Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30577
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** Enjoyment ***
A gloriously bright & sunny start to the day here in Monnington on Wye. I arose well before any of the others (there are 18 of us occupying a splendidly large rural property) to a cacophony of birdsong.
Today’s AP production was certainly a good deal easier than last Tuesday. As ever nicely clued & though reasonably straightforward certainly challenging enough (for me anyway) & with one or two of the whys giving pause for thought.
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 Atonement from last character leaving Cornish town (7)
PENANCE: remove the last letter of the alphabet from the most westerly major town in the county.
5a Lean and topple over part of aeroplane (7)
COCKPIT: a synonym for lean or tilt + a reversal (over) of a word for topple.
9a True information I included in French article (7)
GENUINE: a word meaning information + the French indefinite article used for feminine singular nouns into which you insert I (included in) from the clue.
10a Brown lead from the peculiar pet (7)
TANTRUM: a yellowish brown colour + the initial letter (lead from) of t(he) + another word for odd or peculiar. Nowt to do with Fido or Fluff.
11a Exaggerate remaining condition (9)
OVERSTATE: link a synonym for remaining or surplus with another word for condition or situation.
12a Junior doctor possibly wants this result (5)
ARISE: a topical cryptic reference – given the extent of industrial action I’m not sure there’s much possibly about it. The definition here is a verb masquerading as a noun.
13a Perhaps taste delicatessen’s egg sandwiches (5)
SENSE: a lurker (sandwiches) hiding in the two words preceding the indicator.
15a Two dismissals in game? Perfect! (3-3-3)
OUT AND OUT: I’ll plump again for a cryptic clue rather than a double definition. Perfect here is in the sense of downright or absolute.
17a Academic reproofs us nastily, leaving university (9)
PROFESSOR: an anagram (nastily) of REPROOFS (u)S (omitting/leaving the single letter for University).
19a These could be vibrating in the wind, studies announced (5)
REEDS: a homophone of a synonym for studies. Think musical instruments rather than plants.
22a Lousy, aggressive golf shot could land here (5)
ROUGH: triple definition.
23a Wicked fish – it swallows a knight (9)
BRILLIANT: insert A from the clue & the chess notation for knight into IT from the wordplay. Precede this with a species of flatfish in the turbot family. Wicked here is mega, cool or badass in modern parlance.
25a Endless bats enter area next to lake (7)
ETERNAL: an anagram (bats) of ENTER + the single letter for Area & for Lake.
26a Opening present – it is second dropped off by a student (7)
INITIAL: a bit of lego here. A word for present (maybe accompanied by attendance) followed by IT from the wordplay & the first letter of Is (Second dropped off) then A in the clue & the single letter for student.
27a Please speak about female model making a comeback (7)
SATISFY: reverse the single letter for Female & a synonym for model (verb) & place within (about) another word for speak.
28a Some hairdresser giddily brought back stray (7)
DIGRESS: hidden in reverse (some/brought back) found in the words between the indicators.
Down
1d Birds greedily eat one’s nuts (7)
PIGEONS: a term meaning to greedily eat or scoff + an anagram (nuts) of ONES.
2d Relative cutting fabric (7)
NANKEEN: an informal word for grandmother + a synonym for cutting or sharp.
3d Love hugging American boozers – ultimately, these might get hammered (5)
NAILS: insert the single letter for American into a synonym for love or nothing & append the last letter (ultimately) of boozer(S).
4d Lift top from one’s torso and reveals bust (9)
ELEVATORS: an anagram (bust) of REVEALS & the first letters (top from) of O(ne’s) & T(orso).
5d Lovely copper fastening (5)
CUTIE: the symbol for copper + a synonym for fastening.
6d Craft or ancient vessel (9)
CONTAINER: an anagram (craft) of OR ANCIENT.
7d Left Charlie and Oscar under one colonnade (7)
PORTICO: the nautical context of left + the Roman numeral for one followed by Charlie & Oscar (NATO phonetic alphabet).
8d Storm, it seems, oddly removed problem (7)
TEMPEST: the alternate letters (oddly removed) of iT sEeMs + a word for a problem.
14d The planes compromised those with trunks? (9)
ELEPHANTS: an anagram (compromised) of THE PLANES.
16d Amazing chapter removed and editor’s panic-stricken (9)
TERRIFIED: remove the single letter for Chapter from a synonym for amazing + the usual abbreviation for the newspaper boss.
17d Railway workers’ drinks (7)
PORTERS: double definition.
18d Luxurious work uniform provided (7)
OPULENT: the usual two letters for work + Uniform (NATO phonetic alphabet) + a synonym for provided.
20d Look at a cheeky girl wanting kiss in river (7)
EXAMINE: insert A from the clue + a truncated cheeky girl (lacking X/wanting kiss) into a river in SW England.
21d Decides former tennis player keeps dry (7)
SETTLES: insert the acronym for abstention from alcohol into the surname of a 9 time major singles winner & former world number one. Not the first time she has cropped up in an AP puzzle.
23d By imbibing real ale regularly, this is what you get? (5)
BELLY: insert the alternate letters (regularly) of rEaL aLe into BY. I hope not as I’ve had a few 🍺s of the local brew & fully intend to have a few more.
24d Insinuating no rascal is telling tales (5)
LYING: remove a small mischievous sprite from a synonym for insinuating
Little surprise that my favourite was the triple definition at 22a & I thought the wordplay at 20d rather clever. 23d can have the last podium spot. Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes.
Having visited & very much enjoyed the Elgar museum yesterday here’s some of his music. He was a lover of crosswords incidentally.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: FOR+ LAP+ HEART = FALL APART
I had too many bung-ins for this to be totally satisfying but otherwise it was an enjoyable solve. I don’t see what the answer to 10a has to do with pet so will need to check the hints. I didn’t quite get 12a. I can see why most people would want one but why junior doctors? My COTD is the result of real ale at 23d.
Thanks to the setter (Professor Plum in the library?) and to Hintsman for the hunts.
There’s a huge yellow thing in the sky over The Marches. Anyone know what it is?
I was DNF for 12a, but I still don’t get it after reading the hint.
I believe doctors in the UK are currently on strike for higher pay.
Yesterday
They took my crossword far away
“Press for Puzzle App” was all they’d say.
Oh, how I hated yesterday.
Suddenly
The clues had gone, that used to be,
The print too small for me to see.
Oh yesterday came suddenly.
Why they chose to go I don’t know
They didn’t say,
I can’t parse – they’re gone,
Oh how I hated yesterday.
Delightfully expressed.
Very clever 😂
But remember, it’s an “improvement”…. 😥
Brilliant!
Very clever.
I too need to check the pet meaning in 10a! Otherwise a fairly steady Tuesday solve at **/*** and I smiled at 12a my COTD although without wishing to upset anyone I do find their striking unprofessional😳. Thanks to Huntsman and our setter. The birds are building their morning chorus in Tavistock as well.
Glad to say that having uninstalled the Telegraph App and then reinstalled it, my puzzles came back so I could enjoy lying in bed with my cuppa doing the this fun guzzle. Plain sailing today so thanks to all. Goodness me Huntsman, you do get around a bit don’t you! We are off to Aldeburgh shortly for a week and will indulge in a few Noon Tarts and have booked the Lighthouse for Saturday
Hard not to agree with our blogger and his choice of 22a as a favourite: to that I would add 15a. Overall I found this nicely straightforward but with enough pauses for thought to keep me interested, such as 12a.
My thanks to Mr P and The Hintsman.
This was slightly tougher than the usual Tuesday challenge from the Professor with my LOI being 12a which took a while as I read it as an all-in-one. A good clue.
My podium is 23a, 6d and the splendid 23d.
Many thanks to the prof and Hoots Mon!
3*/3*
Lovely little puzzle today Thanks to the Plumber and Andy on the first tee
23a gets the nod from me because of this gem from the 80’s
Typically Tuesdayish with just one pause for thought on 12a – **/****
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 23a, 7d, and 18d – and the winner is 23a.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
Slightly more chewy than usual, but distinctly “meh” – this didn’t do it for me, the clueing felt repetitive, there was precious little wit or sparkle. I must have got out of bed the wrong side because if it was from AP I usually enjoy their puzzles. Do Railway 17Ds still exist? I’ve been on one train in this country in the last 25 years, a two carriage local effort from Truro to Falmouth: it had no 17Ds and I must say I thought they’d gone the way of the dodo.
1.5* / 1*
Thanks setter but sorry, not for me today; thanks also to Huntsman.
1.5*/3.5*. Light and a lot of fun although I didn’t finish courtesy of 12a which I think is a poor clue now I have seen the answer. Also, I can’t not point out that the answer to 4d is an Americanism. 👎
15a was my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Hintsman.
My puzzle appeared today as usual in the newspaper app after disappearing yesterday, but I’m guessing this is just a temporary reprieve, a stay of execution…..
Hard not to feel down about the change, as so many others have said. I can see there’s a bit of extra functionality in the new puzzles app (not that I care about any of it!), but I’m struggling to get past the sheer ugliness of it: small boxes, ill-fitting font and lack of elegance. As something of a small c conservative, I’m not enjoying this moment – though I did enjoy the crossword itself! Many thanks.
Fairly straightforward and enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
Top of the pile for me were 22a and 20d.
Light-hearted and typically enjoyable. 1d’s fun, 4d too and 6d’s pleasing. I did so want 15a to be a little cleverer but nothing to complain about. Thanks to AP and Huntsman. I do like a bit of Elgar and cello but where’s the real music gone?!
After reading the woes of streams of people saying they can’t access the puzzle page here or from the app there, I now approach each click on the puzzles page (old style) with a touch of the heebie jeebies, but so far {touches everything made from wood within the house} so good.
Cheery lunch yesterday, by the River Wey at the Anchor at Pyrford Lock; then we popped in to the Royal Oak at Holmbury St. Mary, one of the loveliest villages in the Surrey Hills (there are plenty from which to choose).
I found this guzzle a challenge when getting underway, but to misquote the Mighty Man From Manitoba, once I had enough checking letters I was able to figure out the remaining elements of the guzzle.
Thanks to the setter and Andy On The First Tee (and SJB for the Furniture track)
A pot on Tuesday puzzle and as Huntsman says nicely clued with nothing obscure’
Liked the NW quadrant generally,
Favourits were 25a -the bats initially eluded me ,20d for an excellant charade and 33a also.
Last in was 12a until the penny dropped-I had alive originally!
Hmm. Definitely a curate’s thingy, lots of nice ones but hated 12a, making this a DNF, as needed the Hunstman to clarify – v much local rather than general knowledge for us foreigners. Had forgotten the lean synonym on 5a, but there are only so many aircraft parts! Also liked 10a, 22a and 8d, but will take 21d as fave (along with one of fave tennis players!)
Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman.
I see some folk are having trouble with ‘pet’ in 10a. I only came across this about 25 years ago when one of my golfing friends used the expression after babysitting for one of her friends. Incidentally, I loved playing with ladies as I could often borrow their drivers, which tend to be friendlier than mine, and are nearer to my 3 wood in a see of hitting. I’m fact back in my peak golfing days 20 years ago (single figures before injury stopped play), I used to follow a piece of advice from, I think, Nick Faldo, who always advised taking the 3w instead of the driver on narrow fairways with bad rough or OB in range…follow the mantra ‘fairways and greens’.
Oops! “in ease of hitting”, not in a see…
A DNF for me with 12a. I had ‘alive’ but it didn’t parse.
Favourite for me was 10a once I finally remembered the other meaning of pet used here.
Thanks to the setter and Huntsman for putting me out of my misery for 12a.
Must have been completely in tune with our setter today as I really enjoyed this with the possible exception of 12a.
Top three for me were 22a plus 1&23d.
Thanks to AP and to Huntsman for the review.
Put me down as another who struggled with 12a.
Ticks for 13a, 22a, 1d, 4d and 6d with 22a winning my CoD.
I’m surprised that you got 22a, Huntsman, as you told me that you always hit it onto the fairway!
Enjoyable Tuesday fare.
Thank you setter and Huntsman.
If only Shabbo – half the time I don’t reach it when it’s a long carry.
A DNF for me as I needed a few of Huntsman’s excellent hints to get me over the finish line. I always struggle getting on AP’s wavelength and a dose of jetlag doesn’t help. Liked 7d, but my cotd goes to the oldie, but goodie, 14d as they are magnificent creatures. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
I must say I disagree with Huntsman today on this being easier than last weeks Tuesday puzzle. For me not typically Tuesdayish … in fact a bit of a head scratcher/hair puller. I must say that several of the clues, (actually more than several), were way out in left field for my liking.
Then again maybe other solvers feel quite different.
Just not my cuppa today.
3*/2.5*
Favourites 1a, 5a, 19a, 1d, 4d & 23d — with winner 1a
Smiles from 5a, 15a, 4d & 23d
Thanks to AP & Huntsman for blog/hints
A pleasant cruciverbal solve today devoid of any serious hold-ups. Can’t quite come to terms with lean in 5a and 12a only passes muster as it is topical. Afraid only the plants occurred to me for 19a so thought it a weak clue (apologies MrP). Not sure about 5d. Fav for its parsing is 6d. Thank you MrP and Hintsman particularly for the Elgar Cello Concerto performance although I have to say nothing can compare with Jacqueline de Pré’s renditions which are out of this world as so sadly is she. Thank you MrP and Hintsman.
Disgraceful. Beaten by
12a.
So many options.
My answers were better.
eg Alive, A life.
Otherwise, all speedily
Resolved.
Cosy and enjoyable
Throughout.
Thanks AP and Huntsman.
Glad to see I wasn’t the only one defeated by 12A. But the rest of the puzzle was lovely. Thanks to all.
Just a steady solve with the NW corner holding out the longest
With regards to comment one, I just knew pet was another name for a tantrum
Is it the diminutive of petulant?
Mr Plumb and I are from different planets, and I just cannot find his wavelength anywhere in outer space. 1a went straight in which gave me false hope that I was actually going to understand the clues today. Fortunately I did solve enough so that I could mostly solve from the checkers, using advice from long ago to ignore the clues. Didn’t know the pet, the fabric, the cheeky girl, and I’m too old to think of wicked as anything good. So I’m off to see if I can manage the free Guardian cryptic instead, thanks to a tip from yesterday. Thanks Mr P, and Huntsman.
A nice solvable Tuesday puzzle, albeit with one or two answers that stretched the imagination ***/*** 😃 Favourites 15a, 19a and 23a 👍 Thanks to Mr AP and to the Huntsman
What a relief to find the puzzle in the digital paper again today, I am sure it’s only temporary as they still say it will move to the puzzle site, which was truly unpleasant.
I enjoyed this although 12 a was last in and was only really guessed and then confirmed because the puzzle confirmed the answer was correct. The rest seemed fun with enough head scratching to make it last a while. 23a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the hints.
A fun puzzle just testing enough to give the grey matter a gentle workout. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
By the way, Huntsman, in transcribing the clues, you seem to have dropped a couple of lego blocks — one in 26a and another in 20d. (These are also not accounted for in the hints.)
In case anyone is wondering why I tend to pick up on these sort of discrepancies, I do the puzzle the evening before and read the hints in the morning to refresh my memory of the puzzle.
Well spotted Falcon. I would expect nothing less. I’m frankly surprised & relieved that’s the extent of the errors as people started coming down for breakfast and interrupting me with questions as to what the hell I was doing & then wanting the clues explained to them. I really ought to cut and paste the clues rather than type them out but find it a pain on the iPad. I also didn’t realise that the cryptic & quickie had reappeared in the digital edition so it was the first time doing it from the puzzles app – ugh.
Enjoyable but 12a threw me thank you AP and Huntsman
Completed it but only got 10a and 12a as a result of having the crossing letters and no other answers making sense. I see there’s an alternative meaning of 10a from the comments above but 12a is more of a mystery!
I did this earlier but only just commenting. I was DNF with 12a, still don’t get it, probably something very parochial. I had no problem with the pet or the fabric, they used to be regulars. A lot of the “whys” were a bit like oatmeal porridge, took a bit of wading through. I did like a few, 23d was a giggle, 1a and 15a were fun. Not a lot of sparkle.
Thank you Mr. Plumb, and much appreciation to Hunty for explaining so much.
Junior doctors in England have organised a series of strikes in support of their claim for better wages.
Thanks! As I thought, pretty local
Don’t all doctors want 12a? Even the obscenely well paid ones…
A dnf due to 12a. I also couldn’t parse 20d.
Thanks to all.
What is the name of the girl in the graphic for 20d, minus the “x” as the hint indicates?
Minnie if memory serves.
Should have been able to parse the clue, but still a bit jaded from a heavy weekend.
… more specifically, Minnie the ????. It is this latter part from which the X is removed.
Yes, even the Consultants apparently.
Very good point. I wouldn’t complain about £100,000 pa or more which they presently get.
Good evening
Reading through today’s comments, I see very mixed reviews for Mr Plumb’s crozzie; I am placing myself in the ‘enjoyable’ camp.
Not quite as straightforward as first look would suggest: the NW quadrant was done in a heartbeat – and then, slow progress for the rest.
Definitely needed help with a couple of the parsings, for which many thanks to the Huntsman. And thank you also Mr P.
NW last in but once I’d got a couple it fell fairly easily. I agree with RD that 4d is an Americanism. 23d isn’t strictly correct, drinking real ale doesn’t give you a 23d, I should know I’ve drunk lots of it over the years and I’ve never had one, wrong sort of calories. In fact a beer gut should be more correctly called a food gut. Anyway a good Tuesday puzzle. Favourite was 20d. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Very late in the day. Thanks to setter and hunky hunter huntsman for an enjoyable guzzle.
Hello folks and thank you Huntsman.
Quite pleased with my effort today. Solved a whole 5 on my own with no peeking.
11 needed the help of the hints . The other gobbledegook to me but I was able to work them backwards
I liked 22a and 23a but I’m chuffed with 19a as that is my first solved homophone clue that I recognised as such and put in straight away.
I liked this guzzle better than yesterdays
3*/4* …
liked 20D “Look at cheeky girl wanting kiss in river (7)”
I see several people didn’t like 12a. Me neither but i don’t like it because there is nothing in the clue that means ‘arise’ as one word.—certainly not ‘result’.