DT 28099 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 28099

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28099

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

Just one Kiwi doing the honours this week. Carol is at home writing and I am with our son and family being a painter and paper-hanger on the huge alterations they are making to their home. The paper-hanging, which is being interrupted to put this together, is quite a challenge as the room where I am working is far from plumb or square and it is more than 30 years since I last was involved in hanging wall-paper. However, by taking it slowly and with Rachel, our daughter-in-law as a capable assistant, good progress is being made. The part that is now done doesn’t look too bad at all.
I was hoping that Jay would be gentle with us today and it felt like my wish was granted.

 Please leave a comment telling us how you found it.

Across

1a     Lodging with club — perhaps this gets you through gate (8,4)
BOARDING CARD: A word for lodging or being a paying guest and what a club, or even a heart or spade, could be an example of.
imgres

9a     Lost again, lost in dreams of times past (9)
NOSTALGIA: An anagram (lost) of LOST AGAIN

10a     Piece about lower socio-economic groups in suit (5)
BEFIT: When socio-economic groups are given alphabetical ratings, we have here the 5th and 6th ones found inside a word for a piece.

11a     A canvas by Lowry originally undeveloped (6)
LATENT: The first letter of Lowry, A from the clue and a temporary shelter that is often made of canvas.

12a     Heart-throb may be strangely isolated (8)
DIASTOLE: An anagram (strangely) of ISOLATED.
images

13a     Counter is covered by others (6)
RESIST: IS from the clue is inside a word meaning the others or what remains.

15a     Spoilt broadcast by one elected member (8)
IMPAIRED: Start with the Roman numeral one, then a Member of Parliament and a word meaning broadcast.

18a     Manages abroad, according to reports (8)
OVERSEES: It sounds the same as how a person abroad may be described.

19a     Flow of runs in second eleven, perhaps (6)
STREAM: The abbreviation for cricket runs is inside the abbreviation for a second and a synonym for an eleven or group of players.
imgres

21a     Replace drink works (8)
SUPPLANT: Drink here is a verb and is followed by a works or manufacturing establishment.

23a     Taken into custody, managed to grab pie that is being dropped (6)
COPPED: A word meaning managed or got by, includes what is left when the abbreviation for the Latin ‘that is’ is removed from the word pie.

26a     Joins golf club? (5)
LINKS: Double definition. The latter is an open undulating course traditionally built on sand dunes.
images

27a     Break down into small pieces, making aunt glare (9)
GRANULATE: An anagram (making) of AUNT GLARE.

28a     Female first possibly to welcome Universal’s pictures (7,5)
FEATURE FILMS: An anagram (possibly) of FEMALE FIRST that includes the letter that denotes Universal.

Down

1d     Bribe the French right? He’ll make a mess of it! (7)
BUNGLER: An informal word for a bribe, one of the French definite articles and the abbreviation for right.

2d     Valuable resource of state with no end of power (5)
ASSET: State is a verb. We need a synonym for this and the last letter of power removed from inside it.

3d     Identifies problem of San Diego’s poor (9)
DIAGNOSES: An anagram (poor) of SAN DIEGOS.

4d     Hacks in difficulty — leader appears finally (4)
NAGS: Find a word meaning a difficulty and move its first letter to the end of the word.

5d     Cleaner aims to develop personal quality (8)
CHARISMA: A cleaner or “lady what does” and then an anagram (to develop) of AIMS.

6d     Puzzle of president mainly supporting soldiers (5)
REBUS: Pick either the father or son for the president, remove the last letter of the name and put it after one of the abbreviations for engineering soldiers.
images

7d     Naturally connected with part of university curriculum (2,6)
OF COURSE: A short word meaning connected with and a university study path.

8d     Wait on minister after a time (6)
ATTEND: A from the clue, the abbreviation for time and a word meaning minister to or look after.

14d     Draw on gin distributed wholesale (8)
SWEEPING: A word for a draw or a lottery and an anagram (distributed) of GIN.

16d     Four start going off such a surface (9)
ASTROTURF: An anagram (going off) of FOUR START.
images

17d     Pre-match do top boxing news (3,5)
HEN NIGHT: A word meaning top encloses (boxing) the repeated abbreviation for new.

18d     Airport luggage belts lacking vehicle for fliers (6)
OUSELS: A name for airport luggage belts has a synonym for an automobile removed from the beginning of it.
imgres

20d     Damned wayward son is infuriating (7)
MADDENS: An anagram (wayward) of DAMNED and the abbreviation for son.

22d     Thread of story about school being evacuated (5)
LISLE: The first and last letters of school are inside a word for a story or an untruth.
imgres

24d     This girl exercises with a heartless rival (5)
PEARL: The two letter abbreviation for physical exercises then A from the clue and the first and last letters of rival.

25d     Shock hospital broadcast (4)
HAIR: The abbreviation for hospital and a word meaning broadcast.

OK, now back to paste and paper.

Quickie pun   pause   +   whole   =    poor soul

86 comments on “DT 28099

  1. 3*/4*. This was up to the usual high standard we have come to expect on a Wednesday. I found the top half much harder than the bottom half, with 4d my last one in.

    Fortunately Mrs RD likes watching hospital soaps so I knew 12a. Although the answer to 17d was obvious from the definition and the checkers, the bit about “top boxing news” flummoxed me completely so I was very grateful to the review for enlightenment. 22a was a new word for me.

    There was lots of good stuff here from which to pick a favourite, but I’ll settle for the short and sweet 26a.

    Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.

  2. Fun puzzle, I liked the top boxing news (17d) and the heart-throb (12a). many other nice clues. Many thanks Jay and 1Kiwi – good luck with the wall-papering – i’m impressed.

  3. I was slow to get started but all the anagrams helped. Then it all fell into place. So 2*/3* would be my rating.

    I notice that that the answers in the hints are uncovered again, which is the first time I have noticed this on my computer although I know others have seen it.

    1. I just found that googling dt 28099 brought me to page with answers unhidden whereas going to Big Dave site first and clicking on relevant link gave me page with hidden answers. All very strange.

      1. Aha – that’s it! I did that, and the notification came up saying that only secure content is displayed. Choosing “show all content” rectified the problem.

      2. This is getting curiouser and curiouser. If I google (outside of the BD site) ‘DT 280nn’ (where nn is a random selection of numbers up to 98) and select Google’s top offering they all come up with answers hidden, but if I google ‘DT 28099’ or ‘DT 28100’ in the same way the answers are not hidden. If I try the same thing with ‘Toughie 15nn’ then 1592 and 1594 are not hidden but 1593 and the ones I tried prior to 1592 are hidden. If I access puzzles through the BD site the answers are always hidden.
        Windows 10 and Firefox.

        [Update: I’ve now tried accessing DT 28099 using the Google search facility inside the blog and again the answers are NOT hidden.]

  4. Good morning everybody.

    Another early one here. Puzzle was mostly straightforward. 6d was new to me as was 12a for which I had to take a ‘most likely’ approach that turned out to be correct. Favourite was the deceptively simple 10a.

    Thanks to setter and reviewer.

    **/***

  5. A bit run of the mill but not too taxing. Thanks Jay and 1K. Needed guidance to parse 6d and 17d. Imagine I may not have been alone in making life hard for myself by using pass in 1a – surely not card these days. Not sure that 26a is necessarily a club. Well aware of 12a as I struggle to control my hypertension! ***/**.

  6. Got the wrong word for the end of 1A which got me stuck in the top and as RD above couldn’t work out the boxing news bit in the bottom, hence 17D and 21 A wrong. Needed hints for some.
    3*/3*

    Thanks to setter and 2Ks.

  7. 22d a new word although I got there in the end(after quick trawl through the dictionary). Ian Rankin’s famous detective came in very andy for 6d , it’s an inspired name choice for the policeman who invariably solves all the crimes .(puzzles) On the difficult side 2.5*/3*** 19a and 26a among my favourites . Thanks to the 2Ks and the setter

  8. A terrific puzzle from Jay this morning, full of his trademark clues, some of which were just superb. My favourite was undoubtedly 12 across, although in truth the choice was huge.

    Many thanks to the aforementioned and the solitary Kiwi. 2*/4*

  9. A good challenge for me and very enjoyable. I normally fined the anagrams a big help, but they were the ones that held me up today. Although I got the answers for 2d and 17d, I wasnt able to understand the cryptic without the explanations from 2kiwis. Many thanks to Jay and once again to 2kiwis for the hints.

  10. I found this to be straightforward with the usual enjoyment factor of a Jay puzzle.

    Thanks to the 1Kiwi and Jay */****

  11. Lights out last night had to be delayed to allow for completion and there were a number of answers that I knew were correct (because the puzzle web site did not reject any of my answers) but I could not establish the parsing – 28a, 4d, and 17d in particular – so thanks to the 1K of the 2Ks for the explanations.
    Several candidates for favourite – 9a, 12a, 14d, 18d, and 22d – and the winner is 18d!
    Thanks to Jay for an excellent cerebral workout – ***/****.

  12. A decent test for me and extremely charming. I ordinarily find the re-arranged words a major help, yet they were the ones that held me up today. In spite of the fact that I got the responses for 2d and 17d, I wasnt ready to comprehend the mysterious without the clarifications from 2kiwis. Much obliged to Jay and at the end of the day to 2kiwis for the clues.

  13. Bit of a curates egg. One brilliant clue in 11a and several indifferent ones in 4d, 5d and 17d. Answers were obvious but the wordplay was clumsy. I think I must I have come across Rebus before but don’t really remember unless it’s Inspector Rebus I am thinking of.
    Thx to all

  14. Thanks to Jay and to the 1 Kiwi for the review and hints. I was the opposite to Rabbit Dave, in that the top half went in easily, but I was held up by the bottom half (ooer missus) :-) Got there in the end. Last in was 14d, couldn’t think of the synonym for draw, so resorted to trying each letter of the alphabet for the second letter, phew! Favourite was 17d. Had no trouble with 12a, as I remembered it from when I had my blood pressure checked last. Very enjoyable puzzle, and very well crafted. Was 2*/4* for me.

  15. Gentle fun from Jay.

    I didn’t help myself though by putting ‘pass’ for the second bit of 1a. I knew the answer but sort of half asleep got it wrong. So when it came to 5d I was somewhat perplexed to discover that my answer didn’t fit, oddly enough nor did the 6d one. Soon sorted.

    On general principle I used a pencil circle for 9a and for the last part 5d.

    In a truly impressive feat I actually had heard of the birds in 18d. And Jane’s not here to be impressed. Wedding day for her today. 3pm on the dot. Fingers crossed.

    The rest didn’t cause and problems.

    I like the boxing news, the heart throb and the wayward son (another letter circle used). Favourite is 26a.

    Many thanks to Jay and to CKiwi for a a great blog, as always. Hope the decorating goes well.

    In a very random conversation about toasters I was told that you can make cheese on toast in a toaster by lying the toaster on the side. I could of course use my grill, the toastie machine etc but naturally I want to experiment…because I’m not convinced it will work.

    I don’t actually fancy any cheese on toast as I’ve just had some strawberries having ridden out…but it’s tempting.

      1. Ahh now you see I wasn’t told that! :wink: The bread’s going to have to be really thin too. And I’ve only got some Wensleydale cheese…and that’s got cranberries in.

      1. Cried laughing reading this line…

        ‘‘I never thought I’d have to give this advice as it’s painfully obvious but if you want cheese on toast use a grill not a toaster.’’

        It’s funny…as I said that this afternoon when the subject came up. But…the person who I talking to is known to be right about quite a bit.

  16. I got into s whole world of trouble, not just because of putting ‘pass’ in 1a against my better judgement that ‘cleaner’ had to be ‘char’ and soldiers in 6 had to start with an R.

    But then I was convinced that boxing had to lead to ‘hen fight’, which I actually prefer – but it did cause me no end of trouble with 21a.

    Surely a hen fight is an essential part of a hen night?

    Lots of low-probability synonyms as well.
    So mamy thanks to the lone Kiwi for the unpicking. And *** to the setter.

  17. As RD I found the top half much harder to get in.
    The BRB came in helpful in 1d, 12a and 18d .
    Almost wrote ” cooped” in 23a. My only dim moment.
    Favourite is 9a.
    Thanks to Jay and to Colin for the review.
    Haven’t seen wallpaper for ages.

    1. I have some wallpaper on my laptop. It’s of a waterfall. On my tab it is a street with cobbles and on my phone some flowers, I think. The apps cover it. I used to have some in my bedroom but I redecorated. Not that you asked any of this.

      Now I’m going to see why the above laptop has slowed down.

            1. Thank you. I’ve just looked at some Niagara Falls pictures. Some incredible shots. Might have to choose one next. :-) Have you been?

              My mother always describes me as ‘The ultimate water baby’…i.e happy when I can see water, even happier when I am in it.

  18. Nice and straightforward, although 12a was new to me but very clever 😜 Thanks to J & 2-1 Ks liked 26a and of course 18d 😊 At the moment they are passing through the southern Counties on their migration to the northern hills where they breed. 😬

  19. What impressed me was the very smooth surfaces of the quite substantial numbers of anagrams, such as :12a,9a, 27a, 28a, 3d , 16d and 20d.
    A very enjoyable puzzle.
    Thanks to Colin and Jay.

  20. Late here today – been busy and still haven’t cut the grass. I agree 2* difficulty and probably nearer 4* for enjoyment.
    As usual on Wednesdays I was held up with my last few answers.
    With 10a I got the ‘piece’ but because my ‘lower socio-economic groups’ were ‘D’ and ‘E’ to begin with I ended up with an answer that really didn’t fit the clue at all – oh dear.
    Now then – about this 12a – technically it’s not quite right – OK – setter’s licence and all that but ‘systole’ would have been better.
    I thought there were quite a lot of anagrams today – that’s not a complaint – I like them.
    I liked 9 and 18a and 17d (even though it took me ages to sort out) and 25d.
    With thanks to Jay and to the 1Kiwi – good luck with the decorating – I hate wall-papering so well done to you.

    1. I too went with the wrong social group Kath but I cut my grass yesterday. I agree with you about 12 ac though. You certainly picked up a lot around that tea urn.

      (Lights touch paper and retires)

      1. I’d stand well back if I were you – you’re just asking for trouble.
        As a 1970’s ward sister when I say “JUMP” the only possible answer is, “Yes, Sister – how high would you like me to jump and when would you like me to do so?” I’m only joking – I was a pretty easy going ward sister as long as high standards were maintained.

    2. Hello Kath,
      A few weeks ago we had a brief discussion about a lady I know who worked in Oxford in the seventies in the medical profession.
      Mrs n and I had lunch with her and her husband on Monday. She tells me that she in fact trained as a nurse and midwife in London and Cambridge, before qualifying as a health visitor at Oxford Brookes. No Radcliffe Infirmary in her cv, I’m afraid.

      1. Yes – you’re quite right about that conversation – I was very curious as to who (whom – I’m a mere nurse – don’t expect me to do grammar as well as make beds). It now sounds as if there’s no overlap at all – what a pity. Your friend missed out on Oxford and the old Radcliffe Infirmary (not to mention the Royal Oak, the pub that was just across the road). Oh well – it could have been fun . . .

  21. Fairly standard fare today from Jay well in the gentler end of his ‘difficulty’ spectrum. No particular stand out favourite today although 17d did amuse me with it’s rather good misdirection. I’m sure Silvanus will have something to say about the use of ‘broadcast’ more than once:)

    Thanks to Jay for the gentle workout and to the multi tasking 1K for his review.

    As an aside, I would like to thank everyone who commented on my first ‘regular’ blog – they all made splendid reading :)

    1. Your first ‘regular blog’ was also splendid reading – thank you. :rose: and :good:

  22. I really struggled with this and am grateful for 1Ks hints. To the setter you win but thanks for the challenge.

  23. A great puzzle today which started slowly for me. First skimming brought zilch and then it unravelled itself. Like many of us I first put pass for the first word of 1a but my 5d solid answer made me ponder and change it into card. Lots of clever clues but my vote for favourite will go to 18d closely followed by 17d… Have to be honest: I was stumped by 25d as I had forgotten the other meaning of ‘shock’… It will be 2*/4* for me. Many thanks to Jay for a brilliant start of my day and to the Lone Kiwi for helping me with my failure of the day. Hanni, good luck with your cheese and toast in a toaster! Wouldn’t dare try this. Jean-Luc, we have not forgotten you and will pop in to explain why we have been rather ”invisible” of late…

    1. I know of no other way of making cheese on toast. If you don’t lie the toaster on its side all the cheese falls to the bottom.

      1. Whichever way round how in God’s name do you clean the cheese off the inside of the toaster afterwards?

    2. The experiment is on hold…due to the potential house on fire situation..see Peter Whites post above…unless I can persuade a friend to let me give it a go. They didn’t mind trying the toffee vodka. In fact they were quite enthusiastic about that.

  24. Needed quite a lot of help today. Thank you, Mr Kiwi. I could parse 23a but what an inelegant verb. I don’t think I’ve heard it used in a sentence and I’ve dealt with many people in custody over the years.

  25. ***/*** for me today. Why is top half often easy, leading to pride ? The bottom half proves the truth of the proverb as I struggle with 21, 27, 28a and then 17 and 22d ! Ugh ! Remember all too well those ghastly “thread” stockings I had to wear at school, long, long ago – but couldn’t solve the wrinkly clue !
    Hadn’t heard beginning of 1d as a bribe before…..origin, please !
    Thanks to the setter and solver.

    1. I ‘bunged’ the waiter £20 to give us a better table.

      Sorry..I meant to add that I have no idea of the origin though. Hopefully one of the blogs excellent pedants will.

    2. I fear ‘bung’ originates from the seamy side of association football (or soccer to people who don’t understand). It reflects the underhand practice of ‘bunging’ an unspecified but large amount of cash to an agent/potential new coach/or other desired signing to get the deal complete. It has since moved to other sports and simply means ‘a bribe’.

  26. Got on quite well until I realised I’d put PASS as the second part of 1A. Figured the 12A was an anagram of isolated but the answer is a new word for me, I’m used to blood pressure words ending in ‘IC’. You live and learn, thats the beauty of these puzzles.

    1. Yes – re blood pressure words ending in ‘IC’ you have systole and diastole (different bits of what your heart’s up to) hence ‘systolic’ blood pressure and ‘diastolic’ blood pressure.

      1. Exactly the ‘ic’ word is the adjective from the corresponding noun (diastole
        or systole).

  27. Wednesdays puzzles are following a pattern. A slow start followed by a rapid finish once enough checkers are in. All very enjoyable as usual. Thanks to the absentee kiwi for allowing the other to shine. Thanks to Jay for the workout. Thanks also to that lad from Shropshire who says he is a Scot for yesterday’s blog which I was too busy to comment upon.

  28. I’m with Heno rather than RD today, in that I made much slower progress with the bottom half than the top.

    SL knows me too well, I didn’t like “broadcast” being used twice! A professional setter (or his editor) shouldn’t allow repeat indicators or devices in my opinion when there are so many different options to choose from.

    Like Angel, I also didn’t like 26a meaning a golf club, surely it refers to the course not the club? Chambers seems to concur. Although 17d was clever, I’m not convinced as to the surface.

    My favourite was 28a which I didn’t initially twig to be an anagram.

    Many thanks to Jay and to Kiwi Colin the decorator.

  29. Like several others, I shot myself in the foot with 1a and put “pass” in for the second word, haven’t heard of “card” used for a long, long time.
    I never did get 17d, got the “night” but couldn’t think of the first word. It’s not something you hear a lot in the US.
    No fave today, too many and Kath would get mad at me.
    Thanks to Jay and to the solo Kiwi.

    1. No – you can do what you like – Kath wouldn’t get mad at someone having their surgery delayed – really stressful – I hope that you’re OK. :rose:

  30. Very Enjoyable. As per the last few Wednesdays, a slow start followed by acceleration as the checking letter went in.

  31. I’m usually on Jay’s wavelength (for the cryptic, that is – I have enormous trouble with his quickies), and today was no different. It was a later solve than usual as I have been out being useful, just to make a nice change.

    I think I knew 22d but am not sure. I certainly didn’t have any doubts when the wordplay elements wove together to form it, so probably have encountered it.

    No real favourites but smiles all through. Thanks to Jay and to the noble 1Kiwi.

    P.S. 1d reminded me of this:

    Rainbow – Twangers

  32. Jay is the setter that I seem most able to ‘tune into’. Today was a bit of a struggle to start for some reason, but once I got going, it was fine.
    Much on my mind today as I had my redundancy confirmed, so other things to worry about. Amazing how the managers responsible for putting the company in the position it is in have retained their job, while those of us trying to keep the company afloat lose our jobs.
    I liked 17d best of all, I struggled to get 23a, I have not heard that use of the definition.

    1. I’m really sorry to hear about your redundancy. I am sure that someone else needs your skills.

      1. Thanks J-L C, your comments are appreciated.
        Lady Hoofit has not long been diagnosed with MS too, so much to ponder.

        1. Oh – this is all really bad. Good luck to you and Lady Hoofit – with a name like that she’ll be fine – a little :rose: for her from me.

        2. Gosh, so sorry to hear that. Our thoughts are with both of you. Here is a flower each :rose: :rose:

    2. Really sorry to hear that. Hope you find something else soon. :rose:

      Edit…gosh. Even more sorry to hear about Mrs Hoofit! Thoughts are with you both.

      1. Thanks everyone for all your kind comments. I am relatively new to this site, but there are some wonderful, kind people on here, I feel very lucky to have found it.
        We remain positive and hopefully I will find some work and Mrs. H. will be able to cope with her illness, it is still early days and such is the nature of MS, such that no two days are the same.

    3. Good luck. I am sure you’re going to find something that you’re even going to like better. I hope Mrs. Hoofit soon goes into a plateau. Best wishes to you both.

    4. Oh, Hoofit. It never rains but it pours. Wishing you and Lady H a big umbrella until the sun comes out again – and may that be soon.

  33. To Big Dave – for the first time all the answers are revealed and I had to enter my name and email address which is first time for weeks.

  34. Good morning all. Its still not yet daylight here yet so I am sitting in the dark patiently waiting for the rest of the household to wake up so I can have breakfast and get back into the decorating again. It is a bit like solving crosswords. Can be frustrating when it is not going right and one can’t understand why and then satisfyingly rewarding when it all eventually comes together. I’m very glad nobody is standing there with a stopwatch though.
    I confess that I also started off looking at pass for the second word of 1a but soon found it did not fly.
    Cheers :bye:

  35. Late start today and a bit rushed but manged to complete, again really enjoyed it. Help from the 2Ks for last two in 10a and 6d. Really held up in that NE corner otherwise an entertaining solve.

    Some great clues again, really liked 18a and 17d but favourite is 15a from my point of view lovely construction (does that sound right?) Hope I’m not trying to be too clever?

    Overall rating 2.5* / 3.5*

    Many thanks 2Ks or should hat be 1K for the help. Thanks to the setter as well.

    1. PS I had 5d in before 1a so avoided the trap of putting Pass in. Don’t know where it came from but picked up somewhere that it’s better to try the down clues before the across ones? Probably a load of rubbish?

      Anybody else ever heard of that?

      1. Be careful – CS is the person who says that on Wednesdays it’s better to start with the down clues – I’m not quite sure why but it does often seem to work. Anyway, call whatever she says rubbish at your peril . . . :negative:

  36. * for difficulty for the north face, *** for the south. I thought 9ac was very nicely done…

  37. A steady solve and an absorbing puzzle. 2*/2.5* from us.

    Favourite was 12a for realising why it was right once we got it.

    Thanks to the solitary K and to the setter.

  38. Enjoyed solving this – I always keep going till I fnish the lot.

    16d was a new word for me – even at 92 one has much to learn.

    Today is Koningsdag here in NL so all the shops are shut and I ran out of milk but I found cream for the coffee. I suppose that translates as king’s birthday in English.

    Had an email from my son who has arrived in Manilla in the Phillpines where his pal has qualified as a doctor.

  39. Hi Dave,
    At the risk of being a PIA i make the following observation following my comment yesterday.
    We have two computers so i checked 28097 / 98 on the other computer and both sets of answers were covered. Then i checked 28099 on both computers and the answers are uncovered on both. As you have said it makes no sense. Just hope this may help.
    I have Windows 10 on both and use Google Chrome
    I’ll say no more.

Comments are closed.