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DT 30032

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30032

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

Challenging circumstances for us today as a hospital eye clinic appointment happened right at the time when we would normally be putting the hints together. A good thing that our time difference means that we are still able get it all sorted before the publishing deadline, despite a few vision restrictions.

An enjoyable Wednesday solve once again for us.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Briefly go for and steal piece of cake (6)
PICNIC : Two words to lose their last letters (briefly). The first one means go for or choose, and the second one steal or thieve.

5a     Temper effect of note cutting motorway access (8)
MITIGATE : A note of the sol fah scale separates UK’s principal motorway and an access into a garden or field.

9a     Spinners must accept most of those people bring about complete reversal (4,3,6)
TURN THE TABLES : Spinners that make an important part of a DJ’s kit contain the first three letters of a personal pronoun meaning ‘those people’.

10a     Fox hurt by youth lacking boundaries (8)
OUTSMART : The three central letters of youth and then hurt or sting.

11a     Source of anxiety in retreating tiny animals (6)
LLAMAS : A word meaning tiny is reversed and contains the first letter of anxiety.

12a    Surrounded by cries of excitement, left car (6)
WHEELS : Cries of joy or excitement contains L(eft).

14a     Got excited at one bid (8)
OBTAINED : An anagram (excited) of AT ONE BID.

16a     Stress rate applied to English unchanged (8)
EMPHASIS : E(nglish), then the three letter rate or speed used by those places which have not yet gone metric, and finally a (2,2) phrase meaning unchanged.

19a     The rest of the day? (6)
SIESTA : A cryptic definition of a daytime relaxing period.

21a     Secret bankers backing number protecting me (6)
GNOMES : ‘ME’ from the clue is surrounded by the reversal of a number or musical piece.

23a     Troubles in court shifted rioters at last (8)
RUCTIONS : An anagram (shifted) of IN COURT and the last letter of rioters.

25a     Poor Rebecca’s beau keeps uniform for dressing (8,5)
BARBECUE SAUCE : An anagram (poor) of REBECCAS BEAU plus U(niform).

26a     Extends projections to include 50 per cent of loss (8)
PROLONGS : Projections that might be on a fork contain a half of the word ‘loss’.

27a     Increase rate of backing favourites and ahead (4,2)
STEP UP : A synonym for favourites is reversed and then a short word meaning ahead.

Down

2d     Really popular introduction to this bible book (2,5)
IN TRUTH : A two letter word for popular, the first letter of ‘this’ and then the bible book named for the daughter-in-law of Naomi.

3d     Annoying people breaking ranks? (5)
NARKS : An anagram (breaking) of RANKS.

4d     Tom perhaps is infected by suspect rash — must get purging (9)
CATHARSIS : The animal of which Tom is the name for a male, an anagram (suspect) of RASH and finally ‘IS’ from the clue.

5d     Expert support — seamer keeps up (7)
MAESTRO : A reverse lurker hiding in the clue.

6d     Fisherman may use this time on bitter lake (5)
TRAWL : T(ime), then bitter when used to describe cold weather and L(ake).

7d     Jolt as vehicle is caught in high wind (9)
GALVANISE : A vehicle commonly used by tradespeople and ‘IS’ from the clue are inside a strong wind.

8d     Extra digit written outside box (2,5)
TO SPARE : A pedal digit contains pugilistic box.

13d     English public house on green mostly short-lived (9)
EPHEMERAL : String together E(nglish), the map abbreviation for public house and a type of green without its last letter.

15d     Precedents established in international trials? (4,5)
TEST CASES : An international sporting fixture and then court procedures.

17d     Rigid shaft under car must be cooler (7)
MINIBAR : A small 1960’s car and a rigid shaft or rod.

18d     Develops odds on heavy defeats (7)
SPROUTS : A type of racing wager and heavy defeats or thrashings.

20d     1000kg gold for car cover (7)
TONNEAU : The weight that is equivalent to 1000kg and the chemical symbol for gold.

22d     Harsh way to make money, we hear (5)
STERN : The abbreviation for a way or urban thoroughfare and a homophone of a word meaning to make money.

24d     Temper of Jack, leaving hurt (5)
INURE : Remove the abbreviation for a playing card Jack from hurt or damage.

10a is our favourite today.

Quickie pun    ferric    +    aches    =    fairy cakes

50 comments on “DT 30032

  1. 1.5*/4*. Yet another light puzzle which was great fun to continue the week.

    My crowded podium comprises 10a, 11a, 19a & 18d.

    Many thanks to the three birds.

  2. Very enjoyable indeed, not particularly difficult but unlike yesterday had just enough about it to make it interesting.
    I thought 19a a tad weak, and Ray T would have been proud of the surface read of 17d!
    My top clues were 1&10a plus 8&18d.
    Many thanks to the setter and the 2Ks

  3. I usually enjoy Wednesday ‘s puzzle but today was a disappointment. I found the clues quite confusing a nd had to guess many of the solutions then reverse engineer the wordplay to figure out the parsing. It took me all morning, with several breaks to do various other things,to finish it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, i guess, although the reverse lurker at 5d wasn’ta bad clue. Thanks to the compiler and to the Kiwis for the hints.

  4. Really enjoyed todays puzzle,excellent diverse cluing throughout.
    Failed to start in the usual NW corner and solved the lower half first, by this time I had ‘tuned in’ and steadily completed the rest.
    Favourites were 4a, a lovely word and 11a for the surface. A ***/**** for me
    Thanks to setter and the 2K’s for the pics-especially the 21a little men-envied the car in 20d,Austin Healy 3000?

  5. This was right up my street and one of the most enjoyable I have done for a long time so */***** with many thanks to the setter – and of course the 2Kiwis for their hints on a tricky day for them. I had 7 COTD candidates and if I had to pick one would say 21a was very elegant. All the clues were first rate though.

  6. First class entertainment from our regular Wednesday compiler that continues the slightly softer theme of this week’s puzzles into a third day. 10a was my top clue this morning, narrowly beating 18d into second place.

    Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

    The Toughie is equally accessible today.

  7. As so often I swim against the tide. I found this rather difficult and needed to check in with the Aotearoa delegates to get going again. I know, in retrospect, that 12a is quite straightforward, but I couldn’t see the wood for the trees – or rather the round turning things for the axles, and it was my last one in – but only after checking with the Kiwis.

    Thanks to the setter (Jay?) and The TwoKays.

  8. A bit of a head scratcher for me. I still think that Jay is influenced by his Toughie alter ego when it comes to a Wednesday back pager. 2.5*/4*

    Candidates for favourite – 21a, 18d, and 24d – and the winner is 21a.

    Thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis.

  9. Really enjoyable puzzle, asks a few more questions than yesterday but great fun. Loved the pics of the Llamas, I attach one of ours just post shearing.
    Thx to all
    **/****

  10. Yesterday I completed the crossword in ********** but struggled all morning with this one. I wasn’t happy with picnic being the word that lay behind piece of cake, nor wheels for car. SP for odds was really obscure. And I’ve never heard of a tonneau, but was embarrassed when I saw how the clues could point only to that word! As it is, though, I need to work harder on solving these clues. Only today did I learn that ‘Source of anxiety’ meant using the first letter of anxiety!

    1. Welcome to the blog, Ashley.
      I’ve edited your comment because the convention here is that we don’t mention solving times.

    2. SP or Starting Price is/are the final odds at the start of a horse race. Source of, primarily or initially can all suggest the first letters of a word. Phrases such as Fourth of July refer to the fourth letter of the word July – Y or fifth of September – E. Reading and understanding the hints will improve your solving skills but there is an awful lot to remember. It’s only a puzzle, a mere trifle. Enjoy and be done

    3. Hi Ashley – you may appreciate this already but the piece of cake reference is as in “it was a piece of cake” ie “it was a picnic”. Forgive me if you had that but still didn’t like the clue.

    4. A, you may also appreciate this already, but wheels is a well-known slang term for car and is used fairly often in cryptic clues. As in “some new wheels”, etc. Slang words/terms do crop up quite a lot in these clues.

  11. I found this tough, with lots of ‘can’t see what that could possibly be until suddenly you can’ clues. The PDMs were plentiful and sweet. I always forget that basic life-skill: if in doubt look for a lurker. We were spoilt for tempers today. Favourites 12, 16a. I had to check 20 definition have built my cover from the clue, otherwise all my original work today. Many thanks to Jay and 2Ks for meeting our needs on a challenging day.

  12. I did have a few hiccoughs this morning but all of my own making – ‘wood for trees’ and all that!
    Found plenty to smile about and gave out podium places to10a plus 2,4&7d.

    Thanks to Jay and to our 2Ks – they’ll be offering Colin a job at that eye clinic ‘ere long!

  13. Initial impression was that this was going to be more challenging than it turned out to be, once I started on the ground floor and worked upwards.

    Enjoyable while it then lasted, with special mentions to 12a, and 4, 7 & 8d. COTD to 10a.

    1.5* / 3×

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks – hope eye appointment went well.

  14. I got there in the end, but struggled with 12a until the penny dropped. Thanks to the 2Kiwis for explaining 21a, I put it in but failed to get the ‘song’ as a number. I thought 8 and 13d were outstanding clues. Many thanks. Have just finished lunch and will now return the Lurpak to the safe.

      1. Keep up NAS, according to the DT supermarkets are now putting security tags on large tubs of Lurpak as a 750gr pack costs £7.25!

      1. As many of you know, us Brits can’t get our tongues around uge and ige. So, we insert a ‘d’, e.g judgement *

        It is bizarre that we insert the d in fridge but not refrigerator. My guess is that we pronounce the e so it changes things. But I can’t see it.

        You have to love the English language.

        * I love that this rankles the retired lawyers on this blog…..

        ’’I’ve used judgment for the last 40 years and I ain’t going to change it now. Grrr….’’

        1. But did he use his judgement (good sense, acumen, shrewdness) to influence any judgments (court decisions)?

          And then there’s lodgement/lodgment …

  15. Another masterful and enjoyable grid by our Wednesday 5d. Hard to choose among all of these stars, but 2d, 4d, 7d, 10a, and 12a seem to gleam the brightest for me. Many thanks to the Kiwis and to Jay. ** / *****

  16. A most enjoyable puzzle.
    Smooth sailing for a Wednesday.
    Marred only by accidentally seeing 20d.
    In 2* time.
    Many a smile.
    Gold to 16a.
    Many thanks, Jay and the 2Kiwis

  17. 3/2. Solved from the bottom up and not particularly enjoyable. No favourites today but thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

  18. Not a bad puzzle for me today considering it is Jay. Still had to exercise the grey matter on a few clues to get my head around them. Today is 2.5*/4*
    Solved right side first then left with SW last area in.

    Favourites include 16a, 2d, 4d, 7d & 13d with winner 13d … but all were good clues.

    Thanks to the 3 birds

  19. Slowly out of the stalls but gathered pace for a ** time finish. Thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle which I thought contained a number of excellent clues. Best of the bunch for me was 16a which I was surprised nobody else had selected until Hrothgar did. Ticks also for 10a along with 4,7&13d. No real head scratching though 20d needed a dictionary confirmation.
    Thanks to Jay & 2Ks.

  20. Whee is a term I have only read in children’s books and have never heard an intelligent person of my acquaintance use. Lots of other usage that has never been part of my active or passive vocabulary as well.

    Thank to the 2Ks for showing me how these usages were used but as Wednesday is Jayday on future Wednesdays I will ignore the Telegraph cryptic.

    Thanks to Jay for finally relieving me in the future of a day of bewilderment.

    1. I’ve heard people say “whee” many times, usually an elongated “Wheeeeeee” – kids, teenagers and plenty of adults. After I’d taught her to ride her bike, I used to push my goddaughter up to the top of the sloping path in the park then let her go and she joyously cried “Wheeeeee” as she sped down to the bottom. This was repeated, sometimes for a couple of hours! Great days, those …

  21. I agree with Corky about “whee” being a cry of excitement. Never, ever heard anyone say that. Spent far too long trying to make cheer, or even hip fit the clue,

  22. Enjoyable if for me rather easy puzzle. The Toughie was something of a breeze too, so whizzed through both. I’ll give this one a */*** and a podium spot for 10A with its nicely misleading definition. Many thanks to setter and 2K.

  23. I think Chriscross summed this up perfectly, a lot of reverse engineering needed to reach the answers, at least for me. I also missed that 25a was an anagram and bunged in bernaise which totally messed it up. But contrarily, I quite enjoyed this today. A welcome respite after another hot and decidedly sweaty spell of gardening. Thanks to Jay and 2Kiwis.

  24. I too struggled to get on wavelength, not unusual for me with this setter, and found it as hard as the toughie. Hey ho. Favourite was 5d as it took me ages to spot the reverse lurker. Thanks to Jay and 2K’s.

  25. Very enjoyable Wednesday entertainment.
    13d was my favourite, despite being worryingly accurate.

  26. Morning all.
    Quite a mixed bag of comments for this one. It seemed a pretty typical Jay puzzle to us so a little surprised.
    Feels like there is going to be a white frost waiting for us outside this morning. Must make the most of it as heavy rain which has been drenching Oz lately is due to reach here in a few days. Oh well – it is winter.
    Cheers.

  27. Difficult enough for me – I’ve spent too much time watching the tennis . . .
    Thanks to Jay and to the K’s

  28. Enjoyed this very much, despite needing the hint for 6d.

    Early on I thought this was going to be a massive dnf, but it all gradually fell into place.

    Thanks to all.

  29. Took me longer today than the usual Jay puzzles, don’t know why as the clue quality was as good as ever.
    Particularly liked 5a, 16a, 25a &13d.
    Thanks as ever to Jay for the fun exercise and the 2Ks for the review.

  30. 3*/3*…..
    liked 4D ” Tom perhaps is infected by suspect rash — must get purging (9)”

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