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DT 30378

by Falcon  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30378

Hints and tips by Falcon

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Greetings from Ottawa, where the disaster of the week was a deluge of Biblical proportions causing widespread flooding (Where is Noah when you need him?). Fortunately, my home escaped unscathed. What more will Mother Nature throw at us?

I am back again as pommers is homeward bound from his travels today.

After a week off, Campbell is back with a fairly gentle and very enjoyable offering.

In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.

Across

1a   A track, say, at the opponent’s ground (4)
AWAY — the A from the clue and a general term for a track or route

3a   Run behind stage for climbing aid (10)
STEPLADDER — a run in hosiery follows a stage in a process

9a   Heading off, friendly supporter (4)
ALLY — remove the initial letter from an informal word for friendly (PALLY)

10a   Herbivore adapting to change around area close to mountain (5,5)
GIANT PANDA — an anagram (to change) of ADAPTING containing the maths symbol for area and the final letter of (close to) MOUNTAIN

11a   Aristocrat‘s arrogant talk leader ignored (4-3)
HIGH HAT — a word meaning arrogant (often paired with mighty) and informal talk without its initial letter (leader)

13a   In time, a bit of Russian currency may result in problem (7)
TROUBLE — the physics symbol for time and a unit of Russian currency

14a   Battle in space not brought about by god of war (7,4)
MARSTON MOOR — string together space or leeway and the NOT from the clue; then reverse (brought about) the lot and append it to the Roman god of war

18a   Shopkeeper‘s beard has disturbed that woman (11)
HABERDASHER — an anagram (disturbed) of BEARD HAS plus a pronoun standing for ‘that woman’

21a   A married girl in West Side Story song (7)
AMERICA — the A from the clue, the genealogical abbreviation for married, and a female given name

22a   Accurate summary by judge, finally (7)
PRECISE — summary or abstract followed by the last letter (finally) of JUDGE

23a   Still in position next to a railway (10)
STATIONARY — a synonym for position (as a noun or verb) and the abbreviation for railway

24a   Dead level (4)
FLAT — double definition; the first in the sense of dull

25a   US author reportedly corresponds with Ford, for one (10)
FITZGERALD — a word that sounds like a synonym of corresponds or matches the requirement and the given name of the 38th president of the US

26a   Song from West Side Story (not its first)? (4)
ARIA — remove the initial letter (not its first) from a song from West Side Story; the entire clue provides the wordplay in which the definition is embedded

Down

1d   Song about a head of academy, object of loathing (8)
ANATHEMA — insert the A from the clue in a national song and append the initial letter of (head of) ACADEMY

2d   25, perhaps, turned up with grisly tale (8)
ALLEGORY — reverse (turned up in a down clue) the given name of a singer who shares the surname of the 25a author and add grisly or bloody

4d   Fool pinching small wrench (5)
TWIST — a fool wrapped around (pinching) the clothing abbreviation for small

5d   Wine in inn Poirot ordered (5,4)
PINOT NOIR — an anagram (ordered) of INN POIROT

6d   Suitable whip (11)
APPROPRIATE — double definition; the second in the sense of steal

7d   European river ban due for review (6)
DANUBE — an anagram (for review) of two words in the middle of the clue

8d   University lecturer in Clare, a Derryite? (6)
READER — a lurker hiding in (in) the final three words of the clue

12d   Problem increasing trying to get a lift? (5-6)
HITCH-HIKING — a problem or snag and another term for increasing (often used in reference to interest rates)

15d   Easy decision made by nervous one in bar, right? (2-7)
NO-BRAINER — an anagram (nervous as in shaking) ONE IN BAR followed by the single letter for right

16d   Sudden excitement over old Queen album that’s sold millions (8)
THRILLER — a term for sudden excitement preceding (over in a down clue) the regnal cipher of our former queen

17d   Drink suggested by environmental group, mostly (5,3)
GREEN TEA — a colour associated with things environmental and a group missing its final letter (mostly)

19d   Service provided in part of mountain range (6)
MASSIF — a church service and a conjunction denoting providing or ‘in the event that’

20d   Leave extremely desirable role (6)
DEPART — the first and last letters (extremely) of DESIRABLE and a role in a theatrical production

22d   Hazard covered up by hotel I reported (5)
PERIL — hiding and reversed in (covered up by) the final three words in the clue

In my mind, the outstanding clue today is easily the intergalactic fighting at 14a.

Quickie Pun (Top Row): HIRE + ARK + QUAY = HIERARCHY

Quickie Pun (Bottom Row) : KNOW + EYE + DEAR = NO IDEA

75 comments on “DT 30378”

  1. Annoyingly, I needed electrons to get 19d so not an unaided finish. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable challenge. I did like the run behind the stage at 3a and the author corresponding with Ford at 25. My COTD is the battle at 14a.

    My Thanks to Campbell for the fun and Falcon for the hints.

    Stairlift is in!

        1. When a lot of work was being done on our house we moved into rented accommodation which had been fitted with a stairlift. Needless to say, we were intrigued to try it out and I found that coming down on it frightened the living daylights out of me – it was a very steep staircase!
          It did, however, come in very useful for getting heavy boxes upstairs!

    3. How many gigga things was that Steve? I am always getting photographs rejected as they are too big!
      I must say it looks very smart. The roofers came to assess our reroofing job today. I think I am going to have to go on the streets to pay for it (only on dark nights).

      1. You could just sing a few songs & perform the splits outside of the local supermarket Daisy – am sure that’d earn you a few quid

      2. It was 3.7 MB, Daisygirl but I adjusted the size – it’s now 480kb. To change the size I clicked on export in Preview and at the bottom the panel is a slider to adjust the size.
        Hope that makes sense.

          1. Exactly Merusa. But I have wrtottenvit down and will have a go. I sometimes want to show you my garden! Thanks Steve. Wish you lived next door.

            1. You could always send the picture to me, DG. I’ll convert it and post it for you. :good:

  2. Apart from having a very dated feel this was a clever puzzle that was reasonably enjoyable.
    I liked 14a plus 1d and the cleverly linked 2d/25a but the winner has to be the super 16d.
    Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon

  3. I concur with Falcon’s rating for this pleasant affair. A musical theme was cleverly used and whilst 26a was going to be my COTD it was pipped by 2d which was clever. Many thanks to Falcon and the setter.

  4. It’s Monday :good: After a week’s hiatus, it’s Campbell :good: :good: 1.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 14a, 25a, 2d, and 16d – and the joint winners are 25a and 2d.

    Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  5. I will go with my Shropshire neighbour in selecting 14a as my top clue this damp morning. Apart from a couple in the NW corner, and a similar delay in the SE, this was relatively plain sailing. Those last four took almost as long as the rest of this fun puzzle. Most enjoyable.

    Thanks to our double punner and Falcon.

  6. A gentle start to the week, indeed.
    I would like to support the comments made by BobH last week – I believe that there should be a sense of fun about crosswords, which I enjoy seeing reflected in Big Dave.
    I cannot get serious about analysing the correctness of every last detail in a clue.
    Let’s have fun!

  8. Pop, pip to that!
    Yes, easy but fun and just right for Monday.
    Having a second coffee anyway.

  9. Took a while to get going (anagrams were welcome) and several were difficult to parse until you either had the answer or used the hints as in 3a or 25a respectively.
    A pleasant start to the week.
    Thx to all
    **/***

  10. There was a lot of General Knowledge in today’s Campbell puzzle. I really enjoyed rhis, as IMHO it adds an extraa dimension to the puzzle. I particularly enjoyed the writer at 25a and the link to a different person with the same name at 2d, reversed to provide fogger for the lego. 3a was snorher fine lego clue but my COTD was the battle at 14a.. There were nice memories, too, of my first date with my husband, watching the film version of West Side Story. Thanks to Campbell for a great guzzle and to Falcon for the hints.

    1. Agree with everything you’ve ‘said’ (except the husband bit-although I’m a fan of West Side Story I’m not sure Mrs S is).
      All-round cleverly crafted puzzle.

  11. Certainly Monday lite.
    Enjoyable but, perhaps,
    A bit of a whoosh.
    Quite a reunion for old
    Pals eg 9,13, 22a and 17d.
    Big smiles at the clever
    25 and 14a and 2d.
    Many thanks, Campbell and Falcon.

  12. Welcome back, Campbell. Very enjoyable solve today with just the right amount of brain work for a Monday. Apart from needing the precise parsing of 17d explaining, I managed without help today. I especially liked the 2d/25a combination though, to my shame, I didn’t know the American author. Podium places for 3a, 19d and joint winners, 14a and 16d. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon for getting the week off to a good start.

  13. This seemed a bit trickier than recent Monday offerings For some reason I initially struggled with the clues across and then romped across with the down clues. An enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Falcon and the setter.

  14. Unlike Stephen this thoroughly enjoyable guzzle didn’t strike me as having a particularly dated feel to it. Out of the traps quickly it all went in lickety-split in a shade over *time though I did feel the need to confirm the definition synonym at 11a. Tops for me was the 10a herbivore (was reminded of Lynne Truss’s gun-toting one in her Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation) with podium spots for 14a&16d.
    Thanks to Campbell & Falcon for stepping in once more
    Ps first came across an alternative meaning for 11a (snub or disdainful treatment) in Miller’sCrossing, one of my favourite films by the Coen brothers as uttered by the brilliant Jon Polito to Albert Finney. Think I’ll dust off my copy & re-watch for the umpteenth time tonight.

  15. Slow start followed by a satisfying challenge. My GK let me down on my last in (14a) so had to seek help – d’oh, very clever. 16d was a bung-in as don’t know much about the “King of Pop”. The cross-referencing pair, 25a and 2d, were stand-out joint Favs. Thank you Campbell and Falcon – glad you were safe from the dreadful flooding.

  16. Good to be home after nearly a fortnight in London cat sitting and flowerpot watering. And shouting at foxes who invaded the garden from early dusk. One even needed moving early morning as it was asleep on the lawn. To think of all the excrement and urine left everywhere around the garden which makes it unfit for the children to play in. We saw more foxes in one evening than in the 26 years we have lived in rural North Yorkshire. Without an extensive cull there will be trouble ahead.

    Back home with a printer I can now get a paper copy of the crossword and really enjoyed this offering from Campbell. I thought 25a and 2d great clues and although 11a had to be what it is I have never heard of it.

    Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon for a good start to the week. Very good to be home.

  17. Excellent start to the crossword week from our Monday man and some great video clip opportunities for our reviewer. I know he had plenty of faults but Michael Jackson could certainly move!
    Three winners in each direction for me – 3,14&25a plus 6,12&16d.

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon – thank goodness your home was spared from the flooding.

  18. Happy Monday everyone, greetings from sunny Sussex 😎 A very enjoyable one today although I struggled with a few, particularly 2d and 19d but only as I didn’t know the words and I’m pretty new to how cryptic crosswords work! 10a was my favourite clue today and the picture perfectly depicts how I’m feeling today after a hectic weekend!

  19. Spot on our Monday Puzzle difficult to provide favourites, thought that 14a would be something to do with star wars until the penny dropped -nicely clued , 16d had to be mentioned, as Jane says our man could certainly move-took one of the offspring to a concert at Aintree-the band had a female lead guitarist!
    Liked the surfaces of 18a and 25a.
    Thanks to setter and Campbell and Falcon-10a pic said it all.

    1. Oops in a bid to wax lyrical about Yorkshire battlefields I forgot to thank Campbell for a fine Monday return and also to thank Falcon for the hints

      1. I was sorry to read in a recent post that Mama Bee has
        Alzheimer’s. Did I get this right? I do hope that this fellow “Mama Bee” has misread you. 🐝🐝🐝

        1. I’m afraid so but early stages, her short term memory is shocking and can be a bit short tempered at times, she remembers the serial no of the gas mask she had during the war but not the pin number for her debit card. I am hoping to keep on working for a while but the time is coming when I may not be able to. I think a stair lift might be useful but the track record of the aids we have bought before is not good. She won’t use the stick or the volunteer car service for appointments so I am doing some weird shifts to get her to doctors hairdressers chiropodists etc. She was virtually blind before we persuaded her to have her cataracts done but sees like a hawk now! And hears an open packet of biscuits from the next county
          Weekends are the best time for me to do the crossword and I hope to keep blogging the Sunday Toughie for the forseeable, but during the week I rarely have time to give them more than a glance
          But the 3C’s (coffee crosswords and cycling) are my escape valves, along with music

          1. ‘Scuse the vent – I usually deal with this by venting to Sister (nee Bee) now Ess, with whom I share powers of attorney

          2. I’m wishing my best, John, that is a hard row to hoe. I see they’re trying a new medication, let’s hope it works.

          3. Deepest commiserations SJB, it is a heartbreaking thing as we also know. We have seen in five years our eldest daughter go from being slightly confused to being locked up in a secure unit with a dozen 90/100 year olds, incontinent and vacant. And she is three hours drive away. A highly qualified nurse now being nursed!

            1. Thanks for the commiserations everyone and I would add that it is early stages and not as distressing as Daisy’s daughter. Mama Bee was also a nurse and midwife and seems to be following the Doctor’s maxim of making the worst patient – she refuses the first pills they offered as they gave her nightmares still trying to find out if there is anything better

              1. So, I was right. I’m so very sorry but hope that we Big Dave friends can be of some comfort and support. My very best wishes.🐝🐝🐝

  21. Good Monday fun – thanks to Campbell and Falcon.
    It’s good to see the 17d drink not coming from teenager.
    Top clues for me were 3a, 14a and 25a.

  22. Well it’s Monday, but is it Campbell? I have to say it feels like his sort of clueing this week, so I’m going with that. Been a scorching evening here in Lower Mainland of BC … 33-35c away from the ocean, but a nice night to solve this puzzle in the back garden.

    1.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 10a, 13a, 14a, 4d & 5d — with winner 14a

    A couple of old favourites showed up in this puzzle as well as a word I did not know … 19d I’m sure I have never heard of it and will put it in the back of my mind for future.

    Thanks to Campbell & Falcon for hints/blog

  23. A pleasant solve from top to bottom with 25a my LOI. COTD candidates, 14 and 25a and 16d. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon. Best 🦇

  24. Enjoyable and fun even though I needed e help to complete it due to my lack of general knowledge for 19d and 14a, definitely a me problem not the setters. My favourite was 2a but many other clues were equally enjoyable and the linking of clues was clever.

    Many thanks to Falcon for the hints and to Campbell.

  25. I nice start to the crossword week – not too tricky. Wanted to replace our bedspread today as it is falling to pieces. Apparently there are no such things anymore just things called ‘throws’. I don’t want to see the pillows and duvet cover, I like a nice bedspread that covers the whole bed. Maybe Mr Amazon has one. Oh yes, there was one – a Morris design costing £300! Give me a break! Anyway thanks to setter for the guzzle and to Falcon standing in for Pommers.

    PS – any chance of the email returning at 11 am?

    1. I think I have seen ‘traditional bedspreads’ in John Lewis, Dunelm and Next. Might be worth a look at their sites.

    2. John Lewis although we don’t cover the whole bed. Mr WW away this week but claims it is too heavy for his legs. Previous two bedspreads were bought from a stall along the Great Wall of China and an emporium in Hyderabad.

  26. It took me longer to get on wavelength today than it did yesterday, but once I was into his thought process it went in steadily. I’m so grateful that we did English history at school, so no problem with 14a. Getting 12d, giving me the “g” in 25a, helped a lot. My last in, a bungin, was 16d, never heard of the album. I liked a lot, fave probably 10a ‘cos I like animals.
    Thank you Campbell. I’m so glad you escaped the floods, Falcon, thanks for sitting in for pommers. The world disasters are coming thick and fast; the unmentionable tells us that sea rise will provide us with more beachfront property!

  27. You all may think this was dead simple but I didn’t – it’s all to do with wave-length – I’ve been saying it all my eleven plus years on the blog!!
    I did just about manage to get going but it has taken quite a long time – never mind!
    Lots of good clues including 10 and 14a (even though history isn’t my strong point) and 12 and 19d. My favourite was 3a.
    Thanks to Campbell for the crossword and to Falcon for the hints.

  28. It was a slow start here, but it gradually came together with the NE corner holding out the longest. I loved 18a as I haven’t heard that term in many years, and used to love going into their shops, always full of interesting stuff, at least to me. Was never a fan of West Side Story but relieved I got both those answers. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  29. A good start to the week though I thought that the lurker in 8d was somewhat contrived.

  30. Loved it. **/**** Took a while to parse 1d and 14a got my long lost schoolboy knowledge of the English Civil War out of it fusty storage locker.
    Many thanks to all concerned 😇

  31. I found this very odd. So much GK. 25a was the last one in but my COTD was 18a, a lovely old fashioned word.
    I’m still having to sign in every time. Is it only me?

  32. An enjoyable start to the week. The NW corner being the last to be completed. A couple of head-scratching moments and hesitation. Rain all day including a sudden heavy downpour and grateful to have got back home with the car before it came on. Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  33. Nice start to the week, welcome back Campbell 😃 **/*** Favourites 1, 16 & 19 down Thanks to the Falcon and to Campbell 👍

  34. I thought this one of Campbell’s better efforts and pitched just right for a Monday. I’ll go with 14a door cotd. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  35. Enjoyable Monday solve.

    Somehow I know nothing about West Side Story, but managed to get both clues about it.

    Also never heard of the battle in 14a, but I managed to solve regardless.

    Thanks to all.

  36. No one’s going to read this as it is so late but what the hell, I am unwinding. I did half the crossword at coffee time then went out to lunch with some friends. Came home and picked the paper up again – I thought it was quite gentle for a Monday, I liked 18a and 10a. Then I had a distressed call from a friend whose husband has had a stroke, she was waiting for an ambulance and would t I look after her husband. She seemed so upset I jumped in my car and shot up the High Street but couldn’t get any reply to my knocking. I thought they were both dead! Anyway George found out that they were in fact at the surgery waiting for the ambulance. By this time it was 6.30 and the lovely doctors were so kind, friend was taken off to Addenbrookes with a heart attack and I took her husband home and got him settled, rang his son and daughter, got him settled with some food, promised to be back tomorrow morning and finally got my 6pm Gin & Tonic at 8! I am too old for this excitement. Many thanks to the Setter and Falcon, you both took my mind off the world’s woes for while. Goodnight all.

    1. I’m still up DaisyG! Sounds like you thoroughly deserved the G&T. Well done you and best wishes to your friend.

    2. I’m not still up but just done the puzzle in bed. I don’t know how you do it (your good deeds) at your age. I’m pretty shattered as had a hectic weekend in London and Brighton and husband’s away sailing at Fowey Regatta. I have to work out how to get the dustbin to the road. Seeing your daughter as she is must be terrible.

  37. 3*/3* …
    liked 2D ” 25, perhaps, turned up with grisly tale (8)” ..
    clue for 25A is “US author reportedly corresponds with Ford, for one (10)” ….

    Commiserations to SJB and Daisygirl.

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