DT 29470 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29470

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29470

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

The weather gods have thrown a real mixture at us again this week. Some really vicious squally showers yesterday but beautiful clear blue skies today although the appropriately named equinoctial winds are still present.

A bit rushed this week as we are due to drive to Wellington for grand-parental duties as soon as we get this done and scheduled for publication.

The puzzle is just what we have come to expect on a Wednesday. We thought the Quickie Pun deserves an extra look. We laughed out loud.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Instrument that measures current pollution described by new phrase (11)
SEISMOGRAPH : The physics symbol for current and serious air pollution are inside an anagram (new) of PHRASE.

9a     Obscure diet once developed by head of research (9)
RECONDITE : The first letter of research and then an anagram (developed) of DIET ONCE.

10a     Grooms may see horses eating mints initially (5)
COMBS : Some short-legged strong horses contain the first letter of mints.

11a     Test on area of the chamber (6)
ATRIAL : A(rea) then another word for a test.

12a     Wind up, seeing deficit reversed in seedy club! (8)
DISSOLVE : The reversal of deficit or something missing is inside a down-market nightspot.

13a     Types welcoming power games (6)
SPORTS : Types or varieties contains P(ower).

15a     Friend stifling a tear will get such responsibilities (8)
PARENTAL : A three letter word for a friend surrounds ‘A’ from the clue and tear or rip.

18a     City is unusually blunt about answer (8)
ISTANBUL : ‘IS’ from the clue and then an anagram (unusually) of BLUNT contains A(nswer).

19a     Protein supplied by doctor’s patient at home (6)
CASEIN : A word used to describe a doctor’s patient and then the two letter ‘at home’.

21a     Lose one’s rag before long, being facetious (8)
FLIPPANT : Lose one’s rag or fly off the handle, then long or earnestly pine for.

23a     Predicament coming after record congestion (3,3)
LOG JAM : A record or diary and then a predicament or impasse.

26a     Blitz auction held outside hotel (5)
SHELL : Auction here is a verb and contains H(otel).

27a     Energy limit applied to work procedure (9)
OPERATION : Start with the two letter artistic work, then E(nergy) and limit or supply an allocated amount.

28a     Amusing short story about me and dodgy cardinal (11)
FUNDAMENTAL : A three letter word for amusing, then an anagram (dodgy) of ME AND and finally, a story with its last letter removed (short).

Down

1d     Loud cries from elite on board ship (7)
SCREAMS : The two letter abbreviation for steamship surrounds (has on board) a synonym for elite.

2d     Bring on again, curiously providing cover (5)
INCUR : A lurker, hiding in the clue indicated by ‘providing cover’.

3d     Chap that reinvented a new drink (9)
MANHATTAN : A chap or guy and an anagram (reinvented) of THAT, then ‘A’ from the clue and N(ew).

4d     Resolute Republican blocking fighter on the way up (4)
GRIM : A Russian fighter plane is reversed and contains R(epublican).

5d     Article seized by rioting Crimean national (8)
AMERICAN : An anagram (rioting) of CRIMEAN contains an extra indefinite article.

6d     Writers can be terrible nags (5)
HACKS : A double definition. The terrible nags are equine.

7d     Wrongly distribute millions before one’s agreement (7)
MISDEAL : The abbreviation for millions, then ‘ones’ written as the Roman numeral and ‘S’, plus agreement or business arrangement.

8d     Nothing on brawl about two teas reportedly — result of broken eggs? (8)
OMELETTE : The letter that looks like zero, then a word for a brawl derived from French contains the repeat of a letter that sounds like’tea’.

14d     Briefly describes unpopular ranges (8)
OUTLINES : Unpopular or not trendy and then ranges that could describe stock held by a retailer.

16d     Quietly speak in support of Argentinian lady and disappear (9)
EVAPORATE : Start with the Argentinian lady of musical fame, then the musical letter for quietly and speak or give a speech.

17d     Refuse and go off depressed (4,4)
TURN DOWN : Go off or deviate and then depressed or low.

18d     Fiend must be upset about 5, and soaked through (7)
INFUSED : The two letter abbreviation used to describe the answer to 5d is inside an anagram (must be upset) of FIEND.

20d     So-called oilman works under one without protection (7)
NOMINAL : Remove the outside letters (without protection) of the word ‘one’ and then an anagram (works) of OILMAN.

22d     Sauce sent up with a fine dish of rice (5)
PILAF : Reverse another word for sauce or cheek, then ‘A’ from the clue and F(ine).

24d     Supporter is interrupting scrap (5)
JOIST : A scrap or small amount contains ‘IS’ from the clue.

25d    Bride must ignore free thank you letter from abroad (4)
BETA:  Remove a synonym for ‘free’ from the middle of the word bride and then a two letter informal thank you.

We really enjoyed 1a. In fact we had a minor occurrence yesterday which would have involved one.

Quickie pun    juicy    +    wart    +    icy    =    Do you see what I see

80 comments on “DT 29470

  1. I thought this was a bit trickier than the usual Jay Wednesday back-pager (2.5*/4*). The misdirection in 1a was superb and that would have to be the finest clue, for me. Other enjoyable clues were 11a, 28a and 18d. Thank to the Kiwis and to Jay.

  2. For me this was just brilliant, the work of a master setter. Such was the precision of the wordplay that I had very few problems with any of it but was able to appreciate the quality and imagination of the wordplay throughout.
    Podium contenders go to 15&28a plus 16d but my favourite was probably the letter from abroad at 25d (where a similar clue from yesterday’s Toughie set me on the right train of thought)
    2/5*
    Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks for the top notch entertainment.

    1. Your comment about 25d confused me slightly. At midnight UK time (6:00pm yesterday my time) there was no 25d in the web site version of the puzzle, and I didn’t notice, so a fast gallop later my solution, without a 25d, was accepted as correct. However, while I was sleeping I see that the web site version has been updated and all has become clear.

      1. I always buy the newspaper Senf (I realise that’s not possible for some) so what’s there/not there on first viewing remains that way!

  3. I’d go for ‘not as tricky as usual but as brilliant as ever’

    Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks – enjoy your time with the grandchildren, we only get to see ours on video calls :( which although great fun, aren’t the same as spending time with them.

  4. Another excellent puzzle from Jay!
    Thanks to him, and to the 2Kiwis for the review.

    Waiting to discover who set today’s toughie before I decide whether to have a look or not.

  5. I thought this was brilliant. The acrosses took me a while to work through, but then all the downs just fell into place. All over in **/*** time.

    COTD has to be the excellent Quickie pun.

    Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  6. Must have said the Quickie pun countless times & in a variety of silly accents & still didn’t get it. As for Jay it was the usual quality, a little trickier than the last few weeks but still reasonably straightforward other than 11&19a, which were my last two in & took as long as the remainder. No excuse with the former as I’ve had the fibrillation but the protein was new to me but the wordplay eventually led me there. Another vote for 1a as COTD but also liked 8d.
    Thanks to Jay & the 2Ks.
    Ps – great Brendan puzzle in the Graun with a very clever theme in the across clues.

  7. Thank you to Jay and 2Kiwis — I needed a couple of nudges.

    25d was entirely missing from the crossword on the puzzles website: just black squares for its non-crossing letters. I hadn’t even noticed the crossword was lacking its usual symmetry until I got to 25d in the hints and didn’t recognize it.

  8. Brilliant. 2*/5*. Any of the clues or the Quickie pun would make an excellent choice as favourite but it would be invidious to single one out.

    Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  9. Jay up to his usual fine standard. **/**** 1a is brilliant. I liked 8d and 12a but favourite goes to 16d. Thanks to all.

  10. Just enough challenge to be fun. 9a and 19a hopefully now added to my vocabulary. Fav 1a and 25d. Quickie pun has left me with the Christmas song on my brain! Thank you Jay and 2Kiwis.

    1. Damn you, Angellov! That Christmas song is now going through my mind and it’s only September! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

  11. My struggles with Jay continue. As with most weeks got there in the end but deep into 3* time. Why remains a mystery as the clues are well crafted & give everything you need to know. My unspotted mistake entering 8d didn’t help either.
    Another vote for 1a as COTD. Took too long to see I wasn’t looking for some weird ammeter-type instrument, DOH!
    Thank you to Jay & the 2 Ks.

    1. Me too. I googled it and now know more about ammeters ohmmeters and multi meters than I ever wanted to know.

  12. Brilliant Jay puzzle. Not too tricky, but needed some thought. I’m with the others who give 1a as today’s top clue.

    I see that I have that spurious in my name again. Anyone know what’s going on?

    1. Lots of people ended up with a + in their avatar a few weeks ago and someone went through and removed them. It looks like the problem may be re-occurring.

  13. A real toughie for me today, just could not get my head around it. I resorted to hints which helped but all in all not a good one.
    Still if we were all the same it would not be fun.
    Thanks to the 2Ks and setter.

  14. It’s consistency of excellence day! Completed at a fast gallop – **/*****.
    Candidates for favourite, yes I did manage to separate some out – 1a, 8d, and 20d – and the winner is 20d.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  15. I only get the DT on Wed and Fri and I always enjoy Jay’s crosswords. They are everything I like in a cryptic, great surfaces and enough direction to usually get to the answer. And once achieved the parsing falls into place. Finished the Toughie already which puts it into the easier category but some answers I am looking forward to the explanation. Cheers Kiwis and Jay

  16. As is often the way on a Wednesday, there are too many goodies to pick from when it comes to a favourite. For me today it’s impossible to see beyond the truly laugh-out-loud Quickie pun but I’ll happily award podium places to many of the others. Maybe not the protein though – I had to verify that one!

    Many thanks to Jay for another very enjoyable solve and thanks to our 2Ks for finding time to sort out the review before heading off to see the grandchildren.

  17. Well, I found this at the more difficult end of Jay’s spectrum. Excellent clues but, I’m afraid, I was stumped by quite a few and needed the hints so many thanks to the 2Ks for them. I did like 8d and 14d but my COTD is 16d.

    Many thanks to Jay for a challenge I couldn’t quite meet. I did not immediately “see” the Quickie pun but when I did it gained my vote as one of the best puns ever.

  18. Excellent puzzle today I thought with some very clever clues. My favs were 1a & 9a.
    One of those days when I managed to get on the setters wavelength early.
    Thx to all
    **/*****

  19. I really look forward to “Jayday” in the middle of the week and this didn’t disappoint. Such clever, concise clues and an enormous sense of achievement on completion. So much to commend but I particularly liked 1a. 9a, 7d and 19d provided just the right amount of working out.
    Many thanks to Jay and to the 2Ks. I long for the day when grandparent duties can be resumed here – enjoy every minute of your stay.
    Thanks, too, to LBROK for the encouragement. I seem to be on a mini roll but we’ll see what tomorrow brings!

    1. It’s Ray T tomorrow, Essar so if you are in tune with him you should be ok. Here’s hoping! Go for it. 👍

  20. Another great puzzle by Jay, I always seem to be on the same wavelength with Jay completed at a canter */*****.
    COTD for me has to be 1a also the quickie pun was excellent.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  21. Jay was a bit tougher last night than usual for me, but none the less splendid as usual. I found myself hung up a while in the SE, with 25d and 28a, but then the penny dropped, and all was well. I agree that 1a is the COTD, though for sheer canniness, 25d deserves a special medal for trickery. 18d and 21a complete my crowded podium. Still the master, this brilliant wordsmith Jay, and many thanks to him again and to the Kiwis of NZ. 2.5* / 4.5*

    I have one unsolved clue left on today’s Toughie, another one of those foxy four-letter words. Grrr.

      1. Lots of googling and some electronic assistance to help an overseas parvenu. Gazza just filled in my blank space for me…it was news to me.

  22. Fantastic puzzle today. Hadn’t heard of the protein. Too many great clues to pick just one. Thanks to all. I really, really object to the obscene salaries the BBC are paying with our money. Outrageous! Desert Island Discs completely ruined and now A Question of Sport will go the same way.

    1. Completely agree Manders – as everyone knows, I am not sport-minded but we always watch QofS if we can simply because everyone is having such a
      good time. I am really sad that is going, the rapport between the team leaders and Sue is lovely to watch. It was not broken and did not need mending.

      1. Having produced a really enjoyable programme, the BBC developers and managers seem to be infinitely capable of shooting themselves in the foot, by getting rid of it, usually in order to appeal to the youth market. Meanwhile, the young folk would rather be doing something more exciting than watching TV, which would account for their poor showing in the viewing figures. Apparently, their next move is to ‘ redevelop’ BBC 4 so as to include programmes that are more appealing to the youth market, whilst introducing license fees for the over 70’s at the same time. Classic BBC ‘logic’.

        1. To my annoyance, when George got the notice to buy a TV licence he did so immediately. I should have ignored it and made a great fuss about going to prison.

        2. I believe Sky Arts will be available on freeview tomorrow….maybe they will take over where BBC4 leaves off?

        3. The BBC have lost the plot. They chase a youth market that doesn’t want them and ignore a more mature group that does. It began when Radio 2 axed Drivetime and put Simon Mayo with Jo Wiley. It was a disaster and led to Simon moving to the new classical music station Scala. I’m with Daisygirl and am willing to refuse paying my licence fee.

  23. Jay on top form again today with this excellent and thoroughly enjoyable puzzle. The whole grid oozed with quality and like others I would have to go for 1a and the Quickie Pun as podium winners. Now for the Toughie.

    Thanks to our avian friends.

  24. Hello everyone.
    Summer is still in full swing down in the south of France and business is booming. We should open non stop until the end of October to cover the fashion festival and the all saints school holidays.
    In today’s Jay, which is one of the few backpage crossword that I managed to tackle over the summer, I can’t see where the elusive 25d would fit in.
    Will look later on my mainframe.
    Favourite 18a considering the present situation with president Erdogan.
    Thanks to Jay and to our kiwis for the review.

    1. Nice to hear from you again, Jean-Luc, and it’s good to know that business is booming for someone in these crazy times.

  25. Are we getting complacent about our expectations on a Wednesday ? We just know we are going to get a first class puzzle and
    excellent hints. Today was no exception – I think it was Stephen who right at the beginning remarked on the precision, quality and imagination of the
    wordplay. Spot on. And the quickie pun was definitely one I shall write down in my special book. Many thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis.
    Our daughter, having had extensive facial surgery removing bone and teeth 9 months ago, is due to have her review today when they explore
    the possibilities of facial reconstruction. It is now to be a telephone consultation. I could weep if I had any more tears left.

  26. Despite being featured in a clue in yesterday’s Toughie, I intend to keep my feet on the ground and continue to interact with the hoi polloi here.
    Gosh I found this quite tricky but persevered. 11a and 19a were new to me but I figured them out anyway.

    A lovely afternoon in Surrey. I am going to linger a while and read one of my gardening magazines, while Lola is stretched out on the table here, having left her favourite spot under the ivy. She is dreaming away, her little paws paddling and her tail a-go-go. Such a life of somnolence!
    Thanks to Jay and 2Ks

    1. I would never dream of referring to you in a three letter fashion Sir, despite the fact that we now all know you have a penchant for Hula Hoops. It was a big disappointment, I saw you
      more as an artisan, hand cut crisp sort of man. Just don’t tell Lola.

  27. Another day when I almost got past the finishing post on my own, and as this is a Jay puzzle I am very pleased to get that close. I didn’t know the protein, despite breaking my own rules and googling and not finding it. And for some reason I tried several words for 7d but never the right one. So big thanks to Jay for providing a very enjoyable puzzle and 2Kiwis – have a safe trip today. Three clues are vying for COTD, 21a, 8d and 16d, but I think 8d wins.

  28. For some reason which I cannot explain I Made heavy work of this a perfectly good puzzle in my opinion, my favourites were 1 across and 7 & 16 down, as always thank you to Jay and The 2 Kiwis

  29. A lovely crossword – just right – not too tricky but tricky enough to keep us all on our toes.
    I thought the misdirection in 1a was brilliant.
    My last answer was 19a which I suppose I must have heard of but it didn’t arrive in the brain when needed.
    Everything else has been said already.
    Clues that I particularly liked included 1and 28a and 16 and 20d. I think my favourite was probably 21a and I never did get the quickie pun even having been saying it over and over again on and off all day!
    Thanks to Jay and to the K’s.

  30. I nearly got there without help or hints, but I had to look up the new (to me) word in 9A, and needed to look at hints to give the last letter of 22D (I had put in the similar rice type) thus solving 28A. Nice puzzle to finish off in the garden hammock with a cup of light afternoon tea. Thanks to Jay and the Kiwis

  31. Am I the only one who had PILAU for 22d? If you count U as being fine, it works quite well.
    Having stared in vain for ages at 28a with every checking letter in place, I decided that something must have gone awry!
    I think pilau and pilaf are essentially the same?
    A very enjoyable puzzle, as ever for a Wednesday.

    1. I didn’t but only because I’d already got 28a – think it’s probably alternative but don’t trust me – I haven’t checked!

      1. Have you noticed how many men have spent the afternoon whiling away the time in
        a garden hammock with papers, magazines and cups of tea – let alone those playing silly games with small white balls.
        Just a thought.

        1. Shopping, laundry, hoovering, window cleaning and repotting houseplants, then beer and snooker
          Yes, I live on my own – after all, what sort of woman would put up with that?

        2. Not today DG – but will fess up to spending a substantial part of the afternoon& early evening lying on the couch watching some English & Aussie chaps playing with slightly bigger white ball & sadly the wrong side prevailed.

      1. Hi LBR
        A very good question!
        A bit of a stretch, particularly with the benefit of hindsight, but U and Non-U could possibly be fine and unrefined?
        No? OK, I’ll get my coat!

  32. Thanks to Jay and to the 2 Kiwis for the review and hints. I enjoyed this one a lot, but found it quite tricky. Needed the hints to parse 3d, 28a and 11a. I had the latter wrong as “aortal”, no wonder I couldn’t parse it! I liked the misdirection in 1a, and the surface of 27a, but my favourite was 20d. Last in was 19a. Was 3* /3* for me.

  33. Strangely we haven’t had the letter yet despite our last name starting with A. I certainly won’t pay it straight away, maybe insist on paying on a weekly basis just to be awkward. It makes my blood boil that we pay those huge salaries of pointless people like Zoe Ball. No wonder they can all afford to be left wing!

    1. This was meant to be in answer to Daisygirl’s comment at 27 above. Not sure why it appeared here.

    2. Manders, if Zoe Ball is worth £1,000,000 then we all are! Whoever told her she was a broadcaster?

  34. I am a bit grumpy, I wasted most of my lunch break on yesterdays puzzle. When I finally realised I was doing rather well at a puzzle I had already solved yesterday and picked up the right bit of paper I didn’t do very well in the brief time I had left. I didn’t even notice my grid wasn’t symmetrical though it does show where the missing 25d would fit. those that I managed to do though were very good. I liked the horsy clues in the NE (6d 10a) the woody ones in the SE (23a 24d) but COTD for me was 9a.
    Thanks to Jay and 2K’s I think I should go and be less grumpy with a 3d as long as you hold the vermouth and cherry

  35. Again a hugely enjoyable puzzle from Jay – yes, I know, I know, my favourite setter.
    Last in was 19a, then I suddenly remembered it from my medical transcription days.
    I was totally thrown by 21a, my answer had to be right, had never heard of “lose one’s rag”, but it’s in the dictionary.
    No fave today, the choices are too plentiful to bother my poor tiny brain.
    Thanks to Jay for the fun and to 2Kiwis for the hints and tips.

  36. Morning all from Wellington.
    Most of this blog was put together before we left home yesterday but the hint for 25d was added later from Wellington when the website was updated.
    Once again it looks like everyone enjoyed this puzzle as much as we did.
    Cheers.

  37. I struggled to get going on this one but it eventually fell without resort to hints from the 2Ks (but thanks anyway!). A very enjoyable tussle in the end. Thanks to Jay.

  38. Wonderful.
    Two gripes, 90% finished, save then refresh on the browser and the entire puzzle disappeared meaning I had to try and remember answers I had put in hours ago…and…
    Can’t spell omelette. 🤯
    Too many great clues to single out a favourite.
    Golfers – off to play West Hill tomorrow, one of the best courses in the SE, if you ever get the chance…
    Thanks all…

  39. OK, so I found this somewhat tough and rank it as ***/***. What is even more vexing is the puzzle I printed off right at the stroke of midnight GMT, had no 25d and no 25d clue in it.????? What the flipping’ heck????, but yet is shows up in this site.
    Made things somewhat frustrating, I must say.
    lots of hmmmmm’s all over this one.
    Clues I liked were 1a, 15a, 19a, 8d & 16d … winner 19a

    Thanks to Jay and 2K’s … but no thanks to whoever was responsible for posting a puzzle without a clue listed nor a place to put the answer …. grrrrr

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