Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26049
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Having got used to the Friday puzzle being the highlight of the week, I must admit to being a tad disappointed with this one. There’s nothing specifically wrong with it, but I didn’t get the “wow” factor from any of the clues, and (I know this is subjective, and others may disagree) I thought that it was on the easier side of average in terms of difficulty.
I look forward to hearing your views, especially those of our correspondents who usually have problems on a Friday.
Across Clues
1a Resist awkward member of the family (6)
{SISTER} – an anagram (awkward) of RESIST leads to a family member.
4a Seeming to be a quiet dad maybe (8 )
{APPARENT} – the definition is seeming to be and the answer is a charade of A, P (piano, quiet in musical notation) and the role of a dad (or a mum).
9a Bad influence? Couldn’t agree more! (3,3)
{I’LL SAY} – an energetic affirmation of agreement (couldn’t agree more!) comes from ILL (bad) and SAY (influence, as in “he had little say in the matter”).
10a Push out rubbish for moralist to consume (8 )
{PROTRUDE} – put ROT (rubbish) inside (to consume) PRUDE (moralist).
11a Listen to army fighter in South America suffering (9)
{HEARTACHE} – a charade of HEAR (listen to), TA (Territorial Army) and CHE (South American revolutionary fighter).
13a A body part in the van (5)
{AHEAD} – the definition is in the van (i.e. in the lead), and it’s a simple charade of A and an important part of the body.
14a Secret lad, he, involved with brunette (5-3-5)
{UNDER-THE-TABLE} – a phrase which means secret (but which can also mean illicit and very drunk) is an anagram (involved) of LAD HE BRUNETTE.
17a Students troubled as tutor gasped (13)
{POSTGRADUATES} – an anagram (troubled) of AS TUTOR GASPED produces advanced students.
21a Boredom in kindergarten — nuisance! (5)
{ENNUI} – a word meaning boredom is hidden in kindergartEN – NUIsance.
23a Poverty seen around — has a meal to be brought in? (9)
{NEEDINESS} – reverse (around) SEEN and put DINES (has a meal) inside it.
24a Party with very little Ecstasy? Then end getting joint (8 )
{DOVETAIL} – string together DO (party), V(ery), E(cstasy) and TAIL (end) to get a type of joint used in woodwork.
25a A bit of the Bible making one hostile (6)
{AVERSE} – a synonym for hostile is made from one of over 31,000 numbered divisions of the Bible.
26a Daughter is wanting long hair, the pain! (8 )
{DISTRESS} – put together D(aughter), IS and TRESS (long lock of hair) to get a synonym for pain.
27a Exhausted, being employed at university (4,2)
{USED UP} – a term for exhausted or all gone is made from USED (employed) and UP (at university).
Down Clues
1d Workplace in American institute, insecure on the outside (6)
{SMITHY} – put SHY (timid or insecure) around MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has some interesting architecture) to get a blacksmith’s workplace.
2d Course for which one must bring in black dishes (9)
{SYLLABUBS} – put B(lack) inside SYLLABUS (course).
3d Punctilious editor required (7)
{EXACTED} – a charade of EXACT (punctilious) and ED(itor).
5d Steak and beer brought to the Lords? (11)
{PORTERHOUSE} – a charade of PORTER (beer) and HOUSE (of Lords) produces a thick steak and also the name of the fictional Cambridge college in a hilarious satire by Tom Sharpe.
6d Draw a large area of land for the audience (7)
{ATTRACT} – a verb meaning to draw or entice also sounds like (for the audience) a large area of land.
7d Escape from senior member right away outside university (5)
{ELUDE} – start with ELDER (senior member), then remove the R (right away) and insert a U (university) to end up with a verb meaning to escape from.
8d Modish types upsetting resident (8 )
{TRENDIES} – an anagram (upsetting) of RESIDENT produces the “in” set.
12d Things that are sure to bring particular obligations (11)
{CERTAINTIES} – a charade of CERTAIN (particular) and TIES (obligations) leads to things that are inevitable.
15d Polluted bar seemed horrible (9)
{BESMEARED} – a verb meaning polluted is formed from an anagram (horrible) of BAR SEEMED.
16d Magnificent object in second place I had (8 )
{SPLENDID} – put END (object) inside S(econd), PL(ace) and I’D (I had) to get a synonym for magnificent.
18d Good little creatures shine (7)
{GLITTER} – start with G(ood) and add LITTER (little creatures, brood of young animals).
19d First female to get into this bunch of crooks (7)
{THIEVES} – put the name of Adam’s trouble and strife inside THIS to get crooks.
20d Snake outside shelter unaware of what’s going on (6)
{ASLEEP} – insert LEE (shelter) into ASP (snake) to form an adjective meaning dozy or inattentive.
22d They’re seen in churches, and they sound like wicked chaps (5)
{NAVES} – a homophone (they sound like) of knaves (wicked chaps).
Among my favourite clues were 13a, 24a and 5d, but my clue of the day is 18d. Please leave us a comment with your views, and don’t forget to rate the puzzle by clicking on one of the stars below.
Not as hard as last friday although enjoyable.
Maybe I am eventually getting the hang of this after so long but I don’t hold out much hope.
2d was the best for me today
Perfectly adequate, but not quite up to the standard I normally expect from Giovanni. Agree with Nubian 2d probably the best clue.
This was OK, nothing to get excited about. Best clues, for me, were 2d (because I learnt a new word) and 24a.
I have to disagree with the chorus of approval for 2d. Syllabus is not a course, but the content of one, nothing in the clue makes this distinction, and dishes as the clue word is a bit mean. (makes excuses for not getting it and shuffles off stage right…)
Chambers
Syllabus – an abstract or programme, eg of a series of lectures or a course of studies
Perfectly enjoyable and more challenging than the previous two days’ puzzles but I agree that it was not as good as the usual Friday masterpieces that we have come to expect. Perhaps the editor is letting us have a lenient week and we will have a rude awakening come Monday.
Gazza,
Just to get really annoying and pedantic on a friday,
Ref 4a, When i took piano lessons as a child as was told pianoforte was translated as
piano meaning soft, and
forte meaning loud.
I always thought when the clue said silent they meant p as in psalm
Nubian
4a But the clue doesn’t say silent, it says quiet, and p (piano) usually stands for soft or quiet in crosswords, just as f stands for loud.
Gazza,
I think p is the musical notation fro pianissimo, which means “to be played very softly”.
Oops! That should read “for” not “fro”.
Vince
p (piano) is softly and pp (pianissimo) is very softly, just as f (forte) is loud and ff (fortissimo) is very loud.
Yes. That makes sense.
Does that mean we are back to p meaning soft
and not quiet ?
Soft, quiet? What is the difference? They are virtually synonymous. p stands for piano, which can mean both. Where is the problem?
A mixture of some very easy clues with a few more difficult ones. What is a syllabub? Not sure about the hyphens in 14a. In 10a is rot supposed to mean the same as rubbish?
What is a syllabub?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllabub
Re 14a Chambers online has this phrase without hypens…
Re 10a Chambers has this (as one of a number of) defintion for rot – worthless or rotten stuff (informal)
Michael
rot = rubbish as in the phrase “what a load of rot/rubbish!”
Well that was easier than yesterday for me. Did it while having coffee in Costas.
I enjoyed 2d as well as the rest of you but also liked 14a.
By the way GAzza – love your pictures – just looked at them. Thank you.
Gazza, your picture for 5d is prompting me to dig out my collection of Tom Sharpe…. pity the TV adaptations were never as good as the books!
Agree with you Jezza. I was just wondering where mine are – it has been years since I read them and would certainly enjoy them again.
Jezza
Agreed. The first Tom Sharpe I read was “Wilt” – it was on a long train journey and I laughed so loudly that the other passengers in the carriage thought I’d gone mad.
Gazza / Jezza
I read that while recovering in hospital in France from a skiing accident – kept me entertained while I was totally immobile. Sure improved the quality of my stay.
One of the few authors who has made me laugh aloud… I think my favourites are the South African ones, Indecent Exposure, and Riotous Assembly.
I have read just about everything Tom Sharpe ever wrote and thoroughly enjoyed just about all of them. If you like Tom Sharpe you might want to try Carl Hiaasen… (ignore the three thrillers he wrote with fellow-journalist Bill Montalbano)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Hiaasen
I thought perhaps I was on a high when whistling through the grid in double quick time,(for me), on a day that’s supposed to be more difficult than the norm.
Found it quite enjoyable, with no major problems.
Favourite clues .. 9a, 11a and 14a.
Disliked MIT as American institution … it was only after solving the clue that I was able to establish its definition.
My intention on a Friday is to provide an entertaining and sound puzzle within acceptable parameters for the average solver, so I’m not at all worried if some of the keener types here find some of the puzzles on the easy side. The Giovanni Toughie puzzles allow for more spice and a wider range of vocabulary, and I will usually throw in the odd difficult clue deliberately. Thanks for the feedback.
Found the bottom half far easier than the top half. A crossword of two halves for me. Enjoyable on the homeward commute and before a chilled glass of burgundy after a taxing week of toil. Looking forward to tomorrow’s – a nice coffee shop as I wait for my wife’s car to be serviced!
80% of this one was easy, but the top left hand section was a stinker. Would never have got “smithy” because who has ever heard of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for heavens sake!
I had!
I’m still struggling with this crossword. 14 A Under the table. Dreadful clue I lost sleep over that one.
Is the compiler also responsible for 29 Sept. 26,046. Another stinker….!
Dum Blonde
Welcome to the blog Plum Tart
Was it you that posted a link to my site from a DT blog?
Friday’s puzzles are almost invariably set by Don Manley who left a comment above (no.11) as Giovanni.
The Tuesday’s puzzle was set by Ray Terrell, who left a comment as RayT.
Hi Dave,
Yes that’s how I found you from the MyT blogsite.
Thankyou for info.
PT
Finally finished this crossword which has been bugging me since Sunday!
23 A. Neediness…………………didn’t like that one.
I thought the answer was penniless, penne (pasta). and a more subtle answer……
Plum Tart
… but with penniless, how would you explain the wordplay?
Hi Gazza,
No need to change it. [Poverty seen around – has a meal to be brought in?]
Poverty = penniless. Meal = penne.