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DT 30565

by Huntsman  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30565
Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

My weather app confidently indicates the rain will miss us here in Harpenden today so a good walk looks possible before an afternoon visit to the dentist. Thanks once again to Senf for covering for me last week.

I thought today’s AP production very enjoyable. Largely straightforward but I’ve awarded an extra half * on the difficulty rating for the 7d wordplay. Idioms clearly aren’t my thing (hadn’t come across the one in Gazza’s NTSPP either) so I await with interest to see how many were familiar with this one. As ever nicely clued throughout & with some excellent & in some cases misleading surfaces. It took an aeon for the penny to drop (or at least I think it has) with the Quickie pun – & it didn’t drop correctly as Sue has pointed out.

In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.

Across

1a Frightened American was first to grab weapon (7)

ALARMED: the single letter for American + a word for was first around (to grab) a synonym for weapon.

5a Written messages from crossword compilers left for son (7)

LETTERS: another term for crossword compilers with the initial letter changed (left for son).

9a Report on Conservative at the end (5)

COVER: the single letter for Conservative + a word for at the end.

10a Demeanour by editor revealing what music director did?

CONDUCTED: a synonym for demeanour followed by the usual abbreviation for editor.

11a Doing well, solve clues and cuss if one’s missed (10)

SUCCESSFUL: an anagram (solve) of CLUES + CUSS + (i)F (one’s missed).

12a Writer’s hit book (4)

LAMB: a synonym for hit or thrash + the single letter for Book. The writer was an essayist & poet published in the early 19th Century.

14a UFO that could be a curse? (6,6)

FLYING SAUCER: the second word is an anagram (could be) of A CURSE preceded by what might serve as an anagram indicator.

18a Bust itches – aunt is warm (12)

ENTHUSIASTIC: another anagram (bust) of ITCHES AUNT IS.

21a Somewhat overemotional about War and Peace?

TOME: hidden in reverse (somewhat/over). A weighty one for sure.

22a Kent town’s embracing eastern food (10)

SANDWICHES: insert the single letter for Eastern into our usual Kent town (incl the possessive s) which is the home of the wonderful Royal St George’s Golf Club.

25a Heads of London university college realising musical is flipping profitable (9)

LUCRATIVE: the first letters (heads of) of the 4 words after the indicator followed by a reversal (flipping) of a Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice musical.

26a Animal entering that is put out (5)

IRATE: insert a rodent into the abbreviation for that is ( from the latin id est)

27a Bear cubs regularly found in dirty spot (7)

SUSTAIN: insert the even letters (regularly found in) of cUbS into a dirty spot – spilling coffee on the carpet in my case. Nicely misleading surface.

28a Shady religious school of opinion keeping us quiet (7)

SUSPECT: insert US from the clue followed by the dynamic indication in music for quiet into a word for a religious school of opinion.

 

Down

1d Speak to adult about price (6)

ACCOST: the single letters for Adult & for about + a synonym for price.

2d Information District Attorney picked up – something gripping? (6)

ADVICE: reverse (picked up) the acronym for the law officer + a workbench tool.

3d Fantastic producer of comics cut short someone worthy of contempt (10)

MARVELLOUS: the superhero comic creators & now a hugely successful film franchise + a truncated (cut short) derogatory term (slang) for someone worthy of contempt.

4d Knocks down packs of cards (5)

DECKS: double definition.

5d A snuggle with acquaintances primarily wagging tongues (9)

LANGUAGES: an anagram (wagging) of A SNUGGLE + the first letter (primarily) of Acquaintances.

6d Hot in boat? Tough! (4)

THUG: the single letter for Hot inside a towing boat.

7d Door in Parisian brown study (8)

ENTRANCE:  French preposition followed by an obscure idiom – post solve research revealed brown study was first cited in a sixteenth century book called Dice Play & the expression describes a state of intense sometimes melancholy reverie. Hands up who knew.

8d Opinion on long facial hair (8)

SIDEBURN: link synonyms for opinion & for long, the latter not maybe the first to spring to mind.

13d Ruined cities fail to provide amenities (10)

FACILITIES: an anagram (ruined) of CITIES FAIL.

15d Check head’s cut off cod (9)

IMITATION: delete the first letter (head’s cut off) from a synonym for check or constraint. Nicely misleading &  nowt to do with what you’d do at the fish counter.

16d Manchester City players might get these rousing speeches (3,5)

PEP TALKS: a cryptic clue referencing the Man City manager – I shouldn’t think he needs to give too many given their dominance in the game.

17d Most cash distributed? Pots! (8)

STOMACHS: an anagram (distributed) of MOST CASH.

19d Couch wears out, we’re told (6)

PHRASE: a homophone (we’re told) of a synonym for wears out.

20d European cold and tense after snake’s appearance (6)

ASPECT: the small viper that reputedly did for Cleopatra followed by the single letters for European, Cold & Tense.

23d Beginning to be upset about daughter’s achievements (5)

DEEDS: insert the single letter for Daughter into a reversal (to be upset) of another word for beginning.

24d Barking Alsatian initially has muzzle put on (4)

GAGA: the first letter (initially) of Alsatian preceded by (put on in a down clue) of a synonym for muzzle. Good one to finish. Here’s a song featuring a talented lady of that name.

 

 

 

 

14a sits atop of my podium today with 15&24d in the silver & bronze positions. I also particularly liked the wee ones at 6d&21a plus the 19d homophone. Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes.

 

Today’s Quick Crossword pun: FUR+ BET+ ERROR  + WORSE = FOR BETTER OR WORSE

 

 

68 comments on “DT 30565”

  1. Never mind the complexities of the puzzle itself, can anyone unravel the workings of the DT puzzle leaderboards!

    1. Oh dear – how obvious 😄
      If only the digital edition italicised the clues involved – well that’s my defence albeit a weak one.

      2. The only ‘on line’ source, that I have found, that italicises the Quickie Pun clues is the ‘new’ Puzzles Web Site, the only thing that it is good for, accessible through the newspaper web site.

    2. Except the actual phrase used in the Marriage Service is ” for better for worse, for richer for poorer,”.

  3. Sorry I know I’m probably being stupid but could someone explain 15d to me please. I get the word is that you take off a L but COD, cash on delivery?, fish? The hints is no use at all I’m afraid.
    Apart from the above a very pleasant puzzle with my fav being 16d, so clever.
    Thx to all
    **(*16d)/***

      2. Good Lord, never come across that definition before, I assume it must be some form dialectical slang. Thx for putting an old guy out of his misery.😀

        1. The BRB indicates the etymology as ‘dubious’!

          I suppose that is Chambers’ way of saying ‘we have no idea.’

      1. 🤷‍♂️should have refreshed the page before replying, didn’t see the other responses till I posted

            1. Thank you Huntsman, but I’m afraid your answer makes absolutely no sense to me at all! Not sure how to speak in a cod French accent🤗

          2. My little Sharps thesaurus (sadly no longer in production) states it is ‘fake; imitation’.

  4. Had to look in today as I couldn’t fathom 7d – every day’s a school day. Thanks to the setter for the puzzle and Huntsman for explaining 7d.

  5. Not so Typically Tuesdayish requiring more than the usual amount of reference to the BRB and other resources, looking at you 7d and 15d, but the obvious indication that this is an Anthony Plumb production, the Quickie grid, is still there – ***/****

    Candidates for favourite – 11a, 14a, and 25a – and the winner is 25a.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.

  6. Straightforward stuff from Professor Plumb, with many nice surfaces, though I got bogged down in the Home Counties because I couldn’t get the Kent town (what a golf course!).

    I couldn’t, for the life of me, parse the brown study in 7d. The rest of it fell into place, making for a pleasant solve.

    My podium is the splendid 14a, 22a and 5d.

    Many thanks to AP and Hoots Mon!

    2*/4*

    1. I forgot to give a rosette (a term that Jane uses which I like) to 18a which is totes hilaire.

  8. Good sound Tuesday fare from one of the masters of the art. 7d “just had to be” but it took a while to dredge up the forgotten meaning of “brown study” from the lower cranial depths.

    At first I thought 14a a bit weak, but on parsing properly the clue and answer, it became one of the cleverest in the grid and is on my podium, along with 25a & the laugh-out-loud 18a.

    2 / 3

    Many thanks to the setter/AP and of course to Huntsman – turning the old saying around, isn’t a “good walk” an opportunity for a round of golf spoiled? ;)

  9. This one had a real feeling of deja vu for me. I’m sure we’ve had the words at 16d, 14a and 22a recently, maybe not in the same puzzle but I seem to remember them all.
    Stuck for a while on 19d for a bit until the idea of a settee faded away. All in all a good tricky number, well done to our compiler today.

  10. hmm, well I found the puzzle easy enough to complete but some of the parsings were a very different story. I was left with a number where I needed the help to parse, sadly including 14a, and with Hintsman’s revelation I can now say is my favourite clue – just a shame I could not see it for myself.
    I found 22a a bit odd as you don’t need the possessive or the eastern to have the self same food, so it felt a bit clumsy.
    But 25a and 17d I found pleasing.
    Thanks to AP and to Hintsman

  11. Similarly I Struggled in the SE too, I blame that on still eating breakfast rather than my lunchtime Kent town
    Thanks to Huntsman and AP
    I am about to have a go at the Toughie and although DT hasn’t updated the setters list yet, I can confirm it is Chalicea today

    1. There’s apparently a technical issue preventing the updating of the setters list

      As you say, today is the Floughie Lady, tomorrow Robyn, Thursday Silvanus and Friday Elgar

  12. I thought that this was a bit trickier than we normally get on Tuesdays with some thought needed for some of the synonyms. I enjoyed it – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    Besides the amusing 18a I liked 1a, 6d and 19d.

  13. Lots to enjoy in this excellent puzzle, pitched just right for a sunny Tuesday in Shropshire. I particularly liked 14 and 18a.

    My thanks to Mr P and The Hintsman.

  14. Well that was a bit of a grind, with very few smiles provoked. Needed a couple of letters from the app to complete, but (sort of) got there in the end.

    Spent a good 10 minutes looking at Google’s map of Kent before realising the town in question didn’t appear at that resolution as it’s too small! ***/***

  15. This was reasonably solvable without being a barrowload of fun. The quest for novel anagram indicators certainly produces some eclectic terms. Took a while to discount cash on delivery for 15d and 19d couch didn’t occur to me so bunged that in as I did for 23d which I don’t think of as achievements. Thank you MrP and Huntsman.

  16. Loved this puzzle, so perhaps more enthusiastic than most! Had to think carefully throughout, but the clueing was very fair, though like pretty much everyone else 7d just had to be bunged in. Many thanks.

    1. We seem to frequently get ‘en’ as in but dans is the first Parisian in word that occurs to me so was slow to twig 7d.

  17. Agree with Gazza that this puzzle was trickier than usual.
    As for AL in 1a, assumed that the american was as per Paul Simon, you can call me AL-thanks to Huntsman for the correct parse!
    Together with that for 14a and the anagram.
    Liked the pep talk ,favourite was 8d,
    Going for a ***/****

  18. A right old romp with delightful surfaces (bar 18a) throughout. Even the absurdly simple 6d had wit to it. I was surprised that some hadn’t heard of 15d in this guise. Cod psychology? I do think 16d’s Pep deserves a rest and I’ve seen (the admittedly excellent) 14a a few too many times but it was fun from start to finish. 8d is so smooth it doesn’t even read like a clue. Cracking quickie pun too. Great job. Thanks to Huntsman and AP.

  19. A pleasant way to start a Tuesday morning with a mug of tea in bed.
    22a brought happy memories of days spent in the bay with cousins now far away in New Zealand.
    Grandad would take us in his Jowett Javelin and Sally, sitting in the middle of the front bench, would regularly turn off the ignition. Grandad fumed, but she was always allowed to sit there. I must remind her of that!
    Many thanks to AP and Huntsman.

  20. Parsing of 7d sailed straight over my head luke a 14a. Enioyable except 16d. Thanks to Huntsman and today’s setter.

  21. Thought parts of this were a step up in difficulty from our Tuesday setter but fortunately, I did know the brown study – probably from books I’ve read, never heard it spoken.
    Rather liked the somewhat apt clue about the ruined cities and also ticked 25a plus 17&19d.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb presumably and to Huntsman for the review – nice try with the Quickie pun!

  22. 2*/4*. A not too difficult, good fun solve with 14a my favourite.

    Many thanks presumably to Mr Plumb and to Hintsman.

  23. Took a longish breakfast to do this one. Lots to like though. Took a while to parse 1a and loved 14a when I’d finally figured out how to parse it! 12a was amusing too.
    Had almost forgotten 4d – stopped boxing 60 years go! 8d required a bit of memory scraping for the second half, and really liked 17d, albeit v close to home! 24d simple but nice. I seem to remember learning what ‘cod’ meant from a Stephen Fry sketch.
    But really objected to having to learn that 16d contained not a bit of GK, but some obscure reference to some obscure person at a club playing with a round ball and just after the 6 Nations too! How does one unforget such trivia?
    Ok, 14a is COTD!
    Many thanks to Mr P and to Huntsman. (Hope Thorpeness was fun!)

    1. It was. Everything about their set up is spot on. Course in fine nick & always a pleasure to play, good food & comfortable beds + a good walk in shower. Terrific value for money too.

      1. Super to have good news of the place, as we’re unlikely ever to go back again….happy memories, though. Only one regret, we never went up to see what the House in the Clouds was like!!

  24. Seems like a regular sort of Tuesday puzzle today. A few chestnuts, but still all good just the same.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 5a, 14a, 22a, 3d, 6d & 20d — with winner 6d
    Smiles for 1a, 5a, 14a & 4d

    Thanks to setter & Huntsman for blog/hints

  25. Like others I needed help parsing 7d and hadn’t heard of cod used that way before.
    Favourite was 19d.
    Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

  26. Rip roaring start
    Brakes slammed on
    At 22a and 19 and
    23d.
    Just would not budge
    For a very long time.
    Much to admire
    Thanks setter and Huntsman.

  27. I’m posting before reading the hints or comments; I have a doc’s appointment, what else do old folks do? I found this heavy going, the “why” got me every time, can’t wait to see Huntsman’s explanation. I needed copious ehelp, mainly in the SE. I totally can’t see 16d, probably something to do with footers, I could also have the wrong answer.
    Thank you setter, I’ll read the review when I get back. I’m interested to see what you make of some of these answers, Huntsman, I’ll thank you for your help in advance.

    2. I too was completely foxed by 26d – still do not get the reference. I just don’t want to know about that rough game with its rowdy followers. ( I think I had better stop there)

  28. Having just returned from a visit to my pain doctor, I feel I should have asked him for something for my brain while I was there. Found this very tricky and am impressed by those who could finish unaided. I am my own worst enemy though, as I do not allow myself to use a dictionary etc, just the picture clues and occasionally the Thesaurus. This was one that I solved despite the clues, using just what I thought to be the definitions and checkers. But I was never going to get 15d, 16d and have no knowledge of Kent golf clubs. Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman. Off to Dermatologist this afternoon followed by Bocce games. Life in retirement 😊.

  29. Very enjoyable despite the meaning of cod, and loved the Man City clue! Thank you Mr Plumb and Huntsman

  30. Trickier than many Tuesdays, but I got there eventually. I needed the hints to parse 7d and had to check for alternative meanings for cod and learnt something new. I enjoyed the anagrams and 8d became my favourite once I worked it out.

    Many thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the hints.

  31. Sorry but I did not enjoy this as I also didn’t like yesterday’s puzzle, for the past few weeks we have had solvable and amusing puzzles to start the week but no laughs today I am afraid 😟****/** Favourites: 12a, 4 & 24d Thanks to the Compiler and to Huntsman

  32. Ever had one of those days when you think ‘why am I doing this’? Sadly today’s crossword was one of those for me, as Jaylegs said, not much fun to be had, so I’m afraid I gave up. Sorry setter, just me. Think to Huntsman for the hints.

  33. 7d was a bung in as I’d never heard of such a thing and the meaning of cod in the context of 15d was equally unfamiliar, I see I was not alone on either count. Some other clues were pretty tough too. So a difficult start to the week so far, this does not auger well for the rest of the week. I did rather like 16d but top spot goes to 27a. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.

  34. Very late doing this as we met my brother in Cambridge, over from Sotogrande for a book launch and Easter. I see him so seldom. I am quite familiar with cod (although I had delicious Dover sole with samphire for lunch) as my boy cousins used to cod me, it was used I am sure in their Dandy and Beano. But then I am very old. Just a thought – is that where Henry VIII’s codpiece comes from? It is surely deceptive. However, apart from 16d which totally eluded me and 19d where I couldn’t get beyond chaise, I enjoyed this – 18a my favourite. Much as I enjoy going out to lunch it does interfere with my guzzle routine. Many thanks to the Setter and Hintsman.

    1. I don’t believe the term codpiece is related to the term being discussed here. The “cod” in codpiece comes from an old English word meaning bag and is an obsolete name for a certain part of the male anatomy.🙂

      1. Oh thank you for that. I had actually never given it any thought before, but as I was writing it suddenly occurred to me.

  35. Top half generally easier than the bottom. Generally enjoyable but marred by the super-obscure 7d. The answer was a bung in – it is v seldom I am simply unable to parse one after the event but this was one such and detracted from the whole experience…

    1. Lots of comments on 7d. According to a couple of American dictionaries on the Collins website, the expression “brown study” dates from 1525-35 and arises from an early sense of brown meaning sombre or gloomy. Thus to be in a “brown study” is to be lost in sombre thought.

  36. 3*/4* ….
    liked 24D “Barking Alsation initially has muzzle out on (4)”
    Had heard of brown study but not the soccer manager.

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