Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28033
Hints and tips by 2Kiwis
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Our long hot summer continues. Some parts of the country have had rain recently, some of it in areas that were quite severely drought affected, but we have missed it all and are having a procession of days with temperatures in the high twenties. It seems that many of you are having quite the opposite and it even makes our news here at times. We occasionally almost feel sorry for you.
Jay is in fairly gentle mood again this week we thought, with the usual generous measure of good fun.
Please leave a comment telling us your thoughts.
Across
1a Trees start to topple after shouts of warning (6)
FOREST : The shouts of warning might be heard on a golf course, and then the first letter of topple.
4a Invariably left road after a second (6)
ALWAYS : Start with A from the clue, next the abbreviation for left, then a synonym for a road and finally the abbreviation for second.
8a Good service, appropriate with one style of artwork (8)
GRAFFITI : The abbreviation for good, then one of the defence services, next a word for appropriate and the Roman number one.
10a Rub shoulders with vagrant pinching new book (6)
HOBNOB : A four letter word for a vagrant contains (pinching) N(ew) then finish with the abbreviation for ‘book’.
11a Assuming he expected to pack butter (4)
GHEE : This clarified butter is lurking in the clue.
12a Getting better engineers and providing insurance (10)
RECOVERING : Army engineers and a word for taking out an insurance policy.
13a Nice word for a risker of capital (12)
ENTREPRENEUR : Putting Nice at the start of the clue disguises the fact that here it is not an adjective but a place name.
16a Single-mindedness of worried vet on insulin (6,6)
TUNNEL VISION : An anagram (worried) of VET ON INSULIN.
20a Married constituent imbibing beer is a villain (10)
MALEFACTOR : A three letter word for beer is inside the abbreviation for married and a constituent or component.
21a Quiet university students after end of oral (4)
LULL : Start with the last letter of oral, then the abbreviations for university and for student (twice).
22a Some minor Dickens characters from Scandinavia (6)
NORDIC : Another lurker hiding in the clue.
23a Casual labourer at first needs help and support (4-4)
LAID-BACK : The first letter of labourer, then a word meaning help, and then one meaning support or sponsor.
24a Indian grub from area on Greek island (6)
SAMOSA : This island in the eastern Aegean Sea is followed by the abbreviation for area.
25a Carry out survey going back for a measure (6)
DOLLOP : A two letter word meaning carry out, and then the reversal of a word meaning survey or an election.
Down
1d Money? Penny needs this for a bike (8)
FARTHING : Both this bike and the money of the answer are from a long time ago.
2d Search through lost file under bottom of drawer (5)
RIFLE : An anagram (lost) of FILE follows the last letter of drawer.
3d Agitate about right sort of cup (7)
STIRRUP : A 4,2 phrase meaning agitate includes the abbreviation for right.
5d Reveal changes around hotel in port (2,5)
LE HAVRE : An anagram (changes) of REVEAL with an extra H(otel) included.
6d Warning light on rigs designed to identify whale product (9)
AMBERGRIS : The colour of a warning light and an anagram (designed) of RIGS.
7d Pooh-poohs ship with cargo of cereal (6)
SCORNS : The abbreviation for a steam ship surrounds (carries as cargo) a type of cereal.
9d Main lectern possibly raised by degrees (11)
INCREMENTAL : An anagram (possibly) of MAIN LECTERN.
14d Swine angry over port (9)
ROTTERDAM : A word for a swine or cad, then a short word for angry is inverted.
15d Idiots featuring on top paper (8)
FOOLSCAP : A synonym for idiots and a word for top or a type of hat.
17d Topless dance in exotic sun shades (7)
NUANCES : The word dance with its first letter missing is inside an anagram (exotic) of SUN.
18d Funny feeling that flipping blog, it reviews shows (7)
VERTIGO : Another answer hiding inside the clue. This time it is reversed.
19d Bans volunteers with drink, reportedly (6)
TABOOS : Army volunteers and then a homophone of an informal collective word for alcoholic drink.
21d Tag line on a sound measure (5)
LABEL : The abbreviation for line, then A from the clue and a sound measure which is usually encountered with deci as a prefix.
We enjoyed the misdirection in 13a so it gets our vote for favourite today.
Quickie pun whence + lead + hale = Wensleydale
Quick morning solve but very enjoyable.
Great surface all round.
Favourite is 4a.
Thanks to Jay and to 2ks for the review.
Many thanks 2Kiwis. I sure got that funny feeling looking at the pic for 18d, good grief. Pretty much a write-in today, which is fine once in a while. I liked “some minor dickens characters” 22a, “casual labourer” 23a, “tag line” 21d.
1d (Money that Penny needs for bike) made me smile and I liked 10a just because it’s a nice word.
many thanks setter
I had to go back an properly look at the picture for 18d to see what you mean. Funny feeling indeed, I want to lie down.
Thanks 2K’s and of course the setter.
Made a bo-bo with 25a, I thought it was the poll that horses do when they run fast!! Soon corrected.
Man-flu really getting me down, I actually want to go back to work.
Very jealous of your weather as it is utterly dire in Blighty at the moment, cold and wet.
Sunny here in Downtown LI. I have been out chopping wood. Just what a bloke with Manflu should do followed by a trip to the pub.
Ooh err missus. I rattled through this puzzle until I was left with 25ac and 15d. With the word idiots in 15d being plural that meant that both words would end with the letter S.
25 ac _O_E_S And 15d _O_L_C_S what was a boy to think? Another triumph from Jay and a blistering review from the 2Ks. Please don’t pity me our weather I love it in all of its roaring glory.
Manflu…such _O_L_C_S!!!
Hope you feel better soon. I’ve heard that pints of beer help.
Snot me with the Manflu. It’s OOFIT. All I am suffering from is idleitis and delusion
But you said you had Manflu! So you don’t have it then.
I said chopping wood was what a bloke with Manflu should do before a trip to the pub. I never said I had Manflu. I have not had Manflu since comment eleven in DT puzzle 27679
Oh. My. God! Once again….etc. Unbelievable. You implied you had Manflu then.
Yes I seem to remember the Christmas Manflu episode.
13ac. Is Nice the French town indicating this is a French word?
that’s my reading of it. how bad is the Manflu? I had it before Christmas & it was recorded as the worst case in medical history. Some entrepreneurial types have even got products to soothe the fevered brows of sufferers.
http://www.manflu.com/
I am told that I am doing to get a medal for the bravery I have shown.
“I’ll have a another cup of tea now, thanks darling…”
Manflu. If only these women knew what we have to go through…
Well hello you lot – here I am again! Just popping in to say hello and to make sure that you’re all behaving nicely, haven’t forgotten me and are keeping the favourite count at a decent level!
I did this Jay crossword this evening – it’s now just after 10.00 pm in Victoria – I agree with the ratings of our lovely Kiwis.
I did get stuck for a while with my last few answers – all in the bottom left corner.
My favourite was 18d.
With thanks to Jay and to the Kiwis.
Talking of lefts and rights and problems with them . . . we’ve recently spent a few days with a very old friend of mine in Queensland – she’s no better with them than I am but it works really well – a bit like a double negative- she says left when she means right, I hear left but turn right – husband shuts his eyes and gives up totally! Oh dear!!
Off on the Great Ocean Road tomorrow.
Lovely to hear from you Kath! Sounds like you are having a wonderful time. But you are missed!
What Hanni said! Hi Kath :bye:.
Good to see that you haven’t forgotten us, Kath. Hope you’re going to show us some pics from your sojourn with our 2Ks. :yes:
Hi Kath. Have you seen my brother yet? Remember he lives in Australia and his name is Neil. Say hello from me when you come across him
I do hope you’re enjoying your travels Kath. Just to keep you in the ‘loop’ as it were, I have been keeping an eye on the blog to see if anyone has been taking advantage in your absence. I’m sorry to say that there have been infringements aplenty – I have the names and will send them on when you return to Blighty.
It’s not pretty :cool:
No. 1 on the list SL…
If I’m going down I’m taking everyone else with me. :cool:
I thought I got round it by saying so and so was worth a mention or that so and so made me laugh etc…. But I’m still guilty as charged :-)
I get the feeling the entire blog is going to end up in the naughty corner. But I quite like your method of getting around it.
Not me – I have immunity and have a new identity courtesy of the BD relocation programme.
It was full steam ahead until the last couple at the bottom of the page that gave me a bit of pause. Favorites are 25A and 19D. Thanks K2 an Jay.
Snowing here….
A fairly gentle but enjoyable stroll, only snag was 18d because I had the wrong answer for 25a, I had gallop, but got there in the end. Many thanks to the setter.
LOL. See my comment earlier…as soon as I got ‘poll’ backwards, that was it!! Bang!! In it went. No thought to the first two letters!!
imho 25a is hardly a measure as it depends, for example, on the size of the spoon being used by the school dinner lady when she’s ladling out lumpy mashed potatoes. It’s similar to the phrase we used in sales when doling out branded freebies to pharmacy assistants – ” give ’em a slack ‘andful”.
Pretty straightforward puzzle from Jay – most definitely at the gentler end of his range. Some lovely clues and (as Kath is watching) I will single out 13a as my one and only favourite of the day. The solving of the puzzle would have been quicker if I hadn’t got my pen stuck in my sock – these things are sent to try us :smile:
Thanks to Jay for the enjoyment and to the 2K’s for the review.
The toughie is very doable for those wanting a slightly harder challenge. :good:
It’s hard enough to write with gloves on but if you write with your feet, do take these socks off.
What? How on earth?
I did wonder – but was too polite to ask. Maybe he keeps his pen collection in a sock? Perhaps we should start a fund to buy him a pencil case?
Maybe he wears socks on his hands – I think it’s ok though, not many people have noticed!
Like sock puppets? There is something very odd going on here!
Yes – the Toughie is very doable and well worth a try. :yes:
Get an iPad. All you need then is a fingertip
Mostly straightforward EXCEPT 25a which had me foxed (not helped by my inability to spell label (lable??!) correctly….
You can join me in the poorly schooled corner
Well done, Kath, for spotting the lurkers. My wife has the same problem with right and left. The best way to remember is to make an L (for left) with the forefinger and thumb of the left hand. (It won’t make an L if you use your right!). But it may not be a good idea if you are driving.
Some very good clues here, but 10a takes the biscuit.
Thanks to both Ks and setter.
Saw what you did there with 10a.
Har har har!
8a certainly seems to be word of the moment!
Pretty much R&W in the top half with a couple of hesitations lower down the grid with the likes of 19d & 25a.
Top three for me were 10,16&25a.
Thanks to Jay and to the 2Ks as they bask in the sunshine.
Not too bad I got 1a wrong convinced myself it was “timber” got the rest round it so sorted, ***/*** for me. Thanks to Kiwis and Jay.
Weather improving boat getting sorted so Easter we might make it out for a shakedown.
1.5*/3.5* for this excellent Jay puzzle. I enjoyed 13 across for it’s elegance, and the brilliant lurking reversal of 18 down, but my favourite was 6 down. Many thanks to the aforementioned and the 2Ks for their top review.
1*/3*. This was the easiest Jay puzzle I can remember, very enjoyable but all over too soon. No verbose clues to be seen and lovely surface readings throughout. The hardest part is to pick a single favourite – especially with the headmistress looking on. (Nice to hear from you again, Kath, we all miss you). I’ll adopt Jane’s approach and have a top three (in no particular order) – 25a, 10a & 19d. They are all such lovely words.
Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks
Hi RD,
Best looking assistant: Sarah Jane was better looking than Clara but Amy wins. And Rory.
Enemy: Do you really think the Master is scarier than The Weeping Angels? Cause those things are terrifying.
Best Sort Of Assistant: River Song or Vastra.
Anyone who hasn’t seen the discussion about Doctor Who under yesterday’s Toughie will think you are barking mad (or they might think that anyway :wacko:)
I will defer to you about Rory. Amy is very pretty but too thin for my taste. I agree that the Master is not scarier than The Weeping Angels, but, particularly in the days when he was played by Roger Delgado, he was such a wonderful villain.
Roger Delgardo died far too young…
The one where he plays the Rev. Magister (ho, ho) is a classic. Can’t remember who the other baddies were.
Oh gosh that never even occurred to me! Yes that must have seemed quite odd to suddenly start discussing the attractiveness of various girls in Doctor Who! Ahh well.
Rory as a centurion was very nice. And yes Roger Delgado is deliciously villainous. However Weeping Angels nearly had me pinned to the ceiling when I first saw Blink..and that was only to see how scary it was before the child type thing watched it.
What was REALLY scary in Dr Who was……..
Frazer Hines trying to act and……….whilst wearing a kilt.
That image still haunts me :cry:
Straightforward stuff from Jay but very enjoyable. Plenty of smiles and will have one favourite in 13a (very clever clue)….not that I’ve had more than one favourite recently of course.
Many thanks to Jay and to the 2Kiwis for a great blog as always.
Beautiful weather here..and I’m stuck inside, no riding!
I misspelt 13a by missing out the central ‘r’ – this screwed me up for quite a while – apart from that this was very enjoyable but quite a struggle. I’m glad to say that no external aid was required apart from looking up 25a in my Onelook on-line dictionary which said it was a measure particularly of food.
Incidentally, I don’t get the 2K’s explanation of 13a – are they saying it’s a placename or something?
:wacko:
The French city of Nice, hence a French word to follow.
Yes. It is used to indicate that the answer is a French word…Nice word, Nice being in France etc.
Oh right, an indicator of a French word – I’ll try and remember that little wrinkle – my mind doesn’t seem to retain these things anymore!
:good:
Apologies for not being more explicit in our hint Michael. The other one to watch out for is Nancy used in the same context and with that one it does not need to be at the start of a sentence to disguise the deception. Cheers.
Can’t wait for a setter to choose the French town named Condom.
Or that of the town Corps Nuds! :eek:
Jay was in very benign mood here presenting us with a definite R & W but nevertheless the divertissement while it lasted was very pleasant (TVM Jay) and your hints 2Ks were succinct and nicely illustrated – I particularly liked the upmarket example of the 8a style of artwork! The Quickie “slogan” is an amusing one! ****/***. :good:
I meant to say */****.
Thanks to both. Enjoyed this . Got the answer to 13a without understanding why. Thank you for explaining it! Probably a */**** for me.
Nice and straightforward with some clever clues :good: Thanks to the 2 X Ks & Jay */*** I liked 12 & 20a :smile: The sun is actually shining here this afternoon, Spring is on its way! :cool:
One of the most straightforward Jay puzzles I can remember, but extremely enjoyable and peppered with some delightful words like 10a, 25a and 6d.
My favourite was 16a as I loved the anagram.
Anyone who can stick with Doctor Who after its most recent series has my admiration. Even Peter Capaldi gave the impression of being bored most of the time. At least Stephen Moffatt is leaving the programme which can only be good, although it means he has more time to ruin other projects like Sherlock, which, after its very disappointing Christmas showing, may already be beyond saving.
Many thanks to Mr. Mutch and our still perspiring 2Kiwis
Jay is certainly in a benign mood today! I shot myself in the foot with 24a by putting samoas instead of samosa, then 17d took forever. Once I realized my mistake, it was all easy after that.
There were too many outstanding clues, 10a, 13a, 25a, and so on, I can’t choose just one.
Thanks to Jay and to the 2Kiwis, could have done without the pic at 18d.
Nice to have Kath visiting, I’m sure she’ll say hello to your brother M’pops!
Very pleasant but not one to frighten the horses. Fun while it lasted so */**** from us.
Fav was 22a.
A lovely 24C with a bit of broken cloud dotted about here this afternoon.
Thanks to Jay and the Kiwis.
Good afternoon everybody.
Very gentle today with only 20,24a and 14,19d briefly holding up proceedings. Wasn’t entirely convinced by 19d.
Three lurkers was very generous and thank goodness the French have no word for 13a.
**/***
Thanks to Jay and to the 2 Kiwis for the review and hints. A very easy puzzle today, a total write-in. 19d made me laugh, but 18d was my favourite. Just practicing for when Kath gets back :-) Was 1*/3* for me. Bit of Blue sky now in Central London.
Greetings from Dorset, where it is now pleasant and calm after the storm. I am staying with a lovely cat and lovelier humans. I have seen my first wild bunnies of the year and tomorrow will go to get my first glimpse of the sea. Lots of reasons to be cheerful.
The crossword today was also full of reasons to smile. Not on the trickier side of Jay’s scale but perfectly delightful. I can’t pick a sensible number of favourites, but the ones I had a particular soft spot for are easy enough to guess.
Thanks to Jay and the 2Kiwis. The Wednesday standard remains sky-high.
P.S. I see that yesterday Jane mentioned Mr K’s pictures from the bash. Here is the link:
Click here!
Thanks, Kitty – I wouldn’t have had a clue how to put on the link!
Enjoy your stay at the seaside with cat, lovely humans and wild bunnies. :good:
Thanks Jane :). It’s lovely to see them but I have to confess that living out of a suitcase is wearing a little thin now. Some open air and racing about is on the cards tomorrow, which should help. I hope my favourite cliff is in a condition suitable for running up because I always do that when I come here. Well, I start off at a run – but I must confess I slow up considerably before I get to the top.
As for the tech stuff, to share links all that is needed is to copy and paste the address into the comment box. The magic happens automatically. (I did use a little code to tidy things up but that is entirely optional.) To do that, just highlight the bit you want to copy, right-click and then select the copy option that comes up. Then right-click where you want to put it and select paste. Alternatively, you can use CTRL+C for copy and CTRL+V for paste. You can do it :yes:.
Actually, I’ve never managed it yet! I do the highlight bit OK, right click and then it always seems to wander off somewhere. The ether must be full of my un-pasted attempts. Don’t worry – the daughters just despair of me!
Enjoy your run. :bye:
A Jay puzzle hmmm . A tad on the easy side but nonetheless very enjoyable */*** Thanks to the 2Kiwis and the setter
Re: the 18d pic; the one I can’t cope with is the photograph of the American builders having their lunch perched on the skyscraper scaffolding in New York. Oo-er missus.
Anyway to the crossword…. very gentle, very pleasant and didn’t take much time out of the day. 13a with its misdirection was top banana for me. 2/3* overall.
Thanks to Jay for being kind and thanks to the 2k’s for reminding us of what we’re missing.
*/***. Pretty much R&W for me with a small delay working out why 25a was correct – silly me! Thanks to the setter and the 2Ks for the review. Having had 17C yesterday we’re back to wet weather and much cooler.
Very nice though a little trickier than usual. 13a and 25a took a while to tease out.In fact I think 25a is the antithesis of a measure.
Thanks Kiwis for your blog, and I am glad somebody is enjoying good weather.We will have to wait until June to almost feel sorry for you.
Thanks also to Jay.
Good morning all. The sun is just popping up over the horizon on yet another calm cloudless day. A wide-brimmed hat will definitely be needed on the golf course again today. We confess that the Miffypops answer for 15d did occur to us when we first looked at the checkers in place at the time, but the thought never got as far as the printed page. As you see, Kath is still keeping on eye on us all so keep up the good behaviour. Cheers.
Another enjoyable Jay offering. Completed without too much hair-pulling. Last in 20a – it does help to remember those single word abbreviations ;)
Favourites are 17d and 5d. 2*/3*
Another excellent effort from Jay, with only a few hold-ups – 13a took me far too long to fathom and I needed all the checkers before the centime dropped with a heavy clang that woke the downstairs neighbours. 25a wins the lumpy mash award for clue of the day. 2*/4*
Thanks to Jay and the Ks for another great review – but I have one quibble with the illustration for 18d. Vertigo has nothing to do with fear of heights or a dizzy feeling brought on by a height: that’s acrophobia. Vertigo is a medical condition. Alfred Hitchcock has a lot to answer for.
May I respectfully respond? This is a (very) moot point and one I have debated previously, it requires research to resolve. Acrophobia is indeed an extreme or irrational fear or phobia of heights and sufferers can experience panic attacks even when they are not particularly high up. Vertigo is a medical condition: a type of dizziness sometimes with associated nausea, sweating, vomiting and swaying/walking difficulties. Various circumstances can cause it. But acrophobics can certainly suffer vertigo symptoms triggered by height and this condition is known as ‘height vertigo’. So vertigo is not intrinsically the fear of heights but is has very much something to do with height dizziness in certain cicumstances.
Very simlilar to yesterday’s: average difficulty but good clueing. 2*/3*