Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27442
Hints and tips by archy and mehitabel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone. Today we have a more equitable division of labour than we had last week. Archy has done the across clues and mehitabel the downs.
Star ratings are from mehitabel, archy would have gone for **/*** but then he’s not such a big RayT fan.
24d is particularly apt in view of the England cricket team’s recent performances!
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 Expect warning shout before round when facing tee (8)
{FORECAST} – A charade of the warning shout heard on a golf course followed by an abbreviation for about (round), a word meaning when and then the letter T (tee). I hope someone can come up with something better than this. I did wonder if the round was cycle which has the abbreviation c as in cycles per second (cps). Either way sort of works but I get the feeling I’m missing something obvious!
9a King returns backing one’s country (6)
{ISRAEL}- Reverse (returns) Shakespeare’s tragic king and put him after (backing) another way of writing one’s. Bit of a chestnut methinks
10a Hands over change (4)
{SWAP}- Hands reversed (over) gives change as in exchange rather than alter.
11a Make up into cutest swirls (10)
{CONSTITUTE} – Anagram (swirls) of INTO CUTEST and it’s nothing to do with cosmetics!
12a Army capturing enemy’s leader rejoiced (6)
{CROWED} – Not really an army but at least a large group of people. Insert (capturing) an E (Enemy’s leader).
14a Sailor’s accurately holding south in deep (8)
{ABSTRUSE} – One of the usual sailors (don’t forget the ‘s) followed by a word meaning accurate or correct with S(outh) inserted (holding).
15a Rare stigma found by Church (6)
{SCARCE} –A stigma or mark on the skin followed by the abbreviation for Church of England.
17a Lechery of French master (6)
{DESIRE} – The French word for of followed by a master, as in father.
20a Use charm as prude corrupts sweetheart (8)
{PERSUADE} – Anagram (corrupts) of AS PRUDE followed by E (swEet heart).
22a He produces case of beer with container (6)
{BREWER} –BR (case of BeeR) followed by a large vessel or jug.
23a Supporter‘s complaint about new player (10)
{BENEFACTOR} – A grouse or moan around N(ew) followed by a player on a stage.
24a Eat too much cold stuff (4)
{CRAM} – C(old) followed by a word meaning stuff.
25a Globe, Shakespeare played initially in this place (6)
{SPHERE} – SP (Shakespeare Played initially) followed by a word meaning in this place or present.
26a One watches over guy with Queen playing (8)
{CHAPERON} – A word for a guy or man followed by the usual two letter Queen and a word meaning playing or working.
Down
1d Division’s supporting pro footballers (8)
{FORWARDS} – A division of a hospital or an electoral region (with the ‘S) comes after (supporting) a short word meaning in favour of.
2d The man covering record, a Beatles record! (4)
{HELP} – A masculine pronoun above (covering) a vinyl record gives a Beatles ‘small’ record and ‘larger’ one (and a film)!
3d Organised detectives giving rank (6)
{RANCID} – Rank here means “off”. A short word for organised or was in charge of comes before one of the common groups of crossword detectives.
4d Endless calamity over time creates horror (8)
{DISTASTE} – A calamity or tragedy without its final letter (endless) around (over) T(ime).
5d Associate fellow set up embracing bird (10)
{FRATERNISE} – Put together F(ellow), and then a word meaning set up or make higher around (embracing) an aquatic bird.
6d Oddly deep patches? (6)
{DEPTHS} – A Ray T special – take the odd letters of the last two words of the clue.
8d Foreign national seen in boat on Ganges (6)
{TONGAN} – This South Pacific islander (foreign national) is hidden in the clue.
13d Harvest we threshed containing nothing at all (10)
{WHATSOEVER} – An anagram (threshed) of HARVEST WE and (containing) O (nothing).
16d He’s a card, performing in pantomimes (8)
{CHARADES} -Another anagram (performing) of HE’S A CARD.
18d Swallowed by clientele, vat originally provides lift (8)
{ELEVATOR} – Hidden in the clue (swallowed).
19d Wild, spasmodic utterance when receiving shock therapy (6)
{HECTIC} – A short word representing an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm around (receiving) an outdated, and rather brutal, therapy that was used in psychiatric hospitals.
21d Free from former wife, not quite available (6)
{EXEMPT} – The usual two letter former wife is followed by most of (not quite) a word meaning available or not occupied.
22d Side street is ample around journey’s end (6)
{BYROAD} – This minor road is made up from a word for large or wide around Y ( journey’s end or the last letter of journey).
24d Team starts to collapse, relinquishing every wicket (4)
{CREW} – The team comes from the first letters (starts to) of the last four words in the clue.
A bit short of photo opportunities today. I was reduced to using Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie!
Archy’s favourite has to be 24d but 25a runs it a very close second. Mehitabel favours 10a with 2d second.
The Quick crossword pun: (coat} + {dour} + {own} = {Côtes du Rhône}
Is the hint for 20a correct, or have I missed something??
Probably the latter.
It’s correct now thanks. Glad to see someone’s on their toes
Hardly on my toes! I really struggle with the usual Thursday so was just checking where the missing “E” came from!!
There’s quite a few constructs like sweetheart to give the E so they’re always worth looking out for. One common one is midnight to give the G from the middle of niGht.
Thanks for that hint! Never knew that. Live and learn me.
Fun offering today, even with the cricket on (I’m rooting for Nepal). As usual for a Ray T, there are some very clever clues and some very nice word play. Despite the fact that my hobby and primary role in life is to imbibe the output from 22A, my favourite today has to be 23A – very well constructed clue indeed..
Apparently, it now pays to drink beer, cider and scotch while watching your potholes getting fixed if you have any money left over from topping up your ISA.
Well, Nepal won their match – well done to them. Unfortunately, they don’t qualify for the next stage as they were pipped on run-rate by Bangladesh despite the fact they lost
Some hints needed today but feeling a little jaded this morning.
20a is anagram of as prude but most will realise that anyway, I’m sure.
I’d suggest ’round’ in 1a is perhaps C for circa, (?), as the warning shout stands on it’s own.
Anyway, as always, thanks to Ray T and reviewers for an enjoyable start to the day.
After this week’s dour efforts it was nice to get a puzzle with a few belly laughs. As usual RayT has come up trumps and I am pleased to see the return of Queen. Favourite was 13 and also enjoyed 9 14 16 24d 25 26.
Many thanks to RayT for an enjoyable puzzle, and to A and M for the review.
Thank you Ray T, another enjoyable puzzle of average Ray T complexity ! Thank you A & M for your review and hints.
Lots more fun today – thanks Ray T. The across/down hinting combination works well too. Thanks to you both. Mehitabel certainly gives very straightforward pointers which I didn’t in fact need today but enjoyed reading nevertheless. **/***. Several good clues but 25a probably the fav.
Really struggled today , took far longer than a ** time to complete , must be something to do with the budget! all logical on review so just a bad day at black rock , i think I enjoyed the struggle . Agree with Skempie that 23A was an excellent clue.
Lovely stuff today. 3*/4* for me.
I didn’t know you could spell 26a without an E on the end. Lots of great clues as always and it would be next to impossible to try to pick a favourite.
Many thanks to Ray T and a & m.
Thanks to RayT for the puzzle.
Thanks also to Archy & Mehitabel for the review even though I didn’t need any Help! in any way today.
ps. Is 22a a “semi-all-in one”? ( I don’t know what it means either)
I know most people think RayT’s crosswords are wonderful, but they’re too clever for us & we have to use the hints a lot. Having got the answers from the hints, I know I would never have worked them out myself in a month of Sundays. For those people who love this setter, good for you, but for me ****/* I’m afraid. Thank you Mr. Setter, & especially thank you hinters.
Done and sorted with huge assist from gizmo. Thanks RayT and for the usual classy review from the cockroach and alley cat!
I was thinking “my goodness this is an easy Ray T today ” but got stuck in the right hand corner (don’t know why now) . Thanks to Ray T & a & m .
I couldn’t get 6d for ages but that’s because I’d put 9a in as ISREAL, d’oh!
I spelled 10a “swop”.
Haven’t contributed to the blog for a bit, but I found today’s offering from Ray T a bit of a struggle. So *** for difficulty and *** for enjoyment. Made more enjoyable by the review by Kath & pommers
Belated congrats Kath, as a reviewer you’re doing great
Thank you – still lack confidence!
Confidence will come with experience
Kath, you shouldn’t lack confidence, anything but! You are actually very good at blogging and only need to learn the geeky computer stuff.
I managed it so it can’t be that hard. I was once described by my secretary as a “Technopeasant” so that tells you a lot about my computer skills.
Usual hard slog for me on a Thursday. Didn’t enjoy it much.
I have a goal to complete every DT cryptic crossword for a year and I dread every Thursday as that could be my downfall. So far I’ve managed it.
To clarify, it includes Monday to Saturday and allows any electronic help or help from this blog. I don’t have TBRB.
I started on 1st April so only 9 days to go. Keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks to setter and both hinters.
Well done – only nine days to go so only one more Thursday.
Well done from me too. I used to cut out unfinished puzzles and take them on holiday with me. Sad or what.
Please be on standby next Thursday, both of you!
Sorry, no can do.
Next Thurs it’s the turn of our Canadian friend Falcon. He’ll see you right though, so long as the Ottawa hockey team have done OK :grin:.
As usual from Ray T a masterful puzzle full of false starts and misdirections. I love his style and the way I only get one or two answers with each pass of the clues. I looked at the hint for 14ac which then went straight in allowing 4d to follow and completion. A great blogging review from a & m too. So ta to all. Very satisfying.
Late on parade today following yesterdays absence. Away visiting number one daughter in London. A stinky noisy place full of stinky noisy people. (Excepting Heno of course, and anyone else on here who lives around those parts) A meal and beer out and the super “Ghost Stories” at The Arts Theatre in Great Newport Street. Every spooky theatrical trick in the book repeatedly thrown at us in about ninety minutes. Great use of special effects and a relatively small stage gave the theatre a claustrophobic feeling. Very scary. Great fun followed by more beer.
+
I agree that the air in London can, at times, frankly stink. Sometimes there isn’t a breeze for weeks and all the smells hang around. Where I live there is almost always a bit of a breeze, which I don’t like, but the air is fresh.
Good fun as usual from Ray, with all the trade-mark characteristics. The word count on the clues gives 8 words for 1a and nothing else longer than 7. Even HRH is back. 13d was the last to yield for us, despite working out that it was an anagram and what the fodder was. Much enjoyment.
Thanks RayT and the team.
***/**** for me. I had the likely br–er for 22a but just could not see it! A little electronic help needed, then that allowed me to complete the remaining few.
Thanks to archy and mehitabel for the analysis, and to all who left an observation.
RayT
I think it edged over the two star for difficulty,in particular 14a.Very enjoyable , nonetheless.Thanks to Ray T and darling duo.
Late to the party, since I’ve been slogging away at paid work for the last 10 hours and have only just got to the puzzles. Lovely stuff from Ray T, so thanks to him. I don’t understand the clue for 6D. I had the correct answer and can of course see that it is derived from the odd letters of the last two words, but how is this a crypric clue? It seems unfinished, somehow.
It’s a semi all in one and I reckon it’s pretty good. The “depths” are the occasional bits or patches of ocean that are particularly deep – Marianas Trench for example – and they are also the odd letters from the last two words of the clue.
I see. A bit too obscure for me, but thanks.
Bit slower solve for me today so I’m going with 2.5*/3*. Some trickier anagrams (or at least they took me longer to spot) and for some reason it took me quite a while to figure out 4d.
Thanks Ray T and to A&M for the blog.
I’ve a day off work tomorrow, awaiting delivery of a new computer at home, so I might be able to post a bit earlier as I always seem to be commenting in a late night post!
Thanks to Ray T and archy and mehitabel for the review and hints. A nice puzzle, but I just couldn’t get into it, had completed the left hand side then got totally stuck. Favourite was 22a, was 4*/3* for me.
Started early this morning and found it all (relatively) plain sailing but then I got stuck in the NE corner and had to go to work. On my return in the wee wee hours, it all seemed to fall into place, but my solving time was in the 25* category. Thanks to Ray T and A&M (didn’t they used to be a record label?).
I thought this was brilliant. Solved when I woke up this morning apart from 5d and 17a. I had the first two letters of 17a but not the rest. Do not really think of the answer as lechery. Got with the help of the BRB. 5d I got when I looked at it again as had all of the checking letters and once I had spotted the bird I was there. Loved it.
Started this yesterday but too tired to complete (this is the time of year when all sailors are fighting a losing battle with a burgeoning defect list and a rapidly approaching launch date). Today it all came together nicely. 22a my favourite, naturally. Thanks to Ray T, and to A&M for review and hints.
I know about launch dates! Had a Westerly Fulmar for ten years based in Conwy and Easter Monday was always the target launch date Can’t say I miss crawling about under the boat with the anti- fouling in the snow
Good to know there are some kindred spirits out there in Blogland! Mine’s a Rustler 31 down at Saltash.
Colmce is also a sailor. Keeps his Malo 34 in Dover I think. Don’t know of any others though.
I agree with Mehitabel’s **** enjoyment rating. This was a super RayT puzzle with many excellent clues. I especially liked 10a, 17a, 22a, 13d and 21d.
Archy and Mehitabel’s review, too, is excellent. Did not need any hints, but it is always an added bonus to find out that one has parsed the answers correctly.
Thanks and appreciation to RayT and to Archy and Mehtabel.
