Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30589
Hints and tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
As Huntsman told us last Tuesday, once again he has temporarily left the environs of Harpenden, this time for the Florida Panhandle for the purpose of aerodynamic testing of small white spherical objects while avoiding the ‘gators. Presumably the courses have ‘local rules’ to allow for them. I am sure the weather will be favourable for him. So, here I am again and a very good Tuesday morning from Winnipeg.
For me, and I stress for me (I have to put that in for Terence), not as Typically Tuesdayish as usual but the Quickie grid strongly supports a theory that this is still an Anthony Plumb production.
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 13a, 5d, and the Pun.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Husband leaving cash, perhaps? Strangely, refuse tips (10)
SCRAPHEAPS: An anagram (strangely) of CASh PERHAPS with the single letter for Husband deleted (leaving cash).
6a Cold drink creates round of applause (4)
CLAP: The single letter for Cold and a verbal synonym of drink.
9a Open to attack from a bull? Nerve shattering (10)
VULNERABLE: An anagram (shattering) of A BULL? NERVE.
10a Paddy‘s low disposition, primarily (4)
MOOD: A synonym of low (when discussing cattle) and the first letter (primarily) of Disposition.
12a Keep Territorial Army in check (6)
RETAIN: The abbreviated form of Territorial Army inserted into (in) a synonym of check (when on a horse?).
13a Spot big feline protecting old feline (8)
LOCATION: A large feline (resident in Africa) containing (protecting) the single letter for Old and a different feline (the sort that has staff).
15a Spread chickenfeed ignoring small goat? (6,6)
PEANUT BUTTER: A synonym of chickenfeed (when discussing a small sum of money?) with the single letter for Small deleted (ignoring) and a synonym for goat (based on its method of attacking).
18a Flower beloved by prince? (5,7)
SWEET WILLIAM: A synonym of beloved and our beloved prince?
21a Mainstream writer takes off, we hear (8)
ORTHODOX: a double homophone (we hear) of a synonym of writer and a single term for takes off (as in make smaller or shorter).
22a Starmer’s first aim for Labour (6)
STRAIN: The first letter of Starmer and a synonym of aim – the capitalisation of Labour is probably misleading.
24a Sign of disapproval with uniform’s short skirt (4)
TUTU: A three letter term used as a sign of disapproval and (with) the phonetic alphabet letter for Uniform.
25a Reddish insect by river for a drink (6,4)
GINGER BEER: A synonym of reddish (perhaps the hair colour of our not so beloved prince) and a type of insect followed by the single letter for River.
26a I was first going round food shop (4)
DELI: The reversal (going round) of all of I from the clue and a single word for was first (in a race?).
27a What reader did at the end possibly is a mystery (6,4)
CLOSED BOOK: The result of what a reader might do at the end.
Down
1d Very bad cut — he wants hospital (6)
SEVERE: A verbal synonym of cut and HE from the clue with the single letter for Hospital deleted (wants).
2d Tell some strange tale, rather upsetting (6)
RELATE: A reversed lurker (some . . . upsetting) found in the words sandwiched by the indicator.
3d Liking prophecy about the French (12)
PREDILECTION: A synonym of prophecy containing (about) one of the French definite articles.
4d New beer lifted spirit (4)
ELAN: The reversal (lifted) of all of the single letter for New and a synonym of beer.
5d Rabbit in the sack? (6,4)
PILLOW TALK: Intimate discussion when retired for the evening?
7d Investigate family surrounded by stolen goods with heart of stone (4,4)
LOOK INTO: The three letter synonym of family contained by the single word for stolen goods and (with) the centre letter (heart of) stOne.
8d Overscrupulousness from Edward filling larder (8)
PEDANTRY: The short form of Edward inserted into (filling) a synonym of larder.
11d Made criminal undercut Mafia? Not I! (12)
MANUFACTURED: An anagram (criminal) of UNDERCUT MAFiA with the I deleted (Not I).
14d Unfriendly to Isaac in foreign lake (10)
ANTISOCIAL: An anagram (foreign) of TO ISAAC IN followed by the single letter for Lake.
16d Mixed conclusions from data depress kind editor (8)
ASSORTED: The last letters (conclusions) of datA and depresS, a synonym of kind, and the usually short form of editor.
17d Duck keeping tail of the little one dry (8)
TEETOTAL: A duck containing (keeping) all of the last letter (tail of) thE and a single word term for little one (as in child).
19d Look — old boy’s erected summerhouse (6)
GAZEBO: A synonym of look (long and steadily) and the reversal (erected) of the abbreviation for Old Boy.
20d This is boring fan — or a kagoule? (6)
ANORAK: A lurker (is boring) found in the last four words of the clue.
23d Anglers regularly cast out for a long time (4)
AGES: The result of letters regularly removed (cast out) from anglers.
Quick Crossword Pun:
RYE + TAN + GULLS = RIGHT ANGLES
Lots to like in this hugely enjoyable puzzle. Lots of favorites. 1a because it was first in
Slightly odd one today I found. Mainly a fairly straightforward puzzle with some good clues such as 18a and 27a, some poor ones such as 22a and 14d and one that completely eludes me even with the hint 21a, just don’t see the writer at all.
Thx to all
**/***
I took 21a to be a kind of homophone – “Author Docks”, Brian.
So did I. It doesn’t work!
Agreed. The first part of it is somewhat strained.
21a … me too however can ortho become author .. maybe with some sort of speech impediment .. and I stress maybe just for me!
I agree, Ian – “author” is not a true homophone of “ortho”.
I disagree. The last two letters of “author” and the central ‘o’ of orthodox are both pronounced as a schwa (ə) sound. It’s not a homophone if you say “ortho” on it’s own, where it ends in an ‘o’ sound, but then the homophone applies to the whole word.
Totally agree with you on this one Anorak, or should I say 20d today?
I pronounce it like you do, Anorak.
Setters are given a bit of latitude when it comes to homophones due to different regional pronunciations which I’m sure all contributors appreciate.
This was very enjoyable with 21a being beyond me. Plenty of clues to choose from but I’ll go with 9a, 13a and 19d.
Many thanks to AP (?) and Senf.
3*/4*
Now I got 21a no bother but 17d is anathema to me. No GnT?
Have a look at the hint for 27a in today’s Toughie blog
I may be wrong, but I pronounce it orthadox, so the homophones work for me.
Figured maybe author??
I agree re ortho and author …. Can’t think of any accent where that would qualify as a homophone. It does not work.
Just say ‘author docks’ and you have said ‘orthodox’. What’s the problem?
Strange guzzle today. After the first pass I had four across clues but ten downs. Then I came to a full stop. I went off to do something else as that often works but not this time. When I returned it was just as impenetrable. Then, out of the blue, the beloved flower appeared and that unlocked the rest. I can’t say I was enamoured with it but that could well be down to the bottle of champagne The Naughty Boys of Kinnerley Stores shared this morning. It was the seventieth birthday of one of our number. So, no favourites today just happy to complete it.
Many thanks to the setter. Not your fault I couldn’t get on with it. Thank you, Senf for the hints.
Definitely not 17d then.
Not the Naughty Boys! However, not usually at 8.30 in the morning.
Cheers!
Sound like a fun start to your day. I would be staggering home after that though as half a shandy makes me quite tipsy.
A very pleasant and not too testing puzzle for what has become a sunny morning in my part of Shropshire. The duck at 17d was a favourite, along with 15a. My last one in was 21a.
Thanks to our setter and Senf.
Just to point out that 20d is a (very good) &lit 😉
I enjoyed today’s puzzle. Top picks for me were 13a, 27a and the favourite 5d.
I initially had terns rather than gulls in the quickie pun and it still worked as a pun.
Thank you to Senf and the setter.
Got through a good few tracks of the new Mark Knopfler album before I was able to finish this. Some fun clues – 5d, 15a, 18a made me smile. The two ones (1a and 1d) held out for a while, but my LOI and my fave was the homophonic 21a. Thanks to the setter and to Senf for 5ge hints. Am jealous of Huntsman hitting small white balls in Gatorland.
Of the tracks I have heard on the radio, the new Knoffler album is a good one, PB. I must delve further into it.
This was right up my street. I’m obviously on better form today because I even managed the quickie in double quick time. I often struggle with the quickie because, as someone once told me, it needs true intelligence and not simply a warped mind! I presume that description refers to the lateral thinking that was definitely required today to tease out the answers and just what I really enjoy. I’ve got ticks all over my paper so need a stage rather than a podium but I’ll restrain myself and choose 13a, 15a and 8d in no particular order, with special mention for 5d, a succinct, clever and amusing clue. Many thanks to our setter, I think Mr Plumb, for the absolute pleasure and Senf for the video clip – a blast from the past.
Another cushy Tuesday which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would however quibble a bit as not sure 10a is paddy, 8d component is not larder synonym although it has been taken as such previously in this parish and 6a alone surely does not comprise a round. No standout clue(s) just a collection of goodies. TVM setter and stand in hinter.
Three quarters good, then a real struggle in the NE corner. Having seen the answers I’m putting this down to brain-fade and caffeine withdrawal rather than tougher clues.
***/***
It was also nice to get name-checked by the setter!
So much to enjoy in this lovely puzzle. Thank you, setter.
Ticks from me for the anagram at 1a, the hidden word/all-in-one at 20d and the cryptic definition at 5d. First prize, though, goes to the lovely homophone at 21a which made me smile.
Thanks to Senf and enjoy your golf in Trumpland, Huntsman. I think he is in court today, so for once, the gators might be the bigger threat over there.
You’re definitely on my Team! I want a conviction so badly I can taste it. So far they haven’t been able to seat even one juror, not a good sign.
Yes, but they are the judge’s non picks so far. Then both sides can discard 10 jurors each, and after that they get what they get. Amused that he asked for time off to go sit in front of his SCOTUS friends, and the judge said no.
Mixed difficult and
Very hard clues.
Especially the SW and
Part NE.
These took an age!
Good to stretch, though.
21a and 17d brilliant,
Joint COTDs
Many thanks setter
And Senf.
A very entertaining puzzle – thanks to our setter and Senf.
I only ever solve enough of the Quickie to get the pun and reading Senf’s blog I find that my confident “right-hand turns” was incorrect.
I ticked 10a, 27a, 7d and 20d but my favourite clue was was the amusing 5d.
If this is truly an AP production, either I’m finally getting on his wavelength at long last or he’s being generous as this went together relatively swiftly. A couple took a bit of teasing out such as 21a and 25a both of which were very clever. Podium comprises 25a, 5d and top of the pile, 15a. Mainly because I like it on toast topped by a banana. Thanks to AP and Senf.
You and Elvis for the 15a sandwich with banana.
Light, pleasant, slightly more testing in the SW. 21a homophone does not work for me – I pronounce the central ‘o’ in orthodox as an ‘o’ and not an ‘uh’. Reasonable surfaces and admirable brevity in the clueing. 5d the highlight.
Thank you to the setter and to Senf.
The homophones didn’t work for me, I should have thought 18a was more beloved by a princess and I can’t abide 15a although I guess that’s not our setter’s fault! I did, however, really like 9&27a plus 3&5d. Fell into the same trap as Madflower by assuming the Quickie pun birds were other than what was required – the penalty of guessing before completing the puzzle……..
Thanks to Mr Plumb, presumably, and to Senf for taking over the hot seat once again – what a star.
Agree Jane, 15a absolutely disgusting!
Rats love it – good bait.
Been here 42 years (never saw it in England before that) and still don’t like 15a, yuk.
Sorry to disagree re 15a, ladies. I love it especially the crunchy sort.
Me too. My favourite is Whole Earth Crunchy which has no added sugar and is absolutely delicious.
Me too and to add further controversy it goes really well with Marmite!
If your soul is condemned and you’re going to sup the former with the Devil anyway, you as may as well go the whole hog and have the latter too, Sim!
I’m with you Steve!
I’m a great fan of marmite and jam together!
I think 18a works as beloved by a ( next to) prince ,but who knows🤷♂️. Peanut butter great in a curry by the way.
Thought we was in for a pangram at one stage, but not to be.
The top half flashed in, and as usual I reckoned a game of two halves was on the cards, gladly I was wrong about that too.
Very enjoyable today (again, horses for courses as per yesterday)
Will have to see who the setter is, as this was far more my style.
Some really great clues, but as always will name just two favourites, 5d and the sublime 21a, well done to our setter today, great fun.
2*/4*. A perfect Tuesday puzzle – light and fun! 5d was inevitably my runaway favourite with special mentions for 21a (the homophone is perfect for me) and 27a.
Many thanks to the setter and to super-sub Senf.
Enjoyed this guzzle. And learnt something – in 20d, here in frogland, the cagoule is only headgear (I think), didn’t know it could be a jacket thing in English. Wasted a lot of time on 17d trying to find a word with TT in before the penny dropped!
Otherwise definite faves are 21a and 5d, with 21a just edging ahead.
Many thanks to the setter and to Mr double-duty Senf.
I wasted many visits to shops in Australia, where nobody seems to have heard of a cagoule. How else does a travelling cricket follower carry very lightweight protection from rain?
Um…brella??
Back when my dad played cricket out East in the days of the Raj, I think they wore solar topees (as well as caps), though mainly against the sun as I think the monsoons tended to stop play!
A DNF for me, defeated by 17d & 21a, but that didn’t spoil the enjoyment this puzzle provided. I see the two princes got a mention 🤪. In 3d I always want to swop the second e and first i over. On a different note will they ever get a jury for you know who, thought I’d try and slip that under the radar in the hope it doesn’t get deleted. Thanks to all.
A normal Tuesday it would seem to me this week. Nothing too wild in this one.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 13a, 15a, 25a, 27a, 7d & 8d — with winner 13a
Chuckles from 15a, 27a, 8d & 23d
Thanks to AP(?) & Senf for hints/blog
It’s a simple clue but I liked 18a
Can’t say this had the familiar feel of an AP production to me but I’ll bow to Senf’s judgement. Pretty straightforward other than a big head scratch at last in 21a – works fine as a homophone for me & is my pick of the clues. Ticks also for 15&27a plus 5,8,17&20d. Very enjoyable.
Thanks to AP & to Senf for stepping in.
Ps battle commences today at The Pensacola Country Club
I am learning to type with the side of my thumb but it is sso slow. How do the youngsters do it with two thumbs going so fast? Feel better today, thankyou everyone who was so kind to a silly old woman yesterday. Fan cy doing that. Felt well enough to go and interview the lovely vicar of our urc for the village magazine- I have done more than 100 of them by now.profiles not necessarily vicars you understand. Very hard deciphering my notes! And even more difficult typing them up. But not so hard to get into this delicious guzzle ( where is Crisscross when I need to commiserate with her?). I’m with Gazza on plumping for 5d but so much else to like. 8d 9a – 11d was particularly misleading. I’m missing Book Group today (Anna of the Five Towns) as I cannot drive and that means no cake. 😟 many thanks to the wily setter and to Senf. When I was lying in the garden in a pool of very precious blood yelling for George he did not hear of course/ but a lovely young couple 3 doors along did hear and came to my aid. Last night DD2 came with shepherds pie for our dinner and I sent her along the road with a thankyou note and a bottle of Prosecco. She said I am Mavis’s daughter and to her horror they said oh yes , we can see that! She came back very disgruntled! Bit rude I thought, but the pie was good.
So sorry to hear about your awful accident on Sunday, Daisygirl. Poor you and what a dreadful thing to happen but sounds as though it could have been a lot worse. I wonder why you suddenly passed out. I hope your poor fingers will heal quickly. Glad you’re feeling better today – your one thumbed typing seems to be improving already. I haven’t looked at the puzzle yet but just wanted to send you a get well message.
Pleased to hear you are feeling better, DG.
Pleasantly Tuesdayish for me with plenty of ticks. Last one in was 21a which works fine for me.
Thanks to Senf and the setter 👍
Good morning from the centre of Canada.
When solving and hinting, I thought that 21a would create some discussion.
I agree with Anorak in Comment 2 that in a ‘complex’ homophone it is the sound of the complete word, not the individual elements, that matters. I further agree with Steve Cowling, also in Comment 2, that we are looking for a word that sounds like ‘author docks.’
Then, the BRB indicates two pronunciations for ‘ortho’ – örthö and -tho – with examples of the first of ‘more’ and ‘soar’ and of the second of ‘got’ and ‘shot’ – so you pay your money and take your choice – probably depending on where you live!
I’m right on wavelength again and loved it. At first I couldn’t get the homophone at 21a, but after saying it a few times I decided it was OK. I’ve been spelling 3d incorrectly all this time, I had to look that up, I hope I remember. There was so much to enjoy, ticks all over the shop, 5d reminded me of the movie; remember when they were all fluffy and just mindless fun, no social messages? My fave was 15a, we need to support them.
Thank you setter for the fun, and to Senf for stepping in for our visitor to our shores. I think the tornados have gone.
Another enjoyable puzzle but I’m aware that we are at the easier part of the week! Possibly because I didn’t read 1a as an anagram immediately I started from the SE and worked my way up. Sounds complicated but it wasn’t though I did have to look at the hints for 17d and 21a. Many thanks to the setter and Senf.
Really enjoyable and suitable for a Tuesday with 5d my favourite (thanks for the film clip, they don’t make them like that any more). I also liked 1a and 15a, which combined with garlic, chilli and soy sauce and water makes an excellent sauce ( but not if you are allergic to peanuts!). 21a was last in and I was not sure it worked but can now see it does.
The weather is all over the place today, strong wind, a hail storm, sunshine and rain!
Many thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints
Oh my cup runneth over, another delightful puzzle. Just a couple of oddballs thrown in, but you can’t have everything. 18a should surely have been beloved by Princess, the unworkable homophone in 21a, and not sure about 22a. Otherwise very enjoyable. Before I retired, I worked in a large office building backing onto a private golf course with its own resident alligator. He used to emerge from the lake and sunbathe on the grass quite unfazed as the golfers passed close by. A few fellow employees would occasionally suggest that he should be “removed” which I thought was inappropriate. It was his home long before ours, and he quite obviously had zero interest in people. Thanks to the setter and to Senf for stepping in for Huntsman. I hope any gators in Pensacola are likewise indifferent to golfers.
Hmmmm BL. I wouldn’t be so happy to assume your alligator friend had no interest in dinner on legs. If he was hungry one day………
I certainly wouldn’t kill him, but I think I would find another route!
2/4. Very pleasant puzzle and no complaint with 21a. My favourite though was 5d. Thanks to the setter and Senf.
After a hard day’s lunch with 1960s colleagues and friends I settled in the bus to tackle this crossword…..
When I awoke I found that two answers were missing – 21a and 17d. My tired brain could not solve them, so today’s effort was a failure.
Once I had read Senf’s helpful hints all became clear. It certainly didn’t occur to me that pronunciation of the 21a writer could cause confusion. I am reminded that when Pipette first moved to Gloucestershire she employed a builder and throughout his time at her house she didn’t understand a word he uttered. But then, she’s from oop north, so I doubt if he understood her.
Vive la difference regionale!
Very enjoyable solve today. Much of it went in quickly but a few slowed me down so a nice balance.
I am a massive fan of smooth 15a. I have some every day. Yum!
I caused myself some confusion by spelling 3d wrongly. This made 12a and 15a impossible until I corrected myself. Silly boy.
Thanks to all.
So I too generally loved this one and all went in fairly quickly , but 2 clues eluded me – 17d and 21a eventually resorting to hints. I had spent a whole dog walk musing on 21a ,and even when I looked at the hint could not work it out so resorted to electronic means to get the answer. Mmmmm that’s all I’ll say about that ! Thanks to the setter and Senf.
For me, and I stress for me (™ Senf) I am extremely late to the table today, due to landscapers, builders, luncheon out, and a writing deadline.
Mainly, I am hear to express my pleasure at the good news that Daisy is bouncing back. That was worrying news, yesterday.
Great guzzle, I felt.
I caused issues for myself by bunging ‘ing’ at the end of 3d, instead of ‘ion’, and consequently struggled with 21a.
Thanks to the setter and The Man From Manitoba.
🥰
It seems I’m in good company with 21a being my loi. Perfect for a Tuesday with enough head scratchers to make it interesting. Favourite was 3d, didn’t have problem with the spelling as the clue did it for me. Thanks to AP and Senf.
I thought this was a beautiful puzzle with very smooth surfaces. 15a made me smile when I twigged “goat”.
Personally have no issues with 21a – I think the second o of “ortho” is indistinguishable from “uh” when saying orthodox at normal speed.
Good evening
Later today than yesterday reporting in; see what happens when work gets in the way of crozzie solving 😉
Some chewy clues today; the SE quadrant seemed to fill up fairly quickly, but thereafter there was definitely some head-scratching going on. Having left my lucky green pen at home, I settled for Parker Red today (I keep that one at hand for correcting the copious spelling errors found on notices…) – PR stepped up admirably to the job, until it came to 21a and 17d, respectively penultimate and last to fall! The CLUNK! of the penny finally dropping when 17d went in must have been audible throughout England!
17d is COTD; 15a and 21a runners up.
Many thanks to our compiler (Mr P?) and to Senf.
Incidentally – minor quibble – until two days ago, whenever I commented here, my alias and email address would auto-fill below; now they don’t, even though I tick the ‘save’ box. What am I doing differently or wrong?
Ta.
Not sure about this one at all. A curate’s egg. Had fun cantering through the usual challenges. 17d was cheeky. 24a was a pain. Looking forward to tomorrow’s challenge! **/*** is about right. BTW I always do the crossword late at night unless I am on holiday. 😊
2*/4* …
liked 5D “Rabbit in the sack ? (6,4)”