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DT 30608

by 2Kiwis  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30608

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

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

Kia ora from Aotearoa.
The seasons have definitely moved on now. Each evening we don’t need to have the discussion, “Shall we light the fire?” We just light it. This morning there were patches of white crispy stuff on the grass but with beautiful, calm, blue-sky days, there are no complaints from us.
Nice long answers around the perimeter of today’s puzzle to give lots of useful checkers once these are solved.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a     Maybe Leo and Zoe’s faith in God somehow constant? (4,2,3,6)
SIGN OF THE ZODIAC : An anagram (somehow) of ZOE’S FAITH IN GOD plus the maths abbreviation for constant.

9a     Firm handle (5,4)
TRADE NAME : A cryptic definition. The firm is a company and the handle refers to nomenclature.

10a     Trouble over sauce (5)
PESTO : Trouble or nuisance and the cricket abbreviation for over.

11a     Matthau stereotyped, somewhat unsmiling (7)
AUSTERE : A lurker, hiding in the clue.

12a     Run through both sides of item with China news chief (7)
IMPALED : The first and last letters of item, then the ‘friendly’ version of ‘China’ and a senior journalist.

13a     No end of sheep in spring meadow (3)
LEA : Remove the last letter of sheep from spring or jump.

14a     Engineer iciness cuts into (7)
INCISES : An anagram (engineer) of ICINESS.

17a     California kid joins you, heading off for deer (7)
CARIBOU : The abbreviation for California, then kid or josh and ‘you’ from the clue without its first letter.

19a     Partners wearing nothing from the waist up all the time? (3-4)
NON-STOP : The letters for a Bridge partnership are enclosed by (wearing) a 2,3 phrase meaning nothing from the waist up.

22a     Last third of September initially sent Queen and King crazy (7)
BERSERK : String together the final three letters of September, the first letter of sent, her late Majesty, and a chess king.

24a     Paddle boat edging away, meeting little resistance (3)
OAR : Remove the edge letters of boat and add R(esistance).

25a     Essentially fear getting trapped in open gorge (7)
OVEREAT : Open or not concealed contains the two central letters of fear.

26a     Busy one taking time with husband ahead of leave (2,3,2)
ON THE GO : The word ‘one’ from the clue contains T(ime) and H(usband), and finally leave or depart.

28a     Now and then, jelly is the best (5)
ELITE : Alternate letters from three words in the clue.

29a     Coming back, spots entertaining artist with hot food (9)
ENCHILADA : The spots that plague teenagers contain an eccentric Spanish artist plus H(ot). All of this is reversed (coming back).

30a     Next to Wimpy Bar, reportedly cycled in Dorothy’s way (6,5,4)
YELLOW BRICK ROAD : A colour that epitomises wimpy, then a bar or ingot and a homophone for travelled by bike.

Down

1d     Studio may notice struggling TV show (9,6)
SITUATION COMEDY : An anagram (struggling) of STUDIO MAY NOTICE.

2d     Spurs game held up by commercials (5)
GOADS : A two letter game that originated in Ancient China and then advertising.

3d     Odd person bored by Edrich at first, and batsmen like Boycott? (7)
OPENERS : An anagram (odd) of PERSON contains the first letter of Edrich.

4d     Belts and backpacks? (7)
TRAVELS : A double definition. Belts or moves quickly.

5d     Mournful English member going over first clue? (7)
ELEGIAC : The abbreviation for English, then an anatomical member and the short way of referring to the first clue here.

6d     Remarkable person tackling intrusive photographer in writing (2,5)
ON PAPER : A four letter word for a remarkable person contains the abbreviated name for an intrusive photographer.

7d     Sand in water is so unlike this clue! (9)
INSOLUBLE : The wordplay implies you are not going to struggle too much with this one.

8d     Unwanted visitor to arrive after Mass in state of daft optimism (5-6-4)
CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND : The unwanted visitor is avian, with unusual parenting behaviour,, and follows an amorphous mass. Finally, arrive possibly like an aircraft.

15d     Pleasant canoeing around lake (9)
CONGENIAL : An anagram (around) of CANOEING plus L(ake).

16d     I for one must sit on top of omnibus (3)
EGO : The two letters signifying for one, or as an example, and then the first letter of omnibus.

18d     Brilliant diamond? (3)
ACE : A double definition. The question mark after diamond indicates that this could be an example. Jack would be another example.

20d     Incorrectly, three and two wife omitted in addition (7)
THERETO : An anagram (incorrectly) of THREE and the word ‘two’ without its W(ife).

21d     Fuss with black mint, perhaps (3,4)
POT HERB : A six letter word for fuss or ‘to do’ and then B(lack).

22d     Working with Greek character to support British Airways (7)
BRONCHI : The two letter abbreviation for British, the short word for working or in operation and finally the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.

23d     Ponder again on lean rump of pork (7)
RETHINK : On or referring to, then lean or skinny and the last letter of pork.

27d     She inspires scoundrel hiding in central León? (5)
ERATO : The two central letters of Leon enclose a scoundrel or cad.

We enjoyed untangling the wordplay in 29a so that’s our favourite.

Quickie pun    sigh    +    monk    +    owl    =    Simon Cowell

72 comments on “DT 30608”

  1. This was 1.5*/4* for me with only 4d, my last one in, requiring any head-scratching to sort out the synonyms needed. It was a lot of fun with 30a my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks.

  2. Absolutely cracking, though I would hesitate to describe the avian visitor as being unwelcome – but then again I’m not a reed warbler or other similarly small & gullible bird! Great surfaces and ticks everywhere, including the anagrams at 1d & 15d, 11a’s lurking Walter, the DD at 9a, appetite-inducing 29a and for the smile at 3d, but for me the COTD has to go to 22d – though I think BA has had quite enough of a certain Easy Greek character over the years!

    2* / 4.5*

    Many thanks indeed to the 2Ks and setter – I have a couple of ideas but none sufficiently confident to risk even a few bob.

      1. As I said, DG, I write from the perspective of one that is not a reed warbler! I’ve had the privilege of standing and watching two cuckoos flying, courting, and feeding around some scrub woodland, and at another time driving over a field for nearly a 1/2 mile at about 30mph alongside one that was flying straight down a fence line. Such glorious birds, so beautiful in flight – and every year to hear the cuckoos this month and next is rather special.

    2. Although it is nice to hear the cuckoo it is a killer pure and simple laying up to 30 eggs,more than any other British bird.This equates to the destruction of up 30 nests of various species.

      1. Agreed, but it makes them no less welcome in my book. There are of course a lot of other bird species that destroy at least as many if not more eggs, or kill many more birds, for food. Watching a hobby trying to take a swallow (let alone a dragonfly) is quite something!

  3. Even with the hint, I don’t understand 4d. Neither do I get 21d. The rest of the guzzle was ok but I’m still out of sorts with puzzles at the moment. My mojo seems to have deserted me. Ah well!
    Things were not helped by the fact I could not solve any of the outer long clues. No COTD today although I did like British Airways at 22d.
    Thank you to the setter – it’s not your fault I’m going through a dry period. Thank you 2Ks for the hints and making sense of much of it for me.

      1. Darn, I was asleep! Is the bar open tonight? I fancy some Scott Scotch. 😊

    2. I agree, Steve, that 4d is a poor clue. I can just about accept that BACKPACKS can give you the answer, but BELTS, in this context means moving at speed. The answer doesn’t imply speed.

      1. Hi S & V.

        The answer can mean ‘at speed’:

        Cor, that car was ******ling
        That ball was ******ling (cricket)
        Usain Bolt was certainly ******ling down the track last night.

      2. Vince, Steve, it took me a while to twig the meaning needed for 4d. How about “he was really travelling in the fast lane when he went past me”?

    3. Agree, 4d is very stretched and doesn’t work for me, whatever the dictionaries might claim.

  4. Thanks to our setter for a highly entertaining puzzle and thanks to 2Ks for the review.
    I really liked 11a (very appropriate for ‘Mr Deadpan’ himself), 30a, the apposite 3d (I’m old enough to remember not only the younger Edrich but the older one), 5d and 22d.

  5. What a lovely way to spend a sunny morning in pretty Forest of Dean – 7d as my favourite today. Thank you setter and 2Ks

  6. On the money for a midweeker with plenty of excellent surfaces and superb constructions.

    I had to giggle when I saw that the synonym for fuss in 21d exists. Gotta luv the English language.

    I’m a fan of crosswords that have four 15 letter dooberries along with their three letter counterparts which is often the case as they take up just under a quarter of the 225 boxes.

    22a is a brilliant word along with similar(ish) ones like bonkers, potty, nuts, crazy, barmy, bananas, bats, dotty, crackers, haywire, whacko, kookie and expressions like round the bend, daft as a brush and as mad as a box of frogs.

    My hotly-contested podium is 1d, 15d and the outstanding 22d.

    Many, many thanks to the midweek marvel and Le Touquet.

    2*/5*

      1. Splendid.

        I’ve just looked up its etymology: it was originally pronounced like ‘mother’ but changed to the ‘bother’ sound when the aforementioned was introduced to these shores by the writers from the Emerald isle: Sheridan, Sterne & Swift.

        It’s like the spelling of mischievous: Susie Dent fears that mischievious may one day be an official variant spelling because people assume it has an i due to its close meaning to devious.

        Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.

        Let’s also hope Harrogate council reverse their recent decision to get rid of apostrophe’s (I had to) in their new street signs like Winchester council did thanks to the residents in Twyford ‘giving it large’. Birmingham backtracked a few years ago.

  7. An off kilter mindset required?
    It took a while for me to get round to the setter’s way of thinking. Once I had found my way into his/her head the solutions followed more easily.
    29a was cleverly constructed and I love the answer to 22a.
    Many thanks to setter and 2Kiwis.

  8. Way too hard for me, just not on my wavelength. I got two clues by deduction and one by guesswork. The rest…nah. Hints didn’t help much, sorry. More of a 4*/1* for me

    1. You’ve changed your alias so this needed moderation. Both aliases will work henceforth.

  9. Thouroughly enjoyable with ticks sll over my paper. I didn’t know the word at 21d and thought a mistake had occurred and the first letter should have been a B. I should have known better as a trip to the BRB revealed. I struggled to parse 29a, but the sense of satisfaction was worth the effort and it became my COTD. There were so many more vying for podium places but I’ve chosen 22a and 22d, both my favourite type of clue. I also enjoyed all the peripheral clues, even the anagrams. Thanks to our setter and the 2 Kiwis.

  10. For some unknown reason it took a while to crack this one open but once I got going it was reasonably straightforward – 2.5*/4*

    Candidates for favourite – 9a, 17a, and 22d – and the winner is 22d, with a consolation prize for 17a for using the two letter abbreviation for the 31st State.

    Thanks to whomsoever and the 2Kiwis.

  11. A good puzzle interspersed with some very odd clues. Never come across Pother before but it is in the BRB. 4d, 6d and 21d all weird clues. 16d was also rather weak. Did like 20d but my fav was 3d.
    An interesting and strangely pleasent crossword.
    Thx to all
    **/****

  12. I enjoyed today’s puzzle. I didn’t know the fuss word but it couldn’t have been much else.
    Lots of ticks all over the place but top picks were 22d, 7d and 22a.
    Thanks to the setter and the 2Kiwis.

  13. Straight in for me at TOTP in this week’s puzzle parade thus far. Thought it a real belter. Was a bit slow to twig the first of the double def at 4d & the context of Wimpy Bar at 30a (had a Sat job working in one in the lower precinct in Coventry as a kid) but an otherwise smooth solve. Ticks all over the shop – 11,17,29&30a plus 22d can fight it out between themselves for podium spots but 30a probably edges it as it prompted me to play a bit of the album.
    Thanks to the setter (Robyn maybe) & to the 2Ks.
    Ps the Stick Insect Toughie is very entertaining too & mercifully much easier than Donny’s one yesterday

  14. My favourite sort of puzzle.

    Slow to start, zones of impenetrability, mild despair, a foothold gained, a corner complete, mild hope, another corner falls, momentum builds, hope rises, a few stubborn holdouts remain, [tea interval taken], epiphany, completeness, nirvana.

    ***/*****

      1. It’s all relative. Compared to the grey and echoing void of my everyday existence, for example, nirvana is about right.

        1. Oh deary me. At least I bet you are not ninety so that must be a plus.

  15. Not my cup of tea today.
    Too many bung-ins .
    Some very odd clues. Not sure about belts =travels.
    Favourite (and not a bung-in) 22d
    Just not on wavelength.

    Thanks to the setter and the 2 Kiwis.

  16. Best one of the week for me so far.
    Enjoyable and on my wavelength. 1a set the tone and the smiles continued. Thankfully none of them 7d
    Thanks to setter and 2K’s

  17. An enjoyable solve, with just a couple of raised eyebrows for the double definition clues at 4d and 18d.
    I also tried to put IST for “first” at the end of 5d, but 13a soon put me right on that one.
    I needed help from the Kiwis for the “bar” synonym in 30a and whilst 29a is very clever, it doesn’t read particularly well?
    That all sounds a bit negative, but there was a lot to like. Some lovely surface reads with ticks from me for 25a, 2d, 22d and 23d.
    Thank you setter and Kiwis.

  18. everything a crossword should be – inventive , humourous, challenging wiyjout being impenetrable altogether it was near perfectr . So many clues could have been my COTD – eventually I settkled on 22d with 12a and 6d very close behind. Now going to catch some rays in the garden and reflect on a morning well- spent! Thanks ro the setter, and despite not needing any help for the first time in forever, thanks to the two Ks

  19. I agree with Ora that 22d was the tops – I only did Greek for a year but at least the alphabet has stood me in good stead. That’s a funny phrase- good stead? Anyway some folks will not have liked the anagrams but I am red hot at those with my circles of letters and throughly enjoyed this workout. I hope Manders has got some of this heavenly sunshine – I have been picking Lily of the valley (such a thug in the garden) since mid April and giving bunches to everyone I meet, more or less. Well, not the gentlemen. But everyone loves it and it is so ephemeral, as is the EON man. We waited in all morning for the third time for him to come and look at our faulty smart meter – this has been going on for six months. A stiff email is being composed. Now we have to go into plastic surgery as George thinks he has two more squamous things coming and he is such a good customer we have a drop in anytime arrangement – the only caveat being he has to wear a bow tie! What with that and his flipping torn artery I’m hospital-phobic at the moment. Growing old is a pain in the backside. And the knee. And the hip. Thank the Lord for the daily guzzle – and the crossword. Many thanks to the setter and the Tookays lighting their fire. Cosy. I have discarded my vest, but don’t tell my mother.

      1. Ah. Now as you ask, healed wonderfully but very tender still. You asked yesterday what George had been up to. Last week drying after a shower he pulled the towel through his toes and damaged an artery. On blood thinners like me, blood was spraying out over his bathroom with every heartbeat. 7am. Called ambulance etc etc. I didn’t even know you could access an artery so easily but his skin is very thin. I didn’t mention it at the time as I fear I might be deemed to be disaster prone – or a drama queen! Believe me I just want a quiet life and two guzzles, crossword and gin.

        1. Yes, DG, we certainly have a lovely day today but the sea fret lasted until about 11. Hope it stays fine for our WI visit to Stody tomorrow and I can use my Gardeners’ World voucher. My oh my, you and George certainly manage to be in the wars these days. I guess the greenhouse came off the worst! Are you going to put it up again?

        2. Oh, Daisy! I’m so sorry. Yes, at our advanced ages, “things” happen that we have no control over. You’re doing the right thing, fixing them as they come along, then laughing and moving on!

    2. Welcome to the blog

      The colour means wimpy in the sense of lacking courage

      What did you think of the rest of the crossword?

  21. I had a few issues on the definition front but the answers and checkers got me over the hurdles. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Wimpy Bar, never heard of that term for a remarkable person and didn’t care for the belts and backpacks – too much of a stretch.
    Not to worry, I did enjoy the firm handle and the support for BA.

    Thanks to our setter – Robyn ? and to our 2Ks for the review.

  22. One or two awkward little devils that made me think a bit, otherwise all good, clean fun. 30a has to be my favourite for the sheer inventiveness of the clue.

    Thanks to our midweek setter and the 2Ks.

  23. I found this a gentle and enjoyable solve and I did like the grid- I got the 4 biggies early so that helped. I too scratched my head at belts for 4d , but get it now after the debates above. 21d yielded a new word too. Thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

  24. Difficulty **?? No, 2Kiwis, a lot more than that, but fun? Oh yes, bushels of that. Some stretches, 4d with everyone else. I thought the four long ‘uns at the edges were great, and such a help in giving checking letters. I also liked the word at 22a, giving me 22d, another fun clue. I needed the hints for 25a, then I could solve 20d, my last one in.
    Thank you whomsoever for the fun, and 2Kiwis for all their help unravelling some.
    Thank you to Senf is in order for helping with the crossword printing, I couldn’t get on-site this morning.

  25. After dnf’s on Monday and Tuesday I was glad to finally finish one unaided. It’s the second week this has happened if memory serves me correctly. Last in was 21d with a loud doh and forehead slap, I was looking at mint as new. Thanks to all.

  26. Not a fan, some stretched and awkward clues, including 4d, 6d and 21d. I’m on a different wavelength plus fitting in between two doctor appointments, so probably not concentrating. But definitely above ** difficulty I would say. Thanks to setter and 2Kiwis.

  27. Good evening

    After a stultifyingly boring day at work (briefing meeting, so sat sitting in an airless room all afternoon) it has been a relief to get back to the crozzie which I started at about 11:00; today has been one of those days whereby the puzzle has to be put down, in order for the subconscious to get to work unravelling the last half a dozen clues in the SE quadrant.

    By crikey, there were some little belters of clues today. My last to fall, 25a, was a great piece of misdirection. The anagrams in 1a and 1d were particularly good. Three runners up today for COTD: 25a, 5d, and 7d. Three joint winners too: I can’t get a tab paper between 1a, 29a, and the sublime 22d!

    I never know who the Wednesday setter is. Thank you so much to whomsoever; many thanks also to 2Ks for the explanations.

    1. You have my sympathy, SJ. I remember sitting in overlong, boring meetings when everything was discussed but nothing decided.

  28. I found this difficult to get to grips with. I struggled to parse so many clues that I had two thirds of the clues with just the checkers written in.

    Pother a new word for me. I was googling bot herb…

    4d was my LOI as I travels and belts didn’t seems synonymous to me.

    Glad to have solved this slightly quirky crossword unaided even if I needed several hints to parse.

    Thanks to all.

  29. When we solved 6d and worked out what the remarkable person must be, our reaction was, “Surely not!” A quick check in BRB and there it was. One lives and learns.
    Lots of fun clues in this one and a pleasure to solve and blog.
    Cheers.

  30. Somewhat unusually I struggled to get the long outside clues today which meant it took a long time to get going. Eventually it all fell into place with some head scratching at 4d and not knowing that pother was a word so I had to check. 22d was a fantastic clue and my favourite. I had the answer for 6d but needed the hints to explain the parsing. Very satisfying to have completed it.

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2 kiwis for the hints.

  31. Setter here. Thanks to all who solved and commented and especially to 2Kiwis for the great blog.

    Not sure what to make of synonyms being wrong “whatever the dictionaries might claim” though! 😁

    1. The Wednesday mystery begetter addresses reader lamentation with magnanimity

      1. ^ The acrostics keep on coming! Thanks, Tim.

        And I’ve only just now seen the joke behind your username!

    2. Must be at least the 3rd time I’ve thought one of your puzzles was by Robyn. Still that’s high praise in my book. Good to see you popping up more frequently T. More like this welcome any time please.

      1. Thanks, Andy. I’m chuffed that Chris Lancaster is still happy to publish my puzzles and that many seem to enjoy them.

        Big fan of Robyn in all his guises, like everyone else here. Talking about being slow to see the wordplay in Slur Kermit’s username (see above), it also took me a while to understand the significance of ‘Robyn’ too!

        1. How ever hard I try, I can’t see the significance of either Slur Kermit’s username or Robyn’s. Thanks for the crossword – I enjoyed it despite having quite a tussle with it. And thanks to the 2Ks – I needed a lot of your hints to explain my answers. I love SK’s acrostic.

            2. Oh. I just thought it was ‘lurker’ as a lurker in the middle.

              Robyn’s setter pseudonyms in other papers are pirate-themed – Picaroon, Buccaneer, Rodriguez – so I guess Robyn’s a pun on robbin’. I could be wrong though.

    3. An excellent crossword, showcasing your mastery, Mr Tumble.

      You are certainly hitting your straps.

      Chapeau! 👏👏

      1. Thank you, Tom. Living in the sticks of West Wales I do get to eat a lot of hay. 😆

  32. As ever a late night solve for me. Hesitant start then got into my stride. The 15’s around are always tricky then 8D came good. Stand out clues for me – even if I needed help – thanks! – were 30A, 1D, 22D. Always a pleasure even if I fail miserably some days!

  33. Are the first two clues in the quickie (Noticeable & Decline) a comment on the new website/app??!!
    Quickie was tough! Still have the delights of the cryptic awaiting

  34. 4*/3* …
    liked 25A “Essentially fear getting trapped in open gorge (7)”

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