DT 27040 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 27040

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27040

Hints and tips by Deep Threat

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment **

Today I am delighted to welcome a new member to the blogging team.  Deep Threat is taking over the Tuesday slot, giving Gazza a well-earned morning off.  Some of you may have met him before – he was a brief visitor at Liverpool Street last year and attended the recent S&B meeting in Derby.   BD

Good morning from South Staffordshire, where the sun was shining when I started this post, though the clouds have now rolled in again. My thanks to Gazza and Big Dave for giving me the opportunity to join the blogging team.

I found this a straightforward solve, with no clues that particularly stood out. And I couldn’t find an excuse for one of Gazza’s trademark leggy lovelies.

Please 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

7a    Status seeker on horseback, in front of jump (7)
{UPSTART} Another word for being on horseback followed by one meaning jump (in surprise).

9a    Eccentric back with university, the French count (7)
{DRACULA} Reverse (back) an eccentric person, followed by U(niversity) and one of the forms of the definite article in French to produce a nobleman who is not French, but from rather further east.

10a    Ram a truck’s rear wheels and this may be broken (5)
{KAPUT} A male sheep followed by A and the last letter of trucK, all reversed (wheels).

11a    Completely at a disadvantage, the Conservatives (9)
{DOWNRIGHT} A charade of another word for ‘at a disadvantage’ and the part of the political spectrum occupied by the Conservatives.

12a    Chief administrator, noted career girl in resort (8-7)
{DIRECTOR GENERAL} Anagram (resort) of NOTED CAREER GIRL.

13a    Saw rambler in pub, disheartened (7)
{PROVERB} The definition is a noun. A word for a rambler inside the first and last letters (disheartened) of PUB.

16a    Resume painting after nap (7)
{RESTART} A charade of synonyms for a nap and painting.

19a    Hurry to one at Skegness, rearranged (3,4,6,2)
{GET ONE’S SKATES ON} Anagram (rearranged) of TO ONE AT SKEGNESS.

23a    Fashionable boy’s name, reportedly? Seriously (2,7)
{IN EARNEST} A two-letter word for fashionable and a homophone (reportedly) of a boy’s name which was important to Oscar Wilde?

24a    True male domain (5)
{REALM} A word for true followed by M(ale).

25a    Ride a bike, holding on in tropical storm (7)
{CYCLONE} ON inside a word for ‘ride a bike’.

26a    Channel Islands firm demonstrating a tank (7)
{CISTERN} The abbreviation for Channel Islands followed by a word meaning firm.

Down

1d    Duly pick out fair game? (5,3)
{LUCKY DIP} A game you might play at a fair is made from an anagram (out) of DULY PICK.

2d    Page item, tiny piece (8)
{PARTICLE} P(age) followed by a word for an item.

3d    Academic ignoring American in workroom (6)
{STUDIO} Leave out the final US (ignoring American) from an adjective meaning academic.

4d    Customer apt to dither? Right on! (6)
{PATRON} A charade of an anagram (to dither) of APT followed by R(ight) and ON.

5d    Country record includes live song (8)
{BULGARIA} L(ive) inside (includes) the sort of recording a spy might do, followed by an operatic song.

6d    Clubs, later, reformed syndicate (6)
{CARTEL} The abbreviation for the club suit in a pack of cards followed by an anagram (reformed) of LATER.

8d    Excellent management, but lacking foresight (5)
{SUPER} Remove (lacking) a word for foresight from the end of a term for management.

9d    Wealthy old lady‘s flutter after function (7)
{DOWAGER} The usual crossword party or function followed by a word for a bet.

14d    Go beyond  social welfare? (8)
{OUTREACH} Double definition.

15d    Beset with bees bumbling around one, say (7)
{BESIEGE} A rearrangement (bumbling) of BEES around I (one) and the Latin abbreviation of say or for example.

17d    Cook, perhaps, posed with flag on roof of theatre (8)
{SATIRIST} The definition refers to the late Peter of that ilk. A charade of posed (like an artist’s model), a flower also called a flag and the first letter (roof) of Theatre.

18d    Number Ten upset about empty emporium, large building in Scotland? (8)
{TENEMENT} A number and an anagram (upset) of TEN either side of the first and last letters (empty) of EmporiuM.

19d    Light out around Cape causes a sudden problem (6)
{GLITCH} Anagram (out) of LIGHT with C(ape) inside gives the sort of problem that computers are prone to.

20d    Name weapon limited in scope (6)
{NARROW} N(ame) and an ancient variety of missile.

21d    Tackle school producing tasteless art (6)
{KITSCH} A noun meaning tackle or equipment followed by the abbreviation for school.

22d    Reprimand son towards the end (5)
{SLATE} S(on) followed by ‘towards the end’, as in ‘towards the end of the day’.

The Quick crossword pun {FARE} + {RETAIL} = {FAIRY TALE}

64 comments on “DT 27040

  1. Welcome to the pit Deep Threat.

    As you said, a fairly straight forward solve but with no particular favourites for me. 10A took a bit of thinking about until the Downs went in and 23A reminded me of a friend from Woking. Apart from that, nothing really wanted to spring out and smack me between the eyes.

    Bright sunshine here (ATM, fingers crossed) but still b****y cold, forecast is to get even colderer :-(

  2. I would agree with 2* on both counts. A gentle puzzle that was a pleasant enough solve, but with no particular favourites.
    Perhaps because I did the toughie first, which was very enjoyable, and not much harder than this one, my opinion may be a little biased.
    Thanks and welcome to Deep Threat for the review, and to the setter for the puzzle.

  3. Welcome to the blog, Deep Threat, an average crossword today, I thought, liked 9 and 13A,9 and 17D Had few difficulties,just a pleasant solve. Thanks to setter and Deep Threat for a clear review

  4. Welcome to the Thunderdrome DT, would’nt Deep Thought have been more appropriate! a gentle Tuesday number,a **/*** for me.liked 5d,18d and 10a.With regard to the Gazza’s trademark lovely, i’m sure there is a suitable pictorial of 19a somewhere-maybe in an old Playboy?

      1. Spot on! i knew you could be relied upon,don’t wish to be ‘picky’, but i was thinking more of roller skates.

    1. I bow to BD’s obviously extensive knowledge of such matters!

      Deep Thought might be appropriate, but only if you want the answer to everything to be 42. And it doesn’t have the same cruciverbalist logic as Deep Threat.

      1. I’d been hoping to avoid asking this! However, since no-one else has and I still don’t understand, what is the cruciverbalist logic in Deep Threat? I SO hope that it’s not one of those things that I really wished I hadn’t asked – over the last two and a half years there have been quite a few of them!

        1. Hi Kath

          It was a convoluted way of saying that Deep Threat is a relevant anagram, whereas Deep Thought isn’t..

  5. Welcome to the blog Deep Threat. A pleasant if not over taxing puzzle this moning. Not too many favourites but 9ac. was fun. Thanks setter and Deep Threat. :)

  6. I agree with 2* for difficulty and enjoyment.
    The only two that held me up, admittedly for quite a long time, were 10a and 8d. I needed the hint to explain 14d as I didn’t know the social welfare definition. Spent a little while trying to make ‘duck’ fit somewhere into 1d – was thinking of the wrong kind of fair game ie a sitting duck! :roll:
    I liked 9 and 25a and 5 and 21d.
    With thanks to today’s Mr Ron, and welcome and thanks to Deep Threat.

  7. Welcome to the hot seat Deep Threat.

    Just popped in to say goodbye for a while. We’re off to freeze our butts in the UK this afternoon as the aged parents need a visit. Back a week on Friday.

    I’ve packed 40 crosswords including a few Toughies and a couple of Araucarias – do you think that will be enough?

  8. Missed the reversal (wheels) and the anagram indicator (resort) in 10A and 12A respectively, but still managed to get the answers. Thanks to Deep Threat for clarifying.

  9. Like 9a I am sure you would have preferred something you could get your teeth into .
    Pleasant enough and 2*\2* for me also .
    Best of luck going forwards and thanks .

  10. Thank you Deep Threat ! and setter. A bit easier than yesterday I thought, but enjoyable nevertheless as I managed to finish it !

  11. Welcome and thank you to Deep Threat. I am not having a good morning at work today so I feel the only way to cheer myself up is to make a few grown men sob and say that I found this 1* difficulty and 3* entertainment. Thanks to both Mr Ron and our new blogger.

    As Jezza says, the Toughie is a thing of gentleness too.

  12. Welcome to Deep Threat and thanks for the entertaining blog/review, thanks also to the setter for an entertaining if untaxing crossword. 1*/3* for me also.

  13. Welcome to the blog and thank you, Deep Threat. i agree 100% with the ratings. Everything went in a bit quickly. Thanks ti the better for a fun if straightforward puzzle.

      1. Aww – it was only the T(o) and (s)ETTER (although the latter cloud be argued at the S&B!) – could have been much worse!. When I said ‘corrected’ I meant ‘learnt to look up at the screen and check more often’.
        Clearly a work in progress!

  14. A warm welcome to Deep Threat. I hope that this will be the first of many entertaining reviews.

  15. Ah…this is more like it! Most enjoyable. Would have helped if I’d not spelt 9a dracule (which did appear in one of the films)…that little mistake pushed me constantly in the direction of rectal foir 6d!

    Favourite clue 17 and a warm welcome to Deep Threat (although I did initially misread the name!)

  16. Welcome, DT :-)

    Nice clear hints and accurate ratings, but rather lacking on the picture front. Learn from the Master!

    Thanks to DT and unidentified setter.

  17. One of those puzzles where I just seemed to put the right words in without hestation and then found they matched the clues.
    Funny that.
    Thanks setter and Deep Threat and welcome.

  18. Greetings & salutations Deep Threat! South Staffs? Anywhere near Lichfield? Used to live in Fradley two jobs ago. Thanks for the hints and thanks go to Mr Ron for the puzzle.

  19. May i also offer a warm welcome to the blog. I found your review to both clear and precise.

    Many thanks to the setter, and Deep Threat for an excellent review.

    1. Welcome Deep Threat and I agree I also found your hints very concise and they helped me with a couple of the clues that I solved but didn’t know why.

  20. Thanks and welcome to Deep Threat (obviously in my neck of the woods). No particular favourites so agree a 2*/2*. Thanks also to setter.

    Was encouraged to try the Toughie by Jezza & Crypticsue’s comments today and unexpectedly have nearly finished it. I shall have to go and lie down in a darkened room!

    1. Me too, with the Toughie. Finished apart from three in bottom right corner. Just going over to the ‘other place’ to see if I can get them from the hints without having to look at the answers.

      1. Good to hear Kath – managed to finish the Toughie but needed BD’s help on 4d. Hope you managed to finish as well.

      2. Exactly where I finished, Kath!. Four in the last corner held out on the train to London but were finished off at Lunch after the Times on the Tube from an aborted job.
        I bet Jezza finished there as well as he is my ‘yardstick’.

        1. hi gnomethang

          I think I finished up on 16d, and 25a. I should have got 25a sooner, especially as I was a regular viewer of Tour of Duty after an evening spent in the pub!

  21. Welcome to the Blog Deep Threat, and thanks to the setter. Managed this ok, had a couple of answers before I parsed them. 12a, noticed the anagram afterward. 10a thanks to Deep Threat for the explanation. Started with 7a, finished with 14d. Favourites were 9a & 17&19d. Was 2*/3* for me. Nice run in the sunshine this morning in Central London.

  22. CS will be sadly disappointed, didn’t find this one too taxing, two big anagrams and the rest fell into place quite nicely.

    Welcome DT, enjoyed your review and it cleared up 10a which was troubling me.

    Thanks to the setter.

    What does make a grown man cry is when he makes a ginger cake with plain flour so that it doesn’t rise and takes on the texture of a car tyre. :(

  23. welcome to DT from me too.A really enjoyable puzzle today.Very nearly got there.Just one thing ,am I missing something or is it not terribly insulting to Telegraph readers north of the border to define “large building in scotland” as “tenements”?Thanks to setter and Deep Threat.

    1. They were called tenements well before they became the slum-like buildings of today. As with all things, they will probably become tomorrow’s must-have dwelling places.

      1. They already have and in Glasgow for example are the most beautiful red or blonde sandstone buildings.

  24. Must be me, thought this was very tricky, for me 3/4 for difficulty and -1 for enjoyment.
    Never heard of a Kap before and I have kept sheep for years., don’t really see down for disadvantaged and never come across the term outreach before so all in all not my finest hour .:-(

    1. Ah just realised I am reading the clue about face, the ram is a Tup! Now it makes sense. As I said not my best today. My excuse is that we have just had to have our beloved Greyhound put down due to severe age and infirmity and the house is very quiet.

      1. Oh dear – how sad for you. So sorry to hear about your Greyhound. I’m sure that he or she had a wonderful life – not that that really helps at this stage.

  25. We found this one to be about average enjoyment and so deserves *** from us, Difficulty about right at **. Favourites were 10a and 17d.
    Thanks Mr Ron, welcome and thanks Deep Threat.

  26. Thought both crosswords today were run of the mill. Nothing really to complain about – just rather dull and ordinary

  27. Very long day at work and did not look at it until 9pm. All done in double quick time. 1 star difficulty.

  28. Welcome Deep Threat I was trying to make see if the name was an anagram of something but nothing came up, it sounds rather ominous so I think I’ll call you DT if that’s alright with you? :-)

  29. I had some difficulty with this, although objectively it’s not a challenging puzzle. SW corner came out quickly, the rest took longer. Enjoyed 9a, 10a (though I originally had ‘karma’, 19a, 2d. I guessed 17d though the ‘flag’ bit eluded me until I came along here. I didn’t know it was a name for that particular flower.

    Many thanks for the hints, DT – just taking a wild guess at the anagram, might you be a ‘Peter’?

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