Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3340
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This puzzle was published on 26th October 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Across
1a Vocalise about white flower – brighter colour? (8,4)
SHOCKING PINK – SING (vocalise) goes about the white wine HOCK followed by PINK (flower)
9a Copy clues the wrong way round (4)
SPIT – A reversal (the wrong way round) of TIPS (clues)
10a Disgusting sweet, by inference? (9)
UNSAVOURY – Inferring that something must be sweet if it isn’t savoury
12a Pilot in marina, swimming (6)
AIRMAN – An anagram (swimming) of MARINA
13a After hollow pause, readier to have one spicy sauce (4-4)
PERI-PERI – The outside (hollow) letters of PausE, RIPER (readier) and I (one)
15a Land and buildings in Seattle are redeveloped (4,6)
REAL ESTATE – An anagram (redeveloped) of SEATTLE ARE
16a Like that, working in a few moments (4)
SOON – SO (like that) ON (working)
18a Standard highlight (4)
FLAG – Double definition
20a Where The Shard goes, to some extent? (2,2,1,5)
UP TO A POINT – A description of The Shard in London
23a Animal in corner behind barrier (8)
HEDGEHOG – HOG (corner) goes after (behind) HEDGE (barrier)
24a Record in here playing for assistant (6)
HELPER – EP (record) inserted into an anagram (playing) (or swapping over the last two letters!) of HERE
26a Lewd beach dude jiggling about (9)
DEBAUCHED – An anagram (jiggling about) of BEACH DUDE
27a Wound observed by one’s ear? (4)
SORE – A homophone (by one’s ear) of SAW (observed)
28a Country, it needs rescuing by genius? (5,7)
GREAT BRITAIN – which isn’t actually a country! IT is ‘rescued’ or saved by GREAT BRAIN (genius)
Down
2d Trouble with boiler? (3,5)
HOT WATER – Something supplied by a boiler
3d Black member of pack, bat (4)
CLUB – Double definition
4d Look fashionable, fragment dressing person’s head (10)
INSPECTION – IN (fashionable) SECTION (fragment) ‘dressing’ the ‘head’ of Person
5d Surrender as US soldier goes over channel (4,2)
GIVE IN – GI (US solider) goes over VEIN (channel)
6d Routine worked out before delivery (2,5)
IN UTERO – An anagram (worked out) of ROUTINE
7d Indication of score, important mark (3,9)
KEY SIGNATURE – KEY (important) SIGNATURE (mark)
8d Skill shown filling bath somewhere in Ancient Greece (6)
SPARTA – ART (skill) ‘filling’ SPA (bath)
11d Cure for overindulgence in flea’s home? (4,2,3,3)
HAIR OF THE DOG – Where many a flea finds its home!
14d Wicked temper’s hot in wicked character? (10)
STEPMOTHER – An anagram (wicked) of TEMPERS HOT
17d Drinking at the end of a long and slippery slope? (5-3)
APRES-SKI – A cryptic definition
19d Picked up in car, black limousine on the outskirts (7)
AUDIBLE – AUDI (car) B (black) and the outside letters (outskirts) of LimousinE
21d One mile left, ship in (6)
IMPORT – I (one) M (mile) PORT (left)
22d Final mark, bite from vampires ultimately (6)
RESULT – Bitten by vampiRES ULTimately
25d Error detected in text initially – correct that? (4)
EDIT – The initial letters of Edit Detected In Text