DT 28858 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 28858

by Miffypops  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28858

Hints tips and tidy up points by a masterful Miffypops

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Today’s Monday merriment has been served up and garnished by Dada so I am reliably told. Dada enjoys running marathons. Never run after a woman or a bus. There will always be another behind. I only enjoyed running away from the police or running on a Rugby field. Both had their moments of success and both had their moments of failure. Today’s puzzle is an enjoyable romp. Do as you are asked and the solve will follow accompanied by smiles and groans.

The hints and tips and rambling thoughts are here to help if you need them. The definitions are underlined, and the answers lie beneath the greyed out boxes. Illustrations may or may not be relevant to the solutions.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Table of records, those to be rubbed out? (3,4)
HIT LIST: A table of top selling single or long-playing records might share its name with a table of targets for an assassin

5a    Reportedly bankrupt, work in waiter’s place (3,4)
BUS STOP: a homophone of a word which means to go bankrupt is followed by the two-letter abbreviation for a musical work. The result is where people queue to await public transport

9a    White on the table, let the party start! (3,4)
CUE BALL: The white spherical object on a snooker table can be a prompt to start a formal social gathering for dancing

10a    Country music player drinking water (7)
UKRAINE: The shortened name of a small guitar shaped instrument goes outside (drinking) a form of precipitation

11a    South American greeting Japanese food (5)
SUSHI: Begin with the abbreviations for South United States. Add an informal greeting

12a    Unpleasant people welcomed by nasty client (9)
INCLEMENT: An anagram (nasty) of CLIENT has inside it (welcomed) a group of people. Male people. Not children.

13a    Dining partner gobbling final piece of salmon up (7)
WINNING: A word which often partners the word dining has the final letter of the word Salmon inserted. I like the definition here.

14a    Conservatives working to be with it (5-2)
RIGHT-ON: The side to which the conservatives lean is followed by a short word meaning working.

16a    Dogs, primarily brave, useful things (7)
BASSETS: Add things of value and worth to the initial letter (primarily) of brave

19a    Problem about student put to one side (7)
DEFLECT: Place an imperfection around the abbreviation for a learner

22a    Character, outstanding on the radio, that’s hard to see through (3-6)
PEA-SOUPER: Begin with a letter from the alphabet. Then find a five-letter word that means great, marvellous, first rate, outstanding, remarkable, dazzling, magnificent, wonderful, exceptional etc etc. The letter and the word said aloud but written 3,6 makes a name describing a certain type of air pollution. One such prolonged spell in 1952 was responsible for approximately 12,000 deaths in London. I can remember these from my childhood in Coventry

24a    Bird gripping bunny’s tail, a scavenger (5)
HYENA: A female bird can be wrapped around the final letter of bunny. Add the letter a from the clue

25a    Sneeze — say what may catch it? (7)
ATISHOO: Hopefully, before one sneezes, one reaches for a disposable piece of absorbent paper to use as a handkerchief. The sound of a sneeze sounds like (say) the name of one of these papers

26a    Electricity in the news? (7)
CURRENT: Happening now or the flow of electricity. Same word for both

27a    General struggling to grow (7)
ENLARGE: Anagram (struggling) of GENERAL

28a    Top, one visibly under pressure? (7)
SWEATER: A woolly jumper might also describe somebody perspiring due to being put under pressure. I so wanted this answer to begin with the letter P

Down

1d    Journalist witnessed something used for cutting (7)
HACKSAW: A slang term for a journalist is followed by a verb meaning to have seen with the eyes makes a tool for cutting metal

2d    That’s criminal putting last of sugar in cuppa, boy! (7)
TREASON: Place the final letter of the word sugar into your morning cuppa cha. Add your male child.

3d    Put on a slope, it is held by girl (9)
ITALICISE: Begin with the word IT from the clue. Place the word IS (also from the clue) inside a girl’s name and add what you have to the word IT. Which girl? A Liddell one.

4d    Effective narration (7)
TELLING: A double definition the first being an adjective meaning having a striking or revealing effect

5d    Heavy delivery (7)
BOUNCER: A heavy working the doors of nightclubs, now known as doorstaff, or. in cricket, a ball bowled fast and short so as to rise high after pitching

6d    Growth that’s good, certain to impress (5)
SURGE: Find an adjective meaning certain and insert the abbreviation for good. The adjective impresses the abbreviation

7d    Spear I had found in river (7)
TRIDENT: Nottingham’s river contains the shortened form of I had

8d    Lie in pool endlessly somewhere in Lancashire (7)
PRESTON: To lie as in to take one’s ease is placed within a pool of water but without its final letter.

15d    Remarkable foresight unappreciated animal presented? (4,5)
GIFT HORSE: Anagram (remarkable) of FORESIGHT. I didn’t spot the anagram until writing the hint.

16d    Winger moving in, able to collect first of passes (7)
BIPLANE: Anagram (moving) of IN ABLE together with the first letter of the word Passes

17d    Best friend, perhaps, leaps in, barking (7)
SPANIEL: Anagram (barking) of LEAPS IN

18d    Expect to drink with model (7)
SUPPOSE: A three-letter word meaning to drink is followed by a word meaning to sit or model

19d    Credits switched for points (7)
DIRECTS: Anagram (switched) of CREDITS

20d    Mountain most uncompromising, peak unseen (7)
EVEREST: Find an adjective which means most uncompromising or most harsh and remove its first letter. Or simply put in the first mountain that comes into your head.

21d    Sample including old electrical device (7)
TOASTER: A sample includes the abbreviation for old.

23d    Different relative doffing cap (5)
OTHER: Yer Ma as she is properly known but minus her first letter.

I Do Like Mondays. How about You?

Quickie Pun: foreign+sick=forensic

43 comments on “DT 28858”

  1. Like the man says, ‘an enjoyable romp’. Four mini puzzles in one. Most enjoyable Monday fare. Thanks to Dada and MP alike.

  2. Four quarters proceeded smoothly clockwise from NW. Took a bit longer in SW sorting out the various dogs wingers and relatives.
    Thanks to Miffypops and Dada. I will read the blog later when I have been to York with mum for coffee and cakes at Bettys

      1. Didn’t have a Fat Rascal but had a nice bit of Stem Ginger Loaf and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. Mums treat so never look a 15d in the mouth.

  3. Yes, MP, I do like Mondays.

    2* / 3*. Light fun and all very enjoyable despite a couple of strange surfaces.

    Reading 24a is not good for a rabbit’s nerves.

    5a was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Dada and to MP.

  5. Very enjoyable – my only hold up was writing the 25a solution where 26a was supposed to go and then wondering why the clues in the SE corner didn’t work

    Thanks to Dada and MP

  6. Great fun.

    I like to do Dada crosswords or should that be…De Do Da Da crosswords.

    Oh do shut errrrrrrrrrrrrrp, Sir Linkalot.

  7. A terrific start to the solving week once again from Dada. Nothing terribly taxing, but great entertainment and loads to enjoy. My personal favourite was 10a although I wouldn’t disagree with anyone else’s pick.

    Thanks to the aforementioned and to MP.

  8. Gentle start to the week with the West 13a from the East. Not sure about 19a and 6d. 25a provided a LOL moment. Thank you Dada and MP.

  9. Another excellent Monday offering from Dada despite, as RD noted, a few odd surface reads.
    15d was one of the best concealed anagrams I’ve seen in a while – like MP, I’d written in the answer long before the penny dropped.

    Thanks to Dada for a fun start to the week and thanks to MP for the blog.

  10. I like your comments about not running… do you know the Grook by Piet Hein?
    “It ought to be plain how little you gain
    By getting excited and vexed?
    You’re always too late for the previous train
    And always in time for the next.”

    Penny

    1. Love it. Googled it and found this..

      Timing Toast

      There’s an art of knowing when.
      Never try to guess.
      Toast until it smokes and then
      twenty seconds less.

      Thank you Penny

      1. Piet Hein wrote some fantastic Grooks – sadly they are no longer published. My favourite is

        Some people cower and wince and shrink
        Owing to fear of what people may think
        There is one answer to worries like these
        People may think what the devil they please.

        Each Grook is accompanied by a great line drawing!

    3. Thanks Penny
      “There’s Nothing Makes A Greenland Whale Feel Half So High-And-Mighty,
      As Sitting On A Mantelpiece
      In Aunty Mabel’s Nighty.”.

      M. Peake 1944

      I think you have started a few peeps on a google adventure Penny. Who is going to quote Lear First?

  11. Another very pleasurable, fresh and vibrant Monday puzzle from Dada, all clues solvable without having an encyclopedic range of general knowledge knowledge, which is how it should be. Among others 5d and 5a were two that made me smile. Many thanks to aforementioned setter and MP for his crystal clear and entertaining review.
    Ps didn’t 3d appear on Friday ?

  14. Piet Hein – what a find! And as presumably they were written in Dutch how very well they are translated. Nice easy ride on a gloriously sunny day here in Cambridge,3d was last in and I too had done15d before I realised it was an anagram. I still enjoyed reading Miffypops analysis but do I detect a hint of chauvinism in a man who declares himself masterful and refuses to run after a woman?

    1. Only a hint of chauvinism? I help with all of the household chores by keeping right out of the way. I could have been melancholy or mercurial or magesterial.

      1. …… Or modest?

        Is the definition in 1a that bit of the clue? I thought it was the second bit.

        1. Or memoryless. I forgot to underline the definitions this morning so as usual BD does the bits I forget. He never complains or even mentions it. The line between definition and wordplay in 1ac is fine.

          1. You missed my point. I didn’t say anything about a link between definition and wordplay. I said I thought the definition part of the clue was the second part.

  15. Finished over a bowl of parsnip and cumin soup. Very enjoyable. The soup and the crossword. Like John Bee, I started in the NW corner and then worked my way round clockwise. I thought that we had something similar to 3d a few days ago, but no matter. 5a and 9a brought a smile. Many thanks Dada and Miffypops.

  16. A very nice start to the week. Completed well within my personal target time. Lots of fine clues including 1a, 5a, 9a, 15a and 28a with 5d being my favourite.,

  17. Thanks to Dada and to Miffypops for the review and hints. Very nice start to the week. Four mini puzzles completed SW, SE, NW, NE. Last in was 10a. Favourite was 9a, great definition. Was 2*/3* for me.

  18. 1a made me think of our blogger from Warrington.
    Rewrote the clue: Table of records, first in has upset Tilsit (3,4)
    Made my way through anticlockwise solving each corner before attempting the next.
    Thanks to Dada and to MP.

  19. Thank you Miffypops.
    The Hollies are my all time favourite group!
    A really fun puzzle today..so many great clues,probably a toss up between 9a and10a.
    Thanks to Dada.

  21. 2/4. Very enjoyable but needed to get a toe hold in each quarter to get going. I solved this NW, SE, NE and finally SW. Thanks to the setter and MP for the review.

  22. An odd grid that made for four isolated puzzles. Thankfully this was extremely easy otherwise solving might have been… interesting if I had got stuck anywhere. First in the NW corner, worked anti-clockwise finishing in the NE.

  24. Again, like others have said, four puzzles in one, I started in the NE and went round clockwise thereafter. I’ve never done that before! Very odd….
    5d was my top clue.
    Thanks to Dada for an entertaining puzzle, and MP as usual for his equally entertaining review.

  25. A bit busy today so a bit late in commenting and now a bit tired.
    Very enjoyable – both the crossword and the hints – I found this rather tricky to begin with but soon got going.
    Lots of good clues including 1 and 5a and 17d and, my favourite, 2d.
    With thanks to Dada and to MP.

  27. Most enjoyable – some very funny clues & answers – loved it. More More More. Thanx to all concerned.

  28. Always look forward to BD video clips
    Forgotten how much I enjoyed the Muppet show!

  30. Very enjoyable solve – even though I had to tough it out on the N.E. front !! TY to the compositor – NICE ONE !! :)

Comments are closed.