DT 31007 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31007

A full review by crypticsue

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This puzzle was published on 16^th August 2025

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

An enjoyable and fairly friendly Saturday Prize Puzzle from NYDK, without any multi linked clues this time just to makes us wonder whether he was the setter or not

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Great shot – bowler to receive credit (8)
SCREAMER – SEAMER (bowler) to ‘receive’ CR (credit)

5a           Russian region, not small European one (6)
IBERIA – A very old friend – how many times have we removed the S (not small) from sIBERIA to get the European region?

9a           Knight to spear great many (8)
LANCELOT – LANCE (spear) LOT (great many)

10a         Be one keeping control in country (6)
BRUNEI – BE (from the clue) and I (Roman numeral for one) ‘keeping’ REIN (control)

12a         Soldier bagging fish spread (9)
MARGARINE – MARINE (soldier) ‘bagging’ GAR (the fish which also appeared as part of the day’s Quick Pun)

13a         Former Labour minister: growth’s returning! (5)
STRAW – A reversal (returning) of WART’S (growth’s)

14a         Film not seen did you say? (4)
MIST – A homophone (did you say) of MISSED (not seen)

16a         Time locks securing home into which one might vanish (4,3)
THIN AIR – T (time) HAIR (locks) ‘securing’ IN (home)

19a         Make angry scene in Barking (7)
INCENSE – An anagram (barking) of SCENE IN

21a         Tip from Mirror and Times (4)
APEX – APE (mirror, copy) and X (times)

24a         Captain leaving two pennies for sporty sort (5)
SKIER – SKIppER without (leaving) P P (two pennies)

25a         Vote-loser troubled president (9)
ROOSEVELT – An anagram (troubled) of VOTE LOSER

27a         An old love deeply aroused (6)
AFLAME – A (an) FLAME (old love)

28a         Like Titanic in reality? (2,6)
AT BOTTOM – Like Titanic, AT the BOTTOM of the sea

29a         Stop in Cyclades is tempting (6)
DESIST – Hidden in cyclaDES IS Tempting

30a         Character witnesses for whistle-blowers? (8)
REFEREES – Character witnesses for job applicants or whistle-blowers in football matches

Down

1d           Seductress not changing welcoming look (6)
SALOME – SAME (not changing) ‘welcoming’ LO (look)

2d           Was exhausted, amorous, embracing Romeo (3,3)
RAN DRY – RANDY (amorous) ‘embracing’ R (Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet)

3d           Place in which spearman’s end is seen? (5)
ARENA – AREA (place) in which N (the letter at the end of spearman) is seen

4d           Selfish sort say is wearing too much (7)
EGOTIST – EG (say) and IS (from the clue) inserted into (wearing) OTT (too much)

6d           Black pig runs into her – bike’s demolished (9)
BERKSHIRE – R (runs) inserted into an anagram (demolished) of HER BIKES

7d           Contact staff about a bypass (4,4)
RING ROAD – RING (contact) and ROD (staff) ‘about’ A (from the clue)

8d           You could say we admitted to sick satire (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE – WE (from the clue) ‘admitted’ to an anagram (sick) of SATIRE

11d         Criminal tendency (4)
BENT – Slang for criminal or a tendency or inclination

15d         One not bright or amusing when drunk (9)
IGNORAMUS – An anagram (when drunk) of OR AMUSING

17d         Settled under tree for initial treatment (5,3)
FIRST AID – STAID (settled) goes under (in a Down solution) FIR (tree)

18d         Greek hero cool in rising ocean (8)
ACHILLES – CHILL (cool) in a reversed (rising) SEA (ocean)

20d         Make listener nervous at first (4)
EARN – EAR (listener) and the first letter of Nervous

21d         A European entertains Saint Peter? (7)
APOSTLE – A (From the clue) POLE (European) ‘entertains’ ST (saint)

22d         Scoot along in a Volkswagen (6)
BEETLE -An informal verb meaning to scurry or a type of Volkswagen car

23d         When play stops for foxes (6)
STUMPS – The end of a cricket match or deceives or cheats

26d         Cicero describes inspiring weather (5)
ERODE – Weather or wear away – hidden in the first two words of the clue