ST 3320 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3320

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 8th June 2025

BD Rating – Difficulty **  – Enjoyment ***

 

Across

1a           Violinist’s stroke, melancholy weapon (7)
DOWNBOW – Melancholy or miserable and a weapon

5a           Beef that brings home endless bacon? (4,3)
CASH COW – A well-established business that produces cash with a minimal amount of effort

9a           A felonious agent worked for former intergovernmental organisation (6,2,7)
LEAGUE OF NATIONS – An anagram (worked) of A FELONIOUS AGENT

10a         Formal choice, very old tie, one must be thrown out (4)
VOTE – Abbreviations for Very and Old and TiE without the I (one must be thrown out)

11a         A bit dissociated (5)
APART – A (from the clue) PART (bit)

12a         Doing little skid, lecturer’s drunk (4)
IDLE – ‘Drunk’ or consumed by skID LEcturer

15a         King always beside dictionary – might one be ruminating? (3,4)
ROE DEER – R (Rex, King) and EER, the latter going beside or after OED (Oxford English Dictionary)

16a         Wear article in early summer month for Romeo (3,4)
DON JUAN – DON (put on, wear) and A (indefinite article) inserted into JUN (early summer month)

17a         Hard filling trench from end to end (7)
THROUGH – H (hard) ‘filling’ TROUGH (trench)

19a         A quid a kiss! (7)
SMACKER – Informal names for a Pound Sterling and/or an enthusiastic kiss

21a         Defeat right away (4)
ROUT – R (right) OUT (away)

22a         Matter in hanky initially wiped (5)
ISSUE – tISSUE (hanky) without the initial letter

23a         Wood half stripped of bark (4)
WOOF – The first half of WOof and OF (from the clue)

26a         A children’s game won hands down? (11,4)
WHEELBARROW RACE – A cryptic definition of a children’s game

27a         Ridiculous bug traps brother or sister (7)
RISIBLE – RILE (bug or annoy) ‘traps’ SIB (sibling, brother or sister)

28a         Correct fit around bottom (7)
SUBEDIT – SUIT (fit) around BED (bottom)

Down

1d           Free when put down after being picked up (7)
DELIVER – A reversal (after being picked up) of REVILED (put down)

2d           Run the show, as would American in pants? (4,3,8)
WEAR THE TROUSERS – Presumably American’s would wear the pants

3d           Cambridge rower perhaps went like the wind, did you say? (4)
BLUE – A homophone (did you say) of BLEW (went like the wind)

4d           Monster fiction? (7)
WHOPPER – Something large or a lie

5d           Coin and ruby put in the middle (7)
CENTRED – CENT (coin) and RED (ruby)

6d           Stuff in Seattle observed regularly (4)
SATE – The regular letters of SeAtTlE

7d           Raucous bird embraced by family, buzzard’s ultimate fantasy (5-6-4)
CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND – LOUD (raucous) CUCKOO (bird) ‘embraced’ by CLAN (family) and the ultimate letter of buzzarD

8d           Solver and setter back cowboy film (7)
WESTERM – WE (solver and setter together) STERN (back)

13d         Ousel flying in capital city (5)
SEOUL – An anagram (flying) of OUSEL

14d         Loudly demand massage (5)
KNEAD – A homophone (loudly) of NEED (demand)

17d         Athlete taking hour to enter tall building (7)
THROWER – HR (hour) to enter TOWER (tall building)

18d         Someone held label inside underwear (7)
HOSTAGE – TAG (label) inside HOSE (underwear)

19d         Fuddy-duddies, millions say? (7)
SQUARES – Double definition

20d         Consider judge allowed to imprison leader of cartel (7)
REFLECT – REF (judge) and LET ‘imprisoning’ the leader of Cartel

24d         Strike iron, say (4)
IRON – Double definition

25d         Piece of cotton wool, primarily sterilising wounds, afterwards binned (4)
SWAB – The primary letters of Sterilising Wounds Afterwards Binned