DT 30395 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30395

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 2nd September 2023

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

A friendly Saturday Prize Puzzle from Cephas, but what a lot of ‘lose the last letter’ clues there were!

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Across

1a    After spring, linked together having friends in high places (4-9)
WELL-CONNECTED – CONNECTED (linked together) goes after WELL (spring)

9a    Dark horse’s very unpleasant experience (9)
NIGHTMARE – NIGHT (dark) MARE (horse)

10a    African veto on leaders of trade union (5)
BANTU – BAN (veto) goes on the ‘leaders’ of Trade Union

11a    Record group of men roller-skating (5)
ENROL – Hidden in mEN ROLler

12a    A reduced ticket price is some way off (4)
AFAR – A (from the clue) and FARe (ticket price) reduced or without its last letter

13a    Bird losing its tail, going back to find hill (4)
BERG – A reversal (going back) of a GREBe ‘losing its tail’

15a    Possibly as new as somewhere in Wales (7)
SWANSEA – An anagram (possibly) of AS NEW AS

17a    Worry briefly after worker’s tracked vehicle in America (7)
HANDCAR – Another ‘knock of the final letter’ clue – CARe (briefly) goes after HAND (worker)

18a    Disappointment with puncture? (3-4)
LET-DOWN – Double definition, the second a verb

20a    Cry endlessly when framing one politician, Republican (7)
WHIMPER – WHEn (endlessly being another ‘lose the final letter indicator’) ‘framing’ I (one) MP (politician), the result finished with the abbreviation for Republican

21a    Run back? That’s wrong! (4)
TORT – A reversal (back) of TROT (run)

22a    Half of referees love sport (4)
JUDO – Half of JUDges (referees) O (love)

23a    Piece of history made by student, one in park (5)
RELIC – L (learner, student) I (one) in REC (recreation ground, park)

26a    Pass on stretch of canal? (5)
COLON – COL (mountain pass) ON (from the clue)

27a    Showmen rearranged primaries (9)
IMPRESARI – An anagram (rearranged) of PRIMARIES

28a    Lost to the elements? (7-6)
WEATHER-BEATEN – BEATEN (lost) to the WEATHER (elements)

Down

1d    Darkest day, maybe, with client stories condemned (6,8)
WINTER SOLSTICE – W (with) and an anagram (condemned) of CLIENT STORIES

2d    Village regularly supplying drink (5)
LAGER – Hidden in vilLAGE Regularly

3d    Felix perhaps let out who’s performing in exhibition (6,4)
CATTLE-SHOW – CAT (Felix perhaps), an anagram (out) of LET and another (performing) of WHOS

4d    A river once more rises and falls (7)
NIAGARA – A reversal (rises) of A (from the clue) R (river) AGAIN (once more)

5d    Copse’s last two trees? Nonsense! (7)
EYEWASH – The last letter of copsE and YEW ASH (two trees)

6d    Music-maker raised an objection (4)
A reversal (raised) of A BUT (an objection)

7d    Something that might go to the head of a slow learner? (6,3)
DUNCES CAP – A cryptic definition of something that used to be put on the head of a slow learner

8d    Rude part, figuratively speaking (6,8)
VULGAR FRACTION – VULGAR (rude) FRACTION (part)

14d    Worker with ice I included put this in radiator (10)
ANTIFREEZE – ANT (worker) FREEZE (ice) with I (from the clue) ‘included’

16d    Impression of past brilliance, but not before sunset? (9)
AFTERGLOW – Something seen after the sun has set

19d    No ancient city is hard to feed (7)
NOURISH – NO (from the clue) UR (ancient city) IS (from the clue) H (hard)

20d    One striking something
uncommonly large (7)
WHOPPER – Someone striking something hard or something extremely large

24d    Poorest field sat empty (5)
LEAST – LEA (field) and the outside (empty) letters of SaT

25d    Old Peruvian elected czar, oddly (4)
INCA – IN (elected) and the odd letters of CzAr