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DT 30302

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30302

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

Kia ora from Aotearoa.

We’re back on home turf again this week so the level of anxiety associated with coping with unfamiliar technology isn’t there.
Winter has definitely arrived now so we feel justified in having a cheery log fire to sit in front of each evening. One of the delightful compensations for the colder months of the year.
Another good fun Wednesday puzzle that went together smoothly for us.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     It’s used when pressing club directors to gather in £1,000 (7-5)
IRONING-BOARD : Type of golf club and a collective term for directors surround ‘in’ from the clue and the single letter abbreviation for the slang word for a thousand pounds.

9a     Composed rock and bop, as making an album (9)
SCRAPBOOK : An anagram (composed) of ROCK and BOP AS.

10a     Meat which might be roasted, or it could get smoked (5)
JOINT : A double definition. It’s probably not tobacco that is being smoked.

11a     Tiny Tim nearly holds back feeling of ill-will (6)
ENMITY : A reverse lurker, hiding in the clue.

12a     Bishop woke in south coast resort (8)
BRIGHTON : The chess abbreviation for bishop and a 5,2 phrase that could mean woke.

13a     This helps people find dates in dry wood (6)
TINDER : A double definition. The date helper is an Internet site.

14a     Crazy gathering attended by Alice and a group of Republicans (3,5)
TEA PARTY : A double definition.

17a     Perhaps a little tot, about to go to bed? (8)
NIGHTCAP : A cryptic definition. Nothing to do with small children.

19a     Romeo tucks into pasta sauce very quickly (6)
PRESTO : The letter represented by Romeo is inside a pasta sauce made with basil and pine nuts.

22a     Favouring parts of speech in Biblical book (8)
PROVERBS : A prefix meaning favouring and then ‘doing’ words.

24a     Blazing a trail finally welcomed by celebrity (6)
AFLAME : ‘A’ from the clue and then the last letter of trail is contained by celebrity or stardom.

26a     Unfamiliar words used in Klingon (5)
LINGO : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

27a     Money writers earn from palace connections? (9)
ROYALTIES : A word describing things associated with a monarch and connections or links.

28a     Having the blues record playing at such an advanced hour (12)
DISCONSOLATE : Another word for a record, then a two letter word meaning playing and a 2,4 phrase that can mean ‘at such an advanced hour’.

Down

1d     Look at Portugal’s capital — perhaps fly around it (7)
INSPECT : Type of creature typified by a fly contains the first letter of Portugal.

2d     Crew members, terrible moaners (7)
OARSMEN : An anagram (terrible) of MOANERS.

3d     This person’s someone seeing a doctor for rash (9)
IMPATIENT : The 1’1 way the writer could refer to him/herself (this person), then somebody consulting a doctor.

4d     Maybe Spike Milligan’s rabbit (2,2)
GO ON : Read the answer as one word to find Spike Milligan.

5d     Woodland sights — wild rose and teak (3,5)
OAK TREES : An anagram (wild) of ROSE and TEAK.

6d     Give a new arrangement to covers of reggae and dance (5)
REJIG : The first and last letters (covers) of reggae and a lively dance.

7d     Elon Musk’s company ignoring leader’s babble (6)
WITTER : Remove the first letter from the company that Elon Musk recently acquired.

8d     Like Scrooge‘s con trick, getting last of money (6)
STINGY : Another word for a con trick or hit and then the last letter of money.

15d     Silly fool to rip artist’s case (9)
PORTFOLIO : An anagram (silly) of FOOL TO RIP.

16d      Two pubs — extremely idiotic and uncivilised (8)
BARBARIC : The repetition of a word for a pub and the first and last letters (extremely) of idiotic.

17d     Bottle top very gently placed in river (6)
NIPPLE : The musical letters indicating very gently are inside a North African river.

18d     Crushed in golf over eighteen holes (6)
GROUND : The letter signified by golf and what eighteen holes of golf are called.

20d     Power at mains supply (7)
STAMINA : An anagram (supply) of AT MAINS.

21d     Manage with poetry that’s in Old English (7)
OVERSEE : The abbreviation for Old English contains a general word for poetry.

23d     City given crude oil — this may cause complaint (1,4)
E COLI : The two letters for the financial district of London and an anagram (crude) of OIL.

25d     French football team only needing to move on (4)
LYON : Start with the word only from the clue and move the word ‘on’ to the end.

28a is our favourite today.

Quickie pun    mist    +    err    +    rite    =    Mr Right

83 comments on “DT 30302

  1. I started slowly with this and was beginning to think I would get nowhere with it. Then, quite suddenly, I was on wavelength and clues began to fall steadily. Some great misdirections. I tried to put “impetigo” for the rash at 3d and “inkling” at 26a thinking it was a lurker, which it was but I picked the wrong one. Of course, neither one was the correct length. I then toyed with “impetuous” for 3d until the light dawned. I doubt our younger members will remember the show at 4d but I do and with great affection. I liked the royal connections, the little tot and the great reverse lurker but my COTD is the aforementioned 3d.

    Many thanks to the setter for the fun and 2Ks for the hints.

    Another lovely day in The Marches but I’m stuck indoors marking essays!

    1. I was “rash” enough to write in “impetigo” for 3d only to find that I had come up one letter short … :oops:

    2. Can’t believe I found the wavelength and had so much fun steadily solving this after such a disheartening first read through. Went exactly the same routes as SC and RD before 3d dawned on me. Fav was clever 20d. Thank you Mysteron and the 2Kiwis.
      (Sorry, this actually was meant to be a general Comment rather than a reply to SC).

    3. Oh, the fun of 4d. In Jamaica used to get those massive LP records and reverently pass them around so that all your friends could have a giggle. We’ll never see their likes again.

  2. Lovely light puzzle from first to last, clued with wit and having some nice contemporary references.
    My top four are 1,14&28a plus 23d.
    Many thanks to the setter (I’m going for Robyn) and the Ks.

  3. Another excellent puzzle with ticks everywhere including 13a, 14a, 1d,18d and Spike Milligna (the well known typing error) at 4d. The best of them has to be 28a which made me laugh out loud.

    Terrific crossword and sunny Aberdeenshire. All I need now is a sighting of the rarely-spotted postman with long overdue mail to make my day complete.

    Thanks to setter and hinters.

    1. Dave – our avatars are so tiny when on screen, and clearly I need to visit the optician, because I have always thought your profile picture was you wearing racing silks, sitting on a horse. Today I thought I would take a closer look. I now see the error of my ways. I really do need to go to Specsavers.

        1. I suddenly noticed Merusa has changed her avatar for a photograph of herself. Nice. Am sitting in the dentists waiting room passing the time having done the ironing before I came out. And done a load of washing. How do these men get the guzzle done so early? Silly question!

          1. Those were my Mary Quant/Vidal Sassoon days … how many thousand years ago!

      1. It is myself and our lurcher Emmy on the Cromdale Hills looking towards the Cairngorms. My horse riding is so limited that I have been on as many camels as horses! 😎

  4. Cheery midweek romp. When I was a very young lad, I was road manager for a tour Spike Milligan undertook with Jeremy Taylor.
    Jeremy was lovely. Let’s just say Spike wrote me a thoughtful letter after the tour ended, thanking me for my youthful patience and apologising for his ‘eccentric’ behaviour.

    Thank you to everyone who answered yesterday’s question regarding how we all approach getting underway with the Telegraph cryptic. It seems we all have our own styles, and it was absolutely fascinating seeing the responses come in. Perhaps the only two techniques that were shared by others are:
    1) Starting at the top and working clockwise round the grid; 2) Starting at the NW and working outwards.

    Otherwise It seems we are all different, just as we are in life, I suppose.

    Thanks to the setter and The TwoKays.

  5. Another pretty straightforward yet elegantly clued puzzle that was perfect for a sunny Wednesday here in Shropshire. 28a was my final entry and co-favourite alongside 23d.

    Thanks to our setter for the fun and to the 2Ks.

  6. A light and enjoyable accompaniment for the mid-morning coffee, with a generous dollop of anagrams and nothing overly testing or requiring more ‘specialist’ knowledge, I felt. Hon Mentions to 14a, 22a & 18d; COTD 28a. Many thanks to the setter and 2Ks.

    1 / 3

    Terence, my contribution to your ‘post-grad’ (could describe Royal Mail deliveries which fail to reach the grade!) research : started with 1a & 9a, then the first half-dozen downs, back to the acrosses, and steadily down the grid finishing with 17d.

  7. Some clever misdirection and originality in the clueing made this a very enjoyableguzzle. The bottom yalf was slightly harderc5han rhe rest but it was aml good fun. I liked 19a and the reverse lurker at 11a (my COTD)’together with18a and21d. Thanks to the compiler and to rhe Kiwis. My poor neighbour fell onto a concrete garden path yesterday. The ambulance took a couple of hours to come. We tried to make him comfortable but he was obviously in shock and in pain and cold because he wasnot in the sunny part of the garden. He’s 81, a lung cancer survivor and has a pacemaker and diabetes. What a world. The ambulance staff were superb and it soon emerged that he has broken his hip, as we suspected. I hope he fares well in hispital

    1. Poor chap – how very fortunate he was to have such good neighbours to hand as yourselves to take care of him during the long wait!

    2. That really upsets me, no one should have to wait that long in pain. And to think I nearly decided, during our Troubles in Jamaica, to return to UK to live based on the NHS.

      1. On the other hand, Merusa, it can also work astoungingly well. Recently a family member was rushed to hospital and straight into theatre, for the first of three very long spells “under the knife” over 3 days from at least two different surgical specialities. Now home, the treatment they received throughout was quite superb and we have nothing but praise, deep admiration, and gratitude for and to the NHS, let alone all three emergency services.

        We do of course recognise however the colossal discrepancies between the levels of service/treatment received, not just regionally but often at the same hospitals/surgeries. I go to one hospital pretty much every month and have to go past the A&E ambulance entrance, where it’s not unusual to see a dozen or more parked up waiting to offload their patients.

        1. I’m so glad to know it works at times. We’re so used to calling 911 and having an ambulance in 15. Minutes. I fall from time to time and can’t get up, the Fire Rescue chaps are here in no time to pick me up! I’m on Medicare, those who have no insurance are not so lucky, so the NHS has a lot of pluses. I hope your family member is doing well, it must have been scary for you.

          1. We’ve had to call the paramedics a little north of you Merusa, and here both times within 5 minutes. But their station was just around the corner from us.

    3. Mrs. C fell a couple of years ago and banged her head. She lay on the hard wooden floor for 12 hours before the ambulance arrived. I could only try and make her as comfortable as possible. Thank goodness for Boom Radio – it kept us sane!

      I do hope your elderly neighbour is ok.

      1. Thanks Steve. I hope they can fix his hip. I have lived next door to him and his wife for 44 years and he is a lovely man, always willing to help anyone.

  8. Quirky cluing today, I was held up by the SW corner and last in was 13a, thanks to the 2K,s for the dates part of the double definition.
    Enjoyed the solve ,favourite had to be 4d, liked the surfaces of 27a and 28a.
    Going for a ***/****

  9. Can’t remember if anyone claimed last Wednesday’s one which some us had pegged as a Robyn production. Reckon he’s a fair punt for this one too. Pretty straightforward though 4d took me longer to twig than it ought to have – always chuckle at the thought of the inscription on his headstone. Very enjoyable indeed & best of the back-page week thus far for me. Ticks aplenty & not a duffer in there – 28a my fav plus 9,12,13&17a along with 7,8,18(I usually am)&25d other particular likes.
    Thanks to the setter & 2Ks
    Ps An excellent & reasonably accessible Hudson Toughie also that’s well worth a look despite the final answer being a racing certainty for THE LIST – back me up T

    1. Good grief! An immediate new entry for THE LIST. Straight to the top of THE LIST in fact.

      1. I started the Toughie in the surgery car park waiting for a friend and managed about a quarter. I shall have to go back to it now in the hope of finding the new entry for THE LIST!

    2. Slightly unusual but The List? Bit harsh I’d say – trying not to go too far and so risk spoiling the clue for anyone (Mods, please feel free to delete if you feel I’ve gone too far) but it’s a staple for a certain cuisine. Ours is kept in a very well-sealed plastic box, and that box in a plastic bag!

        1. Me too. It’s useful in some recipes from my many acookbooks but my son got a shock when he opened rthe pot to explore what the name on the label read.

      1. I’m out at the moment so can’t do any redacting. Perhaps the discussion could wait until the Toughie blog appears. In the meantime, perhaps readers of this comment thread might be tempted to have a go at the Toughie and, in addition to enjoying the solve, they can discover what all the fuss is about

  10. A lovely puzzle today which I really enjoyed. I thought the replies to Terrence yesterday were very illuminating. I usually start in the top left and carry on round. Today was a bit different as I did not find this easy to get going so ended up starting at the bottom of the grid. 1a on my device had extra letters and accents in it which made the clue far less straightforward. I was hoping the hints would say why but I notice the dead tree version doesn’t have the ‘extras’ either. Anyway thanks to the setter and 2Kiwis.

  11. Highly enjoyable. 11a and 20d last in, reminder to self to always look for the lurker. I have learnt a new anagram indicator in 20d. 28a was my favourite.

    Beautiful day again here.

    Many thanks to the setter and the 2 Kiwis

  12. 1.5*/4.5*. This was a delightful midweek puzzle – light but enormous fun.

    Isn’t English a wonderful yet mysterious language? Where else would you find a phrase (“right on”) containing the word right to describe someone with left-wing views? :unsure:

    My top three were 1a, 28a & 4d.

    Many thanks to Robyn (?) and to the 2Ks.

    1. Good shout, RD.

      An excellent midweeker with one of my favourite grids as there’s more than one way into a corner.

      As Mystified said, the anagram indicator in 20d is a goodie which gets my COTD as the surface is perfect. I love the answer to 6d – a great word.

      Thanks to the resident antipods and, of course, the compiler who weave their webs on a weekly basis. We salute you.

      2*/5*

  13. Funny how one comes to associate certain clues with different members of our blog family – I could have bet money on Stephen applauding today’s ‘contemporary’ references and I’m now waiting for Huntsman to raise a rueful smile over 18d!
    I’ll pick my own top three as 14&27a plus 2d – perhaps that’s equally predictable? 28a missed out on a place just because we’ve seen it used on previous occasions.

    Thanks to our setter – Robyn I should imagine, and to our 2Ks back on their home turf with the log fires burning.

    1. Jane, I see you are submitting to ‘she who must be obeyed’ and picking a top three rather than multi-Favs!

      1. Of course! I can come up with an endless assortment of alternative phrases as long as I remember in time………

  14. A very enjoyable puzzle.

    My only real problem was caused by reading the last word of 5d as leak and not teak, which gave me rather peculiar anagram fodder, where the first word of the answer was obviously oak.
    I must confess that I had never heard of the dating app, but the dry wood was clear enough.

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Kiwis.

  15. An enjoyable mid-week challenge which appears to indicate that Robyn is definitely the new Jay – 2*/3.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 13a, 22a, 28a, 1d, 4d, and 16d – and the winner is 28a.

    Thanks to Robyn(?) and the 2Kiwis.

  16. A fun puzzle with a very modern feel – thanks to the setter and 2Ks.
    My rosettes were pinned on 12a, 27a and 28a.

  17. Enjoyable challenge in 1.5* time.
    Puzzle of half’s.
    Upper, no problem.
    Lower, deeper mining of the grey matter.
    Many podium standees,
    Winner 25d.
    Thanks setter and the 2Kiwis.

  18. A nice puzzle for Wednesday. No real issues here.

    2*/3.5* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 9a, 17a, 3d & 23d with winner 1a

    Thanks to setter and 2K’s

  19. I’m in agreement with Hrothgar that the lower half was a little more challenging than the upper in this very enjoyable, quirky puzzle. Rather too many anagrams for my liking but I think I’ll be in the minority there. I loved the charade at 28a so that is today’s favourite with 1a, 14a, 4d and 16d following closely. Thanks to our setter and the 2 Kiwis. Keep warm!

  20. 2/4. Very enjoyable if a little tricky in parts, my last in quadrant was the NE. My standout clue from a good handful was 28a. Thanks to the setter and 2Ks.

  21. Enjoyable and agree that the south is harder than the north – 16d as my favourite. Thank you setter and 2Ks

  22. Thoroughly enjoyed, getting to really like Wednesdays now. I used to hate hauling out 1a, until I started watching favourite shows on the tele at the same time (those that Peter would never enjoy) so now I quite look forward to it. I also used to hate my long drive to work and back (45 mins each way) until I discovered books on tape, and then I began choosing said books by who had narrated them. I did get 12a right, but not from the clue. Ashamed to admit I took a long time to solve 25d, and yet we were there in 2019. Thanks to 2Kiwis and to the setter for making my day,

    1. I used to love audiobooks when driving. “Great Expectations” read by a Dutchman living in California was superb, I still have it.
      Another one I loved was Fannie Flagg, loved her books, Redbird Christmas was a treat, perfect with her Southern accent.

      1. I subscribe to Audible and have access to thousands of books. I listen in bed before going to sleep. The narrator of the Ballybucklebo series is really good and has Kinkie off to a tee.

        1. I might have to do that, as I sometimes read too long in bed (when it’s one of those books you really can’t put down) and my eyes get very dry and itchy. Same if I wake in the silly hours as read again.

          1. I am the same and get sore eyes or a headache through reading late into the night or when I wake up in the small hours and can’t get back to sleep

            1. Sore eyes after reading for a while is why I subscribed to Audible in the first place. I have even listened to books I have read before because listening to them being read can give new insights.

          2. I used to borrow audiobooks from my library, that’s where I got my first Fannie Flagg.

  23. Very enjoyable. I have missed the last few days being busy largely arranging holidays and short breaks. I shall try and go back to them. Favourites 10, 12, 13, 28a and 23d. I hope I have not missed any news in my absence.

  24. A lovely mid weeker with so many clever and humorous clues 😃 Favourites 28a, 22a, 4 and 16d. Thanks to the 2x Ks and to the Compiler. Oh Brave New World! what do you do if you don’t have a “smart phone” to send in various anatomical photos in telephone appointments🤔

  25. Good afternoon
    I’ve given myself a (pleasant) shock, and finished today’s back pager on the way into work! Sometimes, they just drop in. Definitely 28a for COTD, it made me laugh; and a cry of “Crikey!” for 12a.
    Many thanks to our compiler and to 2Ks

  26. This was a corker! I had such fun solving it. I did make a couple of mistakes that held me up, thought 25d was a lurker and found a French football team called Lyne. So much for that. When I solved 28a I had to 6d that clue and was able to get it, dim or what. There was so much to like, 22a was noteworthy, but I think fave has to be either 4d or 6d.
    Thank you setter, please come back, and thanks 2Kiwis for the hints and pics.

  27. I have just finished the Toughie with some help from Crypticsue. However, I did manage the vast majority on my own so feeling rather pleased with myself.

    If you don’t normally tackle Toughies today’s by Hudson is a good one to have a stab at.

  28. Morning all.
    Nice to see that we have a happy team of solvers commenting again this week.
    We certainly are having a run of delightful Wednesday puzzles lately.
    Cheers.

      1. Yes it was very sad and it does sound like it was deliberately lit which makes it even worse.

  29. Good heavens, a modern feel with Goons mentioned. They were passè when I was a teenager and only a retrograde like Big Ears, younger than me, confesses to enjoying them.

    1. They were so unique, Corky that one of the directors of Beeb Beeb Ceeb asked, “What is the Go On show”?

  30. At last a puzzle I could have a good run at with a stumble on the very fast sauce leading me initially to pronto rather than pesto and leaving me adrift on 20d. Completely non-sensical. Some clever clues with 28a my favourite. Thanks to all.

    1. Not the only one. I even googled a sauce called ponto and found that, indeed, there is a Japanese sauce by that name. Like my Lyne football club!

      1. There’s “panko”, which are Japanese breadcrumbs. Very nice they are too.

  31. My red legged partridge has paid me a visit again this evening. He perches on the roof of the conservatory and looks at me as I lie in bed (I have no need of curtains being in the middle of nowhere). He is now serenading me with clucking songs.
    Think I have a new companion. 😀

    Not much else to do since Hudson, the dear dog, pulled me hard today and I felt a vertebra crack as he twisted me round. Bless him!

    1. I do hope you are not in too much pain, that sounds nasty. Apparently walking dogs is the one of the leading causes of falls and shoulder injuries. Rest up and get better.

  32. Enjoyable, a little harder than yesterday’s, but not as hard as tomorrow’s (probably) — just as it should be. Thank you to the setter and bloggers.

    6d made me think of this, which made an appearance on Ken Bruce’s PopMaster radio quiz this morning (though it’s in 4/4 time, so actually they are reels, not jigs):

    My top few were 12a’s resort (not an anagram indicator, for once!), 1d’s fly around, and 4d — which I’ve never heard an entire episode of, but they are so famous that I can’t see anybody having a reasonable objection to the clue.

  33. I was a little distracted by getting redacted yesterday. I think I might stop my comment there.

    1. Please don’t say that, we would miss anyone who stopped commenting. We’re a community now, everyone is important.

  34. Look how late I am! But I really did enjoy this when I got down to it and have to congratulate the setter on a spiffing guzzle. I lined up 28a,1,20,21&23d as lovely clues but my One Favourite, Kath, is 28a. Made me laugh aloud. I do hope all the sick and falling over people are recovering and many thanks to the two Kiwis for their contribution. I shall have to look at the mysterious qualifier for The List in the morning as it is now far too late.

    1. Nice to hear from you, Daisygirl. Now you mention it, 28a is also my favourite — I’d typed ‘18a’ in my list of potential favourites, which didn’t make sense when I came to writing up my comment, and I couldn’t work out which one I’d intended. Thank you!

  35. 3*/4* …..
    liked 16D “Two pubs — extremely idiotic and uncivilised (8)” … amongst several others.

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