DT 30441 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30441

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30,441
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ****

Good morning from a grey, wet and dull Welwyn Garden City. Shouldn’t complain, I suppose, as the last couple of days have been lovely. At least we have the Thursday crossword to look forward to, with our “sweetheart” setter providing a lovely puzzle which was fun to solve, if not too challenging.

There are a few meaty anagrams which should provide a useful foothold into the puzzle and plenty of verbs masquerading as nouns and vice versa. All in all, an excellent puzzle. Thank you not-so-mysterious setter.

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 Get naked with sweetheart for streak (6)
STRIPE: a synonym of get naked + our setter’s signature “sweetheart” being the heart of sweet.

5a Wife that is most ample (6)
WIDEST: abbreviation for wife + “that is” in Latin, more usually seen in its abbreviated form.

10a Get together when entertaining old ladies (5)
AMASS: two-letter synonym for “when” outside (entertaining) abbreviation for old ladies or mothers.

11a Free former partner, single before judge (9)
EXONERATE: a lego clue: short word meaning former partner + synonym for single (think cricket) + synonym for judge (a verb).

12a Gruesome as lesions concealing disease (7)
MEASLES: look for a hidden word within the first three words of the clue – well spotted!



13a Best delivery company label with English (7)
UPSTAGE: another lego clue: one of the many delivery companies + synonym for label + abbreviation for English. Assemble that lot to find a verb masquerading as an adjective.

14a Merchant and master in exchange (9)
TRADESMAN: anagram (in exchange) of ANDMASTER.

17a One’s trapped in stifling lift (5)
HOIST: one’s (or I’s) inside (trapped in) a synonym of stifling.


18a Promotion and Cambridge university grant (5)
ADMIT: short abbreviation for promotion (as in advertisement) + the Cambridge university from across the pond.

19a Listless cheat with girl confused (9)
LETHARGIC: anagram of CHEATGIRL.

21a Coward some regard as tardy (7)
DASTARD: an archaic definition, according to Chambers, but sympathetically clued. It is hiding in plain sight within the final three words of the clue.



23a More masculine person who minces? (7)
BUTCHER: a double definition. Clever.

25a Common European standard? (9)
TRICOLOUR: a cryptic definition. Standard here means a flag. I think “common” indicates that many countries adopt this style of flag, but I am prepared to be convinced otherwise.


26a Damn solution absorbing solver primarily (5)
CURSE: synonym for solution outside (absorbing) the first letter (primarily) of solver.

27a Respecting Church vessel for apse (6)
RECESS: another lego clue for you to assemble: synonym for respecting + abbreviation for church + abbreviation for vessel (as in ship).

28a States election’s beginning to get hostile (6)
AVERSE: synonym for states (a verb) + the first letter (beginning) of election.

Down Clues

2d Tribal roar, occasionally displaying headdress (5)
TIARA: every other letter (occasionally) of the first two words of the clue.

3d Rude about head of Venus bust (9)
INSOLVENT: a synonym for rude outside (about) the first letter (head of) Venus.

4d Quits, still without love (5)
EVENS: take two words meaning still or nevertheless and get rid of the O (love in tennis).

5d Hint wound around crime mystery (9)
WHODUNNIT: anagram (around) of HINTWOUND.

6d Pass on tasteless empty fasts (5)
DIETS: a synonym for pass on or expire, followed by the first and last letters of tasteless (empty).

7d Marine is fierce suppressing fear, oddly (9)
SEAFARING: a synonym for fierce outside (suppressing) the odd letters (oddly) of FeAr. The definition looks like it should be a noun, but it is in fact an adjective. Neat.

8d Male animal pack upset animal (6)
MARMOT: this held me up for a while as I thought “male” had to be M. What we have, in fact, is a male animal and a synonym for pack, all turned upside down (upset).

9d Command from top to carry explosive (6)
BEHEST: a synonym for top (a verb) outside (to carry) an abbreviation for high explosive. The definition is a noun, not a verb.

15d It’s a crime breaking ceasefire (9)
ARMISTICE: anagram (breaking) of ITSACRIME.

16d Yours truly, large and offensive? Sweet! (9)
MELODIOUS: another lego or charades clue: two letter word meaning yours truly (i.e. the setter) + abbreviation for large + synonym for offensive.

17d Try article about a Conservative suffering (9)
HEARTACHE: synonym for “try” (think law) + definite article outside (about) A + C.

18d Inspects cars including MOT finally (6)
AUDITS: German cars outside (including) last letter (finally) of MOT. The definition is something an accountant might do.

20d Worries about start of incisor decay (6)
CARIES: a synonym for worries outside (about) initial letter (start of) incisor.

22d Idolise a Queen over holding party (5)
ADORE: A + the regnal abbreviation of our late Queen upside down (over) outside (holding) a two letter word meaning party.

23d Bulge under radius, say, aching initially (5)
BURSA: I was in two minds whether to underline the whole clue or just the first word as the definition. Either way, you need to take the first letters (initially) of the first five words of the clue and join them all together.

24d Hard on weapons causing injuries (5)
HARMS: a nice straightforward clue to finish. Abbreviation for hard + synonym of weapons.

Quickie Pun: NICK + RAG + EWER = NICARAGUA

69 comments on “DT 30441

  1. Spot on.

    I prefer Ray’s clues being this length as they can be so short that there are no blind alleys to be lead down.

    Good to see Shabbs giving a nod to the Terry ‘What a shower!’ Thomas * cad and his mutt Muttley. Wonderful stuff.

    I love the verb to mince in 23a. Whoever thought of it is a genius.

    So many good surfaces with my podium being the ‘Carry on’ threesome that kicked off proceedings 1a, 5a & 10a.

    Many thanks to Shabbo and the master that is Ray T.

    2*/5*

    * Did you know that Terry-Thomas has a hyphen? His first stage name was Mot Snevets (Tom Stevens reversed) as he was born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens. When he settled with Terry Thomas, he added the hyphen because he likened it to the gap between his teeth (aka diastema). I’m very, very happy with that. The ‘diastema, philtrum, septum’ comby often come up in quizzes as do pollex/hallux (thumb/big toe).

  2. Very enjoyable and not overly difficult.
    I really liked 13a (though the parcel company is becoming a bit tired) 23a(lol) plus 4&17d.
    Many thanks to RayT and Shabbo, I parsed 25a as you did.

    1. Incidentally Shabbo, re your comment on the clever 23d. When I used to do the hints for Ray T puzzles I often had the same dilemma. He is really good at making this clue type into an extended definition. Well he is really good full stop!

  3. A teally enjoyable, moderately straightforward guzzle with a few stubborn head-scratchers holding out at the end. A nice variety of clues, with a bit of General Knowledge involved made it more absorbing than many crosswords..I liked the lurker at 21a (such a lovely word) Nd the well hidden anagram at 14a. There were two super lego clues at7d and 16d, which were my joint COTD’s . Many thanks to Ray T for a verywell-crafted guzzle and to Shabbo for the hints, which I shall now read to clarify some of the parsing

  4. I fully concur with the few who have commented thus far that this quality puzzle was at the easier end of Ray T’s setting spectrum, yet It still retained all his trademark conciseness and wit. 23a exemplifies this perfectly and was my COTD. A nod, too, to the excellent Quickie pun.

    Thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

  5. Loved that today, especially 23d as I could almost hear Huntsman wincing when the solution was diagnosed
    5a amused too when the Latin That Is got the full treatment
    Thanks to Shabbo and RayT
    Ps i think 13a needs a bit of an edit

    1. I misread that as “almost hear Huntsman mincing”, and wondered whether he was wearing leather trousers … ;)

  6. Rapid progress until left with obstinate 8d, 9d, 23d. Very slow penny dropping. Are we still allowed 23a?
    Thanks to compiler and team.

      1. Maybe he’s implying that the woke/PC brigade might be offended or even traumatised by the terminology?

        1. Masculine, mince or the first five letters of the answer?

          All three are perfectly acceptable…aren’t they?

  7. Possibly as light as it gets for a RayT, but nonetheless very enjoyable. A near perfect proportion of anagrams (1 in 8 clues) allowed for a great variety of other clue types including all Mr T’s trademarks. Hon Mentions to 18a, 21a, 5d & 16d.

    1.5* / 4*

    Many thanks to RayT & to Shabbo

  8. Thanks to Ray T for the usual enjoyment and to Shabbo for his comprehensive blog.
    7d was familiar to me because Beam used the same definition with slightly different wordplay in last Thursday’s Toughie.
    The top clue for me was the excellent 23a with 10a and 4d the runners-up.

  9. Top notch. At no more than 6 words max for any clue what a contrast in style to Dave Gorman’s guzzle in the Toughie slot. A couple of brief parsing head scratches (5&10a + 4d) but they all went in lickety-split for an enjoyably brisk solve. 21a my fav as it’s such a great word & it reminded me of the Wacky Racers but the mincing macho man ran it close. Great Quickie pun too.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo
    Ps I see Robyn popped in this morning to claim yesterday’s gem.

  10. Ray T very friendly except for a few in the SE which held me up for a while – **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 5a, 11a, 13a, 3d, 8d, and 16d – and the winner is 8d.

    Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

    P.S. The snow has arrived, more or less on schedule. Light enough that it is melting on contact with the still ‘warm’ road surfaces but that won’t help if the temperature falls significantly below zero.

  11. Our setter’s trademark lover getting top billing today, her appearance always makes me smile as does the reference to our late, great first lady. My only hiccough came courtesy of 8d, not the first time that particular ‘pack’ has caught me out.
    Looks as though we all thought of the same TV series when it came to 21a!
    Top clues for me were 23a & 16d.

    Devotions of course to Mr T and thanks to Shabbo for the review – think the hint for the Quickie pun needs a tweak when you have time.

  12. On my printed copy of the Quick Crossword 4a has only 3 letters and a better word is produced for the pun

  13. Typical Ray T in that it’s solvable if you ignore most of the clueing. Finished but as usual with his not understanding most of the wordplay, he is weird!
    Mind you it was easier than the Quickie which beat me all ends up.
    Not much fun, just a slog with both puzzles.
    ***/*
    Thx for the hints

  14. 2*/5*. Sheer excellence from the master of brevity with 23a, 26a & 8d making it onto my podium.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

  15. Yes, a very enjoyable, moderately easy puzzle.

    My cotd 8d. A few years ago, I was heading to a meeting in Mongolia when some of the cities were closed because some tourists had just caught bubonic plague eating raw 8d’s. They are not so cute as that picture

  16. Finished but not without spending a lot of time on 2 or 3 which were scattered across the puzzle today. As ever an excellent puzzle which I always find more challenging due to the cleverness and their being so few words. 23a my favourite and like others I ended up thinking of the cartoon of my youth at 21a. I needed the excellent hints to parse a couple.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo for the hints.

  17. 2/4. Another very enjoyable Thursday puzzle. Favourites were 5,12,17,21&26a. But 23a takes the gold medal. Thanks to all.

  18. It’s all been said really. The usual brilliant Ray T offering, not too difficult with his succinct clueing leading to a most enjoyable solve. I needed the hint for 9d – very clever. Favourite was 23a supported by 8d and 17d. Thanks to Ray and to Shabbo for his help.

  19. Another excellent puzzle from Ray T. Quite mild for him, with great clues providing an enjoyable solve. I’ve ticked a few and will give 27a a specila mention. 2*/4*.

    * 23d, first word followed by 24d, first two words – I’m sure the naughty Ray T does this sort of thing on purpose! :-)

  20. Hey. Jonners. You nicked my spiffing before I could use it! Not only a super guzzle but a really good correspondence on it – I agree with you. There were far too many first class clues to pick a favourite, 8d was also one in because I could not parse it until I read Shabbo’s hints. I’m off now to meet friends at Scottsdale’s Garden Centre for tea and then dining in the great hall at Queens tonight. Lucky old me. Many thanks to the sparkling RayT and Shabbo, who is not that far away from me in Welwyn.

  21. I found this RayT puzzle hard to get started and to work through. I found that right to the end it was a struggle too. Seemed to me it was closing in on a Beam puzzle, but that is just me probably.
    I needed the hints for several clues to get me over the finish line and even then I couldn’t figure the parsing out on them.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 1a, 12a, 13a, 3d, 5d & 16d — with winner 16d for the PDM

    Thanks to RayT & Shabbo for hints/blog

    1. Hi Portcoquitlambc, did you access you puzzles on Wednesday at 4.01pm or did you have to wait until Thursday, I live across the water in Langley and had to wait until Thursday, normally I can access them at 4.01pm the day before, just interested.

      1. I got the puzzles right after 4 pm on the old site. I find the new site often takes an hour or more to update. Which one did you try?

          1. Generally the new site, 2-3 times a week, takes a while to update. Goodness knows why …

  22. Managed to finish unaided but very grateful for the lovely people who take the trouble to explain the wordplay. I often need to check the explanations on a Thursday! Thank you to RayT and Shabbo.

  23. A lovely puzzle today. Sadly I had to use the hint for 9d…..but everything else fell into place beautifully….I even remembered the other Cambridge.

    Thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo.

    It is raining here again and set to continue until Saturday…..fingers crossed the rivers and burns don’t overflow again, or if that is too much to hope for that they don’t cause too much damage.
    There are advantages to living on a hill.

    1. No problem for me remembering t’other Cambridge as I lived for a while in USA and worked for a company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.

  24. Good afternoon
    Once again I can claim to have learnt something, in the form of 23d.
    I almost failed to spot the classic misdirection in 18a; there were quite a few clues today to give me a head-scratching moment too. All in all,an enjoyable solve, for which I thank “Mr Sweetheart”; thank you Shabbo for the hints.

  25. A classic Ray T to brighten a rainy morning 😃 ****/*** Favourites 23a & 19d Thanks to Shabbo and to Ray T👍

  26. Everything has already been said numerous times, I think!
    A brilliant crossword – aren’t they all – today was specially good.
    I’ve been “had” by both 18a and 18d several times before and will probably happen again.
    I particularly appreciated 12 and 26a and 16 and 17d. My favourite was 23a, or it might have been 15d for being so appropriate.
    Thanks to Ray T for the crossword and to Shabbo for the hints.

  27. Good Ray T puzzle. Most of it straight in but I needed a little rest in the middle. Couldn’t parse 8d but that’s because I got one letter wrong. Favourites 28 23 and 25a and 3 and 23d. Thanks RayT and Shabbo.

  28. This was definitely a friendly RayT, I completed with only using the hint for one clue, 9d, and three ???, so thanks for sorting those Shabbo. Who wudda thought I would get this far with RayT? Very clever using the words for I.e. at 5a, 23a also amused, but fave was 18a. I thought the standard at 25a was spelt without the “u”?
    Thank you RayT for being so kind, and Shabbo for your unravelling so much.

  29. i live on the west coast of Canada and normally access my crosswords at 4.01pm but not yesterday, I had to wait till 12.01 am. Did any other Canadian solvers have this problem.

  30. Ate a dodgy lamb kofta last night so having to get to France today was a stretch. John gathered me up and just drove.The puzzle took my mind off internal problems because it was a challenge and for that reason all the more rewarding. Needed the hints to get 9 d. Dealt with so much 20 d in my life but had to admire the clueing. Merci beaucoup to all from St. Valery sur Somme.

  31. Classic Rayt. Concise, witty and very sightly naughty. LOI was 8d which I couldn’t parse until I wrote my had to be answer out horizontally, then it was obvious. Cotd has to be 23a, who cares about political correctness, brilliant. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo.

  32. Took some time to secure
    A foothold and then steady
    And evenly paced solving to this
    Masterly puzzle’s conclusion.
    LOL at 23a.
    Every clue a gem.
    Thanks RayT and Shabbo.

  33. I don’t usually get on very well with Ray T puzzles but today was an exception. I thought 23a and 23d were great. Thankyou to Ray T and and Shabbo.

  34. Evening all. My thanks to Shabbo for the decryption and to all for your comments. Much appreciated, as always.

    RayT

    1. Good evening, Mr T. Well done for remembering the date of your appearance and many thanks for another great puzzle.

    2. On my way home from a lovely evening at Queens’ with entertainment between each course by last years BBC Musician of the year – young percussionist Jordan Ashton. Fabulous. But must tell you you are fabulous as well. Spiffing guzzle !

  35. Once again, a fun solve from Ray T. Would have been ** for me but 9d held me up for ages. Thanks to Shabbo for the hints.

  36. Super puzzle, only defeated by 9d, RayT at his mildest as I normally struggle with his. Thanks to all.

  37. What an excellent RayT puzzle! But, as Kath says, ‘Aren’t they all?’ This one was a delight from beginning to end.
    My fave was 23a closely matched by 8d.
    Grateful thanks to RayT for a most entertaining puzzle. Much appreciation to Shabbo for the excellent and beatifully illustrated review. Particularly love the pics for 8d and 21a.

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