DT 29476 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29476

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29476

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

A couple of our Spring markers that we watch out for on regular walks have appeared this week. We spotted our first clutch of ducklings, nine in this family, and the first contingent of Bar-tailed godwits have arrived from their breeding season in Alaska. Our clocks go forward this weekend too.

A few nostalgia inducing clues today from Jay, 3d and 13d in particular.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across
1a     Late caller gets double (4,6)
DEAD RINGER : Late or expired and then a telephone caller.

6a     Record of police department sent back to arrest son (4)
DISC : Reverse the abbreviation for the police department that investigates crime and insert S(on) into this.

9a     Part of body needing listener to be in shape (7)
FOREARM : Another word for shape contains the organ used for listening.

10a     College study incorporating Republican symbol on coat of arms (7)
UNICORN : The three letter abbreviation for a university college and then R(epublican) is inside another word for study.

12a     Developing polythene bead is unacceptable (6,3,4)
BEYOND THE PALE : An anagram (developing) of POLYTHENE BEAD.

14a     Sports ground charge to include European copy (8)
RECREATE : The three letter abbreviation for a sports ground and a charge or cost contains E(uropean).

15a     Leaders of any truly international show (6)
ATTEST : The first letters of any and truly and then an international sports fixture.

17a     Follows lecture in case of sepsis (6)
STALKS : The first and last letters of sepsis surround lecture or speak.

19a     Purpose of oil used by female (8)
FUNCTION : F(emale) and then oil used for anointing.

21a     Illegal profit, in a way, before distribution of wealth (7,3,3)
AGAINST THE LAW : A synonym for profit is enclosed by ‘A’ from the clue and a way or thoroughfare and then an anagram (distribution of) of WEALTH.

24a     Mist may be a worry on the borders of Shropshire (3,4)
SEA FRET : The borders of Shropshire gives us SE, then ‘A’ from the clue and worry or show anxiety.

25a    Bride’s intention about religious education loomed large (7)
TOWERED : A 2,3 phrase for a bride’s intention includes the abbreviation for religious education.

26a    Gin most of Labour perhaps rejected (4)
TRAP : The reversal, without the last letter, of a major political grouping.

27a     Cheating — could be attractive keeping notes exchanged (10)
DISHONESTY : An informal word describing an attractive woman contains an anagram (exchanged) of NOTES.

Down

1d     Skilful lower socio-economic groups supported by newspaper (4)
DEFT : Fourth and fifth grade groups and then the pink newspaper.

2d     A drill set up since regularly requiring oxygen (7)
AEROBIC : String together ‘A’ from the clue, the reversal of drill or make a hole, and then the second and fourth letters of ‘since’.

3d    Criminal can reorder key handbook for working out values (5,8)
READY RECKONER : An anagram (criminal) of CAN REORDER KEY.

4d     Propose master should have name for daughter (8)
NOMINATE : Start with a word meaning master or exert power over and change the first letter from D(aughter) to N(ame).

5d     Break out in laughter up there (5)
ERUPT : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

7d     Time of endless dry wit — a good experience at first (4,3)
IRON AGE : Remove the last letter from a word for dry wit, and then ‘A’ from the clue plus G(ood) E(experience).

8d     Instrument of fraud sure to see American sent down? (10)
CONCERTINA : Fraud or trick and then a synonym for sure with the abbreviation for American moved down one space.

11d     1 Across may be otherwise wanted in italics as absent (9,4)
IDENTICAL TWIN : An anagram (otherwise) of WANTED IN IT(a)LIC(s) once ‘as’ has been removed.

13d     Receiver‘s glass collection (7,3)
CRYSTAL SET : A type of heavy decorative glass and then a three letter word for a collection.

16d     Bird from Brazil perhaps needing opening (8)
NUTHATCH : What Brazil or perhaps Hazel could be an example of and an opening, possibly of a ship’s hold.

18d     State requiring a student with a couple of degrees (7)
ALABAMA : ‘A’ from the clue, then the letter for a student driver, ‘A’ from the clue again and then bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

20d     Going to the heart patients here? (7)
INWARDS : The answer split 2,5 tells where patients might be.

22d     African expression of disapproval — second one (5)
TUTSI : An expression of disapproval that is often used in a duplicated form, then the abbreviation for second and the Roman numeral one.

23d     Trained gymnast must keep tense (4)
EDGY : And to finish, another lurker, hiding in the clue.

Our favourite today is 11d because we are the parents of some.

Quickie pun    bray    +    key    +    toff    =    break it off

96 comments on “DT 29476

  1. It certainly gets you off to a good start if you can complete the top line straight away. The rest of this fell into place in ** time.

    24a was a bung in, but I think we have had the term previously. I can only just remember 3d, I used a slide-rule instead.

    COTD was 12a, a very smooth surface.

    Many thanks to the setter (Jay?) and the 2Ks.

    1. Always associated 3d with money calculations.
      As I have said before I was conditioned to use an Otis King calculator that my boss swore was the same as a 3ft slide rule.

  2. I found this puzzle a bit difficult to get into but , once I had made a start the clues fell into place reasonably quickly and were as enjoyable as ever (**/****). There were a lot of good clues but I thought 13d was good fun and also liked 1a and 21a. Thanks to the Kiwis for the review. As it is Autumn, many birds are off to warmer climes and the pesky grey squirrels are trying to raid my bird feeders. Many thanks to Jay also.

  3. This wasn’t the easiest Jay but even by his impeccable standards it was one of his finest. I needed Mr G to confirm a couple but the precise wordplay had led me to the correct answer. I loved the anagrams/partial anagrams, the 1a/11d link, 20d but my favourite was the brilliant 8d
    2.5/5*
    Many thanks to the 3 birds for the top notch entertainment.
    Ps…if dogs are a man’s best friend, surely birds are a setter’s.

    1. Re your PS: 16d especially, Stephen, because a setter can do so many different things with it, like Jay today!

  4. Slow start , fast finish sums up my journey through the crossword today . 24A was new for me and I looked up the derivation of 12A out of interest .
    An enjoyable and good work out which took my mind off a later hospital appointment which , at least , allows me to break the lockdown !
    Will go for 1A as COTD.
    Thanks to the Birds

  5. A good, solid Jay puzzle, perhaps not as scintillating as some of his but nonetheless masterful and most enjoyable. Always a pleasure to wake up on Wednesdays and be greeted with such unusual clues as 5 and 13d–yes, rather nostalgia-inducing, as the Kiwis say–as well as the companion pieces 1a and 11d. But my favourites are 24a, 11a, and 8d. Thanks to the Kiwis and to Jay. 2.5* / 4*

  6. Wednesday Jay puzzle provide a highlight of the week.A touch easier than some of his other offerings but great humour and sufficiently challenging to give satisfaction.Thanks to all.

  7. Another classic Jay , completed in good time only hold up was 24a not to sure about that one.
    I do actually remember 13d great fun. A favourite 3d like MalcolmR I was a fan of the slide rule. I wonder how many could use one today. As another lock down looks increasingly likely I hope that all out there in the Blogosphere are all safe and well. I think this is something we are going to have to get used to. Two of my grandchildren have been busy sewing so I have great facemasks.
    Thanks to the 2Ks amd Jay

    1. One of the fabric shops in Canterbury is selling material for you to make Christmas face masks – lots of different designs to make us look festive in these increasingly trying times

      1. I went down to the newsagents this morning to buy birthday cards and browse the magazine rack. It was full of new 2020 Christmas magazines telling how to cook a turkey ….. and “have the best Christmas ever”. No, I didn’t buy one. I’m not feeling that optimistic.

      2. What a great idea. Problem is I gave my sewing machine away last year when we were moving, and now you can’t buy one for love nor money over here. Would have been nice to make some myself. Did get a pretty one from a friend though.

  8. On first pass, I didn’t do very well. After a strong coffee, it all fell into place nicely. Up to the usual Jay standard. What I particularly enjoy about Jay’s puzzles is that the clues are very workable in so far as I can work out the answers from the word play. This is probably just a mind set thing. **/**** I liked 21a, 16d and the flow of 8d. Favourite is 1a. Thanks to all.

  9. I didn’t think this was Jay on his A-game but this setter in less than sparkling form still knocks spots off many of the others.
    Top three here were 1&19a plus 13d with mentions for 24a which I see from my windows on many occasions and 16d because it’s such a delightful bird.

    Thanks to Jay and to our 2Ks for the review – I envy you emerging into spring, think we’ve got a tough winter to get through before we see any light at the end of the Covid tunnel.
    PS Has anyone heard from Orphan Annie recently? A very Happy Birthday to her if she’s looking in.

    1. I said our east coasters Have posted about the second word in 24a from time to time, but now I see it could have been you on the west!

  10. I manage again to finish a Jay crossword with only two hints needed. Most enjoyable thank you Jay. 12a, and 13d my favourites for today. I did not like 24a as it reminded me of moving to Scarborough in April 1983 when for most of the late spring and early summer there was no sun because of the said 24a. Most unpleasant as is Scarborough and its locals with or without a 24a. Glad I don’t live there any more.

    As it’s not a prize puzzle am I allowed to use the solution in my comments?

    1. It has got one of the country’s best golf courses to recommend it (the fabulous Ganton in the Vale of Pickering) but absolutely nothing else.

  11. Found this by some margin the most straightforward of Jay puzzles of recent weeks. All over in fractionally over ** time but still very enjoyable without perhaps quite being up there with his very best. Liked the 1a/11d combo & thought 2d & 9a were both excellent but 12a was my favourite as it’s a wonderful expression.
    Thanks to Jay & the 2Ks.
    Ps noticed relatively few comments on yesterday’s excellent Silvanus Toughie/MP review – well worth a look if you missed it.

    1. Re the PS
      Not often I complete a Toughie unaided but I did yesterday’s this morning. Excellent puzzle within reach of middle-of-the-roaders like me.
      Well worth a visit in these trying times.
      Yes I did add a comment H

    2. 24 comments in 18 threads yesterday so far against an average of 24.8 comments in 15.3 threads. That’s ok by me Huntsman. The Toughies are usually solvable to those who get on well with cryptic puzzles. Dabbling too early puts a lot of solvers off just like most things in life. The less one needs the hints and tips for the daily cryptic the easier the Toughie challenge will be

  12. I made a very sluggish start and not assisted for failing to crack early on the clearly marked anagrams in 12a and 3d. Also bunged in 11d before getting 1a which was my favourite. Somehow found this less enjoyable than usual for a Wednesday and so 3/3 for me. Thanks Jay and Kiwis

  13. Probably a combination of a slightly gentler Jay & me beco ing more attuned but I completed well in 2* time. Anything from Jay is alwys class but this wasn’t quite top class.
    Held up a little by SW as 13d took a while to click. Old enough to admit to having one powered by the old glass cased 2V accumulator.
    As others COTD was 8d.
    Thanks to Jay & the 2Ks our weather signs are going the exact reverse of course. We await the wedges of geese heading South

  14. I forgot about that sort of “receiver” so 13d was my last in. I feel as though I’ve seen 10a a few times lately. The rest of it was standard Jay enjoyment so thank you setter and thanks too to the 2Ks.

  15. Thoroughly enjoyable as ever this Wednesday morning. Difficult to see past 1a for a favourite although 8d ran it close. Thanks to all three birds involved. Today’s Toughie is very solvable and good fun.

  16. I found this quite tough initially but once I got 1a things fell into place quite quickly but it took me into *** time and **** for enjoyment, I thought 8d was a brilliant clue and gets my vote for COTD.
    Thanks to the 3 birds.

    1. Always thought your “St A” referred to St Andrews. Clearly not as sea frets, or haars, regularly occur up here.

  17. A good challenge from Jay which, perhaps, wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the last three or four, completed at a gallop – 2.5*/3.5*.
    Candidates for favourite – 1a/11d, 9a, and 16d – and the winner is the 1a/11d combo.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis, especially for the 16d illustration.

  18. Once I tuned in to Jay’s wavelength I found this to be a very enjoyable Wednesday test with a number of excellent clues and several lengthy anagrams all of which were a pleasure to solve.
    Learned a new term in 24a. Hard to pick a COTD but 1a, 27a, 8d, 11d and 16d all in the running.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  19. I could copy and paste the same comment every Wednesday. A top class puzzle from Jay today. As always. It matches the top class blog from the 2 Kiwis. Thanks to all concerned

  20. I really enjoyed this Wednesday puzzle **/**** 😃 Lots of favourites but I choose 25a & of course 16d 🤗 Big thank you to Jay and of course to the 2x Ks 👍 and hurrah the Bar-tails have made it from Alaska (hopefully they have restricted their flock size to 6 😬)

    1. As long as they are posing for selfies at an election rally more than 6 is OK. Then you just apologise & all is forgiven.

  21. I only entered one answer after the first pass so I thought Jay was going to defeat me. Fortunately, the answers revealed themselves after much pondering and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Lots of excellent clues and a very novel way of cluing 16d. My favourite and COTD is 13d because my father made me one when I was about 7 years old. I listened in bed through huge Bakelite headphones. I first came across Jet Morgan and “Journey into Space” on that set. I was glued to it every night.

    Grateful thanks for your excellent workout, Jay. Thanks also to the 2 Kiwis for the great hints.

    PS Happy Birthday, Orphan Annie.

    1. We haven’t heard from Orphan Annie for some time, does anyone know how she’s doing? Wishing you a happy birthday Annie.

  22. An enjoyable Jay, as usual. One of his friendlier for me. I had a 13d as a boy and since it transported me back in time, I will give the top podium spot.

    Toughie is on the milder side of tough for anyone who’s interested.

    1. I made a couple of 13ds as a boy. I used to use my grandfather’s cigar boxes as the casing. I listened to the wedding of Princess Grace of Monaco with my first set, tuning in with the cat’s whisker.

  23. A very enjoyable steady solve, 1a and 11d lovely clues. 13d COTD in my opinion. Thanks to Jay and the Kiwis ,also thanks to Robert for the Elena Ferrante warning! There’s enough teenage angst around with teenage grandchildren struggling with online school and university. How do you do a biology degree online?

    1. You’re welcome, Kate, though I take no pleasure in such lukewarm praise. I wanted the book to be so much better (as I guess I always do) than I found it. How are things otherwise in Ontario?

  24. We had a 24a yesterday. They are common here – we watch them creep up the valley. My Scottish wife introduced me to the term “haar”.

  25. I tend to agree with Miffypops about the Wednesday cut and paste. Good stuff, sitting in the conservatory rather than outside as the rain falls steadily. Like Steve Cowling, my father produced a crystal set when I was a child and tried to interest me in the workings of it but to my shame I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t better to just turn the knob on the big brown Bakelite set. It was the same when he tried to engage me in the mysteries of the cotter pin in the engine of my first car, an Austin 7. He said I needed to know the workings of the internal combustion engine but I always found it was easier to get a boyfriend to fix things! Happy days, poor Daddy. The battery was under the front passenger seat I remember.

  26. Great Jay puzzle. I suspect younger solvers may have struggled with 3d and 13d. Whenever I muse to younger members of the family that they don’t know anything they tell me, “We don’t need to! We can look it up!”
    I suspect schoolchildren are taught how to look things up, rather than actually learn the facts themselves.
    Perhaps this is the right method in the modern era.

    First day of rain since the arrival of the rustling gazebo. Lola and I sit inside it and give not a care to the steady drizzle outside.
    Thanks to Jay and 2Ks.

    1. Lord help the youngsters if their internet connection fails!
      How’s your bedroom embargo working out, Terence?

      1. I often wonder what happened to logarithms (did I spell it correctly) that persecuted us in the upper fourth! Why did we need them? I can’t remember.

        1. I remember in Art we did book binding one term and had to bind or logarithm tables. To this day I have a beautifully bound log table – never been opened since I left. As you say, what was the point of them?

          1. I thought it was a pencil. I certainly used logs after I left school as I had to do complicated engineering calculations before the advent of calculators.

      2. Lola’s ban remains in place! I’m never going through that again. Only just recovered.
        (I agree with Kath – this all looks rather lurid unless you know the back story!)

  27. Thanks to Jay and to the 2 Kiwis for the review and hints. A super puzzle from Jay as usual. Quite on the gentle side today, but still lots of fun to solve. I liked 16d, thought that 23d was a good lurker, but my favourite was 21a. I’d not heard of 24a, but the wordplay was clear. Last in was 25a. Was 2* /4* for me.

  28. Super, fairly straightforward Jay puzzle, just held up by putting to… rather than in… for the first two letters of 20d.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2xK’s.

  29. Solved in two sittings either side of a French conversation Zoom gathering – amazing how much a change of cerebration helps. Fun to unravel several witty clues. 1a and 16d were Favs. Thank you Jay and 2Kiwis.

  30. As usual by this time everything has already been said so I’ll just agree with everyone else.
    No particular clue stood out for me today – they were all good.
    Thanks to Jay and to the K’s.

  31. Again my first thoughts that it was going to be very tricky but actually it was a steady and enjoyable solve. We had 4 days of sea fret last month when everyone else seemed to be having lovely weather. Some friends came to stay in Blakeney and booked to go by boat to see the seals at the Point. Sea fret so thick they couldn’t see the boat let alone the seals. Cold and pouring here today and will not put the central heating on in September! Thanks to all.

      1. I’m not cold, slaving over a hot stove preparing supper! It’s Mr Manders! Who is laughing hysterically next door watching a repeat of Ello Ello!

        1. Actually I wish I could post a recording of his laughter as I love hearing him laugh like this, lightens the mood. Especially as all my BBC channels are on the blink, again, due to the weather!

          1. We live in North Norfolk but can’t get Look East, which I love./ Have to watch Look North which is a very poor comparison! Sorry Look North but you aint a patch on Look East!

            1. I agree with you Manders re BBC Look East which I sorely miss since moving to West Sussex 10 years ago. BBC South has nowhere near the same appeal – wonder if Stewart White and Susie Fowler-Watt still hold the fort at BBC East?

  32. Morning all.
    Putting this blog together was a somewhat protracted process. Starting shortly, I (Colin) will be working for a couple of weeks as an assistant at a polling station during our forthcoming elections. Yesterday was a training day so putting the blog together had to be fitted around that. It all worked out in the end and still completed well before publishing time.
    Cheers.

    1. Thank you 2 Kiwis for fitting your, always, very enjoyable blog into your busy schedule. You are stars the other side of the world! Do you get sea frets?

      1. Yes we do get sea frets occasionally but they are not very common. Which is a good thing when you live as close to the coast as we do.

    2. I have acted as a presiding officer at our elections for nearly fifty years. Fortunately it has not been a full time occupation. Long hours with occasional ‘incidents’ The drunk man who arrived after the close of poll and threw a punch at my poll clerk was my favourite. His punch never connected. Mine did. The same day as a lady had a full on epileptic fit in my polling station. Oh dear!

  33. Ditto everybody else.
    Lovely Jay Lovely Blog Thanks to all 3 birds
    Favourite here was the 16d bird as we had some at our feeders recently

  34. I do love a Jay offering! I did have a few failures, 8d and 19a being a couple of them. I don’t know why I had the mental block, I had my ‘flu shot yesterday which may have caused my present blahness.
    I knew what 26a should be but didn’t know the why Labour. How many times will we have that for me to remember.
    So much to like here, maybe the 1a/11d combo is fave?
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis!
    If the lovely Jacinda doesn’t win, please parcel her up and send her over to us by November 3rd.

  35. 1.5*/4*. Excellent stuff as usual from Jay albeit at the easier end of his difficulty range. Many thanks to him and the 2Ks.

  36. Difficult Jay today, but doable and enjoyable. 1a was my COTD. 24a was new to me. When we used to visit my in-laws in Weymouth, and it turned rainy, my mother-in-law would insist that it was not rain at all, just sea mist 😊. Thanks to Jay and 2Kiwis.

  37. As ever love a Jay Wednesday. Agree with all that has been said above including why we needed to learn about logarithms. Can we join the queue for Jacinda here please? Thank you very much to Jay and the 2Kiwis for a great blog.

  38. I’m with the majority this evening as I’m in the “slow to start but came fairly easily once more checkers were in” camp. Lovely crossword and hard to pick a favourite but I’m going for 1a as it works on different levels due to the practice of installing a rope attached to a bell above ground into coffins in the middle ages, so someone only comatose could ring the bell which would heard by someone paid to sit in the graveyard. They were on the graveyard shift. Any road up many thanks to Jay and 2 K’s.

    1. My goodness, Taylor I remember reading about that and thought it quite macabre at the time. Of course, back then, it was never absolutely sure that a person was dead. Thus we have, “Dead Ringer” and the guy who watched over the graves gave us the “Graveyard shift”. Ain’t language wonderful?

  39. What a dreadfully wet and miserable day here on west coast of BC today. Found this was a puzzle of two sittings today. ***/*** for me today. Managed 2/3 of puzzle before grandchild duties began for the day and then at nap time, finished the SE corner in almost the same time it took to do first sitting. Needed a couple of the hints, but the hint for 26a however, (last in), I still don’t understand the parsing.
    COTD include 21a, 25a, 7d, 15d & 20d with winner 20d and 2a a close second.

    Thanks to Jay and 2k’s

      1. OK, I get it now. Was looking for something more related to specificity of Labour or perhaps even ‘left’ leaning.
        Would have done better with a clue such as “The gin at most of the do was rejected” !

        Thanks for the clarification though.

  40. Apropos of nothing in particular although there is a slender connection to cryptic crosswords, a dissertation delegate I have been monitoring sent me this pen. I was touched by the thought because I had told her that I could never find a pen to do the Daily Telegraph crossword,
    The only problem is, I haven’t graded the dissertation yet. Could this be construed as a bribe? 🧐

    https://share.icloud.com/photos/0vM2kcm9VyHKxh8NAFpgsEfpw#Kinnerley

  41. Very enjoyable Jay. Answers filled in themselves without too much effort. Only hitches – I did not parse3d and always miss these replacement letters. 15a was last one in and not particularly inspiring. Favourites 1 19 and 21a and 3 13 and 16d. Thanks to Jay and 2Ks. Hints not needed but grateful for the parsing of 4d. I did not particularly remember the African but he was who he had to be.

  42. Bad day for me. Struggled.

    Understood a few of the ones I missed when filling in gaps.

    It does amuse me when some contributors say how easy the cryptic is but openly admit referring to hints and tips to assist…..

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