Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29085
Hints and tips by Roland Rat
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
It is Monday. There is a Cryptic crossword puzzle. Let’s call it a Monday Cryptic Crossword and be done. Then we all know what to expect. Good fun and not too difficult.
These hints and tips have been created lovingly to help those of you who may need help to solve a couple of clues or to understand why an answer is what it is. Usually a clue consists of two parts. 1. A definition, which is usually at the beginning or end of a clue. 2. Wordplay which tells to what to do to solve the clue. The hints and tips help with the wordplay of the clues. Definitions are underlined.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Clubs ask too much for entrance fee? (5,6)
COVER CHARGE: The abbreviation for playing card suit clubs is followed by a single word meaning to ramp up the cost of something. Split as per the clues required enumeration you have an entrance fee
7a Flower order, after bereavement, placed by bishop (7)
BLOSSOM: The word flower is a verb. The abbreviation for Bishop is followed by a noun describing the feeling of grief after e bereavement. This is followed by an order. In this case The Order of Merit
8a A revolt occurring (7)
ARISING: Begin with the letter A from the clue. Add a term meaning an armed protest against authority
10a Strip river vessel (5)
LINER: Begin with a stretched synonym of the word strip and add the abbreviation for river.
11a One script upset controller (9)
INSPECTOR: Anagram (upset) of ONE SCRIPT
12a Peer employing indefinite number, English without exception (3,4)
BAR NONE: A member of the lowest order of British nobility contains the mathematical symbol for an indefinite number. This is all followed by the abbreviation for English
14a Hear about old play like ‘Macbeth’ (7)
TRAGEDY: A word meaning to subject to trial (hear) surrounds another word meaning old. The result is a play dealing with distressing events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
15a Cheat‘s wits exercised during most of term (7)
TWISTER: An anagram (exercised) of WITS sits inside the first three (most of) letters of the word term
18a In Paris, met an avant-garde composer (7)
SMETANA: The answer here lies hidden amongst the letters of the clue as indicated by the word In
20a Big band has rector dancing (9)
ORCHESTRA: An anagram (dancing) of HAS RECTOR
21a Beginning to chop firm vegetable (5)
CHARD: Use the first letter of the word chop and add a word meaning firm or severe
22a Perhaps cork hat on sheila’s head (7)
STOPPER: An example of what a cork might be can be found by using the first letter of the word Sheila and adding an informal name of a formal hat such as those worn at Royal Ascot
23a One receiving support? Just the opposite for trail-blazer (7)
PIONEER: The setter generously gives us the word ONE. He then invites us to find a word meaning a support. The clue cleverly suggests what we may do with these two words to reveal the answer which suits the definition underlined in the clue above
24a Circulate in odd southern resort (2,3,6)
DO THE ROUNDS: Anagram (resort) of ODD SOUTHERN
Down
1d Singer in corner worried about nothing (7)
CROONER: An anagram (worried) of CORNER sits around the letter that looks like nothing
2d Part of helmet: caller drops it (5)
VISOR: Remove the word it from another word for a caller to find the part of a helmet that protects the eyes
3d Great tucking into eggs and lettuce in America (7)
ROMAINE: Place a synonym of the word great inside the eggs of fish
4d Cans provided by principal teacher with group (7)
HEADSET: These cans are earphones. Two synonyms are required. One for the main teacher in a school and one for a particular group of people
5d Repeat row over European price (9)
REITERATE: Begin with the reversal of a four-letter word meaning a row. Add the abbreviation for European. Add the cost or price of services offered
6d Unseemly spite shown by the Parisian in long letter (7)
EPISTLE: An anagram (unseemly) of SPITE is followed by the French word for the
7d Trousers: rings about seat (4-7)
BELL BOTTOMS: These sailor’s trousers can be found by placing a verb meaning rings around a word for your derrière or posterior. The synonym of rings is somewhat stretched for me but it is there in the dictionary
9d Rig vote in plant across railway (11)
GERRYMANDER: A widespread plant of the mint family sits outside the abbreviation for railway
13d Where snooker ball may be replaced there and then? (2,3,4)
ON THE SPOT: The exact place one puts a snooker ball also means right now or immediately
16d Press follows current northern jet set (2-5)
IN-CROWD: Begin with the symbol denoting electric current. Add the abbreviation for North. Add a word meaning to press tightly together
17d One no longer working on Hebridean island (7)
RETIREE: A two-letter word meaning on is followed by the most westerly of the Inner Hebridean Islands
18d Cleaner has mop out, circling round (7)
SHAMPOO: An anagram (out) of HAS MOP around (circling) the roundest of letters
19d American produced American film (7)
AMADEUS: This film about Mozart can be found by using the single-letter abbreviation for America, a word meaning produced or created and a second and different abbreviation for America
21d Boast over knight’s honour (5)
CROWN: Begin with a word meaning to boast or brag and add the chess notation for the knight
Quickie Puns
Top line: cows+weak=Cowes Week
Bottom line: cell+dumb=seldom
Thanks for the hints, very enjoyable crossword.
I had 7a as a noun, but as you say as a verb it works fine.
Thanks to the setter too.
All over far too quickly. I didn’t know the plant in 9d, and only vaguely recognised the composer in 18a, but the rest were completed in * time.
Thanks to the compiler and RR for the blog.
Pleasant start to the week. 4d made me smile when the penny dropped. Ta to all.
Yes a very pleasant start to the week😃**/*** Favourites from 7 & 22a and 18d 👍 Big thanks to RR and to the kind Setter 😉
Not a lot to add to the comments so far, it’s a long time since I saw 9d in print and a new plant for me.
Favourite 19d,liked the surface and loved the film .
Thanks all-hope the weather is fit for play at Lords tomorrow!
Yes, definitely a Monday Cryptic Crossword completed at a fast gallop – **/***.
Candidates for favourite – 12a, 5d, and 9d – and the winner is 9d.
Thanks to the setter and GMoLI.
Nice puzzle! Didn’t think romaine lettuce was particularly American though! (Or that ‘main’ was a synonym for ‘great’) but that could just be me being clueless 🙂.
Welcome to the blog Adam
An enjoyable (****), fairly straightforward Monday crossword of moderate difficulty (**). Thank you to the setter, particularly for the fantastic 9d- what a lovely word it is. I also liked 19d and 18a, the lurker. Thanks also to Roland Rat (another alliterative pseudonym!)
The next alliterative should occur on September 2nd Crisscross followed immediately by another on September 9th. Then the 11th and 18th November. The best laid plans may be interfered with though. Saint Sharon has bought a house I don’t want in a location I’m not happy about but I did have great fun ripping the kitchen out last week. The electrics and plumbing will come out next and then the bits I don’t want. SS won’t know what’s hit her.
I filled 4d in from the clue, but I’ve never heard of “cans” in that context. I had to google the plant in 9d just to check I’d got the right word for a “rig vote”. I spotted the lurker in 18a, which I was glad about as I’ve missed a few lurkers recently. Many thanks to the setter and to the return of Roland Rat.
I agree – a good fun crossword and not too tricky even for one with limited brain power after a very hectic weekend.
I’d never heard of 4d being called ‘cans’ so had to check that in the BRB and I’d forgotten the 9d answer and the plant.
I don’t quite see why we need ‘in America’ in 3d – it’s just a variety of lettuce.
I liked 22a and 19d. My favourite was 7d because it reminded me of a pair that I had in the early 1970’s – royal blue with red buttons! I loved them very much!
Thanks to today’s setter and to RR aka MP.
Too tired to do anything useful but I have a backlog of crosswords so will do some and the Rookie Corner one too.
I think 3d was called “cos” in England and the 3d version was originally American. That’s something that I dragged up from the depths of my tiny brain, so I could well be wrong.
I have never understood why lettuce (for example), which is 90% water, needs to be imported by boat or aeroplane. You can grow the stuff on your windowsill easily enough.
I also don’t understand why anyone would pay extra for a particular type of lettuce etc – it’s just a bunch of leaves.
I didn’t know they flew it across the Atlantic!
There is a huge difference in lettuce – iceberg is tasteless with a lovely crunch, bib lettuce is limp but with an earthy flavour, cos or 3d is more like chard, and so on.
Not being pious, and I won’t go on about it, but what about the carbon footprint – for the sake of a (90% water) leaf that tastes slightly different? Not for me.
With truly the greatest respect, maybe it’s a generation thing.
Oh, I see, you were talking about the shipping across the Atlantic. I agree, why not grow it in UK. maybe they do already, seems an expensive way to have lettuce available in the UK. I’m hot on carbon footprint, banning plastic and recycling, so not really a generation thing.
Good, glad we agree Merusa – I would hate to disagree with you
Tesco say their Romaine lettuces are currently sourced from the UK, Spain and Poland, so not quite so bad as a cross-Atlantic trip!
When the fields around here are full of the freshest asparagus the bid supermarkets sell Portugese asparagus.
An enjoyable and gentle start to the week.
All went in at a brisk canter.
Held up a little by 18a – a lurker……………..again! (And, correspondngly, my favourite clue)
And by 19d, but just because of a mis-manipulation of the exremely user-unfriendly Telegraph on-line grid.
Many thanks to Setter and resident rodent.
Over too soon, but it is Monday so all can be forgiven!
9d was favourite: it’s not often you see that answer appearing in a Telegraph cryptic.
Thanks to the setter, and to MP for his usual efforts.
A very pleasant start to the week, all went in smoothly, although not familiar with cans equalling 4d. Guess I am just showing my age. 9d is a term in frequent use over here, having allegedly named for Eldridge Gerry, a Massachusetts Governor from the early 1800s. Thanks to setter and Miffypops. That’s 3 in a row on my wavelength, so bracing for a tougher challenge tomorrow.
Didn’t know about Mr. Gerry, thanks for that.
I thought Mondays had been stiffening up a little recently, but this one was back to the ‘traditional’ mild start to the week. Pleasant, nonetheless.
Agreed, a nice on-wavelength puzzle today.
I’d no idea about “cans” in 4d, had to scroll down about four pages to find it.
Most enjoyable and hard to choose a fave, so I’m choosing 18a ‘cos I like his music.
Thanks to our Monday setter and to Roland Rat for his hints and pics, off to google him now!
Nice Monday puzzle well hinted too. 9d gets my COTD narrowly from 4d. I was going to include the lettuce too because it brought to mind a track of the same name by the Welsh psychedelic rock band Man, who did a track of the same name back in the seventies. Their version though did not include the terminal e and is so obscure I failed to find a you tube clip.
Thanks to RR and setter.
Finished quite quickly for me earlier today before travelling to the mouth of the river Sid for a visit to the wonderful Donkey Sanctuary and an overnight stay looking over the harbour .
Not read the hints/comments yet . For me a nice enjoyable challenge with 22A my favourite .
Greetings from sunny Devon.
A very rewarding puzzle over all too quickly as we await the storms. Some nice clues & not an over amount of brain twisting, hence
2*/4* ,,, favourites 9d &19d.
Thanks to setter & RR , with an absent Kevin?
Late on parade today so this made for a very pleasant early evening solve. My only problem was parsing 9d though the answer was obvious enough once a few checkers were in.
Podium places go to 5d ( the row/tier synonym seems to crop up quite a lot these days), 14a and 19d. A nice solid 2*/3* for me.
Many thanks to our Monday hinter for his customary top notch review and to the setter for a fun puzzle.
Hi Steve. The tier and row works best when the surface suggests the row is an argument. It’s similar with today’s flower when it needs to be a river.
Yes I agree MP, and these are things that would have caught me out a year or so ago, but with the help of the blog don’t (well not as often!) anymore.
A * for difficulty here, despite being attacked by a fly throughout the solving process. An enjoyable start to the week.
A combination of fun and thinking to pleasantly kick off the cruciverbal week but with no particular Fav to select. 14a and 18d put in yet another appearance. 4d bunged in then I needed help to parse. IMHO the imported 3d are these days definitely less crisp and have more coarse, darker green leaves than UK-grown Cos. Thank you Mysteron and MP.
Just popped in to say I actually did it on the day, just. Thanks to all. I trust none of you are still up.
Sleep is only practicing to be dead. Of course we are still up
Happy days. 😁
Favourites 1 and 12a and 2 and 3d. Completed without stopping to take breath. Some words or usages not known to me e.g 4d but all easy to get from the word play. I do not object to easy with such good clueing. However, I think it is too easy when you can get the answer before working out why e.g 14a and 17d. Thanks to setter and retiring MP. Surely not?
I don’t do a lot of work now Wanda. There won’t be much difference
2*/3*…..
liked 22A (perhaps cork hat on sheila’s head), for the Australian connotation.