Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3041
A full review by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 2nd February 2020
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A Sunday crossword made for fans of anagrams, insertions and homophones
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Shilling cut, save (5)
SPARE – S (shilling) PARE (cut)
4a Two tens added together for mark (5)
SCORE – Because two tens make twenty which is known as a score
10a Interval moments back, when lunch may be served? (8)
SEMITONE – A reversal (back) of TIMES (moments) and ONE (when lunch may be served)
11a A river is a beauty (6)
ADONIS – A (from the clue) DON (river) IS (from the clue)
12a Retired minister is pocketing fifty coins (6)
SILVER – A reversal (retired) of REV (minister) and IS (from the clue) ‘pocketing’ L (Roman numeral for 50)
13a Papers in sets in different order (8)
TIDINESS – ID (papers) inserted into an anagram (different) of SETS IN
14a Single out character sometimes dropped in language (7)
ENGLISH – An anagram (out) of SINGLE and H (character sometimes dropped)
16a Guest at banquet missing starter — when chocolate’s on the menu? (6)
EASTER – A fEASTER (guest at banquet) missing the ‘starter’
17a Ancient city quarter in South Africa (6)
SPARTA – PART (quarter) in SA (South Africa)
19a German bomb planted, dropped in (7)
VISITED – VI (German bomb) SITED (planted)
21a Stop referring to injury (8)
RESTRAIN – RE (referring to) STRAIN (injury)
22a Prosaic activity of woodworm? (6)
BORING – A double definition that made me smile
23a Little time at the moment for insignificant player (6)
MINNOW – MIN (little time) NOW (at the moment)
24a Tonga is built around a capital city (8)
SANTIAGO – An anagram (built) of TONGA IS ’round’ A
25a Female creature scoffing last of quarry, a predator (5)
HYENA – HEN (female creature) ‘scoffing’ the final letter of quarrY, the result followed by A (from the clue)
26a Nimble cartwheel, I gathered, in partial rotation? (5)
AGILE – Lurking in reverse (rotation) in cartwheEL I GAthered
Down
2d Assumption in force inspiring me after uprising (7)
PREMISE – PRISE (force) ‘inspiring’ a reversal (after uprising) of ME
3d Overrating gin, I stirred up a tonic (14)
REINVIGORATING – An anagram (stirred up) of OVERRATING GIN I
5d Fast mover, one on the fiddle by the sound of it? (7)
CHEETAH – A homophone (by the sound of it) of a CHEATER (one on the fiddle)
6d Again deal with study before shift (9)
READDRESS – READ (study) before DRESS (shift)
7d Audibly crude bellow (4)
ROAR – A homophone (audibly) of RAW (crude)
8d Money excellent following strikes (6,8)
POUNDS STERLING – STERLING (excellent) following POUNDS (strikes)
9d Paper uses it in circulation (6)
TISSUE – An anagram (in circulation) of USES IT
15d On a grotty street feeling poorly (2,1,3,3)
IN A BAD WAY – IN (one) A (from the clue) BAD (grotty) WAY (street)
18d Lyrical image featuring every other part of forest (6)
POETIC – PIC (image) ‘featuring’ every other letter of fOrEsT
19d Flesh is old in type of diagram (7)
VENISON – IS (from the clue) O (old) in VENN (type of diagram)
20d Irish county finished with colleen (7)
DONEGAL – DONE (finished) with GAL (colleen)
22d Gang not allowed to be heard? (4)
BAND – A homophone (to be heard) of BANNED (not allowed)
Gnomethang’s plane bringing him back from his Milestone Birthday Holiday in Mexico lands at the same time this review is published. I’m not offering odds against whether I’ll be standing in again for him tomorrow morning as I think it is more likely than not – watch this space!
B2