Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27092
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Usual stuff from the Monday maestro, it was fun while it lasted.
Across
1. One who takes each issue as it comes (7,6)
{ REGULAR READER } – Like someone who has a subscription to Private Eye perhaps?
10. Necessarily involves a silent working (7)
{ ENTAILS } – An anagram (working) of A SILENT.
11. Cat provides company in flood (7)
{ SCOURGE } –Another term for a whip can be constructed from CO (company) inside a sudden forceful flow of water.
12. Christian names should include hers (4)
{ ANNA } – A girls name is hidden between the words “christian” and “names”.
13. Very light, for example (5)
{ FLARE } – Is also a coloured light fired from a specific type of pistol
14. France’s summer celebration (4)
{ FETE } – F, and the French word for summer.
17. Caviare might produce such greed (7)
{ AVARICE } – An anagram (might produce) of CAVIARE.
18. Well-known Russian cocktail? (7)
{ MOLOTOV } – Is also a type of petrol bomb.
19. Reckon to keep fit (4,3)
{ WORK OUT } – Double definition, to find a solution, or to exercise
22. Interrupts and adds one’s contribution (5,2)
{ CHIPS IN } – To interrupt with comments, or to contribute money or labour.
24. Spell it back to me (4)
{ TIME } – An interval or period can be made from IT reversed (back) and ME.
25. Expression of disapproval by motorists or Scotsmen (5)
{ HOOTS } – A word that could describe blowing your horn is also a Scottish word used to express annoyance or objection.
26. Unruly child stuck in algebra test (4)
{ BRAT } – A word that describes a spoiled or ill-mannered child can be found hidden between the two words of “algebra” and “test”.
29. I adopt a Latin form of language (7)
{ ITALIAN } – I and an anagram (form) of A LATIN.
30. Fashionable company importing wine (7)
{ PLASTIC } – A word that means capable of being shaped or formed is built by placing an Italian sparkling wine inside the abbreviation for Public Limited Company.
31. Would a single blow put him out of the ring? (13)
{ FEATHERWEIGHT } – Something very light or of little importance is also a boxer who weighs in under 126 pounds.
Down
2. Disturbed at noise in the country (7)
{ ESTONIA } – An anagram (disturbed) of AT NOISE is also a Baltic country.
3. University element will go around as one (4)
{ UNIT } – U (university) and a silvery metallic element (Sn) reversed (will go round).
4. Sailors love to be free — so acquit (7)
{ ABSOLVE } – ABS (sailors) and an anagram (to be free) of LOVE.
5. Conductor’s support for uplifting alternative string sound (7)
{ ROSTRUM } – Alternative (OR) reversed (uplifting) and the sound of a stringed instrument is also an elevated platform.
6. Article on name-dropping? (4)
{ ANON } – AN (article), and ON.
7. Eastern manoeuvres deserving to be taken seriously (7)
{ EARNEST } – An anagram (manoeuvres) of EASTERN.
8. Act badly, avoiding punishment, and leave in style (3,4,4,2)
{ GET AWAY WITH IT } – A phrase that means to succeed in avoiding punishment for something, could also possibly describe departing with the latest trends or developments.
9. Merit attention, as very good workers do — and very bad ones! (7,6)
{ DESERVE NOTICE } – Someone who is entitled to or worthy of merit, could also be someone who needs a formal announcement of a job termination.
15. He is stubbornly resolved to leave part out (5)
{ BIGOT } – A person who is intolerant of any ideas other than his or her own can be made using GO (to leave) with a word for a small portion or amount placed outside it.
16. Just about fifty will show talent (5)
{ FLAIR } – Take a word that means honest and place it around L (fifty) to get a word that means having A natural talent or aptitude.
20. Storm about like a politician in anger (7)
{ RAMPAGE } – A word that means to rush about in a agitated and violent fashion is created by putting A MP (politician) inside a word for intense anger or fury.
21. Beat, after exciting recount (7)
{ TROUNCE } – An anagram (exciting) of RECOUNT.
22. Cast about on foot for someone else’s tool (3’1-3)
{ CATS-PAW } – An anagram (about) of CAST is followed by an animal’s foot. Definition, someone else’s tool. There definitely seems to be a new policy where the apostrophe is now included in the enumeration. Personally I don’t like it, as it makes some answers very obvious.
23. Slight wound, sustaining no handicap (7)
{ SCRATCH } – A long thin shallow cut, or having no golf handicap.
27. Raise 51 feet (4)
{ LIFT } – LI (51), FT (feet).
28. Thanks must go to team transport (4)
{ TAXI } – TA (thanks), XI (team).
The Quick crossword pun: { income } + { pleat } = { incomplete }
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Straightforward fare for a Monday morning. Enjoyable but over too quickly. Thanks to Rufus and to Libellule for the review.
Very straightforward left hand side but the right was distinctly tricky esp the top right. Still don’t see what cat has to do with anything in 11a.
Thought I was going to enjoy this but the top right rather spolit it for me. Pity.
Thx to Libellule for the usual excellent clues.
A cat is a shortened version of cat-o’-nine tails.
No real problems today, apart from trying to fit BOO into 25a!
Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule.
As usual, Jezza, exactly the same problem!.
Thanks to Libellule and to Rufus for the puzzle.
Me too with 25a.
And me.
Not guilty today
And me
Enjoyed this, although got stuck on 15d, last one in. 1/3 for me as well. Many thanks to setter & Libellule.
Must be me – found this harder than usual. But I find them all hard anyway ! Thank you Rufus and Libellule for your review.
Eezy peezy but short-lived fun! Thanks setter and Libellule for confirmation on 13a.
As you say fun while it lasted .Although I did have to look up the specific gun for 13a as Ihad not come across it before .
Agree with the rating .
Thanks again .
Shame that something so much fun didn’t last longer – Mr CS laughed out loud when I read him 25a and told him the solution – and he never enjoys cryptic clues – strange man!
Thanks to Rufus and Libellule too.
Went along nicely except for 15D, which completely stumped me. And for the life of me I couldn’t work out why 30A was what it was, although the answer fell into place without a problem. I’m blaming it on post-Superbowl fog. So many thanks libellule. I certainly needed your fine hints today. Thanks to the compiler, too, for an enjoyable start to the week.
Hello, first time post from a lurker. I enjoy this website and it provides invaluable help to me.
I thought 13a could be ULTRA. It also means Very and is a form of light….perhaps I am not on the same wavelength (boom boom) as the setter…..
Welcome to the blog Tony
I put that in too!! Great minds think alike??????????
Fun but fairly untaxing today. 15D held me up for a bit and I also tried to put BOO in 25A. Hum ho.
A fairly gentle work out, great fun.
Thanks to Libelulle for the review.
Thanks to Rufus.
Gently does it.
There we are.
Thanks Rufus and Libellule.
I didn’t find this straightforward at all – in fact I made a complete pig’s ear of bits of it. More of a 3* for difficulty for me.
For some reason I thought a ‘very light’ was a torch that miners have on their heads – didn’t even look it up and just put ‘torch’ in. Oh dear!
25a took ages – wanted to get ‘boo’ in there somewhere. 31a also took a long time and I just couldn’t do 15d and needed the hint for that one.
Definitely not my day! One thing I noticed was that the clues were all quite short.
I liked 14 and 22a and 8 and 9d.
With thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
Much sympathy, I also found parts of it much harder than 1 *.
If you want to get some more cryptic practice, I do recommend the Quiptic on the Guardian website. If you get stuck on that, which I very much doubt you will, BD has provided the blog of it on the Fifteen Squared site.
I just completed a few.Just my level, thanks for the tip.
Did you realise when you said “Thanks to Moley and Blogger.” that I was the blogger?
Where is the quicky pun today
That was fun! I enjoyed 30A for the misdirection, and 29A because I spent a lot of time yesterday cheering and chanting “Italia”
Thanks to Rufus and to Libellule.
I was with you all the way Stevie-Beardie!
Wonderful stuff!
there are times when i love the peterborough italian community, and that was one incredible if noisy evening here…. change subject belated happy birthday Gnomey
Thanks Andy – I thought I was going to catch up with you but my weekend was (pleasantly) hijacked by friends.
Thanks to Rufus and to Libellule for a fun crossword, if a bit untaxing, and an excellent review.
A tad frustrating because I found some so easy and then ground to a halt on the last few. Thanks for the hints.
Hi Libelulle, a late Monday again for me six more weeks of rehab then back to normal on Mondays and Wednesdays hopefully! I just can’t get my brain into gear the same if I leave it til the afternoon and feel guilty about not getting on with something else!! Anyway thanks for blog Libelulle I did need your help with a couple a lot of it was 1* for me but the ones that weren’t take me up to a 3*, once again ‘trounce’ tuns up, after having it on Friday I think? that often happens or is it just me thinking that, no real favourites today and don’t really see 13a? Is a’ very light’ a name for a flare?
Mary, it was a trademark (I believe) for a parachute flare shot from a gun – very useful if you’re in trouble on a very small boat
Thanks skempie
13a – it is a signalling or illuminating coloured flare fired from a pistol invented by Edward Very.
thanks sue just couldn’t see what ‘very’ had to do with anything!
Always makes me smile as I would imagine in real life, it might be quite heavy
Mary,
“Very Light” is indeed a type of flare fired from a special type of pistol.
Merci Libelulle, we used to have flares when we had boats but I’d never heard of ‘very lights’
Well I used to wear them in the 80′s (trousers I mean) so it didn’t really help here!
Tell me Frogone – What have you been wearing since the 80s if not trousers?
Right! Jeans not flared trousers though…
Thank goodness!
Thanks to Rufus & Libellule for the review & hints. Nice start to the week, got beaten by 25a, could only think it began with boot, doh! Was 2*/3* for me. Favourite was 6d. Lovely morning in Central London, managed to go for a run.
‘run’ now I remember that word somewhere in my distant memory
, today gentle strolls on flat ground are more my thing
even ‘nordic walking’
‘Walking’ now I remember that word somewhere in my distant memory, today I use phrases like ‘where’s the car keys’
I’ve got to keep moving or I’ll seize up
At first I couldn’t bring up the puzzle online, just blank, but eventually it appeared. It was over in a trice, I was obviously on wavelength. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to do one with such ease. I feel quite cuffed. Thanks to all
Cuffed ? Lucky you !
Sorry, meant cHuffed but the iPad thingy changed for me and I didn’t notice.
Thanks as always – didn’t need so much help to-day !! Hope you all have a good week
For once I found this wonderfully easy,with the exceptions of 13a and15d.Thanks to Rufus and Libellule.