Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3310
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This puzzle was published on 30th March 2025
BD Rating –Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Across
8a Key left to be collected by fellow: it is outside (9)
IMPORTANT – PORT (left) ‘collected by’ MAN (fellow); IT (from the clue then goes ‘outside’ the result
10a Pretty pack in back of store (5)
QUITE – QUIT (pack in) and the ‘back’ of storE
11a Still collection kept here? (10,5)
PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM – An easily solvable cryptic definition
12a I told you about a time in scene of action (7)
THEATRE – THERE (I told you) goes ‘about’ A (from the clue)
13a Leader dropped from most difficult peak (7)
EVEREST – Drop the ‘leader’ from sEVEREST (most difficult)
15a Pointless draughtsman using it? (6-9)
PENCIL SHARPENER – Depending of course on whether the draughtsman was using a pencil
19a Titian first for Van Gogh, say? (7)
REDHEAD – A striking red colour (Titian) HEAD (first)
22a Bitter about assignment, John for example (7)
APOSTLE – ALE (bitter) goes ‘about’ POST (assignment)
24a Adult presumably getting this right: my tone wrong (15)
THIRTYSOMETHING – An anagram (wrong) of THIS RIGHT MY TONE
26a Piece of earthenware, natural sphere (5)
ARENA – A piece of earthenwARE NAtural
27a Knights trapped by wicked pursuer? They aren’t the first! (7-2)
RUNNERS-UP – Two lots of the chess abbreviation for knight – N N – trapped by an anagram (wicked) of PURSUER
Down
1d Strand is found in empty workshop (4)
WISP – IS (from the clue) found in the outside letters (empty) of WorkshoP
2d Taste fish, eating last of coley (3,3)
TRY OUT – TROUT (fish) ‘eating’ the last letter of coleY
3d Blonde head, just quality? (8)
FAIRNESS – FAIR (blonde) NESS (head)
4d Standard that may be fixed in centrefold? (6)
STAPLE – Double definition
5d Ahead by four or nine, perhaps, prepare for fight (6,2)
SQUARE UP – UP (head) by or after SQUARE (four or nine perhaps)
6d Stretch to grab bar, having missed a ring (6)
TIMBRE – TIME (stretch, prison sentence) ‘grabs’ BaR without the A
7d Some paper in off-white, guillotined (4)
REAM – cREAM (off-white) with its head off (guillotined)
9d Necessary nutrient for figure injected with iodine (7)
PROTEIN – PRO (for) TEN (figure) ‘injected’ with I (chemical symbol for Iodine)
12d Narrow recorder, might you say? (5)
TAPER – Narrow as verb, or someone who records
14d Wise Men, for example, travelling there (5)
THREE – Does moving one letter in the word THERE make it an anagram (travelling)??
16d Angriest when provoked, one doesn’t usually react (5,3)
INERT GAS – An anagram (when provoked) of ANGRIEST
17d A weapon found in heather, scary (8)
ALARMING – A (from the clue) and ARM (weapon) found in LING (heather)
18d Egg on jokers, idiots (7)
NITWITS – NIT (egg) WITS (jokers)
20d Motorist’s club? (6)
DRIVER – A motorist or a golf club
21d Leave high and dry in arid place (6)
DESERT – Another double definition
23d Genesis in print schedule (6)
OUTSET – OUT (in print) SET (schedule)
24d Set up separate trick (4)
TRAP – A reversal (set up) of PART (separate)
25d Gazing at pink elephants primarily, stare in wonder (4)
GAPE – The primary letters of Gaze At Pink Elephants