Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30709
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
A fairly gentle puzzle from the Prof (presumably) that I’m sure Senf will declare to be typically Tuesdayish. Nicely clued & perfectly enjoyable though for me it wasn’t quite up there with his best guzzles.
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 Pretty black coffee finally arriving (8)
BECOMING: link together the single letter for Black, the last letter (finally) of coffeE & a synonym for arriving.
5a Guidance from father about immorality (6)
ADVICE: reverse (about) an informal diminutive for father then append a synonym for immorality.
9a Certain sailor’s old stringed instrument (8)
ABSOLUTE: the abbreviation for able seaman with the possessive + a plucked stringed instrument popular in the Renaissance & Baroque periods.
10a Car from eastern country (6)
ESTATE: the single letter for Eastern + another word for country.
12a Type of music lesson I almost demand (9)
CLASSICAL: another word for lesson + I from the clue + a truncated (almost) synonym for demand or ask for.
13a Breed fish, were told (5)
RAISE: a homophone (we’re told) of the largest group of cartilaginous fishes with over 600 species.
14a Torments setters? (4)
DOGS: a double definition. The Who get the nod over Pink Floyd for the music.
16a Patient newspaper employee cold inside aeroplane (7)
SUBJECT: an abbreviation for a newspaper employee on the editorial staff + a type of plane into which the single letter for Cold is inserted.
19a Difficulty from initially trading foreign currency (7)
TROUBLE: the first letter (initially) of Trading + Russian dosh.
21a A drink knocked over somewhere in Tuscany (4)
PISA: reverse (knocked over) A from the clue + a synonym of drink for a Tuscan location with a wonky tower.
24a Filled a large tin? (5)
METAL: a synonym for filled or satisfied + A from the clue + the single letter for Large. The question mark signifies definition by example.
25a Part torn off outside of shop’s front entrance (9)
TRANSPORT: an anagram (off) of PART TORN around (outside of) the first letter (front) of Shop. Definition required is a verb masquerading as a noun, as Shabbo would say.
27a Maintenance men tried squeezing glue (6)
CEMENT: hidden (squeezing) in the opening three words of the clue.
28a Slash fabric price (8)
LACERATE: link a fine fabric of cotton or silk with a synonym for price.
29a Nun forbidding leaving Northern Ireland (6)
SISTER: remove (leaving) the two letter abbreviation for Northern Ireland from a synonym of forbidding or ominous. Here’s a great video of Annie,Aretha & Dave – anyone identify the film clip?
30a Usual celebrity comes around and then departs (8)
STANDARD: insert (comes around) AND from the clue into another term for a celebrity & append the single letter for Departs.
Down
1d Bishop managed church’s administrative division (6)
BRANCH: the chess piece letter for Bishop + a synonym for managed + the usual abbreviation for CHurch.
2d Passing a small university in California (6)
CASUAL: insert A from the clue + the single letter for Small & for University all into the usual abbreviation for the American state.
3d Everyone enthralled by tops from Marks & Spencer in shopping centres (5)
MALLS: insert a synonym for everyone between the initial letters (tops from) Marks & Spencer.
4d Sees no couples going around clubs (7)
NOTICES: NO from the clue + a synonym for couples or joins together with the card suit letter for Clubs inserted (going around).
6d Reports from editor upset writers (9)
DESCRIBES: reverse (upset) the usual abbreviation for editor then append a synonym for writers.
7d Aiming high, Edward presumed (8)
IMAGINED: an anagram (high) of AIMING + a diminutive of Edward.
8d Iron and carbon possibly could make men steel (8)
ELEMENTS: an anagram (could make) of MEN STEEL.
11d American girl cut short, unfortunately (4)
ALAS: the single letter for American + a truncated (cut short) northern term for a young woman.
15d Working with composure, by and large (2,7)
ON BALANCE: link the usual two letter synonym for working with another word for composure or poise.
17d Puts up with most cash getting wasted (8)
STOMACHS: an anagram (getting wasted) of MOST CASH.
18d This writer tucks in scout’s new outfits (8)
COSTUMES: an anagram (new) of SCOUTS with how this writer might refer to himself inserted (tucks in).
20d Scoffs at son supporting English (4)
EATS: place AT In the clue + the genealogical letter for son under (supporting) the single letter for English.
21d Agricultural worker plants walnuts on a regular basis (7)
PEASANT: plants that yield both veg & flowers + the alternate letters (on a regular basis) of wAlNuTs.
22d Answer after relative cheers piece of music (6)
SONATA: a male offspring is followed by (after) the single letter for Answer + another informal word for cheers or thanks.
23d Take part in a tango with nurse (6)
ATTEND: A from the clue + the letter Tango represents (NATO phonetic alphabet) + a synonym for nurse or look after.
26d Rigid part of ship (5)
STERN: a double definition to finish.
Nothing particularly stood out as a favourite for me today but I’ll plump for 14&29a with 17d as deserving of podium spots. Please tell us which clues ticked your boxes.
I’ll leave you with the 2nd song release from Van Morrison’s eagerly awaited (well by me anyway) forthcoming new album, New Arrangements & Duets – a big band re-working of a great song off one of his early albums
Today’s Quickie crossword pun: CUE + BUN + HEALS = CUBAN HEELS
It took time for me to work out some of the parsing today. All were gettable but I found some lateral thinking was needed with a few. For example, it took ages for me to work out how Northern Ireland fitted into 29a. As with all such clues, it is obvious once the clue has been solved. I have never come across the reverse of the first two letters of 5a to mean father but I suppose it’s feasible. Neither do I see how the final part of 22d means cheers. Having said all that, it was enjoyable and my COTD is the sailor’s old instrument at 9a.
Thank you, setter for the challenge. Thank you , Hintsman for the hunts.
your’e not taking account of the first word in 22d
mmm…should the a(answer) come before ta (thanks)?
Welcome to the blog, Graham.
What did you think of the crossword?
Fairly gentle, just the job for a newcomer. Thrilled to discover this site which I am sue will enhance my Telegraph crossword experiences.
As Eric famously said to Mr Preview I’m (good at) playing all the right notes sunshine but not necessarily in the right order……
No I got that part but couldn’t suss the final bit. I see it now though. 👍
Your comment immediately made me realise I needed to revise my hint. It’s in the correct order now.
Terry Wogan used to refer to his father as his [2nd and 1st letters of 5a], so maybe it’s used more in Ireland?
George often trots out a phrase in broad Belfast if he doesn’t believe you ( as when I say I have had this new dress for two years) “aye, and Billy Man’s your Da. “
Ta da … as in Cheers Dad (popular expression I’m sure in Dublin and environs or even “tada”!.. as the magician pulls the rabbit from the hat
You said it all for me.
It’s not at all unusual in the West of Scotland to refer to your father as Da.
An enjoyable and fairly gentle solve.
The LHS flew in, but the RHS required a bit more head scratching. LOI 5a.
Joint favourites 25a and 1d.
Thank you setter and Huntsman.
Another solid crissy crossy from il professore.
All fairly clued with some nice constructions. I love pure clues like 1d & 28a with no link words.
It’s crazy how many times I’ve heard people pronounce Marks & Spencer with an s at the end of Spencer and the same goes for Tesco.
My podium is 9a, 25a & 30a.
Many thanks to the prof and Hintsman.
2*/4*
TDS65. Maybe some of those people are using the implied/tacit possessive, which can be confusing. People often say things like: “I need to call in at the butcher’s on my way home”. Meaning butcher’s shop. But not butchers because that could mean there’s more than one butcher’s shop involved. Similarly, one could say: “I got it from Tesco’s”. Of course “I got it from Tesco” would also be fine/equally correct. Just a thought …
Definitely implied possessive – with or without an apostrophe?
TDS65 is talking about speech. When pronounced verabally, apostrophes and other punctuation don’t always materialsie/become obvious so confusion can arise. When written, “We are meeting up at Alice’s” implies Alice’s house/place. The plural Alices wouldn’t be right because without an apostrophe no possession is involved.
I’m not really talking about apostrophes and implied howdy doodys.
Most people think it’s called Tesco’s not Tesco.
That’s all I’m getting at.
No problems, me owd. I just fancied stirring up a bit of friendly debate about grammar.
…and I wouldn’t have you any other way, J.
“Alice, Alice, who the …. is Alice?” 😉
Indeed. I thought you might take a swing at 3d today!
A truly great sing-along, RD!
I do like that Lily Allen sings “Tesco’s” with the unnecessary S at the end in LDN, even though she’s rhyming it with “al fresco”!
Sorry, Smylers but I cannot stand her glottal stops! 😊
No need to apologise — musical tastes are subjective and can’t be wrong or right!
It just amused me that she settles for a not-quite rhyme for “Tesco’s”, when it would’ve actually rhymed if she’d got the name of the shop right.
This song was pretty much all I knew about London when work relocated me there shortly after it came out. (I escaped back to Yorkshire the day after my 12-month bonus hit my bank account.)
S. On the subject of not-quite rhymes, in the song Camera by C,S&N the first verse goes:
I rode my bike to town today
Wobbling down the path
I knew the kids would see me
I love it when they laugh.
But path and laugh don’t quite rhyme, though it seems to work/scan OK. I call this “assonance”, but only because two music experts described it thus on Radio 2 about 20 years ago. I’m not sure that “assonance” is the correct term. Do you, or anyone else reading, know?
I’m pretty sure assonance is right, you know. My only question is: what on *earth* were you doing listening to Radio 2 20 years ago?!
I’ve just done some research to get to the bottom of this and I don’t think assonance is exactly the right term. They seem to be variously called half, imperfect, approximate, near-, lazy, or slant rhymes. Plus one or two others including sprung rhymes.
Examples given from song lyrics are:
Queen/regime.
Happen/Clapham.
Common/forgotten.
God save the Queen
The facist regime
They should have done more albums.
Oops I misplaced my assonance comment in the wrong blog…
In the 1983 film Educating Rita, Rita (Julie Walters) asks Professor Frank Bryant (Michael Caine) the meaning of assonance. Here’s an excerpt from the script, which believe it or not, I was able to find on the net:
R: What does assonance mean?
P: What?
R: Don’t laugh at me.
P: Er, no. Erm, assonance, it’s a form of rhyme.
R: Erm, what’s an example?
P: Do you know Yeats?
R: The wine lodge?
P: No, WB Yeats, the poet.
R: No.
P: Well, in his poem The Wild Swans At Coole, Yeats
rhymes the word “swan” with the word “stone”. You
see? That’s an example of assonance.
R: Ooh, yeah, means getting the rhyme wrong.
P: I’ve never thought of it like that.
OK, you students of verse, what’s wrong with this dialogue?
Well, what the professor is actually describing is consonance, which according to my Holman’s
Handbook, is the use of words in which the final consonants of stressed syllables agree but the
vowels that precede them differ, as in “add-read,”, “bill-ball,” and yes, “swan-stone.”
Assonance is the resemblance or similiarity in sound between vowels followed by different consonants, as in “lake-fate,” “dike-knight”, and “trodden-cobbles.”
Personally, I prefer my own definition of assonance: the sound assholes make when they’re
describing slant rhyme.
Not an original thought but I can’t credit the author as I have lost the tab
Whatever they are!
Great spot, Smylers!
And the lyric is Tesco.
Very funny.
Ha, at least the lads from King Krule got it (sort of) right!
Top knowledge!
Saying that, did you just type in Google ‘Lyrics that contain the word Tesco’ and this came up as I’m hugely impressed that you’re down with the kidz that much?
I’ve never heard of him.
No, I’ve got it on vinyl, doncha know! And the vid was filmed just outside my front door. Not *quite* as grim as it looks …
I am impressed….you dude, you.
Or “mutton dressed as lamb”, as my perma-embarrassed daughter calls it! There’s a cracking Tesco clue in today’s Toughie btw, if you fancy having another dabble over there?
Oh, stop it.
You see, WW, the boys are at it again! And very nice it is too.
Not really – that’s not an example of implied possession. It just marks the omission of the letter i. I’ve got me pedantic head on today :-)
Ha. Well, I did say “sort of”! But I just had to do summat to wash Lily Allen out of my head. Her mockney drives me potty!
Somehow I don’t think the singer in King Krule will be offering elocution lessons any time soon either! I had to look up the lyrics to find out what many of the words were. (Well, the consonants anyway; he’s good at vowels.)
Indeed, sir! He did, I believe, attend Jade Goody’s alma mater, so that probably explains a lot.
Smylers – On my version there is no S, just Tesco 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, I had to go for a live video. It seems she often sang “Tesco’s” on stage, but it “Tesco” in the studio.
I have corrected soooooooooooooo many people who were convinced that it was Tesco’s like Sainsbury’s and Morrisons (interestingly, no apostrophe). We don’t say Aldi’s or Lidl’s.
Many of them thanked me for this most important bit of information and went on their merry way.
I did say “some” people might be (habitually) using the confusing implied/tacit possessive – maybe a bad habit? People do say such things as: “They’ll stock it in the big Tesco’s in Stockport”. Implying Tesco’s big store. They know fully well that the place isn’t actually called Tesco’s.
All I can go on is my little survey, over the years, of asking about 50 people if it’s Tesco’s or Tesco and a huge majority said the former.
Fair enough, old chap.
Are we all “locked in argument” again?! Haha..
But would those same people say “the big Asda’s in Stockport”?
I suspect not*, and in that case then they are definitely using the S as part of Tesco’s name, not an implied possessive. (Good term; thank you for teaching me it.)
Betty’s used to have an apostrophe when it started, but it’s now been Bettys for so long that nobody’s sure what happened to it. Which is fine just referring to the shop, but makes using (explicit?) possessive’s awkward: the normal rule for names ending in S is just to add apostrophe-S, but saying “one of Bettys’s fat rascals” both sounds and looks odd; “a box of Bettys’ macaroons” implies wrongly that there’s more than one Betty involved; and “a Betty’s rösti” is then inserting punctuation into the middle of their trading name, which surely can’t be right either.
* And not just because I’ve no idea whether Stockport has a big Asda; substitute with somewhere that does!
There is indeed a big Asda right in the middle of Stockport and people might well say “You’ll have to go to the big Asda’s in Stockport to get that” – instinctively/habitually using the implied possessive (I’m prone to that myself). It’s just what people do sometimes.
Of course, probably the most famous example is: “Let’s have a butcher’s”. Meaning “Let’s have a look”, from the rhyming slang “butcher’s hook”.
Also, interestingly, back in the 50s/60s when I was at school this would be the norm: “It was the Jones’s dog that bit me”. Now it would be the more elegant Jones’.
Thinking of Morrisons, some pub quiz trivia – we all know (don’t we) that Morrisons started in Bradford but, without resorting to e-help, where is the most Southerly location of one of its stores?
Good question,.
One opened earlier this year where I live in Sussex (Haywards Heath).
Is that the answer? Saying that, it’s only a small jobbie like Sainsbury Local and Tesco’s Express.
So, maybe that doesn’t count.
There’s a Morrisons in Penzance:
https://my.morrisons.com/storefinder/331/penzance
A little further South, around a 1,600 mile drive from Haywards Heath (according to Google Maps) – Gibraltar!
Apparently acquired during the takeover of Safeway.
Outstanding knowledge! From both of you.
I cheated!
You little tinker, you.
How much do we like Penzance, btw. What a place….now that the beaches are empty.
We had some ‘eats’ (oh, come on, everyone. Embrace it!) at a fab restaurant on the beach itself but I can’t remember its name.
Stumbled across it a few weeks ago in a YouTube video!
Tiz a goodie
I think I saw some Morrisons stores when we were in Jersey last month (though they might actually be run by a local business that’s franchised the name rather than Morrisons themselves).
A friend used to audit Morrisons PLC’s accounts*, which involved presenting them to Sir Ken at his home in Bradford over a cup of tea. Sir Ken made the tea himself, and he drank Morrisons own-brand — no being above drinking what he sells to ordinary people with Sir Ken!
* I put the PLC in there just to avoid the ‘s having to go directly on Morrisons.
Love it! (the apostrophe comment)
1*/4*. Another in a long line of light but fun Tuesday puzzles with lovely surfaces. I think (presumably) Robyn on Mondays and (presumably) Prof Plumb on Tuesdays have really got this early in the week setting lark cracked.
1d was my favourite.
Many thanks to AP (?) and to Hintsman.
Aha! Two days in a row! Completion without help!
Consequently, I am sure I have now cracked the code on solving all cryptic crosswords and will never need any aid again. I will, of course, miss you all, but it would surely be seen as simply boastful if I arrive here each day merely to inform everyone that I have solved every guzzle without help and in record time.
Oh it’s been a journey, certainly, but now that I have mastered cryptic crosswords, I wonder if there are other fields in which my expertise might be valuable, as cryptics seem to present only a minor challenge for me now. Two days! Why, that’s nearly a third of a week! 1/15th of a month! It is clear that I am now in a position to use my newly acquired power for the good of mankind and I will be offering my services to Mr Starmer, Mr Biden (maybe Kamala would be the better bet), The Archbishop Of Canterbury, and Taylor Swift.
It is a red letter day!
Thanks to the setter and Andy On The First Tee (great music choices).
Oh Terence, that’s a pity, your comments with which I have usually concurred will be much missed. I doubt I will ever be able to say I wont need help with cryptics again. There always seems to be something to learn. Bon voyage anyway wherever you go next. 🙋♀️
:-)
You will be missed, Terence! Good luck on your travels and please tell Taylor Swift that I have never heard any of her songs. Who is she, anyway?
See you back here on Friday then! 😁
Exactly!
Lovely puzzle, so tightly written, concise and spot-on for a Tuesday. Enough in it to give reason for a few pauses and, I thought, some well-concealed clueing. Honours Board 29a, 14a & 7d.
Many thanks indeed to the setter and to Huntsman
I’m always happy when 1a goes in straight away, as was the case in this enjoyable puzzle. There were a couple of things that didn’t quite sit right with me today. The diminutive father at 5a was a little too diminutive for my liking and the anagram indicator in 7d didn’t float my boat. Yes, I know that it is shown as such in the LRB but it seems to me that you can make a case for any word to be an anagram indicator these days. Moan over and there was much that I liked, in particular 29a, where the answer was obvious but thought was required in the parsing and 25a ( even though it is an anagram!) with its smoothly misleading surface read. Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
A top-notch puzzle from our Tuesday maestro – thanks to him and Huntsman.
I particularly liked 1a, 28a, 30a and 1d.
Lots of fun. I think it’s definitely ** and maybe **** for enjoyment.
That was slightly more demanding than my usual Tuesday walk in the park but it just required a bit more application. 5a diminutive unusual. Not sure steel is an 8d in itself. Stretched anagram indicators continue to appear. 21d plants rather broad. Suppose we now have to accept 22d cheers. Thank you MrP and Hintsman.
For me, etc, not quite Typically Tuesdayish but the Quickie grid confirms that this is an Anthony Plumb production – 2.5*/3.5*
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 15d, and 22d – and the winner is 1a (after the PDM of how finally was being used).
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
Very pleasant crossword indeed. I don’t think I’ve seen “high” as an anagram indicator before – how does that work?
*/****
I thought exactly the same about “high”. It had to be an anagram indicator because re-arranging the other letters in the clue gave the answer, but I only worked that out backwards.
Pretty much the same for me. The only explanation that I could come up with was ‘high’ as in ‘spaced out/discombobulated/all over the place’.
Reasonably straightforward although if Terence wants more of a challenge he could do no better than follow my example and transpose the answers for 22&23d – that certainly made the grid look ‘interesting’ for a while!
Think my favourite was 1a – just made me smile.
Thanks to Mr Plumb(?) and to Huntsman for the review.
I have never heard the 5a diminutive (thanks Angleov for that word) before, however I have frequently heard people refer to their mother as Ma.
Many thanks to the setter, and to Huntsman.
🙂
Started in the SW and worked clockwise round the grid to completion. All very enjoyable. My podium comprises 22d, 18d and in top spot, 1a. Thanks to AP and Huntsman
too easy to be rnjoyable – no sense of achievment . read the clue – write in the answer withou pause for thought */*. Lets hope for something more challenging for the rest of the week
Sounds a tad ungrateful to me. Can you do better at compiling guzzles?
I’m with you on that – a tad ungrateful, if not downright rude!
A comment such as that does tend to deter those just starting on cryptic puzzles. Many use this site and long may they do so.
👍👍
Pay no attention, that’s his modus operandi, haven’t you seen his posts before? Thank goodness he keeps it brief.
I trust that the editor tries to please all abilities, not just those who run through these. As has been said many times before, that is why there is a Toughie if you are need of something more challenging.
Well said. I think the editor should, in fact, be applauded for his attempts to give us a wide variety of challenges throughout the week, all the way from the brilliant Robyn on a Monday to (every other week) Elgar’s toughie on a Friday. i’ve certainly never heard anyone describe Elgar as anything less than extremely challenging. The other point, surely, is that it must take enormous skill to set a puzzle that is on the gentler side, yet still smart and witty. If anything, it may even be harder to do that that to make them super-tough. I don’t know – that would be for a setter to judge. But I certainly can’t think of any other paper that tries to grade the puzzles, in terms of difficulty, heading northwards from Monday on. I reckon they’re doing a pretty fine job, to be honest. Dependent on the day, there’s something for everybody.
It seems that the ‘wisdom’ of Thumper is required!
You should bask in your own awesomeness. I found this very hard and needed the hints for half the crossword.
I blame myself for the dnf, not the setter.
A pleasant stroll through crossword land today, although I had a few stumbles in the north east.
Lots to like but I’ll plump for 17D as the winner.
*.5/*** Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.
Very nicely done. Elegant, as ever. 14a made me smile and 30a’s a winner. Many thanks to our setter and Huntsman. Always a treat to hear the Broadcasters. Isn’t that Diane Blue singing? Cracking name for an R&B singer. Though she’s really a Beaulieu, of course..
Better knowledge than me. It was originally going to be Bobby Bland’s cover
That’s a lovely cover, to be fair. Reminds me of Robert Cray.
Very entertaining crossword which just tipped into ** time for solving (for me!) but a definite **** for enjoyment. Top of my podium was 8d – I was trying to put together various chemical symbols before I realised it was an anagram. 16a is also there with 22d in third place. Can I ask is DA a derivative of DAD? 5a held me up because I have never heard that term used, but the clue only works if it is. I’ve obviously lead a sheltered existence! Thank you to the setter (Mr P?) and Huntsman.
A little trickier than normal Tuesday puzzle for me as I have at least seven answers that are correct, but I cannot reverse engineer to get the parsing. Will check hints when posted.
2*/3.5* today
Favourites today 5a, 14a, 19a, 21a, 4d & 17d — with co-winners 14a/21a
Thanks to AP & Huntsman
I found this on the slightly tricky side of medium; apologies to anybody who found this insufficiently challenging, but was happy with the amount of challenge. 16a is my favourite, for the newspaper employee not being the ed.
I got stuck in the the bottom-left corner, and couldn’t decide whether the 29a answer should be the nun or the term for Northern Ireland; thank you to Hintsman for explaining the forbidding and getting me unstuck, and to the setter for the puzzle and all the enjoyable comments it has inspired.
I do so agree with you re 16a. So refreshing not to see the usual “ed”.
Here’s one just for you, then, to continue that refreshment:
Strand absorbing charming old hack and sailor? Clearly (8)
I’ll be very happy for that one not to be judged by Prolixic!
If that’s PALPABLY, that’s very funny. And very smart. Chop, chop, get yourself on RC, man!
I have just wasted far too much of the little that is left of my life reading all this rubbish. And then wasting even more reading it all out to George because I found it amusing. It has sent him off to sleep (that might have been the result of finishing off last night’s ((apostrophe in the right place I trust)) bottle of Merlot.)On a first read-through I did not hit gold until the forbidding nun, but when I went back to 1a and pennies began to drop I enjoyed the journey. Come back to us Terence – Starmer and Kamal will not appreciate you as we do. Change-the-bed-day and it is pouring with rain, I hate it when I cannot put the sheets on the go-roundy but the garden needs the rain. Many thanks to all for the entertainment.
Love the double brackets inside the single ones!
I’m loving “go-roundy”!
We absolutely do! (I missed it)
Oh good – I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t find it a total pushover!
I thought 5a looked a bit dodgy but it seemed to work all right to everyone else.
I did like 16 and 27a (the lurkers have always caused trouble) and 15 and 21d.
I think my favourite was 29a.
Thanks to today’s setter and to Hintsman.
Well I very much enjoyed that, all completed before volunteering and now home to help cut the hedges as it seems to not be raining yet. The weather has made the privet and laurel grow dramatically and now we are allowed we have been waiting for the right weather/ temperature etc to tackle them. The crossword was just right for a Tuesday and had a lovely mix of clues, several needing extra thought to parse. I will have 29a as my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints. If I am never seen again assume I fell out with hedge trimmer!
I enjoyed the guzzle and also reading most of the above comments. Please don’t leave us Terence!
In Bristol they tend to put an L at the end of a word ending in A so ASDA becomes ASDAL. It does of course mean they don’t say we are going to ASDAS. Drove me potty when I first moved here when area became areal (ariel) and I didn’t have the foggiest what they were referring to.
Top picks for me were 16a (for not being ed), 17d and 9a.
Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.
When we first moved to this part of the world I couldn’t get used to the use of “somethink” for “something”.
I traded in the world of ‘somethink’, or to be more precise, sumfink, for the land of the extra L. Luckily my parents didn’t allow sumfink to enter my vocabulary although some words I still have the accent for such as maths (maffs) and months (monfs).
“Sumfink” surely 🤣
Yeah, “sumfink” is a more accurate spelling, BBB. The other one that took a while was “I’ll leave you go” meaning you were leaving.
Another friendly offering, thank you Telegraph Towers. I did have problems parsing, I thought I had the answer but couldn’t justify it, so I pencilled in many in the margins until I got checkers. I did shoot myself in the foot by writing the wrong letter into a square in the NE. I really need to pay more attention in class. I liked 14a and 21a, but fave was 9a.
Thank you setter for the fun, I do like the start of the week! Thanks Huntsman for your hints and tips.
That’s was gentle fun. For some reason I had in my mind there is a fish called a …sounds like ‘race’ , and spent ages googling for it to work out the spelling for 13 a. Sometimes we miss the obvious. Thanks setter and Huntsman.
Not sure why I am the only one that does not find this easy. A dnf mostly due to failing to get anything in the NE corner as well as a few in the SE corner.
Thanks to all.
It’s called “wavelength”. Some days you get it, other days you swim in molasses. A là Scarlett, tomorrow is another day.
Wise words Merusa!
Good evening
My first crozzie for three days! I was busy over the weekend; Wallingford in Oxfordshire hosts a free festival in the town each year. Bunkfest plays host to many bands and performance artists over several stages and fringe venues. As a volunteer presenter on our community station, Wallingford Radio, I was involved in a couple of the events, so there was barely time to even glance at the papers, never mind the crozzie. And yesterday I simply didn’t make the time. However, back in the swing of it today with a finished grid. Phew!
Thanks to our compiler and to Huntsman.
Took me aaaages. Not sure why. Well it was a nice struggle
I don’t know why but I found this one extremely difficult today. In the end I gave up and fed the cat instead.
Day off tomorrow, so hopefully in more of a frame of mind for the crossword.
This wasn’t completely straightforward for me and there was a bit of head scratching going on in places. The puzzle splits into four quadrants with just two letters separating each one which made the solving a little easier. About right for a Tuesday though. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Nothing to do with crosswords but a shout out for the Daily Telegraph. Last week, I spent four days on the phone to British Telecom trying to sort out my broadband. Time and again, I waited for up to half an hour for someone to answer my call. When it was answered, I was often put on hold for another half hour while I was redirected to the “right person”.
Today, I discovered I had lost my book of coupons for the DT paper.
I rang DT and was answered immediately.
Within five minutes a new set of coupons was dispatched and they wanted to know if I needed them to contact my newsagent to reassure them the coupons will be honoured.
That, British Telecom, is customer service.
Well done, Telegraph! I knew you were quality all along.
Was that the longest ever? Longest string of comments on one item I mean. Someone is bound to know. Such fun!