Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28345
Hints and tips by 2Kiwis
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***– Enjoyment ****
Kia ora from Aotearoa.
We have just had a holiday long-weekend here for Waitangi Day. February 6th 1840 was the date of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi which is recognised as the founding document of our nation. Special events are held at the site of the signing and at several other venues throughout the country. Our weather was pretty much typical of what we have had lately. Wellington’s daily paper even ran a headline rhyming summer with bummer.
Jay has given us a feast of lurkers in today’s puzzle along with several good beak-scratching moments.
Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Traffic noises over M1? (5,5)
SONIC BOOMS : A cryptic definition. The M1 here is not a motorway, but the speed of a rapidly moving aircraft.
6a Stamp book (4)
MARK : Double definition. The book is the second of the Gospels.
10a Animal life supporter possessing universal answer (5)
FAUNA : The supporter is someone who enthusiastically backs a sports team or pop star, and includes the abbreviation for universal. Finally we have the abbreviation for answer.
11a Vessel from small island carrying post (9)
CAPILLARY : A three letter low islet is outside a post or supporting column.
12a Issue a note after return of important person (7)
EMANATE : Start with the reversal of a word for an important person, then A from the clue and one of the notes of the tonic sol-fa scale.
13a Media lecturer covers particular form of language (7)
DIALECT : Our first lurker, hiding in the first two words of the clue.
14a Data analyst seeing it is as intact after processing (12)
STATISTICIAN : An anagram (after processing ) of IT IS AS INTACT.
18a Short of cash receipts for tasks (12)
UNDERTAKINGS : A word meaning short of or below and one for cash receipts that a shopkeeper might accumulate.
21a Band touring borders of Wales becomes mature (5,2)
GROWS UP : The first and last letters (borders) of Wales are inside a band or collection of people.
23a Perfect a point disputed by university (7)
UTOPIAN : An anagram (disputed) of A POINT follows the abbreviation for university.
24a In parade, mostly enlisted men and flesh-eating beasts (9)
CARNIVORA : A celebratory parade loses its last letter (mostly) and includes the two letter expression for enlisted men or other ranks.
25a Anaesthetic used in gene therapy (5)
ETHER : Our second lurker, this time in the last two words of the clue.
26a Minimum energy expended — keep going (4)
LAST : Remove the abbreviation for energy from inside a word meaning minimum.
27a People in charge push for sudden increase in electricity usage (5,5)
POWER SURGE : To find the word play split the answer 6,4 to give a word for people in charge and then push or encourage.
Down
1d Frequently suppressed by son’s temper (6)
SOFTEN : The abbreviation for son is followed by a word meaning frequently.
2d Impartial, with no time for dealing with nerves (6)
NEURAL : Find a word for impartial or detached and remove the abbreviation for time from within it.
3d Typical letter — one’s credit is curtailed (14)
CHARACTERISTIC : A letter or even a number perhaps, then the Roman numeral one with its ‘s’ and then an informal word for credit without its last letter.
4d Torches traditionally supplying an environment for musicians (9)
ORCHESTRA : Our third lurker. This one is hiding in the first two words of the clue.
5d Form of transport exercise covered by Defence Ministry (5)
MOPED : The abbreviation for physical exercise is inside the acronym for Ministry of Defence.
7d Clubs in two areas planned to elevate scholarly life (8)
ACADEMIA : The card suit clubs is inside the repeated abbreviation for area, and then a word meaning planned or intended is reversed.
8d These cops may see openers on pitch (8)
KEYSTONE : Openers as one might use for a door and then pitch as used in music.
9d Politicians’ targets all at sea? (8,6)
FLOATING VOTERS : A cryptic definition of those people considered to crucially influence the outcome of an election.
15d Encourage last-minute changes, ignoring head of news (9)
STIMULATE : An anagram (changes) of LAST MInUTE after the first letter of news has been removed.
16d Precise as a well-rehearsed move in theatre? (8)
SURGICAL : The theatre here is not one where you would expect a stage performance.
17d Desperate Dan’s welcoming 24 hours in Paris and retires (8)
ADJOURNS : The French word for day is inside an anagram (desperate) of DANS.
19d Decline accompanying the Queen (6)
WITHER : A four letter word meaning accompanying and then our Queen’s regnal cypher.
20d Dish, and how it’s carried to diner, reportedly.
ENTREE : The answer sounds like a 2,4 phrase for how a waiter might bring it to your table.
22d Snap if sweltering in Post Office (5)
PHOTO : The abbreviation for Post Office includes a word for sweltering.
We were spoilt for choice for a favourite today. 1a, 11a, 8d and 9d all had ticks as possibilities.
Quickie pun braked + answer = breakdancer
**/*** – completed at a slow canter partly because I was completely bogged down on 9d. I don’t know why, but I was looking for a single fourteen letter word. Once I realized that it was two words it did not take too long to solve (with some electronic assistance).
Favourite, even with the self-inflicted confusion, 9d for the succinct clue.
Thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.
I enjoyed this offering with 11A & 8D standing out for me. Last one in was 7 D just couldn’t get my head around it until the penny dropped. Many thanks to the setter & the 2 kiwis for their usual excellent review.
Thanks for the explanation of 7d. I had the answer and was on the right lines but was thinking the second a was the last letter of the answer. Doh.
Never heard of a cay before.
Favourites were 1a, 27a and last in 9d.
Ait, key and cay are all worth remembering for islands in our experience.
Thought this puzzle looked difficult on first read through, but once the top half went in the end soon followed so a ** for me today and agree with the 2K’S **** for enjoyment- the pic for 22D brought back memories-is the car an Austin 7or a Morris 8- or neither !
Have to admit the M in 1a escaped me ,but the answer was plain to see-thanks 2K.
Favourite 9D and a smirk for 8D-6 A deserves a mention too.
Not an out-and-out expert but the two door handles & size would suggest car in 22d was an Austin 10 or similar: I think it is too big for a 7.
I think you’re correct LBR
https://www.pioneer-automobiles.co.uk/Resources/library5/Austin%2010-4_1305.html
Thanks both-the photos confirm the Austin 10- those were the days when you could service a car yourself !
Because of the window behind the passenger door, I am going with a 1934 Morris 12 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Twelve#/media/File:Morris_twelve_four_reg_dec_1934_1550_cc.JPG
I did say “or similar” and would agree the Morris fits better.
I don’t know anything at all about cars – they either go or they don’t as far as I’m concerned – but that one looks very like the first one that my Mum had – it was called ‘the Beast’ because it was very temperamental, ran out of petrol unpredictably and had to be started with a crank handle. For some bizarre reason I can remember its number plate which was CVP 76 – how odd is that?
Very enjoyable puzzle, quite tricky, especially the NE corner. Got there eventually without resorting to the hints. I loved 8d and 9d. 3*/4* Many thanks to Jay and to 2Kiwis.
I found this quite tricky and failed on 6a, though I am sure I have seen it before…and failed to get it and doubtless will fail again when it next comes round.
Do others have blind spots with clues, I wonder?
So…thanks to the 2Kiwis and to the setter.
Hi OM,
I had the checkers so did an “alphabet search” took some time to get to “M” & “R” – keep forgetting the book and biblical link.
I do Ora, the across and down ones, the rest I am fine with
I did this fairly quickly, then just could not see the last clue (6a!). So thanks to 2Ks from me too. It may have been seen before, but I really liked 20d, it put me in mind of Manuel.
I’d utterly failed to spot my tentative answer to 6a was also the name of the book. So I also would like to join today’s “grateful to the 2Ks” club please.
My blind spots are always, well, almost always, the lurkers – I just don’t see them.
First pass yielded little. Perhaps the 6.30 dog walk cleared the cobwebs as it was smooth progress afterwards.
1a was COTD for me.
Thanks to Jay and 2Ks for hints. Sorry the summer isn’t living up to expectations.
6.30 dog walk??? Yeah well i can get this – I ‘sometimes’ do early morning walks avec la chienne (Lady Daisy – a very refined springer spaniel) but I can’t say that I’ve ever attempted the crossword before then… it’s enough to be able to brew a cuppa
(On the other hand i often indulge in the crossword over breakfast which is c.6.30am since I have to be out of the house by 7am in order to preserve my sanity and a sense of composure on arrival at work)
I agree with you about the 6.30 dog walk – I think LROK must be having a laugh. I love Springers and Lady Daisy is a lovely name. My ‘little face’ is Annie who was a Collie/Springer cross.
No Kath, I am a creature of habit but getting older & it was 6am until a couple of years ago, and may well get back to that in the summer. Nothing like seeing the sun rise on a clear fresh morning, or worse than the soaking when it is emptying down. The dogs have never seemed to notice the difference though.
Is there such a thing as a refined Springer?
I didn’t quite like to ask that, MP – in my experience the answer has to be, “No”.
Is anybody else having a problem with the Android app version? I’d put in most of the answers, turned the tablet off for lunch and when I went back to the crossword all answers had disappeared.
Me too on my the iPad for the last week or so
As I’ve probably said before – I do enjoy a Jay puzzle and this was no exception. Full of fun with 9d being my last one in (kept getting dragged along thinking the second word was ‘powers’) when the penny finally dropped. Too many good ‘uns to single out one particular clue so I shall refrain from doing so.
Thanks to Jay for the fun and to the 2K’s for their review.
Hi SL,
Nothing to do with the grid, apologies in advance.
Having to visit Shrewsbury soon the subject of whether it is pronounced Shroosbury or Shreausbry came up. Google / Wikipedia etc says even local opinion is divided (just as we were). Is that true?
Hi LROK – I’ve lived in in Shropshire for just over 20 years and can say that the pronunciation of Shrewsbury is always a talking point. The locals in my neck of the woods always pronounce it ‘Shoos-bry (notice the lack of an ‘R’ in ‘shoos’). However, the ‘twin set & pearls’ brigade tend to pronounce it ‘Shreausbury’. I tend not to get involved in the argument but would say that I’ve never heard Shakespeare’s comedy pronounced ‘Taming of the Shreau’ :)
Perhaps my fellow countymen (Young Salopian & Shropshirebloke) have a view on it.
SL,
Thank you. Not often the locals are divided and that was what surprised me.
Still I guess they didn’t have twin sets and pearls in Shakespeare’s days so Shreau didn’t gain currency but I was in your camp.
Like you Shropshire Lad, in our bit of the county its mainly prounounced Shoosbry or Shroosbry. We settled bere in 1979 and I seem to think that all the locals are largely united in their dislike of the word Salop for Shropshire, although some do refer to Shrewsbury as such. That apart, I did enjoy the crossword puzzle. I too didn’t parse the M in 1across, despite the obvious solution
Not sure how our US friends would pronounce Shrewsbury, their versions of Cornwall, Wokingham and – best of all – Worcestershire is quite unique.
Having lived near and volunteered in the county town for 18 years, I am as convinced as I will ever be that the correct version is Shroos.
Thanks all,
Thee “Shroos” seem to have it I’ll stick with that next week at the golf club.
Yeah – i got stuck on powers for ages too – hence it was last to go in . And then only when the light dawned with ‘floating’ to fit the crossing letters
(or whatever you cruciverbalists call them….. I’m still struggling with the lingo because tbh struggling with the crossword itself is as much as i can cope with)
Marge
Hi Aunty Marge – Don’t forget, you are also a crucie, kruci, b****r it – ‘a person who enjoys or is skilled at solving crosswords’. :)
To come at this thread from a completely different angle, the name Shrewsbury is well known here as a type of biscuit. They are the same ones that appear to be called Jammy Dodgers in the UK. We are completely at a loss to explain this.
I would not be surprised if the piccie at 22d ishows one of the 2ks. Great puzzle. Great blog. Ta to all.
I think you’ll enjoy Todays Toughie MP – although I would question the definition for 12a :whistle:
Just heading home for a lazy afternoon which will include a bash at the toughie.
I reckon a question mark was called for!
There are those who say that man cannot sing. They are the ones who never learned to listen.
Well I messed up the mini sodoffku in record time. I have only entered six numbers and already there are two mistakes.
I agree, it does appear to be a family pic and I wondered which of the Kiwis was in the “snap”. Perhaps they’ll enlighten us later when they waken.
Actually the picture is a completely random one chosen from the net. However when we looking for something suitable it just jumped out at us as it was so typical of childhood for both of us. The Colin family car that looked very much like the pictured one was a Singer 9 called Gertie.
7D and 6A were my last two in, in that order, and they had both held me up for a while. I didn’t manage to parse 1A though I had the correct answer. Thoroughly enjoyable, with 8D, 9D and 20D all earning a tick from me. Thanks Jay and the 2Ks.
I’d never heard of the motorway-type abbreviation in 1a, but it is similar to the expression I did know. We used to hear a thump at the same time every evening as Concorde passed overhead.
2.5*/3.5* for me.
Thank you 2Ks and setter.
Concorde. What a lovely bird.
And it was sitting there at Heathrow at the end of the taxi runway. Took a picture from my plane.
A superb puzzle, Jay was definitely on top form today and the elegance of his cluing is a sheer joy. (Yes, I am a huge fan!)
The surfaces were ultra-smooth, the lurkers exceptionally good and the level of difficulty was pitched just about right I felt. Like Pete, I also found the NE corner to be the most challenging.
Five ticks went to 1a (clever deception), 11a (my favourite), 2d, 20d and 22d.
Huge thanks to Mr. Mutch and the 2Ks, I’m sure summer will arrive for you eventually.
I haven’t posted for a while so it’s time to say thanks once again to the setters and solvers, who brighten my days. Finished without help as usual, but not without difficulty. I never have a R and R. Today however I needed to parse seven clues. 1,5, 11a, plus 4, 7, 8d. So without this blog I would once again be scratching my head.
9d last to go in Favourite =20d -made me laugh
I found this one hard to get underway so was thankful that it was rated a 3* – otherwise i might have had to question the sustainability of recent successes and attribute them to good fortune rather than increasing skill.
Not that i feel terribly skilful – but its nice to think one is making progress
An excellent puzzle from which I discovered that ‘es’ isn’t the correct ending for our flesh-eating friends and that receipts aren’t just the pieces of paper that detail monies taken!
My top two were 11a&9d with the prize for humour split between 3&20d.
Thanks to Jay for the pleasure and to 2Ks – sorry that you’re getting a taste of a typical British summer!
Very good clues today and I much enjoyed solving them. Thanks to the 2Ks and to the setter.
Definitely a day for starting with the down clues so it’s a Jay crossword so it must be Wednesday – that’s how scrambled my brain is today.
A really good crossword which I loved.
Not very many anagrams but lots – well, three – lurkers of which two didn’t cause trouble for me but the third did.
I bunged in 1a without understanding the M1 bit.
I always forget the 8d cops so that was my last one in and I only got that once I got 6a.
11a took a while as I was fixated on the ‘small island’ being Capri without its last letter – oh dear.
I liked 11 and 26a and 7 and 17d. My favourite was 3d.
With thanks to Jay and to the 2K’s – one of the zebras in the pic for 10a seems to have fallen over – I have a nasty feeling that the lions in the pic for 24a have got him. :sad:
I always have at least one clue where I share a “fixation” with you, and today it was “Capri”! Took me too long to get it out of my head.
Me too with the Capri. I don’t know why. I have never been there nor do I even know where it is. I never owned one of the cars either but suspect I drove one or two.
Kath,
M1 refers to Mach 1 the speed of sound but it is the first time I (a non-physicist) have seen it abbreviated to M).
Surely the fallen zebra was just waiting for others to lie down to form a crossing
Kath let us reassure you that the zebra that is on the ground is just having a celebratory dust bath. The lions pictured are dedicated vegetarians and the off-cuts from the butcher’s shop are just props put there by the photographer. Well that is what we chose to believe, :smile:
For me this was fair-to-middling. I did a bit of bunging in as per 6a, 11a, 27a and 20d. After trying to use carcinoma for 24a I came up with the parade synonym but needed help to apply it. Fav was 20d once it had been parsed for me. Many thanks Jay and the 2 Ks.
Something for 13a and 20d ……
¿Que?
SI.
Que Si? Who is he? The manager?
K.C.Watt, as I recall!
Very good stanXYZ. Not everybody knows that the Spanish have inverted marks for a question . There is a Leonard Cohen song which some of my Italian students’ referred to as Everybody’s nose…
Great stuff.
Site much appreciated, but only as a last resort.
Welcome to the blog
Welcome from us too John.
Good afternoon everybody.
A very enjoyable puzzle that was mostly quite straightforward but with a few head scratchers to add spice. Favourite was probably 8d. Last in was 6a which puzzled me more than it should have done.
***/****
Like Jane I thought this was an excellent puzzle from Mr Mutch. 20d was my favourite, and overall a solid 3/4*.
Thanks to Jay, and to the Two K’s for their review.
Excellent puzzle today esp 1a which I thought a brilliant clue. Really enjoyed 9d and 16d too. As with any puzzle where one finds oneself on the setters wavelength, I did not find it too tricky.
Now girding my loins for tomorrow’s challenge.
Thx to all
Same here.
NE corner was last to yield.
Lovely crossword from Jay today.
The lurker in 4d was so smooth.
Favourite 20d even if I had to pronounce it à l’ anglaise.
Thanks to Jay and to 2kiwis. Our weather at the moment isn’t to be envied either.
Much enjoyment here, though it did take a little while to get back onto Jay’s wavelength.
I needed the hints to parse 1a, 23a and 7d; missed the anagram at 23a completely.
I also always forget the 9d phrase, we call them “undecideds”, I’ll try to remember next time.
Fave was 8d, but 20d and 11a came close.
Thanks to Jay, and the help from the 2Kiwis to understand some answers.
***/****. Three stars for difficulty as the NE corner held me up due to two amusing and clever clues (8&9d). 1a came a close third. Thanks to the 2Ks for the review and Jay for another splendid puzzle. We’re hoping today will be our last snowfall before everything turns to slush.
3*/4* for another splendid Wednesday offering. I spent as much time on the NE corner as I did on the rest of the puzzle in total, and I agree with Vancouverbc’s podium choices of 1a, 8d & 9d, but I’ll be greedy and squeeze in 11a as well.
Many thanks to Jay and the 2Ks.
Morning all.
The sun is just coming up now and it looks like we have a genuine summer’s day in prospect for a change. We will have to make the most of it. It seems that most people got as much enjoyment out of this puzzle as we did. We are so grateful to have Jay each Wednesday.
Cheers.
Took me ages to work out the Mach reference in 1a which I think makes it my favourite, although 8 and 9d ran it close. 2.5*/4* overall from me. Thanks Jay for a cracking puzzle and the 2Ks.
Currently sitting in a Manchester hotel before catching a flight out to St Lucia tomorrow morning. Not sure what wifi connections will be like out there, and in truth, that won’t be top of my priorities, but I hope to keep in touch with you all.
Relatively straightforward, but it was Jay’s trademark ‘very enjoyable’. A fine puzzle. Thanks to Jay and to 2ks. **/****
About *** for difficulty sounds right. An enjoyable bit of head scratching to draw the day to a close, in particular in the far NE, NW and SW corners.
Thanks to Jay and to the 2 Kiwis for the review and hints. A very good puzzle, quite tricky. Made very slow progress, but got there in the end. Favourite was 20d. Last in was 9d. Was 3*/4* for me.
Another satisfying puzzling, on the challenging side for me for sure. But got there in the end with the 2 Kiwis hints, I.e. 12a didn’t spring to mind, and I almost got there on 24a, but off at the end. But mostly loved the clues, and too many favorites.
Jay on top of his game – beautiful. 2*/3.5* after a sluggish start.
Thanks to the 2Ks and Jay.
Had a long day fitting replacement curtain tracks to three large windows in the living room. It’s a bit like crosswords, the fiddly bits take all the time. All done now and they fairly glide.
Got a bit of this one done with morning cuppa and the rest after the job, liked it a lot. Most of it easy-ish but some real stinkers. Loved 1a which was one of the last in so Fav. Thanks Jay and 2Ks, though no assistance required today.
Splendid stuff from my favourite setter. No problems, many smiles and 20d rising to the top to be the cream of the crop. Thanks to J and the Ks. Must have an early night as the Aussies will be waiting far too early in the morning for a night owl como yo. 2*/4*
Had to sleep on this one. Completed this morning save for 6a. 3*/4* for me. I like 1a, 8d and 11a. Deduced CAY but I had never heard of that one and I was struggling with an AIT ending for some time. Excellent puzzle.
For me, this was the best of the week so far and up to about average for a back-pager. It had better, slightly more challenging clues. I got 11a from the definition and wordplay, but CAY is a new word and I’m happy to have discovered it. 2.5*/3.5*.