DT 30216 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30216

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30216

Hints and tips by pommers

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Hola for the last time from the village of El Saladar.  You’ll have Falcon in the chair next week and on the Monday after that you’ll have him again because on that day pommette and I are moving house.  The village is a little isolated so we’re moving to an apartment near the centre of Almoradí, just a short walk from loads of bars, restaurants, shops, town square and the health centre (you can see my order of priorities there!).  So, my next blog will be from a new home!

Today’s puzzle is the usual Monday fare but with a few more anagrams than normal (eight) and not much GK required.  Mostly benign but I did find a couple of stings in the tail which held me up for a while until the pennies dropped.

As usual my podium three are in blue.  The definitions are underlined in the clues and the answers are under the “click here” buttons so don’t click on them unless you really want to see the answer.  Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

3a           Not well in is to sit between two Democrats (10)
INDISPOSED:  Start with the IN from the clue. After that you need two D(emocrat)’s and between them you put the IS from the clue and a word to sit, for a painter perhaps.

8a           Brief: retain for matrimonial cases (6)
INFORM:  A lurker hiding in (cases) “retain for matrimonial”.

9a           Song from extremely enthusiastic Rhode Island girl (8)
MADRIGAL:  A word meaning extremely enthusiastic or crazy followed by the abbreviation of Rhode Island and finally another word for a girl.

10a         Advert interrupting peaceful piece of music (8)
SERENADE:  Insert (interrupting) a two letter advert into a word meaning peaceful.

11a         One criticising  marksman? (6)
SNIPER:  Double definition.

12a         Bunk‘s ladder broken during party (10)
BALDERDASH:  This bunk isn’t where you might sleep but nonsense.  It’s an anagram (broken) of LADDER inserted into a four letter word for a party, not rave but the other one.

14a         Why row merited after a lot of work producing operetta (3,5,5)
THE MERRY WIDOW:  Anagram (after a lot of work producing) of WHY ROW MERITED.

20a         Linen fabric got from one easily fooled by wise man? (10)
SEERSUCKER:  Start with a wise man and after him (by) put a word for someone easily fooled or taken in.

22a         Girl catching on in Italian city (6)
VERONA:  Insert (catching) the ON from the clue into a girl’s name.  Not a particularly common name but there’s a detective series on TV which I quite like with the same name.

23a         Split peas, ridiculous price (8)
SEPARATE:  Anagram (ridiculous) of PEAS followed by a price or hourly charge.

24a         Condemned a man’s oil painting (4,4)
MONA LISA:  Anagram (condemned) of A MANS OIL.

25a         Alight next to a posh carriage (6)
LANDAU:  A word for to alight or come down to earth followed the A from the clue and then the single letter for posh.

26a         Relax flying a kite, say, across banks of Tyne (4,2,4)
TAKE IT EASY:  Anagram (flying) of A KITE SAY placed around (across) TE (banks of TynE).

Down

1d           Work together in area of land surrounding base (8)
INTERACT:  Start with the IN from the clue and after it put a word for an area of land around (surrounding) the base of natural logarithms.

2d           Not lifting a finger, one put in offer before the Parisian (4,4)
BONE IDLE:  Take the ONE and insert (put in) into a word for an offer, at an auction perhaps, and follow with the French (Parisian) definite article.

3d           Spoil one married couple (6)
IMPAIR:  I (one) and M(arried) followed by a word for a couple or two.

4d           Head of female rabbit enthralling male (4)
DOME:  The word for a female rabbit placed around (enthralling) an M(ale).

5d           Appear to support team in subordinate event (8)
SIDESHOW:  A word for appear or reveal after (supporting in a down clue) another word for a team.

6d           Girl in Twelfth Night country, heading off (6)
OLIVIA:  One of the female roles in Twelfth Night is a South American country without its first letter (heading off).

7d           ‘Red Sea’ erroneously deleted (6)
ERASED:  Anagram (erroneously) of RED SEA.

13d         A piece of specially prepared turf cut for match (5)
AGREE:  The A from the clue followed by a piece or grass carefully prepared on a golf course but without its last letter (cut).

15d         A writer from Wales, say, is Thomas (8)
ESSAYIST:  A lurker hiding in (from) the last four words of the clue.

16d         Guiding principle on credit misconstrued (8)
DOCTRINE:  Anagram (misconstrued) of ON CREDIT.

17d         Bird in bad weather circling area (8)
WHEATEAR:  Anagram (bad) of WHEATHER placed around (circling) an A(rea).

18d         Journalist going in for a hat (6)
FEDORA:  Start with the FORA from the clue and insert (going in) the usual journalist.

19d         Extra short on top of beer may give you confidence (6)
MORALE:  A word for extra without its last letter (short) is on top of the usual three letter beer.

21d         Cunning holding up piano store (6)
SUPPLY:  A word meaning cunning is placed around (holding) the UP and P(iano) from the clue.  I though this would be a five letter word for cunning after (holding up) a P(iano)! You probably heard the clang when the penny finally dropped.

23d         Large stoves raised in long story (4)
SAGA:  A reversal (raised in a down clue) of some large stoves or cooking ranges.

Podium for me today was 9a and 13d with the rather splendid lurker at 15d on the top step.


Quick crossword puns:

Top line:     WAUGH     +     QUAYS     =     WALKIES

Bottom line:     SCENT     +     TENSE     =     SENTENCE

78 comments on “DT 30216

  1. Very Monday, light fun with a bit more GK than normal. Mostly I thought it was pretty accessible though I hadn’t come across the carriage or the fabric, the latter I needed to consult MrGoogle for. I liked 15d, a well disguised lurker, 26a, a cleverly hidden anagram but my COTD goes to 13d which was some masterly misdirection and my LOI. **/****

    Ty to the setter and Pommers

  2. A puzzle with so many artistic or literary references is never going to be my cup of tea but this was pretty gentle and pleasant stuff.
    I noted Campbell very generously gave us “in” from the wordplay to start both 3a and 1d and I don’t think there are many “girls” called Vera these days.
    My top three are 12a as it’s a quaint word, the witty 19d but top spot has to go to the super-clever 13d (where for me the whole clue serves as both wordplay and definition), worth the admission fee alone and early contender for clue of the week.
    Many thanks to Cambell and Pommers

  3. Enjoyable Monday morning crossword on a sunny day here with Redwings eating berries in our back garden. Only real hold up was in the NE. Took me a while to twig 11a and then, not being a Shakespeare buff, I found myself circumnavigating the globe trying to find a country that when decapitated would make a girl’s name. I also mind travelled east rather than west first so that didn’t help. Got there in the end though. I liked the make up of 3a and 12a so they are my joint COTD.

  4. A nicely balanced puzzle with a wide variety of clue types. It was pretty straightforward but the quality and variety of the clues rendered itmost enjoyable. COTD for me was 20a, which was great fun, as was 12a. 15d was a cle er lurker and, being a twitcher, I liked 17d, a pretty bird, not,seen that often . Thanks to Campbell for brightening up Mondayvand to Pommers for the hints. Hope the move goes well.

    1. Had a bit of trouble with George who, as part of his training, did City & Guilds in spinning and weaving, says that fabric is invariably made of cotton and he does not accept it as linen! Fisticuffs in the conservatory !

      1. In that case George needs to take Chambers to task. The BRB says 20a is made from ‘Indian linen (or cotton)’.

        1. I’ll tell him! Mark you, I have to say he did C&G some 60 years ago and things have changed.

        2. I was always told that cotton or linencould be used by Miss Iles, our long- suffering needlework mistress. The crucial part was the weave, which produced ‘pockets’ in the texture, which held the fabric away from the skin, keeping the wearer of the garment made from this material nice and cool. I bet Miss Iles would be surpris3d to learn that I’d remembered that.

      2. That surprised me too, Daisy. We wore a lot of 20a as children and always thought it was cotton. Something else learned today. You

      3. It does seem strange as that fabric usually does not crease, whereas if you put something on made of linen, it will look like you slept in it within five minutes.

        1. When George was dealing with couture Italian goods it was known as the Squalcito look – I may have spelt that wrongly but that’s what it sounded like. You would flaunt your creases because it showed you were wearing linen! Barmy.

  5. Enjoyable as always on a Monday,but with a few too many anagrams for me. No hold ups at all today and lots of potential favourites. I’ll settle for 3a, 10a and 20a with my COTD being 21d for the splendidly misleading surface read. Thanks to Campbell and pommers. I hope your move goes well.

  6. It’s 1.5*/3.5* from me with a slight hmm for 22a and big ticks for 9a, 11a & 15d as well as the top line Quickie pun.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to pommers.

  7. On reading a few clues, this at first seemed a difficult nut to crack, then proceeding via the down clues and solving all but two of them, the remainder followed fairly swiftly – with two exceptions; namely 1d and 8a, which became my last two in. 6d raised a chuckle as did 17d, but my favourites were 19 and 21d. Thanks to Campbell? A most enjoyable Monday puzzle and to Pommers also. Must add that this was well and truly done and dusted before eleven o’clock though.

  8. Took a while to dig out 20a from the crevices of my mind, but that was the only real hold up in a generally light and enjoyable puzzle.
    I’ll agree with pommers and put 15d on the podium.
    Thanks to him and Campbell

  9. It’s Monday :good: It’s Campbell :good: Although, he did introduce a couple of head scratching elements which slowed me down a little – **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 3a, 9a, 10a, 3d, and 19d – and the winner is 9a.

    Thanks to Campbell and pommers – I hope the move goes well.

  10. While I enjoyed this puzzle in general , I thought the construction of 14d particularly convoluted.
    Thanks to Campbell and pommers.

  11. Flew through this until 20a and 17d held me up at the finish. Thanks to pommers and today’s setter.

  12. Very gentle start to the crossword week.

    1*/3*

    Fav 26a made me smile as a resident of NE, LOI 19d having got the letter ‘b’ out of my head 😂

    Thanks to setter and Pommers.

  13. A terrific start to the crosswording week that had just enough tricky clues to keep the interest going throughout the solve. 9a and 15d share my top spot.

    Thanks to Campbell and pommers; good luck with the move.

  14. Always find Campbell quite testing, never less than ** time.
    Today no exception.
    3 and 9 and 25a and 2d compete for COTD.
    The winner?
    3a.
    Smiled at 20a, great clue.
    Many thanks, Campbell and pommers.

  15. Monday fun with one of my favourite words at 12a. That one easily earns a podium place along with 9&20a plus 2&17d.

    Thanks to Campbell and to pommers for the review – hope the move doesn’t turn out to be too stressful!

  16. Took me a while to get going with this, but the further I advanced the quicker it got, great fun😊. Thanks to all.
    Pommers I hope you enjoy your new house, I’m not jealous at all🤢

  17. Excellent guzzle today…..unusual for me as I often find Campbell quite difficult.
    Had to check on the parsing of 13d but otherwise a solo effort.
    Did spend a while trying to fit Ilyria into 6d until the penny dropped.

    Thanks to Campbell and to Pommers.
    All the best to you and Pommette in your new home and hope the move goes as smoothly as these things can.

  18. Enjoyable puzzle over morning coffee, completion slightly delayed by a couple in the NW.

    1.5* / 3*

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Team Pommers – best wishes for the house move.

  19. Well, I’ll be humming and singing “Vilia, O Vilia” for the rest of the day, thanks to 14a and my most recent memory of seeing (from the front row!) the great diva Renee Fleming singing it…Just To Me! (At least I felt it that way.) A lovely puzzle which I enjoyed, with all due respect to Stephen, because of its ‘artistic and literary’ worth. To each his own, of course. 9a, 2d, 20a, 26a, & 13d especially delighted me, but Mr Lehar’s 14a has to be my top choice today. Thanks to pommers (good luck on your move!) and Campbell. **/****

    1. Does anyone else remember the 1952 MGMusical version of 14a with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas together (they were ‘an item’ at the time)? It’s one of my first movie musical memories.

      A great moment at the Grammy’s last night with Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder singing together! Chillbumps.

      1. No, I didn’t see that movie, but have to agree with you, Vilia has been going round in my head since I started this. I love TMW.

  20. An enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Campbell and pommers.
    For my medal winners I’ve selected 5d, 13d and 19d.

  21. I struggled with this but I am preoccupied with work at the moment so I put it down to that. Fortunately, my first in was 14a and that gave a number of checkers to get me started. I always forget the fabric at 20a and the carriage at 25a no matter how many times I try to commit them to memory. My COTD is the lego clue at 9a.

    Many thanks to Campbell for the puzzle and pommers for the hints. I do hope the move goes well – always a stressful time.

    I thought there was a third pun in the Quickie at 4d and 14d but it is a bit of a stretch.

      1. Indeed, JB and there are those who pass judgement on the imbibing habits of others – “Old Bill? He quaffs a lot!” 🥃 😊

  22. Long time since I’ve seen any 20A! I liked the literary references, especially 15D. My top picks are the 9A, 13D and 15D, with 9A the runaway favorite. Thanks to Campbell and Pommers. Good luck on your move!

  23. Found the top half more challenging than the bottom
    Not being a golfer, 13d was a bung in
    My favourites were 12a and 9a simply because I like the words

  24. Great fun to be had this morning after huge skies, fresh air and mad dogs in the Downs. A good guzzle.
    13d caused some head-scratching as my LOI. COTD 3a.
    Many thanks Pommers (have a smooth move) and Campbell.

  25. North went straight in with South following on rather more ponderously. Altogether a veritable fun run. 20a is rarely linen but more usually cotton. Don’t think I am fully parsing base in 1d (dim?) although area of land obvious in solution. Thank you Campbell and Senf (loved being reminded of the Nat King Cole song. Thank you. Wishing you all the best with the house move).

  26. I was briefly stuck on a couple of clues today. I tried to make something of ladder plus rave for 12a, and I had to Google the characters from Twelfth Night. I should have remembered them from the staff production at the grammar school I went to. Sir Andrew Aguecheek was played by my physics teacher. He played the part brilliantly. Sadly he was just the same bumbling idiot in the physics lessons. Thank you setter and Pommers. Hope the house move goes smoothly.

  27. Campbell is a tricky setter I find. Good but slightly uneven tests with the GK bit always for me on the obscure side. I enjoyed 20a though and thought pommers rating correct. Enjoy your house move😳👍.We generally land at Ali for my climbing exploits near Javea although Valencia is as good. Thanks for the test Campbell.

  28. Greetings from a sparkling day in DHLawrence countryside. A sparkling puzzle too. Thankyou to setter, and Pommers for assists with a couple of answers.

    Belated birthday wishes to Merusa. After a landmark birthday a few months ago can I join you in the 80 plus club?

    1. Thank you! I find it hard to believe I’ve made it so far, albeit very slow and shuffling, but I like to think the brain has survived.

  29. Managed to complete this, Yippee!
    I did need to double check 20a with FUH (fairly useful husband) as I thought I might have invented it – I am good at that. I liked the variety of clues and fortunately most of the knowledge required was somewhere in the back of my head. 9a was my favourite.
    I fully anticipate not completing many more this week, I know pride comes before a fall.
    Thank you to Campbell and Pommers, I hope the move goes smoothly.

    1. Well done and keep at it from me too – I think you’re doing really well. I love your FUH – maybe you did invent it.
      My Mum’s Aussie cousin wasn’t very good at IT – she called USB a “Useful Small Bit”.

      1. It wouldn’t surprise me, Kath if those who invented the USB actually did call it the useful small bit. After all, they talk about bugs and viruses in something that is not alive – yet.

  30. Well here we are the start of the non-work week again and a Campbell puzzle to enjoy.

    1.5*/4* for me

    Favourites include 3a, 9a, 12a, 26a, 2d & 13d with my winner today 26a

    31, 12a, 2d & 19d all gave me a chuckle

    Thanks to Campbell and powers for the fun.

  31. When we downsized from Lordship Farm it was a nightmare, now George is saying this place is too big for us in our dotage. I don’t envy you but at least I suppose the weather will be kind to you. Good luck and thanks for explaining 13d. 1&3a and 6,23,24d rocked my boat. Many thanks to the setter as well.

  32. This was a topping puzzle/guzzle despite my inexplicable strategy of working from the south upwards.

    Yesterday we had a ‘little’ snack at the Dabbling Duck (it was a hairdressers in the 1970s) in Shere and then set off for a lovely walk. The village was rather crowded as it tends to be at weekends so we headed along the little country lanes and footpaths. The temperature seemed to drop quite dramatically at about 5pm so we were pleased to return home and tuck into one of H’s famous roast suppers.

    Thanks to Campbell and the soon-to-be new resident of Almoradí.

    1. We have visited the Dabbling Duck too, highly recommended, Shere seems to always be busy, it’s very quaint with nice walks.

  33. Third consecutive completion (without help) in a row. Sure I’ll be back to normal by tomorrow.

    Daisygirl, afraid I’m siding with George on 20a, sorry!

    Thanks to setter and to Pommers, and all the best for a smooth move.

  34. Can’t say I found the guzzle a doddle. I also stated down south & journeyed north in *** time with a couple of traffic jams en route – I’m blaming a lethargic solve on the heat & rigours of the Country Club’s Woodmead course though maybe the 2 post round beers had something to do with it. 13d my fav – the specially prepared turf cut on today’s track very swift if on the wrong side of the hole, which needless to say I often was.
    Thanks to Campbell & Pommers – best of luck with the move.

  35. Gentle but too arty for my taste. Missed two lurkers in 8a and 15d, both well hidden. 13d was just a poor clue I thought.
    Not my favourite puzzle.
    Thx for the hints
    **/**

  36. A nice start to the week as is the weather ☀️ ***/*** SE corner took a lot longer than it should have, I blame it on the suit 😳 Favourites: 3a, 9a and 25a 😃 Thanks to Pommers, hope the move goes smoothly, and to Campbell

  37. Another lovely start to the week so thanks everyone. Good luck with the move Pommers, we have now been here exactly 20 years and large amounts of boxes remain unopened in the attic – perhaps best to just take them to the tip. Actually our little office resembles a tip and I just can’t be motivated to sort it out. Roll on summer. For the first time in several years I used our Abu smoker last night to smoke fresh mackerel – absolutely delicious and first time I haven’t cremated whatever I was cooking, will have to give it another go.

  38. Should have checked the anagram fodder a bit more carefully in 14a as I bunged in The Merry Wives at first.
    My excuse is that I found the clues hard to read from a copy of the real paper version as I am staying in Paris for a few days.
    Had a good laugh reading the article about Jools Holland saying that Rod Stewart had an enormous one….. train set that is.
    Thanks to Campbell for the usual Monday fun and to Pommers for the review.

  39. Even trickier than I usually find Mondays – if there’s a trap my foot is often in it but today both of them are in it! Oh dear, and dim in the extreme!!
    My favourite was 12a – like Jane I love the word, although I’m more familiar with “bunkum” rather than “bunk”.
    Thanks to Campbell for the crossword and to pommers for the hints and for good luck for the house move.

  40. Good evening
    Thank you for the hints, Pommers, and good luck with your move. I hope to be on the move myself soon!
    Got em all in the end, with some hesitation, an impulsive entry of DIRECTION in 16d before I realised that the letter count was wrong, and a consultation with Dr Google for 17d. “CRIKEY!” was the reaction to 12a.

  41. I didn’t find this easy but there was a lot to like. South went in PDQ, but north gave me a lot of trouble. I got there eventually with three unsolved, 1d, 8a and 13d, so DNF for me. There are so many honorary mentions, but I think my fave was 9a, I loved the words in 12a and 20a. So much good stuff here, even if a bit tricky for a Monday.
    Thank you Campbell for the fun and pommers for unravelling so much. Good luck with the move, they’re going to have to take me out of here feet first, no way am I going to move again!

  42. As is usual for me completed during two halves of the day but having put ‘sneaky’ in for 21d ( I know, no mention of piano/store) it scuppered getting 23a and 25a. Having just checked the hints I groaned! I did dither over 20a for linen and discussed with Bill (as his PhD was in textile chemistry). Enjoyed the anagrams which give a good foothold. Many thanks to Campbell and Pommers (Good luck with the move and may the sun shine on the day).

  43. A reasonably steady solve for me, just one last clue needing help, 17d. Even with all the checkers in, couldn’t make a guess at it!

  44. Another Monday puzzle on a Monday, long may it continue. There were a few head scratchers but I’m not complaining. Last in was 13d, it almost qualified as an all in, almost. Favourite though was 12a, what a splendid word and well clued. Thanks to Campbell and Pommers.

  45. Seemed a bit more difficult than hoped for on a Monday. A bit of a mixed bag for me, with some answers coming quickly, and some putting up a fight. But fun nonetheless.

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