Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27481
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Miffypops is enjoying himself at his Village Beer Festival today, but will be back next week. Fairly standard fare from Rufus today, although I did have to confirm the answer to 30 across in the BRB.
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 Prison meal served up cold (10)
{IMPERSONAL} – this anagram (served up) of PRISON MEAL gives an adjective meaning cold or unfeeling
6a Communist state producing copper and barium (4)
{CUBA} – combine the chemical symbols for copper and barium
10a Get the low-down on a King and Queen at last (5)
{LEARN} – Shakespeare’s tragic king is followed by the final letter (at last) of QueeN
11a European bound to appear in Olympic event (4,5)
{POLE VAULT} – a European national followed by a bound or leap
12a Host of parasites seen on the move (8)
{LICENSEE} – some parasitic insects followed by an anagram (on the move) of SEEN
13a Priest in church shows holy memento (5)
{RELIC} – an Old Testament priest inside the abbreviation for the Church of Rome
15a I must leave a curious set — too noisy? (7)
{RAUCOUS} – an anagram (set) of A CUR(I)OUS without (must leave) the I
17a Glider pilots are uplifted by it (7)
{THERMAL} – a gently cryptic definition of this current of warm air
19a Struggle to break a lock, perhaps (7)
{WRESTLE} – a cryptic definition of a verb meaning to take part in a sport which involves getting out of locks and holds
21a Capital investment in company getting singer to return (7)
{CORONET} – this item worn on the head comes from CO(mpany) followed by the reversal of a male singer
22a After a drink Jack goes back to dance (5)
{RUMBA} – an alcoholic drink followed by the reversal of a Jack or sailor
24a Order looks not right, yet feels different (4,4)
{EYES LEFT} – this military order to look in the opposite direction to the right is an anagram (different) of YET FEELS
27a Caught sight of rescinded orders (9)
{DISCERNED} – an anagram (orders) of RESCINDED
28a A bridal path? (5)
{AISLE} – a cryptic definition of the path that a bride walks down to get to the altar – as distinct from a bridle path which is for those riding horses
29a Engrave some sketches (4)
{ETCH} – hidden (some) inside the clue
30a Ely’s rector resorts to enlightenment for the church (10)
{CLERESTORY} – an anagram (resorts) of ELY’S RECTOR gives this upper storey in a church with its own row of windows – reasonably obvious from the checking letters, but I still had to look it up to make sure
Down
1d Vain and lazy (4)
{IDLE} – two slightly different definitions
2d Political leader gets freedom for banality (9)
{PLATITUDE} – the initial letter (leader) of Political followed by freedom or scope
3d Limits area where cattle may graze (5)
{RANGE} – two definitions
4d Work on models’ faces (7)
{OPPOSES} – the usual two-letter musical work followed by a word meaning models – this just about works with model as a noun: if it were a verb then the possessive apostrophe would be inappropriate
5d It may contribute to ill feeling (7)
{AILMENT} – a cryptic definition of a sickness – you are meant to be led into thinking that ill feeling refers to resentment rather than being sick
7d Customary request for a drink? (5)
{USUAL} – as an adjective meaning this means customary and as a noun it means the drink that is customarily ordered
8d Well-spoken couple (10)
{ARTICULATE} – two definitions – an adjective meaning well-spoken and a verb meaning to couple or join
9d Accidentally catch something, perhaps (8)
{OVERHEAR} – a cryptic definition of a verb meaning to eavesdrop
14d Neither win nor lose game — it’s a let-down (10)
{DRAWBRIDGE} – a verb meaning to neither win nor lose followed by a card game
16d Incensed as dismissed by newspaper boss (8)
{OUTRAGED} – an word meaning dismissed, especially in cricket, followed by a phrase (3,2) that could be a newspaper and its boss
18d Public announcement in show ring (9)
{MANIFESTO}- a verb meaning to show or exhibit followed by the ring-shaped letter
20d Point learnt afresh for all time (7)
{ETERNAL} – a compass point followed by an anagram (afresh) of LEARNT
21d Gorge some cheese (7)
{CHEDDAR} – a famous gorge and the cheese that should, by all rights, be made near there
23d It hath charms by the score (5)
{MUSIC} – a cryptic allusion to the oft-misquoted saying that this “has charms to soothe the savage breast” (William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, 1697)
25d Live wires taken on stage, perhaps (5)
{LEADS} – a cryptic definition of parts played by top actors
26d Extremely inventive signalman (4)
{VERY} – two definitions – an adverb meaning extremely and the inventor of a coloured signalling flare
This should leave you plenty of time to enjoy the Bank Holiday, as long as you live in the UK that is!
The Quick crossword pun: (hole} + {sailor} = {wholesaler}
Agree with the BD ratings. I knew 30a as a ‘source of church enlightenment’ but did think of Brian as I wrote it in
I also thought of Miffypops while writing in 12a too.
Thanks to Rufus and BD.
And did you think of anybody when writing in 13a?
No real issues & agree with the ratings. Overall a nice gentle start to the weeks entertainment & im extremely jealous of miffypops at a beer festival.
Forgot my manners thank ypu setter & BD for the review.
3*/3*. Unlike BD I found this tougher than usual for Rufus, but still very enjoyable.
The NW corner took me as long as the rest put together. 30a was a new word for me and like BD I found it in the BRB. I couldn’t see what was cryptic about 5d until I read the hints.
Many thanks to Rufus and to BD.
No problem with enjoyable offering from Rufus today – thanks – but did need help to discover I had lines wrong for 25d which confused 28a (old chestnut!). Several entertaining clues including 7d, 8d and 30a. **/****.
I marvel every Monday at the inventiveness of Rufus.Enjoyed every minute of it, thanks and thank you BD.
Bit of a curate’s egg for me, from the barely cryptic 5d and 17a to the really nice 24a. Still, it has left time for other bank holiday pursuits, so should be grateful. Thanks to all. Have a nice day everyone.
Very nice today thank you.
I thought 30a was a wonderful clue.
Enjoyed this as usual – had to look a couple up but solved it relatively quickly for me. Learning curve is long but am happy with steady progress. **/**** for me with thanks to Rufus and BD for the explanations.
I agree with BD’s 2* and 3* today.
I screwed things up briefly by putting ‘current’ for 17a but didn’t take too long to realise what I’d done.
My last two were 12a (and, yes, I also thought of Miffypops when I got it) and 25d.
I’ve never heard of 30a but by then there weren’t many letters left to fiddle around with – like CS I thought of Brian!
I liked 11 and 15a and 8 and 9d. My favourite was either 14 or 26d.
With thanks to Rufus and BD.
Not so nice here today but off up the garden to play with bean poles. Rookie corner later.
Agree with rating , don,t know why but 12ac caused most problem.Nice start to week
Thanks to Rufus for the nice gentle start to the crossword week and to BD for the excellent review.
Great Bank Holiday fare. NW corner took the longest, not helped by my better half spelling 1 across incorrectly for some reason. He says he’s dyslexic. I make no comment. 30 across is a new word for us. Thank you Mr. Setter and BD.
I agree that 12a was a sticker 16d was my favourite. Nice puzzle and thank you for the review BD.
Nice easy start to the week. 30a is a new word for me too, but as I had most of the letters, I was able to work the anagram and google it. I liked 14d best. Thanks to Rufus and to BD for review.
Enjoy your Cinquo de Mayo!
Thanks to Rufus and to Big Dave for the review and hints. A very enjoyable puzzle for the Bank holiday. A touch on the gentle side, but nonetheless entertaining. Had vaguely heard. of 30a. Favourite was 24a. Last in was 12a. Nice and sunny, off to St Albans for a pint or 3.
Enjoyable, especially the hint for 16d.
Liked 24a, Learnt the particular meaning of 27a which I’ve previously taken to mean understand and 30a which is a new word for me.
Thank you BD and setter
Thank you Rufus, an enjoyable and straightforward puzzle, allowing time for other activities. Thanks BD for your review and hints.
No real problems today but I still don’t get 21a. What has capital investment got to do with head? I can see that a coronet is made up from the wordplay but the first bit completely eludes me!
Apart from that and of course 30a which was a totally new word to me (thank you Google), very enjoyable
Thx to all
21a is a facetious play on two words; “capital” for head ( like the top of a column), and “investment” for putting some item of clothing on ( like vestments). So capital investment = hat.
I read “investment” as a derivative of “investiture”.
Well, they’re both derived from the Latin “vestire”, to clothe, but the use of investment for donning something is facetious.
The usual good stuff that we expect on a Monday. It all fitted together smoothly for us, even 30a.
Thanks Rufus and BD.
Not many comments on the MMP by Gazza yet. It really is a gem of a puzzle and not fiendishly difficult either. Why not give it a go, its worth the effort.
I often get delayed with Rufus but today it was almost a read and write. */*** for me. Maybe I should always do Monday’s puzzle in my afternoons and not the night before, as it were! Thanks to Rufus for a gentle challenge for bank holiday Monday and to BD for the review.
We hardly get any UK TV over here, but for some strange reason we do get the Premier League Live (and for free) so just about to watch the Liverpool v Palace game, blazing sunshine outside, glass of rose inside! Interesting conclusion to the season – sadly Man U are not there!
I found this a bit stiffer than the usual Monday effort – 3*/4* or thereabouts – and 30a was a new word to me too. There were some great clues, though, like 12 and 21 across. My thanks to Rufus, and to BD for review and hints.