DT 29211 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29211

by Miffypops  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29211

Hints and tips by Fagin

 

 

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A super start to the week. Some throw ins to start. Anagrams to help fill the grid. A testing finish. Just what the doctor ordered.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Vet slack film script (10)
SCREENPLAY: Begin with a verb meaning to vet or check over. Add a word meaning slack or free movement in a mechanism

6a    Dishonest scheme of rascal cut short (4)
SCAM: Remove the last letter of a rascal or scallywag

9a    Statesmen failed to hold small financial checks (5,5)
MEANS TESTS: An anagram (failed) of STATESMAN which holds the abbreviation for small

10a    Money runs out for swimmer (4)
BASS: An informal noun used to denote money minus the cricketing abbreviation for runs will give is a swimmer or fish. This fish is edible. Thanks to the setter for providing a snack so early in the solve

12a    Storage chamber, likewise, enthralling the Italian (4)
SILO: The Italian for “the” sits inside a word meaning likewise

13a    Working in a centre for fruit (9)
NECTARINE: An anagram (working) of IN A CENTRE will produce a nice piece of fruit to wash down the fish at 10 across

15a    Illumination coming from fire in grate, primarily (8)
LIGHTING: Treat the word fire as a verb. Add the word in from the clue. Add the initial letter of grate

16a    Prime Minister must accept rubbish start to election for now (3,3)
PRO TEM: The abbreviation for Prime Minister needs a word meaning rubbish and the initial letter of Election inserting

18a    Busy person going about work with quiet shepherdess (2-4)
BO-PEEP: Place a busy person (also an insect) around the abbreviation for a musical work. Add the letter that denotes quiet in musical notation

20a    Greek papers and press showing American sports field (8)
GRIDIRON: Begin with an abbreviation for Greek. Add one’s personal papers. Add a word meaning to press clothes to remove creases.

23a    One of baby’s complaints – any perhaps treated out East? (5,4)
NAPPY RASH: Anagram (treated) of ANY PERHAPS but minus the letter E (out east)

24a    Expletive coming from boathouse (4)
OATH: The answer lies hidden within the words of the clue. The words coming from suggest that it is so

26a    Produce good line (4)
GROW: The abbreviation for good is followed by a line or queue

27a    Leaving rest unprepared (3,7)
OFF BALANCE: A word meaning on holiday is followed by a word meaning the rest of, especially in financial terms. On holiday is a good thing. We are going to Lynton and Lynmouth next month

28a    Fish in barrel at front of aquarium (4)
TUNA: A large barrel is followed by the first letter of the word aquarium. Put it in a sandwich for another snack

29a    Fortunate, a short time before, also (4,2,4)
JUST AS WELL: Begin with a word meaning in the immediate past. Add two words which mean also.

Down

1d    Problem over wrestling style (4)
SUMO: A mathematical problem is followed by the abbreviation for over

2d    Studying danger at sea involving current (7)
READING: An anagram (at sea) of DANGER also includes the abbreviation used in electronics to denote current

3d    Not difficult covering London landmark, pleasant to look at (4,2,3,3)
EASY ON THE EYE: A simply word meaning not difficult is followed by a word meaning covering. This is then followed by a London landmark which opened for business on December 31st 1999. That’s twenty years ago. Twenty years? Where did that time go? The answer is what I thought when I first saw Saint Sharon

4d    Expecting page on ruling (8)
PREGNANT: The abbreviation for page is followed by a verb meaning ruling. I would expect this clue was solved by most people from the definition of the first word only

5d    Set on having a little time on course (6)
ATTACK: Begin with the letter A from the clue. Add the abbreviation for time. Add the course that a sailing boat takes

7d    Ceremonial carriage coming from church, a striking display (7)
CHARIOT: The abbreviation for church. The letter A from the clue. A striking display of colour perhaps

8d    Object to supporting expert in TV show (10)
MASTERMIND: A word meaning to object to something comes after (supports in a down clue) a word describing an expert. The result is a TV show once hosted by Magnus Magnusson

11d    Bar led lads astray about noughts and crosses (12)
LABRADOODLES: An anagram (astray) of BAR LED LADS goes around two letters that look like noughts. The crosses are ridiculous mongrels.

14d    Soar past broken-down thing, unreliable (3-2-5)
FLY BY NIGHT: Begin with a verb meaning to soar. Add a word meaning past. Add an anagram (broken down) of THING

17d    Ban for husband took effect after one (8)
PROHIBIT: Begin with a prefix meaning for. Add the abbreviation of husband. Add the letter that looks like the number one. Add a word meaning took effect.

19d    Fizzy drink with my northern cinema fare? (7)
POPCORN: Start with a fizzy drink. Add an exclamation suggested by my which often precedes the word blimey. Now add the abbreviation for northern. Our setter has surpassed himself in providing sustenance to aid the solve.

21d    Followers reunite, intoxicated (7)
RETINUE: Anagram (intoxicated) of REUNITE

22d    Departed hastily, we hear, following staff complaint that’s exaggerated (3,3)
MAN FLU: An indirect homophone of a word meaning ran off hurriedly follows a word meaning to provide with staff. Apparantly God gave women the pain of childbirth so they could almost understand the agony we chaps go through with this complaint

25d    Timber trade (4)
DEAL: A simple double definition. No further explanation necessary

Quickie Puns:

Top line: mined+sigh=mind’s eye

Bottom line: toot+sweet=toot suite

 

33 comments on “DT 29211”

  1. I agree with our blogger that this was straightforward, enjoyable and rewarding to complete (at least I think that’s what he meant). Lots of goodies, of which the topical 16a stood out the most.

    Thanks to our double pun setter and MP.

  2. I enjoyed this puzzle and it was sufficiently demanding to provide a nice Monday challenge (**/****). I liked 1a, 3d and 4d. Thanks to Fagin for the hints and to the setter

  3. Enjoyable, especially after Sunday’s one. A **\****.19D favourite as I missed the ‘my’ clue.
    Thanks to Fagin, I note in 27A you mention a trip to Lynmouth and Lynton. For what it’s worth I consider this to be the most wonderful part of Britain, many happy memories along this beautiful coastline.

    1. I’m not sure how we can be in two places at once but I will try my hardest. Does the Bonnicott Hotel know what it is in for?

      1. In your efforts to be in two places at once, you could always choose a room with two tall thin windows, run at them phenomenally fast and see what happens on the other side………
        ………..or so quantum theory would suggest.

  5. I thought this was a cracking crossword. 22d was COTD, I took a lot of convincing that the second word would end in U.
    As MP observed, there were a few gimmies (1a, for example), but a few that took some working out.
    Thanks all…

      1. Crikey – just played it but couldn’t bear to watch it!
        They had some remarkable ideas as to editing in the early 70s by the looks of it

  6. Yes, a lovely puzzle to start the week. My favourites were 20a and 22d.

    Grateful thanks to the setter and to Fagin for the hints.

  8. I usually find our double-punned setter trickier than this – solved in a proper Monday time and enjoyed myself too

    Thanks to the D-PS and Fagin

  10. All in accord today with a breezy light hearted puzzle, a */*** for me.
    Last in was 11d, took a while to unscramble the anagram until the penny dropped-lovely surface and my clue of the day.
    The ‘crosses’ are certainly very popular where I live as they are quiet and do not moult apparently.
    Another quickie with a ‘bottom line’ got this one wrong as I put hoot in for 22a!

    1. I don’t know what you mean by these ‘crosses’ being quiet. I fostered one last month, he might not have barked much, but oh boy ‘excitable’ doesn’t do him justice. Any new contact, scent, food, and he would be leaping around or running in circles. A real handful.

      1. I’ve been sponsoring training for Guide Dogs for the blind for some years. Quite a few puppies were the ‘crosses’ in question. Apparently they make good guide dogs and cause no allergy issues for their owners parhaps because there is no moulting

  11. I never did get 22d and 11d took a very long time.
    I don’t know how people live with that particular cross breed , one half of which wants to launch itself constantly at the door and the other just wants to settle down on a fireside rug. Did someone think there would be a happy medium? Nice personality, but they give a new meaning to the concept of “interval training”….

  12. First Monday completed unaided for a while. 1a and d were last in though I don’t see why after the event. It took a while to see the excitable dog (I was trying to get an X in the fodder instead of 2 O’s)
    Thanks to Fagin et al.

  14. Enjoyable but not too easy. 10a held me up because I got the wrong fish. There is another synonym for money which does give the name of a fish when the r is removed. Last one in 11d very clever but didn’t spot the definition until I read the hint. Thanks to setter and Fagin.

  15. An enjoyable start to the week, and a relief after my abysmal efforts yesterday. There were a few where I got the answer from the checkers, rather than the clue itself. Didn’t know the labradoodles were such a handful, thought they would be more like the wonderful yellow lab we had many years ago. Although he wasn’t the typical staid personality, and very Peter Pan in his attitude. Thanks to setter and Fagin.

  17. Very entertaining puzzle of which 14 and 22d vied for top spot and an equally entertaining but crystal clear blog from Fagin.
    Many thanks to the setter and to MP for the fun.

  18. 22d clue of the day. Many thanks to the setter and Miffypops. Off into the kitchen now to bag up minestrone soup for the freezer. I’ve made enough for an army.

  19. Having a bit more free time now. Winter opening hours oblige.
    Managed to complete before Question for a Champion which is just starting on TV.
    Only had problems with 29a. The first word took a while.
    Solved the cryptic 578 too. Good one.
    Thanks to the setter for the workout and to MP.
    Remembered Fagin’s Kitchen in Hampstead. Great restaurant. And none of these fancy sea bass with nectarines and popcorn. Just good old British Food with sloppy desserts.

  20. Very good fun and went well with a rare sunny day.11ac had me doubting everything I had previously got,asI was trying to fit both O and X into the anagram.Eventually got that sorted so it must count as clue of the day.

  21. Glad everyone else found this easy. I thought it was really tricky. Needed the hints to explain much of the wordplay.
    Little fun, too difficult for me.
    ****/**
    Thx for the hints

    1. Brian, your ratings are exactly what I thought. Very tricky puzzle, needing half a dozen hints to finish.

  22. A lot of it was really plain sailing, a few took a little longer .I give 22d top marks.
    Thanks to Miffypops and the setter.

  23. Got home a couple of hours ago after a day at Kew Gardens with my best buddy, his sister who lives in South Africa, and another friend. Wonderful – so much nicer than in summer when it’s too hot and too crowded.
    Well, I loved it all – pretty straightforward for the most part and then things became a bit trickier with my last couple of answers.
    For the first time ever I did remember to look for the double pun – I think it’s probably ‘tout de suite’ and I’m surprised no-one else had said so – sorry MP!
    All really good fun.
    Good clues for me include the topical 16a, :roll: and 18a and 14d. My favourite, and last answer, was 22d.
    With thanks to the setter and to MP.

  24. Nothing to frighten the horses here. 11d took a bit of untangling and the first word of 29a was slow to come. Oddly enough 10a was the last one I filled in. Thought of the fish but did not get the money straightaway. 23a I got before spotting the anagram but clever anagram. Cannot understand the problems encountered by one or two. Obviously a wavelength thing. Thank you setter and MP for the humour although hints not needed. */****. I often think it takes more skill to compile a crossword which is easy to solve and fun. 20a and 4 11 and 14d get my accolade.

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