DT 30623 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30623 (Hints)

by crypticsue  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30623 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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Today started warm and very sunny but it is now starting to get a little bit cloudy.  A very busy day today (I’d already been to Sainsbury’s, Screwfix and the Post Office before 8.50) and once I’ve scheduled these hints and hung out a second load of washing,  I’m off out on the first part of my parish magazine delivery round.  I’ll be back as soon as I can to answer any queries you have on the clues I haven’t hinted

One thing I would say to solvers of the Quick Crossword, if you can’t finish it, try checking that you have the correct solution for 2d as having the wrong word did hold me up a bit

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”. Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Across

1a           Profile of Charlie taking trip overseas perhaps (7)
The letter represented by Charlie in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and a two-word phrase meaning taking a trip overseas

11a         Replace vessel, having found all but the first two? (10)
An abbreviated underwater vessel and a verb meaning to found without (all but) the first two letters

12a         Lady married son of Arkwright! (4)
The son of the original ark wright – the female spoken of (lady) and the abbreviation for Married

14a         Hierarchical structure of people kissing? (7,5)
This social order (originally to do with chickens) could refer to the structure of people kissing

18a         Quietly angry with a gopher, somehow Schofield finally snapped (12)
If you remember Phillip Schofield in his children’s tv days, this surface reading should have made you smile.   The musical abbreviation for quietly, a synonym for angry, an anagram (somehow) of A GOPHER followed by the final letter of SchofielD

21a         Underground feature that may be square? (4)
An underground feature of a plant or a ‘square ‘mathematical number or quantity

28a         Stage from which one might be transported (3,4)
A particular travel company would refer to this place from which one could be transported as a stage

Down

 

1d           Reason to accept large part of sentence (6)
A reason ‘accepts’ the abbreviation for Large

3d           Too much of article included in open work (4-3-3)
A definite article included between an adjective meaning open to view and an abbreviated work

5d           Regularly jumpy after match in Paris? Relax! (7,2)
The regular letters of jUmPy go after something used to start a fire perhaps (match) and the French word (as used in Paris) for in

8d           Eternally growing (8)
Split your solution 4,4 to see a phrase meaning growing or increasing

17d         No profit in fuel that’s enormous (8)
The opposite (no) of profit inserted into a type of fuel

23d         About to plunder chocolate 11 (5)
Something used as an 11a for chocolate is obtained by following the Latin abbreviation for about with a verb meaning to plunder

24d         Low river seen in high ground (4)
A noise made by cattle (low) and the abbreviation for River

 

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The Quick Crossword pun:    CARR  + MARR   + THIN = CARMARTHEN

I await the thoughts of our Welsh friends on the pronunciation of the third word!

 

53 comments on “DT 30623 (Hints)”

  1. A pleasant guzzle to go with the Saturday morning coffee. No clue was too taxing although I took some time to get 22a. I hadn’t heard of 23d but it could be nothing if the instructions given by the clue were followed. Mr. G confirmed my entry so another word goes into the vocabulary. My COTD is Arkwright’s son – very clever.

    Thank you to the setter for the Saturday Fun. Thank you, CS for the hints and for doing them in what seems to be a very busy schedule.

    It took me a while to get the Quickie pun.

    Here in The Marches the sun looks set to shine on Kinnerley Beer Festival.

      1. Is it available in Sainsbury’s? I don’t fancy travelling to Malta for a taste. 😊

  2. On the money.

    Plenty of multi-worders to keep the punters happy, a bit of GK with one ‘Wey hey!’ (23d) and lots of nice surfaces. Arkwright is truly inspired.

    My podium is 14a, 18a (very nicely done) and 7d.

    Many thanks to the super Saturday setter and she from the crypt.

    2*/4*

  3. Enjoyable puzzle. Last in was 12a. The online app differs to the paper.. the clue there is “that woman…”.

  4. My rating is 1*/3* for a very light but pleasant SPP.

    I don’t mind “lift and separate” clues at all. However, I was surprised to see one in 12a as I thought that Telegraph editorial policy was not to allow them. It’s a great clue though.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

    1. Hi RD

      I’m not au fait with all cruciverbal jargon…what’s a ‘lift & separate’ clue?

      2. I think Ray T’s trademark “sweetheart” for ‘e’ counts as a lift and separate of sorts. It’s when you have to separate the components of a word for the clue to make sense – eg ‘Very loud echo indeed’ as the wordplay for AFFECT, where you have to imagine it as ‘in deed’.

        Anyway, I don’t think 12 across is a lift and separate at all. The ‘wright’ is being used somewhat whimsically as a legitimate combining form, as in playwright etc. I could be wrong though as Rabbit Dave is said to be the expert here.

        1. Michael, opinionated – yes, an expert – no.

          You could well be right with the exclamation mark being an indicator of the whimsicality.

        2. Thanks for that, Mr MR; much appreciated.

          Arkwright is one of the best bits of wordplay this year and, being a maker of chests, appropriate with the boys’ ‘Oi oi!’ posts.

  5. Steady Saturday Solve, some gremlins appear to have crept in 24d was missing its first letter but has now been corrected
    18a did indeed amuse as I certainly remember him in his broom cupboard days even though I was old enough to have been watching something a little more grown up

  6. Very enjoyable and reasonably straightforward, even the originally ‘invisible’ first letter of 24d was not a problem, another Mr Bringloe production? **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 5a, 14a, 13d, and the aforementioned 24d – and the winner is 24d.

    Thanks to NYDK, or whomsoever if it is not he, and thanks to CS.

  7. I’m putting my money alongside Senf’s Toonie today – this feels like another piece from our maker of American door furniture. All good fun with just a few to exercise the old grey cells.
    Rosettes here going to 1,12,14&22a.

    Thanks to NYDK and to CS for the hints – hope the weather holds for your delivery round.

  8. I deployed an Arkwright in The Independent in April, but can’t lay claim to this fine puzzle I regret to say.

    NYDK

    1. Goodness, I was quite convinced it was one of yours! Thanks for enlightening me – back to pondering………..

  9. 21a as my favourite … but Arkwright threw me and I ended up reading about Ronnie Barker! thank you compiler and CS

  10. A pleasantly straightforward SPP. Once I’d twigged 12a had nowt to do with Open All Hours it was all over without any head scratching.
    Thanks to the setter & ever busy CS

  11. Many thanks to setter for an excellent puzzle – completed without help, but not without a bit of thinking, just the way I like it.

    Thanks too to CS for the hints – so grateful for the effort you put in.

  12. Another nice Saturday offering this week.

    2*/4* for me

    Favourites include 5a, 14a, 18a, 28a & 13d — with winner 18a
    Chuckles from 5a, 14a, 25a & 15d

    Thanks to setter & CS for hints/blog

  13. A gettable Saturday guzzle, with 12a the last one in. I dare not say more other than THE LIST committee are determined to give this one a very close examination.

    On Thursday we went to the splendid Kenton Theatre in Henley (yet another delightful town ruined by an excess of motor vehicles roaring through it).
    “Hey Terence! How did you get to Henley?”
    “By car.. why…. Oh yes, I see your point…”
    To see ‘Where Is Mrs Christie?”, a terrific one woman show with the highly talented Liz Grand as Mrs C.
    Part of H’s birthday celebrations (never ending) which continue with dinner out with The Youngster this evening.

    Thanks to the setter and Super Sue (The Multi-Tasking Saturday Whirlwind).

  14. Very enjoyable with only a couple of clues giving a head scratching moment. Particularly liked 14a and 26a with it’s shades of Gordon the gopher. Thanks to compiler and CS

  15. I really enjoyed this and romped through it. Must admit to googling Herm to start with (hope that’s not overstepping the mark). Awful weather here, has poured all day and find the blasted muntjac have eaten all my geranium plants in their pots. Have read they hate the smell of rosemary so now have stuck rosemary all over the place. At least my potato sacks haven’t been attacked …. yet! Thanks to mystery setter and CS – my you’re one busy lady. I printed the last 9 pages of even numbers on the back of the odd ones yesterday for our local magazine. Took me 3.5 hours and I made an awful cock up and had no way to rectify the situation and just hope no-one notices or reads this comment!

  16. What a fun puzzle that was, completed unaided. Several outstanding clues but I particularly liked 12a and 18a with the former being my favourite. I also spent some time remembering Open All Hours which always reminds me of my grandfather, who was a grocer with an equally vicious till, and some similarity to Ronnie Barker.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints, you have exhausted me thinking about all you achieved before I had finished breakfast!

  17. A lovely Saturday puzzle.
    Lots to like with my top picks being 12a, 14a, 18a and 21a. Not that I had anything against the down clues!
    Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.

  18. Very nice puzzle today. I very much like the Saturday puzzles, which seem pitched well for us where there is perhaps a little more time for the solve: not too tough, not too easy, and a lot of fun. ‘Arkwright’ wins for me today. I too thought that might be an NYDK joke, so not surprised to see he’s been there, but credit to today’s compiler for it.

  19. Another great guzzle. Really enjoyed it, lots of clever clues. 12 and 14 my particular favourites. Thankyou mysterious setter and amazing Sue.
    I’m just trying to think positive thoughts about the reds beating the blues this afternoon. I’m not sure it’s working!

  20. I agree that this was a pleasure, with several lovely twists and humour. I liked the tight times at 2d and the low river at 24d – a bit if a toss up for favourite between 12&18a for favourite but I shall plump for 12a as favourite. Many thanks to the clever setter and busy bee Sue.

  21. 12a is also my favourite today.
    Last ones in 1d and 11a……no idea why ….pretty loud clangs when the pennies dropped….
    A very enjoyable crossword.

    Thanks to the whirlwind that is crypticsue and to the setter.

    Been lovely and sunny here so far today, but clouds are starting to gather and there is also a hint of haar.

  22. Thanks very much for whoever set today’s crossword and, of course, the hard-working CS.
    Does anyone think the setter could be Cephas today – if only because we haven’t seen him for quite a while.

  23. Not too hard today with nothing holding us up for long but none the less enjoyable for that. Favourite was 11a. Thanks to the setter and CS.

  24. Great puzzle again, my, we are being spoilt! This fun streak can’t last, I foresee storms ahead. Natch, I shot myself in the foot ‘cos I can’t spell – misspelling 17d held me up, but we’ve had that so many times you’d think I’d learn. I never thought of the other Arkwright, so 12a was one of my first in and my fave. Others brought huge smiles, 14a, 22a and 23d were in the favoured few, but lots more amused.
    Thank you kind setter for the fun. Thank you Sue for the hints and pics. How you do so much I’ll never know, I couldn’t have accomplished half that in my 20s, let alone now! You and Daisy are dynamos!

  25. I was wondering if this might be Chalicea, simply because it was fun and I could do it, and we haven’t seen her for a long while. Unless she was here while we were off in that lovely island in the middle of the Atlantic. Truly enjoyable today, with COTD going to 22a, although that one took me a while as I was fixated on film as a verb at first. Runner up was 5a. Did need hint for 18a as I had no idea who Schofield was. Thanks to the very nice setter and to the always clever CS.

      1. Sneaking in slyly on the back of another comment, Cephas? 🤣
        Thank you for a brilliant guzzle and for popping in.

  27. Very good. Took a bit more teasing out than yesterday’s but that is right for Saturday. 12a I wasn’t sure what of the two possibles to use for that lady but jumped the right way without getting the right Arkwright. Yes Ronnie Barker came to the fore quicker than the other. 14a was my top favourite. Thanks Cephas and Sue.

  29. Perfect nicely testing way to round off a happy family reunion day …. and the sun continues to shine here in West Sussex but for how long I wonder? I enjoyed unravelling several mazy clues. 14a is fun but my Fav was 18a. Thank you PC and busy bee Sue.

  30. On my own here on not being on the wavelength of this solve today. About half completed and off to get the answers as I have other stuff to.

    12a required the help of Google. Never heard of the answer.

    Thanks to all.

  31. Finished this this morning. Reasonably friendly for a Saturday
    COTD 12a which was my first one in

    1. You’ve changed your alias – both will work from now on

      The solution to 24d which is accepted by the Telegraph Puzzles Site is the one I have hinted. I have had to redact your suggestion because, even this near to the closing date, it is still an alternative (if incorrect) hint

  33. 2*/4* …
    liked 14A “Hierarchical structure of people kissing ? (7,5)”

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