Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27477
Hints and tips by scchua
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
A relaxing puzzle from Jay, except for perhaps one 4-letter answer I’m uncertain about. 1.5*/3* for me. Thanks Jay. (Apologies for later posting – just got back after 5 hours in the eye clinic.)
P.S. If you still find the mechanics of the hints a mystery, you should read the following, which should help in understanding.
Definitions are underlined in the clues (in blue).
Words in blue are lifted from the clues.
Italicised words are instructions for constructing the answer. Parentheses following these enclose the indicators from the clues. Eg. Reversal of(up, in a down clue).
[xxx;yyy] denotes that a synonym for xxx or yyy is required.
{} are used to give the order of construction. Eg. Reversal of(up, in a down clue) AB + C is different from Reversal of(up, in a down clue) {AB + C}.
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 Take power from a captain and cite changes (12)
{INCAPACITATE} : Anagram of(… changes) { A CAPTAIN plus(and) CITE }.
9a Pine mostly found after moderate distance (5-4)
{LIGHT-YEAR} : [to pine;to long for] minus its last letter(mostly) placed after(found after, in an across clue) [moderate;not too much].
Defn: … measured with a time dimension.
10a Writing in favour of someone with no heart (5)
{PROSE} : [in favour of;supporting, say, an idea] + “someone ” minus all its inner letters(with no heart).
11a Running through call after work (6)
{GORING} : [to call on the phone] placed after(after, in an across clue) [to work;to function].
Defn: … with something pointed.
12a Loss of nerve due to carbon dated measures (4,4)
{COLD FEET} : [chemical symbol for the element, carbon] + [dated;of the past] + [measures of distance in the Imperial system].
13a Advanced, surrounded by retreating diminutive creatures (6)
{LLAMAS} : [abbrev. for “advanced”] contained in(surrounded by) reversal of(retreating) [diminutive;somewhat tiny].
Defn: … , beasts of burden in fact.
15a The skill of a salesman keen at heart is witty banter (8)
{REPARTEE} : [a skill;a knack of doing] placed after(of a;belonging to) [short for a salesman] + the 2 inner letters of(… at heart) “keen “.
18a Science of planting tea, you might say, in part of a garden (8)
{ROCKETRY} : Homophone of(…, you might say) “tea ” contained in(planting …, in) [an ornamental part of a garden].
19a Rotten scandal at university on the way back (6)
{PUTRID} : Reversal of(on the way back) { [scandal;that which is dug up concerning someone or something] + [at university;participating in university activities, as opposed to being sent down] }.
21a A few chasing female listener – frightful (8)
{FEARSOME} : [a few;not all, or, even, not many] placed after(chasing;going after) { [abbrev. for “female”] + [that part of you that does the listening;hearing] }.
23a Periods of European disease causing skin rash, reportedly (6)
{EPOCHS} : [abbrev. for “European”] + homophone of(…, reportedly) [any disease that causes skin rash, leaving pockmarks].
26a South American management degree in dance (5)
{SAMBA} : [abbrevs. respectively for “South” and “American”] + [abbrev. for a post-graduate degree in business management].
27a People making new wine at sea (9)
{TAIWANESE} : Anagram of(new) WINE AT SEA.
28a Upset in dance venue, joining swimming centre with daughter (12)
{DISCONCERTED} : [a dance venue, prevalent in the 70s] plus(joining) anagram of(swimming) CENTRE plus(with) [abbrev. for “daughter”].
Down
1d Criminal area left after trouble, say (7)
{ILLEGAL} : { [abbrev. for “area”] + [abbrev. for “left”] } placed below(after, in a down clue) [ [a trouble;that which ails you] + [abbrev. for “for example”;say] } .
2d Island group tabloid up in smoke (5)
{CIGAR} : [abbrev. for the group of islands between England and France] + reversal of(… up, in a down clue) [a derogatory term for a tabloid newspaper].
Defn: …, as a noun.
3d A note in support of strong ruler (9)
{POTENTATE} : { A + [syllable for the seventh note of a musical scale, aka “si”] placed below(in support of, in a down clue) [strong;powerful].
4d Lined up for audition, given a reminder (4)
{CUED} : Homophone of(… for audition) [lined up, say, while waiting for a bus].
Defn: … of, say, when to join in.
Answer: … or it could refer to what they’re holding. Advice if you’re matched against them: Keep your eye on the ball.
5d Show the other side’s revenue from sales (8)
{TURNOVER} : [to show the other side;the obverse, enumerated as (4,4)].
6d All-round diet includes source of protein – not enthusiastic! (5)
{TEPID} : Reversal of(All-round, in a down clue) DIET containing(includes) the 1st letter of(source of) “protein “.
Defn: Giving a lukewarm response.
7d European celebrity’s guide for the night (4,4)
{POLE STAR} : [person from a European country] + [a celebrity].
8d Calm down and pay up (6)
{SETTLE} : Double defn: 1st: Eg. as children in class have to do before lessons begin.
14d Applauds a demand in case of cabbies (8)
{ACCLAIMS} : A + { [a demand for what is due to one] contained in(in) the 2 outermost letters of(case of) “cabbies ” }.
16d A question and answer panel stupidly slide out of control (9)
{AQUAPLANE} : A + [abbrev. for a “question”] plus(and) [abbrev. for “answer”] + anagram of(… stupidly) PANEL.
Defn: …, as a vehicle on a wet motorway might do.
17d A nameless sentimentalist with a bouquet (8)
{AROMATIC} : A + [a sentimentalist, one who might give you flowers, a candlelit dinner and music] minus(-less) [abbrev. for “name”].
Defn: Or smelling like a bouquet of fragrant flowers.
18d Female popped in to recycle rubbish (6)
{REFUSE} : [abbrev. for “female”] contained in(popped in) [to recycle, eg. paper].
20d Go down and change scene within two days (7)
{DESCEND} : Anagram of(change) SCENE contained in(within) two x D(abbrev. for “day”].
22d Teacher‘s Cornish, with friend from Paris (5)
{SWAMI} : [abbrev. for that part of England in which Cornwall is situated] plus(with) [“friend” in French;from Paris].
And what would a teacher be without a laptop?
24d About relaxation, it’s the very top (5)
{CREST} : [abbrev. for “circa”;about in relation to dates and time periods] + [relaxation;break from activity].
25d What is central to demeanour, we hear? (4)
{MIEN} : Homophone of(we hear) 4 consecutive letters within(central to) “demeanour “. Alternatively, homophone of(we hear) the middle syllable of(central to) “demeanour “.
Defn: I think it is “what is;an aspect;an appearance”. Or it could be “what is central to demeanour;character affecting behaviour towards others”. A further complication is that the answer is synonymous with “demeanour”. Perhaps I’ve got it all wrong.
The Quick crossword pun: (Oliver} + {sadden} = {all of a sudden}
Can’t quibble with Scchua’s **/*** rating , enjoyable light hearted romp today, which is fine . Thought that 25D was somewhat clumsy and didn’t really work, good range of clues apart from this.
NW corner held me up for a while today (makes sure that the D key doesn’t get stuck again) other than that, a pretty fair Jay offering. Some of the anagrams took me a while to figure out, but that’s probably because I can’t seem to get the brain in gear. Once i’d stopped trying to fit ANTICIPATE into 1A (I know, it doesn’t fit the clue and doesn’t have enough letters, etc) things started to fall into place.
Not sure about a favourite today, so I’ll give two possibilities and you can choose which you prefer :
Potential favourite 1 : 27A (enjoyed the anagram)
Potential favourite 2 : 22D (not a word I see very often)
Yes 27a anagram took me ages because there were potential alternative word choices…
Straightforward solve today!
No special favourites.
Dull but dry here in NL.
A pleasant puzzle with nothing that required too much thought. Many thanks to Jay, and to Scchua.
The toughie from today’s new setter is not too tricky, and definitely worth a look.
Now time to get on the road to Christchurch, and prepare for my best man duties tomorrow!
This was one of those where, to begin with, I thought I wouldn’t finish without help and. Then it went in in a whoosh…..
I recommend walking about for a couple of minutes in the middle. The blood starts sloshing about in the temporal lobe.
Hope you are all right Scchua!
Thanks Bluebird…just test after test after test to confirm that one of my implants has slid out ot position.
I just don’t seem to be able to get on the setters wavelength this week. Another one that I found very difficult. Did like 23a and have to say very grateful for the lack of religious terms. Just going out now to move my 13a, they are called Ricky and Ossie (Mrs B is a lifelong Spurs fan).
Thx to all.
Thanks to Jay and to scchua for a most entertaining puzzle and review.
This was read and write for me until I had just 13A left, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure it out without the hint. Thanks to Jay, and to Scchua of the review and hint.
Not at all our sort of cryptic crossword I’m afraid, so it’s a ****/* for us. Sorry. Thank you ( only a little bit) to the setter and thank you to Scchua. W
I found this tricky as well, same old, same old … all about wavelength
Re 25d, I just assumed that it was a reference to “mean”, as in the “golden mean”, which is a central position.
I looked at 25D as an all in one clue, the answer meaning ‘a person’s appearance or manner, especially as an indication of their character or mood’ ( ie their demeanour ) and it just happens that some of the characters in the centre of the word demeanour sound like the answer. All in all, quite a clever clue I thought
I thought this was a bit trickier than some of Jay’s crosswords have been recently or I’m having an off day. More than 2* difficulty and 3* for enjoyment.
On the first read through I missed lots of anagram indicators and it’s the anagrams that I depend on to get going with a crossword.
My last few were 13, 23 and 27a. I was also slow with 9a.
I was doubtful about 25d so I’m glad that I’m not the only one.
I liked 18a and 16 and 18d. My favourite was 23.
With thanks to Jay and scchua.
PS I liked 19a too. Some friends of ours used to have a couple of ducks – they were called Astrid and Mildred. They then got a third one and, in the absence of a similar sounding name, she ended up being called Putrid.
Want to have a go at the Toughie but the grass needs cutting again so crossword will have to wait until later.
Thanks to Jay and to scchua for the review and hints. I found this very tricky, was stuck in the NW corner and needed 6 hints to finish. Favourites were 12a & 16d. Was 3*/3* for me. Lovely day in Central London. Typical, got to be on the pushbike tomorrow because of the Tube strike and the forecast is for rain
Hope the crossy doesn’t get wet!
crossy? crossword or crossbar?
I am with those that found this one hard , NW corner last to finish , and consequently ****/** . Got there without hints but thankful for the ability to get confirmation .
I ,too, found this one pretty tricky today but with Mr A’s help managed it without the hints except for 4d for which we needed the hint. We just didn’t see it D’oh! Second last in was 13a.Definitely ***/** for me. Thanks to Jay & scchua
Scchua, I don’t understand 14d. Is the casing ‘acs’, in which case its the 3 outer letters of cabbies with the ca reversed, which seems a bit clumsy?
Collywobbles, the A is from the clue itself as in A demand, this leaves you the case of CabbieS with the demand homophone in the middle.
Sorry for jumping in Scchua, but was just passing
Thanks Skempie, got it.
I think that I have a wave length problem with this puzzle today, which is not usual with a Jay Crossword. I’m finding it particularly hard but still ploughing on
with reference to 14down I read it as ………… A + demand (CLAIM) in case of cabbies (CS) = A C CLAIM S which appears to work
After posting I see that skempie has already answered, cheers!
Thanks sarumite
I found this tricky enough, like some others.In 13a I was looking for little creatures, which llamas are not, but I get it now. 12a and 19a contend for favourite. Thanks Jay and Scchua.
Really enjoyed this and a nice challenge when enduring tube chaos. Last in was 3d. Liked 11a which I recall has appeared previously. Thanks the Jay and for the review. And a great win for Middlesex today – Rogers 241 not out.
Lost the plot completely on this very rarely give up but can,t get into this one at all,the battle is lost but live to fight another day .Well done to all who completed.
Thank you Jay, enjoyable and I have found that this week’s puzzles seem to be getting trickier by the day. That is a problem for me – busy out and about in Suffolk, part done at breakfast, part lunch break, part tea and cake time and remainder on return to cottage. Still good fun though – especially sitting in the Suffolk sunshine. Thanks Scchua for your review and hints and interesting photos.
Late doing puzzle today as had to have tests done this morning. I found it decidedly difficult and missed about four completely; 13a (natch, seems most did), 23a, 28a and 24d. I have to choose 23a as my fave, even though I missed it, now I know the answer it is really devilish clever. Thanks to Jay and scchua for review.
I found this harder going than usual for a Wednesday, and not too enjoyable. ***/**. 2d was my last in, needed the hint to get the wordplay.
Out all day revisiting historic city of Winchester where I was at school many moons ago but in fact managed to finish this enjoyable xword over breakfast apart from couple in NW corner (as with several other bloggers) but pennies dropped on my return this evening so hey presto. Thanks Jay and also scchua for being on hand with concise explanations in case of need. ***/****.
I had a very late start on this one today, having been out since 6.00 this morning. Reading all the foregoing comments, there are two very polarised sets of views about today’s puzzle, and I am in the camp that found this very much tougher than Jay’s usual Wednesday offering. After completing about half I really struggled to finish this off in something over 4* time.
Many thanks to setter and reviewer.
Having ground to a halt in the Toughie, l found this pretty straightforward. About 2*/3*, l think, and 13a just has to be my favourite. Ta to Jay, and to scchua for review and hints.
Just one pint and two fags saw me through this one. Thanks to Jay, I liked many of the clues – 18a, 13a (my last one in) and 16d, which made me think I was on to a pangram for a while. Thanks to Scchua for the review and the snooker pics. 2*/3*