Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27345
Hints and tips by Deep Threat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from South Staffs on a cold and frosty day. I’m busy on Friday this week, so Gazza has kindly agreed to swap. I wonder if the puzzles site will be working by then?
Normal Tuesday difficulty as far as I was concerned, with a couple of unusual words, but nothing that particularly stood out.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined.
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
1a Direction in trial causing great sadness (5-7)
{ HEART-RENDING } A direction or tendency inside a trial in court.
9a Definitely not taking foreign money in bars (2,2,5)
{ BY NO MEANS } Anagram (foreign) of MONEY inside a verb meaning ‘bars’.
10a Had done wrong imprisoning wife (5)
{ OWNED } Wife inside anagram (wrong) of DONE.
11a Bank employee, one who counts (6)
{ TELLER } Cryptic definition: someone who counts money behind a bank counter; but also, possibly, someone who makes a decisive contribution to an argument.
12a Saying little, soldiers about revolution on island (8)
{ TACITURN } A charade of the initials of the reserve forces, the Latin abbreviation for about, an abbreviation for Island, and a revolution or rotation.
13a He painted Goliath holding one? (6)
{ TITIAN }Another word for a Goliath or very large individual, with the Roman numeral for one inside, giving a Renaissance painter.
15a The whole lot facing individuals in college (3,5)
{ ALL SOULS } An Oxford college noted for having no undergraduates is made up from a word for ‘the whole lot’ and one for individuals, perhaps with a reference to their spiritual existence rather than the physical.
18a Jam in pupil’s first book! (8)
{ PRESERVE } The initial letter of Pupil followed by a verb meaning ‘to book’.
19a Aim to oppose (6)
{ OBJECT } Double definition: with stress on the first syllable, a noun for an aim or end; with stress on the second, a verb meaning to oppose.
21a Paler sun affected pot-herb (8)
{ PURSLANE } Anagram (affected) of PALER SUN.
23a Finest drop of milk stout drunk (6)
{ UTMOST } Anagram (drunk) of STOUT and the first letter of M(ilk)
26a A female, nervous at first, pale-faced (5)
{ ASHEN } A (from the clue) followed by a female pronoun and the first letter of Nervous.
27a Primate called, absorbed by published article (5-4)
( ORANG-UTAN } Called on the telephone inside a three-letter word for published or in the public domain, followed by the indefinite article.
28a Film beyond grasp: HighSociety (5,3,4)
{ PORGY AND BESS } Anagram (high) of BEYOND GRASP followed by Society, giving the film of a Gershwin opera.
Down
1d Routine at home (7)
{ HABITAT } Another word for routine followed by AT (from the clue).
2d Invalidate yearbook, with article missing (5)
{ ANNUL } Remove an A from a book that appears once a year (and was in yesterday’s crossword!).
3d Controlled anger over a note (9)
{ TEMPERATE } A synonym for anger followed by A (from the clue) and the note from the tonic sol-fa scale taken with jam and bread.
4d Reached over for cheese (4)
{ EDAM } Reverse (over) a word for reached to get a Dutch cheese.
5d Shocking diaries involving Liberal PM (8)
{ DISRAELI } A Victorian Prime Minister comes from an anagram (shocking) of DIARIES with Liberal inside.
6d Girl, I complain, has been set up (5)
{ NAOMI } A synonym (1,4) of ‘I complain’ is reversed to give a girl’s name – Ms Campbell for instance.
7d From now on batting must get tense (2,6)
{ IN FUTURE } A preposition used adverbially to describe the side batting at cricket, followed by a grammatical tense.
8d Handsome youth is standing behind a fellow (6)
{ ADONIS } A (from the clue) followed by a university fellow followed by IS (from the clue).
14d Those people getting shrewd in rulership (8)
{ THEARCHY } The pronoun for ‘those people’ with a word meaning shrewd, but also cunning or roguish, inside, giving a somewhat obscure term for rule by a higher power.
16d Wrecked bodegas at resorts (9)
{ SABOTAGED } Anagram (resorts) of BODEGAS AT.
17d Service still no good (8)
{ EVENSONG } An expression (4,2) meaning ‘still’ followed by the initials signifying ‘no good’. A prophetic statement?
18d Tree liked by one’s associates — not yew, by the sound of it (6)
{ POPLAR } Remove the letter that sounds like ‘yew’ from a word meaning liked by one’s associates.
20d Disease in tuna at sea revealed during short examination (7)
{ TETANUS } Anagram (at sea) of TUNA inside a word for an examination with the final T removed (short).
22d Jargon used in emailing others (5)
{ LINGO } Hidden in the clue.
24d Mistaken about eccentric (5)
{ OUTRE } A word for mistaken, as in ‘My guess was — by several hundred’, followed by the Latin word for about or concerning.
25d Girl having a field day (4)
{ GALA } An informal spelling of girl followed by A (from the clue).
The Quick Crossword pun { FIZZY }{ CYSTS } = { PHYSICISTS }
There’s sad, but not unexpected, news this morning of the death of Araucaria, source of so much pleasure over the years.
Condolences
Oh dear, I have memories of him from the 80s (last time I was at home often enough to do crosswords until last year) when he used to try my patience in the Grauniad on many a morning
Sad loss…
Wasn’t there a photo of him at a meeting with some of you setters recently?
Sad news… condolences.
I’ve just heard the sad news about John Graham (aka Araucaria/Cinephile) who passed away early this morning.
He will be sorely missed.
Held up for quite a while in the bottom left corner today but all my own fault for putting the answer to 21A in the slot for 18A – not recommended !!! (see, three exclamation marks shows I really mean it).
Sad to hear about Araucaria.
I used to put answers in the wrong place and have to write over what I had put. Some days the whole grid was a mess of overwrites. The ipad is a godsend and has shortened my time spent trying to decipher my own writing. Deletions and overwrites are simple. However they are sneaking adverts between The Cryptic and The Quickie which is annoying me as I flip constantly between them.
I agree with DT’s rating of 2*/3* and his comments.
21a and 14d were new words for me but they were fairly easy to work out from the wordplay. There were many nice clues but nothing really hit me as a stand-out favourite.
Many thanks to Mr. Ron and DT.
Rabbit Dave, I reckon that you’d be pretty good as a reviewer – have you considered answering BD’s call for volunteers?
Gazza, thanks for the kind compliment. I am still a relative new boy to the world of cryptic crosswords and I didn’t consider it for a number of reasons. I’d be happy to let you know what they are if you send me your e-mail address.
That 21a has come to the fore recently thanks to foraging trendy chefs.
I only know of the one that grows by the sea.
I am back now after my wonderful weekend watching Bob Dylan on Friday Saturday and Sunday at the Blackpool Winter Gardens Opera House. Bob produced three wonderfully moody and atmospheric concerts that sent his fans wild. A true genius. Saint Sharon and I had a great weekend. the weather stayed sunny and fine albeit a little cold. I also saw former heavyweight champion of the world Larry Holmes in our hotel and witnessed a slight one punch scuffle (really good punch) which I would rather have not happened. Saint Sharon paid my bar bill without comment which may be a first. I would not have mentioned any of this but for Merusa and Kath who asked yesterday. A nice little stroll in the park today with just 23ac and 24d holding me up. I have little or no idea why 28 ac is what it is other than it fits as does the answer at 21ac which is an obvious anagram. Thanks to all who post. Thanks to Big Dave for starting it all off and keeping it rolling nicely along. Thanks to the setters and thanks to the reviewers. Thanks to the boys who ran my pub whilst I was away and who have left me so little to do that I can waffle away here to my hearts content. Roll on Wednesday when I go to London to The Royal Albert hall.
Miffypops, DT’s hint above explains 28a beautifully.
I’m glad you enjoyed your weekend of Bob Dylan.
Thank you so much for the update so that fuddy duddies like me can vicariously enjoy your high life!
I agree with 2* for difficulty and 3* for enjoyment.
I completely gave up on 28a – I missed the anagram indicator and so was completely at sea trying to think of a film that would fit with the letters I already had – I didn’t know it was a film.
I was also pretty slow with 25d for no obvious reason.
I managed to confuse the definition and the anagram indicator in 16d for a while so was looking for a word meaning resorts.
I liked 5 and 7d.
With thanks to Mr Ron and Deep Threat.
Very cold and frosty in Oxford – off to do more useful stuff now.
Bit trickier than a usual Tuesday’s for me so going for a ***/***, not heard of 21a and guessed 28a when i’d got the O and G in the first word, would have been better describing it as a musical rather than a film, apart from a couple of D’oh moments with 23 and 24,and the usual checking of the spelling of 27 all Tickety Boo . Liked 15a, and thanks DT for the pic’s-reminiscent of a tour of The National Gallery!
Thank you setter. I found this difficult today. Trying to do the puzzle and make pate at the same time didn’t work very well. Thanks for the review and hints DT – Although I had answers, I needed to look at your review to get the wordplay on a couple of clues.
The only one that caused me a problem was 21a; even with all the checking letters and the anagram fodder, I had to try a few permutations to find the pot-herb.
Thanks to setter, and to Deep Threat.
***/*** for me as it wasn’t by any means all plain-sailing although finally managed without need for Gazza’s tips however always nice to refer to reasoning for some of the answers. Not really any amusing or outstanding clues. Agree that 28a doesn’t immediately come to mind as a film but nevertheless loved the soprano. Thanks Deep Threat and Gazza.
It’s always nice to be thanked but in this case it’s wholly undeserved. The review was a Deep Threat production.
Managed the crossword for the 3rd time this week without help from DT. This is a record for us, though we still had to check some of our answers, to find out if they were right & I can’t even pronounce the answer to 14 down. Unfortunately, we still need a bit of assistance from our electronic device, but either we are improving ( possible but not likely) or the puzzles have been on our wavelength. Thank you setter & hinter.
Most enjoyable
Held up a bit by the pot-herb which pommette dredged from the deep recesses of her memory! Agree with DT’s ratings, favourite (just one Kath) being 28a because I like the anagram indicator, and the opera too.
Why is the word STANDING in the clue for 8d. It’s not required and I took it as a reversal indicator in a down clue meaning the answer would end in SI. Didn’t hold us up for more than a few seconds but the clue works perfectly well without the word!
Ta to setter and DT, and to Phil McNeil for giving us access to the puzzles while the techies scratch their heads or whatever.
I suspect that it isn’t their heads they’re scratching
In 8d I think the reading is ‘standing behind’, which is valid although, as you say, the wordplay would be the same if the clue simply read ‘behind’. The longer form does improve the surface reading , though.
It does and I have no problem with it. In an across clue I wouldn’t have noticed that the word could have been left out. It’s just that it is such a nice reversal indicator in a down clue!
Lovely top half with some delightful clues such as 12a let down by a perfectly dreadful bottom half. Has anyone else come across a Purslane before? New to me certainly.
Thought 27a and 28a were the worst of all.
Thx to DT without whose help I would never have finished.
You need a son who’s a forager/planter of stuff in the garden – loads of purslane round our way!
It was a * for me today which I put down to the absorption of something good that comes from Columbia…
Quiet at the back there – that would be Taylor’s High Andes medium roast – ” lively with a rich aroma”…..
You should spell that Colombia, didn’t get your joke at first because of that!
Anyone interested in the late, great Araucaria should have a look at the Grauniad home page: http://www.theguardian.com/uk
There’s an interesting interview and some discussion of favorite clues from the master.
personally I like these among loads of others:
! (1,6,1,4)
Oppo, perhaps, of Caesar J? (7)
Sheer brilliance
The first one has been a favourite of mine for years.
What are the answers? I can’t get either of them, thick or what!
First one is a real “DOH” moment . It’s I HAVEN’T A CLUE.
Second is ANTONYM. Antony M/Caesar J, get it?
Those are both so, so clever. I would never have got them in a thousand years!
Sad to hear the news of John Graham’s departure to the Other Side – I have fond memories of tackling his puzzles during WW2 and onwards.
Today’s faves : 15a, 23a, 8d & 24d.
Overcast sky today here.
False memory perhaps, I don’t think he was compiling during WW2. Too busy flying. Certainly not for the guardian.
I stand to be corrected
First puzzle apparantly for the “Manchester” (as it was) Grauniad in 1958, having won some sort of competition. It’s in the stuff in today’s Grauniad.
From the early 70’s, when I started, I remember Araucaria, Janus, Bunthorne and Gordius. First three all now dead but Gordius is still there!
The Manchester Guardian!
I have suffered for a long time in that one of my closest relations was the chief proof-reader of the said organ!
(Any speiling mistakes?)
Thanks to the setter and to Deep Threat for the review and hints. Sad to hear of the passing of John Graham, he will be missed.
Enjoyed today’s offering, glad I am still doing the paper versions. A couple of new words in 21a and 14d, but both gettable. Favourite was 13a. No hints required, was 2*/3* for me. Had a nice run in the sunshine this morning in Central London.
Managed without help but put quite a few in without knowing why, then later the pennies gradually dropped.
My machine wouldn’t give me the herb from the anagram letters but strangely had it in the herbs in the “lists” it does that occasionally which is annoying.
What a pleasure to be able to access the crossword without having to bother the good folk who put this site together, they must be fed up with trying to keep us souls happy.
I gave this **/****, but I totally missed 28a, one of my favourite musicals/operas … how could I have missed that. Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier, such a good film. Shame on me!! Liked 5d, that was the name of my house at school.
Thanks to setter and Deep Threat for entertaining review.
Apologies and thanks for putting me straight, Gazza – Of course, I got my reviewers mixed so thanks are now due also to Deep Threat from whom I appreciated confirmation on a couple of solutions.
Solo flight today as by the time this puzzle became available, last evening for us, we had already had our daily ration of two solves by doing the Rufus in the morning and then tackling the Philistine from the Grauniad. However I couldn’t resist the chance for two more last night. Addicted or what! Had to call out to the other half for confirmation for the herb but otherwise no hold-ups. Good fun.
Thanks Mr Ron and DT.
Hi Colin, addicted?
Today, on my own, I have solved both today’s FT and Grauniad and also yesterday’s Indy (liked that as it was all themed on cars and F1). Missed today’s Indy as it’s by Donk. After that, but in tandem with pommette, I have done today’s DT and yesterday’s Grauniad Rufus and FT Falcon.
That’s “addicted”!
Oh that makes me feel miles better Pommers. I always reckon that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing obsessively.
Todays Donk offering was rather good, if not as close to the knuckle as usual.
My serious addiction to all things cryptic means that I normally solve all 6 daily cryptics but because I spent my lunch hour with old friends, I limited myself to the two DT puzzles and the TImes. My puzzle of the day, however, has to be the lovely puzzle I test solved this evening for Hieroglyph which convinced me that my cryptic grey matter hadn’t left home altogether and made me smile too.
Looking forward to that Hieroglyph puzzle. Perhaps we will see it as an NTSPP soon.
I haven’t sent it back to him yet with my comments so you may have a little while to wait
I already have two in the pipeline.
I love Hieroglyph crosswords. I want to know when there will be another of his alphabet ones – only done a couple of them and they nearly drove me to drink – it doesn’t take much – but I thought they were brilliant. It was him wasn’t it . . . ?
The next two Saturdays are allocated, but you shouldn’t have to wait too long!
Oh good.