DT 30576 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30576

by pommers  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30576

Hints and tips by pommers

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Hola from Almoradí where we’ve had practically no rain at all since last September. Easter Sunday arrives, when there’s a big parade scheduled, and what happens? You got it, it peed down all day!  Parade cancelled!

As to the crossword it’s pretty much as I’ve come to expect on a Monday. Nothing to frighten the horses but perhaps a couple of tricky ones lurking in the mix.

As usual my podium three are in blue.  The definitions are underlined in the clues and the answers are under the “click here” buttons so don’t click on them unless you really want to see the answer.  Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Nonsense to me lines describing fruit dish (10)
TOMFOOLERY:  You need the TO ME from the clue and the abbreviation of a railway (lines) and place it all around (describing) a dish made from fruit.

6a           Cliff — mostly frightening (4)
SCAR:  Take a word for frightening and remove the last letter (mostly).

10a        Price daughter considered (5)
RATED:  A word for a price followed by D(aughter).

11a        Also led astray by star for so long (6-3)
TOODLE PIP:  A word meaning also or as well followed by an anagram (astray) of LED gives the first word. The second is another word for a star, such as on a general’s uniform.

12a        Intended to secure new funds (7)
FINANCE: Your intended, as in the man you intend to marry, is placed around (to secure) an N(ew).

13a        Walkway to west taken by page at hotel (7)
TOWPATH:  TO from the clue followed by W(est) and a P(age), the AT from the clue and finally an H(otel).

14a        Form of betting — cancel her bet, improperly written (6,6)
TREBLE CHANCE:  Anagram (improperly written) of CANCEL HER BET.

18a        Drink after getting into gear for lecture (8-4)
DRESSING DOWN:  A word meaning getting into gear or clothes followed by a word meaning to drink.

21a        All are drunk having imbibed English beer (4,3)
REAL ALE:  Make an anagram (drunk) of ALL ARE and insert (having imbibed) an E(nglish).

23a        Annoying being stopped by a barrier (7)
RAILING:  Take a word meaning annoying and insert (stopped by) the A from the clue.

24a        Republic created by free Romanians (3,6)
SAN MARINO:  Anagram (free) of ROMANIANS.

25a        Lie involving head of bank’s board (5)
TABLE:  A word for a lie or story with a B (head of Bank) inserted (involving).

26a        Lengthy story‘s thread (4)
YARN:  Double definition.

27a        Lots of rallies at this? Lenin wasn’t involved (4,6)
LAWN TENNIS:  Anagram (involved) of LENIN WASN’T.

Down

1d           List of charges arising out of spat about a king (6)
TARIFF:  Another word for a spat around (about) the A from the clue and an R(ex).

2d           Male, upper-class, leading very small uprising (6)
MUTINY:  M(ale) and the single letter for upper-class followed by a word meaning very small gives an uprising like the one that happened on HMS Bounty.

3d           Rating a mariner on days at sea (8,6)
ORDINARY SEAMAN:  Anagram (at sea) of A MARINER ON DAYS.

4d           Brood born at home refuse to go in this (6,3)
LITTER BIN: Another word for a brood, of kittens perhaps, followed by B(orn) and the usual two letters for at home.

5d           Worried sort fencing old hen house (5)
ROOST:  Anagram (worried) of SORT placed around (fencing) an O(ld).

7d           Skippers sat up eating in after international (8)
CAPTAINS: Start with a word for an international, footballer perhaps, and follow with a reversal (up in a down clue) of the SAT from the clue. Into that insert (eating) the IN from the clue.

8d           Criminal record briefly enthralled female, extremely elegant (3,5)
RAP SHEET:  A word meaning enthralled without its last letter followed by a word for a female, not her but the other one, and finally ET (extremely EleganT).

9d           Expose wrongdoing and put a stop to a game? (4,3,7)
BLOW THE WHISTLE: What the referee does to stop a football match.

15d        Colour that is raised on blue bedcover (9)
EIDERDOWN:  A colour and the two letters for “that is” are reversed (raised in a down clue) and followed by a word meaning blue or depressed.

16d        Quite possibly papers are with judge (1,4,3)
I DARE SAY:  Two letters for your papers followed by the ARE from the clue and a word which can just about mean judge.

17d        Long-time servant kept short, beginning to remonstrate (8)
RETAINER: A word for kept or held on to without its last letter (short) followed by an R (beginning to Remonstrate).

19d        Large peak in Scotland, famous landmark (3,3)
BIG BEN:  A word for large followed by the Scottish word for a mountain.

20d        Monstrous woman therefore capsized steamship (6)
OGRESS:  The Latin word for therefore is reversed (capsized) followed by the two letters for a steamship.

22d        Show Greek character crossing against current (5)
EVITA:  A Greek letter around the letter for against and the letter for electric current in physics notation.

My podium today is 11a, 21a and 4d with 4d on the top step.

Quick crossword puns:

Top line:      POUR     +     PAUSE     =     PAW-PAWS

Bottom line:     PURSE     +     PYRE     =     PERSPIRE

85 comments on “DT 30576”

  1. I had a few bung-ins in today’s guzzle and it took me a while to parse a few such as the second words in 11a and 18a. Having said that, it was a great start to the week with plenty of smiles and slappings of the forehead. I liked 13a because we have quite a few here in The Marches. I wasn’t sure about 8d but I couldn’t see it being anything else.

    My COTD is the wonderful 1a.

    Thank you, Campbell for the fun and huge thanks to pommers for the hints.

  2. What is going on? I know its 1st April but I cannot access the crossword as the Puzzles site has moved and although it says ‘tap here’ to enter absolutely nothing happens. Is anyone else having this problem? I feel really cross as I pay nearly £1000 a year to be able to read the paper in bed in the morning on my Kindle.

    2. Meanders, we abandoned the print subscription in favour of digital only, some two or three years back. A saving of almost £800 annually and a 2 metre high pile of newsprint made the exercise worthwhile.
      But, from today, we are forced to buy the puzzle app, after a free 3 month intro, an annual cost of £29.99. In reality we do not want the puzzle app, just the crossword and a couple of Sudoku grids.
      This has parallels with Big Brother ‘Smart Meters’, and ‘surge pricing’ on the pages which are read in the digital edition. What next, a supplement for 6 Nations reporting, the Review magazine?
      The potential for price increases looms ahead.

      2. I agree completely. After doing the cryptic crossword every day for several decades I now find I have to pay extra for the privilege. I too am not interested in the other puzzles. Come on Daily Telegraph, put the crossword back into the digital edition of the newspaper.

      3. I agree.
        I only want the e paper and the cryptic.
        I’m inclined not to subscribe again. That’s going to be a loss to the TG.
        Currently my paper of choice for the princely sum of 90p is the “I” the crossword is ok.
        The puzzle app crossword is clunky and awkward.
        This is a terrible decision by the TG.

    3. Totally agree. The puzzles app is unfriendly. Why mend something that isn’t broken

      1. We subscribe digitally and after a reinstall got the puzzles section of the on line telegraph to work this morning.
        My wife and I both do the puzzle and use our own ipads.
        So imagine the surprise when my solutions appear on my wife’s version – meaning we can no longer do the puzzle independently !!
        As yet we havent been asked to subscribe additionally for puzzles. 🤞

        1. In answer to the Captain above, I would be more than happy with just the digital version but Mr Manders doesn’t do digital, he has to have a proper paper but guess who pays for it! In fact, thanks to this blog, I managed to ‘do a deal’ when they asked me to increase my sub and I actually got it reduced.

        2. This happened to my husband and I this morning. We discovered you can “reset” the grid which wipes the answers already entered, and allows the second person to do the puzzle from scratch. But we both hate the new grid, and the disappearing clues is infuriating, especially if you’re not completely sure about an answer.

          1. If you go to settings in the wretched puzzle area, you can switch disappearing clues off.

          2. Moving to the Times. Telegraph is NOT the paper it used to be. Puzzles section as others have commented has been I’ll thought out.

            1. Welcome to the blog, Mr French, though from your comment it seems as if it may be ‘hail and farewell’.

    4. I take the digital sub for the newspaper and the puzzles. But was thinking of switching to puzzles only in a couple of months if the sub has gone up too much. But now I am wondering if there will be a puzzles only option, and if that will still give me access to the old site. Does anyone know?

      1. I have subscribed to the “puzzles only” site for many years … currently £35.88 per annum. This gives access to both the new & old sites. There is no news yet (?) that the “puzzles only” option will be discontinued.

        ps.I can read the newspaper for free, via Pressreader using my library membership here in the UK.

        pps. If you want a good crossword today, I thoroughly recommend Picaroon in today’s Guardian … it’s online and it’s free!

        1. Thanks I will take a look at the Guardian. I’m in the US so not sure if my library gives access to UK papers, but I will check it out.

      2. If the renewal price is too high, phone to cancel, say it’s because of the price increase, and you may be offered a discount.

        But the puzzles-only subscription does work for both sites. That’s what I have. I normally only use the new puzzles site, but I tried the old one and found the crosswords there. Personally I think 8p / day is well worth paying for puzzles access.

        1. Yes I had to do that at renewal last year, and it came down, but not by much. I can never get the bargains that you can in the UK though,

    5. We are digital newspaper subscribers and as others have said from today have had to use the puzzles site. The puzzles are loading but now only one of us can do the puzzle as the answers are there already for the other one, even on a different device. For plusword there is a reset grid option but that is not working. The cryptic grid was much nicer in the digital newspaper, I agree this has been a major deterioration in enjoyment and functionality.
      I tried o report the reset function not working but the link on the site just took me back into the puzzles.

      1. Its a terrible change by the DT.
        The grid reset option does work – but only up until the moment the last letter is put in. So we found one of us can do the crossword, get the last answer in our head, then clear the grid for the other. Ridiculous.
        According to the DT we are now getting a “fun experience”. Can i have the old “fun”less version back, please.

      2. I just went to the old puzzles site and to Friday’s crossword, which I’d already solved on the new puzzles site. It was there, but blank, and let me solve it again (for a much better time!) — so maybe you can each do the same puzzle that way?

  3. I loved the Quickie with all the Ps. I had porpoise for the top pun but paw paws works too.
    Favourite of the cryptic was 1d but also liked 11a.
    Thanks to Pommers and the setter.

  5. 2*/3.5*. This was light and fun with 1a being a very apt clue for April 1st – it was also my favourite. A special mention too for 9d.

    The puzzle would have earned 4* for enjoyment but for the Americanism in 8d.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to pommers.

  6. I have to agree that 1a is COTD
    The cafe bar shown below is a local haunt
    When I grew up there it was an old-fashioned grocer where they had a big shiny bacon slicer you could pick your thickness with a proper rind on too
    It is ok as a cafe bar too but I miss the smell of proper bacon and freshly ground coffee
    Thanks to pommers and Campbell and commiserations on the weather spoiling your parade

    1. Our village store still has a bacon slicer, SJB and I bought four rashers at thickness 6 this morning. Plenty of crispy rind and the rasher don’t shrink much when cooked.🥓

      1. I miss the bacon but not the same old joke he trotted out every Saturday…
        “I sit on the slicer when I get tired, but I have to be careful I don’t get behind in my orders”

      2. I am envious. American bacon’s closest cousin is streaky bacon, and you cannot get a decent slice of bacon over here.

  7. Typically Campbellesque and a lot of fun, with 1a and 21a sharing the honours this damp morning.

    Many thanks to the aforementioned and pommers.

  8. It’s Monday :good: It’s Campbell :good: 1.5*/4*

    Like Madflower, I had porpoise as the top pun.

    Candidates for favourite – 23a, 26a, 9d, and 20d – and the winner is 26a.

    Thanks to Campbell and the ‘rain stopped play’ pommers.

    1. Please try to avoid using capital letters in both your name and email address as this is the internet equivalent of shouting

  10. Great fun
    Last in, 1a.
    Natty construction
    And crafty misdirection.
    Big smile at 11a.
    COTD joint 8 and 16d
    Many thanks Campbell and pommers.

  11. Much easier than yesterday, started quick and then just got quicker. Can’t quite see how the last word in 16d works, so will see the hints. Nearly the last one for me was 1a, thought I was looking for some weird and wonderful greek fruit dish, oh well.
    Sun doing its best to come out here in Sandhurst today, so the bike may get fired up later, that’ll make it chuck it down for sure!

  12. Very enjoyable, last to go in was 22d. ETA and versus I understand, but I ? Sorry if I’m being a little stupid!

    1. I is the letter used to denote electric current as in Ohm’s law : V=IR (voltage = current x resistance)

  13. Gentle and pleasant, just right for a Monday, with one or two more complicated parsings to keep us on our toes. I agree with others regarding the final word of 16d, but it could have been nothing else. I loved 1a, a clue containing an anagram, a synonym and a wee bit of cryptic thus making it my favourite. Podium places for 11a and 15d. Until I read Madflower ‘s comment I hadn’t realised that all the across clues in the Quickie began with P – very clever and definitely ‘above and beyond ‘. Many thanks to Campbell and pommers.

  14. 22d. I think this was Madonna’s finest hour in her topsy turvy career. After years of running recording sessions to her wishes and demands, she had to listen to a team of producers and follow their lead. Additionally she undertook vocal training for the role of 22d. After trying to record ‘live’ with the orchestra, she persuaded the producers to allow her to record her vocal separately, and this clearly worked as she produced a wonderful, relaxed but poignant, vocal (particularly on ‘Another Suitcase’).

    Tricky blighter for the start of the week, I thought. Some bung-em-ins and several thought-provokers.

    Thanks to Campbell and pommers from the comarca of Vega Baja del Segura.

  16. Enjoyable 1a from our setter and count me in as another who opted for porpoise as the top Quickie pun.
    Best clues for me were the hotel walkway and the Scottish landmark.

    Thanks to Campbell and to pommers for the review – such a shame about the parade, all that hard work gone to waste.

  17. Mr thicko again today, even with all the checkers I couldn’t get 1a, doh. Thanks to all.

    1. A point on 7d in the quickie, I’m sure I’ve seen it before. Come on now someone had to say it, I’ll get my coat.

  18. Good Monday crossword from Campbell as has been the case for the last few weeks .I have never heard of tomfoolery except in a shout from an ogre of a chemistry master while I was mixing the contents of the acid bottles. Was sure the answer to 2a was Rich as the fact this pauper’s awful imitation of Elvis in the late 50s went on to become a national treasure to the old and infirm of mind.

    27a a clear winner of COTD for me. Thanks to Pommers and Campbell.

  19. Good Monday fun. Podium comprises 1 and 11a with top spot going to 20d. Thanks to Campbell and Pommers.

  20. Another nice start to the non-work week with a satisfying Campbell puzzle on Easter evening. Back to my usual solve window with GMT now BST.

    1*/4* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 11a, 27a, 1d, 4d & 9d with winner 11a

    Thanks to Campbell & pommers for hints/blog

  22. Gave it up as a bad job. The mixture of a dreadful Campbell and the absolutely awful DT Puzzles page left me totally bereft. I don’t think I have ever seen a worse electronic page than the new puzzles section. Looks as if it was designed by a 3 year old. The numbers in the grid are almost impossible to read as they are so small. What was wrong with the layout as it was in the paper, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
    If this is progress Lord help us.

    2. I foolishly had a stab at trying to complete it on the mobile using the new site (between visits to the Elgar museum & Hereford Cathedral).
      An awful solving experience which I won’t be repeating. Completely ruined any appreciation I may have had for the puzzle. The digital paper format was acceptable using the mobile but not so this site so no more solving puzzles on the first tee.
      Thanks to Campbell & to Pommers

      1. I’ve rung the bells at Hereford cathedral. Quite a daunting climb to the central tower. When all the bells are in full flow you can feel the tower moving!

    4. Totally agree Brian. Some of us are still using the old site, and live in dread that it will be snatched away. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the old site, and don’t find the new site “brilliant” as advertised.

  23. 11a was my favourite today. Although it was all a very enjoyable solve which was a great start to the week. Thankyou setter and hinter.

  24. Glad to say I had a nice experience with my on – line puzzle this morning. Yes, I do miss my paper being delivered but it just became so expensive that it was impossible to justify. Tick by 9d and much to enjoy. A gentle start to April and perhaps some fine weather. Thanks to Campbell and Pommers.

  25. An enjoyable start to the week – felt a bit trickier than a usual Monday but managed to finish it without hints , earlier than recently as decided to abandon niggling garden chores. Feeling only a little guilty . Thanks to Campbell and Pommers

  26. Just nicely challenging Bank Holiday fare. Took while to fathom 1a not helped by the hint illustration which brought Eton Mess to mind for fruit dish which of course wouldn’t parse! Unfamiliar with 8d which I now understand is a USA term. Agree with pommers & Co. re iffy 16d judge. Fav was 4d once possible refuse bum steer had been discarded. Thank you Campbell and pommers.

  27. Oh, the fun on April Fool’s Day! I’m so cross with myself, I failed to solve 1a and needed to use ehelp. I had all the checkers and considering the day I should have got that. Grrr. If I had done it myself, it would probably been my fave. The rest was all my own work. I probably wouldn’t have got 11a if it hadn’t appeared before, I still think it’s slang. Lots to like, 27a and 4d stood out, but fave was 19d. One wonders how 18a came about, so normal now but what a strange meaning when taken literally.
    Thank you Campbell, I loved it, and thanks pommers for your hints. Sounds like you needed that rain, just bad timing.

      1. At a guess I would say you had been demoted so your coat was now on a lower peg. I have no evidence at all for saying this! 😳

        1. I believe it’s to do with ships’ flags, Steve. The higher a flag was pegged up, the greater the importance of the ship.

            1. Me too! Still doesn’t explain 18a, maybe if I googled. What did we do before google? They’re still in bad odour with me after their messing with my credit card, making me get a new one. Do you have any idea what that entails? All those automatic charges that you have to update.

  28. Found this Campbell a little too chewy in places, and too nice a day here to spend any more of it puzzling away. Setting aside until later when I have bent my back weeding and need to sit down. Thanks to Campbell and Pommers.

    1. Came back after gardening and hot shower to fix aching back. I always find that time spent head down in the garden improved my solving, must be the increased flow of blood into the brain cells 🤔. Anyway now finished, and can’t see why a I made heavy weather of several clues at breakfast time.

  30. A very gentle but enjoyable puzzle despite the excess number of anagrams. 1a the COTD.

    Many thanks to Campbell and Pommers

  31. Enjoyed this dividing my time between brain power, electronic help and the Irish Grand National (on tv in appalling conditions.)
    Reading the above I’m glad I still have the paper version of the crossword
    11a was fun as was 1a

  33. Finally completed with a bit of help for 1a, as my last in and my favourite. Unfortunately as per my comment at 2 above the removal of the puzzle from the digital edition and change of format ruined my experience. I think it was probably a bit trickier that some recent Mondays but may have just been feeling grumpy.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Pommers for the hints.

  34. Yet again, a bit late today.
    I thought it was quite tricky in places today – perhaps a mixture of not enough sleep and the change of the time hour – always makes me feel completely scrambled!
    Very tired after a lovely weekend with our Elder Lamb and her family – definitely worth it but am desperately worn out!
    There were a few that I would never have got so am not going to beat myself about.
    I did like 13 and 23a and 9 and 19a. My favourite was 4d. Many years ago we had three lots of kittens in a few months – they were so sweet!!
    Thanks to Campbell for the crossword and to pommers for the hints.

  35. I always approach Monday’s puzzles with a bit of trepidation as I’m usually not on wavelength with Campbell, today was the exception. There were, however, a number of things I didn’t like. The unindicated Americanisms in 8d, and the star in 11a, 5d is not a hen house it’s what they do in it, the judge in 16d and the ‘landmark’ in 19d which cannot be seen only heard. So all in all a little unsatisfactory. On the plus side there were some really good clues. Thanks to Campbell anyway and Pommers.

  36. Was a tricky one for me that I had to keep putting down and coming back to. Of the clues that I did get early on, they all seemed to be dotted around and didn’t help much with the many blanks I had. Needed a couple of hints but got there in the end

  37. Good evening

    Reading through today’s comments makes me glad that I’ve stuck with the dead tree version of the paper and my lucky green pen (although Parker Blue stepped up to the task today)

    An excellent crozzie for a Monday, pitched just right. I agree with various correspondents above in terms of 1a being COTD.

    Many thanks to Campbell and Pommers.

  38. Nice one to start the week. Particularly liked 11a as one of my characters is apt to say it in my novel. Fun crossword though I’d never heard of 8d but by elimination assumed it was an American term.

  39. An April Fool’s joke in very bad taste. At least I assume it was an AF joke, dropping the usual puzzles from the app and forcing users to the new Puzzles section – where the format is atrocious, and takes little account of those with visual acuity challenges. At least the main puzzles (except the Toughie) are back where they belong.

  40. The reason I do not like being forced to use the puzzle app for the crosswords, is that when I’ve completed as much as I can, I like to use the “reveal mistakes” button which makes the incorrect letters turn to red. I can then go back and delete the red letters.

    However, in the app version, as soon as one goes back to the crossword, the red letters disappear, and I can’t always remember where all of them were. This, for me, makes it too fiddly to use, and takes away a lot of the enjoyment of playing.

    So far my Toughie has disappeared from the newspaper, but once the Cryptic has gone, I’ll unsubscribe from the newspaper. Sad day.

  41. Why have the Toughies disappeared from the online edition of the paper? Where have they now to be found?

    1. If you go to the Home screen and look at the bottom, there is a “puzzles” button (assuming you have the latest version of app)

  42. Anyone else get another answer for the Quickie pun from top line?
    I got a marine mammal…………………….

  43. Thank you for your hints Pommers, I needed them today for sure.
    As a beginner I wasn’t enamoured by this ‘guzzle’ – not sure why. Perhaps there was more specialist cryptic solving knowledge required that I hadn’t come across before which made solving difficult for me.
    However I did manage to solve 3 or 4 on my Todd without recourse to the hints
    I would never have solved 14a in a month of Sundays and I like clues 13a and 21a but I’ll plump for Toodle Pip at 11a as my COTD closely followed by the 8d Rapsheet.
    Thank you all for your indulgence

  44. 2*/4* …..
    liked 27A “Lots of rallies at this ? Lenin wasn,t involved (4,6)”

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