Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30713
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 7th September 2024
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
A friendly Saturday Prize Puzzle. None of the usual suspects (Cephas, Chalicea or Donnybrook) turned up to claim it, so I wonder who the setter was?
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Low sound coming from secret huddle (4)
THUD – Hidden in secreT HUDdle
3a What might give assistance to one going up the wall? (10)
STEPLADDER – A cryptic definition of something that assists when going up a wall
8a Musician squeezes one box that hisses (3,5)
PIT VIPER – PIPER (musician) ‘squeezes’ the Roman numeral for one and TV (box)
9a Wearing a wig? That could be rough (6)
RUGGED – Wearing a wig or an adjective meaning rough
10a Repay an archdeacon, say, on the way back (6)
AVENGE – A (an) VEN (the title of an Archdeacon is The Venerable) and a reversal (on the way back) of EG (say)
11a Hold dear what could be very dear (8)
TREASURE – A verb or a noun
13a Touching a pet, itch badly (8)
PATHETIC – An anagram (badly) of A PET ITCH
14a Staircase one can’t go straight up? (6)
SPIRAL – A type of staircase that winds rather than goes straight up
16a Feel sorry about heartless address (6)
REGRET – RE (about) and GReET (address) without the middle letter (heartless)
19a One in china shop regularly sent in news report (8)
BULLETIN – BULL (one in a china shop), the regular letters of sEnT and IN (from the clue)
21a Wise man Melvyn upset choir (8)
MELCHIOR – MEL (Melvyn) and an anagram (upset) of CHOIR
22a Chap with articles somewhere in South America (6)
GUYANA – GUY (chap) with AN and A (articles)a
23a Run out of gear? (6)
STREAK – Run without clothes on
24a Unusually, mention eating duck in the middle of the day (8)
NOONTIME – An anagram (unusually) of MENTION ‘eating’ O (duck in cricket scoring)
25a Miner’s daughter, a fruity type (10)
CLEMENTINE – The miner’s daughter in this week’s ear worm or a type of fruit
Of all the comments on the day, I was really surprised to find how many people didn’t know the song – when I read the clue to Mr CS, he immediately started to sing this:
In a cavern, In a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Dwelt a miner, forty-niner,
And his daughter, Clementine.
Chorus:
Oh my darling, Oh my darling,
Oh my darling Clementine,
You are lost and gone forever,
Dreadful sorry Clementine.
Repeat chorus
Light she was, and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine;
Herring boxes without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine.
Repeat chorus
Drove she ducklings to the water,
Every morning just at nine;
Hit her foot against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine.
Repeat chorus
Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles soft and fine;
But Alas! I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine.
Repeat chorus
In a corner of the churchyard,
Where the myrtle boughs entwine,
Grow the roses in their poses,
Fertilized by Clementine.
Repeat chorus
Then the miner forty-niner,
Soon began to peak and pine,
Thought he oughter join his daughter,
Now he’s with his clementine.
Repeat chorus
In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked in brine.
Though in life I used to hug her,
Now she’s dead, I’ll draw the line.
Repeat chorus
How I missed her, how I missed her
How I missed my Clementine.
So I kissed her little sister,
And forgot my Clementine.
Repeat chorus
26a Tom’s troubled but not in the least (4)
MOST – An anagram (troubled) of TOMS
Down
1d Best basket, unnecessary weight on deck (3,6)
TOP HAMPER – TOP (best) HAMPER (basket)
2d Confused over merchandise, very rich food (10,5)
DEVONSHIRE CREAM – An anagram (confused) of OVER MERCHANDISE VERY
3d New panties? Wise! (7)
SAPIENT – An anagram (new) of PANTIES
4d Unreliable bloke harbouring deserter (7)
ERRATIC – ERIC (bloke) ‘harbouring’ RAT (deserter)
5d Bounty, great ship (7)
LARGESS – LARGE (great) SS (ship)
6d Visits and meets edgy criminal, showing guts (9,6)
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM – An anagram (criminal) of VISITS and MEETS EDGY
7d Peak‘s cooler when going topless (5)
RIDGE – A fRIDGE (cooler) “going topless”
12d Rising breeze in valley (3)
RIA – A reversal (rising) of AIR (breeze)
15d Deplore including trendy European feature (9)
LINEAMENT – LAMENT (deplore) ‘including’ IN (trendy) and E (European)
17d Lady develops houses (3)
EVE – ‘Housed’ in dEVElops
18d Reduce disorder of kitchen? (7)
THICKEN – An anagram (disorder) of KITCHEN
19d Bud and I run round country (7)
BURUNDI – BUD and I (from the clue) go round RUN
20d Ear ghoul injured, the Parisian concluded (7)
LUGHOLE – An anagram (injured) of GHOUL followed by (concluded) LE (French definite article)
21d It can be faced with unpleasant consequences (5)
MUSIC – Face the music – as used in an expression meaning to deal with unpleasant consequences