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DT 29799

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29799

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

Spring is still a bit slow arriving for us. Lots of new animals about on the farms, the first clutches of ducklings, the godwits are back on the estuary, but we are still having quite a few grey dampish days.
Another enjoyable Wednesday puzzle to blog though so things aren’t too bad.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Papa has fry-ups cooked with fat and a crust of this (4,6)
PUFF PASTRY : The letter represented by Papa in radio communication is followed by an anagram (cooked) of FRY-UPS and FAT.

6a     Pain that remains after losing heart? (4)
ACHE : Start with a word meaning sorrow or anguish and remove the word heart from this.

10a     Burning anger after a fine (5)
AFIRE : ‘A’ from the clue, then F(ine) and a synonym for anger.

11a     Bag containing small part for cook (9)
CASSEROLE : A bag or item of luggage contains S(mall). This is followed by a part in a play.

12a     Hide in corner of Greek island (7)
SECRETE : The bottom right corner (described with compass directions), of a large Greek island.

13a     Manchester United victory, initially getting a flyer? (7)
REDWING : The colour associated with Man U, a victory and then the first letter of ‘getting’.

14a     Market traders may be bankrupt and right to be held in medieval punishment (12)
STOCKBROKERS : Another word for bankrupt plus R(ight is enclosed by a type of medieval punishment.

18a     With her two crying out it’s embarrassing (12)
CRINGEWORTHY : An anagram (out) of HER TWO CRYING.

21a     Attributes of new semi, including deposit (7)
IMPUTES : A verb meaning deposit or place is inside an anagram (new) of SEMI.

23a     Where nurses may be offering direction (7)
INWARDS : Split the answer 2,5 to find where the nurses may be.

24a     Area at back of ice store designed for alien objects (9)
ESOTERICA : An anagram (designed) of ICE STORE is followed by A(rea.

25a     Odd degree to which folk may dance? (5)
RUMBA : Odd or strange and a university degree.

26a     Gets fed up without right links (4)
TIES : A word meaning gets fed up, or even gets exhausted, with the R(ight) removed.

27a     Half of them study with nothing on that’s worn-out (10)
THREADBARE : The first half of the word ‘them’, then a word meaning study at university and one meaning with nothing on.

Down

1d     Desperately hopes broadcast to get commendation (6)
PRAISE : A homophone (broadcast) of desperately hopes or beseeches the Almighty.

2d     Songbird circling large quail (6)
FLINCH : A type of songbird contains L(arge).

3d     How a jigsaw must be worked out? (6,8)
PIECED TOGETHER : An all in one clue with the definition being ‘worked out’.

4d     Understood about source of confidence in belief that cannot be criticised (6,3)
SACRED COW : A Russian doll clue. A three letter word for understood or noticed contains a theological belief that in turn contains the first letter of confidence.

5d     Step up seeing jockey having a change of heart (5)
RISER : Change the middle letter in another word for a jockey to create part of a staircase.

7d     Selection boxes — cold and small, sweet treats (4-4)
CHOC-ICES : The abbreviation for cold is inside (boxed by) selection, and finally S(mall).

8d     Provide incentive for singer sadly involved in drugs (8)
ENERGISE : An anagram (sadly) of SINGER contains two instances of the drug ecstasy.

9d     To date he’d moved student taken in by promise to be out (4,2,3,5)
DEAD TO THE WORLD : An anagram (moved) of TO DATE HE’D and then a promise or commitment contains the student driver letter.

15d     Obstruction in pub with adult brewing cider outside (9)
BARRICADE : Another three letter word for a pub, then an anagram (brewing) of CIDER contains A(dult).

16d     Chance event that’s grave, perhaps concealing identity (8)
ACCIDENT : What a grave or even a circumflex might be contains ID(entity).

17d    Forced to go round online service provider and expose as false (8)
DISPROVE : Forced or moved forward contains the three letters for an online service provider.

19d Disputed territory of church covering border needing answer (6)
CRIMEA : The Anglican Church surrounds a border or edge and finally A(nswer).

20d     Effects coming from middle of arena, say (6)
ESTATE : The central letter of arena and then say or utter.

22d     Posh Scandinavian lacking education (5)
SWISH : Remove the two letter abbreviation for education from within one of the Scandinavian nationalities.

Quickie pun    furze    +    tanned    =     first-hand

61 comments on “DT 29799

  1. Excellent puzzle, which I completed prior to a (very) bracing sea swim, both stimulating and enjoyable in their own way.
    In a very strong field I’ve allocated ticks to 18a as it’s such a great word, 21a and 3d.
    2/4.5*
    Many thanks to the Jay, if it is he, and the 2Ks

  2. Took a while to tune in today ,not much happened on a quick scan and it was a case of the bottom half first!
    Finished in the NE corner and last in was 6a thanks to the 2K.s for the parsing which eluded me -and the pics..
    Really enjoyed the puzzle and going for a ***/****,
    Many excellent clues, favourites were 13a and 14a and liked 3d and 9d- original and took a while to parse

  3. Good fun. It doesn’t have the feel of a Jay to me but what do I know. **/**** I thought 19d was quite clever but my favourite is the baby picture of 9d. They all look so angelic when they’re asleep! Thanks to all. Just the thought of diving in the sea gives me the chills, SL.

  4. I found this tricky at ***/** and needed the 2K’s for 17d as I didn’t know the online service provider without which I couldn’t fathom that one. My brain must be foggy today as I struggled with the obvious anagram at 18a although eventually fathomed it. Didn’t have a COTD today. Maybe I should follow Stephen L’s example and jump into Plymouth Sound!

      1. We only live a ten minute drive from the sea, but apart from the fact that it is blooming chilly here today, we achieved the holy grail of a full tank of petrol yesterday, and it seems a bit extravagant to use it to shiver at the beach when we can wrap up warm and walk round the marsh for free.

        1. The holy grail indeed. I still remember the day, at the height of Covid, when I found a package of toilet rolls in my local supermarket. I walked out of there feeling like I had won the lottery.

          1. I’ve read that we’re heading for those shortages again – please say it isn’t so!

            1. It will only be so for those that bought up 25×9 packs at a time the first time round! They’re probably still eating them.

  5. Thanks to the 2Ks for explaining 6 across which I failed to fathom. Otherwise all good. A very enjoyable solve as usual for a Wednesday. Thanks also to Jay for the puzzle. What a beautiful day it is.

  6. 6a was also my final entry and parsing, with 7d my favourite clue. My excuse for not going for an early morning dip is that Shropshire has no coastline, thank heavens. Excellent blog as always from the 2Ks, and my thanks to our setter for an enjoyable puzzle, Jay or AN Other.

  7. Hugely enjoyable but it took me way beyond consuming my rack of toast. Like many above, I’m grateful for the explanation of 6a – it parsed me by.

    Lovely day here, after ten days of grim weather. The windows have been flung open. We live on the wild side of life here.

    Today’s crossword soundtrack: Donald Fagen – The Nightfly (Live). An album played regularly here since its recent release.

    Hats off to the setter and the Couple Of Kiwis.

  8. Stared at this for about 10 minutes. Looked at all clues and none dropped in.
    Went for a stroll and had a cup of tea and suddenly got it going and finished in a reasonable time.
    A ‘wavelength’ puzzle that once I understood the setters thinking fell nicely. Some great clues

  9. The top was an excellent puzzle but I found parts of the bottom half way out of my league, v difficult.
    Def a curates egg for me.
    The top **/****
    The bottom *****/*
    Thx for the much needed hints.

  10. Perhaps my brain was not firing on all cylinders but this was a real challenge and not a lot of fun – 3.5*/2*.

    Difficult to find a favourite but I did like 27a and 3d.

    Thanks to the setter, it did not ‘feel like’ a Jay, and the 2Kiwis.

    1. I found it tricky, most unusual for a Jay. I find that when you solve a Jay clue, you know whether it’s right or wrong, there’s no doubt, but today I had many I couldn’t parse at all.

  11. I’m not going into the Tay estuary for anyone…..Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter….did plenty when I was a child and discovered that blue is not an attractive skin tone.

    Did not know the online service provider so got stuck on 17d and 21 across. Otherwise managed to solve this one which I found quite difficult. I particularly liked 16d …Great misdirection.

    Thanks to the setter and the 2 Kiwis.
    Still trying to offload apples …..the posties are definitely avoiding the house now…..but I have high hopes of an amazon delivery person later today.

  12. Like JoSelecta I had a slow start with only one solution on first read through but it soon all began to fall into place and for me this turned out to be la crème de la crème. SW most troublesome. 6a unparsed. 16d was my Fav of several contenders. Thank you setter and 2Kiwis.

  13. Perhaps a dip in the ocean out at Folly Beach would have 8d’d me. Brrr. Upon first scrolling down the grid, I answered only four clues, took another look and drew a blank, but then those Eskimo Pies (as we call them over here) fed my fancy at 7d, and I was off and, well, running, sort of. This slow solve didn’t feel like the unveiling of a Jay puzzle to me, but I did like 2,3,&4d. 17d was my LOI–took me a while to parse that one. Thanks to the Kiwis and today’s setter. **** / ***

  14. 2*/4*. Good fun with 13a, 18a & 7d making it onto my podium.

    Just back home after having my booster Covid jab.

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

  15. Slow to start, slow to get through and slow to finish but I did get there with some of the 2 Kiwi’s excellent hints. I can’t remember the last time I used 24a in conversation, if I ever have, so that stumped me for a while despite realising it was a partial anagram. Favourite and COTD for me is 16d.

    Grateful thanks to the setter (I, too, am not convinced it’s Jay) and huge thanks to the 2 Kiwis for the much needed hints.

    Like YS, I am grateful that I live nowhere near the sea so there is no temptation to jump in – not that I would.

  16. A very straightforward but enjoyable puzzle for me which I completed without fully parsing every clue as it didn’t seem necessary. Caught up on the nitty gritty here so thanks to the 2 Kiwis.

    */****

  17. Slowish start but picked up pace with a few checkers. Lovely walk round Cliveden this morning, super weather. Thanks to today’s setter and 2Ks.

  18. Super puzzle, but could not get on to the setter’s wavelength with any consistency, one of several reasons I share the doubts expressed above that this is a Jay Day (the whole thing felt untypically loose for Jay). South much more straightforward than North, for me.

    Despite the parsing of 6a kindly provided by the 2Ks I don’t think the clue really works. On the other hand there were many really good clues with so many penny-dropping and Doh! moments. Thought 24a had a lovely surface and answer, likewise 14a; HMs to 12a, 4d, 8d.

    2.5* / 4.5*

    Many thanks to the Setter and to the 2ks

  19. As others have said, on first reading it seemed daunting but gradually fell into place- I needed the jog for 17d cos I was thinking of ESP extra sensory perception, as one does on a Wednesday. 14a, 8 and 16d got a star and 22d was really sly. I’d love to feel able to go in the sea but as a child I had mastoid in both ears and was never allowed near water (other than a bath!). George and both daughters and grandsons are excellent swimmers but I have always been the one on the beach minding the clothes! Never stopped me wearing my polka dot bikini though. Many thanks to the setter and to the Two Kiwis. I must try and weave esoterica into a conversation.

      1. Green & white polka dot actually!
        My brother was a keen photographer, turning the bathroom into a darkroom. He was suddenly very keen on taking my photo in the bikini and I was flattered being about 15 at the time. I later discovered he was selling the pictures to the sixth form boys at Rutlish.

  20. A good puzzle with fine clues providing a reasonable challenge. I’ve ticked a few clues and will pick 15d as my favourite. 2.5*, 3.5*.

  21. Found this on the tricky side and needed the hints to finish. I thought the answer to 21a had a different meaning but we live and learn(sometimes 🙄) I had bunged in stockholders for 14a which didn’t help matters. Thanks to all.

  22. Found this to be on the tricky side today. Again I was trying to overcomplicate matters. On the plus side both local garages suddenly have fuel but it is overcast, cold and terribly windy and there is no way I’m going swimming off Cley beach. I found yesterday’s Toughie far easier than the back pager, will have another go in a moment at today’s offering and also the Quickie which I find the hardest of the lot. Thanks to everyone.

  23. Sat looking at an empty grid for about half an hour, thinking 10a was too obvious. Eventually managed to get going only needing a couple of hints to finish.Particularly liked 7d & 9d.

    Thanks for the hints and to the setter.

  24. Some of the clues were hard to unravel so it was guesswork and reverse engineering job for me today. There were 6 clues which I couldnt parse completely, so many thanks to the Kiwis as their help was much needed today. i found that the best route was to isolate the definition of the answer and guess the word with the help of the checkers. I didnt really feel this puzzle was my cup of tea and couldn’t find a candidate for COTD (2*/2*). Thanks again to the Kiwis and to the compiler for their efforts.

  25. I too found the SW a lot trickier than the North 😳 ***/**** Lots of good clues I liked 12a, 25a & 8d 🤗 Thanks to the 2 x Ks for the blog and also the lovely photo accompanying 13a, they should be arriving here soon it just needs a cold snap😨

  26. *** territory for me but some great clues with 12a my favourite – thank you Jay if you set this and 2 Ks

  27. First pass didn’t yield much but an additional coffee and an M&S Florentine got me into it. A good workout but not too tricky, although the anag at 24a took a fair bit of rearranging. Almost pulled the plug on it, but it was too good an anagram and deserved solving, so I stuck with it.

  28. 2/4. Another enjoyable solve with a couple of bung ins and some reverse engineering to parse the results. No stand out favourites. Thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

  29. Started well, then I stalled, before brain kicked in. Agree top half easier than the bottom. But very enjoyable. COTD for me was 16a. Just what I needed today to take my mind off the restricted, pre-procedure, liquid diet I am on today. Hopefully I will see some weight loss as a bonus 😊. Thanks to 2Kiwis and the setter.

  30. Found today’s puzzle quite the challenge. Brain too waterlogged perhaps, or just missing the sunshine. 3.5*/*** today.
    No real favourites today but liked 18a, 27a & 3d
    I’m not sure this is a Jay puzzle today … doesn’t have the usual feel to it to me, but who knows.

    Thanks to setter and 2K’s

  31. Solved early this morning before a couple of ‘old’ friends arrived from Cheshire and we all headed down into Beaumaris for lunch. Lovely to see them again after all the lockdowns although we did worry until yesterday that the petrol situation was going to derail our plans.
    Stared at 9d for quite a while before the penny dropped and the online service provider caused mild panic but it all came together in the end. Biggest smiles went to 14&18a plus 3d.

    Thanks to Jay(?) and to our 2Ks for the review.

  32. Morning all.
    Woke up this morning to the sound of rain again. we really could do with being a bit drier at this time of the year.
    We did discuss whether we would give two or three stars for difficulty and it does appear that many regulars found it somewhat tricky in places which we fully understand. It must help us having two brains working on each clue though.
    Cheers.

    1. Almost cheating! But your joint efforts do make for excellent hints so I must forgive you.

      My chum has just returned to Wellington from staying in Plymouth with me for a while and had to endure 2 weeks in a rather small roomed IBIS to be allowed home. He is very glad to be back though as you’ll be in Spring soon!

  33. Funny old puzzle today, some real gimmes and others that scrambled my brain. I thought of 6a early on but was my last in as I couldn’t see the “why”. Luckily I solved some long ‘uns early on to get checking letters. Last to fall was the NE corner where I just bunged in answers that fit, grateful to the 2Kiwis for the enlightenment. My fist answer was 3d, 18a is such a lovely word, I use it often, but my fave is 27a. I have my Dad’s (born 1901) teddy bear and he looks as 27a as the 2Kiwis pic.
    Thank you setter (Jay?) and much appreciation to our Kiwis for unraveling some.

  34. Very late looking at this today after a day away in the glorious sunshine. It didn’t feel like a Jay production to me but reckon I’m wrong more than right with Wednesday puzzle attribution so who knows. 4 clues in the SW accounted for half of the solve time & edged me into **** territory. I also needed the hints to parse both 6a & 17d so much like my golf today all very enjoyable though the performance somewhat lacking. I really liked all of the long ‘uns at 14&18a and 3&9d.
    Thanks to the setter & 2Ks

  35. Tricky puzzle….couldn’t parse 4d, thanks Kiwis for the help….one maybe pedantic complaint though – 14a are specifically not market traders…..

  36. I found this harder than the toughie which I didn’t find easy. Never heard of 24a. I think I’ll leave it there. Favourite was 9d, I don’t just go to sleep I’m 9d. Thanks to the setter and 2K’s.

  37. Finished this unaided (***/***) but needed hints for the quickie which I did not finish. Response to Omar above – surely there is a financial market for stockbrokers?
    Many thanks to setter for a clever and interesting puzzle, and to 2K’s although I am glad to say I did not need their hints.

  38. 2*/2*…
    quite liked 27A “Half of them study with nothing on that’s worn-out (10)”

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