DT 29266 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 29266

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29266

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

Summer has really arrived now. Today we have some low cloud but most of the days in the last week have clear and sunny with temperatures in the mid twenties. Just how we like it.

We must all have been well behaved this week so, as a special treat, Jay has taken us on a visit to the zoo.

 Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Limb concealed by most exotic creatures (7)
MARMOTS : An upper torso limb is inside an anagram (exotic) of MOST.

9a     Impoverished country lacking a good part of hospital (8)
INDIGENT : Remove ‘A’ from a major Asian country. Then G(ood) and the crossword setter’s favourite hospital department.

10a     Notice father in study, without expression (7)
DEADPAN : Another word for a study surrounds a two letter publicity notice and an informal word for father.

11a     Entertainer of television etc taken in by hoax (8)
COMEDIAN : A hoax or swindle surrounds a collective word for broadcasting organisations.

12a     Toy gun found on top of this (6)
TRIFLE : The first letter (top) of this and then a type of gun.

13a     The majority of jungle beasts confronting small rabbit-like creature (5,5)
LIONS SHARE : King of the jungle beasts plus S(mall) and a rabbit-like creature that a fable has racing against a tortoise.

15a     Queen once forbidden to go naked (4)
ANNE : Remove the first and last letters from a synonym of forbidden.

16a     Helpful types needing Her Majesty in party merchandise (2-7)
DO-GOODERS : The two letter word for a party and then merchandise that is often associated with services, contains Her Majesty’s regnal cipher.

21a     Rows of pigs with no head (4)
OARS : Remove the first letter from male pigs.

22a     Husband found lacking in his greatest failed schemes (10)
STRATEGIES : An anagram (failed) of (h)IS GREATEST once the abbreviation for husband has been removed.

24a     Provisional section of contract in Germany (6)
ACTING : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

25a     Resort seeing case of reasonable progress (8)
RECOURSE : The first and last letters (case of) of reasonable and then progress or procedure.

27a     Animal‘s mistake eating fibre regularly (7)
GIRAFFE : The second and fourth letters of ‘fibre’ are inside a mistake that could be described as ‘putting your foot in it’.

28a     Set that may ring or call in poorly (8)
CARILLON : An anagram (poorly) of OR CALL IN.

29a     State real changes coming after last month (7)
DECLARE : The last month of the year and then an anagram (changes) of REAL.

Down

2d     Saying from the Bible on making a mistake (8)
AVERRING : The letters denoting the Authorised Version of the Bible, plus making a mistake.

3d     Changed doctor and stopped accepting life without protection (8)
MODIFIED : A military doctor, and then stopped or expired contains the two central letters (without protection) from the word ‘life’.

4d     Moving account of Tuareg love in a whirl (10)
TRAVELOGUE : An anagram (in a whirl) of TUAREG LOVE.

5d     Very keen on some twin towns (4)
INTO : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

6d     Carnivorous animals in Channel Islands — who will treat them? (6)
CIVETS : The two letter abbreviation for Channel Islands and then animal doctors.

7d     Bird — large one found in typical American pie (7)
PELICAN : L(arge) and the Roman numeral one are inside a typical American pie made with nuts.

8d     Second fiddle? That’s a difficult question (7)
STINKER : The abbreviation for second and then fiddle or make minor adjustments.

11d     Line of children seeing potential danger in water (9)
CROCODILE : A double definition.

14d     A team supporting measures makes way (5,5)
STEPS ASIDE : Measures or actions taken, then ‘A’ from the clue and another word for a team.

17d      Bowled everyone after easy game (8)
SOFTBALL : Easy or not hard, then the cricket abbreviation for bowled and a word meaning everyone.

18d     Oddly safe in coach without one change (8)
TRANSFER : Start with a coach of a sports team.  Remove the letter represented by ‘one’. Now add in (but in a different place) the first and third letters of ‘safe’.

19d     African runner with nothing on way, being affluent (7)
OSTRICH : The letter that looks like a zero, then the abbreviation for street (way) and a word for affluent.

20d     Go round people to find ornamental work (7)
TRACERY : A go or attempt surrounds people or nation.

23d     Ruffle EU — lots must be upset (6)
TOUSLE : An anagram (must be upset) of EU LOTS.

26d     Time to replace learner in sluggish pack (4)
STOW : Start with a word meaning sluggish, then replace its L(earner) with T(ime).

Quickie pun     pores    +   fourth    +    aught     =    pause for thought

60 comments on “DT 29266

  1. 3*/4*. After completing three corners of this very enjoyable puzzle I was on course for less than my 2* time but I got held up quite considerably in the SW.

    Joint favourites: 11a & 13a with a special mention for the Quickie pun (which is I think is 3 words, not 2 as per the review).

    Many thanks to Jay, who makes every Wednesday synonymous with fun, and to the 2Ks.

      1. Thanks for reminding me Wanda – I have a minor op on that day – so I will have to go Friday instead!

  2. I enjoyed my visit to the zoo (****). This was pleasantly challenging and finished in ** time. Jays clues are always well constructed and it’s hard to pick a favourite. I enjoyed all the animal clues and 4d. Thanks to the 2 Ks and to Jay

  3. Like Chriscross, I enjoyed our visit to the zoo – Jay makes a wonderful guide!
    Top two here were 11a & 8d, the latter being my last one in.

    Thanks to Jay for the guided tour and thanks to our 2Ks who are doubtless now basking in the sunshine.

  4. Very enjoyable 2/4. Some nice surface reading. Liked 11A, 15A, 19D. Seven animals, all of which can be seen at Regents Park zoo, has given me an idea where to go Saturday – it’s nice and quiet this time of year – and best off all – no school holidays – so no children (I love them really but it’s nice to get a break). Thanks to the 2Ks and Jay.

  5. Another very enjoyable crossword, it took a little time to get a toe hold and was definately on the two cafetierre type. My favourite 6d but many others enjoyable.
    Thanks to the 2Ks and setter.

  6. A very smooth solve today, I really seem to be able to get on Jay’s wavelength these days. All over in ** time.

    I got stuck in the NW, only because there is another creature with a very similar name to 1a, but with an extra ‘e’.

    The Quickie pun is most definitely a three-worder, as RD has suggested. (Without it, I wouldn’t have got 9a!)

    Thanks to Jay and the 2 K’s.

    1. The Quickie pun kind of works as a two words though – I lost patience and revealed 9 across & still didn’t twig until reading your comment. I fail to finish the Quickie far more times than the Cryptic.

  7. I found this to be different, enjoyable but very tricky. Like RD I was seriously held up in the South West, 20d and 25a being my last two in after resorting to electronic help. 11d was a bung in as I’d never heard of one of the two definitions.
    As ever on Wednesday, a lot to like. I’ve ticked 10, 11a and 16a along with 7 and 8d for special mention.
    4/4*
    Many thanks to Jay and to The 2Ks for a top notch review.

  8. I think the quickie pun should include 9a : xxxxx, which would give us xxxx xxx xxxxxxx.

    Two enjoyable crosswords today!

    1. Thanks Maz and welcome to the blog,
      Have corrected the blog and edited your comment so that it is not a spoiler for people who do the Quick puzzle after the Cryptic.

  9. Good fun. NW corner caused a slight hiccup. All well-constructed clues so no particular Fav. The Quickie pun is certainly three words. Thank you Jay for much pleasure and 2Ks for being there with hints in case of need.

  10. Well, I might have to go out on a limb and say that, for me, this was a curate’s egg with, for example, no ‘kick start’ from the downs in either direction. However, I still finished at a gallop – 2*/2.5*.
    Partly because of the curate’s egg, no obvious favourites.
    Thanks to the Jay and the 2Ks.

  11. A fine puzzle from Jay with some tricky clues to take it into 3* time. 28a didn’t ring any bells (sorry!) and I resorted to electronic help for the anagram. Favourite was 4 down. Thanks to our setter and to the 2 Kiwis.

  12. Tricky little devil! A mixture of clues, some straightforward and others pretty well hidden. Didn’t like 11a and I thought 11d was clumsy.
    Took a bit of a leap of faith to make Oars=Rows in 21a.
    However, i did like 19d and there were no 8d’s in the puzzle.
    Thx to all
    ***/***

      1. Probably, since the legitimate use of oar(s) as a verb seems to be occurring more and more frequently.

      2. Absolutely, and I am the one who jumps up and down about it. My husband was an oarsman but he rowed he never ‘oared’. And he rowed with blades not oars. This is the third time this year I think I have mentioned it. ( I am quite nice really!)

      3. ***/****. Right hand side in with ease. Then NW a bit trickier. Then SW a lot trickier. Finished without help. Once I spotted the anagram and had 28 the rest followed. 25a and 20d were the last two. Would probably have been quicker had I spotted the animals (good job I’m not on safari). At 19d I was looking for an African river (runner) rather than a creature. Thanks Jay and I enjoyed the hints and comments. Loved 11d (Who could have described this as clumsy?)

  13. Quite tricky today with some lovely clues. Once worked out anyway! It took me a while to realise that 28a was an anagram for some reason. Favourite 1a but lots of others queuing for a podium place.

  14. The NW corner proved the trickiest for me in what was a thoroughly enjoyable challenge today – completed in just under *** time. 6d was an animal that I wasn’t familiar with & 11d was the clue that raised a smile. Thanks to all.

  15. Managed OK although needed to check definition of 20d. Took a while on 25a as didn’t associate course with progress. Favourite 28a as I was born and bred in Loughborough.

    1. I was born in Sileby, not far away. There is/was a cricket team called Loughborough 28a, I used to work with a chap who played for them.

  16. I didn’t know we had been to the zoo until I looked at the blog. We enjoyed our trifle while listening to the bells. Saint Sharon even tousled my hair. Thanks to Jay for organising the trip and extras. Thanks to the two Ks for the lovely review

  17. Fairly straightforward for me. Last in 7d and 8d. One question why is a lion called the king of the jungle when their natural habitat is savanna or grassland?

    1. Something I’d also wondered about too. I found this:

      Lions have famously acquired the title of ‘King of the Jungle’. However, the title is a little misleading as lions don’t actually live in jungles. Their habits include scrubland, grasslands, savannahs and rocky hills, but not jungles. This is a simple case of lost in translation.

      The word jungle has its roots is the Hindi word ‘jangle’ which means forest or wasteland – the latter could easily be applied to a savannah. The lion’s other title of ‘King of beasts’ won’t be disputed here. If you’d like to challenge it, please take the matter up with your nearest lion.

  18. I got completely stuck in the SW corner, as I had the wrong answer to 25a.I read it as re-sort seeing +case of reasonable =energise = progress. Many thanks to my NZ friend for putting me right.

  19. Late on parade today as we made a family visit in Chester this morning. As ever, Jay has produced another mini masterpiece with some beautifully crafted clues, of which 11 and 13a were great examples. Apart from the SW corner, which took some extra thought to complete as earlier commenters have said, this was a comfortable and enjoyable solve.

    Many thanks to all three birds.

  20. A game of two halves and one quarter. I filled the bottom half fairly quickly but slowed for the top half and finally the NE quadrant. A very enjoyable puzzle nevertheless so thanks to Jay and the 2Ks for the review. My favourites were 9&28a.

  21. I found this trickier than most on the blog but still enjoyed it. Much more on Jay’s wavelength today so thank you to him. Thanks to you, 2Ks, for another good explanatory write up.

  22. Like Corky, I found this tricky.
    Jay is a master setter, and this was a great example of his craft.
    I needed a couple of hints to get over the line, mainly due to some words I have not heard of.
    Thanks all.

  23. Another happy Jay day! I hit a blank in the NW, have no idea why, and needed a hint for 1a to get going again.
    As a child, I always wondered why we walked in 11d instead of an alligator.
    My honourable mentions today are the animals, loved them all.
    Thanks to Jay and to the 2Kiwis for the entertainment.

    Cold here today, 41F degree when I got up, have the heaters on in every room – how I hate it.

  24. Morning all.
    Woke up in the middle of the night so checked the emails as insomniacs tend to do. That was when we found that we had missed one of the words of the Quickie pun so got up and fixed it then. Thanks to those who pointed it out. Our excuse is that, as we get the puzzles from the website, we do not have the advantage of having the clues involved written in italics as they are in the newspaper. Why this is done in one format and not the other is a real mystery to us.
    Looks like another warm summer’s day coming up once the morning low cloud burns away.
    Cheers

  25. I did like this trip to the zoo. 6d gets my vote today, not because it was a particularly difficult clue but because of the Kopi Luwak – a 6d from Indonesia that is responsible for “producing” the world’s rarest (and priciest) coffee. Warning – If you google what I mean by “producing” you may never drink coffee again. but then again you are highly unlikely to come across it by accident at £180 a kilo!!
    Thanks to Jay and 2K’s

  26. Good Morning Kiwis.

    I am watching an absolutely fascinating BBC programme. “All Aboard New Zealand” a 2.5 hour overland journey by train, boat and car Very scenic. No idea where it will end or where I am. If I knew I would I ask you to wave as I sail past!

    1. We think we know that programme. If it is the same one, you end up on a boat sailing into the sunset from Fiordland. You are probably past our place by now but we will wave anyway.
      Cheers.

  27. A real menagerie of a puzzle, eight references to the animal kingdom😳 ***/*** Favourites 13 & 27a Thanks to the 2xKs and to Jay 🤗

  28. Unlike most of you, I found this one rather tricky, as I am rarely on wavelength with Jay. Needed too many hints to be satisfying, but did enjoy the workout anyway. Thanks to Jay and 2Kiwis.

    1. I’m with you BL a marathon solve for me therefore *****/****.Final section in was the NE corner culminating in 8d. Appropriate I thought. Thank you Jay and 2Ks

  29. Very late to the table Tonight… solved in between running around & completed in 3 bursts. Didn’t find it that easy, as with a lot of Jay puzzles I got 70% of the clues at a decent pace it’s that last few that pushes me into longer time.
    3.5*/4*
    Many thanks to Jay & 2KWs for review & guidance

  30. I have just recovered from a viral infection sounding very like that Sars-like one in China. I first suffered symptoms last Friday : my body screamed : retire now. A viral infection can take a while to incubate , for example chicken pox incubates for 2 weeks etc. My son and his girlfriend came here on Dec 24/25 and both suffered from the same awful infection. It occurs to me that they may have brought the infection with them and that it takes a month or so to incubate . In which case this Sars-like virus is all over the world at this stage .Just thought I’d warn everybody .I soaked the sheets in sweat last night but I’m fine now.
    But my poor mother ( 94 ) is in extremis .
    The result of both of these assaults to my being is a lesser quality of solving . Hoping it will come back someday.

    1. Mmm. You are not the only one. This winter has seen a large number of friends affected with such-like symptoms – myself included, with one cold after the other. Doing the DT crossword daily helps!

  31. I’m back at work in the GMT + 12 hours time zone. Fine and hot where I am. I thought David Attenborough might have been the guest mystery setter. Seven animals in the answers and another in the clues (boars). I saw a civet (they are not cats, just as koalas aren’t bears) on a few occasions hiking when I living in Hong Kong. They are a rare but lovely sight. My podium finishers for COTD, 4d, 17d and 28a. Thanks J for the very enjoyable crossword and 2Ks as always🦇

  32. I’m in the “difficult but enjoyable” camp today, ooh Leicester City have just scored again. I’d never heard of 20d so had to check in Google, any road up I have now. I’m going with Jonners 28a for favourite, for reasons outlined above. Many thanks to Jay and 2K’s.

  33. Didn’t find this too hard, 8a and 28a new words so needed all the checkers. 13a last in as I wouldn’t say it’s a jungle animal.

  34. A bit too late to say much now and anyway it’s all been said already.
    One day I’ll get back onto the normal time of commenting but just don’t ask me when – such chaos. :sad:
    A lovely Wednesday crossword and even I spotted all the animals – suppose it could be called a theme but since I never notice themes maybe not . . .
    I think my favourite was probably 11d but lots of other good clues too.
    Thanks to Jay and to the K’s too.

  35. Only just noticed all the animals after reading the review. D’oh.
    Sometimes I solve so mechanically that I don’t get the whole picture.
    Thanks to the setter and to 2ks for the review.

  36. I found this rather tricky and have had in my pocket for days. Managed the north but needed 2K’s help with southern section. Many of the clues too subtle for me. Clearly I need more practice. Thanks all.

Comments are closed.