DT 30417 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30417

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30,417
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Good morning. We appear to have avoided Storm Agnes here in Hertfordshire. I hope it has not been too severe where you are. Today’s puzzle was good fun with just a couple of slightly obscure words that slowed me down a bit. There are a few juicy anagrams which might help you get a foothold in the puzzle.

The presence of the Queen and a sweetheart make “guess the setter” fairly straightforward for those in the know, so I suggest that you save your five bob for another day.

In my blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined and anagrams are CAPITALISED. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.

Across Clues

1a Name article found in English mine (7)
EPITHET: definite article inside (in) abbreviation for English and another word for a mine

5a Artisan beginning to plane wood (7)
PLUMBER: first letter of (beginning to) plane with a generic term for wood


9a Occasionally vague study for poet (5)
AUDEN: alternate letters (occasionally) of vague with a short word meaning study, more used in crosswords these days than in real life, I suspect


10a Hurtful married worker embraces ally (9)
MALIGNANT: abbreviation for married with our familiar soldier/worker so loved by setters and then stick in the middle of that lot a synonym for ally (a verb not a noun)

11a Son beat rivalry boxing, say, rascal (10)
SCAPEGRACE: a lego clue: abbreviation for son + synonym for beat + synonym for rivalry and tuck into this the usual abbreviation for say (as in for instance). Get all that in the right order and you should find the solution, which is not a word that I use every day

12a Purveyor of pork pies in EastEnders? (4)
LIAR: a CRS (Cockney Rhyming Slang) clue. Pork pies here are “lies” – and the definition is the whole clue

14a Sentence of criminal nominated for discharge (12)
CONDEMNATION: a short word for a criminal and then an anagram (for discharge) of NOMINATED

18a Hones cryptic cracking producing brilliance (12)
PYROTECHNICS: an anagram (cracking) of HONES CRYPTIC

21a Barrels in stacks, reportedly (4)
TUNS: homophone (reportedly) of another word for stacks/loads/lots


22a Officer regarding one dismal troop retreating (10)
BOMBARDIER: a clever reverse clue: an abbreviation for regarding + a single letter representing one + a synonym for dismal + a synonym for troop/crowd. Reverse the whole lot and give yourself a pat on the back.

25a In movement, our agenda includes train (9)
ENTOURAGE: hidden word inside words 2, 3 &4.  Thanks, Stephen!  Bit of a rush this morning

26a Start acting in film? (5)
ONSET: if you were acting in a film you might be described as being this (in two words)

27a Circumspect regarding purchasing spirit (7)
SPECTRE: hidden word within the first two words of the clue

28a Means to hold up bloomers? (7)
TRELLIS: don’t worry about looking for wordplay here. This is a lovely cryptic definition asking us to imagine a piece of elastic, whereas the answer is much more likely to be found in the garden than in the dressing room!


Down Clues

1d Sweetheart’s livid about pass (6)
ELAPSE: I confess that I don’t understand this and I wonder if there might be a mistake in the clue? Sweetheart is E (in the middle of sweet). Perhaps the livid part should be “spare” reversed? Add the S (given) and a synonym of livid and reverse the whole thing (about) I’m sure someone cleverer than me will provide the explanation.  Mea culpa. Thanks, Gazza.

2d Serve up in pub restaurant, commonly (6)
INDIAN: we are into the down clues now, so look out for UP being used to indicate a reversal. Here we have a word meaning serve (as in help), reverse it (up) and put it inside (in) another word for pub

3d The French confused about love hereafter (10)
HENCEFORTH: an anagram of THE FRENCH outside O for love

4d Possibly watch bank hiding money’s source (5)
TIMER: a four-letter synonym for bank (forget finances here!) and put inside it the first letter (source) of money

5d Male cop in bust? (9)
POLICEMAN: another anagram, with part of it doing double duty as the definition (I think!). Make an anagram (bust) of MALE COP IN

6d Usually rashly generated emotion, initially (4)
URGE: initial letters of the first four words in the clue

7d Sublime hit providing endless chill (8)
BEATIFIC: one of the slightly more obscure definitions, perhaps. Another word for hit + a two-letter word meaning providing + a short word meaning chill made even shorter (endless)

8d Coy getting into bed? (8)
RETIRING: a double definition – both underlined

13d Mother’s single eating beef and cheese (10)
MASCARPONE: lego time: abbreviation for mothers + word meaning single (think cricket, perhaps) + insert (eating) a verb meaning beef (as in moan)

15d Degree of party talk holding court (9)
DOCTORATE: a two-letter party and a synonym for talk (formally) outside (holding) the usual abbreviation for court

16d Gleaming gents finally with no bowl? (8)
SPOTLESS: take the last letter of gents (finally) and add another slightly cryptic word meaning having no bowl (or other piece of kitchenware)

17d Dark-haired beast circumventing trap (8)
BRUNETTE: insert (circumventing) a word for trap inside a word for beast

19d Gaudy containers with enamel exterior (6)
TINSEL: the answer looks like a noun but can also be an adjective according to Chambers. Four-lettered containers and then add on the first and last letters (exterior) of enamel

20d US soldiers catching deserter getting free (6)
GRATIS: our usual US soldiers outside (catching) another word for a deserter

23d Hit bushes, perhaps catching large grouse (5)
BLEAT: a word for “hit bushes” (think pheasant shooting?) outside (catching) abbreviation for large (as in clothing)

24d Short record covering Queen (4)
CURT: record here is a verb (as in make a record). Put it outside a single-letter abbreviation for queen (or king, come to that) and there is your answer


Quickie Pun: BORDER + SEER = BOADICEA

I think I have got this right. There are many ways of spelling and pronouncing the word.

84 comments on “DT 30417”

  2. Entertaining as always – thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.
    My ticks went to 10a, 28a and 16d.
    ‘Livid’ in 1d is ‘pale’.

  4. The elastic synonyms were more prominent than usual in this guzzle and the Queen made an appearance so it must be Ray T. I found it more difficult than Shabbo’s two stars and not really as enjoyable as some Ray T puzzles . The guesswork using rhe checkers and reverse engineering the parsing was the best strategy for me, especially in the SW. 18a was potentially a brilliant anagram but, unfortunately, rhe solution was the last one I associated with brilliance. However, 22a was a cracking clue and my COTD, a reverse lego clue no less. Other nice lego clues were 5a and 13d . Thhanks to Shabbo fir the hints and to Mr T for the crossword.

  5. Very enjoyable.
    22a was clever but I can’t make much sense of the surface read and 28a is a bit of a chestnut. In 25a there appears to be two indicators?
    Favourites were 1&5d (which I took as a clue as definition)
    Thanks Ray T and Shabbo.

    1. 25a doesn’t contain two indicators. The clue is stating that the phrase “In movement, our agenda” includes train. “Includes” is the only indicator. “In” is part of the contrived phrase hiding the lurker. Maybe a subtle bit of misdirection, deliberate or accidental?

  6. Thanks all for the explanation of 1d. I was in a bit of a rush this morning. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! Now amended.

    1. Sorry but I thought livid meant, apart from being cross, brightly coloured which is hardly pale. I can’t find a definition of livid = pale.

        1. Interesting that the BRB has livid coming from the Latin lead-coloured, so indeed pale or ashen. Now the big question is how on earth it came to mean the opposite black & blue (brightly coloured), though one can become pale with anger as well as bright
          red or livid.
          Being a brightly coloured person, have learnt a new word today! (Despite getting full marks in Latin O-Level)

        2. Chambers is wrong then. I think it’s about time Chambers had a good look at some of its odd synonyms.

      3. My Oxford Dictionary correlates with CS’s 1895 Encyclopaedia Dictionary. It says that the word is from late Middle English (in the sense ‘of a bluish leaden colour’): from French livide or Latin lividus, from livere ‘be bluish’. It adds that the sense ‘furiously angry’ dates from the early 20th cent. No mention of pale, although as SL says Chambers includes pale as a definition. The Collins online dictionary includes pale as a definition under ‘American English’. I have never seen or heard livid used to mean pale before today, and can’t imagine I will never use it in that sense.

    2. Our 1895 Encyclopedia Dictionary says

      From the Latin lividus, to be bluish. Of a leaden colour, black and blue, discoloured, as the flesh by a blow, clouded with greyish, brownish, and blackish

  7. Another fine puzzle from Ray T. Contains all the usual cryptic variations and some lovely word play.
    So many favourites, among them 21a, 19d and 1a.
    Thanks Ray T and Shabbo.

  8. Ray T at his best and definitely tricky for something of a head scratcher for me – 3.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 10a, 26a, 7d, and 13d – and the winner is 7d.

    Thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

      1. A superb Krapp in Krapp’s Last Tape ; for me Beckett’s best play. Krapp is actually recognisable as a human being. Must read it again as it recognises our weaknesses and our need for a narrative of love even if it’s untrue.

        1. He was wonderful as Maigret – I’ve recently revisited the black and white series. Such a distinctive voice. He will be sadly missed.

  9. This was a bit more of a struggle than I usually have with a Ray T puzzle, but that just meant that the enjoyment lasted longer. 11a was a new word for me although now I’ve said that it does ring a little bell from a previous crossword. So many good clues as always. Favourite was 7d, joined on the podium by 1a and 10a. I had the same problem as Shabbo with 1d – easy when you know. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

    1. Yes, 11a came up fairly recently, I think it might have made Terence’s LIST even. It was right in the recesses of my mind and I only got there via the wordplay.

      1. Indeed, but Terence said of that word it ” ‘should’ be nominated for THE LIST, but as it is such a delightful word, it shall be spared” – and so with his grace it escaped inclusion!

  10. Haven’t had time recently to be able to comment, but thought this gem of a crossword deserved recognition, Ray T at his very best.
    7d and 11a are for me examples of a brilliant cryptic clue, a synonym that doesn’t come immediately to mind but gettable from careful reading of the wordplay, resulting in a word that you did know all along.
    Loved it – thank you Shabbo and Ray T

  11. A steady solve with a couple of lurkers to boot.
    I have seen 11a previously but it is a rare event,took a while to provide the charade.
    Last in was 22a and another reversal.
    Liked 7d for its rarety, what would we do without the Cockney slang-was thinking of Sweeny Todd in 12d
    Going for a **/****.
    Quickie pun elicited a smile.

  12. Hi thanks for all the explanations but I think you’ve got 25a wrong. It’s actually a lurker of the second, third and fourth words in the clue not an anagram

  13. A bit prosaic but with some lighter moments. 1a foxed me too Shabbo so thanks to Gazza for elucidation. Use of 2d on its own as a noun always rankles. Bust in 5d – mmm, whatever next? Fav 3d. Thank you RayT and Shabbo. Quickie pun clever but does stretch the pronunciation.

  14. The most testing backpager of the week so far, and many trademark RayT features, including the (ahem) “less obvious” synonyms! It took me ages to see the anagram in 18a, and there were a couple of clues where I felt that if B is a synonym of A, and C a synonym of B, C is not necessarily a synonym of A. For that reason I parsed 22a a little differently – mob and troop may both be used collectively of some monkeys/apes.

    11a sounded new to me, and as it did with Mhids & others it rang a bell – but familiar it indeed turned out to be, having appeared only last month in a backpager.

    3* / 3*

    Many thanks indeed to the Master of Brevity, and of course also to Shabbo.

    1. MG, 22a. I can’t see a problem – mob is a direct synonym of troop in the sense of gang/group (of people, or monkeys if you prefer).

  15. Thought our master of brevity was definitely asking us to work a bit harder today and I really had to search the old grey matter for some of the synonyms. Nice to find the odd ‘gimme’ to boost the confidence along the way.
    Podium places went to 10a plus 3,5&7d.

    Devotions as ever to Mr T and thanks to Shabbo for the review.

  16. My first in 3 weeks due to Spanish foray again. I have to say the only alternative there is sometimes DT like but often very obscure GK which I loathe. Today’s I found about *** but top end as out of practice: never heard of 11a but luckily guessed it so didn’t like that one really due to my ignorance. I thought 5d a nicely concealed anagram and my favourite was 26a. I rarely watch films at the cinema but was treated by she who must be obeyed to see Mission Impossible at the local cinema yesterday. The best film I have seen in years. 2 hours 45 mins and we thought it had only run half that when it ended. Thanks Shabbo and the setter.

  17. Pretty straightforward though like a few I scratched my head a bit over 1D.
    One longstanding gripe — I wish setters would not describe corporals, sergeants, gunners, bombardiers, etc as ‘officers’. They aren’t; they are ‘other ranks’ even in the modern army!

    1. Totally agree with your gripe. I initially discounted the right answer on those grounds before realising it couldn’t be anything else!

    3. Although I’m sort of sympathetic with your gripe Newminster, you will agree that ‘other ranks’ includes NCOs (non-commissioned officers).

    4. They are not commissioned but non- commissioned officers or Warrant Officers, at least I was ! Except for the rank of Private anand equivalents.

    5. I have always assumed that bombardiers are NCOs, or “officers” in the arny, navy or air force not holding a rank conferred by commission. So, essentially they are “officers” of a type.

    7. No, they should call them “the ones who get things done, and put themselves in harms way…”.

  18. Happy to see this one home, even if it took a while. 1d and 11a were a bit obscure, but aside from that some really enjoyable and diverting clues here.

    After an easy(ish) start to the week, things are warming up…

  19. 2.5*/5*. Top-notch stuff from Mr T today with 10a & 7d battling it out for top spot.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

  20. Started off v slowly but then speeded up as I got onto the right wavelength.
    Bust out laughing on COTD 5d! Having wasted time trying to get le, la or les into 3d.
    Needed help for 1d and only figured out 2d afterwards.
    Still have the image of the sheep complaining as they were driven out of the bushes. Also liked my namesakes in 25 and 27a.
    Many thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

  21. in my book livid and pale are antonyms and definitely not synonyms, livid is blue-black like a bruise

    2. I’d say that “livid” is a contronym or Janus word – a word with two opposite meanings. It can mean ashen/grey/pale or red with anger/purple like a bruise.

  22. A tough puzzle today I thought from RayT that I started on Wednesday pm with the rain pouring down outside. As I write this, I have 6 clues unsolved and I have no clue on the parsing so at this point a DNF. It is, IMHO, more like a Beam offering.

    3.5*/3.5*

    (I came back to this just before my bedtime and finished it … can’t say it was one of RayT’s stellar puzzles with those missing words a hard stretch. Enjoyment down to 3*)

    Favourites of clues include 1a, 25a, 1d, 2d & 17d — with winner 1a

    Thanks nonetheless to RayT for the brain pain & Shabbo for hints/blog

  23. I always struggle a bit with Ray T puzzles, and this was no exception…..I would never have got 11a had we not seen it a couple of times recently and I feel it is too archaic a word to have a legitimate place in these puzzles. COTD for me definitely 1d (I was fine with the synonym for livid)….anyway, thanks to all

  24. Many thanks to everyone who sent condolences yesterday. Sorry I was not able to reply but we were travelling.
    Your thoughts are much appreciated.
    Haven’t had a chance to really look at todays Ray T but it looks eminently doable. I may save it to later, not really in the mood at the moment having just returned from the funeral.
    Thx again.

    1. I didn’t read the comments yesterday as I didn’t complete it until this morning being busy all day yesterday. My condolences on your loss. I’m no stranger to funerals myself but the hardest thing I find is deleting their number out of my phone, some of which I haven’t done yet. The one thing I don’t delete are their memories.

      1. I never delete them. If their phone number passes to a relative this can be disconcerting. On one occasion visiting my late friend in St Just in Toseland churchyard « he «  rang me.

  25. I found this puzzle (which I started last evening and finished this morning) to be quite a stiff challenge. I solved 11a by pattern matching the checkers and only then remembered it’s previous appearance. I failed to see the anagram in 5d and solved it strictly as a cryptic definition. As for Shabbo’s comment that “part of the clue is doing double duty”, it is my understanding that is not permissible. However, the entire clue can do double duty which is the case here. The “extended definition” is a male cop who may engage in a bust as part of his duties (the question mark flagging the clue as a cryptic definition). Thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

  26. Not really a fan of RayT but enjoyed several clues especially the brilliant 18a
    Had my covid jab yesterday. The tiniest of tiny twinges occasionally, not like poor Manders who I hope has recovered.

  27. Even speaking as one spent many years as a “hinty person” for Ray T’s crosswords found that difficult.
    Maybe I’m out of practice but I can’t see why . . . perhaps it WAS a difficult one!
    I particularly appreciated the two long anagrams across the middle and 8d and 20d.
    Thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo.

  28. I always struggle with RayT so I am very pleased that I did this with minimal ehelp and only two DNFs. I would never have got 11a and 23a without ehelp, and failed at 27a to my shame, that was almost a gimme. I had a couple that I needed my trusty thesaurus for, 1d and 7d. Lots of good stuff but some standouts, 15d, 16d and 18a amused.
    Thank you RayT for the fun and Shabbo for unravelling so much.

  29. Given that I never, ever find Ray T benevolent, I did quite well today, so will take that as a win. He is always fair, and not off the wall, or convoluted, just usually a bit above my pay grade. Thanks to same, and to Shabbo.

  30. I thought that I’d got to grips with a RayT but felt that I was dealt a real curveball today. What a struggle. After filling in 4d and 5d, and having two checking letters, I immediately threw “malicious” into 10a without fully reading the clue. Serves me right. I had to revisit the clue when I couldn’t fill in the NE corner. Thank you RayT for the challenge and Shabbo for the review.

  31. Another excellent puzzle from Ray T. Fine clues, a decent challenge and an enjoyable solve. Favourite of a splendid group: 10a. 3*/4*.

  32. I managed to solve a RayT unaided, so very pleased with myself. Rather enjoyed the solve too!

    If 11a hadn’t come up recently, it would have been a dnf. 7d was a new word for me. 1a was a new meaning of that word for me. Echo all the comments about livid too.

    Thanks to all.

  33. I really enjoyed this puzzle and did …eventually…manage to solve it. Did need help with some of the parsings , though.

    Thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

  34. Lacked a bit of sparkle today I thought. But I’m sat in the car waiting for training to finish so stuck with it. Some words to try to retain.

  35. I thought I made harder work of this than I usually do with a Rayt but apparently not as others struggled. Thanks to the contributors for elucidation of livid which I was unaware of. I read 5d as an all in clue and was my cotd. 11a did indeed come up a couple of weeks ago, hitherto unknown to me. As usual lots to like. Thanks to Ray and Shabbo.

  36. Good evening
    It’s a DNF – I simply couldn’t get 11a or 7d; I guessed 1d but couldn’t parse it, and reading the hints, I’m not alone.
    Other than that plenty to get stuck into. My thanks to Ray T for the challenge, and Shabbo for the hints

  37. Out all day so late to comment. More difficult than usual. 1d unparsed – twigged the reversed sweethearts but pale as livid well who’d ‘ave thunk it. Last in 11a once the lego bricks eventually sorted out. Top 3 for me – 22a + 5&7d.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo – have read the comments but will read the review properly later

  38. After a very busy day I have just completed this with the hints needed for 2. I may have done better if it were not so late. I found this trickier than usual especially 1d, several new synonyms for me. That said RayT always challenges me.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the hints.

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