DT 28883 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28883

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28883

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

 

Hello, everyone.  Today we have a solid, enjoyable puzzle that I thought was just right for the Tuesday back-page slot.  In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions.  Clicking on the Answer buttons will reveal the answers.  In some hints hyperlinks provide additional explanation or background.  Clicking on a picture will enlarge it or display a bonus illustration.  Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

 

Across

1a    With regard to something to be chewed over, editor concentrated (7)
REDUCED:  Put together a short word for "with regard to", the reversal (… over) of something chewed by a cow, and the abbreviation for editor

5a    Very many attend lessons? Only some (7)
ENDLESS:  The answer is hiding as only some of the letters in the remainder of the clue

9a    Second appliance on which to sit (5)
STOOL:  Follow the single-letter abbreviation for second by an appliance or implement 

10a   Responses from one racist criminal (9)
REACTIONS:  An anagram (criminal) of ONE RACIST

11a   Debate is back on after athletic event (10)
DISCUSSION:  Take the reversal (… back) of IS from the clue, affix ON from the clue, and then place all of that after an athletic event involving throwing

12a   Result leaving Conservative annoyed (4)
SORE:  From the quantitative result of a sporting contest delete the single-letter abbreviation for Conservative (… leaving Conservative)

14a   Work in America with a group of politicians where experiments take place? (12)
LABORATORIES:  A charade of the American spelling of a synonym for work, A from the clue, and an informal name for a group of politicians like the one appearing in the previous clue

18a   I'm to test soldiers and time small advances (12)a22
IMPROVEMENTS:  Concatenate I'M from the clue, test or show, a generic word for soldiers, the physics symbol for time, and the clothing abbreviation for small

21a   Terrible anger shown by Democrat (4)
DIRE:  The single-letter abbreviation for Democrat is followed by a noun meaning anger or rage 

22a   Locks the pits for 24 hours? (3,4,3)
BAD HAIR DAY:  A cryptic definition of a period of 24 hours where everything seems to go wrong, so-called because it might start with the locks on one's head being unmanageable

25a   Segregation is new to a lion (9)
ISOLATION:  IS from the clue with an anagram (new) of TO A LION

26a   Musical I have rejected with thanks (5)
EVITA:  The contracted form of "I have" is reversed (… rejected) and followed by a short word of thanks

27a   Letter, strangely, is open about student (7)
EPSILON:  Obtain a Greek letter from an anagram (strangely) of IS OPEN containing (about) the single letter indicating a learner (student) driver

28a   So hard to make a comeback with tragic female party leader (7)
HOSTESS:  Fuse together SO from the clue and the pencil abbreviation for hard.  That letter combination is then reversed (… to make a comeback) and a tragic female created by Thomas Hardy appended to it.  The result is a "party leader" who also happens to be female

 

Down

1d    Stay in bed -- is Eric getting up? (6)
RESIDE:  Another lurker.  The answer is hidden reversed (getting up, in a down clue) in the remainder of the answer

2d    Tired arguments in both ends of day (6)
DROWSY:  Some arguments inserted in the letters at both ends of DAY

3d    A collar cut off for summer? (10)
CALCULATOR:  An anagram (off) of A COLLAR CUT

4d    Runs  game (5)
DARTS:  A double definition.  Runs or moves rapidly, and a throwing game often accompanied by beer

5d    Fancy bishop with alcohol returning to make a speech (9)
ELABORATE:  Join together the chess abbreviation for bishop and a (3) alcoholic drink.  That lot is then reversed (returning) and has a verb meaning "to make a speech" appended

6d    Regularly dial the girlfriend, perhaps (4)
DATE:  Alternate letters (regularly) in DIAL THE 

7d    Cheap comic? One's funny (8)
ECONOMIC:  An anagram (… 's funny) of COMIC ONE

8d    Anticipation from smell perhaps surrounding us with starter in pizzeria (8)
SUSPENSE:  Something that smell is an example of (… perhaps) containing (surrounding) both US from the clue and the first letter of (starter in) PIZZERIA

13d   Vessels, for instance, at sea with no female (10)
CONTAINERS:  An anagram (… at sea) of [f]OR INSTANCE minus the abbreviation for female (with no female)

15d   Management alternative? About time (9)
OPERATION:  An alternative is wrapped about a long period of time

16d   Animals and birds go crazy first (8)
WILDLIFE:  A noun meaning go or vigour is preceded by a synonym of crazy (… crazy first)

17d   Pretended to encourage debts (8)
SPURIOUS:  Make an adjective meaning pretended by cementing together encourage or urge and some documents acknowledging debts 

19d   A daughter with immoral habit getting counselling (6)
ADVICE:  Link together A from the clue, the genealogical abbreviation for daughter, and an immoral habit

20d   Ignore boy heartlessly with free ticket (6)
BYPASS:  Amalgamate the outer letters (… heartlessly) of BOY and a free ticket

23d   Feeling hungry, wanting half before church (5)
HUNCH:  Half of HUNGRY is placed before the map abbreviation for church

24d   End story, we're told (4)
TAIL:  A homophone (… we're told) of a story or narrative

 

Thanks to the setter for a fun solve.  Top clues for me today were 16d and 23d.  Which ones did you like best?

 


The Quick Crossword pun:  HARES + PREYS = HAIRSPRAYS


31 comments on “DT 28883

  1. Pleasant enough solve although the clue construction seemed quite repetitive at times. Felt like lots of words within words (not sure of the technical term for this).

    COTD = 23d for the nice mis-direction. Also liked 3d and 28a.

    LOI was 15d where the synonym feels somewhat stretched. Also have a bit of a quibble with 16d although this may be pedantry on my part 😳

    Thanks to the setter and Mr K for the blog.

  2. Yes a nice steady solve today without too much effort .

    Enjoyed the pictures in the hints and somehow then remembered that the 9A answer has more than one meaning .

    Thanks to everyone .

  3. No particular favourite this morning although there were one or two candidates already mentioned above, but nothing stood out for me. Very straightforward and fun while it lasted.

    Thanks to both Misters.

  4. I will admit to failing today, being just two letters short. It was 12a that caused the problem, with only two vowels in as checkers, I just couldn’t see it.

    Many thanks to the setter and Mr K for the hints.

  5. Hurrah a nice straight forward(ish) puzzle **/*** 🤗 Originally I had the first word of the Quicky as the answer to 4d and 12a took a while to figure out 😳 favourites 22a & 16d 😃 Big thanks to Mr K for his delightfully Illustrated blog especially 2d and 16d, and of course to the Setter for providing something within my comfort zone 😉

  6. Agree with KFB that this was a steady solve for me too, and like Mr K went for a **/*** on completion.
    Loved the pic for 2d, I found out by accident that if I save the image in my documents that the image retains it’s movement when I forward it-IT is not my forte !
    Liked 16d-are the goats really in that tree ?, also liked 28a and thought 22a was a very original clue which produced a d’oh moment.
    Thanks all for a pleasant puzzle.

  7. There were a couple of misdirections which nearly, but not quite fooled me – ‘summer’ in 3D and the second word in the Quickie pun – quite naughty for a quick crossword. Got the whole pun, but it took me a little while to get the alternative pronunciation of that little word. Oooh!

  8. Once the old grey matter ground into gear this was a pleasant and steady solve with the South falling into line first. In 15d I wasted time looking for something to go around the letter T. Fav was 22a with 15d and 17d joint runners-up. Thank you Mysteron and MrK.

  9. I found this a bit of a mixed bag. I didn’t care for the synonyms 15d and 17d but balanced by a couple of clever misdirections.
    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K (needed your help for a couple) for the review, nice to see the felines back this week.

  10. Thanks for a nice easy solve, whilst husband is at the vet with the dog I have the DT to myself! Really liked 22a and the delightfully sleepy kitten.

  11. Very enjoyable esp 20a which I lived on some many ways. Not sure about the tragic female, always managed to avoid Hardy like the plague.
    **/****
    Thx to all

  12. Had a debate with myself over the parsing of 16d but nothing else caused any problems.
    Joint favourites were 22a and Mr K’s delightful pics!

    Thanks to Mr Ron and to Mr K – pleased to see that you’re back on form, at least as far as blogging is concerned.

  13. A pleasant puzzle with my vote for favourite clue also going to the predictably popular 22a.

    Many thanks to setter and to Mr K.

  14. Thanks to the setter and to Mr Kitty for the review and hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, mostly straightforward, but a few tricky ones. Last in was 25a. I liked 2d,but my favourite was 22a. Was 2*/3* for me.

  15. Enjoyable puzzle and not a brain fryer. I never did solve 12a, it’s easy when you have the answer!
    I’m going for 2d as my fave if only for the pic, loved it.
    Thanks to our Tuesday setter and to Mr. Kitty for the hints and lovely pics.

  16. After yesterday’s struggle with Dada, today was a welcome return to form, just the SW corner holding me up. No particular favourite, but just a good all round puzzle, thanks all.

  17. Remember seeing these goats climbing Argan trees in Morocco. Fun picture.
    16d was the reason for visiting the blog to check if I parsed it right.
    And to read what everyone had to say of course.
    Long live the blog.
    Thanks to BD, Mr K and the setter.

  18. Another good day in crossword land. Favourite was 22a, and the kitten picture at 2d. Thanks to setter and Mr K.

  19. I seemed to have a complete blind spot as far as 12ac was concerned, but the rest was pretty straightforward and enjoyable.

  20. Long hard day today hence late post. Needed a well constructed Crossword to come home to and was not failed. Thank you so much Setter. Double took 16 down, Loved 22 Across – had a girl worked for me decades ago permanently suffering these! Last one to fall was 12 Across. Just the job. Thank you to hinter (though confess not read them) and not had a chance to read the other comments. Only really popped on to say thanks for the gracious wind down!

  21. Nice Tuesday fare.easier in the top than the bottom. A few stupid spelling mistakes slowed me too. No probs with 12a here once I realised the answer had a c removed rather than added. 22a and all the pics get my accolade today. Thanks Mr K and setter too.

  22. Thanks to everyone who commented today, with extra thanks for the remarks appreciating the illustrations.

    From the comments above it looks like that this puzzle hit the sweet spot for difficulty. Thanks again to our setter.

  23. Loved this puzzle having been defeated by Monday’s … and so pleased you felt able to include some felines again this week, Mr K. Thanks to you and the setter.

  24. 2*/3*
    COD 22A (locks the pits for 24 hours), for which the picture in the hints & tips was v funny-also liked the other pics.

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