DT 30036 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 30036

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30036

Hints and tips by Falcon

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Ottawa, where a string of sunny days is about to be replaced by a few rainy ones – likely much appreciated by gardeners.

Today’s puzzle is another fine offering from Campbell. I did get held up briefly by the British residence but a bit of electronic sleuthing turned up the answer. The men’s clothing accessory is also new to me but I was able to work it out from the wordplay.

In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.

Across

1a   Sophisticated, so it’s said, after spells  here, perhaps? (5,6)
CHARM SCHOOL — in place of a third pun in the Quickie, we get a quasi-pun to open the Cryptic; the solution sounds like (so it’s said) an informal term for sophisticated or elegant following magic spells (the entire clue provides the definition in which the wordplay is embedded)

7a   Riddle has to be missing second shoe (7)
TRAINER — remove S(econd) from a riddle used to sift gravel or grain

8a   Flask carried by brother, mostly (7)
THERMOS — hidden in (carried by) the final two words of the clue

10a   Girl I married over in cathedral city (5)
EMILY — reverse (over) the I from the clue and the genealogical abbreviation for married and place them in the usual Cambridgshire cathedral city

11a   Cleaner, by a stop, caught early coach (9)
CHARABANC — string together a cleaning lady, the A from the clue, a stop or embargo, and the cricket notation for caught

12a   Item, extremely large, at rear of lorry (7)
ARTICLE — place the first and last letters of LargE after a flexible lorry

14a   Record one’s poem for part of series (7)
EPISODE — link a record with more cuts than a single but fewer than an LP, a Roman one with its accompanying S, and a lyric poem

15a   Clarify former patent (7)
EXPLAIN — the usual former significant other and patent or evident

18a   Appropriate gathering bound for shabby cinema (7)
FLEAPIT — appropriate or suitable containing bound or jump

20a   Proudly display evidence of accident in fast vehicle (6,3)
SPORTS CAR — split the solution (5,4) to get a word meaning ‘proudly display’ and evidence of an accident or wound

21a   Stumble heading off to change (5)
ALTER — remove the initial letter of a word meaning to stumble or move unsteadily

22a   Quietly feel offended by award (7)
PRESENT — the musical direction to play softly or quietly and a word meaning feel offended

23a   Grotesque building I recognised in broadcast (7)
EYESORE — in some parts of England, this term sounds like I and another word for recognised or observed

24a   Get round by coach, express (6,5)
BULLET TRAIN — a round that goes in a six-shooter and coach or provide instruction make up a speedy mode of transport in Japan

Down

1d   Check on a violent disturbance in carriage (7)
CHARIOT — the chess abbreviation for check, the A from the clue and a violent civil disturbance; the clue refers to a four-wheeled vehicle from the 19th century and not the two-wheeled vehicle from ancient Rome

2d   Irritate some? Small number inside (5)
ANNOY — the abbreviation for number inside another word for some

3d   Marvel? Marcel, I suspect (7)
MIRACLE — an anagram (suspect) of the middle two words in the clue

4d   Far too much silver in church residence (7)
COTTAGE — place an acronym denoting ‘far too much’ and the chemical symbol for silver inside the Church of England

5d   Key worker in action (9)
OPERATIVEdouble triple definition, an adjective, a noun and another adjective

6d   Backache caused by taking piano out of plant (7)
LUMBAGO — remove the musical direction to play softly or quietly from a a Mediterranean and tropical plant with spikes of lead-coloured flowers; you can use the deleted letter in 22a

7d   Met geisha, slyly, at college? You’ve been found out! (3,4,2,2)
THE GAME IS UP — an anagram (slyly) of the first two words of the clue followed by the usual term for at college or university

9d   Chocolate cake made by caterers, tho’ badly (11)
SACHERTORTE — an anagram (badly) of the preceding two words

13d   Old country house table in good condition (9)
CHARTWELL — a table of information and another word for in good condition or healthy

16d   Saw wanderer entering empty pub (7)
PROVERB — a wanderer placed between the initial and final letters of PuB leads to a saw or maxim

17d   Husband leaving kitchen having been cooked English kipper? (7)
NECKTIE — start with an anagram (cooked) of KITC[h]EN after removing the genealogical abbreviation for husband; then append the single-letter abbreviation for English

18d   Fine offer resolved it (7)
FORFEIT — an anagram (resolved) of OFFER followed by IT from the clue

19d   Log remark that’s humiliating (3,4)
PUT DOWN — a term meaning to make an entry in a log if numerated (3-4) would be a humiliating remark

21d   Name appearing in parish theatre (5)
ARENA — insert the single letter for name into a parish or district

With so many fine clues, how does one choose a favourite? The image of the college chap’s surreptitious rendez-vous with the geisha did draw a smile so I will go with it.


Quickie Pun (Top Row): TOQUE + APSE = TOECAPS

Quickie Pun (Bottom Row) : JEST + EIGHT = GESTATE


95 comments on “DT 30036

  1. I have never heard of 9d and, despite knowing it was an anagram, I still had to resort to Mr. G. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable offering and has got the week off to a good start. For some reason, I struggled with 13d mainly because I was thinking of castles and mansions. I have two contenders for COTD – 11a and 4d – and the winner is 4d.

    Huge thanks to Campbell for the fun and to Falcon for the hints.

    I liked the top pun in the Quickie but needed to look up the first word so two new words learned today.

    Now back to Captain Kirk! :scratch:

    1. I’ve only heard of 9d because The Great British Bake-Off a few years ago featured it in a technical round. Part of it involved piping ‘Sacher’ on the top of it; unfortunately one of the contestants had a daughter called Sasha, so found herself piping that on instead. The judges in a baking show aren’t used to having to take spelling into account!

      Then I think we used it in an Only Connect episode, together with Blackpool Rock, in a group of food items that have writing on them.

      Thank you to Campbell for the puzzles and puns, and Falcon for the explanations and pictures.

    2. I don’t understand your comment re: 13d. It was my last one in as there are a lot to choose from, but surely it is a mansion.

      1. It is, WW but I was thinking generically not about a specific dwelling place. :grin:

  2. Very enjoyable although I did require assistance to confirm chocolate cakes and country houses. Some lovely misdirections.

    Thanks to today’s setter and Falcon.

  3. Very enjoyable, the usual quaint Monday puzzle offering plenty of smiles, if over a little quickly.
    23a doesn’t work for me but I’m sure it will for others and never heard of the cake, have to admit writing out the fodder.
    My 😎 go to 1a plus 5,7&13d.
    Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon

    1. Hi SL

      I appreciate that homophones don’t work for everyone due to differing accents – hence compilers are given some latitude – but I’m struggling to see why 23a doesn’t work for you or is the surface read an issue?

      I’m doing my best, saying it in various regional accents, but it sounds the same every time.

      Apologies if it didn’t do it for you for another reason,

      1. Hi Gordon
        Definitely nothing wrong with the surface read, but for me the second syllable is a completely different sound hence the caveat to the effect of “it will be fine for others” as I completely agree with you re latitude and homophones.

        1. Completely different?

          Gosh. I can’t hear any difference at all.

          May I ask what neck of the woods you are from?

          No problem if you’d rather not say.

            1. As I’m in that splendid part of the world next month, I’ll do a little survey as I’m fascinated to hear how different it is.

              I’ll get them to read the following sentence:

              I saw a scone with the cream on top and it made me feel sore.

              1. Up here in Scotland, saw and sore sound very different.

                Crossword homophones almost never work for me.

  4. Excellent thanks Campbell not too easy and not too hard. Didn’t understand the first word in 24a but now I do thanks to Falcon. Ps I saw 5a as a triple definition.

  5. Nice and easy does it.
    Only pause over 9d which I resolved by fiddling about with insertions in the gaps between the checking letters of the remaining letters.
    COTD 24a.
    So, */****
    Many thanks Campbell and Falcon.

  6. A lovely Monday solve in The Abbey Hotel Dalton In Furness. Never heard of the chocolate cake and won’t be rushing to try it. I’ll make do with the cooked English kipper in 17 down. Thanks to both Setter and Blogger

    1. Lovely picture. Are they just shells, Saint Sharon is holding, MP or are they something for the pot?

      1. Just shells. I have no idea why she collected them or why they are now in the car. We are in The Royal Oak Herdlow for lunch before we head for home.

        1. Im totally with SS on this – we collect shells because they are beautiful and mysterious in the same way that we pick up special stones. In a million years time some archaeologists are going to think that Cambridge was part of Cornwall. Of course, before anyone goes all woke on me we took the stones before we realised we were ruining the status quo.

    2. I hope you are eating the kipper that is found in the surface reading and not the one that forms the definition!

    3. Take a trip to Vienna MP and you will be able to sample the authentic item in the hotel of its origin – delicious! (Guaranteed low on calories too!).

      1. I’ve never counted a calorie in my life Angelov. I wouldn’t know what one looked like

  7. A perfect accompaniment to a very warm Monday morning. My brain has yet to start frying so I was able to whizz through this with very few delays. 4d my favourite clue by a distance.

    Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  8. Another greatly appreciated Campbell puzzle with a good balance between the difficult and straightforward. I loved the 9d anagram as much as I did the answer, when I visited Marburg, W Germany (at the time) in 1968 for a geography field trip. Also good were16d and 13d, although I couldn’t at first remember which political figure lived at the latter but Mr G could. 24a was my COTD because it made me laugh. Thanks to Falcon for the review and to Campbell, master ofconsistently fine puzzles.

  9. Very enjoyable while it lasted, with COTD to 1a, and 9d the runner-up – staring at the letters for a few seconds reminded me of said item featuring in GBBO.

    1* / 3*

    Many thanks to Campbell (and for the enjoyable QC, too), also of course to Falcon

  10. I thought the toughest Monday in a while and crept into *** time struggling to see the obvious with 13d and somehow eventually guessing correctly the obscure 9d. 12a 18a 23a and 18d were the best and the latter gets my COTD for the cleverly hidden anagram. Needed Falcon to parse the obvious answer to 6d. Thanks to him and the setter.

  11. It’s Monday :good: It’s Campbell :good: – although I did get held up by the ‘old country house’ trying to find an ‘old country’ amongst other silly thoughts – 2.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 10a, 18a, 4d, and 19d – and the winner is 4d,

    No problems with the OLPP and for the second week in a row the Quickie OLPP appears to have a ‘Top Line Pun’!

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon.

    1. Agree with you Being, needed MrG for 9d, all in all just a piece of cake! (sorry).
      Thanks to Campbell for the fun and Falcon for the review.

  12. Nostalgic smiles for 11&18a and an admission that I had to check the spelling of 9d.
    Plenty of ticks on my sheet (not the bedding, I hasten to add!) and my top three comprised 14&15a plus 4d.

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon for the review.

    1. I have just finished Gill Hornsby’s follow up to Miss Austen – Godmersham Park – it’s very good

      1. Thanks, Sue, I’m somewhat bereft of reading matter at the moment.
        Did you try Lessons in Chemistry after I mentioned it?

  13. I et in a flash between blood tests and French lesson. Thoroughly enjoyed. Once I had the checkers in the second half of the cake it was easy, but there are lots of chocolate cakes (and country houses) to choose from. Favourites 11 18 and 23 a and 16d. Thanks Campbell and Falcon

  14. 1*/5*. For me this was at the easy end of the difficulty spectrum and at the very top end for enjoyment. “It doesn’t have to be tough to be good!” Every week Campbell delivers the goods and this might well have been his finest ever Monday offering. Nuff said.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Falcon.

  15. Really enjoyable. Was convinced 9d was an anagram, but there was no ‘G’ in it – took me ages to realise I’d misspelt 11a!

  16. Top stuff, super clues throughout but 1a got things off to a terrific start and remained my favourite, though 5d ran it close, a good triple definition is always welcome. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  17. Another nice Monday puzzle from Campbell. 2*/4* for me today.
    Favourites include 1a, 11a, 23a, 24a, 7d & 18d with winner – 11a … because I am old enough to know the word without looking it up!

    Thanks to Campbell and Falcon …
    … On the the prize puzzle now.

    1. Bet you remember the familiar shortened name as well – and you’ve probably been to an 18a, I certainly have!

  18. Good start to the week with lots to enjoy. Managed it between various gardening jobs which were somewhat of a trial in the heat but needed to be done.

    13d a very clever clue I thought and my favourite of many good ones.

    Thanks to Falcon and Campbell for today’s efforts. Now back to the garden.

  19. Just right for a Monday, the country house fell easily as it’s just round the corner from where I grew up; and the cake was in the depths of my mind. On the other hand I’d never heard of the plant in 6d but there could only be one answer. Held up by 18a as I had the wrong ending for 5d.
    Thanks to Campbell and Falcon
    My COTD is 1a, I hadn’t appreciated the subtlety of it until I read the hints.

  20. This was a smooth ride and a delightful way with which to kick off the cruciverbal week. Synonym of sophisticated in 1a seems to be the go-to expression for mainly the young to use to convey their approval – I can’t get used to it. 13d was last in as I was not originally thinking of a specific abode. The evidence of accident in 20a is rather broad. My Fav was 23a which doubtless is a chestnut. Thank you Campbell for the fun and for restoring my faith in DT Cryptics and also to the hinty Falcon.

  21. Putting in a mention for Campbell’s equally enjoyable and polished Online-Only prize cryptic, 716: well worth a go if you have access to it.

    1. I agree with you, Mustafa G. It is a great puzzle but I scored 97% when I submitted – I had spelt 16d incorrectly.

  22. Usual tough Monday, seldom an easy start to week these days. Thought both 21d and 19d very weak clues and can’t for the life of me unpick 18a apart from the shabby cinema.
    As for 9d, the best in world is in Vienna, beautiful city.
    A pretty average puzzle I thought.
    ****/**
    Thx for the hints

    1. For 18a look at a word for “appropriate” around a word meaning “bound”. :smile:

  23. Nice start to the week, have never come across 9d but it sounds as though I have missed out 😟 ***/**** Favourites 20a, 4d & 13d Thanks to Falcon and to Campbell 😃

  24. Not my best crossword today.
    Took me ages .

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon

  25. A perfectly constructed puzzle, IMHO. Some tricky, some easy, and a good mix of both, with just a few to make the old brain cells click into action. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon for a great start to the week. I think it looks like being hotter in England right now than here in South Florida.

  26. It took me a while in this very UK-centred puzzle (and that’s why I love such challenging ones as this one!), but I got there in the end. One of my first ones in was the delicious 9d which Me Mum and I shared in Vienna and I’m surprised to read that so many commenters today haven’t had the pleasure. Well, I loved this puzzle, with 1a my favourite followed by just about all the rest for a very chaotic podium. And as far as 23 goes, saw is saw, and sore is sore over here, with ‘saw’ rhyming with the last syllables in ‘Arkansas’ and ‘Skiddaw’. Thanks to Falcon and Campbell. 2.5* / 5*

    1. The online cryptic, #716, is almost as good as the backpager, and it has one of the greatest of all English poets among its very distinguished members, as well as one of my favourite French heroines (after a fashion). Campbell at his absolute best today, one of our premier compilers really strutting his stuff.

    2. Yes, Robert, what you say seems self-evident to most North Americans like myself but I believe many Brits might say that ‘sore’ also rhymes with Arkansas!

      1. Indeed, for me “sore” definitely sounds like last syllable in “Arkansas”! So, what does it (“sore”) rhyme with or sound like for North Americans?

        1. Well, I guess it depends on how one pronounces ‘aw’ as in “Aw, what’s the big deal?” So something like ‘lawful’ is pronounced ‘loreful’ by some Brits? (Though Stephen L down in Devon might differ?) There are parts of New England where the ‘medial R’ appears, as in ‘What’s up?’ pronounced ‘Whart’s up?’ And I’ve heard ‘law’ pronounced like ‘lar’ in parts of New England, so the ‘terminal R’ does exist over here, though it’s rare, I suspect.

          1. Many thanks Robert & Falcon! I can hear a difference – a big difference when listened to ‘side by side’ – yet it does somehow still seem very subtle to my UK ears. I think our ‘common’ language is all the better for such differences (even in New England … it’s something like ‘Bworshtun’ isn’t it Senf? 😉)

  27. I too enjoyed the online cryptic 716
    On par with the back pager today with lots of great clues.
    For the podium today 1a, 9a, 28a, 17d & 24d with winner 9a

    Thanks again to Campbell for an enjoyable Monday set of puzzles.

  28. 3/3. Usual start to the week with 9d needing Google’s help to confirm the obvious anagram. 13d was dredged from a recess in my memory. My favourite was 24a but only because of happy memories of our trip from Tokyo to Sendai on the Shinkansen, which is no longer the fastest train in the world but still impeccable. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

    1. Ah yes, the 24a, which I took from Tokyo to Kyoto back in 1973. Nearly 50 years ago now! Would that one have been called the Shinkansen? ‘Impeccable’ is the exact right word, Vancouverbc.

      1. I did Tokyo to Kyoto on the train but don’t remember the year. I certainly remember the thrill!

        1. Hi, Merusa. Hope you’re improving and feeling better. Good to hear from you.

  29. Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon for the review and hints. A very nice start to the week. I slowed down a bit in the bottom half, but got there in the end. Had never heard of 9d, but had all the checkers, so thought it must end in torte, then guessed where the remaining three letters were to go. Amazingly I had heard of 13d. Favourite was 11a. Was 3* / 4* for me.

  30. Took me ages as I kept falling asleep. My poor runner beans have just decided to shrivel back into the ground despite evening watering. No problems here, regarding 11a a friend of ours collects old vehicles and has one of these which he used to use to run people round the village on open gardens day and so forth. Very jolly. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Hinter.

    1. M.y runner beans and french beans are surviving but haven’t enough oomph to climb more thanthree quarters of the way up rheir poles. They are flowering prettily on their wigwams red for the runners and a delicate lilac for the purple french beans.

  31. So glad this was straightforward as it’s far too hot. To think people spend good money in order to swelter.
    I’ll settle for the delicious 9d as my COTD but I think, in this heat, it had better stay in the frig!

  32. Just the one ‘never heard of’, 9d obviously, a low number for recent Monday’s. Not too many candidates for COTD but I’ll go with 19d. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  33. Much too hot to think let alone do a crossword – or a Monday one – oh dear!!
    I have heard of the choc cake but haven’t made one and wouldn’t even begin to spell it . . .
    Can’t sleep when it’s as hot as this – I hope that everyone is OK with the heat – I used to love it but not any more – I think I’d getting old . . .
    Thanks to Campbell for the crossword and to Falcon for the hints,

  34. I don’t always get on with Campbell puzzles but this one was very enjoyable with many clues brought a smile. I had heard of 9d but never tasted, looks nice but probably far too sweet for me these days!
    Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  35. A dnf due to 9d and 11a. At least I wasn’t the only one with 9d. Doubt I’ll ever hear of either again. The rest of the crossword was a enjoyable solve.

    Thanks to all.

  36. I really enjoyed today’s puzzle. We enjoyed many holidays in Austria and Sachertorte was always a lovely treat with lightly whipped cream, of course! Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon. Many thanks also to Tilsit for updating us about BD. Kath you need to come up to Lancashire we always have a cooling breeze! Beautiful blue skies yesterday with not a single cloud. Today, the sky was completely white, though not cold.

  37. Gentle romp today but still made me think a bit, mainly in the NW. I remembered the chocolate cake but never had the real thing like Robert. Did Churchill have anything to do with the country house? Or is my mind playing tricks on me again.
    Thanks to Falcon and Campbell. And of course even though he is hors de combat (and mobile) best wishes and a speedy recovery for BD.

    1. Yes, Chartwell was where Churchill lived. It’s a National Trust property here in Kent,.

  38. 2 excellent puzzles from our Monday maestro today. The bonus one just gets the nod by a whisker for me.
    Thanks to Campbell & Falcon

  39. We are off to Vienna soon and in my limited research to date I came across the cake, so in it went.
    I also used to work for a company named after Churchill’s house in Kent, so again, no issues with that one.
    A very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to all.

  40. 3*/5*….
    liked 18A “Appropriate gathering bound for shabby cinema (7)”

Comments are closed.