DT 30679 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30679

by Huntsman  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30679
Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

A very enjoyable puzzle today (from AP I assume) with some good surface reads. It took me a wee bit longer to complete than yesterday but I’m not sure if that was just a case of being a bit slow on the uptake.

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 Individual parrots returning with speed (8)

SEPARATE: a synonym for parrots or copies reversed (returning) + a word for speed.

5a Main courses ultimately with no flipping flavour (6)

SEASON: main here is in the context of a literary word for a body of water. Link with the final letter of courseS (ultimately) & the reversal (flipping) of NO in the wordplay. Excellent surface.

9a Rich, bad aunt nastily penning note (8)

ABUNDANT: an anagram (nastily) of BAD AUNT with the single letter for Note inserted (penning)

10a Bare nobleman on the radio (6)

BARREN: a homophone (on the radio) of the lowest rank of British nobility.

12a Rue Andrew working shifts?

UNDERWEAR: an anagram of RUE ANDREW. The question mark indicates examples of & it cropped up in last Tuesday’s puzzle.

13a Nothing bad about fruit (5)

OLIVE: the letter that looks like nothing + a reversal (about) of a synonym for bad.

14a Jazz fans promoting a book (4)

ACTS: promote (from the 2nd to the 1st letter) A from the wordplay in a term for lovers of jazz giving you the 5th book in the New Testament.

16a Soft coats for actors (7)

PLAYERS: the letter denoting soft or quiet (music) + a synonym for coats.

19a Embarrassed answer by phoney editor (7)

ASHAMED: the single letter for Answer + a word for phoney + the usual abbreviation for editor.

21a See Mae West on a regular basis (4)

MEET: the alternate (on a regular basis) of Mae West.

24a Male in bad mood over dog’s heart rate (5)

TEMPO: insert the single letter for Male into a reversal (over) of a term for a bad mood or strop then append  the cricket abbreviation for Over (ignore my twaddle) append the middle letter (heart) of dOg. Thanks Richard.

25a Fixed cool pen – he’d removed tip (9)

INSTALLED: link a two letter term for cool or fashionable with a synonym for pen or booth then append h’ED from the wordplay less the first letter (removed tip).

27a Regretted swallowing gin – no good getting wrecked (6)

RUINED: insert gIN (no Good) into a word for regretted. Neat surface.

28a Found everybody following British sport (8)

BASEBALL: place the single letter for British between a synonym for found or establish & one for everybody.

29a Bowl containing an item from the bakery (6)

DANISH: place AN in the clue into (containing) a type of bowl.

30a Pagans roast chickens (8)

HEATHENS: a synonym for roast + female chickens.

 

Down

1d Quickly purchase pans? (4,2)

SNAP UP: wordplay here is a single word & the definition is what you have to do with it in a down clue.

2d Smackers whack son (6)

POUNDS: a word meaning whack or pummel + Son (genealogical). The definition context is monetary slang.

3d Traveller’s fish caught in two rivers (5)

RIDER: an overdue reappearance for AP’s oft used freshwater fish, also known as an orfe. Insert it (caught in) between the single letter for River (two/twice).

4d Nurses accepting hospital department offers (7)

TENDERS: place the alternative two letter abbreviation for A&E (an unindicated Americanism arguably but an excuse to picture George for Jane) into a synonym for nurses or looks after.

6d Complicated moving ale to bar with little energy (9)

ELABORATE: an anagram (moving) of ALE TO BAR + Energy (physics).

7d Awkward clues finally worked out (8)

STRAINED: the last letter (finally) of clueS + a synonym for worked out or exercised.

8d Initially numb leg – feel rubbish (8)

NONSENSE: the first letter (initially) of Numb + the cricket term for leg + a synonym for feel.

11d Seize grouse, removing tail (4)

GRIP: lose the last letter (removing tail) from a synonym for grouse or complain.

15d Field – and Arnold perhaps cultivated some crops (9)

COMPOSERS: an anagram (cultivated) of SOME CROPS. The first fella was unfamiliar to me & I’m not sure why there’s a need for a hyphen here.

17d Ensnared Pat with crude dancing (8)

CAPTURED: another anagram (dancing) of PAT + CRUDE.

18d Excellent fight for winner (8)

CHAMPION: quite a feat to clue a triple definition in four words. I’ve an inkling the first is a northern term – at least for me it conjures up an image of a chap taking his first sip out of a 🍺 of ale & murmuring approval.

20d Wet rook held by duck (4)

DRIP: place the chess abbreviation for Rook into (held by) another word for duck or immerse.

21d  Cook mother’s herb (7)

MASSAGE: a diminutive for mother’s + a one of the four herbs Art & Paul sang about. I suppose the definition context is in the sense of cooking the books & what you’d need to do to the figures.

22d Quit after Conservative split (6)

CLEAVE: the single letter for Conservative precedes (after) a synonym for quit or depart. The surface immediately made me think of Suella & wonder if she’s Reform bound.

23d Daughter enthralled by silly drunken moments of happiness (6)

IDYLLS: an anagram (drunken) of SILLY around (enthralled by) the genealogical letter for Daughter. Nice surface companion to 27a.

26d Healer tries keeping awake (5)

ALERT: hidden (keeping) in the first two words.

 

18d was my runaway favourite & I had ticks against 14,27&30a along with 1,7&23d. Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes.

Today’s blogging music has been Eilen Jewell’s Live at The Narrows. I’ve a copy of the record signed by Jerry Miller, the band’s too cool for school old rocker guitarist. Here’s a track off it

Today’s Quickie crossword pun: ALL + INN + CLUES + SIEVE = ALL INCLUSIVE 

 

 

48 comments on “DT 30679”

  1. A lovely solve today with a few teasers thrown in. I missed the anagram indicator in 14a and entered the word for fans of jazz – a rather silly mistake on my part. Once I sorted it out, I thought it a good clue. I did like Andrew working shifts at 12a and I have to like the cool pen at 25a being as how it relates to The Mythical. My COTD is 30a where pagans are roasting chickens.

    Thank you, setter for a great challenge. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

  2. Anyone else had a weird email for Big Dave about casinos? Will comment on the guzzle later but wanted to see if it was a scam email first.

      1. I’ve looked at it again Steve and it appears to come from the 2 Kiwis. I haven’t actually opened it but I will do as you suggest and delete it.

        1. I received it too and will also delete it. I didn’t open it but the sender’s address was Big Dave.
          Thought I’d check on here to see if anyone else had it.

    2. Strange, that is the second ‘spam’ post purporting to come from the 2Kiwis in less than a week. I wonder if their system has been compromised.

      Delete without reading strongly recommended!

      1. Always good practice with anything odd. Read yesterday about a man tricked out of his $740,000 life savings by an email from “the Government” asking for his help in capturing scam artists. He made the cardinal mistake of calling the phone number in the email. Tragic for a retired person with absolutely no hope of rebuilding those savings.

  3. Sold fare from the prof, as always.

    It is bonkers how many times I have heard the adjective of 23d mispronounced, i.e people replacing the third letter with ‘ea’.

    My podium is 9a, 30a and 23d.

    Many thanks to the aforementioned and Hintsman.

    2*/3*

    1. tomdisappointingsturges
      regularly urges
      ‘correctly pronounce idyll!’
      Well, we wouldn’t wish the kid ill.

  4. For 24A I think dogs heart gives the last O. The “over” is needed to flip the bad mood!

  5. I found this one a bit odd and */***

    Odd because I needed the hints to fully understand 14&25a and 1,2 and 21d! Thank you hinter.

    I didn’t quite get the massage=cook bit either.

    30a was my COTD as it made me laugh.

    Thank you setter.

  6. I found this slightly trickier than is usual for Tuesdays but very entertaining – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    I ticked 1d (I love that type of clue), 8d and the excellent triple at 18d.

  7. Very gentle but amusingly so. Id was fun, albeit slightly odd, I thought. And doesn’t 24a’s “dog” strictly need an indicator? But it’s of no import. 30a, 2d and 8d all made me smile. Thanks to our setter and Hunstman. Cracking tunes today, absolute bangers. Have you been raiding my record collection?!

      1. Sorry about that. I’m talking absolute gibberish today. Sleep-deprived, clearly. Pls just ignore me!

  8. I really enjoyed this. Lots of succinct clueing and sensible surface reads. Too many ticks for the podium today but 14a was my overall favourite with 5a, 30a, 1d, 8d and 21d sharing the plaudits. Of the 32 clues 21 had 5 or less words. Quite an accomplishment. Thank you to our setter and Huntsman.

  9. Got to love a triple definition, so 18d was my favourite ahead of the equally impressive 1d. I thought this was a terrific puzzle, not too testing but very nicely clued with an admirable conciseness throughout the grid.

    My thanks to AP and The Hintsman.

  10. Loved this guzzle.
    Top picks for me were 1d, 21d, 30a and 15d.
    Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

  11. Very Typically Tuesdayish – 1.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 19a, 30, 1d, and 8d – and the winner is 1d.

    Thanks to AP and Huntsman.

  12. 1*/4*. This was light and a lot of fun, and to pinch Senf’s words: “very typically Tuesdayish”

    I must take issue with Hintsman about 4d “arguably requiring an American indicator”. There is no argument! I know it is an Americanism and this is confirmed by Chambers, Collins, and the OED. No matter how many times setters use it, it will still be an Americanism. Rant over …

    I thought 15d was a little odd but at least I had heard of both gentlemen.

    18d was my runaway favourite, with 1d in second place and a special mention for the Quickie pun.

    Many thanks presumably to Mr Plumb and also to Hintsman.

    1. RD, would it be cheeky of me to suggest you add the words “for today” at the end of paragraph 2 of your post. You could leave the dots

  13. I enjoyed this one but never heard of either composer at 15d. Triple definition at 18d was clever becoming clear with the check letters. Cotd has got to be the roast chickens! 😊

  14. Enjoyable and gentle – I had 4 left after the first A&Ds read through. I thought 10a and 15d rather poorly clued, but on the other hand the vast majority of clues had great surfaces, precise instructions, and required no obscure GK, even at 15d where the obscure (to me) Field could be ignored. iI’ll go for 30a, 22d and 5a on my Honours Board.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman, especially for today’s music choices!

  15. Thank you for George, Huntsman, quite made my day!
    Usual Tuesday fun with a couple of stingers thrown into the mix – took me a while to sort out why we needed both the dog’s heart and the ‘over’ in 24a and the composers hid themselves away very successfully.
    Top marks went to 5&30a plus 1&18d with a mention for the very satisfactory Quickie pun.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review.

  16. A pleasant solve. Like others I liked 30a
    I know we don’t do politics but thank goodness it’s goodbye to the Stonehenge project

  17. Seems like another trickier than usual puzzle for this Tuesday. Last area completed was SE … took almost as long as the rest of the puzzle.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 19a, 2d, 3d, 15d & 22d — with winner 2d
    Smile from 10a, 29a, 30a & 11d

    Thanks to setter (AP) & Huntsman

  18. Super puzzle, everything that was lacking in yesterday’s offering. Clever, elegant clues with only a single Biblical reference and for Kath only a passing reference to cricket😀
    Thx to all
    ***/*****

  19. Despite two composers who were strangers to me, a cricket clue (😔), spending too long thinking up herbs beginning with M, chasing after Fixed as a verb, and not able to equate seize with grip, I did enjoy this one a lot today. More than than the last few days definitely. LOL moment at 30a, so my COTD. Thanks to setter for the fun and to Huntsman.

  20. A nice crossword but with one or two head scratchers, possibly due to the heat 🥵 ***/**** Favourites were: 14a & 30a and 23d 😃 Thanks to AP and to the Huntsman “Thank you for the music…..”and of course the blog 👍

  22. A very satisfying and entertaining puzzle, lots to like with 30a my favourite as it made me smile. Completed this am before heading out, it is extremely hot here today!

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.

  23. A bit late, but got there! I enjoyed this, a couple of bungins which I’m glad to see are correct. I wanted to put the wrong sport in 28a, “found” as in footed the bill? I know, that’s pushing the bar. I liked lots, I think 30a came out on top, but 14a was close.
    Thank you setter for the fun, and Huntsman for his explanations. I must google this Jools guy, he keeps cropping up, I keep thinking family jools.

  24. Good evening

    All done, but not without a few questions; eg is “cook” really a synonym for 21d?

    COTD is a three-way tie: 1d, 15d, 30a.

    Many thanks to Mr P and to Huntsman

    1. Our hinter has it correctly methinks on the cooking.

      The setter is of course always right!

      It is we fools that are merely children in these matters

  25. An enjoyable solve which for me was a bit knottier than yesterday but with no real holdups. I got stuck on the parsing of 4d thinking ENT had to be in it somewhere and SENs but really damn obvious now having looked at the hint 🙄 I agree ER doesn’t need an American indicator. Thanks to setter and Huntsman .

  26. Couldn’t be bothered to look up the 15d’s in 15d I just assumed they were. 7d wasn’t the first synonym to spring to mind and wasn’t overly keen on 29a. Favourite was 30a. Thanks to to AP and Huntsman.

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