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DT 28479

by Deep Threat  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28479

Hints and tips by Deep Threat

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Good morning from South Devon, where I’m playing in a croquet tournament this week. I’m a bit short of time, so no pictures this week.

Plenty of anagrams and part anagrams this week from Giovanni, making this a fairly straightforward solve for me.

In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the ‘Click here!’ buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. 

Across

1a           Second drink that’s strong always produces a beastly complaint (5,5)
SWINE FEVER Put together an abbreviation for Second, an alcoholic drink, the musical symbol for loud or strong, and another word for always.

9a           Spots wood east of river (4)
RASH – River followed by a variety of wood.

10a         Mistrial — it could lead to one being aggressive (10)
MILITARIST – Anagram (could lead to) of MISTRIAL IT.

11a         Plant left behind rag (6)
TEASEL – To rag or annoy someone, followed by Left.

12a         Love having argument about e.g. Titanic (7)
WORSHIP – Reverse (about) an argument, then add something of which Titanic was an example.

15a         Supports units for brief periods (7)
SECONDS – Double definition, the first being a verb.

16a         Vehicle parked outside gym used for game (5)
CAPER – A motor vehicle wrapped around the school lesson also known as ‘gym’.

17a         Bills for pills (4)
TABS – Double definition, the first being the sort of bills you might run up in a bar or restaurant.

18a         Stage offering a comeback for favourites (4)
STEP – Reverse (offering a comeback) some teacher’s favourites.

19a         Publicity officer with script for concerts (5)
PROMS – The three-letter acronym for a publicity officer, followed by the abbreviation for a handwritten document, giving us a series of concerts that begins tonight.

21a         Reinstate pause from work before men strike finally (7)
RESTORE – Put together a break or pause from work, the abbreviation for military men who are not officers, and the last letter of STRIKE.

22a         Day came for reforming educational institution (7)
ACADEMY – Anagram (for reforming) of DAY CAME.

24a         Managed thus to get millions as price to be paid (6)
RANSOM – Put together ‘managed’, ‘thus’, and the abbreviation for Millions.

27a         Trouble-maker joins fliers, with time to create damage (10)
IMPAIRMENT – Put together a supernatural troublemaker, a generic term for people who fly aeroplanes, and Time.

28a         Salvationists, quiet band (4)
SASH – The initials of the Salvation Army, followed by an instruction to be quiet.

29a         Look at nicer suits in a new style (10)
SCRUTINISE – Anagram (in a new style) of NICER SUITS.

Down

2d           Fancy woman’s first to get that fellow (4)
WHIM – The first letter of Woman followed by ‘that fellow’.

3d           More than one unwanted sound is conveyed in refusals (6)
NOISES – IS (from the clue), inserted into some negative answers.

4d           Distraught female rushed with twitchy motion (7)
FRANTIC – Put together Female, another word for rushed, and a nervous reaction.

5d           Conceited and terrible ruler, one being put down (4)
VAIN – The Russian tsar known as ‘the Terrible’, with his first letter moved down one place.

6d           Bad person starts row, becoming more bad-tempered (7)
RATTIER – A bad person, one who betrays a person or cause, followed by a row of seats in an auditorium.

7d           I’m on estate, newly built accommodation (10)
MAISONETTE – Anagram (newly built) of I’M ON ESTATE.

8d           System of belief nastily put as ‘popish’ and ‘holy’ (10)
PHILOSOPHY – Anagram (nastily) of POPISH and HOLY.

12d         In the borders of Wales caterers supply salad ingredient (10)
WATERCRESS – Anagram (supply, as in supple-y) of CATERERS, with the first and last letters of Wales wrapped around it.

13d         Unstable sensor gets broken inside — if lacking this? (10)
ROBUSTNESS – Anagram (unstable) of SENSOR, with another word for ‘broken’ inserted.

14d         Minister has facility for writing rule devoid of content (5)
PADRE – A block of writing paper followed by R(ul)E.

15d         Males battling in this US location? (5)
SELMA – Anagram (battling) of MALES, giving us a city in Alabama which featured in the Civil Rights marches of the 1960s.

19d         Assumption made by journalists about major highway (7)
PREMISS – The generic term for journalists wrapped around what looks like the alphanumeric description of the motorway from London to Leeds.

20d         Name of German establishing school and university outside Germany (7)
SCHMIDT – An abbreviation for SCHool followed by the three-letter acronym of a famous American university wrapped around the IVR letter for Germany.

23d         Funny old fellows featured in ancient monument (6)
DOLMEN – Anagram (funny) of OLD followed by some fellows.

25d         His purring brings such encouragement (4)
SPUR – Hidden in the clue.

26d         More than one little worker raves, losing head (4)
ANTS – Remove the first letter from a word meaning ‘raves’ to get some insect workers.

The Quick Crossword pun FARE + ELAND = FAIRYLAND

42 comments on “DT 28479”

  1. Plenty of enjoyable clues, a new place and a new word (as far as I can remember), but all able to be worked out. Thanks to all. By the way, someone yesterday provided a link to a Dutch puzzle in the Independent – all quite achievable apart from one clue requiring knowledge of US politics, which not everybody would have.

  2. Certainly trickier than last Friday’s puzzle, completed at a canter with some head scratching – 2.5*/3.5*.

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 12a, 27a, and 4d – and the winner is 27a, or maybe it’s 4d.

    Thanks to Giovanni and DT.

  3. I agree with DT’s rating of 2*/3* for an enjoyable puzzle in which my only hold up was putting in Salem initially for 15d.

    20d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Giovanni and to DT.

    3. I already had the last two letters in 15d which precluded ‘Salem’ so I never did get it. Never heard of it and neither has Pears.

  4. Enjoyed this one, but head scratching was involved.

    Was unaware of that spelling of 19d and 23d was a new word for me.

    Thanks to the setter and to Deep Threat for his review.

  5. No sweat today but plenty of fun. 19a spelling unfamiliar to me. Nearly settled on ‘neighs’ for 3d! Fav was 24a. Many thanks as always Giovanni and DT.

  6. We put Salem in and had to resort to Google for the correct answer. Otherwise, plain sailing and enjoyable **/****
    Thanks to the Don and Deep Threat.

  7. A very comfortable and enjoyable solve from Giovanni this morning. I really liked 20d as my COTD, and overall agree with the 2*/3* rating. I recently saw a film of the same name as 15d about the civil rights movement in the US and twigged it quite quickly, so did not fall into the Salem trap.

    Many thanks to The Don and DT.

    2. Just looked at full list of events, Jools Holland? Honkytonk piano accompanies Mahler?

  10. Usual excellent Friday fare even if I have never come across the plant in 11a before or the US town (the wordplay was simple in both and google confirmed the town). Not sure about caper for game in 16a and 20d held me up for ages and was the last in. But that is nit-picking.
    My fav was 1a even tho I didn’t realise that F in Musical notation could mean strong as well as loud. I’m afraid most things to do with the Arts leave me cold as my education was almost solely science based and I haven’t a musical bone in my body along with Mrs B but I am learning.
    Thx to all

  11. Anyone get stuck on 5d in the Quickie?
    I’m a landscape architect, so I got it…………thought it pretty tricky.

    1. It is one of my blanks. I know it has a letter B probably the first letter of 9ac which is probably beer ( because Friday quickies are always pangrams) but I don’t like the clue

    2. It is one of my blanks. I know it has a letter B probably the first letter of 9ac which is probably beer ( because Friday quickies are always pangrams) but I don’t like the clue

  12. I decided to see if 19d was, like its English equivalent, the most common German family name.
    Apparently not – it is pipped at the post by Muller (Miller).

    The equivalent meanings are Kowalski (2nd place in Poland) and Ferrari (3rd place in Italy…….somehow, the latter 2 seem more romantic in their own languages.

    Can you imagine trying to market a British sports car called a Smith?

    And Stella and Stanley Smith just don’t have the same oomph as their Streetcar versions.

            1. Ferrari named the ENZO after their founder, can you imagine Lotus naming their greatest ever car, COLIN?

    2. Going back to you, I genuinely once owned a Bluebird,can’t remember if it was Datsun or Nissan in those day, but a good reliable estate car.

  13. btw – 11a pretty easy if you think of National Trust chairs……………
    (hope I don’t get sent to naughty corner!).

    1. The naughty corner is only open on prize crossword days – the rest of the time we can say what we like as long as it’s not rude, religious, political etc etc. BD is pretty liberal . . .

  14. Good week after last week which was a write off. Lots of lovely anagrams to buck me up, 20d had to be Googled, did not fall into Salem trap as I already had 22a. Thanks to Giovanni and DT, hope croquet going well. Loved quickie pun as I suspect that it where I spend most of life.

  15. Thanks to Giovanni and to Deep Threat for the review and hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, quite tricky in places. Got “neighs” for 3d, and needed the hints for 20d, which was last in. 23d was a new word for me, but I was able to solve it from the wordplay. Favourite was 14d. Was 3*/3* for me.

  16. Good puzzle again today.
    New word was 23d, easy enough to work out and Google.
    I never got 20d, my eyes are getting so bad that I didn’t notice it hadn’t been solved!
    Like Orphan Annie, I had the answer for 22a so didn’t fall into the Salem trap.
    Fave was 19a, remembered many happy hours there when I lived in London.
    Thanks to Giovanni, and to DT for his hints and tips. Enjoy your croquet, my Mum’s favourite game.

  17. ***/***. Trickier than normal and needed help with 23d which I’d not come across. 4d my favourite. Thanks to DT and Giovanni.

  18. A good end to the working week, ** for difficulty about my experience too. Last in the SE corner.

  19. Nothing too obscure or awkward in this crossword for me at least. 6d was my favourite… I think. 2/3* overall.
    Thanks to Giovanni, and to DT for the review.
    Now back to the decorating…..

  20. Just into 2* time, and 3* enjoyment in the process. I enjoyed 1a particularly. Thanks to the Don, and to DT for the review.

  21. Oh – I found this quite tricky but was trying to juggle it with visitors, cooking and watching the mens semi-finals at Wimbledon – should have done one thing at a time.
    I was defeated by 15 and 20d.
    I don’t think the answer to 9a = spots – it’s different and I’ve never heard of pills being shortened to 17a – maybe a lay person’s term.
    My favourite was 12d.
    Thanks to Giovanni and to DT.

  22. There seem to be many SELMAs in USA, this helps Mr Groening disguise in which state the Simpsons live.

  24. Very late…
    20d beat me as I did not know the university
    22d new word for me, defeated by the double lunch
    Thanks all

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