DT 30098 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30098

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30098

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

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

Kia ora from Aotearoa.
The godwits have arrived back from Alaska and are once more happily feeding in our estuary. The ponds we walk past daily are busy with the cheeping and bustling of families of newly-hatched ducklings. Spring has definitely arrived in our little corner of the world.

We note that Logman is on Toughie duty today so a case of ‘guess the setter’ for this good fun puzzle.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Requirement for sporting types in GPs’ workplace (8)
PRACTICE : A double definition.

5a     Sing country mostly having covered R&B (6)
WARBLE : The country that has a dragon as its emblem contains the letters R and B from the clue.

9a     Excellent witticism in front of guests (8)
CRACKING : A witticism or quip, ‘IN’ from the clue and then the first letter of ‘guests’.

10a     Pads, we’re told, for noted detective (6)
HOLMES : Pads here are places of residence. We need a homophone for these.

12a     Retainer or nurse kept by a French aunt without English (9)
ATTENDANT : Nurse or take care of is inside ‘A’ from the clue and the French word for aunt with its E(nglish) removed.

13a     Element showing no end of remorseless hatred (5)
ODIUM : The last letter of remorselessness is removed from the front of an alkali metal element.

14a     Extremely arthritic horse in pain (4)
ACHE : The first and last letters (extremely) from two words in the clue.

16a     Group with knight and bishop backed city (7)
BRISTOL : Reading from the right (backed) we have a group or large quantity, the term of address for a knight and the chess abbreviation for bishop.

19a     Loathsome husband developed fault importing drug (7)
HATEFUL : H(usband), then an anagram (developed) of FAULT contains the abbreviation for ecstasy (drug).

21a     Attractive courtier seen every now and then (4)
CUTE : Alternate letters from the word courtier.

24a     Slate rubbish about central part of case (5)
ROAST : A synonym for rubbish contains the two central letters of case.

25a     Evict a mob in a riot, being antagonistic? (9)
COMBATIVE : An anagram (in a riot) of EVICT A MOB.

27a     Move end of project to get financial allowance (6)
BUDGET : Move (perhaps something that is stubborn) and then the final letter of project.

28a     Sense politician is enthralled by free outing (8)
GUMPTION : An anagram (free) of OUTING contains a Member of Parliament.

29a     Curve hard to miss in part of a legislature (6)
CAMBER : A room or hall that is part of a legislature has its H(ard) removed.

30a     Conventional poster close to fine wooden barrier (8)
STOCKADE : Conventional or ordinary, then a two letter publicity poster and the last letter of fine.

Down

1d     Find fault with old Scot touring Kenya’s borders (4,2)
PICK AT : A member of an ancient Scottish tribe surrounds the first and last letters of Kenya.

2d     A daughter with suitable skills at the outset is flexible (6)
ADAPTS : ‘A’ from the clue, then D(aughter), then a synonym for suitable and the first letter of ‘skills’ (at the outset).

3d     Fantasy writer leaving large island split making gift (5)
TOKEN : A famous fantasy writer from Oxford loses L(arge) and I(sland) which are not contiguous (ie. they are split) in the name.

4d     Set of cardinals overlooking Latin characteristic of an arch? (7)
CONCAVE : The collective term for a group of religious cardinals has its L(atin) removed.

6d     A job to defend most of reasoning for one making excuses? (9)
APOLOGIST : ‘A’ from the clue and job or position surrounds a word for reasoning with its last letter removed.

7d     Come across vagrant in top in a ragged state (4,4)
BUMP INTO : A word from across the ditch for a vagrant and an anagram (in a ragged state) of IN TOP.

8d     Outfit with matching elements in musical group (8)
ENSEMBLE : A double definition.

11d     Go for clubs from the south (4)
STAB : A reversal (from the South) of clubs that a cricketer might use.

15d     In a merry state, cite a free thing used by coffee drinkers (9)
CAFETIERE : An anagram (in a merry state) of CITE A FREE.

17d     US singer beginning to upset writer of sweet innocence? (8)
CHERUBIC : A well-known female US singer, then the first letter of upset and a well-known brand of writing instrument.

18d     Haphazardly managed activity in site supplying bread? (2,6)
AT RANDOM : The site supplying bread is the three letter ‘hole in the wall’. This surrounds managed or organised, and two letter activity.

20d     Secure player in a pack (4)
LOCK : The player in a pack could be playing New Zealand’s national sport.

21d     Burn millions in company lacking solvency (7)
COMBUST : The abbreviation for company, then M(illions) and lacking solvency or bankrupt.

22d     Fewest points admitted by imam in imamate (6)
MINIMA : It’s a lurker, hiding in the clue.

23d     African party cuts notice for spirited session? (6)
SEANCE : The African party made famous by Mandela is inside notice or observe.

26d     A film about source of sweet or savoury jelly (5)
ASPIC : ‘A’ from the clue and an informal three letter word for a film contain the first letter of sweet.

18d is our favourite this week.

Quickie pun    castor    +    weigh    =    castaway

36 comments on “DT 30098

  1. Very enjoyable, always nice when on the setter’s wavelength as proved to be the case today.
    Some very clever and wily wordplay on offer, my top three are 9&28a plus18d, though the bread/money connection is getting a bit predictable.
    Many thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

    Ps…Logman Toughie is only a tad more difficult than his back page Jay puzzles.

  2. Hadn’t realised Logman was in the Toughie slot (very accessible indeed) so wrongly assumed this was a Jay production. Whoever the setter is it was thoroughly enjoyable & full of excellent clues. A number of ticks on my page – 25&28a along with 1,6,7,17&18d. I saw a political context to 6d & obviously for 28a, which was my clear favourite.
    Thanks to the setter & 2Ks

  3. All went by in a flash until I got to the last one, 4d, and try as I might I could find nothing remotely possible as an answer. That is until I realised like an idiot I’d misspelled 1a.
    As soon as this was adjusted it fell into place, going too fast for my own good maybe….

  4. I made heavy weather of this.
    But, on reflection, wondered why.
    Completed unaided but 1, stupidly, and 29a and 4d took an age.
    Great surfaces.
    So, 4*/4*
    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Kiwis.

  5. Thanks to the setter (NY Doorknob?) for the enjoyable puzzle and to 2Ks for their usual first-rate blog.
    I solved the puzzle in clockwise order from the NE with the final (NW) corner putting up most resistance.
    Top clues for me were 9a, 4d and 21d.

  6. Tricky puzzle today, thanks to 2K,s for the parsing of 4d which eluded me, I nearly parsed 18a-the rest were Fine!
    Favourites were 16a and 29a.
    Had the last three letters of 17d as BIN which fitted the clue(upset writer) nicely, then last in 29 spoiled the fun.
    Cracking puzzle ,going for a ***/****

  7. An enjoyable crossword which I assume is the work of NYDK – too many clues I liked to list

    Thanks very much to the setter and the 2Ks

  8. Enjoyable puzzle for a non-Jay day with a few pauses for thought required along the way.
    Top two here were 28a & 21d – the former is such an expressive word!

    Thanks to our setter (NYDK?) and to our 2Ks for the review – pleased to hear that your godwits have arrived back safely.

  9. An enjoyable crossword, with a good variety of clue types and clever misdirection. It was fairly straightforward with a few head-scratchers in the SW. I liked the 22d lurker, the 8d double definition and the6d lego clue but, having been enlightened by the hints, I now realise how clever my two bung-ins, 16a and 18d were. Thanks to the hints and to the wily compiler (NYD?).

  10. Another vote for NYDK from me for this very enjoyable but slightly head scratching challenge – 2.5*/4.5*.

    Candidates for favourite – 27a, 1d, and 20d – and the winner is 20d.

    Thanks to NYDK and the 2Ks.

  11. A finely crafted enjoyable puzzle that allowed for a steady solve. 21d and 30a combination gave longest pause for thought. ***/****
    I’m hopeless at determining setters but if this is NYDK then thanks to you for showing us a masterclass in how to include or exclude individual letters in solutions. I counted no less than 16 incidences in the 32 clues where this was the device employed without once repeating the worddplay used and without resorting to abbreviations (that was another 4!)

    Very enjoyable and thanks to the two Kiwis for the hint used to solve 30a though I kicked myself for needing it.

  12. Good puzzle, which I found more testing than usual for a Wednesday. Only jarring notes for me were element/elements, and not being convinced that activity = xx or that flexible is strictly the same as xxxxxx – but better wordsmiths and grammarians than I will disagree on both, I know!

    3* / 2.5*

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks

  13. Another DNF but enjoyable all the same with what I thought was a good set of clues. The 2Ks revealed my ignorance of the niceties of solving in the clues not done. Just one quibble : if you suggested to a batsman of any class that he used a club to hit the ball I am sure he would be happy to use your head for a ball. OK I hear you shout, it’s in the BRB as a usage but I have never heard on any cricket commentary or from a batsman that usage. There should only be acceptable synonyms used and that one is, as the BRB notes in its explanation of infra dig, beyond one’s dignity ; or that of anyone else.

    Thanks to the 2Ks for their help and NYDK who I hope will not commit such an egregious enormity again.

    1. I saw nothing wrong in the synonym, taking clubs as in hits, not as in the willow.

      Although I have occasionally heard reference to a batsman – sorry, batter – “clubbing it into the stands”!

  14. Like Gazza, I too went clockwise from the NE to the NW, which held out the longest, though I have no idea why as I look back upon it. Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed every moment of the solve, even though it took me well into *** time. 28a is my clear favourite but 4d, 1a, & 9a are all deserving of special honours. Thanks to the Kiwis (glad to hear that the godwits have returned!) and to, apparently, NYDK. 3.5* / 4*

  15. Thanks to NYDK and to the 2 Kiwis. A very enjoyable puzzle that I found really difficult. I should have written down the fodder for 15d, so I mistakenly entered “cafeteria”. So that stopped me getting 27&29a. Needed the hints for 5&24a and 6,7d. Also to parse 16a and 4,18d. Favourite was 17d. Was 4* /3* for me.

  16. No serious setbacks with today’s puzzle but NW slowest corner. A couple of bung-ins (16a and 18d) in line with Chriscross. Hate seems to be omnipresent between both cryptic and quickie today. For me it was a Mysteron but I now gather it is a NYDK product to whom thanks therefore and also to the hinty 2Kiwis (as we begin autumn you are fortunate to be greeting the arrival of spring).

    1. I am a bit confused about Quickie pun. I have a different solution for 1a which does fit with my 5d but then no pun works however if pun is as 2Kiwis say I wonder what 1d should be.

      1. In the Quickie the 1d rounded stone might be found as part of an old type of road surface.
        Hope that helps.

  17. Definitely a head scratcher today. Found it somewhat obtuse in spots with parsing hard to fathom.
    Bottom of the puzzle went in first then NE and finally NW,
    For me 3*/2.5* today.

    Favourites include 14a, 16a, 29a, 7d & 18d

    Thanks to setter and 2 Kiwis

  18. Morning all.
    It was also our guess that NYDK was the setter. This was based purely on the fact that he normally does the honours on Jay-less Wednesdays. He usually pops in about now if it is one of his.
    Cheers.

    1. Enjoyed this one! But struggling to see how the answer to 28a is a sense. I got it from the anagram and politician hint, but took me a while to convince myself the answer WAS the answer.

      1. You’ve changed your alias since your previous comment so this needed moderation. Both aliases will work from now on.

        For the 28a answer Chambers gives: sense; shrewdness; courage; enterprise; common sense.

  19. Late to this as spent the day watching cricket in Worcester, so I didn’t need a real brain basher, nor did I get one: just a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining solve with 21d my top clue for the excellent surface reading.

    My thanks to NYDK and the 2 Ks.

  20. A tricky one for me that took me quite a while and a lot of head scratching to finish. Got there in the end.

    Thanks to the setter and to the 2 Kiwis.

  21. Actually one of mine today! Many thanks to the 2Kiwis for their excellent blog and everyone for comments. Hope to be back in the not too distant future!

    1. Thanks for popping in Shamus. We would never have picked that it was one of yours.
      We thoroughly enjoyed the solve and look forward to more from you.

  22. Mrs TWLC and I thought this was really difficult, nothing to do with the Merlot of course. Favourite was 8d. Thanks to Shamus and 2K’s. Not even looked at the toughie yet and probably won’t until tomorrow.

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