Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28351
Hints and tips by KiwiColin
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **– Enjoyment ***
Kia ora from Aotearoa.
The komplication with the Ks kontinues. Yesterday we had a different 2Ks writing the blog and today we just have 1K instead of the normal twosome. The world of kryptic krosswords is such a komplex kommunity!
We are having one of those rare things for this NZ summer. A few consecutive days of calm, fine weather. Long may it last.
A bit hard to judge the difficulty with only half of the team here but it felt pretty much what we always get from Mr Konsistancy Jay.
Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Bewildered, given sack for welcoming Australian natives (7)
BEMUSED: Sack is an informal word for where one spends one’s nights and surrounds large Australian birds.
5a Love follows attraction, and this provides a spark (7)
MAGNETO: The tennis score love comes after attraction from a piece of metal with charged poles.
9a Professional defined by wartime dictionary (5)
MEDIC: A lurker hiding in the last two words of the clue.
10a Workers protected by a welcome understanding (9)
AGREEMENT: Start with A from the clue, then male workers are inside a word meaning to welcome or say hello to.
11a Mental detachment of people after a rest (10)
ALIENATION: A from the clue then rest in a prone position followed by a collective noun for people of one country.
12a Area and volume reduced a smidgen (4)
ATOM: The abbreviation for area and a volume or large book loses its last letter.
14a Bloody-minded old boy found in front of new superstore (12)
OBSTREPEROUS: The abbreviation for old boy and an anagram (new) of SUPERSTORE.
18a Tougher outside, ought to stop here by the road? (4,8)
HARD SHOULDER: A word meaning ought to is enclosed in a word meaning tougher or more difficult.
21a Manufactured returns for Dutch product (4)
EDAM: Reverse a word that means manufactured to find this cheese.
22a Bug people who choose to be critics (10)
NITPICKERS: A bug or head louse egg and a description of ‘people who choose’.
25a Costing the earth? Absolutely not! (4,5)
DIRT CHEAP: A cryptic description of things that have a very low price.
26a Religious painting of two Greek characters (5)
PIETA: The two Greek characters are the 16th and 7th letters in the Greek alphabet.
27a A chap coming back wearing father’s hats (7)
PANAMAS: A from the clue and an adult male are reversed inside a familiar word for father’s.
28a Postpone outlay to accommodate American (7)
SUSPEND: The abbreviation for United States is inside a word to outlay or proffer money.
Down
1d Regret doctor taking pulse? On the contrary (6)
BEMOAN: The abbreviation for a medical officer is inside a type of vegetable pulse.
2d Servant pinching doctor’s capital (6)
MADRID: A female servant surrounds a different abbreviation for doctor.
3d After short time, be someone very good or not quite as good? (6,4)
SECOND BEST: The short time is one sixtieth of a minute. Next we have BE straight from the clue and a canonised person.
4d Right to take part in stupid sketch (5)
DRAFT: R(ight) is inside a word for stupid or not sensible.
5d Damage further inside of hall made from marble (9)
MARMOREAL: A three letter word for damage or harm, a word for further or in addition and the central two letters of hall.
6d Turns and leaves (4)
GOES: Double definition. The turns are as you might have in a board game.
7d Vote in right, working for part of 12 (8)
ELECTRON: A word meaning ‘vote in’, the abbreviation for right and a two letter word for working or in action. Alternatively it could be ” Make our mystery setter president”.
8d Make best use of work — time is flexible (8)
OPTIMISE: The two letter ‘work of art’ and an anagram (flexible) of TIME IS.
13d Contracts for viewers (10)
TELESCOPES: Double definition. Contracts here means gets smaller and is achieved by one part sliding within another.
15d Perhaps watch grandfather supplying traitors (3-6)
TWO-TIMERS: Watch and grandfather are both examples of the second word of the answer.
16d Preparation for cleaning animal shipped out across East (5-3)
SHEEP-DIP: An anagram (out) of SHIPPED includes E(ast).
17d Hearing score in cricket test (5,3)
TRIAL RUN: A hearing in a court of law and what a point scored in a game of cricket is called.
19d Cancel river crossing permit (6)
DELETE: The name of the river that geographers all round the world seem to have used when they had already covered the first three letters of the alphabet, surrounds permit or allow.
20d Key one’s left with? (6)
ISLAND: Last week we listed three useful little words to remember. Here is one of them as the definition. Roman numeral one with ‘s, L(eft) plus a word for ‘with’.
23d Tubes or fruit seeds full of energy (5)
PIPES: Fruit seeds as found in apples, pears etc include E(nergy).
24d Aggregate including cold film on liquid (4)
SCUM: Aggregate or total includes the abbreviation for cold.
Once again 1a set the tone for the puzzle and it talks about our side of the planet. Enough to score top spot in my reckoning.
Quickie pun ice age + heaves = “I say Jeeves”
2*/4*. I started as usual in the NW and really struggled, not getting any answers at all. I moved on, thinking that this was going to prove to be a really tough challenge today, but the other three quarters all went in smoothly. I then went back to the conspicuously empty area in the top left corner and this time that too fell into place quite quickly. Strange …
5d was a new word for me, but easily derivable from the wordplay and confirmed in my BRB.
Perhaps not surprisingly to those who know me, 22a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Jay for his usual very high quality puzzle and to 50% of the 2Ks for the usual very high quality Wednesday review.
At least your not 14A😀
Hi, RD. You will be pleased to hear that my acquisition of cricket knowledge continues apace. Courtesy of the comments from TS on yesterday’s blog, I now know about the covers that are brought on in case of rain and the extra cover utilised when it rains heavily. Today I have learned that there is also a special cover for the cows – how thoughtful is that!
That’s great news! Now you know about cow corner, just be careful that you don’t get a pat on the back.
Jane, with ducks being so plentiful in cricket, your knowledge of ornithology would be so well-suited to the game too!
I’ve obviously got some more homework to do. Turns out that there are bronze, silver, gold, diamond, platinum and royal ducks which seemingly only frequent cricket pitches.
I found this a mixed bag – many of the clues were quite straightforward and a few very good/excellent. It was enjoyable to solve. There’s another crickety clue but without a particularly crickety answer. 2*/3*. 1d. These “on the contrary clues”, where you have to transpose the suggestion in the wordplay, seem to crop up more often nowadays. What clue “type” do they belong to – or are they, like Spooner clues, one-offs?
I guess it’s a normal cryptic clue, as indicated by the one K. Bit of a daft question, really…
Another fine puzzle from Jay. 5d and 26a were new words to me but easily solved. Thanks to Jay and to KiwiColin for the kracking review.
I could simply put ‘ditto’ under RD’s comment – right down to not knowing 5d and picking 22a as favourite.
I also rather liked 25a & 17d.
Thanks to Jay and to Colin K – hope that Mrs. K is off having a good time somewhere?
Somewhat easier and slightly fewer smiles than yesterday’s puzzle, but still very good fun. I did have to check 5d and 26a in the BRB after the solve to verify that the results obtained from the wordplay were in fact real words. I liked 11a, 22a, and 17d very much. Favourite today is the very smooth 14a. So smooth in fact that I thought it must have been discovered before, but I’m not seeing it anywhere in my back page database.
Thanks to Jay for getting Wednesday off to a great start, and thanks to the single kiwi for a great blog.
p.s. I don’t want to be a 22a, but that piece of metal discussed in 5a is not “charged”. It does have poles though.
From the timing of your comment I suspect a bit of jetlag insomnia.
Sorry about the technical inaccuracy. I did struggle to find a suitable phrase there and forgot that it would have to get past some physicists.
Yep, still getting over the jetlag.
Not sure what I would have done to hint 5a. Magnetism is tricky to explain in terms of other things because it’s fundamental. Physicists define a magnet by what it does, which is, loosely, make a force on an electric current. We know magnets aren’t charged because they don’t interact with stationary charges. The BRB struggles with it too, and in its three definitions basically says a magnet is (1) a magnet, (2) something that interacts with other magnets, (3) something that attracts.
I wouldn’t worry Colin, surely the answer was a friend / enemy of Charles Xavier and was used to start cars They used to let me play with nuclear reactors in the RN – scary or what. They’re now asking me to come back.
This for me was really a game of two halves. I found the bottom almost R&W but the top caused all sorts of problems not helped by never having heard of 5d before (26a was also new but easily gettable from the clue. Thank you Google). Glad 14a was an anagram, not sure I would be able to spell it😀.
Thx to all
1.5*/3.5* – completed at a fast canter.
The web site enumeration of 22a is (10); do the paper and app versions have the same? Big and Small Red Books have 22a enumeration as (3-7) and that is what I am used to.
I did need electronic assistance for 5d; a totally new word for me.
Four candidates for favourite – 18a, 22a (in spite of the enumeration issue), 25a, and 7d – and I really can’t decide the winner.
Thanks to Jay and half of the 2Ks (this is getting confusing).
Senf, the version in the paper also shows (10) for 22a.
Thanks RD. So, I shall be one and say that this is definitely a ‘compound’ noun that is hyphenated.
Like others NW corner gave problems and confirmation needed for 5d & 26a.
Enjoyable solve with some good clues. 14a was COTD.
Wonder if others felt an itchy head when reading the hint for 22a? Brought back not fond memories of nit inspections at junior school, and the special comb they used!
Thanks to setter and solitary K – this is starting to get like some logic brain teaser.
A bit more than 2* difficulty and a bit more than 3* enjoyment for me today.
I seem to be in good company in having not heard of 5d – not sure about 26a – maybe somewhere in the dim dark recesses of the memory.
I completely missed the reasoning behind the answer for 15d which was silly.
There were probably enough doctors in this one to set up a new hospital somewhere.
Started off having ‘escape’ for 20d and was quite proud of myself for having remembered that it’s a ‘key’ – pity it was wrong.
I liked 5 and 14a and 3d. My favourite was 22a.
Thanks to Jay and to KiwiKolin.
PS I like the Quickie pun.
Yep, loved that too.
Yes I agree, that made me smile too so much so that I have yet to get around to solving more than the first two across clues.
Trouble is there may be enough doctors but not enough beds!
Sad, I read about that poor lady in today’s DT.
Can’t really quibble with a **/***, like RD the NW corner needed a bit of thought until the ‘natives’ became clear and after that all went smoothly -seem to remember that ‘natives’ are also oysters in puzzle land.
5d was a new word and when looking for the double definition for 13d took a while to realise a telescope can contract as well as magnifying-there’s a conundrum in the making.
Thanks to Kiwi Colin.
All I am going to say has been completely said by Rabbit dave so I won’t say anything except for ‘Thank you’ to Jay and Kolin.
Needed the hint for 17d….blinded by cricket reference…..
otherwise worked my way through an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks to KiwiColin and to the setter.
Definitely a “start with the downs” puzzle as is often the case with Jay. Lots to enjoy though. **/**** from us with 25a as favourite.
Ta Mutchly to Jay and KiwiKolin.
More of the same from me. Stumped at first with NW corner and never heard of 5d.
Thanks to Kiwi and setter.
P.S. Noticed I got another cricket term in?
With a name like yours, do you know what a “dot ball” is in cricket?
Of course! It’s not hit and goes in the book as a dot. Had to watch cricket on TV when a youngster – many years ago!- as dad loved it.
Well remembered. You’re nearly right. It’s still a dot ball if it is hit but no run is scored.
Full marks to your Dad for giving you a well-rounded education about the important things in life.
If only England cricketer Jake Ball had a mum called Dorothy, she would be another example
Of course 6 dots make one maiden (over). Where did that phrase come from? Phrase Finder spends 2 paragraphs and completely avoids giving an answer (except to sweep a woman off her feet!)
Oh dear, that’s something else I have to remember!
Right now I’m busy working out how to tell when a ball is dead – does it change colour or just fray round the edges………..
Jane – the long answer!
https://www.lords.org/mcc/laws-of-cricket/laws/law-23-dead-ball/
Good info indeed, Senf. The ball is only dead if the umpire says so – he presumably carries the necessary equipment to make a diagnosis. Not only that – a ball can cease to be dead. Now, there’s a good trick!
I haven’t heard of any cases of CPR being successfully applied to a dead ball.
I beg to differ RD
http://www.bowltech.net/shop/fr/product_info.php?products_id=9609&language=en&osCsid=912d6e608337531c3eb04d3c0374fdec
‘Bowling ball’ being used in the loosest possible terminology of course
Enjoyable puzzle today. 2*/4* for me. Like others, I hadn’t come across 5d and 26a, but both gettable from the cluing. 20d was my favourite.
Another high-quality Wednesday offering with surprisingly few anagrams.
25a claims top spot for me, I just had a hunch that RD might plump for 22a!
Many thanks to Jay and KiwiColin,
Another good fun crossword, 26a last in. I was half expecting a can of Auzzie beer to illustrate 16d!
Thanks to Jay and to KC.
Just a quick note to thank all you guys and gals for helping to deconstruct what have, at times, seemed indecipherable clues. After years thinking I would never get the hang of it, I can now generally tackle most day’s Telegraph with some degree of confidence rather than trepidation. The clarity and humour make you a “must read” every day, however well I may have done on my own.
Welcome to the site TonyB.
We look forward to getting regular comments from you now that you have de-lurked..
Thanks Tony. Kind words.
What with all the K’s round here I feel a bit worried about adding another Bee but as a fellow long time lurker and newbie to commenting I would like to thank Tony for saying what I feel about Big Dave and and his band of helpers who have made my cruciverbalism much better and more enjoyable every time I visit. I am particularly enjoying the cricket bits, waiting for the opportunity to refer to a pigeon on the outfield or a bus to go past the gasometer!
2.5/4. This was such a well constructed puzzle. Clever misdirection and for me a little too much crossing out as my bung ins proved to be wrong. Far too quick with mausoleum for 5d without thinking it through. So more delay. Nevertheless got there in the end and very enjoyable. My favourites were 3&13d. Thanks to Jay and 1K for the review. We’re now into serious rain for the next few days. That should clear the snow 😀
Very good puzzle **/****
Little aside for 25a
Thanks to Jay and Kiwi Colin!
Another’s enjoyable offering from Jay.
Along with the majority, I had to google 5d, never heard of it.
I’ve seen Michaelangelo’s 26a in St. Peter’s Basilica, incredibly beautiful, I could never forget it, so no problems there.
Fave was 22a, but I also liked 25a.
Thanks to Jay and to solo Kiwi, hope other Kiwi is fine.
I envy you Merusa. Poorly schooled orphan boys can only dream of seeing such beauty.
This one is a sculpture though.
Remember seeing it too and when you leave the Vatican museum you have to go through the souvenir shop where you can find some great pieta shaped beer bottle openers..
And dreams come true. I have seen the one in Bruges.
First time I saw it, I was almost in tears. The next time, it was shrouded in perspex presumably to stop people chipping bits off it as souvenirs. It did not have the same effect strangely.
A lovely puzzle from Jay, in the Goldilocks territory.
Thanks to Kiwi Kolin , and I am surprised to read that NZ summers are rarely not windy.
The usual high standard from Jay. The marble was unknown to me but rather obvious.
Ta to Jeremy and Colin. I believe we have a guest blogger on Monday. Don’t tell Big Dave.
Ooh – is it RD? I do hope so!
Can’t say.
Well, whoever it is, I’m sure we won’t be disappointed. It’s always good to see new bloggers give it a shot. The very best of luck to whoever it is.
Big Brother Dave is watching!
And CS no doubt.. you know me. I will not rock the boat.
I hope it’s not me – is it? If it is, I’ve either not been told or I’ve forgotten. Just checked – and I have nothing in my diary although that in itself means nothing as it is a 1999 diary.
Good luck to RD?
Perhaps it’s Jane? She’d be excellent, and I’m sure you’d enjoy her musical choices
I have hinted at Jane in the past and found a no no. I too think she would be excellent.. but I have never asked anybody to do what they don’t want to do.
Morning all. I had a somewhat stressful time getting this put together. Yesterday morning our internet supplier had arranged to upgrade our connection. They did this but the problem was that we could not gain access. My first phone call to their techie and they got me to do a factory default reset for the modem. This meant the router was getting the web but my access password would not work any more. This eventually required two more calls to their techies to get that sorted. So it was somewhat later than usual before I could start on the puzzle and in an enhanced state of anxiety. Not that I was short of time, our different time zone means that we have a very generous deadline for preparing the blog. So all’s well that ends well.
For those who asked, Carol has been away for a couple of days spending time with a very dear friend who is unwell. She will get home this evening so we should be back to the usual team for next week’s blog.
Glad to hear she’s fine. Like Kath, we like to keep tabs on everyone!
After a few miss when trying to get into the crossword such as “bedrat” for 1d or “alabaster” in 5d to the strangest “comeunder” in 10a, finally found a way in with 6d and 5a.
From then on, everything went smoothly and working out the anagram in 14a took the longest time.
Thanks to Jay and to KC for the review.
14ac is a wonderful word JL. One of my favourites. We shorten it to stroppy or say someone has a strop on when they are riled. I think I first came across it in the book Emil And The Detectives by Walter De La Mere who must live somewhere near you with a name like that.
Had to check the poet. How can they call him a Huguenot 400 years later? How long does it take to become British?
Longer than 400 years
Just watching the news.
Another invasion is on the cards.
Peugeot is going to buy Vauxhall cars.
Here Brexit means Frenter.
I am a bruxist
Had to start on the down clues first today. 6d was first in, and resisted the temptation to put ‘lighter’ into 5a, just because I had one checking letter and it fits the clue. Favourites were 22a and 15d. Thank you Jay and Kolin.
Well finally finished but I cant say I have heard of 5d before. Needless to say it was the last one in it took the checkers, the clue and the hints from the antipodes before the penny dropped. I guess they have many marble busts at the te papa museum.
Thanks to the setter and Kiwi Colin for getting me there. Lets hope tomorrows puzzle finds me in better form.
I didn’t think today’s offering was quite as good as Jay’s crosswords normally can be. Having said that I more or less cruised through it in spite of 5d. No real smiley moments, that’s what it lacked for me. 15d was I guess, my favourite. 2/3* overall.
Thanks to Jay and Colin down under.
Another corker from the Wednesday Wizard. I can’t quite ditto RD’s comment as my grid filled up fairly evenly until a few more stubborn ones had me scratching my head at the end. The hardest part is picking a favourite though. Many different clues have already been chosen, and with good reason. So this seems like a good time to point to comment number 1 and say “wot ‘e said.”
Thanks to Jay and ½x2Ks for a fine piece of blogging. I hope your friend gets well soon.
Nothing much to add to comments – found it a nice puzzle to do and got there in reasonable time having had the same top of the grid problem that most seems to have experienced.
Found quite a few comments very engaging when I was going through but nothing much stood out in retrospect. I did not like 14a – unlike many others here! Sets my teeth on edge.
Made a couple of false starts but got going when I realized the error of my ways. Like several others 5d was a new one on me, also wanted to put in mausoleum but couldn’t quite make it fit. Being this close to the Florida Keys you would have thought I could have got that one,but no, I was stuck in the door lock/hair/musical possibilities.
3d was new to me but my Wordsearch program found it no problem!
On my first pass through I got nothing, it took a couple of goes before I got going. A little tricky but very enjoyable.
Big game tonight, I can’t really see Arsenal getting anything out of it!
Thanks to Jay and to Kiwi Colin for the review and hints. A very good puzzle as usual from Jay, all quite straightforward except for 5d & 26a, which were new words for me, quite gettable from the clues though. 16d made me laugh, 14a was a great anagram. It was nice to see some science-based clues in 5&12a and 7d. My last in and favourite was 13d. Was 2*/4* for me.
Another fine offering from Jay, 2*/3*.
We, like many have also admitted to, didn’t know the marble adjective, but that’s what it had to be and the BRB confirmed it.
Favourite, albeit one of the easier clues, was 27a.
Thanks to Kiwi Colin and Jay.
*, perhaps edging into ** for difficulty. I must admit to not having heard of 5ac or 5d before, but the wordplay was clear and friendly enough in both. An enjoyable, quick solve.
Three quarters speedily sussed over breakfast but SE proved a stumbling block and was shelved until this evening when with the help of a little grape juice the pennies soon began to drop. The 5’s across/down were new to me but Google came to my aid. 15d was Fav. Many thanks Jay and today’s single K.
A fine puzzle from Jay with just a couple of unusual answers that were perfectly ‘get-able’ from the word play. No stand out favourites but enjoyable nonetheless.
Thanks to Jay for the fun and to single K for his review.
Hi SL. Are you feeling better today?
I’m afraid the answer is no – I’m actually not very well.
Oh no – hope you’re better soon.
Thank you – I hope so too.
Hi SL
Oh dear, please feel better soon! We’re cheering for you.
Thank you both for your comments – much appreciated
Come the next weekend of the 6 Nations I will feel even better having spent a long weekend in my favourite city of Edinburgh. Enjoying a lovely meal in Tom Kitchin’s fine eatery down in Leith on the Friday and followed by a spirited game of rugby against Wales on the Saturday after a few beers in a Rose Street hostelry – hic
Lots of fun. Just on the 1*/2* cusp for difficulty, and gusting 4* for enjoyment. I liked 18a and 20d. Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks-1.
Evening all. Another cracking Jay puzzle, where even the relative obscurities were solvable by his excellent construction and wordplay. I did not find it as easy as some of you, so have to put 2.5*/4* in my honesty box. Great fun overall, so many thanks to both Jay and KC.
I didn’t think that this was my favourite setter’s best shot but it was fun nonetheless and I only had to check that 5d was a real word. Having verified that, I intend to drop it into casual conversation as often as possible – particularly ‘he has a marmoreal complexion’. 14a & 18a are engaged in a fist-fight to the death to win tonight’s star prize, a blender. Ta to Colin and much thanks to Mr Mutch. 2*/3*
In other news, I shall be away for a while as I’m off to Andalusia to play some music for ten of your earth days. This notice counts as the pink form, Kath. Please be frivolous, pedantic, and sensibly frisky in my absence.
Completed on the train this morning, 3 days with no hints is a record, looking forward to reading the blog now.
I do find Jay’s style tricky to unpick but got there in the end.
Many thanks to Jay and our antipodean friends for the hints.
oops I meant KiwiColin – thanks
3 days in a row with no hints. Have you stopped “reading” the clues?
Not trying to be 22A, but, 26A is a sculpture, not a painting.