Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26306
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
We have a fairly straightforward challenge from Giovanni today (what I would call a bread-and-butter puzzle rather than a firecracker). Let us know what you thought in a comment.
As always the answers are concealed between the brackets under the clues – highlight the space between the brackets to make one visible.
Across Clues
1a ‘I left girl to other men’: man being incompatible (3-8)
{ILL-ASSORTED} – the definition is incompatible and we get it with a charade of I, L(eft), a synonym for girl, other ranks (men) in the armed forces and a man’s abbreviated name.
7a The prize I had as an archer (5)
{CUPID} – a naked boy with a bow and arrow is a charade of a prize for a competition and the contracted form of I had.
8a Suffered no end with urge to be put right (9)
{UNDERGONE} – this is the past participle of a verb meaning to endure or suffer, and it’s an anagram (to be put right) of NO END and URGE.
10a Old artefact in hole deteriorating over time (7)
{NEOLITH} – an anagram (deteriorating) of IN HOLE goes round (over) T(ime) to get an artefact dating from the later part of the Stone Age.
11a Plain little girl about to enter sporting contest (7)
{EVIDENT} – reverse (about) a two-letter abbreviated girl’s name (little girl) and put it inside a sporting contest.
12a French street wants gym brought in to make money (5)
{RUPEE} – insert (brought in) the abbreviation for physical exercise (gym) into the French word for street to make the monetary unit of a number of countries in South Asia.
13a Mixing at best inn, not drinking too much (9)
{ABSTINENT} – an adjective meaning keeping off the booze (not drinking too much) is an anagram (mixing) of AT BEST INN.
16a Instrumentalist rendering odd favourite with hesitation at end of concert (9)
{TRUMPETER} – string together a synonym for odd, a word for a favourite person or animal and an interjection expressing hesitation, then prefix it all with the last letter (end) of concerT. Here’s Humph..
18a Home help going around country (5)
{INDIA} – start with an adverb meaning at home and follow this with a synonym for help which is reversed (going around) to get a country where 12a is the currency.
19a Island’s officer getting about (7)
{MAJORCA} – the largest of the Balearic islands is formed by combining an army officer and the abbreviation for circa or about.
22a One priest travels west, protected by another for a distance (7)
{MILEAGE} – travels west in an across clue indicates a reversal, so we want to reverse the name of an Old Testament priest. Put this inside (protected by) a priest or wise man from Persia (possibly one of the three bearing gifts in the Christmas carol) to make a measurement of distance.
23a A Scot, I hop about as one with psychological disorder (9)
{SOCIOPATH} – an anagram (about) of A SCOT I HOP.
24a Conservative rubbish about a European (5)
{CROAT} – start with C(onservative) and add a synonym for rubbish which contains (about) A to get a citizen of a European nation which has been independent for less than twenty years.
25a Pub — we try ale out or non-alcoholic drink (6,5)
{BARLEY WATER} – a synonym for pub is followed by an anagram (out) of WE TRY ALE.
Down Clues
1d I am on time and visible to all without rehearsal (9)
{IMPROMPTU} – we want an adjective meaning without rehearsal or spontaneous. Start with a contracted form of I am and follow this with a word meaning on time or punctually and an old classification indicating that a film could be seen by anyone (visible to all).
2d Legal lord tied in knots, one not keeping up with the times (7)
{LUDDITE} – this was originally a person who destroyed machinery during the Industrial Revolution because it threatened jobs. Nowadays the term is used for someone opposed to new technology. Start with the way a judge (legal lord) may be addressed and add an anagram (in knots) of TIED.
3d There’s a bit of money on the street around a relatively prosperous region (5-4)
{SOUTH-EAST} – start with a former French coin (a bit of money) and add THE and the abbreviation for street with A between them (around) to get the most prosperous part of the U.K.
4d Look up, then fade away (as one expected to?) (5)
{OLDIE} – reverse (up, in a down clue) a short word for look and add a synonym for fade away to get a person who may be expected to “fade away” sooner than someone younger.
5d Period in India, further than which you cannot go? (7)
{TERMINI} – stitch together a period (of an academic year, say), IN and I(ndia) to get the ends of the lines.
6d Crowd of people went by car maybe (5)
{DROVE} – double definition, the first a noun meaning a crowd of people behaving as one (more often used in the plural, as in “tourists stayed away in _____s”).
7d Study time about to be given to office workers, resulting in dispute (11)
{CONTRETEMPS} – a word for a disagreement or dispute is a charade of a verb to study, T(ime), a short word meaning about and office workers who are not on the permanent staff.
9d Car given to a fellow who must go around the houses? (6,5)
{ESTATE AGENT} – a type of car is followed by A and a synonym for fellow to make someone who conducts prospective purchasers around houses for sale.
14d Sailor’s craft involved in crash — swim! (9)
{SCRIMSHAW} – it’s no good looking for some sort of vessel here – this is a handicraft practised by sailors, involving intricate carving on ivory or shells. It’s an anagram (involved in) of CRASH SWIM.
15d Attempt to finish always when given a hearing (9)
{ENDEAVOUR} – this attempt is a verb meaning to finish followed by a sound-alike (given a hearing) of a word meaning always.
17d Standard scowl you get in one sort of shop (7)
{PARLOUR} – this charade of standard (as used to describe the number of strokes a good golfer should need on a particular hole, for example) and a verb to scowl produces premises (sort of shop) which are used to house businesses as diverse as beauty salons, ice-cream purveyors and undertakers.
18d Bad one, citizen briefly breaking the rules (7)
{ILLICIT} – another charade, this time of an adjective meaning not well (bad), I (one) and the abbreviation of citizen.
20d Smooth man giving account in employment (5)
{JACOB} – this biblical character had a hairy brother. His name is the abbreviation for account inside a synonym for employment.
21d Feast gets one looking in wonder? (5)
{AGAPE} – double definition, the first (new to me) being a communal meal (feast) enjoyed by Christians. I don’t understand the need for the question mark.
The clues I liked included 22a, 3d, 4d and 17d, but my favourite is 2d. Let us know your thoughts in a comment!
Given the time I took to solve, I would have said two star difficulty. Re 21d – is the question mark there because you don’t really need the “one” for the clue to make sense? Agree with your favourite clues, especially 2d. Bring back the manual typewriter, that’s what I (sometimes) say! Thanks to Giovanni for the puzzle and Gazza for the review.
but it wouldn’t read properly without the ‘one’ would it Sue?
Maybe the question mark is there because if you look in wonder at something you are looking at it questioningly or in puzzlement?
Morning Gazza, I actually finished this before 10.30 and have been waiting patiently to look at the ones i din’t quite understand, these were 2d, and having seen it now, i don’t like it although my answer was correct another such is 3d, , my fav clues today were 4d, although it was one of last to go in and 9d, at least three ‘india’ clues today, doable for us CCers but once again I needed lots of help from my books and little machine
new word for me at 14d, though I did work it out and then looked it up to see if it was a word!
Hi, Mary/. Re 2d, suppose the answer comes from sloppy pronounciation of ‘Milord’ and a three-letter synanym for ‘knotted’.
Hi Sarah, yes but do you ‘like’ it? My Chambers dictionary of crossword abbreviations gives ld but not lud, I still don’t like it
2d is best clue for me. Lud is not an abbreviation, but a stylised form of lord used specifically when addressing a judge (and it’s in the Big Red Book in its own right).
So it does, once again ‘live and learn’ thanks for that info Gazza
And i think the ‘in knots’ bit refers to the anagram of ‘tied’ so we are left with ‘lud’ for Legal Lord
Good puzzle – 14d was my favourite – back to packing for holidays.
Have a great time wherever you are going
Off to Putsborough in N Devon – will be sans paper or clued up so will have a lot of catching up to do!
Oh Oh withdrawal symptoms on the cards then? What if you win ‘COW’ you have some real potential winners in there?
Have phone access to the net so should not be an issue – but my money is on Dram with his number 2s
Mmmmm I think maybe you could be right, anyway have a lovely time I hear they have a lovely beach there, we often go to Devon but usually stay in Exmouth at the Imperial, love it
You’ll be in mine and Gazza’s neck of the woods Prolixic!
Overcast and muggy at the moment, but I hope it brightens up a bit for you…
Finished it without much difficulty, abd don’t normally have much to complain about with Giovanni puzzles, but there are a few question marks for me today.
13a. Isn’t “abstinent” not drinking at all, rather than “not drinking too much”?
5d. There’s nothing in the clue to suggest the answer is in the plural – or am I missing something?
15d. Yesterday, Big Dave commented on, and I agreed with him, about the use of homonyms that are not actual words. Here’s another one.
13a. Chambers gives temperate or self-restrained (so not necessarily teetotal).
5d. There’s nothing to suggest the answer is in the singular either.
In all the dictionaries I’ve consulted, both online and hard copy, Chambers is the only one that sggests that “abstinence” can be “temperance”. As far as I’m cocerned, if you abstain from doing something, e.g. voting, you don’t do it.
By the way Gazza, love the picture in 4d
Damn – there I was thinking that I was learning SO much from the blog and all the comments that I could now do a Friday puzzle without crying (only joking but I do usually find them very difficult) and then I read that it was a particularly easy one! I still needed the blog to explain why some of the clues were what they were – 1a, didn’t recognise the usual abbreviation for ‘other ranks’ – stupid, it’s one I know well. 20d – couldn’t work out why he was a ‘smooth man’. I have never heard of 21d being a feast but looked it up – wanted to make it ‘amaze’ for a while, without seeing why it should be, but got there in the end. 14d was a word that my brain obviously remembered seeing before. There seem to be quite a lot of anagrams today.
Don’t worry Kath, this isn’t a particularly easy crossword today but not one of Giovannis most difficult, Gazza has given it a three star for difficulty, so well done on finishing it
Thanks for the encouragement Mary. Felt quite smug last weekend as, for the first time ever, I finished the Sunday cryptic puzzle – maybe I am improving a bit – or maybe it was an easy one ….! Who knows?
Been doing these a year now and still get days when I feel totally ‘lost’ that’s why I will stay in the CC
Yes, do keep trying, Kath. As for the ‘smooth man’ reference, and to give you a laugh, look on Youtube for Allan Bennett’s famous sermon from “Beyond the Fringe.” His text is: “For my brother Esau is an hairy man, but I am a smooth man.” Enjoy!
Not the best Giovanni but enjoyable nevertheless, I liked 2d,3d and 4d. Thanks to Giovanni and Gazza for the usual great review.
Very odd, I found this much harder than last Friday’s puzzle. Didn’t finish it today; suspected 22a was mileage, but no idea why, and didn’t get 18d. ‘Scrimshaw’ was new and never knew that ‘con’ means so many things! Several clues I did get, or guessed, but didn’t understand.
Good puzzle, most enjoyable and fine review, thanks to both.
Horrible day here today, watered about 60 pots and now its pouring! just wondering if its worth having a go at the toughie ?
Its a proper Friday toughie – the right hand side particularly. Took me three separate lots of cogitation time but I enjoyed it in the end
will give it a miss then, thanks Sue, will go twiddle my flute instead
@Didn’t gel with this one as quickly as normal Fridays and I’m not sure why but got there in the end. My favourites were 22aq and 17d (which was the last to go in for me even with the cross letters).
Thanks Gazza and Giovanni.
Threw myself by inserting CHINA at 18a (CHA = help around IN). Thanks to Gazza for helping out. After that it was a very nice end to a largely good week. Have a nice weekend everyone, and a great break Prolixic.
Me too, but I didn’t think it was right as it would have been CHAR and there was no room for the R. It took me a while to get the first word of 25a – I knew it was an anagram, so I was battling with BUPLEY water, OUTLEY water, until I realised that I needed to substitute BAR for PUB.
As you say, a good week on the crossword front!
Enjoyable puzzle today. I thought 10a was a fine fine clue that was constructed and read perfectly. Don’t you find some clues have that feel good factor ?
Thanks for the blog Gazza and Gio for the puzzle.
Had a two hour bike ride to clear the head and just got back, wouldn’t you know it, it has just started to rain.
Struggled today and although I finished it not so sure why some answers went in i.e. mileage and contretemps. Put amaze for 21d after finding that it is the Persian version of the Turkish meze!
Not the hardest Giovanni but some very nice clues. Liked 10a particularly.
Got here late due to Golf.
Thanks to Gazza and Giovanni
For me, this was the oddest puzzle in a long time. I got it all right apart from 21d for which I put amaze too, but hadn’t a clue how the clues worked in many instances. Somehow the answers just came to mind without any reasoning – psychic powers maybe?
Found I needed more of the hints this time, but that’s how we learn!
Thanks for the puzzle and the blog.
Might have a peep at the toughie.
I did this this morning over breakfast and without too much trouble. Enjoyed many of the clues, but didn’t much like ‘parlour’ as a kind of shop. But see what Giovanni means and thanks to Gazza for the explanations. I was pleased with 14d, as it’s a word I’m always groping for when I see bits of it on “Antiques Roadshow”. In fact it was my favourite clue, along with 25a and 7d.
Thanks v much as ever for feedback. Don’t despise bread and butter, by the way — I always have in mind a much bigger solvership than the bloggers on this very good website ( as I’ve said before). But I’ll try to add occasional cream to a b&b pudding!
Here here
bread and butter pudding is good for me
I wasn’t complaining about it. I like bread and butter pudding (in moderation).
I didnd’t mind it being bread and buttery – made me look very impressive in the doc’s waiting room yesterday morning! – then spoiled the illusion with my initial struggle with the Toughie. I think its nice to have a spread of diffculty throughout the week, gives enough variety to keep us all happy.