DT 29752 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29752

 

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29752

Hints and tips by Miffypops

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

Barrel was bathed in early morning sunshine as I solved this pangram from Giovanni. (Me noticing a pangram? That could be a first) A couple in the top right held me up somewhat and the rather obvious do as the clue says at 13 across was my last one in. Not surprisingly as it requires the solver to know a minor member of a an obscure group of Liverpool musicians who split up over fifty years ago

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. 

Across

1a        Investigate report of European getting made public (5,3)
CHECK OUT: A homophone (report of) of a native of The Czech Republic is followed by a word meaning in the public domain or issued

5a        In reduced circumstances, suffering in purdah (4,2)
HARD UP: An anagram (suffering) of PURDAH

9a        Maiden maybe initially anxious getting married — being this? (8)
OVERAWED: What a maiden might be in cricket is followed by the initial letter of the word anxious and a three-letter word meaning married

10a      Girl has nasty time with love restricted (6)
VIOLET: A synonym of the word nasty contains the letter that looks like the love score in tennis and is followed by the abbreviation for time

12a      Something that’s left after death in car? (6)
ESTATE: What one leaves in ones will is also the name of a type of car

13a      A bishop is performing at back of hotel as member of a group (8)
HARRISON: A five part charade. 1 The letter A from the clue. 2 The two-letter abbreviation a bishop is known by.   3 The word IS from the clue. 4 A word meaning performing or doing ones act. 5 The letter the Hotel represents in the NATO phonetic alphabet. Arrange as suggested by the clue. Now read my preamble to see my take on this clue

15a      Two pints had with hesitation? Half a pint would be such a fraction of that! (7)
QUARTER: A liquid measurement consisting of two pints is followed by one of the two-letter words used by setters to suggest hesitation. Not um. The other one

16a      Food item fly has left momentarily (4)
BRIE: A word meaning momentarily or of short duration needs to lose the word fly to find a type of cheese. Thanks to Albert for pointing out my error   

20a      Wine creates bewilderment — head goes (4)
HOCK:  Remove the first letter from a word meaning bewilderment or stunned surprise

21a      Good run makes one happier (7)
GLADDER: Begin with the abbreviation for good. Add a run such as might appear in a nylon stocking

25a      Models talk — ‘news’ with no content (8)
PATTERNS: The talk of a salesman or fairground barker is followed by the outer letters of the word news

26a      Way someone good hugs oak? (6)
STREET: The abbreviation for someone so good that they have been canonised sits around what an oak is an example of

28a      Give out audible greeting to old lover (6)
EXHALE: Ones regular crosswordland old lover is followed by a word that sounds like (audible) a greeting but means healthy

29a      A bit of office equipment where Mickey lives? (8)
MOUSEPAD: Split 5,3 Where a creature such as Walt Disney’s Mickey might live. As an eight-letter word a piece of office equipment not heard of before the advent of the desktop computer. 

30a      Some French revolutionary had to calm down (6)
SEDATE: The French word for some is reversed as indicated by the word revolutionary. It is followed by a word meaning had as in had some food. Now there is an idea. Breakfast beckons

31a      Number about to be trapped by beast — not the type gentlemen prefer? (8)
BRUNETTE: A savagely violent person surrounds a number between nine and eleven that has been reversed (about)

Down

1d        Divided group of women — fifty granted entry (6)
CLOVEN:  A Hubble bubble toil and trouble group of women surround the Roman numeral which denotes the number fifty

2d        Australian territory featured in leading woman’s book launches maybe (6)
EVENTS: The abbreviation of one of Australia’s territories (which includes the word territory) sits inside the possessive name of the first lady on earth

3d        Mark out ground in which to place hospital in capital (8)
KHARTOUM:  Place the abbreviation for hospital inside an anagram (ground) of MARK OUT

4d        Employer you serve ‘heartily’ (4)
USER: The answer lies hidden within the words of the clue as indicated by the word heartily

6d        Owl in here? A change is needed to accommodate one (6)
AVIARY: Begin with the letter A from the clue. Add a word meaning change or make different into which the letter that looks like the number one has been inserted

7d        So rudely misbehaving, creating the wrong impression (8)
DELUSORY: Anagram (misbehaving) of SO RUDELY

8d        It’s obvious having journalist registered (8)
PATENTED: An adjective meaning easily recognisable or blatantly obvious is followed by our usual journalist

11d      Female stops collecting silver pieces of little value (3,4)
FAG ENDS: The abbreviation for female is followed by the chemical symbol for silver and a word meaning stops

14d      Idler drifting around an island (7)
IRELAND: An anagram (drifting) of IDLER sits around the word AN from the clue

17d      Flower arrangements fellows placed around rented accommodation (8)
CHAPLETS: Some fellows or blokes sit around (we are good at sitting around) a word meaning, of rental property, leased out

18d      Caledonian revolutionary had to be frustrated (8)
SCOTCHED: A four-letter native of Caledonia is followed by an old revolutionary and mate of Fidel Castro. The word Had in the clue needs to be shortened and placed after the revolutionary and an apostrophe as in he had becomes he’d

19d      Junk is not moving at bottom of stream (8)
JETTISON:  An anagram (moving) of IS NOT follows a rapid stream of water perhaps

22d      Fervent participator in craze — a lottery (6)
ZEALOT: The answer lies hidden within the words of the clue as indicated by the word in

23d      Lower classes see one ruling cruelly (6)
DESPOT: The lower social classes as described by letters are followed by a word meaning to see something

24d      Filling food set out — stray dog gets stuck in (6)
STODGE:  An anagram (out) of set contains a second anagram (stray) of DOG

27d      Number in favour announced (4)
FOUR: A homophone clue. A number sounds like (announced) a word meaning in favour of and not against

QUICKIE PUN  JENNER + ASIANS = Generations


 

71 comments on “DT 29752

  1. 10a plus the rather strange 15a apart, I really enjoyed this very good Giovanni pangram. I have ticks all over the place including 9,12&31a plus 6&23d. Brightened up a miserable morning in South Devon.
    2.5/4*
    Many thanks to Giovanni and to MP (loved your story in yesterday’s Toughie blog).

    1. Yes – grim weather down here isn’t it? But get the suncream out as the met office are showing big sun from 1300👍👍

        1. Let’s hope that doesn’t scupper it😣 but looking west right now over Plymouth Sound it is starting to get a lot brighter

  2. I agree with the rating given by Miffypops. I got held up longest in the NE and thought 27d a bit stretched since they don’t quite sound the same in my view. A setter’s prerogative I expect! With thanks to them both and COTD given to 29a which made me chuckle.

  3. Beaten by just one, 17d, I didn’t know the word, and although the Fellows came to mind the Rented Accommodation didn’t.

    Otherwise, all done in *** time. Thanks to the setter and MP.

  4. This was a bit of a slog. The bottom half fell into place well but the top half was a bit of a beast (5*/3*). There were some good clues there, once the collective pennies finally dropped. 1d was pretty clever and, as a fan of the band , I loved 13a. My favourite and COTD was 3d, lovely geographical anagram. Thanks to MP for the hints, I needed help parsing23d, which I bunged in. Thanks to Giovanni for another demanding puzzle.

    1. I agree, I really struggled with this one, but with the extra hints I kicked myself. I print them out and plod on until I give in after a couple of days so *****/*** for me

  5. NE held me up, especially the girls name. Didn’t particularly enjoy this for some reason, maybe because I’m still inwardly raging that I bought two pies at a stall next to our watermill after buying some flour. One lamb pie and a cheesecake for D. Happily handed over my debit card. These two small pies cost me £24 when I checked my bank statement. No wonder the prices were not visible on the stall. Grrr. Anyway thanks to the setter and to MP. Never heard of 17d but gettable. By the way MP, in relation to your comment yesterday, I am a newspaper subscriber but I get the puzzles email OK.

  6. Solved bright and early today before going on a lovely walk between the three churches of Littlebourne, Wickhambreaux and Ickham – beautiful quiet country side, lovely streams and water mills and loads of dragonflies – perfect

    The crossword was more straightforward than I’d expect from a Thursday Giovanni – I had no problem with the minor group member and am surprised our blogger didn’t mention his grandson in dispatches! Thanks to him and Giovanni

    1. Sounds wonderful, CS. St. Vincent in Littlebourne has 6 bells with the tenor being 10 cwt but according to “Church Bells of Britain” by R. H. Dove, they are for chiming only. St. Andrew in Wickhambreaux has 6 bells, the tenor also being 10cwt. It is unusual in that the bells are rung anti-clockwise and that is “withershins” or “widdershins” (look it up) and not usual for a C of E church. It appears Ickham doesn’t have a ring.

      I am absolutely sure that you will delight in this information! 🤣🤣

  7. I thought Giovanni was a little tricky today, with one or two clues needing a fair bit of thought. I really enjoyed 3d, which was my COTD. Hoping that the test match extends well into the weekend as we have tickets for Saturday.

    My thanks as always to The Don and to MP.

  8. 17d makes perfect sense if you have heard of that word, which I hadn’t.
    So I gave up without finishing which definitely diminishes any enjoyment.
    Keep up the good work Miffypops.

  9. I found this a surprisingly gentle Thursday backpager, a pleasant pangram with nothing to alarm the equines. An enjoyable and satisfying solve albeit in one of my least favourite grid layouts, each of the five “mini puzzles” pretty much being solved separately. Chuckled at the revolutionaries both coming from the Auld Alliance.

    HMs to 15a, 31a, 3d, 17d and 22d; COTD to 29a for the laugh-out-loud moment when the p. dropped.

    2* / 3.5*

    Many thanks to Giovanni (as I said, I do tend to enjoy your puzzles) and to MP for the review.

  10. I had to construct 17d and then check google to confirm. Otherwise straightforward and although the prospect of a pangram occurred to me fairly early on, I promptly forgot about it. Thanks to today’s setter and MP.

  11. The NE corner beat me and I had to resort to the hints. I just could not unravel the anagram at 7d much to my annoyance. 13 and 16a also defeated me. Other than this corner the rest was enjoyable. I missed the pangram but I often do. Plenty to like but my COTD is 29a because it raised a huge smile.

    Many thanks to Giovanni for the challenge. Thanks also to Miffypops for the hints.

  12. I didn’t enjoy this backpager Giovanni nearly as much as I did his Toughie yesterday; found it a bit of a slog, actually, though I finished it in reasonable time without any aids. Nothing particularly inspiring but I did like 13a and 3d. Thanks to MP (especially for ‘The Verger’ yesterday; I enjoyed it) and to Giovanni. ** / ***

  13. A bit easier than Jays offering yesterday ,and I never thought I’d say that about a Jay puzzle. I still didn’t finish it, stumped by 13a ,and 17d which I’d never heard of. Overall an enjoyable puzzle and hints so thanks to all.

  14. Giovanni certainly gave us a run for our money today but, as always, he made it a fun exercise. NE was last to give in mainly due to struggling with 13a also 31a after attempting to use an anagram (about) of number without the ‘m’. As before I feel 16a “food item” is rather loose. Numerous good clues so will refrain from picking a Fav but 29a caused a smile. Thank you Giovanni and MP.

  15. I tend to find I am often in the same mindset with Chris when it comes to grading difficulty, and like her, I found this rather a slog. It is a clever, well constructed puzzle of course, and I found that the rather simple step to success was as ever – the more checking letters one has, the easier it is to work out the troublesome clues <- Terence's Blatantly Obvious Guide To Crossword Completion.

    Today, through the post, I received a copy of a book about Tony Stratton Smith to which I contributed. They have spelled my name incorrectly in the index. I am demanding they withdraw the book and burn all remaining copies. Plus a million quid in compensation.

    Today's crossword soundtrack: Jack Bruce – Songs For A Tailor.

    Thanks to Giovanni and The Miff

  16. Just thought Miffypops but isn’t the whole of the word fly missing from the solution to 16?

    1. Golly bongs you are right sir. How did I miss that. I will alter my hint accordingly.

  17. Found this one easier than his Toughie yesterday though it was by no means a brisk solve. At least, unlike that one, it was an unaided completion (other than 17d requiring confirmation) & probably helped by solving first thing in the morning rather than half asleep last thing at night. Like Miffs the ‘obscure’ band member was my last in too & I wrongly assumed the D & E at 23d were marks/classes in exams conspicuously absent nowadays presumably with nonsense grade inflation. Like Steve 29a was my favourite also but ticks for 9,16&31a along with 2,3&6d in an enjoyable puzzle.
    Thanks again to Giovanni & MP
    Today’s listening: Hittin’ The Note – the 12th & final studio album by the Allman Brothers Band with some great guitar playing by Warren Haynes & Derek Trucks

    1. They should keep the exam grades as letters I was so proud of my o level results which spelled F U D G E

      1. I read it as the social classes A thru E where A refers to the most educated and richest members of society and E the poorest and least educated. I’ve used Noah Webster’s spelling there just for you Robert

  18. Due to always starting at the bottom of the down clues and working upwards. I spotted the pangram. Not that it helped much. I liked 29a. Made me smile. Otherwise no joy to be had. The NW corner resisted and I was fed up of it by then so I used the hints.
    ***/**

  19. Another Giovanni failure as with most of his of late. Managed about 1/4 before giving up.
    Good manners precludes me from giving my honest opinion of this puzzle.
    Thx for the hints but frankly there were just too many clues that were too difficult.
    *****/* (would not even give this one star but it is the least I can give it)

  20. Sigh, one of those puzzles where I mostly got the answers despite the clues. Low on enjoyment. It’s not been a good week for us dimwits… I have completed a few Toughies that were easier than the last few days. My hat off to MP, and hello to Kath if she is looking in on “her” day.

    1. How lovely – I just had to have a look today and there happened to be a quick hello – oh dear – I do really miss everyone SOOOOO much – I will be back . . .
      Thanks BusyLizzie – busy today – our Younger Lamb is getting married on Saturday so I’d probably go on for too long but I’ll pop in with a bit more of news very soon.
      I rather like this to be called “my day” – it certainly was for a very long time . . . . :cry:

      1. Oh, Kath, how lovely to see you, and you sound so happy! All the best for Lamb’s wedding in Saturday, will be thinking of you. We all love you soooo much!

      2. A warm welcome back after your enforced absence. I hope you are well on the way to much better health and look forward to seeing you again on the site before long.

      3. Oh you have cheered me up no end, made my day to hear from you. Hope the wedding is absolutely lovely.

      4. So nice to hear from you, Kath! You sound so good too! Best of everything for the big wedding.

      5. Kath! How wonderful to see you back. :good: :rose:

        Hope you are improving daily and will soon return to Kath’s Day and Ray T.

      6. Good to hear from you Kath, best wishes for your family’s big day and your continued recovery.

      7. Just what we needed – a comment from our sorely missed blogger. I do hope the big day goes off perfectly – just fancy, you’re finally going to join me in the mother-in-law stakes!

        1. Great to hear from you, Kath and good to know that there’s a wonderful family occasion for you to lokk forward to in the near future. Don’t forget the tissues🤮

      8. Welcome back with open arms Kath and warmest good wishes to Younger Lamb, her groom and all her family for the big day – do hope the sun shines for you all on Saturday🥂💐🌈.

        1. Hello Kath please pop in more often it’s good to keep in contact. Get more well soon.

      9. Just popped in for a late look at the blog, and what a splendid surprise to see your message, Kath. We miss you every day, and particularly on Thursdays. I hope you and your family have a really lovely day on Saturday.

      10. Wonderful to hear from you Kath. Best wishes for the weekend wedding.
        Lots of love to all of you from both of us.

      11. It’s rather late but I just wanted to say how lovely it was to hear from you Kath. We all miss you and look forward to hearing from you again soon. But slowly does it. Wishing you all a brilliant and memorable day on Saturday, Take good care x

  21. A tough solve again for me with Giovanni. 3.5*/**** Found the left side of the grid tougher than the right, and that is where I really needed the hints, and even then had trouble with the parsing on some.
    Clues I liked include 13a, 15a, 31a, 11d & 24d with winner 11d with 13a being the runner-up.

    Thanks to Giovanni and MP for hints that I needed for the west side of the puzzle.

  22. I’m with Brian – a really unsatisfying puzzle. I used to enjoy Giovanni but no longer. A grudging thanks to him and thanks to MP for the hints.

  23. A tale of two parts for me. I found the bottom 9 rows fairly easy but I could only do 3 clues from the top 6 rows. I usually start at the bottom because I have an unproven theory that they are easier, but this was an extreme example.
    I still don’t understand the significance of ‘restricted’ in 10a.

    1. Michael
      The “restricted” simply indicates that it (the O) is surrounded or confined by the rest of the clue.

  24. Yes, like Brian, I used to enjoy Giovanni’s puzzles. I found this so tricky, I solved the SE and a smattering here and there when I decided to go in for hints. I have far too much to do today to spend any more time on this. I thought 21a an odd word, would one actually say “I’ll be gladder when this is over” or “happier”? I liked 31a, very smile worthy, but fave is 29a.
    Thanks to Giovanni for his offering, and huge thanks to M’pops for unravelling the rest for me. My, Harrison is really growing up! So handsome.

  25. Thanks to the Don for an excellent pangram and to MP for explaining 13d which threw me completely. Good to see Kath is back!

  26. Thank you Miffypops for enlightenment on this puzzle. Either the puzzles are getting harder or my brain is deteriorating but although I solved more than yesterday I still needed help for about half. As a result it was dispiriting so nothing leapt out as worthy of mention. Thanks though to Giovanni for a woeful lunchtime.

    1. I don’t think it’s your brain deteriorating, Corky. I have found this to be a hard week.

  27. What a funny old world Crossword land is 🤔 After struggling all week this was like the 🌞 coming out after the 💨 ***/**** Favourites 9 & 13a and 17d. Thanks to Giovanni and to MP 😃

  28. Well I agree, I have to say I fairly sailed through this but I did it in the car this morning driving down to Henley. It is true that ‘gladder’ is not a word in everyday use but as far as the clue is concerned, how many women these days say they have a run in their tights? Not many I guess. Anyway, we are on our way home now, delighted to hear from Kath, thanks to the setter and Miffypops. My battery is about to run out!

  29. Strangely I’m in the “they don’t come much more straightforward than this” camp unlike the Beam toughie of which I’ve solved 5 clues in the time it’s taken me to complete this. I had to check 17d but from the it couldn’t have been anything else. Many thanks to Giovanni for a splendid crossword and MP for the splendid blog.

  30. Considering the calibre of the people who found today hard, I’m surprised that I enjoyed this and that I also agreed with MP’s rating.

    As with others 29a raised a smile and had to check 17d.

    Thanks to all.

  31. Miffypops, dare I suggest that the illustration to 5a was about to impersonate an elephant? 🤫

  32. Late to the party again. But the sun came out in Cornwall and barbecue beckoned. This was a breath of fresh air after yesterday. I left several unanswered yesterday. I looked at the hint for one and managed to get all the stragglers. Today I completed it unaided although the NE held out for a while. Favourites too numerous to list but thanks to Giovanni and Miffypops. I thought 13a was a tribute to your grandson and not some ancient band member.

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