Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26593
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
We have a fairly straightforward but entertaining puzzle from Giovanni today. Let us know how you got on with it.
To reveal an answer drag your cursor through the space between the brackets under the clue.
Across Clues
8a I love diplomacy after end to war — it can restore order (4,3)
{RIOT ACT} – this is what used to be read out to a disorderly mob as a warning to disperse. Put I, O (love) and a synonym for diplomacy after (wa)R.
10a Individual’s passionate on a particular occasion (3-4)
{ONE-SHOT} – something that happens on a single occasion only is a charade of an individual plus the ‘S and an adjective meaning passionate.
11a Outlook for good little relative — no being hugged! (9)
{PROGNOSIS} – an outlook or forecast is built from a prefix meaning for, G(ood) and an abbreviated sibling with NO inserted (being hugged).
12a Paper money I have cast into fire regularly! (5)
{FIVER} – put the contracted form of ‘I have’ inside (cast into) the odd (regularly) letters of fire.
13a Sauce from troublesome person with nothing to add (5)
{PESTO} – add the letter that looks like zero or nothing to an annoying person to make an Italian sauce containing basil.
14a Gaps girl found in fine material (7)
{LACUNAE} – a girl’s name is contained (found) inside a delicate fabric to make gaps or spaces.
17a What upsets us — idle merriment (alcohol-related problem) (8,7)
{DELIRIUM TREMENS} – this is the full latin name for the alcohol-induced shakes normally abbreviated to the DTs (nothing to do with the Daily Telegraph!). It’s an anagram (upsets) of US IDLE MERRIMENT.
19a Wed now? (7)
{MIDWEEK} – this Wed comes halfway between Sun and Sat.
21a Get to give a sermon, but not quietly (5)
{REACH} – the definition is get to. Remove the P (quietly) from a verb meaning to deliver a sermon.
24a Head of catering demands items from the brewery (5)
{CASKS} – the first letter (head) of C(atering) is followed by a synonym for demands.
26a Explosive device in list written down the wrong way (9)
{DETONATOR} – a list or schedule of who’s on duty is followed by a past participle meaning written down, then the whole lot is reversed (the wrong way) to make an explosive device.
27a First on the road? (3,4)
{LOW GEAR} – a cryptic definition of what first could mean when you’re driving.
28a Spendthrift wife alters when broke (7)
{WASTREL} – a spendthrift is W(ife) followed by an anagram (when broke) of ALTERS.
Down Clues
1d Good news for the farmer, happen! (4,2)
{CROP UP} – in the surface ‘happen’ is being used in its North of England sense of ‘perhaps’ but what we want is a phrasal verb meaning to happen unexpectedly. The answer could also mean that the yield from a farmer’s fields has increased (though he’ll doubtless find something else to moan about!).
2d Huge mountain feature needing rope for climbing (8)
{COLOSSAL} – start with a mountain pass (feature) and then reverse (for climbing, in a down clue) a rope used for catching cattle to make an adjective meaning huge.
3d One may be eaten by a consumer munching (4,6)
{MAIN COURSE} – this is an all-in-one clue (i.e. the whole clue is both the definition and the wordplay with no redundant words). Put I (one) inside an anagram (munching) of A CONSUMER.
4d After work, cleans out government office (9)
{CONSULATE} – there’s a strong temptation to think that ‘after work’ means that the answer will start with OP, but here it is an anagram indicator and what we want an anagram of is CLEANS OUT to make a government office in a foreign country.
5d What may be rare complaint (4)
{BEEF} – double definition, the first something that may be cooked lightly (rare).
6d Not all monks have, necessarily, to be tonsured (6)
{SHAVEN} – hidden (not all) in the clue is a past participle meaning tonsured.
7d Gets the show on the road with the inclusion of the French actresses? (8)
{STARLETS} – a verb meaning gets going has a French definite article inserted to make young actresses with aspirations to become famous.
9d Pilot is bad-tempered, short (4)
{TEST} – this is a pilot employed to check out the performance of a new aircraft. pilot here is a verb meaning to try something out (I think). It’s also an adjective meaning bad-tempered without its final Y (short). Thanks to Pommers and Gnomey for the discussion on whether pilot in the clue is a noun, adjective or verb.
15d Happy-clappy quality in church — weird quality? (10)
{CHEERINESS} – an upbeat attitude (happy-clappy quality) is a charade of the abbreviation for church and the quality of being weird or frightening.
16d Macho fish will be all right (5-4)
{HUNKY-DORY} – an informal adjective meaning all right or fine is a charade of the informal description of a virile, sexually-attractive man (macho) and a narrow, deep-bodied fish.
17d I am set up in manageable residence (8)
{DOMICILE} – reverse (set up, in a down clue) the contracted form of ‘I am’ inside an adjective meaning submissive or manageable.
18d People who’ve retired from treading the boards are demanding types (8)
{EXACTORS} – double definition, the first (2-6) a description of retired thespians.
20d Ditch is running into drain (6)
{DISOWN} – IS goes inside (running into) a verb meaning to finish one’s drink (drain) to make a verb meaning to ditch or renounce.
22d Defeated king had to admit diminished function (6)
{HAROLD} – the name of the king who was up to his eyes in problems in 1066 is HAD containing (to admit) a function or responsibility without its final E (diminished).
23d Worry with wimps turning up (4)
{STEW} – reverse (turning up, in a down clue) Mrs Thatcher’s term for wimps to make a verb meaning to be in a state of agitation (worry).
25d Understands report of capture (4)
{SEES} – a verb meaning grasps or understands sounds like (report of) to capture or take possession of.
I liked 11a, 19a, 26a and 1d, but my favourite clue today is 3d. Tell us, in a comment, what floated your boat!
Today’s Quickie Pun: {PLAGUE} + {AIMS} = {PLAY GAMES}
16d made me laugh a lot just for the bizarre image! I actually raced through this about as fast I ever have completed a Giovanni. Still some very enjoyable clues.
Many thanks to Giovanni and gazza
Sliky smooth solve. I too thought this this was a gentler Giovanni but with heaps of lovely clues. Favourites were 8a, 2d, 3d and 16d.
I made harder work of this than I should have, and it took me longer to complete that today’s Toughie from Osmosis.
Thanks to Giovanni for the puzzle, and to Gazza for the notes. Favourite clue 15d.
Enjoyed this one so thanks to Giovanni.
Gazza – re your comment on 9d. I go for the adjective as the answer on its own isn’t an aviator but it does mean pilot as an adjective. That’s the way I saw it when I solved the clue anyway. Probably only Giovanni can be certain thought. Thanks for the good review.
Thanks, pommers. I think you’re right. I started by having it as an adjective then changed my mind and changed it, probably incorrectly.
Slightly easier than Giovanni’s normal Friday fare. Must admit, I’ve never heard of 14A but luckily there’s a lady two doors away with the required name, so didn’t prove too difficult.I enjoyed 11A, 2D, 4D and 23D. Favourites (two of them today) 19A and 16D.
Off to Gloucester Somerset T20 this evening, fingers crossed for some good weather.
What a great start to Friday. 16 was my favourite as it gave me a chuckle. Many other good clues, the pick being 17a and 19. Now to the garden.
Regarding 9a – the two are certainly synonymous as an adjective (pilot plant/test plant). I would say that the same is possibly true as a verb but not as a noun (as aviator) since a pilot performs the test but is not the test himself. I suppose loosely one might say “we commissioned a pilot” with the understood e.g. series/programme etc.
Thanks, gnomey. Now that you’ve suggested a verb, I think that I’m leaning in that direction as in “we’re piloting a new method of ..”.
Hmm, hadn’t thought of a verb but I think it works best – to pilot something, to test it – looks good to me.
Think you’ve got it gnomey!
I too saw it as a verb.
Took me a little while to get into this one! 16d great. Not convinced about the anagram indicator in 4d. Had to resort to the hint for this one. I agree with Gazza about 9d. Thanks to G & G
Good morning Gazza and everyone, sorry good afternoon, nice to be back again, I could blame the break for finding this more difficult than most of you have so far
but I won’t, never heard of 14a, the two I liked were 5d and 21a, as for 19a Wednesday is always midweek, so why ‘now?’ ?
Welcome back Mary, we have missed you.
thanks Sue good to be back, tho’ did have one nice day off duty while we were there in a beautiful little place called Pont Aven and the weather was beautiful
Welcome back, Mary. Maybe Giovanni intended this to be a Wednesday puzzle?
Hi Franny, thanks, that would make sense wouldn’t it!
I don’t think that’s likely. I think the ‘now’ (with question mark) is just saying that Wed is an example of a midweek day.
You’re probably right. It was just an idea.
Hi Gazza but isn’t Wednesday the only midweek day, as you say our week, is from Sunday to Saturday ?
I think that midweek is usually thought of as covering Tuesday to Thursday.
Failed in the SW corner. It appears that I’ve spent most of my life using honky dory instead of hunky dory – or is it a regional thing?
Hi soldier, don’t think its regional, it’s ‘hunky’ as in ‘hunk of a man’
A very straightforward Friday Giovanni today – didn’t take me long. My favourite clue was 16d – as Gnomey says, it does conjure up a vision! Thanks to both Gs
The Toughie isn’t particularly tough today – in fact the only crossword that might live up to that description today is the Guardian Boatman – the Times and the FT were both ‘write them in as you read the clues’.
I haven’t yet looked at today’s Toughie, but I’ve had a quick peek at Tilsit’s introduction. He gives it a 5* difficulty rating.
My rating is based on my solving time, and possibly that of Gnomey’s too – he’s on the golf course at the mo but I am sure he would confirm my view.
I can confirm that – rarely solved a Toughie in less time.
Whilst my time will be massively slower than CS and Gnomey I too found this “quicker” than normal for a friday, with the exception of 14d which I’ve entered in the paper but not sure if it’s correct or not.
Much as I disliked yesterday’s puzzle I enjoyed this one. Managed to solve it with the minimum of help and lots of smiles along the way. I also wondered about the anagram indicator at 4d. That and 9d were last in. I enjoyed the anagram at 17a but best of today was 16d. So thanks to Gazza for the hunky picture and to Giovanni for the ride.
Now I’m going to watch the tennis, though with Federer gone it Won’t Be the Same. Still, Murray and Rafa will give us an exciting match.
Me too Franny, so back later
I agree! Wimbledon is just not the same without Saint Roger!
Having thought 1d was a (semi) all-in-one, I wrote GROW UP (G ROW (of vegetables) UP) – which can mean ‘happen’, I was thrown on 11a for a while.
To compound my temporary troubles, I wrote INITIATOR for 26a, before thinking the clue through properly when 23d disrupted [pun intended] it … the result of automatically using technical terms from a past life. Well, that’s my excuse.
Found this a struggle today particularly in the bottom right area where I put exacting for 18D.
Will not get drawn into the 9D discussion!
Thanks to setter and Gazza for this hints.
Is everyone watching tennis? I’ve just watched the semi final of the boys junior title and yeees we have a 17 yr old British boy through to the final, I think his name is Liam Brody, so maybe there is light after Murray
Thank goodness for that after Murrays’ abject performance today. I’m sure David Haye will revive some credibility in British sportsmen tomorrow night.
“Abject” is really very harsh, isn’t it?
Thanks Gazza, I found this quite difficult. I couldn’t have finished it without your hints which were, as usual, very clear
I got my DT very late this afternoon on our way back from Valbonne where the meal was good but the restaurant was completely different from 15 -20 years ago.
This was not one of the Don’s best puzzles – I finished it in record time.
14a, 26a, 16d were best for me
Thank you do Giovanni and Gazza.
Enjoyed it, with the bottom left corner being the hardest part.
‘Dory’ was the only fish I could think of for 16d, but couldn’t see how it would be the second half of an answer. Something-dory? Sounds odd… kicked myself afterwards.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
N
Took me a while today (not helped by having to watch the tennis). Enjoyable puzzle. Another strange week in which I found Thursday’s puzzle easier than Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s. Thanks to all involved.
Thanks to Giovanni & Gazza,took me ages, but I got there in the end.Had to get 2 hints, hated missing the anagram for 4d,but it was well disguised.Learnt a new word for 14a, but got it from the hint.
Very enjoyable puzzle, favourites were 16d & 17a.
Sat on the prom at Aberystwyth battling with this one! A battle it certinly was! Another toughie on the back page!