Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27051
Hints and tips by Libellule
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Entertaining stuff from the Monday Maestro. Just what I needed to start a cold and damp day.
Across
1. Got key cut (7)
{FETCHED} – A musical key is followed by a word that means cut or impressed into a surface.
5. Drew the card out (7)
{CHARTED} – An anagram (out) of THE CARD.
9. Two officers get together with a drink (5)
{COCOA} – Two Commanding Officers with A.
10. Firm can set out to restrict debt (9)
{TENACIOUS} – An anagram (out) of CAN SET around IOU (debt).
11. A succession of small bloomers (5,5)
{DAISY CHAIN} – A garland of linked yellow and white flowers.
12. Appears as laid back, but is on watch (4)
{DIAL} – Reverse (back) LAID.
14. They recommend its men to sail abroad (12)
{TESTIMONIALS} – An anagram (abroad) of ITS MEN TO SAIL.
18. Receive satisfaction from supply to Longleat? (4,1,5,2)
{TAKE A PRIDE IN} – Assuming of course you were supplying lions…
21. Bread from trolley (4)
{ROLL} – This small rounded portion of bread can be found hiding in the word trolley.
22. It’s cold in the country — you need a fur (10)
{CHINCHILLA} – A squirrel like rodent native to South America can be constructed from a word that describes a moderate but penetrating coldness inside a country in eastern Asia.
25. Put in for one stripe during manoeuvres (9)
{INTERPOSE} – an anagram (during manoeuvres) of ONE STRIPE.
26. GP yet to be reappointed to African country (5)
{EGYPT} – An anagram (to be reappointed to) of GP YET
27. Most women have this combination of give and take (7)
{HANDBAG} – A container for carrying money and other personal items, could be made up from two words, one meaning to give or pass, and the other to catch.
28. Wanted to see knight in action (7)
{DESIRED} – Put SIR inside a word for a feat or exploit that is carried out.
Down
1. Walton’s deceptive appearance? (6)
{FACADE} – A word that describes an artificial front is also a reference to a work by the composer William Walton.
2. Transposing the bookmaker’s sign language is part of the strategy (6)
{TACTIC} – shift the last three letters of a system of bookies signs to the front to get a plan for attaining a specific goal.
3. Lead, say, in hard rock (5,5)
{HEAVY METAL} – Lead as an element is considered to be this, but there is also a very loud type of music that shares the same name.
4. The last place to fight? (5)
{DITCH} – Think of a phrase that starts with the word “last” and describes a final recourse to try and prevent a crisis or disaster. If that doesn’t help it is also a long narrow trench.
5. Proved to be a full member of the church (9)
{CONFIRMED} – Double definition, having been ratified or verified, or having received the rite of admitting a baptised person to full membership in a church.
6. They go round in circles (4)
{ARCS} – Are also segments of circles.
7. Hot work during Test that contains century (8)
{TROPICAL} – Place OP (work) inside a word for a process of testing (e.g. in court) and then add a C (century) to get another word that means to be hot and humid.
8. Reveal record to be unsuccessful (8)
{DISCLOSE} – The definition is reveal, and is a charade of a word for a gramophone record, plus another word meaning to fail to win.
13. Teaches a number limited by English, perhaps (10)
{ENLIGHTENS} – TEN surrounded by an anagram (perhaps) of ENGLISH.
15. A piece of light music? (5,4)
{TORCH SONG} – A phrase that describes a sentimental or romantic popular piece of music could also be something sung underneath the light of a flambeau.
16. A swimmer has first to get changed (8)
{STARFISH} – An anagram (to get changed) of HAS FIRST.
17. Sort of key that may be found in a cupboard? (8)
{SKELETON} – The sort of key that can open many locks, could also be a scandal that is kept secret (to be found in the closet).
19. Musician puts sheet on piano? On the contrary (6)
{PLAYER} – P (piano) and a word that describes a single thickness of a material for example.
20. Separated and left (6)
{PARTED} – Double definition, divided into parts, or gone.
23. Donne has been translated quite a lot (2,3)
{NO END} – An anagram (has been translated) of DONNE.
24. Short game in which a child goes to sleep (4)
{CRIB} – Shorten a card game for two to four players to get a child’s bed.
The Quick crossword pun: {imp} + {purse} + {son} + {eight} = {impersonate}
Would have been no problem if I hadn’t put in Death for 4d, as in fight to the death!
Thanks Libellule for putting me right.
Two excellent clues today I thought, 27a(can’t think of this word without thinking of the Importance of Being Ernest) and 2d.
Pleasant start to the week. Thx to the setter.
I went down the ‘death’ route as well Brian – but managed to see the error of my ways when parsing 10a on the second reading. No particular favourites today but thought 22a was quite clever. Thanks to Rufus and Libellule
Nice straightforward lead-in to the week. */**** rating for me. Thanx to Compiler and to Libellule for the Review.
I found this a little trickier than some recent Monday puzzles. The anagram at 14a took me a while to crack.
3*/3* for me. Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule.
I’m with you on the difficulty for this one jezza, Brian is improving in leaps and bounds and is often now the first to comment
Hi mary
I think my mind is busy on other things at the moment. Looking forward to finishing work on Thursday lunchtime until the new year!
Mary, thank you for those few kind words, some days are better than others, depends what else is going on :-) always late on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to golf!
An easy start to the week but found the top left corner didn’t leap to mind as quickly as the rest, once I got 1D and 11A it more or less fell into place. Thanks to setter for an enjoyable puzzle and to Libellule for hints though not needed today
Just a pleasant start to the week .1* / 3* for me .Had no idea why 1d was what it obviously was and had never heard of a 15d so thanks or the illumination !
Thank you Rufus, good fun and Libellule for your review. Must confess to a sudden bit of help from Mrs SW – read out 18a and she gave me the answer before I could engage brain.
Morning Libelulle and thanks for hints although I didn’t need them, at one point I thought I was going to, as the top left corner was last to go in, a real Duh! moment in 18a, it took me ages to get that but it is now my favourite clue for today :-) along with 12a, a three star for me today, I didn’t find it as easy as some of you but nevertheless enjoyed it :-D
No problems today but a very enjoyable, fun puzzle from Rufus. 10A was quite a clever clue I thought and its nice to see two opposing types of music in the same crossword (heavy metal and light music, wonderful).
Thought all my shopping for the upcoming festivities was completed but Mrs Skempie gave me a revised list of shopping to be done on Friday – not sure if I’ll have time to look at the paper that day :-(
Also ended up finishing in the top left corner and spent ages trying to work out how the answer to 1A had anything to do with how keys are cut, before finally remembering the musical meaning of ‘key’ – which I somehow always seem to forget.
Why do I always find Rufus puzzles difficult?
Lots in the top left corner took ages and I needed the hints to explain 1 and 2d – I’ve never heard of the music or the bookmakers sign language. I’ve also never heard of 15d. I was very slow with the 14a anagram and took a while to get 18a. Not my day!!
I liked 11 and 27a and 3d.
With thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
Off to do useful stuff now.
Hi Kath
You are not the only one who finds Rufus puzzles difficult. Of all the seven back-page puzzles, I tend to spend more time completing Monday than any other day of the week. Most people seem to find Monday the easiest, I would appear to be in the minority.
Can’t think of anything more useful than doing the crossword. Helps keeps the brain active and slows the onset of AlkaSeltzer. Or something.
Its snowing on this page (either that or my eyes are giving up too).
Pommette’s better at Rufus puzzles than I am! It’s the double and cryptic definitions that I’m not too keen on. You have nothing to work with and you either spot them or you don’t, I usually don’t, or at least not very quickly!
Thanks all – that’s cheered me up a bit! :smile:
What HASN’T cheered me up is my 90 year old Mum who is driving me nuts – she seems to have forgotten that this is a busy time of year! :sad:
Writing DAILY BREAD for 11a didn’t help me arrive in London in a good mood!
‘Succession’ … ‘bloomers’ … there was some sort of logic there.
A bloomer is also a loaf of bread AT
Actually, I rather like DAILY BREAD, pity it wasn’t right
It was pommette’s first thought too but fortunately we spotted the alternative (correct) answer fairly quickly otherwise we might have been in trouble..
Good start to the week, not on best form after an indulgent weekend, a***/*** for me, thanks to Libellule for the’other ‘ definition of 1d and to setter for a high standard of clues, liked 27a and 11a, oh, and well done England.
3*/3* for me too. Thanks to Rufus and LIbellule for the nice start to the week.
For some reason pommette and I made heavy weather of this one! No idea why as the answers all seem pretty clear once you know what they are – must be brain fade brought on by a bit of excessive behaviour yesterday afternoon/evening. Had to check the Walton piece as we’d both forgotten it.
3*/3* from me.
Thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
So I was the only one who thought that Walton was Izaak Walton and tried to find an answer that had something to do with angling?
Nope….
Never thought of Izaak Walton which just proves the brain-fade theory! I used to live about 5 miles from his famous cottage and passed it every day on the way to and from the office :grin:
I briefly thought about a schmaltzy TV programme from a while back (that I was lucky not to see)(ever), this also got me thinking about Little House on the Prairie the only bit of which I ever saw was an out-take from one of their Christmas shows that they could not do without cracking up – all the girls were doing the decorating when one had to say ‘Hey John Boy, are you going to come and hang your balls on the Christmas tree?’
Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule for the review & hints. I must have had my Dunce’s cap on today, needed hints for 1a, 18a had three of the words, thought of Lions, but couldn’t get the 3rd word, 22a thought I was looking for a country, Antarctica fitted in nicely, 13d didn’t spot the anagram doh :-)
Found the rest of it really difficult, so was 4*/3* for me. Had never heard of Walton, but got it from the checkers. Favourites were 11a & 3d. Nice to see the snow back on the blog. Glorious day in Central London, had a nice bike ride.
Even worse, i was trying to get a connection with the old tv soap’the waltons!-goodnight John Boy!
That crossed my mind as well, I used to hate that programme :-)
Ditto on both counts !
I’m a bit late today commenting despite having finished the crossword by 7:30 this morning.
Rufus is still my favourite compiler and although I thought today’s was a tad harder than previously, I thoroughly enjoyed.
So it’s a 2*/3* for me.
Thanks to Rufus and Libellule for an enjoyable start to the week.
An hour in the dentist chair after a stint of dads taxi-ing held me back this morning. A numb mouth and dribbling coffee spoiled today’s offering; so I don’t feel confident in giving an accurate rating. Hope I’m not so grumpy tomorrow. Regds to all
Great – just as all crosswords ought to be. Entertaining, humorous, fine surface readings, no peculiar words. Why can’t more setters be like Rufus?
Never heard of 1dn but guessed it. All in all very enjoyable. Fave doddle anagram 26ac. Enjoyed 7dn, not really sure why!
We reckon that this one deserves 3* for difficulty. Found it a very enjoyable exercise that took a little more effort than many Mondays. Favourite was 18a where the five letter word sat empty and staring at us for a while.
Thanks Rufus and Libellule.
Another enjoyable Monday puzzle from Rufus.
I had trouble with the NW corner as I was unsure of which Walton was involved but after getting 9a & 4d I finished it.
Faves : 11a, 18a, 27a, 2d, 5d & 15d.
A fair number of anagrams.
I usually enjoy Rufus,but today was a 3*. bottom half easier.thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
A fairly gentle start to the week, and very enjoyable. Rather a lot of anagrams it seemed to me. None the worse for that as far as I’m concerned!
* and a half/****
Found difficulty with several, especially having never heard of 15d.
My feeling was ****/*** which is unusual for me on Mondays.
I’ve never heard of 15d either (nor 1 or 2d) – eventually guessed and looked it up – there it was! SO not my day!
Just back from ‘rescuing’ my Mum from a bit of a “disaster, darling” (sorry, speaking a foreign language to anyone who doesn’t watch the dancing). VERY grumpy – have “man flu” (whatever gazza says) – alarm going at 6.00am – does such a time exist? :sad:
‘See’ you all tomorrow – hope that I’m less of a misery by then!
A fairly gentle start and enjoyable. And something must be rubbing off on me as for the first time in my life, I managed to complete theTimes crossword!
Thaks tio Rufus and Libellule.