DT 30107 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30107 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30107 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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A lovely autumn morning in East Kent with an enjoyable Saturday Prize Puzzle to solve. We have to play Guess the Setter this morning and my 50p would probably go on this being the work of Chalicea, mostly because of the solution to 19d having a less usual definition.

As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided for them.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”. Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Some hints follow.

Across

1a    Absurdly quaint date, extremely old-fashioned (10)
An anagram (absurdly) of QUAINT DATE

8a    Inclination to manage English clubs in US city (8)
To manage or look after, the abbreviation for English and the card abbreviation for the suit of clubs inserted into an abbreviated US city

10a    Crossword setters use these to baffle and bewilder, say (8)
Baffle and bewilder are examples of something crossword setters use a lot

24a    Mishap as one day overwhelmed by stress (8)
The letter representing one and the abbreviation for day inserted into (overwhelmed by) some stress on a syllable

26a    Cover of navies oddly involved in European run (8)
The odd letters of NaViEs inserted between (involved in) the abbreviation for European and a verb meaning to run with a long stride

28a    Editor with viewpoints on drugs? (10)
An abbreviated newspaper editor with some viewpoints or attitudes

Down

1d    With creative skill, information technology succeeded, turning up in a truck (8)
An abbreviated truck into which is inserted a reversal (turning) of the abbreviations for Information Technology and succeeded

5d    Gloom of daughter on vessel on Scotland’s deep loch (8)
The abbreviation for daughter and a vessel followed by (on in a Down solution) the name of a deep loch in Scotland

13d    Remedies powerful Italian family head cut back (9)
The name of a powerful Italian family and a headland without its final letter (cut back)

15d    Main computer network in roof space (8)
This main is a large body of water – insert an abbreviated computer network into a roof space

19d    Dogs receiving large decisive blows (8)
Some dogs ‘receiving’ the abbreviation for large

22d    Superbly courageous maltreated coheir (6)
An anagram (maltreated) of COHEIR

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The Quick Crossword pun: MULL + TIP + LIED = MULTIPLIED

47 comments on “DT 30107 (Hints)

  1. A nice, gentle start to the weekend. I liked 6a and 4d and think I have seen 20a before. */**** (mainly because I finished it).

  2. Over very quickly but enjoyed the clues. I had to correct myself over some hastily inserted answers. 5d was the main one but corrected when I realised the answers to 9 and 11a. 10a obvious but could not parse. Not sure I do now even with the hint as they are not two words I associate with the type of clue. I have circled 14 18 24 and 28 and 15d of which the last is best. Some of them I applaud for their brevity and simplicity. I guess there’ll be some who don’t agree.

    1. Re 10a (and I don’t want to get into trouble here) it not either word in itself but their relationship.

  3. A very enjoyable crossword for a Saturday morning.

    Last one in was 28a …needed the hint ….I won’t say why for fear of the naughty step.

    Thanks to cryptic sue and to the setter.
    Lovely clear crisp day here…hope it stays for my washing to dry.

  4. 22d and 1a ‘leapt off’ my laptop screen while I was waiting for my printer to burst into life so my five bob was ready to be placed on the Floughie Lady as today’s setter. Confirmation came from 19d which is one of those that CS often reminds us is thoroughly researched by said Lady. Very enjoyable – **/*****.

    Candidates for favourite – 8a, 23a, and 4d – and the winner is 23a.

    Thanks to Chalicea and CS.

    P.S. CS – no defintion indicated in 24a.

  5. I enjoyed the Lego-ness of some of today’s clues but top marks to 1 & 6d, 8 & 10a.I
    Many thanks Chalicea and CS, great pictures and if I didn’t believe in plate tectonics already, I’d have to now.

  6. A handful of clues had me wondering about the definitions but if this was indeed penned by our lady setter then as CS and Senf rightly say, the answers will have been thoroughly checked.
    Biggest grin came from 24a and a rueful smile accompanied 6d – painful memories of a holiday in Fowey many years ago.

    Thanks to CS for the hints – your illustration for 1a took me back in time!

    1. Oh absolutely! The lovely sound and the satisfaction of sending the carriage flying back! Such fun.

  7. This has to be the easiest Saturday crossword for some time – but so nice to sit by the window in the warm sunshine to do it!

  8. As usual, thoroughly enjoyable fare from our Lovely Lady Setter with 15d, 19d, & 28a my top three. I needed this! Thanks to CS and Chalicea. 1* / 4*

    Many thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts this week. Jimmy and I got through a considerably diminished iteration of Hurricane Ian with very little damage, but a lot of anxiety. I awoke this morning after only three hours’ sleep completely worn out but quite glad to still be here in one very old piece.

    1. Glad to see you came through unscathed. The pictures from Florida in particular were very disturbing and the stuff of nightmares.

      1. Good to hear that you are both OK Robert. Florida got the worst of it by the sound of it. Hope some of our other bloggers, who live there are unscathed.

      2. Happy to hear you are OK. Where are you located? Up here in Southern Maryland a weekend of rain, courtesy of Ian, is forecast. I’ll take that.

        1. Hi, E+C, I’m down here in Charleston, SC. Glad to see you back. Hope your rainfall is gentle and kind, without all the wind and destruction.

          1. Oh my goodness! I have family in Charleston. No news of them as yet, so I’m happy to hear things aren’t as bad as initially projected.
            take care!

          2. Glad to hear you emerged unscathed. I remember being taken to see a grand old house in Charleston with a cannonball still stuck in the wall!

          3. Robert relieved to hear you have come through the ordeal almost completely unscathed. Hope you get a few good nights sleep to make up for all the recent sleepless ones.

    2. Ian may have a scary so & so but no match for the combined might of the best wishes of this blog….

  9. A lovely sunny morning for a fairly straightforward exercise. Wonder if 14a is itself a vehicle and 19d had to be but is rather obtuse. Particularly liked 10a, 13d and 15d. Thank you Miss(?)ron and CS.

  10. Great fun as ever from one of our favourite setters, with 16d my LOI and the excellent 10a my COTD. Not difficult, but delightful entertainment all round.

    My thanks to Chalicea and CS.

  11. A very enjoyable and straightforward puzzle and, like others, I immediately thought of Chalicea. I liked 15d, 14a, 11a and19d. 2. The legoness of it also appealed to me, as did the anagrams, geographical clue and General Knowledge content, not to mention the simplicity of the clues. Many thanks to CS for filling in on Saturday again and to Chalicea (?).

  12. Much to like here but all over too quickly. All that is except 11a which although I have an answer, I’m still seeking the elusive “essential thing”. Had to stretch the grey matter to make 19d work with the answer. Thank you CS and Chalicea, if it be you who is responsible 🤗

  13. Having had our Covid boosters yesterday and feeling slightly under the weather this morning, I was pleased that the crossword was very gentle. A friend who works in the Village College says lots of children and staff have gone down with Covid – time to put the masks back on? Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

  14. Our fastest ever solve but nonetheless enjoyable for that. Favourite was 10a. Thanks to Chalicea and CS

  15. Another nice Saturday puzzle that was a pleasant solve on another very warm early Friday evening here on the West Coast of BC
    For me 1.5*/4*

    Favourites today include 10a, 26a, 5d, 15d & 19d – and I can’t pick a winner as they are all darn good.

    Thanks to Chalicea and CS

  16. Probably my fastest completion ever.
    It just flowed, not even a troubling last in.
    Many thanks Chalicea, for this kind of enjoyment and thanks to CS.
    DT pen eagerly awaited.

  17. I couldn’t believe how quickly I sailed through today’s crossword. Perhaps it was because I completed it late morning after going to the hairdresser. Had she wakened the ‘little grey cells’?! My only delay was pondering over 19d but I had the checking letters so not a problem. According to our weather station we had an inch of rain yesterday so that should help to fill the local reservoirs here in the North West of England. It’s been a mixture of sunshine and showers today but quite chilly. Many thanks to Chalicea? and CS.

  18. Not too many problems today.
    I don’t quite ‘see’ 19d but I think it has to be right.
    Thanks to Chalicea for the crossword and to CS for the hints.

    1. If you take a word meaning a whirlpool and ‘cycle’ the letters round, you should get a synonym for coloured

  19. Stuck on 19d for hours so went to mow the lawn on a lovely sunny day. Head fully cleared, realised my last letter of the across clue was wrong so finished with a flourish. Thanks to the setter and CS. I am so proud of my first edible grapes (after 20 years) I’m going to attach a pic from my iphone! Forgive the crowing, they are a smidge small but perfectly formed and very slightly tart but I love them and so do the blackbirds. Glad everyone safe across the pond.

        1. Oh Manders perhaps wine making in a couple of years?

          Re the filming of Cley. I have often commented to Bill when watching similar programs where are all the people? Edited out? ☺️

        2. These are just a few of our grapes – a surprisingly good year given how dry it has been

  20. Hilary I am just thrilled to have edible grapes! I gather the filming was 22 June this year at 6 am! Only the Deli people are up and about at that time of the morning putting the veg outside.

  21. 1/4. Gentle SPP solved in glorious sunshine (again) accompanied by a generous G&T. I needed to check in the BRB the answer for 19d – it had to be right but I wasn’t familiar with this usage. Thanks to Chalicea and CS.

  22. Thanks, indeed it is mine and I am so happy that it pleased. Many thanks, as always, to Crypticsue.
    Our thoughts are with Robert and those of you suffering over there. Manders, congratulations on the grapes – ours are over or finihed off by the wasps.

  23. Was ready to risk an early few bob on a Cephas pangram after 1a but soon realised it was odds on a Chalicea puzzle. Last in was 19d & it remains to be seen if I’m on the right track re the definition.
    All over very quickly but fun while.
    Thanks to C&CS

  24. I was on the wavelength for this setter until I got to 26a. Needed the hint as I would never have got this otherwise.

    Thanks to all.

  25. Not too taxing but very satisfying.
    So many clever clues that made me smile .10,11,26 my favourites.
    Huge thanks to the setter , Chalicea presumably,

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