Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30600
Hints and tips by pommers
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Hola from Almoradí where spring seems to have taken a break. The weather has turned cold and wet and it was so dark yesterday that we had the light on in the kitchen all day! Today’s looking pretty much the same! The forecast says that normal service won’t be resumed until Thursday!
Nothing to frighten the horses today but 18d did give me “pause for thought” as they say. There’s six clues involving anagrams so there’s plenty of checkers easily available. I don’t think many of you will need the hints today.
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 Modern poetry Macron translated (12)
CONTEMPORARY: Anagram (translated) of POETRY MACRON.
9a Fizzy drink is what a hypochondriac might have we hear (9)
CHAMPAGNE: This fizzy wine sounds like (we hear) a pretend ache (what a hypochondriac might have).
10a Character in Twelfth Night one’s played (5)
VIOLA: This character from Twelfth Night is also a musical instrument.
11a One’s maintaining grand bathroom in chilly abodes (6)
IGLOOS: IS (one’s) placed around (maintaining) a G(rand) and a bathroom or toilet.
12a Assigned clerk to fill in advert (8)
ASCRIBED: Another word for a clerk placed inside (to fill in) the usual two letter advert.
13a Tattler back in group is so gregarious (6)
GOSSIP: This is a reversed lurker hiding in (back in) the last four words. Here’s a bit of Sarah Brightman with a hot version of this . . .
15a Ridiculous if car breaks down west of California (8)
FARCICAL: Anagram (breaks down) of IF CAR followed by an abbreviation of California.
18a Caviar supplier — worker in theatre eats tonnes (8)
STURGEON: Take someone who works in an operating theatre and insert (eats) a T(onnes).
19a Made better clothing son reviled (6)
CURSED: A word meaning made better or well placed around (clothing) an S(on).
21a Try to get part from German car with tin-plated wheel (8)
AUDITION: A marque of German car followed by the TIN from the clue around (plated) the letter which looks like a wheel.
23a Journalist‘s flipping rubbish on Edward I (6)
EDITOR: Start with a diminutive of Edward and the I from the clue. Then a word for rubbish reversed (flipping).
26a One’s fired head dismissed from public school (5)
ARROW: Fired from a bow. It’s a public school without its first letter (head dismissed).
27a Democrat, after public fury, is exhausted (9)
OVERTIRED: A word meaning public (5) followed by some fury or anger (3) and after that lot it’s a D(emocrat).
28a Consoles Victoria, say, during Hamlet and Macbeth? (12)
PLAYSTATIONS: What Victoria in London is an example of (say) inserted into (during) what Hamlet and Macbeth are both examples of (?).
Down
1d About to abandon ecofriendly activity and ecofriendly travel (7)
CYCLING: Remove two letters for “about” from an ecofriendly activity to give the ecofriendly form of travel publicised by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London.
2d Irishman wholly supporting region of Ireland (5)
NIALL: A word for wholly or everyone after (supporting in a down clue) two letters for the region of the island of Ireland which is part of the UK.
3d Using some stratagem — ploy in game (9)
EMPLOYING: A lurker hiding in (some) the last four words.
4d Play-goer periodically ignored section of text (4)
PAGE: Alternate letters (periodically) out of PLAY-GOER.
5d Device resisting current threat so remarkably (8)
RHEOSTAT: This is a device that resists electric current. It’s an anagram (remarkably) of THREAT SO.
6d Someone very keen on a party in Republican state (5)
RAVER: R(epublican) followed by a word meaning to state.
7d Small eggs on American bread for male herbivores (8)
ROEBUCKS: Some small eggs like caviar followed by a slang term for American money (bread).
8d Hooligan left behind London museum (6)
VANDAL: How the Victoria and Albert museum is usually written followed by an L(eft).
14d Partner of French danseur’s dancing around (8)
SAUNDERS: This partner of Dawn French is an anagram (dancing around) of DANSEURS. I’m not a great fan of anagrams but I do like this one.
16d Change of regime due to pact getting broken (4,5)
COUP DETAT: Anagram (getting broken) of DUE TO PACT.
17d Day Blair perhaps follows old, boring routine (8)
MONOTONY: Start with the short form of a weekday and the an O(ld). After that (follows) is the Christian name of the Blair who was Prime Minister.
18d Without potassium, sodium makes up salt (6)
SEAMAN: Start with the chemical symbol for sodium and the MAKES from the clue. Remove the K (without potassium) and reverse the lot (up in a down clue).
20d Mocks the German side in disarray (7)
DERIDES: The German definite article followed by an anagram (in disarray) of SIDE.
22d Terry drinks zero whiskey — this may make him dry (5)
TOWEL: A diminutive of Terry has inserted (drinks) the letter for zero and a W(hiskey).
24d Heads for tree, observing rare shade of trunk (5)
TORSO: First letters (heads for) the next five words.
25d Remaining article in French newspaper (4)
LEFT: A French definite article followed by the newspaper printed on pink paper.
My podium today is 2d, 14d and 18d with 18d on the top step.
Quick crossword pun:
REEK + ROUTE + MEANT = RECRUITMENT
Spot on for the opening salvo of the week.
I circled the first two across clues for my potential podium, thinkng…..’What a start!’ The rest didn’t disappoint with so many great surfaces.
The lurker and rekrul were goodies and I love the use of the London museum in clues.
My hotly-contested podium is 1a, 9a (superb!) and 15a for the geographical observation.
Many thanks to Falcon and the setter, who has set the bar very high this week for the rest of those who reside on Mount Olympus.
1*/5*
Many thanks Pommers (apols)
An excellent gentle */**** start to the week. A plethora of anagrams assisted and my favourites were 1d and 19a both clever. Thanks to Pommers and our setter.
A great start to the week with lots of smiles.
Top picks for me were 9a, 28a and 14d.
LOI was 18d which nearly made my podium.
Thanks to Pommers and the setter.
Very doable (awful word)
Perfect Monday fare.
Big smile at 9a.
Only got 2d by
Following the clue
To the letter, unknown
Singer to me.
21a and 1d vie for
COTD
Winner 21a.
Thanks Campbell? and pommers.
What a good start to the week. Lots of fun clues, sensible surface reads and clever misdirection. I needed the hint to get me on the right track for 25d – it’s always the 4 letter ones that get me. Once the checkers were in I couldn’t get the word ‘ rest’ out of my mind, so bunged it in, though, of course, I couldn’t parse it. I didn’t see the need for the apostrophe s in 23a but that is being very picky. Favourite today has to be 18d, which took a bit of sorting out – brilliant! Podium places for 21a and 17d, with special mention for 28a. Thanks to our setter and pommers.
2*/2.5*. This made a reasonably enjoyable start to the week with my podium comprising 9a, 28a & 1d.
“Bathroom” meaning toilet is an American expression according to Collins and me. Even Chambers gives it as “esp N American”, so why not use “toilet” in this clue?
Also, the enumeration for 16d should be (4, 1’4). In my opinion, the apostrophe ought to be shown for foreign words.
Thanks to the setter and to pommers.
Bathroom doesn’t bother me – ironically, given we no longer have a bath in the bathrooms Chez MG – but I agree entirely with you and Angelov re the enumeration of 16d, and so does the BRB.
I think the use of ‘Bathroom’ depends on your age. I’m nearly 80 and I think its still in common useage.
With you on 4,1,4 though
Hi RD
Toilet is the correct suggestion, though it is, of course, a taboo word (we all know the word is loo). My guess is that the setter thought ‘grand toilet’ is not an oft used expression whereas ‘grand bathroom’ is. You never hear Phil or Kirsty say ‘What a grand toilet this house has’.
It’s weighing up ‘toilet’ (the right term’) vs a much smoother surface (so to speak) using an unindicated Americanism.
Lavatory.
I’m with you there.
Or loo.
Me too!
Tom. Agreed, generally. Bathroom is the word we’ve used for decades. Using unidicated Americanisms isn’t against the rules/conventions anyway – otherwise they wouldn’t feature as often as they do in DT cryptics.
Yep, I’m with you there, J.
The setter chose wisely as ‘Grand toilet’ is a ghastly expression as is ‘grand lavatory’ and we need to maintain our standards.
16d is indeed enumerated (4,1’4) on the new Telegraph Puzzles website — and was already like that before 7 this morning when I opened it, so if it changed after publication, it happened quickly.
The trouble with phrases like that is that enumerating it (4,5) is wrong and makes the clue unfair, but putting (4,1’4) makes it too easy: from seeing the enumeration and the first few words of the clue, it’s obvious what the answer must be, without any need to read the wordplay or involve anything cryptic.
Unusually it didn’t take me long to find Monday’s wavelength and today’s enigma was intriguing to solve with South friendliest half. 18d was unparsed as I’m not good on chemical symbols. Surely 16d is 4, 1, 4 rather than 4,5? Fav was 9a and 14d ran up. Thank you Dada and Senf.
16D shown online as being 4,1’4 which probably helps a great deal!
Monday’s wavelength but wrong [Sunday’s] setter and blogger
7d and 18d set the tone of this easy(ish) start to the week, Shame the SB video is blocked on copyright grounds but I was whistling it in my head as I read the hints
Thanks to pommers and setter
The SB video is available over here but somewhat of a strain on my ‘dicky ticker’ before 7:00am!
A delightful and gentle start to the week, with enough to make one pause for thought. Some wonderfully clever anagrams – 1a in particular – and great clueing. All GK v basic and within reach. The loud clang that resonated across the country was the sound of a very large penny dropping when 14d “dawned” on me. Candidates for the podium narrowed down to 9a, 28a (good surface!), 7d & 14d.
1* / 4*
Many thanks to the setter (X-Type, presumably) and Pommers
Tee-hee at “dawned”!
Well I’m glad it at least tickled someone, Smylers!
The parsing of 18d was the only head scratch here requiring past solve confirmation of the chemical symbol for sodium. A very enjoyable kick off to the new week with lots to like. Ticks for 1,21&28a plus 14,17,18&22d. Think I’ll plump for 28a as my pick of the bunch. I note the new puzzles site (which I’m slowly getting used to) did at least (unlike 4,5 in the digital edition) enumerate 16d correctly.
Thanks to the setter & to Pommers.
Ps today’s solving music was Joan Osborne’s 1995 album Relish. She’s playing the Union Chapel in July which ought to be a great gig.
Anyone know why this has appeared in the place of the clip I attached?
The gizmo that converts the YT links sometimes gets confused but it sorts itself out eventually I am seeing a Joan Osborn link now that I assume is what you intended
Very good she sounds too
It’s Monday
It’s presumably X-Type 
although the grid is one we frequently see on Tuesdays! 2.5*/4*
Candidates for favourite – 9a, 21a, and 7d – and the winner is 7d.
Thanks to (presumably) X-Type and (certainly) pommers.
Not guilty this week! But I see why some thought it was me: quite a few anagrams and dashes of humour….See you soon, though! 👍
Thanks X-Type, we’ll have to look for someone else to lay the blame on!
Thanks to X-Type for the clarification.
On another subject, I have just ‘been’ to the ‘old’ web site and was greeted by a pop-up message box that ‘This web site is closing soon’ and redirection to the ‘new’ web site.
I didn’t find this as straightforward as the past few Mondays, with anagrams in crucial positions slowing me down till I’d solved other clues. Pommers, why do you (and other bloggers) presume that anagrams make crosswords easier? Unlike most other clue types, they don’t provide information on which order to put the letters in, and I rarely manage to get any until I have several in position from crossing clues, so I often find them among the hardest clues to solve (albeit not to parse). 1a was like that today: I could immediately see that it was an anagram, but that didn’t help with putting any letters in.
I liked 14d for “French” — though I appreciate that your 18-year-old may not appreciate it, Jezza. I’ve been thinking about what you wrote on Wednesday (following the “Torquay hotelier” clue) about Telegraph cryptics not requiring general knowledge 10–20 years ago. Was that really the case that back then they didn’t use things like “Model” = T, “artist” = RA, and “sailor” = AB/tar/jack”? Because those all feel like general knowledge to me as well, just not modern(ish) popular culture knowledge.
I admit that our 11-year-old isn’t aware of Fawlty Towers either — we had added to our list to watch as a family on Britbox, only for the series suddenly to disappear from their service — but I still reckon young people are more likely to encounter classic sitcoms than obsolete or obscure terms for sailors and the like.
Anyway, my favourite for a long time was 27a for “public fury” … then it was beaten at the very end by 28a, my last in, when I finally realized that “Consoles” wasn’t a verb! And 7d is, by happy co-incidence, the surname (in the singular) of a friend who’s birthday it is today — so I’ll choose to believe it’s a tribute and send them to the clue!
Thank you to the setter, and to Pommers.
Re anagrams Smylers I’ve started to have a bash at Panagram on the new site. I fondly remember doing Target in the Daily Express with my Auntie Nessie as a kid. I only allow myself 10 mins & rather like the way it massages your ego by telling you that you’re a word – smith, wizard or genius etc depending on how far you get. Reckon I get the 9 letter word no more than 50% of the time though I did see today’s one immediately – it’s much easier with checkers.
Anagrams can be a bit “Marmite” I enjoy them and can often “see” them straight away or can mentally rearrange the letters in my head. My wife has to write all the letters down in a circle and then starts random combinations of letters until the answer leaps out at her. Horses for courses etc – I’m dreadful with numbers!
S. With anagram clues it’s a case of “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. I usually find them easier/much easier than most other types. You get a fairly obvious anagram indicator, a clear definition/synonym of the solution, all the fodder is in plain sight and you might also have one or two checking letters to help. For me, the easiet type by far to solve are those “initial letter clues” – where the indicator is often “initial/initially” or something else equally apparent. I don’t like them – bit of a waste of time, really. Luckily, you don’t see many of them these days.
Just not the same knowing it isn’t or won’t be a Campbell for Monday puzzles anymore.
Rather bland today, with several hiccoughs on the way.
2*/3*
Favourites include 9a, 18a, 1d, 2d & 17d — with winner 17d
Thanks to setter & pommers for hints/blog
Loved this puzzle that caused me no real issues which had some great clues . I was very slow and misled by 14d , even when I put in all the letters it took me a couple of seconds for the penny to drop so is my favourite. Thanks to the setter and Pommers.
Thought it was quite a cunning anagram in 1a but my final list of prize-winners comprises 9.15&21a plus 1&7d.
Thanks to X-Type, I presume, and to pommers for the review.
See X-Type’s reply to me at Comment 11!
Very enjoyable start to the week even if the NE held me up until I was convinced of the answer to 8d. My podium comprises 5 and 27d topped by 21a. Thanks to compiler and Pommers.
This got off to a great start when I realised that I was still able to print from the old website.
My good mood was enhanced further by 1a and 9a and everything continued in a good vein from there.
LOI was 18d, which fell once I just read the clue carefully rather than trying to put my Chemistry degree to use.
Lovely start to the week.
Thanks to all
Great misdirection with French.
A very pleasant and friendly start to the week with 28a and 18d sharing top spot this afternoon.
My thanks to our Monday setter and pommers.
Caviare comes from the virgin sturgeon.
The Virgin sturgeon’s a very rare fish.
The female sturgeon needs no urgin’
That’s why caviare’s a very fine dish.
I always like it when 1a goes in straight away and this did not disappoint. 18d was last one in but very clever when I had worked it out. I think 24d has to be favourite for misdirection but I also admired 15a and 7d. Many thanks to Messrs setter & Pommers. I am still smarting from yesterday’s toughie. I have looked at it twice and not had a single thing come to mind. I shall have to read the hints!
You’re not alone Daisy. I had another brief look at it yesterday evening & have got a total of 5 answers. It’s like Elgar on steroids….
I love that caviar ditty, Day Zee.
I’ve just looked up the whole song….it’s hilarious!
Very risque for its time
Thanks for that, Sloops.
You’ve got to love a bit of 10” Shellac 78 RPM every once in a while.
It is Monday but it held me up . Finally got there with 18d last in. Favourites were 9 and 21a and 17 d. The No Going Back Club are staying with us Friday to Sunday so pulling out all the stops but exhausting and v short on time. Never the less cannot resist a good puzzle so thanks to X -type and Pommers. Perhaps they would like to come round and make up the beds, do the garden and hoover ?
Well who’d have thought it! I have never heard more than that first
verse- my parents liked caviar and it was always recited if
it was served at a dinner party. Certainly, as you say, very risqué.
I am surprised at my parents! Well, not my mother so much but
Daddy? Really?
During the war my father was away for 6 years and my mother and I were very close.
I used to boast she would tell me anything. OK, one day the naughty boys asked me to get my
mother to explain a joke which none of us understood.
Woman in queue looking at a sign saying ‘no feggs’.
When she got to the counter she said what is that?
Just what it says, the grocer replied. There’s no eggs
But there is no ‘f” in eggs, she said. Exactly, replied the grocer.
I got a slap on the leg with the ruler for even hinting that Mummy would understand such a joke.
It was years before I fell in.
Marvellous! Still chuckling, DG, thank you!
I believe the ditty featured in the stage play of Richard Gordon’s “Doctor in the House”.
Wicked, DG
Great story!
A ruler had its uses. Our school used the ferula for corporal punishment which I managed to avoid. I am a cheeky chappie but never overstepped the mark. The ‘ferula master’ used to give six of the best in a small room on the third floor that overlooked the playground. He did it at lunchtime so the rest of the boys could see a raised arm in the window, every three seconds, followed by a ‘thwack’!
Grim times.
But look what a man it made of you!
😂
A fairly gentle and enjoyable start of week puzzle – thanks to our setter and pommers.
My plaudits went to 19a, 28a and 14d.
What a good way to start the week.
I was annoyed with myself for having to think hard about Twelfth Night, then not surprised that my elemental lack of knowledge delayed completion of 18d.
Thank you setter and pommers.
When will it warm up on this sceptred isle?
17 Deg here with lovely sunshine. The washing has dried a treat which always makes me happy
Got through this one without too much trouble. There was a couple of answers that are words I didn’t know but was reasonably confident of my guesses based on the cryptic elements in the clues. A nice start to the week
To all that may be interested, this is the response I received from Chris Lancaster this morning to my email to him regarding the font size issue on the new site that I sent on the weekend
“ Thank you for your email regarding our “new” puzzles site. As previously mentioned, we are planning to increase the font size on the print versions of crosswords (including the Cryptic, Quick and Toughie) prior to our old puzzles website being decommissioned.
I hope that helps, and that you continue to enjoy our puzzles.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Lancaster “
Glad to know, thank you. I have written to him several times, but have never received a response. An increase in font size should help.
Nicely challenging today. Strangely enough, sometimes the clues I like the most (warranting a smiley face in the margin) are the ones that I don’t immediately get, vs the ones I do get sometimes earn a sad face. I got 6d but found it stretched, whereas I didn’t get 9d, as I was convinced it was some exotic mixer. The hint cleared that up for me. Thanks to setter and Pommers.
I really enjoyed this one with the fizzy drink getting best clue vote and ‘consoles’ sending me down the garden path for a while. Thank you compiler (Campbell?) and Pommers
Just me, I know, but I found some of this very tricky. I was DNF with two, wrong on one bung in, and used an anagram solver for one; that was 5d, we’ve had it before but not really in my portfolio. It’s a long time since I’ve had such a poor showing! I laughed at 14d, though that was one failure, they were so funny. My fave was 9a, not only for the amusement, but also for its enjoyment.
Thank you whomsoever, it was mostly fun, and pommers for helping me to the finish line.
Did this while half watching the snooker. 9a was clever but I didn’t like to be reminded of a certain Scottish 18a
I enjoyed today’s puzzle though did get held up with a couple before the ‘penny dropped’ for eg 14d & 18d. Liked the mis-direction at 28a. Many thanks to the setter and Pommers.
I knew this wasn’t a Campbell compilation as I was on wavelength but whoever it was I thought this was spot on. Good cluing throughout with a couple of head scratchers. Favourite was 18d with others r running it close. Thanks to the setter and Pommers.
Good evening
An excellent Monday-ish grid with just the right amount of head scratching.
Several contenders for COTD: 9a, 28a, (classic misdirection), 14d, and my last to fall, the splendid 18d!
Many thanks to our compiler and to Pommers.
Last to go in was 14d. Also struggled with 23a as we overlooked the l (st) in the clue.
Loved this start to the week. Favourites were 28A and 18D. I worked out 18D answer but had a blank as to how to parse. All is now illuminated! Thanks to Pommers and our setter.
Very enjoyable start to the week. Some really entertaining clues, 28a my favourite and just 18d needing the hints to help parse.
Many thanks to the mystery setter and to Pommers for the hints
2*/4* …
liked 17D “Day Blair perhaps follows old, boring routine (8)”