DT 30038 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30038

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30038

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

Weather here absolutely atrocious over virtually all of the country. Just what we don’t need for the mid-winter school holiday break.

Enjoy the puzzle – we did.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Indulges — if wife gives permission! (7)
WALLOWS : The abbreviation for wife and then gives permission or permits.

9a     Ridiculous claim by one area of the UK that’s hostile (8)
INIMICAL : An anagram (ridiculous) of CLAIM follows Roman numeral one and the area of the UK sometimes erroneously called Ulster.

10a     Horse beginning to panic — that is plain (7)
PIEBALD : The first letter of panic, then the two letters for the Latin phrase meaning ‘that is’ and plain, as when referring to truth.

11a     Inappropriate team from Manchester holding us back (8)
UNSUITED : A Manchester football team (not City) surrounds the reversal of ‘US’ from the clue.

12a     Repeat incentive to replace Conservative by pressure (6)
PARROT : The incentive often quoted as the opposite to a stick has its C(onservative) replaced with P(ressure).

13a     Bet on yield varying as instructed (10)
OBEDIENTLY : An anagram (varying) of BET ON YIELD.

15a     Disheartened revolutionary’s dance? (4)
REEL : Remove the central letter from a revolutionary epitomised by James Dean.

16a     Standing question over current situation (6,3)
STATUS QUO : A word for standing or repute, then the two letter abbreviation for question and the cricket abbreviation for over.

21a     Expected tense performers (4)
DUET : A word meaning expected, and T(ense).

22a     Relish hearing of choice — a flower (10)
PICCALILLI : Homophones of words meaning choice and a type of flower surround ‘A’ from the clue.

24a     General manager must be in — it’s a terrible shame (6)
STIGMA : An anagram (terrible) of IT’S A contains G(eneral) M(anager).

25a     City incorporating weirdly random part of France (8)
NORMANDY : An East Coast American city is outside an anagram (weirdly) of RANDOM.

27a     The new island state with moral values (7)
ETHICAL : An anagram (new) of THE, then I(sland) and a West Coast US state.

28a     The girl would look a day for such a large amount (8)
SHEDLOAD : A way of saying ‘the girl would’ using a personal pronoun and then ‘D; a two letter word for look, ‘A’ from the clue and D(ay).

29a     Gamble, eating most of dodgy cut of meat (7)
BRISKET : A three letter word meaning gamble contains a synonym for dodgy with the last letter removed.

Down

2d     Tailgated dangerously without learner being worried (8)
AGITATED : Remove the trainee driver letter from an anagram (dangerously) of TAI(l)GATED.

3d     Rallies planned to recruit born politicians (8)
LIBERALS : An anagram (planned) of RALLIES contains B(orn).

4d     It’s all over! (4-2-4)
WALL-TO-WALL : A cryptic definition for a phrase often used to describe floor coverings.

5d     Mean ones to keep identity withheld? (4)
ANON : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

6d     One saying nothing about parking charge (6)
IMPUTE : Roman numeral one, then saying nothing or speechless contains P(arking).

7d     Artificial fibre seen in a church gallery (7)
ACETATE : ‘A’ from the clue, then the Anglican Church is followed by crossword’s favourite art gallery.

8d     Loving look of forest clearing, still timeless (4,3)
GLAD EYE : A forest clearing or dell, then ‘still’ as used to mean moreover, loses its T(ime).

11d     Friend supporting a Parisienne queen in a biased way (9)
UNEQUALLY : The French feminine indefinite article, then QU(een) and a friend or associate.

14d     One examines fake requisition when drug goes missing (10)
INQUISITOR : Remove the short form of the drug ecstasy from an anagram (fake) of R(e)QUISITION.

17d     Chances covering international match will be quirks (8)
ODDITIES : I(nternational) and a match that could even be a drawn one, are surrounded by chances or possibilities.

18d     Fellow player possibly met twice with AA (8)
TEAMMATE : An anagram (possibly) of MET MET and AA.

19d     Language of bridge is hard (7)
SPANISH : Bridge or stretch across, then ‘IS’ from the clue and H(ard).

20d     Do a runner from second complainant (7)
SCARPER : S(econd) and a complainant or persistent whinger.

23d     Helps when cover for broadcast is held (6)
AVAILS : A synonym for ‘when’ contains a homophone (for broadcast) of a cover a bride might wear.

26d     University administrator may find source of agreement in study (4)
DEAN : The first letter of agreement is inside a study or reading room.

Quickie pun    burly    +    nurse    =    Berliners

53 comments on “DT 30038

  1. Excellent crossword. Devotees of the Hanseatic League may step down as this one is fully absent of obscurities. Lots of great clues – 22a, 29a, and 18d are just a few highlights. Lotsa anagrams!

    Meanwhile – would somebody turn down the temperature please?

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

  2. Light and enjoyable, solved over an early morning cup of tea.
    Plenty of smiles on offer foremost for me being 1&12a.
    Used to love the relish on a sandwich of white bread and cheese by the way.

    Many thanks to Jay and the 2 Kiwis.

    Hudson Toughie is reasonably benevolent, and as ever great fun

      1. My son-in-law, Sami would be right there with you and the piccalilli, MP. Mind you, he is Greek so maybe has an excuse? :grin:

  3. Super Monday-ish puzzle while it lasted if excessively heavy on the anagram front (9 from 30 really does limit the scope for othe clue types), but great surfaces, clever constructions and plenty of smiles throughout. Hon mentions to 4 & 29a, 19, 20 & 25d, with CTD to 6d.

    1* / 3.5*

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks – could you please send us some of your atrocious weather, and you can have some of our unseasonably hot & dry weather in return!

  4. Very enjoyable while it lasted. Thanks to J and 2Ks, not least for elucidating the Quickie pun.

  5. Great fun as usual from this Wednesday master of wordplay. 1a got me laughing, 4d kept me chuckling, and 29a sealed the deal. Such a charmer. Thanks to the Kiwis (sorry about your weather, folks) and Jay. ** / ****

    Is anyone else addicted to the Isabel Dalhousie books (The Sunday Philosophy Club series by A. McCall Smith)? I just finished my 14th.

  6. Thoroughly enjoyable.
    Brilliant clueing eg 12a and 6d
    And some very juicy anagrams.
    Took time to get started which popped me into 2.5* time.
    Many thanks, Jay and the 2Kiwis.

  7. Another in a long line of straightforward yet most enjoyable puzzles from our regular Wednesday setter that was full of smiles throughout. 29a was my favourite although in truth it could have been a pin job to pick one. Great stuff.

    Thanks to the three birds.

  8. 2*/4.5*. Light and great fun – just right for the heatwave. 1a made a great start, but it was just edged out of first place by 20d.

    Many thanks to the three birds.

  9. Very enjoyable , though I thought I was improving until I read the comments above.
    Thanks to the Kiwis and I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing bad weather while we , very far north are enjoying a spot of actual heat for once.
    Thanks to Jay also.

  10. Many thanks J & 2Ks, great fun. I seem to have found it a little trickier than other commenters (e.g. held up by not knowing the ‘obvious’ abbreviation in 24a) but immensely enjoyable. Favourites 1a, 10a, 24a once I’d twigged, 29a, 6d & 8d … amongst many to choose from. Thanks again!

  11. Good Wednesday fun with a need to check the ‘letter distribution’ in 22a, a little like one of the New England US States, 2.5*/4*.

    Candidates for favourite – 16a, 28a, 29a, and 19d – and the winner is 29a.

    Thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis.

  12. It’s always a relief when an answer like 22a has a few checkers in place – I invariably dither about how many of which consonant to use!
    1a set me off in high spirits and was ultimately joined by 29a on the podium with several other contenders vying for places.

    Thanks to Jay and to our 2Ks for the review – wouldn’t it be nice if we could ditch the extremes and all enjoy pleasantly ambient temperatures throughout the year.

  13. Thoroughly enjoyable, ls all over the place in 22a until 11d put me right. Liked 24a best, but charms abound. Not familiar with 8d but easy enough from the word play. A Wednesday joy as ever.

  14. I completed this while sitting in the waiting room of the liver unit at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham. I should sit here more often because I sailed through the puzzle. Very enjoyable it was too. Once I remembered where the Cs and Ls went in 22a, I was away. It is a personal best as far as completion time is concerned. COTD is 24a.

    Grateful thanks to Jay for the fun challenge and huge thanks to the 2Ks and I hope your weather improves soon.

    PS – I’m afraid the Quickie pun didn’t work for me.

    1. Is it your liver or someone else’s? Either way I hope the problem is sorted. Even with the benefit of multiple crossword successes it’s not a place to be. DD1 was there over the weekend – more further down.

      1. Hope it was good news Steve. At meast you had a good crossword to keep your mind off it all.

    2. Hi DG and CC – Nothing to worry about. It was just my biannual check since the transplant back in 2001. Perhaps I should have mentioned it was a routine appointment but I’m not used to using a phone to post. Sorry. Thank you both for your concerns.

      I have seen your post, DG.

    3. Re the pun – for me neither. Gave up trying…..
      Is you check up an ultrasound? I have to have mine every 4 months – haemochromatosis related damage

      1. They thought the problem with my liver was down to haemochromatosis, Huntsman. Apparently, my genes pointed to it but it turned out to be NAFLD, which means non alcoholic liver disease. So, despite having had a liver transplant, I can still enjoy a drink occasionally. I just need to be wary of fatty food the kind of thing fast food companies would ram down our throats if allowed.
        My biannual check is just a blood test and a general chat about my health and any concerns I have. If I need such things as ultrasound or a biopsy I am admitted.

        Nice to know they are looking after us, isn’t it? :grin:

  15. A really cracking Jay puzzle with lots of enjoyable clues. Like others I had to thi k about spelling for 22a. Fortunately, I had some on rbe cupboard and referred to the label.9a, 16a, 22a, 10a were all great cloes but 14d was COTD because it was so cleverly done. Thanks to Jay for a n entertaining puzzle and to the Kiwis for the hints Sorey your weather is so horrible Down U der. We won’t mention the heatwave here then

  16. Good solid Weds fare and the surfeit of anagrams did help. The 2 K’s got the rating right I think. I agree with M about 22a being delicious but different brands do vary enormously in quality. Any recommendations gratefully received. That – 22a – was my COTD as well. Thanks to Jay and the 2K’s who might send some of their wet weather up here!

  17. Just right amount of application required whilst I enjoyed my early morning cuppa in the garden before the baking temperature returned and I returned to the fan cooled indoors (do hope we can rely on forecast cooler couple of days prior to more heatwave). Lots of crafty clues which were fun to suss out. TVM to all 3 birds.

  18. A good challenge which required some careful thought, particularly the wordplay in 23d. 9a was a new word for me but fairly clued.
    My favourite was 18d.
    Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks

    1. Smiles all round today. I pondered a little over the definitions at 9a & 23d but I wasn’t going to have a dissolvedown. Sorry, meltdown.

      Thanks Jay and the 2ks

  19. Very nice crossword **/**** 😃 I did wonder if 22a was International 🤔 Doubly satisfied as no internet this morning 😬 Favourites 11a, 22a and 20d Thanks to the 2 x Ks and to Jay. We appear to have a weather reversal as after a week or so of 🌞 our green and pleasant land is becoming brown and dusty 😳

  20. Very fond of the relish but brands do vary. Always which one I prefer. Current one not chunky enough and I don’t like it too sweet. I too couldn’t spell. Favourites in addition to said relish are 10 24 27 and 29a and 7 and 17d. I got the dance but could not parse. Thanks Jay and 2Ks.

  21. After a morning out in Malton in the heat forgot Wednesday was Jay day and went through the puzzle with only a couple of hold ups. Unbelievable that this was by Jay. Each clue clearly indicating where it was going and how to get there this was one of my best performances by any setter. And I haven’t had a brain transplant.

    6d my clue of the day by a long chalk ; but how long is a piece of chalk?

    So many thanks to Jay for this puzzle and to the 2Ks for their blog.

    1. Interesting question, Corky. I would doubt that chalks ever exceed the 3 or so inches that we associate with the boxes from schooldays – otherwise they’d surely snap too easily?

      1. Growing up in Grimsby there were lots of lumps of chalk lying around because the bedrock of that region of Lincolnshire is chalk. One lump could last for months. We used to use huge chunks to mark out the Hopscotch pitches.

  22. Typical Wednesday type puzzle today. Fun solve if tricky in some spots
    2.5*/3*
    Favourites include 1a, 16a, 22a & 17d with winner 22a

    Thanks to the 3 birds

  23. Yes DD2 collapsed with a bleed on the brain and was sent to the Cottage Hospital. They could not deal with it and transferred her to Birmingham where they agreed they must operate. Next day they sent her to Worcester and yesterday she was moved yet again to Coventry where thank the Lord they operated safely to relieve the pressure. And, Grandson no 2 finally got his physics degree yesterday and we had kept the news of his mother’s condition from him so that he could enjoy the day AND I won a DT notebook & pen! Thanks to the xword community for keeping me sane and thanks to J & KK for todays offering. I did/do like 22a

    1. Oh dear, DG, what a worrying time for you – as if you didn’t have enough to cope with already.
      Congrats to Grandson no. 2 and well done to you on the DT prizes, I hope they go someway towards making you feel a little bit better.

      1. Sorry to hear about your daughter, Daisy. I hope things improve after that, poor lady. Glad you had some ups togo with life’s downs.

    2. So sorry to hear of your daughter’s health issues, DG. I do hope she recovers soon. What a worry for you all. At least, as Chriscross says, you have had a coupe of ups with the downs. :rose:

  24. Morning all.
    Not a single dissenting voice on this one so far. Jay will be feeling pleased with himself and rightly so.
    It is actually NOT raining this morning. However showers are predicted for later with another very wet system arriving tonight. Would willing swap some of this for a tiny share of you northern hemisphere heatwave.
    Cheers.

  25. 2/4. Late on parade for this very enjoyable puzzle. Favourites were 22a and 7d. Thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

  26. A gentle Jay today. A tad too heavy with the anagrams maybe but thoroughly enjoyable as always. Fond of 22a but can’t say I care much for 29a – the cut that is not the clue which would be my pick of the bunch.
    No idea what the Quickie pun is but noticed the puzzle was a pangram.
    Thanks to Jay & 2Ks

  27. Needed the hint for 24a, which I thought was an odd clue. Never seen gm used for a general manager before. Seems I’m the only one who struggled with this clue so it must be me being daft to not get this.

    Otherwise enjoble solve over too quickly.

    Thanks to all.

    1. You’re not alone on 24a – GM was new to me – was LOI thanks to crossers, by then it had to be but still needed Chambers confirmation of the abbreviation. But when it all clicked together that became one of my favourite clues.

  28. */*** for this charming offering, which as usual for me was a little less chewy than I like them. I might just have to plump for 6D, but some terrific (if eminently soluble) clues all round. Generously anagrammed, shall we say?

    Many thanks setter and 2K. Sorry to hear about your weather btw. Mine’s outrageously warm!

  29. DG – I’m so sorry to hear of your daughter’s illness – I know how impossible it is to think of anything other if any of one’s children is in trouble of any kind.
    Thanks to Jay for the crossword and to the K’s for the hints – brain having struggle with the heat – oh dear- that’s for my excuse today.
    Need sleep . . . . (and a fridge)

  30. I predicted this would come and bite me on the bottom and so it did. I struggled from start to finish. Favourite was 1a my first in and the end of my delusions of adequacy. Thanks to Jay and 2K’s.

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