgue

21d    Cap discarded, steered a boat off (6)
ADDLED – Discard the ‘cap’ from pADDLED (steered a boat)

24d    Energy observed in beautiful sparkle (5)
GLEAM – E (energy) ‘observed’ in GLAM (beautiful)

25d    Go for a spin? (4)
TURN – Double definition