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DT 30438

by Falcon  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30438

Hints and tips by Falcon

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Greetings from Ottawa, where lazy days lounging in the warm summer sun by the lake have ended for another year and I am busy preparing for the onslaught of the cold snowy days of winter that lie ahead. I’ll be off later today to have my snow tires installed. Unlike Winnipeg, there’s no sign of snow for the foreseeable future here so this will likely be the first time in years that I’ve managed to get them on before the arrival of snow.

I found today’s puzzle from Campbell to be on the easier end of his spectrum but nevertheless a very enjoyable solve.

In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, 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   Sign on closet for personal assistants (11)
SECRETARIES — an astrological sign follows (on in an across clue) closet as an adjective

7a   Antique found in manor-house in large bag (7)
HOLDALL — another word for antique contained (found in) a manor-house

8a   Part of proposal for developing English city (7)
SALFORD — a lurker hiding in (part of) three words in the clue

10a   Estate landowner coming out of retreat with daughter (5)
LAIRD — a retreat or den and the genealogical abbreviation for daughter

11a   Harshly criticise a bank clerk heard getting cigar (9)
PANATELLA — a charade of a word denoting harshly criticise, the A from the clue, and a couple of syllables that may sound (depending on the speaker) like a bank clerk

12a   Love tucking into medley of kipper and something from the butcher’s? (4,3)
PORK PIE — the usual tennis love inserted in an anagram of (medley of) KIPPER

14a   Loewe’s partner impressing a pupil (7)
LEARNER — place the A from the clue in Frederick Loewe’s musical collaborator

15a   Recovered and exchanged a series of shots (7)
RALLIED — double definition, the first perhaps medical and the second sporting

18a   Mischievous troublemaker — girl men reformed (7)
GREMLIN — an anagram (reformed) of two words in the clue

20a   Post-Victorian hostilities suppressed by press chief and I, unwisely (9)
EDWARDIAN — hostilities like those currently underway in Ukraine and the Middle East bookended by the usual shortened press chief and an anagram (unwisely) of AND I

21a   Strain representing church (5)
FORCE — representing or acting on behalf of and the abbreviated state church of England

22a   Special rest day, so wandered off (7)
STRAYED — an anagram (special) of REST DAY

23a   Tackle difficulty leader of Democrats ignored (7)
HARNESS — a synonym of difficulty with the D (leader of DEMOCRATS) removed (ignored)

24a   Comic, pocketing change, beginning to mimic daydreamer (6,5)
WALTER MITTY — comic as an adjective wrapped around (pocketing) a verb meaning change and M (beginning to MIMIC)

Down

1d   One coming in to join one in army (7)
SOLDIER — a Roman one contained in (coming in) a verb meaning to join (two pieces of metal)

2d   Vegetable, primarily chewy and unpleasant (5)
CHARD — the initial letter of (primarily) CHEWY and a synonym of unpleasant

3d   Blot out imperfect pieces, about fifty (7)
ECLIPSE — an anagram (imperfect) of PIECES containing (about) the Roman numeral for fifty

4d   Football club‘s stadium, outside south London initially (7)
ARSENAL — another term for stadium containg (outside) S(outh), all of which is followed by the initial letter of LONDON

5d   I left lake with a kid far from relaxed (3,2,4)
ILL AT EASE — string together the I from the clue, the abbreviations for left and lake, the A from the clue, and a verb meaning kid or mock; then split it according to the specified numeration

6d   German bread taken round end of festival (7)
STOLLEN — taken illegally containing (round) the final letter of (end of) FESTIVAL

7d   Hotel employees all drink in this, occasionally (4,7)
HALL PORTERS — place the ALL from the clue and a type of alcoholic drink (the six-letter one, not the four-letter one) inside one of the regular sequence of letters (occasionally) from THIS

9d   Boring campanologists should get doubles (4,7)
DEAD RINGERS — an adjective denoting boring or uninteresting and a more common term for campanologists

13d   Three of a kind, two of a kind, and a type of flush (4-5)
PAIR-ROYAL — link together two terms from poker; the first another name for two of a kind and the second an adjective describing an especially high value flush

16d   Unsophisticated, born in humble terrace? (7)
LOWBROW — sandwich the genealogical abbreviation for born between synonyms for humble and terrace (as a type of dwelling)

17d   Shrink departs — con hasn’t succeeded (7)
DWINDLE — the transportation timetable abbreviation for departs and con or cheat without the genealogical abbreviation for succeeded (in the sense of was next in the line of succession)

18d   Kind of cotton cloth inside bulging hamper (7)
GINGHAM — the second lurker of the day, hiding (insde) the final two words in the clue

19d   Theft? Criminal nearly caught breaking in (7)
LARCENY — an anagram (criminal) of NEARLY with the cricket notation for caught inserted (breaking in)

21d   Oldest evergreen on street (5)
FIRST — a conifer followed by (on in a down clue) the abbreviation for street

Clues I especially liked include 24a, 7d and 9d but I’ll give top honours to 17d with its masterful smooth surface.

Quickie Pun (Top Row): PROFFER + SEIZE = PROPHECIES

Quickie Pun (Bottom Row) : PARIS + HEIGHTS = PARASITES

93 comments on “DT 30438”

  1. Very enjoyable, with some gentle misdirection, particularly in the south.
    I particularly liked 12a with its interesting anagram indicator, the DD at 15a, the amusing and clever 24a plus 17d.
    Many thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  2. Found breaking into the N a bit of a challenge but the SE was more straightforward. 11d cotd. A very enjoyable puzzle.

  3. Typically Mondayish with a fairly gentle but most enjoyable puzzle. 17d was my final entry and my favourite clue ahead of 14a.

    My thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  4. A strrange sort of guzzle for me, with a mixture of half very straightforward clues (mostly to the East and rhe other half real head-scratchers. I had never heard of 13d, despite being a keen card player but we live and learn by looking up wwhat,seems to be an answer from the wordplay on Google. If this was Campbell, itwas rather lacking in outstanding clues by comparison with other Monday guzzles but 18d was quite aa good lurker and I liked tthe wordplay in 9d. Thanks to Falcon for the hints and to whichever compiler set the guzzle
    .

      1. I hadn’t seen that, Falcon. Thanks for alerting me to it. It’s a quotation from my reply to Terence, who somehow missed the origin of the term, ‘Floughie Lady’.

        1. I figured if Terence had missed it, then likely others did also. Your reply was perfect for the FAQs — well-phrased and succinct.

      2. If you are revising the FAQ’s can you have a look at 29 there is no mention of the Sunday Toughie

        Thanks for the blog, I managed without but checked I’d parsed a few, like others East easier than West but got there in the end

        1. I had forgotten my involvement in that FAQ, and I am sure Big Dave added at least two-thirds of the material. I have added reference to the Sunday Toughie and a few other tweaks as well. Thanks for the nudge.

          1. Thanks – it is a prize puzzle as well

            Does the first appearance of the Christmas Bread in 6d count as a bit too early? I bet Betty’s hasn’t got them in yet,😋

  5. A gentle launch into the cruciverbal week with no particular Fav(s) but East the most friendly. Look forward to more of this week’s challenges of doubtless increasing rigour. Thank you Campbell and Falcon.

  7. A very enjoyable, typically Mondayish puzzle. I was held up momentarily in the SW corner by the word ‘so’ in 22a, which I presume is there to make the clue flow, and it took me longer than it should to work out the parsing of 17d. I’m not a fan of single letters being used to indicate words. I suppose some are so designated and I don’t know which ones! Favourite today was the very clever 20a, which had me trawling my memory for obscure 20th century wars, joined on the podium by 1a and 9d. Thanks to Campbell for the enjoyment and Falcon for confirming my thoughts on 17d.

    1. Yes, “so” in 22a is a link word where it indicates ‘resulting in’. As for single letter abbreviations, it is fair game if it appears in the BRB. They come from fields as diverse as genealogy (we had a couple today), clothing sizes (S, M, L), street signs (P[arking], H[ospital]), and even water faucets (C for cold, but I don’t recall ever having seen H for hot). I often include an indication in the hint of what field it may have come from.

        1. No, H for “hot”; H for “hotel” comes from the NATO phonetic alphabet. Some letters can be indicated by more than one word.

          1. As I said, I don’t recall ever seeing the former but if “cold” can be C,, why can”t “hot” be H?

              1. Thanks, Gazza
                Now that I’ve commented on its rarity, we’ll probably be flooded with occurrences.

  8. Easy top, tough bottom. Last one in was 17d which I got, but for a while couldn’t see how it was derived, penny dropped in the end though. Favourites today were 14a and 7d. Many thanks to our setter, good honest fun.

  9. It’s Monday :good: It’s Campbell :good: **/****

    Favourite – a toss-up between 1a and 15a – and the winner is 15a, with an honourable mention for 17d.

    Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  10. A fairly gentle Monday puzzle – thanks to Campbell and Falcon.
    In spite of playing more games of cribbage than I care to remember I’ve never heard the 13d phrase used although the wordplay is clear.
    For my podium I’ve selected 1a, 8a and 17d.

  11. I did need to check on the cribbage term – don’t remember dad ever telling me about that one – but everything else was fairly plain sailing. No stand-out favourite but I did quite like 17&19d.

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon for the review – hope the coming winter weather doesn’t create too many problems for you.

    Just realised we’ve got a Rookie puzzle this week, must get it printed out.

    1. I used to play Cribbage lot, when I was younger, Jane, with various family members. I cannot remember anyone ever using the term in 13d either.

  13. I seem to be out of kilter with most of today’s BD bloggers. I found this a bit of a struggle in all corners of the grid. Had to put it aside for an hour or so and when I came back various light bulbs switched on in my head and I was able to complete it. Makes it all the more enjoyable when you are made to think hard. LOI 17d. COTD 9d. Thanks to the setter and to the soon to be snowbound Falcon.

  14. All over a bit too quickly but very enjoyable nonetheless. Last in was 13d, easily gettable from the wordplay, but never having played cribbage I had to look it up afterwards to see exactly what it was. Liked the 4 peripheral long ‘uns but top 3 for me were 12&15a along with 16d.
    Thanks to the ever reliable Campbell & to Falcon.

  15. Pleasant start to te week and like others going for a **/****
    Favourite was 20a,12d was new to me ,had to be only one answer.Spotted the two Quickie puns for a change.
    Cheshire slowly dryting up chaos on Saturday!
    Thanks to setter and Falcon

  16. It’s reassuring to see others struggling to parse 17d, also my LOI. Good work Campbell and Falcon.

  17. Devon and Cornwall held me up today while the rest of the country gave little resistance. Not being a card player, I did not know 13d so will have to admit to looking that one up – never heard of it. As a former tower captain, I and my colleagues never used the second word of 9d to describe ourselves. I always forget the type of shots described in 15a and spend far too long on words such as “salvo”. My COTD is 1a.

    Many thanks to Campbell for the fun challenge. Thank you , Falcon for the hints and the picture at 12a which put me in an early festive mood. It was soon dispelled when I started looking at essays!

            1. Maybe Collins does have other definitions, Falcon but don’t try telling a change ringer that! 🤣🤣

    2. I spent far too long trying to make 15a “salvage”, I knew it couldn’t be right but my brain refused to let it go.

  18. Did not enjoy today’s crossword at all. Three quarters of it were fine but several of the others were proved difficult especially 24a where James Thurber is the comic genius and 24a is the butt. My dislike of card games renders most such games a mystery and a few others seemed to me a tad obtuse.

    Still 12a and 7d provided smiles so thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

        1. And Ben Stiller in a dire remake. Give me Tom Courtenay in Schlesinger’s Billy Liar any day

  19. Enjoyed the start of the week with this 2*/4* offering from Campbell. (Remembered he said last week he was the compiler for this Monday!). The difficulties I encountered included 13d, which I have never heard of, but managed to solve from the word shape and 17d which again I solved but didn’t know how – so thanks to Falcon for enlightening me. Favourites included 1a 20a 24a and 16d.
    Thank you Campbell and Falcon.

  20. Following SC’s theme I was the same and living in the former maybe ironically so! Clever clues and Falcon’s rating would have been mine as well. V good Monday fare. 13d and 24a my favourites. Thank you Falcon and Campbell.

  21. As always, a nice gentle start to the week: extremely fair cluing with some nice surfaces.

    I’ve never heard of the Cribbage term and I’m a huge fan, playing it regularly with my 22 year old daughter, along with Scrabble, Rummikub and, lately, crosswords. During lockdown, she signed up to an online Cribbage site which she enjoyed. But, she had to quickly change her name (Lulu) because she started to get chatted up by some older gentlemen! She is now 68 year old Anthony.

    My podium is 1a, 17d and 24a

    Many thanks to Falcon and the camp bell ringer.

    2*/4*

      1. Like it, AB. Like it.

        She is a triplet and has inherited my childishness as well as my passion for all things guzzly.

        Her brothers are very much like their mother other than one of them having a shiny pate, like his pop.

        1. That made a lot more sense once I realised you hadn’t written “pâté”!

          Don’t forget to have a stab at today’s Rookie Corner guzzle by the way, you may like it… 😉

  22. Good afternoon
    Following on from previous comments re 13d, I had always understood the term “prial”, three of a kind, to be a contraction of “pair royal”.
    Enjoyable solve this afty. Wasn’t quite sure about the parsing of 17d, so a read through the hints has set me right. Thank you Falcon.
    C O T D has to go to 1a, which was the last to fall. Thank you Campbell.

    3. My Chambers App also has pairial and parial, so I guess over time it got more and more contracted to end up as prial.
      Don’t you just love the English language.

      1. Ah, that wxplains a lot. A prial is something I have definitely heard of but didnt associate it with 13d.

  23. Thanks to Falcon & setter,
    Daughter & family arrived in Montreal yesterday for a half term jolly.
    Enjoyed the easy start to the week. 13d last in on word play
    23A my best clue
    Regards,
    Denis

  24. On last week’s Monday blog, Campbell popped in to claim ownership for the puzzle and mentioned that he would be setting this Monday puzzle too. Even though, to me, it didn’t feel like a Campbell to me, I am assuming it is.
    Some fairly difficult clues and another puzzle where I had problems some of the parsing.
    Bit of hair pulling in this one and head scratching too.

    2.5*/3.5* for me

    Favourites for me were 11a, 24a, 3d, 9d & 17d — with winner 9d

    Thanks to Campbell & Falcon

  25. Managed that quite well with no recourse to the hints but I’ve read them anyway. I didn’t know about 13d but it was easy to guess. Anecdote: When I cleared my mother’s house I brought back two obviously home made cribbage boards, polished with use. I play just about everything else from backgammon to bridge via all the other card games, but never cribbage. I unearthed them the other day and turning one over I found my Great Grandfather’s initials and a date 1868 worked in tiny brass tacks. I was unexpectedly moved to tears! So, great guzzle – 24a was favourite. I don’t often say I do not like a clue but I didn’t like 16 d as I am not sure that unsophisticated is necessarily lowborn, but maybe the book says otherwise. Many thanks to Messrs Campbell & Falcon and to everyone who said nice things about our poppies. The village seems to approve!

    1. DG, I know the surface reading suggests “lowborn” but that is not the answer to the clue.

      1. Oh Falcon. I am getting old. I didn’t think I was, but it’s creeping up on me. I did mean brow, I’ve got brown in my grid of course. I knew I shouldn’t have put my head above the parapet to query something. I’m going to put myself in the corner.

    2. When Mrs C and I were dealers in antique Tunbridge Ware we had some very fine cribbage boards pass through our hands.

  26. 1.5*/4*. Another light and very enjoyable start to the week with 17d my favourite.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Falcon.

  27. Perhaps because it has to be straightforward on Monday it lacks a certain oomph . Pleasant , although will own to not knowing a series of gun shots might be called thus. Don’t do much shooting round East Grinstead. Thanks to all,

  28. Thoroughly enjoyable again. Managed half before going off to my volunteer printing job of the local mag (Glaven Valley News if your interested and its on line too). What joy, we have been given new premises in a room in Blakeney Village Hall – clean, warm and most importantly there are loos! Our previous location, a grotty shed, was nowhere near a loo and thank goodness for the last decade or so I didn’t need one so this is bliss. Back to the crossword – I finished it off at speed when I got home – I used to play cribbage but have never heard of the term. No particular favourites but thanks to the setter and Falcon

  29. It’s all gone wrong today – so many things that I either didn’t know or couldn’t work out and all in one crossword.
    I’ve never heard of Loewe (let alone his partner), can’t ‘do’ football clubs, can’t ‘do’ poker any better than football, etc etc.
    Not a hope – just not my day I think!
    I did like 18 and 20a and 2 and 19d. My favourite was 6d – it’s lovely home made but takes forever to rise!
    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon.

    1. Oh Kath, I feel your pain! I am doing everything wrong today as well, Monday Blues. I think we are all fed up with the news.

  30. Better than anything we were offered last week, and a pleasant start to the week. Confess though that it took ages for the light bulb moment in 7a. Almost gave up at 13d, know nothing about poker, but I bunged it in anyway, and slow with 24a because I wasn’t thinking of a particular person. 17d was LI. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  31. That was very tricky and very hard for a Monday. Managed to finish it but needed the hints to explain 16d and 22a. Not helped by having no idea who Lerner and Loewe was (had to Google) and have never come across the term in 13d before.
    Thought 17d was an extremely poor clue but loved 11a as it made me smile.Not my favourite puzzle.
    ***/**
    Thx for the hints.

  32. I found this tricky in places and needed a few goes at it. Eventually I got there. I needed the hints to understand the parsing of 7d and 13d as despite having played cribbage I did not know the term. 1a was my favourite and I liked the anagrams.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Falcon for the hints.

  33. I know it’s late in the day (only just back home from taking ‘Mr Rache’ to ukulele) but we struggled with this. First half went in swimmingly then stuck, stuck, stuck, finished it in the end but we nearly didn’t read everybody’s comments. Glad we did because it’s clear that there were very different responses to this puzzle. Makes us feel, “it’s not just us!”

  34. That’s the way to start the week 😃 **/**** Favourites 11 & 20 across 🤗 Thanks to the Falcon and to Campbell

  35. Perfect start to the week and right up my straße! I solved this without any help, was in a waiting room and had no access to any. I didn’t know the term at 13d but knew the poker words so bunged it in. I also bunged in 17d without understanding it, I’ve read Falcon’s hint and now get it, but it’s made my head spin. I liked lots, but 20a and 24a stood out for me.
    Thank you Campbell for the fun, hope it’s a good omen for the week, and Falcon for shining a light on some.

  37. Enjoyed today’s puzzle though I held back on 13d for awhile as hadn’t heard of it (interesting reading people’s comments on it later). Put the wrong word in at 15a which threw me for some time. Lots to like Many thanks to Campbell (?) and Falcon.

  38. Campbell in, perhaps, a lite
    Monday mode.
    Nevertheless, a pleasure throughout.
    Natty misdirections.
    South half first to fall,
    North a bit more resilient.
    20a and 13d joint Gold.
    Smiled at 24a, memories of the hugely talented Danny.
    Thanks Campbell and Fakcon.

  40. Same gripes as others. Hadn’t heard of Loewe or his partner, the Cribbage term which I had to Google and needed the hint to parse 17d. Apart from those, pretty straightforward. Favourite was 12a as I hail from the county who make the best ones in the world, no not Dickenson and Morris but Marcus Stevens my local butcher in Ullesthorpe, divine. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

  41. Done this morning. Great puzzle. Clever clues. Most went straight in except the few that seem to have troubled some of you. Amazed that some people not heard of the musical partnership. Once you had the second name you get the first like bread and butter or fish and chips. 7 14 23a and 5 9 and 16d favourites. Use of tackle in that way makes great surface read. I struggled with the last letter of 15a and first of 17d till thought it through. Never heard of 13d but doable from the checkers. Should have mentioned genius clue 24a and only one which I didn’t parse despite being obvious – 7d. Thanks Campbell and Falcon. Brilliant.

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