DT 49 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 49

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 49

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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

I managed to pick this up from CluedUp when I asked for today’s puzzle.  You can get to it by entering 49 into the puzzle number in the Search Puzzle Archive on the main crossword puzzles page.  You will find that it is dated today!  It also uses exactly the same grid as DT 26045 – coincidence?

Maybe it was just the biorhythms, but I found this to be a little harder than the average Monday puzzle. There are enough charades today for a whole TV program (for those who remember “Give Us a Clue”).

Leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a Reportedly regret cutting remark? Nonsense (7)
{RHUBARB} – the first bit, RHU, sounds like (reportedly) rue (regret) add a BARB (cutting remark) to get a word used to indicate nonsense

Being of a certain age, I can’t hear the word rhubarb without remembering Spike Milligan and the Goons.  I couldn’t find an appropriate clip, so you will have to make do with this one:

ARVE Error: need id and provider

5a Drama writer’s toddler may be put in one for safety (7)
{PLAYPEN} – a charade of a PLAY (drama) and a PEN (writer) give this place that a toddler may be put in one for safety

9a In pad, daughter busied herself fussily (7)
{BUSTLED} – continuing with the charades we have BUSTLE (a frame or pad for making a skirt stand out from the hips) and D(aughter) combining to get a word meaning busied fussily – the “in” is padding which is only there for the surface reading

10a Psychiatrist may produce article on a composer, we hear (7)
{ANALYST} – this psychiatrist comes from (you’ve guessed) a charade of AN (article) A and LYST (sounds like Liszt / composer, we hear)

11a Fake jewellery becoming loose? (9)
{SHAMBLING} – our run of charades ends with SHAM (fake) and BLING (jewellery) giving a word meaning loose – a bit of a loose definition of shuffling or walking with an awkward, unsteady gait

12a A number rule the roost? Look inside (5)
{ETHER} – a variation on this amusing definition of an anaesthetic is hidden inside rule the roost

13a Become suddenly interested in Italian overcome by drink (3,2)
{SIT UP} – a phrasal verb meaning to become suddenly interested in is created by putting IT(alian) inside (overcome by) SUP (drink)

15a Specialist in china Celt upset (9)
{TECHNICAL} – does this word really mean specialist? – specialised maybe, but for my liking a bit too much licence using a noun to define an adjective; Chambers does have technical as a noun, but not in this context – by the way it’s an anagram (upset) of CHINA CELT

17a Country importing a Greek perfume (9)
{FRAGRANCE} – FRANCE is the country that imports A GR(eek) to get this perfume

19a Hot drink, drop of espresso in refurbished snug (5)
{NEGUS} – I’ve only ever seen this hot drink, of port or sherry mixed with hot water and then sweetened and spiced, in crosswords – it sounds a bit like punch to me – but you get it by stirring a drop of E(spresso) into an anagram of SNUG

22a Girl Irish boy rejected (5)
{NADIA} – this girl’s name comes from AIDAN (Irish boy) reversed (rejected) – regular followers of the blog will know what I think of this one; for newcomers my pet hate is names of girls or boys in the answer or the wordplay

23a Ship carrying cargo and military aircraft carrying sappers (9)
{FREIGHTER} – this cargo-carrying ship is created by putting a FIGHTER plane around RE (Royal Engineers / sappers)

25a Becoming confused, lecturer in the course of summing up (7)
{ADDLING} – a word meaning becoming confused comes from putting L(ecturer) inside (in the course of) ADDING (summing up)

26a Increase was significant, it’s said, after short month (7)
{AUGMENT} – this word meaning to increase is derived by putting MENT (sounds like meant / significant, it’s said) after AUG(ust)

27a Account for retired engineer touring Italy (7)
{EXPLAIN} – a synonym for to account for comes from EX (retired) and PLAN (to engineer) around (touring) I(taly)

28a Temptress in shop with the French husband (7)
{DELILAH} – this biblical temptress is a charade of DELI (shop) LA (the, French) and H(usband) – once again we have “in” confusing the issue

Down

1d Puzzles about double-deckers? (7)
{REBUSES} – these enigmatical representations of a word or name by pictures representing the component parts of the word (a bit like a charade using pictures) are derived from RE (about) and BUSES (double-deckers)

2d Social climber put out, blocked by celebrity (7)
{UPSTART} – this social climber comes from an anagram (out) of PUT around (blocked by) STAR (celebrity)

3d Off the cuff remark made by one bishop after a duke left (2-3)
{AD-LIB} – an off the cuff remark made up from I (one) and B(ishop) after A D(uke) L(eft)

4d Foul on new forward in game (9)
{BADMINTON} – back with the charades – BAD (foul) on (because it’s a down clue) MINT (new) and ON (forward) giving a game

5d Phoned after parking accident (5)
{PRANG} – RANG (phoned) after P(arking) gives an accident

6d Legendary king soon to entertain willing maiden (9)
{AGAMEMNON} – this legendary king from Greek mythology is derived from ANON (soon) around (to entertain) GAME (willing) M(aiden)

7d Clairvoyant gypsy Chico houses (7)
{PSYCHIC} – a clairvoyant is hidden (houses) inside gyPSY CHICo

8d Free from affectation, note (7)
{NATURAL} – a double definition

14d Fish with bread (3,6)
{PER CAPITA} – a charade of PERCA (fish) and PITA (bead) gives for each person in Latin

16d Anti-nuclear campaign group includes even a former US president (9)
{CLEVELAND} – CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament / Anti-nuclear campaign group) around (includes) LEVEL (even) to get Stephen Grover CLEVELAND, a former US president

17d To cool food it may be blown (7)
{FANFARE} – a charade of FAN (cool) and FARE (food) gives something which may be blown on a trumpet or bugle

18d A theologian and editor in court made sense (5,2)
{ADDED UP} – A DD (Doctor of Divinity / Divinitatis Doctor / theologian) and ED(itor) UP (in court) gives a phrasal verb meaning made sense

20d Gretel worried about onset of adolescence? Don’t be naive (3,4)
{GET REAL} – put an anagram (worried) of GRETEL around A (onset of Adolescence) to get a phrase meaning don’t be naive

21d Withdraw money (7)
{SCRATCH} – a double definition – to withdraw from a competition and cash or ready money

23d Villainous character bringing junior pupil home (5)
{FAGIN} – a villain from Oliver Twist is a charade of FAG (junior pupil) and IN (home)

24d Russian novelist, dynamic lecturer (5)
{GOGOL} – Nikolai GOGOL, Russian novelist, is derived from GO-GO (dynamic, as in go-go dancer) and L(ecturer)

15 comments on “DT 49

  1. What seems to have happened is a mix-up with the weekly on-line prize puzzle. Looking at the prize puzzle just now, I thought that the clues looked familiar. I shall have to do the honourable thing and not enter the cryptic this this week.

  2. There is certainly a problem on Clued Up. Puzzle No.49 is the prize puzzle,. unfortunately some ***** has linked to this puzzle directly from the Crossword Puzzles section, so instead of getting 26045 (which looks and feels very much like a standard Rufus puzzle) you get 49 instead. If you try and get the puzzle from the home page you get the correct one.

    1. I’m sure i got there starting from the home page, but the first puzzle that I was given was a Sudoku. Having been caught by this before, I immediately quit and re-entered, at which point I was presented with what I now realise was DT 49. There’s never a dull moment on ScrewedUp!

  3. I am totally confused as i use the newspaper grid. For anyone who has done the correct 26,045, i would like to know what you think about 23a and 23d. Certainly a lack of imagination at the very least, when 23d could so easily have been a different answer with almost the same letters. Disappointing!

    1. Hello I’ve been away for a bit – thought 23a and 23d farly straightforward – not too unBEARable and nothing to get GRIZZLY about – 26045 was quite easy and I am sure Big De willattle it off in no time

  4. 15a. I think that specialist is supposed to be an adjective here rather than a noun. Strangely Chambers does not recognize specialist as an adjective but ODE does, as in “specialist knowledge”.

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