DT 29331 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29331

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29331

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another two-star Tuesday.  I found today's offering to be an enjoyable crossword featuring many smooth and amusing surfaces.  I have just noticed that the Monday setter commented on yesterday's blog.  Perhaps today's setter could continue that new tradition?  We'd all appreciate it.

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    Builds decrepit cars in Spain? Just the opposite (7)
CREATES:  Inverting the wordplay (just the opposite), we put the IVR code for Spain in a decrepit car or plane 

5a    Rich, that woman's relatives (7)
FATHERS:  Link together a synonym of rich and a pronoun meaning "that woman's"

9a    Student scoffed right after that (5)
LATER:  Join together the letter indicating a student or learner driver, scoffed or devoured, and the single letter for right 

10a   Jumbo perhaps moved ear over tree (9)
AEROPLANE:  Chain together an anagram (moved) of EAR, the single letter for over, and a type of tree 

11a   Draw bat without black grip (10)
ATTRACTION:  [b]AT from the clue without the pencil abbreviation for black is followed by a synonym of grip 

12a   Parliament advice? It's regularly ignored (4)
DIET:  Alternate letters (… regularly ignored) of ADVICE IT'S 

14a   Neither vessel at sea avoiding current, despite everything (12)
NEVERTHELESS:  An anagram (at sea) of NEITHER VESSEL minus (avoiding) the physics symbol for electric current 

18a   So, Conservative only quietens rebels after one leaves (12)
CONSEQUENTLY:  The single letter abbreviation for Conservative is followed by an anagram (… rebels) of ONLY QUIETENS minus the Roman one (… after one leaves)

21a   Drug-taker's ploy -- run to the back (4)
USER:  A word meaning ploy or deception has the cricket abbreviation for run moved to the back (i.e. the right-hand end of the word)

22a   RAF accepts new rocket? (10)
SPACECRAFT:  An anagram (new) of RAF ACCEPTS 

25a   Negotiate to bury editor in church (9)
INTERCEDE:  Follow a verb meaning bury with the abbreviation for editor inserted in the abbreviation for the Church of England 

26a   Blackbeard maybe wanting head hacked off (5)
IRATE:  What Blackbeard defines by example (maybe) with its first letter deleted (wanting head)

27a   Most gloomy shoot -- describing Ken Loach film (7)
DARKEST:  Shoot or dash containing (describing) a Ken Loach film.  You'll find a list of his films here 

28a   After half a day, openers can be animals (7)
MONKEYS:  After half of a day falling near the start of the week come some openers for locked doors 

 

Down

1d    Caught unfortunately hugging large soprano (6)
CALLAS:  Follow the cricket abbreviation for caught with an interjection meaning unfortunately that's containing (hugging) the clothing abbreviation for large 

2d    Car from European country (6)
ESTATE:  The single letter for European and country or nation 

3d    Temperature on earth changing and last of life, in conclusion, is endangered (10)
THREATENED:  Concatenate the physics symbol for temperature, an anagram (changing) of EARTH, and the last letter of lifE inserted in a synonym of conclusion

4d    Begin second pastry (5)
START:  Put together the single letter for second and a type of pastry 

5d    Out of one's mind? (9)
FORGOTTEN:  A cryptic definition of an adjective describing something no longer stored in one's memory 

6d    Upset by setter's first clues (4)
TIPS:  Upset or topple is followed by Setter's first letter 

7d    Looked at assessment and longed to leave quietly (8)
EXAMINED:  Follow an assessment or quiz with longed or ached minus the musical abbreviation for quietly (to leave quietly) 

8d    Small baby, on paper, is most cute (8)
SWEETEST:  Assemble the clothing abbreviation for small, an informal adjective meaning baby or little, and a paper that's a set of questions

13d   Runs ballot, taking on board female's opinion (10)
REFLECTION:  The cricket abbreviation for runs with a synonym of ballot containing (taking on board) the abbreviation for female 

15d   Boris Johnson imprisoned by Queen -- it altered things (9)
EQUIPMENT:  The abbreviation for what Boris Johnson is contained in (imprisoned by) an anagram (altered) of QUEEN IT 

16d   House could be this busy (8)
OCCUPIED:  The state of a house that's not empty 

 

17d   One who designs endless list (8)
INVENTOR:  A list of stock minus its last letter (endless

19d   Take care of silver in bushy head of hair (6)
MANAGE:  The chemical symbol for silver is inserted in a bushy head of hair 

20d   So -- losing old lock generates anxiety (6)
STRESS:  S[o] from the clue minus (losing) the abbreviation for old is followed by a lock of hair 

23d   Best 1500m runner preserves energy (5)
CREAM:  The first man to run 1500m in under 3 minutes and 30 seconds contains (preserves) the physics symbol for energy 

24d   Bittern evidently eating another bird (4)
ERNE:  The first two words of the clue are hiding (eating) the required bird   

 

Thanks to today’s setter for a fun solve.  Top clue for me today was the smooth 6d, with 28a and 8d filling the other podium spots.  Which clues did you like best?  Like many readers around the world, these days I'm eating every meal at home.  That's starting to get old, so I'm keen to hear any suggestions for a lockdown lunch that might be a bit out of the ordinary.

 


The Quick Crossword pun:  BAR + SIR + LONER = BARCELONA


80 comments on “DT 29331

  1. I found this hard to get into and there was some very good misdirection. I found it challenging and enjoyable on the whole (2.5 */3.5 *). I particularly liked 18a and 7d. Thanks to Mr K and the setter. Keep well everyone.

  2. My rating is 2*/3* for an enjoyably pleasant Tuesday puzzle. I echo Mr K’s request for the setter to pop in please.

    My favourite was 6d and 15d raised a big smile for the surface. Get well soon, Boris.

    Many thanks to Mr R and Mr K, with particular thanks for the video clip of what would be one of my Desert Island Discs.

    1. You can tell much about people by their DIDs ……. I stood in front of Jack Bruce 52 years ago when he sang this to a university crowd ….. and the memory lives on!

      1. You lucky fella – would have loved to see them live – Disraeli Gears one of my all time favourite albums

    2. Of the Cream repertoire I would choose “I Feel Free”. That leads me to Free and “All Right Now”, which was guaranteed to liven up a university party in the small hours.

      1. My choices would be Crossroads and White Room for Cream, and All Right Now and Wishing Well for Free. I was lucky enough to see Free live on the Isle of Wight. Brilliant!

        1. Eric Clapton came into our local one Saturday lunchtime with Patti Boyd. There were on their way to see Denny Laine who lived nearby. I wasn’t there but her son was in the back eating his lunch. Eric and party got a bit rowdy and Lil, the small but doughty landlady threw them out. When her son asked her what the noise was about she said she had to throw some customers out. He asked who they were. She replied she didn’t know but it sounded something like Eric Clapham and Petty something! Her son nearly choked on his food – he was a massive fan and could not believe he had missed the chance to talk to him.

    3. For me the Cream track is Politician. Met EC on Antigua many years ago when he tying up his yacht Slowhand, he was charming.

        1. Now you’re talking Bluebird – my favourite guitarist who I saw live many many times & he never failed to deliver 110%. Irish Tour must rank right up there with the best live albums ever – with the opening to A Million Miles Away absolutely superb

          1. What is it about the Irish? My nomination for favourite guitarist is Gary Moore, another one who was absolutely magnificent live.

        2. Mr Hendrix, how does it feel to be the greatest living guitarist? I don’t know. You would have to ask Rory Gallagher that question.

          1. Would love to believe that to be true but suspect it’s apocryphal. Since we have so many music enthusiasts can I chuck out a couple of guitarists well worth a listen to that some may be unfamiliar with – Davy Knowles who is a Manx born blues man currently based in Chicago (now solo but formerly of Back Door Slam) and my prediction of big things to come Marcus King who fronts his own band – a prodigious talent who can play many styles.

    4. Hi, RD. Glad that you liked the clip. There are surprisingly few decent YouTube videos of Cream playing live in the 60s. That one at least had good quality audio.

  3. I thought this was a peach, it had a nice fresh and original feel to it.
    Amongst many fine clues I particularly liked 11 and 21a plus 6d but my favourite was the very clever 15d, let’s hope the man mentioned in the wordplay makes a speedy recovery.
    2*/4*
    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for another top review, and yes, it would be great if the setter says hello.

  4. Another enjoyable puzzle and completed without hints. Some good diversions. Did anyone else get stuck, like me, on the wrong bird in 24d? My COTD is 3d because of its construction.

    Grateful thanks to al the setter and Mr. K.

    Remember, everyone – you are not STUCK and home, you are SAFE at home.

    Keep well and let us hope Boris recovers.

  5. A bit more of a Tuesday puzzle than we have had recently (i.e. not a Monday puzzle on a Tuesday) completed at a gallop – 2*/3.5*.
    A sprinkling of oldies but goodies such as 14a and 22a.
    Candidates for favourite – 25a, 2d, 13d, and 16d – and the winner is 16d.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  6. No sweat today but a pleasure to work on whilst breakfasting in the glorious sunshine. West was won first but East not far behind. A few chestnuts which made life easier still. Never heard of the Ken Loach 27a film. Fav 1d. Sending every possible get well wish to our worthy PM and indeed his fiancée and child to be.

    1. Oh dear, I’m really sorry but I omitted to say ‘thank you’ to the setter and MrK so I do so now.

  7. For no good reason, 16d proved to be my sticking point and I also had problems with the parsing of 11a where I had the first 7 letters as being equivalent to ‘draw’ and couldn’t get the remaining three letters to become a bat without it’s ‘B’. The lockdown is obviously getting to me!
    Favourite was 25a.
    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for the blog – the illustrated 2d looks rather appealing!

    Like others, I wish our Prime Minister a speedy recovery. Meantime, I hope those who have continued to flout the current regulations learn from his experience that any one of us can fall victim to this wretched virus – time to ‘wise up’ and give our frontline workers a fighting chance.

      1. That would explain it then! I was quite a fan of Sean Connery as well…………..

  8. Echo everyone’s well wishes for Boris. Enjoyed today’s puzzle & though not particularly taxing it had some cracking clues. Like Steve I briefly put in the wrong bird for 24d & I also struggled for some reason to come up with a 4 letter bushy head of hair in 19d as well as failing to parse 7d fully. Other than than that it was plain sailing with completion in just over ** time. 6d was my last in & caused a bit of head scratching. Note also that the plane tree made yet another appearance.
    Thanks to the setter & to Mr K for his, as always, entertaining review.

  9. A glorious Kentish morning and a very agreeable crossword 1.5*/3*. Now back again to the garden! Thanks to both.

  10. A comfortable and enjoyable solve this sunny morning. So many good clues, but 1d just about came out on top. It would be great to be able to put a name to the Tuesday setter, whoever he or she may be, as their puzzles are consistently rewarding and fun to complete.

    Thanks to our Mr or Mrs Ron and Mr K.

    1. Hate to disappoint you, YS, but I don’t think there is a specific Tuesday setter – the slot is filled by a variety of compilers from within the DT stable. CL will doubtless pop in to tell me if I’m wrong!

      1. Wheels of fire. One of my treasured LPs later purchased on CDs now copied to my hard drive. That and Wheels on Fire Brian Auger and the trinity, Julie Driscoll.

      2. You are probably right Jane, but the quality seems so consistent week on week. By the way I see a Jane from Anglesey got an honourable mention from CL in last week’s clue setting competition. You by any chance?

          1. Thanks Dave, and many congratulations to all four. That is a high proportion of site contributors/setters from the names listed.

        1. Hi, YS. Tuesday setting duties are shared by at least five setters because we know that X-Type, Donnybrook, Navy, Dada, and Chris Lancaster have all set Tuesday puzzles in the last year. There may well be others we don’t know about. Which is another reason why it would be great if our setters commented here.

  11. I enjoyed this one it took some getting into however the BRB and Roget helped me. Still having difficulty in downloading to ipad, at the moment getting paper delivered is not a problem. Grass cutting today got to even out the jobs. I hope you are all keeping well out there.
    Thanks to Mr K and setter.

  12. Senf thinks 16d is COTD, Jane says it was her sticking point. I think it’s an awful clue. Different folks, different strokes.

    Many thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    1. I am in a slightly different camp from all of you. It did not stick – in fact it was straight in and there was no doubt in my mind. It was not on my favourites list although I liked it a lot. I certainly was not with MalcolmR. It was a clever clue – occupied i.e. a house which is lived in rather than empty but also occupied = busy eg. The toilet is occupied, the phone line is occupied, or he was occupied with the task = busy with the task.

  13. 2.5/3.5. Took me a while to get on the right wavelength although helped by the anagrams. 1d was my favourite. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  14. Interesting puzzle today. Never heard that word for parliament – what is its derivation. Parliament is derived from the French parlez, to speak so I can see no connection, perhaps someone could enlighten me, thanks. Also thanks to Miffipops for his suggestion that reinstalling the app would solve my problem of only being able to see one clue at a time. I tried it and unfortunately it hasn’t done the trick. It is so annoying and very cumbersome. Has no-one else had this problem? Good luck to Boris, what a shambles!

    1. Manders, I think it’s derived from the Latin word for assembly. It was the one time when we paid attention in history lessons when we were taught about the Diet of Worms, an assembly of the Holy Roman Empire based in the city of Worms.

      1. That’s the only reason why I remember that particular parliament – we all fell about laughing during that history lesson!

        1. We, too, fell about in girlish giggles in history class when the Diet of Worms came up! I wonder if boys found it silly as well.

      2. You are right – it derives from Latin but it has been used in modern times as a Parliament e.g. Japan

  15. I found this quite tough going today. I also remember seeing Cream regularly. From their first public gig at Wallington in what wasn’t much more than a village hall to their last at the Albert Hall. Happy days.

  16. Very tricky to start and must admit to using an electronic aid to get me underway then things gradually came together. Really takes the edge of a puzzle for me when the setter seems determined to stop the solver getting a foothold. Nothing really to enjoy except perhaps for 5d. My last in and perhaps because I could not get the wordplay was 6d, stupid really as it was very obvious but then aren’t most clues when you know the answer!
    ***/**
    Thx for the hints.

  17. Hardly a doddle (like yesterday’s), this nice, clever, and enjoyable puzzle kept smoothly revealing itself until the very bottom. I didn’t know–or didn’t remember–who the runner was (but the answer had to be what it was) and couldn’t get the monkey(s) off my back at first. I liked the Boris clue (best wishes to him), as well as 16d and 17d. Glad to see the Great Diva at 1d; I can still see her leaping off the top of Castel Sant’Angelo! Thank you, Mr Kitty, as always, for the enjoyable review and pictures, and to the setter. ** / ***

  18. It took me as long to work out 5d, as it did the rest of the crossword. Then I fell about with laughter. Something was definitely out of my mind on that one. Well done setter, and many thanks to Mr Kitty.

  19. Struggled with a few today. Figured out 7d ,8d and 16d but had no idea how to parse them. Couldn’t see 13d at all…..got the election bit but not the rest….still don’t think it means opinion, grumble, grumble…..

    Thanks to Mr K for his hints and especially for his parsing help (and for his pictures…..loved the cat with the static problem) and thanks also to the setter.

    Keep safe, stay home.

    1. Hi, Ora. I had the same reservation about the definition in 13d, so I checked the dictionaries. The BRB has as one definition of the answer 12.A thought or utterance resulting from contemplation. That’s probably close enough for crosswordland.

    2. I thought the hint explained 13d well. If I reflect on something I will have an opinion. Still, was somewhat tenuous, I agree.

  20. A very nice Tuesday crossword, 14a seems to be coming up a lot of late, COTD for me 5d it made me smile. **/***
    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

  21. Very enjoyable but not quite so good as my memory of seeing Brian Augers Trinity performing Wheels on Fire.Not sure if it was the music or just the sight of Julie Driscoll .Back to the crossword l kept trying to get Afro into 19d Coe into 23d and the wrong bird into 24d.Apart from that l did quite well.Thanks to setter an Mr K.

  22. My comment about Cream above seems to have moved down to a totally inappropriate spot. Never mind, I was rushing to go shopping and trying to remember all the things that one of our vulnerable friends needs as well as our own.
    Did this sitting in the sun. It must have been the heat on my brain but positively galloped through most of the clues. 11a COD. Last in 19d and 17d.
    Ta all
    */****

  23. Nice puzzle today as ever. None too difficult for grizzled old solvers. Plenty to like. Thanks to Mr Kitty for the review. On University Challenge last night Jeremy Paxman began a question with my least favourite word which Mr Kitty uses weekly. If I could pronounce it I still wouldn’t use it. Thanks to the setter too

  24. Found this a bit tricky in parts 😳 ***/*** Favourites 1a & 11a Thanks to Mr K and to the Setter 🤗

  25. Thanks to the setter and Mr Kitty for the review and hints. I enjoyed this one very much, quite a few to make you think. Spent a while on 1a, convinced it was an anagram of “cars in & e”, penny dropped eventually. Also 5d was a penny drop moment. Somehow solved 22a without realising it was an anagram. Liked 10a, but my favourite was 26a. Last in was 28a. Was 3*/3* for me.

  26. Not easy today but with many good clues and smiles at one’s own idiocy. 14a and 5d my favourites. Thanks to Mr K and our unidentified setter.

  27. Mr K, everyone seems to have ignored your plea for a “different” lunch idea. Try this, I love it, but you do need to dig the garden afterwards to work it off.

    Hot cross bun, toasted or raw, buttered, filled with:
    Rasher of fried streaky bacon.

    1*/3* for the crossword, btw, and thanks to both.

    1. Hot buttered toast topped with cheesy scrambled egg – done fast in hot butter – together with a couple of rashers of crispy bacon. Serve with a decent cider such as Thatchers. Eat while finishing the DT crossword. 🍺👍

  28. Congratulations to the DT for winning so many awards.
    We can safely add Best Crosswords to the list.
    I often say that Tuesday is a good day.
    That was no exception.
    Thanks to the setter and to Mr Kitty.

  29. Getting started was hard, but once I’d started, it went well with some e-help.
    I’d never heard of Ken Loach, that was a lucky bung in, and the 1500m runner needed googling, could only think of river.
    I enjoyed this, quite a few clever ones, 5d deserves honourable mention.
    Thanks to our setter and to Mr. K for the hints and pics.

  30. I only got a handful at first pass, but with some of Mr K’s picture hints I was able to get going again, and it gradually came together. Last in was 3d. Thanks to setter for good brain exercise.

    Best wishes to Boris, and to Carrie for a speedy recovery. Hope to see him back at the helm very soon, but the Raab chap seems like a decent bloke in the meantime.

    Daughter is getting us some masks made, as we are being told to wear them (despite none seen for sale anywhere since the beginning of the year) by our fearless leader, he who says he will not wear one… go figure.

    1. BusyLizzie, you know that ‘our fearless leader’ appears to have been exposed to the virus a number of times. It seems to want no part of him. Can’t imagine why.

      1. Perhaps he’s got himself a supply of Jim Bakker’s “Silver Solution” and is taking it!

  31. To add to today’s musical theme on the the blog and the well wishing to Boris, I can’t get shine on you crazy diamond out of my head and this would be appropriate to Boris ast the moment. https://youtu.be/BOj6fL8EOXA. I hope that link works. If not I’ll try and add when I’ve worked out how to do it. Lovely crossword lots to like. Favourite 10a. many thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    1. For anyone who’s watched the video it was so nice to see Sam Brown on backing vocals, I will confess to being desperately in love with her, so sad she cannot sing any more. ☹

      1. Thanks, TG. I hadn’t heard about Sam Brown losing her singing voice. As you say, that’s very sad. I’ve always been struck by how the Concert for George comes alive when she takes the stage.

  32. A slight hesitation in getting started in the NW but once we got going it all flowed smoothly for us with plenty of smiles along the way.
    Thanks Mr Ron and Mr K.

  33. Took me a while to get going on this as well as others have stated. I managed to to get a couple of anagrams to get me going finally and then things mostly fell into place. 27a was last in as the letters I had had me looking to ‘dialect’ as mentioned in a google search but when 17d was solved, that eliminated the word … plus the fact the gloomy part of the clue didn’t jive.
    Favourites today 11a, 28a (chuckle), 5d & 15d.
    Thanks to setter and Mr K for hints.

    14a, make sure you all 19d your 20d with all that is going on in the world at present.

  34. I got held up in the SW corner thanks to 24 down. I thought “bit tern” fitted the clue brilliantly – needed Mr K to put me right, for which many thanks!

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