DT 28672 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 28672

by Miffypops  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28672

Hints and tips by Miffypops

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****

Good day from Reeth in The Yorkshire Dales where MP and SS have spent the weekend enjoying Coventry Rugby Clubs massive win against Darlington Mowden Park. I have ticked off a bucket list “must do” by visiting the highest pub in Great Britain The Tan Hill Inn. It also has the slowest service I have ever come across. I could have done the entire shift on my own wearing boxing gloves and roller skates chatting merrily away to customers. I managed to order two rounds of drinks without the barman speaking a word. Dearie, dearie me.

Today’s puzzle is probably by Dada. It is his turn in the new Monday regime.

If you are a regular visitor to this site you should know how it works.

If you are a new visitor I am sure you can work it out for yourselves. Have fun. Comment. Play nicely.

Across

1a    County band’s back, or group (6)
DORSET: Begin with the last letter (back) of the word band. Add the word OR from the clue. Finish off with a synonym of the word group

5a    Nut to eat, while must be buried (6)
CASHEW: To eat is what one does to food before swallowing. A short synonym of the word while needs to be inserted into this verb.

10a    Part of reply, in general dishonest (5)
LYING: A lurker. A word hidden amongst the words in the clue indicated by the words part of.

11a    Edge behind transport container (9)
CARTRIDGE: An edge such as an escarpment is placed after a form of transport which might be pulled by a horse. Together they make a container for ink or shot.

12a    Lever altered, adjusted (7)
TREADLE: Anagram (adjusted) of ALTERED

13a    Describe old prairie (7)
EXPLAIN: Our regular two-lettered word for old as in old boy or girlfriend is followed by a word meaning prairie or wide-open tracts of land

14a    Completely depressed Tory (9)
DOWNRIGHT: Begin with a word meaning depressed, sad or blue and add the side of centre usually attributed to the Tory party

17a    Not sparkling, yet (5)
STILL: A double definition, the first of which could describe a non-fizzy drink

18a    Lead missed in substandard card game (5)
RUMMY: This popular card game can be found by removing the first letter (lead missed) of a word meaning substandard

19a    Warm glow in plane journey punctuated by fury (9)
FIRELIGHT: A single word for a journey by aeroplane has a word meaning fury inserted (is punctuated by)

21a    King, say, has month to hold on (7)
MONARCH: A word meaning what a king is can be found by inserting the word ON (to hold on) from the clue into one of the twelve months of the year.

23a    Evacuated city, double big blow? (7)
CYCLONE: Remove (evacuated) the internal letters of the word city. Add a word meaning to double as used to produce Dolly the sheep

25a    Conversation in nightclub sure ridiculous! (9)
DISCOURSE: Begin with a type of nightclub popular in the seventies and add an anagram (ridiculous) of SURE

26a    I am on time for photograph (5)
IMAGE: Begin with the shortened way of writing I am. Add a period of time

27a    Stop! Unrestricted zone — move on out (6)
FREEZE: Begin with a synonym for unrestricted and add the word zone from the clue minus the word ON (move on out)

28a    Almost get stuck in back door like this? (6)
HINGED: Place the word GET minus its last letter (almost) inside a word meaning back. This word is often used to describe the rear quarters of animals

Down

2d    Duck, as it happens, a shade of green (5)
OLIVE: The letter that looks like the score a batsman has achieved when he gets a duck is followed by a description of an event taking place right in front of you. Although we are looking for a colour the answer is also one of my favourite snacks that goes well with the unsalted nuts and cheese elsewhere in this puzzle.

3d    Cheese good in bread? Yes, when spread (4,5)
SAGE DERBY: Anagram (when spread) of BREAD YES including the abbreviation for good

4d    Hair on face, in fact a cheek (5)
TACHE: Our second lurker of the day. Indicated by the word in

5d    Fish put down for chippy (9)
CARPENTER: A freshwater fish is followed by a word meaning to put down as in a journal or a log

6d    Belt goes up (5)
STRAP: When reversed (up) this belt means goes or leaves

7d    Charming concoction of grenadine (9)
ENDEARING: Anagram (concoction of) GRENADINE

8d    Like a roof that’s condemned (6)
SLATED: A double definition the first describing the use of a roofing material mined in Wales.

9d    Sovereign, leader dispatched in error after uprising (6)
REGNAL: The reversal (after uprising) of an error or stupid mistake (if you can’t work out the error  [C]LANGER) without its initial letter (leader dispatched) – sovereign here is an adjective

15d    Philanderer giving wife nothing, remains unreliable (9)
WOMANISER: In only six words our setter asks us to add the letter that looks like nothing to the abbreviation for wife and then solve an anagram (unreliable) of REMAINS

16d    Animal presented, fighter so hopeless (4,5)
GIFT HORSE: Anagram (hopeless) of FIGHTER SO

17d    Second vote choice (9)
SELECTION: Use the abbreviation for second. Add a word meaning a vote poll or ballot.

18d    Heal me, dry eyes initially deteriorating (6)
REMEDY: Anagram (deteriorating) of ME DRY together with the initial letter of the word eyes

20d    Draw with colour in layers (6)
TIERED: Start with a synonym for the word draw as in score the same points as your opponent. Add a cardinal colour.

22d    River — rush to drain American one (5)
RHONE: Drain US (American), the internal letters, from the word R[US]H. Add the word ONE.

23d    European means of payment discussed? (5)
CZECH: This European person sounds like (discussed) an old-fashioned method of payment. When was the last time you wrote one of these?

24d    Speak on religion and theological events, primarily (5)
ORATE: The initial letters (primarily) of five words in the clue

RIP Auntie Betty. Now your generation have gone, we are it. Ah well. He not busy being born is busy dying.

Quickie Pun Cars+Stink+Ouch=Casting Couch

 

72 comments on “DT 28672”

  1. 1* / 4*. Another light delight on a Monday. I flew through this bundle of fun with its wonderfully brief cluing until juddering to halt at 28a, which would have been my last one in had I been able to solve it. Many thanks to MP for the elucidation, and many thanks too to Mr Monday Ron.

  2. Like Rabbit Dave I was one short too, except I got 28a, but couldn’t parse it. It was 9d which left me with a headache and having to come here for the aspirin.

    I thought the Quickie was good fun today, too.

    Many thanks to the setter and MP.

  3. 2* /4* from me for this excellent start to the solving week. Like RD, the parsing of 28a held me up, as did that of 9d, but otherwise pretty plain sailing. 15d my favourite.

    Thanks to Dada and MP.

  4. Many thanks to MP for putting me out of my misery re. the parsing of 28a and 9 down. I got the answers but spent longer trying to understand why than on the rest of this very fine puzzle. Thanks to MP for his review and to our setter.

  5. I found this very enjoyable but was really held up on a few at the end. The intersecting 27a/22d, both using the same device, eventually fell together. My last in was 9d – I even looked up REDNUL, so must have got out of the silly side of bed today.

    Did get there in the end and, crucially, liked the clues that had given me pain.

    Didn’t know 3d but it was the sensible guess.

    Too much good stuff to pick a favourite.

    Thanks to the setter and MP.

    Now to make my way through the snowflake to make myself useful.

  6. A fairly mild start to the week, but I thought this was a little better then the average Monday offering and I rather enjoyed it. My favourite was 3d because I’ve lived in Derbyshire all my and never heard of the answer – but it was eminently parsable from the wordplay, fodder and checkers. 2* / 3.5*.

  7. I had to check 3D existed though I got it from the anagram. 9d caused a bit of head scratching. 27a very appropriate for this week by the look of things. Thank you Dada. Thank you too MP and safe travelling to you and SS.

  8. This one really was my cup of tea, speaking of which I’ve had several in order to keep warm.
    Concise compact, but clever clues and a lot of fun.

  9. I found this to be quite a mixed bag of difficulty for me. Some I saw immediately, some needed a bit of thought, others required distinct rumination. 9d I bunged in after checking the BRB and 28a eluded me. So on the basis of not finishing on my own, does that make it 5* difficulty for me? I don’t know.

    Anyway, thank you MP for your clear explanations and thank you to the setter for the cerebral exercise.

  11. The last half dozen clues or so took all the time. 9d did evade capture altogether. That is probably because I had a wrong letter in one of the checkers which I failed to notice Grrrr. Learned a few cheesy words and enjoyed myself in the process. ***/***
    Thanks setter and MP.

  13. Another good one, needed the hint to fully justify 9d. The usual entertaining clips are conspicuous by their absence today. By the way, last time I was in the Tan Hill there was a sheep wandering around inside the pub!

  14. Well – 9d didn’t cause me any problems but have to say that 20d did – goodness knows why.
    Last one in was 28a and I admit to not having parsed it so thank you for that, MP.

    Top spots went to 7&15d.

    Thanks to Dada and to MP for the holiday blogging.

  15. Nice start to the week. Not quite as gentle as most Mondays, so all the more enjoyable. Pleased with myself for eventually parsing 9d. Bunged in 28a correctly without being entirely sure why. **/****. 28a and 9d joint winners for me.

  16. Quite enjoyable, completed at a fast canter – **/***.

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 27a, and 17d – and the winner is 17d.

    Thanks to the setter and GMoLI.

  17. Mainly straight forward with several hard to parse tricky clues-9d,18d,28a-for me anyway on a recovery Monday.
    I suppose a **/**** is about right, anyway lots of fun and entertaining throughout.
    9d my favourite, would have struggled without the checking letters.

    1. Hope you both enjoyed your lunch. Meant to say earlier, in answer to your question, the last time I wrote a 23d was yesterday. That system of payment is still very much alive and kicking over here!

      1. As treasurer of a village charity I regularly write 23d’s. They are also useful for charity donations instead of divulging ones credit card details. Very enjoyable puzzle today. Many thanks to MP and setter.

  19. Very nice start to the week, 27a and like others 9d held me up for a while, but now having a copy of the BRB itsoon came to pass.
    Favourite for me 11a.
    Thanks to Dada and to Miffypops, what price Ireland for the grand slam!

  20. Solving this more than three hours later than I normally would, I took myself to the cusp of 3* difficulty trying to solve 9d and parse 28a.

    Thanks to the alternate Monday setter and to the holidaying blogger.

    Now back to waiting for the snow apocalypse to arrive – reading that we are to stock up with food etc and, if going outside, to wear non-slip shoes as the snow may make the ground slippery (who’d have thought?) nearly made me laugh as much as the lovely selection of Matt cartoons in the wrap around sheet of the paper.

    1. The electronic subscribers don’t know what a treat they missed. It’s the only wraparound section I have ever been grateful for. 😀

      4. The electronic subscribers as you call us also get the hard paper copy if we choose to do so. So the wrap around is here for all to enjoy. I get the crossword on my iPad. My customers get it in the paper.

    2. Thoroughly enjoyed the Matt wraparound and tested myself trying to remember the context of each cartoon but failed with several.

  21. 9d did for me as well. Never heard of the word but eventually worked it out from all the topless words for error. I liked 27a..today’s weather in one.

  22. An enjoyable start to the week, * for difficulty, though 28ac and 20d held me up for a little at the close. New made up word of the day – REDNUL, which I briefly considered for 9d before going to look for a real one instead.

  24. Took a while but managed to parse 9d correctly. I had the answer as a candidate but then it took far too long for me to work out how it was the shortened synonym for “error”.
    Overall very enjoyable. Mondays do seem to have more of a sting in the tail these days.
    Many thanks to MP and the setter.

  25. I did not find a lot of joy in this one. Solved in ** time but found some clues particularly easy and some downright tricky. I’m not a great fan of the sort of parsing where you have to think of an obscure word remove a letter then reverse it in order to get another obscure word. Clearly a wavelength thing. Still it passed the time on a cold morning and I cant complain but I’d like to be out walking in the lovely sunshine we had this morning.

  26. Commendably brief clues of a Terrellesque length in a very enjoyable solve.

    My ticks went to 21a, 3d and 22d. 9d was my LOI, glad to see I wasn’t alone there.

    Many thanks to Mr Halpern and to MP.

  27. That’s better! A return to a gentle start to the week hopefully gradually leading to Sunday’s Virgilus head scratcher.
    Some nice ‘smile’ clues here such as 22d and my favourite 13a.
    Thought for a moment it was going to be a pangram.
    Last day of our Caribbean idyll, back to the paper version and winter tomorrow.
    **/***
    Thx to. All

  28. Got 9d from the def but put a big question mark next to the clue.
    A quick visit to the blog and everything becomes clear.
    What a great site.
    Thanks to MP, BD and the setter.

  29. Good start to the week like others got held up with 28a and 9d eventually sorted although “bunged in” before I could parse them. Found this a mix of very straightforward clues laced with a few more on the difficult side. A good work out for a very cold Monday.. Last in 28a.

    Clue of the day: Thought 16d was smart.

    Rating 2.5* / 3.5*

    Thanks to MP and the setter.

  30. Annoying crossword,,but perhaps just me in a bad mood. Too many awkward and very dodgy constructions.

  31. Good start to the week, but a couple held me up, strangely enough not 28a.
    I toyed with the correct answer to 9d as the only word connected to sovereign that I could think of, but didn’t write it in as I couldn’t parse it. Silly cow, how stupid.
    I’ve never heard of 3d but solved from the anagram then googled, it certainly looks yummy.
    My fave was 16d with 27a following close behind.
    Thanks to Dada and to M’pops, drive safely, sounds like a rotten day to be on the road.

  32. Apart from the twin bètes-noire at 9d and 28a a nice start to the week. 9d actually wasn’t too bad but 28a did lead me a dance for a while. I quite liked 13a so that is my fave, and 2/3.5* overall.
    Thanks to the setter, and to the Man from LI in Yorkshire for the review.

  33. A great way to begin the cruciverbal week. With some reservation I settled on bung-ins for last two (9d and 28a) but they did turn out to be right. Was reassured that several other bloggers also hesitated over those two. Fav was 5d. Thank you JH/Dada and MP.

  34. This was a most enjoyable start to the work week. Favourite was 9d. Thanks to the setter and to MP and BD.

  35. The snow descending around our conservatory window reminds me of the glass domes you turn upside down to create a cheerful wintery scene. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here struggling with a bad attack of laryngitis plus the horrific discovery that I share Jeremy Corbyn’s dismal opinion of the Matt cartoons. The crossword itself was very much a joint effort today, thus difficult to give a precise score. I’ll just mention that 8d could very well have been a Rufus clue (probably reduced to: ‘Roof condemned?’). Duly elected COTD. Cheers, everyone.

    1. We are absolutely snowed in down in the Riviera. Very unusual sight. We already blame Vladimir for this Siberian weather.

      1. Anyone who hasn’t yet seen Vladimir’s amazing rendition of ‘Blueberry Hill’ must find same on You Tube at once! [no, it’s not an overdub!].
        So far as the weather is concerned, I strongly suspect that the man is totally in charge of the jet stream!

  36. All good but just could not see how to justify the answer to 9d cryptically .. got there now so thanks to BD!

  37. Not quite clear about 22d. ‘Rush to drain” would give ‘RH’ , followed by ‘ONE’ to give RHONE – a river. So why “”American”?

  38. **/****. Extra star for difficulty as I couldn’t fathom 28a. The rest fell into place quite well. Thanks to the setter and MP for explaining 28a.

  39. Like almost everyone, I got stuck on 9d and 28a. Guessed 9a but could not parse. Had no idea for 28a.
    Not quite in tune with this setter yet, but I have hopes.

    Thanks to Miffypops and the setter.

    Who is Auntie Betty? Is she the last of the generation above? If she is, I know exactly what you mean Miffy, as we lost Auntie Mary late last year. It’s not a pleasant feeling when the last one of the people who have always been around has gone.

  40. Obviously the beer and wine over the weekend had a bad influence on my little grey cells and I really struggled to finish. 5a and 9d were last in using my spelling machine but 28a totally eluded me! *** difficulty rating for me!

  41. The first crossword that I’ve had time to do for a week – completely worn out, out of practice and now have a sore throat and a croaky voice so feeling a bit ‘poor pig’ (a family expression). :sad:
    Now then, the crossword.
    I found this a bit trickier than Dada has been since his alternate Monday slot started.
    9d had to be right but I needed the hint to understand why and 28a caused a spot of bother but not for too long.
    The one that I had real trouble with was the 22d river which wasn’t very smart. Oh well, blame rustiness with crosswords – it’s amazing how quickly it sets in.
    I particularly liked 25a (very appropriate) and 3d. My favourite was 28a.
    With thanks to Dada for the crossword and to MP for taking the time to do hints while on holiday – I’m sorry about your Auntie.
    I now have a great big heap of crosswords – all the back pagers from last week, all the Tuesday – Friday Toughies and all the extras too – should keep me quiet for a while which could be useful if we’re snowed in.

  42. I too had problems with 9d and 28a and struggled with the 3d anagram, as I had never heard of the cheese, despite many visits to Derbyshire. But enjoyed this challenge although not quite the gentle Monday offering I was hoping for after failing abysmally at the weekend’s puzzles. Favourite clue was 13a. Wishing MP and SS a safe trip back.

    1. I think some of the setters must have been at a cheese and wine party a couple of months ago as that’s the second or third time I’ve met that cheese in the last couple of weeks

  43. I very much enjoyed this one. Not difficult (say low 2*) but interesting and well thought out (4.5*). Plenty of contenders for best clue, but l’ve gone for 23a. Thanks to Dada (assuming the setter-spotters are right) and MP. You made the Tan Hill Inn sound rather like the Slaughtered Lamb at the beginning of “An American Werewolf in London”!

    1. ‘American Werewolf’ pub was the Haut Boy in Ockham, Surrey, near RHS Wisley.
      It was always a bit creepy after that!

      1. I went past the Hautboy for many years after it closed. Converted now. No not me – the pub! I assumed hautboy was a forerunner for the oboe. Any ideas on that?

        1. It’s pretty much in what was once a pine forest, so I always thought ‘high trees/woods’ (haute bois) was the origin. Dunno :unsure:

    2. The Tan Hill Inn was busy but very disjointed. I waited and waited to be served while the barman slowly loaded a glass wash tray oblivious to my presence. Saint Sharon’s cup of tea was placed in front of me, a mug of hot water with a teabag. My pint was short and needed topping up. I had to ask where I might find a teaspoon to sort the tea and milk to be answered “up there mate” (I am not his mate) I also had to ask for a top up to my pint. Tables had empty glasses and plates from finished meals waiting to be collected but no one sorting the job. Like I say, I could have done the shift wearing boxing gloves and roller skates.

  44. MP – we decided years ago never to visit famous or unique pubs. They’re all the same…..
    Stuck up ’emselves with no time to engage patrons with a few minutes of bonhomie.
    However, this was a lovely workout with just one, 9d, beating us. Unusual word for a back pager, I thought
    Thanks for the hints,and to the setter for the brain exercise !

    1. Tend to agree, but I would claim exemptions for the climbers bar at the ‘Olde Dhungeon Ghyll’ (think I spelled it correctly) in the Langdale valley (lake district), and the Kirkstone Inn (kirkstone pass, Lake district) which I think is the second highest pub. Both famous, both worth a visit.

Comments are closed.