DT 30722 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 30722

by 2Kiwis  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30722

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

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

Kia ora from Aotearoa.
Winter must have decided to give us all a parting gift and we have had a cold Southerly blast that has affected most of the country. Just hope it doesn’t hang around too long. Meanwhile the first of the Bar-tailed Godwits have arrived from their long, non-stop flight from Alaska. We think of them as ‘coming home’ but strictly speaking, as they nest and raise their families in the distant north, that should be ‘home’ and we just supply the summer holiday venue. Whatever…. it is nice to see them back each year.
A relatively gentle Wednesday offering that we found a pleasure to solve.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a    Fed up and money gone on education (7,3)
BRASSED OFF : A slang term for money, then gone or not here follows the abbreviation for education.

6a    Source of cider – a very American wine (4)
CAVA : The first letter of cider, ‘A’ from the clue, V(ery) and then the single letter abbreviation for American.

10a    Setting bail, one has a defence that might be offered (5)
ALIBI : An anagram (setting) of BAIL plus Roman numeral one.

11a    Only receiving Italian broadcast for game (9)
SOLITAIRE : Only or single contains the abbreviation for Italian and a synonym for broadcast.

12a    Sticks back false leg to avoid customs duty (7)
SMUGGLE : The reversal of sticks or pastes and an anagram (false) of LEG.

13a    Difficult to accept answer that records parliament (7)
HANSARD : The three letter abbreviation for answer is inside difficult or tricky.

14a    Burning popular container line (12)
INCANDESCENT : The two letter popular, a container that might hold baked beans and then a genealogical line.

18a    Somehow remain true on pay (12)
REMUNERATION : An anagram (somehow) of REMAIN TRUE ON.

21a    This might make connection more relevant after a day (7)
ADAPTER : ‘A’ from the clue and D(ay) with a word meaning more relevant.

23a    Play out again after a centre’s rebuilt (2-5)
RE-ENACT : An anagram (rebuilt) of A CENTRE.

24a    Silent judge’s sentence is a picture (5,4)
STILL LIFE : Silent or placid and a judge’s sentence for a serious crime.

25a    Bridge crossing island country (5)
SPAIN : Bridge or arch contains I(sland).

26a    Police must exchange power for good wheels (4)
COGS : Start with a slang word for police and replace its P(ower) with G(ood).

27a    One may hear this and get off (5,5)
WHITE NOISE : A cryptic definition of a suggested aid for insomniacs.

Down

1d    Book lift for cook (6)
BRAISE : The abbreviation for book and then elevate.

2d    Objective about North American ill feeling (6)
ANIMUS : An objective or goal contains N(orth) followed by the two letter abbreviation for American.

3d    What might irritate gent settling in nervously (8,6)
STINGING NETTLE : An anagram (nervously) of GENTS SETTLING IN.

4d    Poor state of detective’s case of rogue couple? (9)
DISREPAIR : The abbreviation for Detective Inspector with her ‘S, then the first and last letters of rogue and a twosome.

5d    Nick dossier mainly about hotel (5)
FILCH : A synonym for dossier without its last letter, then about or approximately and H(otel).

7d    A rising racket keeps friend excited (8)
ANIMATED : ‘A’ from the clue, then a friend or pal is enclosed by a reversed (rising) racket or loud noise.

8d    Story of a memo protecting English diplomatic corps (8)
ANECDOTE : ‘A’ from the clue and a memo or reminder contains E(nglish) and the abbreviation from French for the Diplomatic Corps.

9d    Puts up with love during betrayal – that’s obvious (6,2,6)
STANDS TO REASON : Puts up with or tolerates and then serious betrayal contains tennis score love.

15d    Discourage guy getting cleaner (9)
DETERGENT : Discourage or put off and a guy or man.

16d    Racist is set free for a period (8)
TRIASSIC : An anagram (set free) of RACIST IS.

17d    Running through setter’s fence (8)
IMPALING : The short way the compiler would say ‘he is’ and a fence made of stakes.

19d    Footballers must wear dress for big game trip (6)
SAFARI : The footballers’ organisation is inside dress from India.

20d    Example lacking in approach (6)
STANCE : Start with a synonym for example and remove the ‘IN’ that begins it.

22d    Energy needed in affluent German state (5)
REICH : Affluent or wealthy contains E(nergy).

Quickie pun    furze     +    tanned    =    first hand

63 comments on “DT 30722”

  1. Unusually we have a third successive and pleasant stroll in the park which was least challenging in the North. All straightforward and fair without any stand-out Fav although I did like 9d. Thank you lenient setter and 2Kiwis.

  2. A gentle and enjoyable puzzle for a beautiful Wednesday morning. Honours to 11a, 24a and 9d.

    Many thanks to the setter (no idea) and to the 2Ks – nice to hear of the return of your summer visitors!

      1. Having a rather busy day today, so for me at least tomorrow would certainly be better timing for one of those!

  3. This was outstanding with pots of splendid surfaces on a very friendly grid.

    The penultimate letter in 21a is a goodie though I always opt for the other spelling. The pronunciation of 18a often trips up a lot of people as the third and fifth letters get swapped. I remember it by pronouncing letters 3 to 6 as (3, 1) which sounds like what you get paid.

    Plenty of pearlers to choose from but I’ll go with 11a, 9d and 19d.

    Ta ever so muchly to the midweek master, whoever it may be, and Le Touquet.

    2*/5*

  4. For me, and I stress for me ( ™ Senf ), this was one of those guzzles where I have a quick glance and think, “WAH!”
    But it turned out to be one of my favourite ones where I stick an answer in and then that gives a checking letter or two and then on to the next one, and on and on, bit by bit.

    I think there is a decent suggestion at 19a. Instead of a yellow card for the most irritating offences (like tugging an opponent’s shirt, or waving an imaginary card) the referee should be able to mandate that the player must continue, for the rest of the game, in a ballerina’s tutu (in the team colours of course). This would add a new element to men’s football, particularly if the game was dull.

    Thanks to the setter and The TwoKays

      1. Such a threat might have changed our game against Totteringham on Sunday, where even by half-time the card-happy Ref had dished out 5 yellows cards to Spurs and 2 to Arsenal. One gets used to teams having home and away kits, even third and fourth versions, but just imagine tutus too … and if fans started to wear them as well!

  5. Having had a few days away (in the Isle of Man, lovely place) my brain didn’t know what day it was, and so yesterday I thought the puzzle matched that of the day – Thursday – as I needed lots of help. Today I think it must be Monday because I managed this lovely puzzle unaided. By tomorrow maybe I’ll really know what the actual day is! Thanks to the setter and the 2 Ks.

  6. 17d took longer than the remainder of the puzzle – not helped by the fact that I was unfamiliar with the fence. Otherwise a very straightforward completion & though nothing particularly stood out it was a perfectly pleasant solve.
    Thanks to the setter & to the 2Ks.

  7. Very enjoyable little Wednesday number from our setter – no particular favourite, just a steady solve with some giggles along the way. A wry mention for 1a – my daughter and son-in-law are striving to keep their offspring at a decent school and now Mr Starmer is doing his best to make it an almost impossible challenge for them.

    1. Apologies – central heating engineer arrived and I wandered off the blog without expressing my thanks to our setter and to our 2Ks for the review. Hope those Godwits enjoy their hols with you!

  8. A lovely puzzle to start a beautiful only spoiled by having to use the puzzle site rather than the digital edition. Too many great clues to have a favourite. It remains to be seen whether hubby and I will no longer both be able to do the quick crossword as when I last checked there was no way to clear the puzzle once completed. I was hoping that this would have been addressed as it will certainly lead to strife in this house particularly if the plusword and CrossAtlantic also move, fortunately he has no interest in the cryptic! I will report back later!

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2 Kiwis for the hints

    1. I too am unhappy about the move of the crossword to the puzzle app.
      Is there any way to tell the puzzle editor of this …and would it make any difference if I did ?

      1. I totally agree. I prefer it where it was. It doesn’t seem the same in the puzzle app!! Please take heed Editor. They often ask me for feedback so I will comment.

    2. I only do the quick crossword down far enough to get the pun but you can clear the grid by clicking on ‘More’ (top right) then ‘Reset’.

        1. Thanks. So I suppose what MissTfide has to do is a) enter all except one answer, b) check the answers so far, c) do a reset, d) just enter the one clue left unanswered, e) check that, f) do a reset again to get an empty grid.

            1. Thank you for the suggestions, we had thought of that solution and will attempt to try and remember not to complete the puzzle.

    3. I absolutely hate the layout on the puzzles app, the format was far better on the digital version. I did email them a couple of weeks ago when they said this was going to happen. I don’t think they give a damn.

      I’m seriously considering cancelling my subscription, sadly.

      Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the content of the puzzle, as stated above only spoiled by the layout.

      Many thanks to the setters and the 2 Ks

      1. I have cancelled my subscription will try the Times. The quality of journalism has gone downhill and the move of crossword to puzzles was final straw

  10. A gentle little romp, this. 12a’s great fun, 14a’s “line” is smart and 17d reads brilliantly. I did think 1a’s “and” slightly dented the surface but that’s neither here nor there. Thanks to our setter and the 2Ks.

  12. An enjoyable puzzle with 17d and 21a holding out for ages.
    Top picks for me were 12a, 19d, 15d and 5d.

    Thanks to the 2Kiwis and the setter.

  13. I’m not sure about today’s guzzle. I set off at a cracking pace only to come to a halt halfway through. I ended up putting in wrong answers all over the grid because of my jumping to the wrong conclusions and not checking the parsing. I had “browned” as the first word in 1a, “incineration” at 14a and “artistic” at 16d. As for the ill feeling at 2d, I would not have solved it without help. I thought 27a was somewhat obscure and for ages I thought of nothing but disembarking. I did like the discouraged guy at 15d and that is my COTD.

    Thank you for sending me off in all the wrong directions, setter. My grid looked a mess by the time I had finished. Thank you, 2Ks for the hints.

  14. Thoroughly enjoyable fare for a Wednesday, albeit I found it a tad more difficult in places than others seem to have found it. For example I spent far too long trying to shoehorn a chef or cook’s name into 1d until the penny dropped with a mighty clang. My podium comprises 24a, 27a and 12a in top spot. Thanks to compiler and 2K’s.

  15. Horses untroubled this morning by this gentle but very enjoyable stroll through crosswordland. 12a and 22d were two favourites, but I could have selected half a dozen more.

    Many thanks to our midweek setter and the 2Ks.

  16. I enjoyed this puzzle today.

    Could not parse 27a but it had to be what it was…..it certainly would not put me to sleep…..

    Thanks to the setter and to the 2Kiwis.

    I am not happy with the puzzle disappearing from the digital newspaper .
    Is there any reason why the DT have done this ?
    How do I contact the puzzles editor to complain?
    When we are on hols and do not get the paper copy, it now means only 1 of us gets a go at the Cryptic and Quick. Why ?
    I don’t like the puzzles app in any case and find it difficult to use. (Old age I think.)

  17. Enjoyable puzzle ruined by having to do it on the clunky user unfriendly app, and what’s worse, as has already been pointed out, now I’ve done the puzzle my wife can’t do it on her tablet when she gets home as my answers stay on and can’t be erased as the reset grid doesn’t work – another example of The Telegraph working out ways to screw more money out of it’s long suffering customers . It will eventually cost them in lost subscription renewals.

    1. If you look at Comment thread No 2 on last Wednesday’s cryptic blog someone told Brian (who was complaining about the same thing) about a way of getting a Puzzles subscription for only 50p.

      1. Thanks Sue, yes I saw it, in fact they are offering a year for free, but we can all see the way this is going, so yes, I’ll probably do that – then get out when the real fees kick in after that!

  18. After a bit of a struggle to get started on this puzzle things gradually fell into place. Filled from top to bottom.

    2*/3.5*

    Favourites include 12a, 13a, 25a, 7d, 19d & 20d — with winner 19d
    Smiles from 12a, 26a & 15d … an old chestnut.

    Thanks to setter & 2K’s

  19. I wonder if I went into the central library in Cambridge every morning I could grab the DT and do the Xword before anyone else got there. It’s a thought. But at the moment t we are still shelling out for the dead tree version and this morning George dumped a whole pile of unopened sections in the bin. I wish we could chose what we want. However, super guzzle (sorry to the person who objected to guzzle) with lots to like, a few old favourites like the Fairy Liquid gentleman. The south gave me the most problems, I took ‘is set free’ to mean taking the is out of racist but soon fell in. 11a is my favourite as I play it a lot in waiting rooms etc but I also thought 8d quite neat. Many thanks to Mr Setter and Mr Tookays.
    Very hot right now, Sid’s law that we packed the big parasol away at the weekend! ( I see Mr Prediction has amended my bad language. )

    1. Libraries usually have a policy stating that doing the crosswords in the actual paper is not allowed because it spoils it for others. You have to photocopy it. That’s how I obtained the DT crosswords for years. Since lockdown all the libraries round here have stopped providing daily papers altoghether, even the big one in Stockport has stopped having the DT – not surprising really since in now costs £3.50 on weekdays and Sundays and £4.50 on Saturdays.

      1. Hi J

        You said’ round here’. Is ‘around here’ also okay or not?

        I have no ideas and I know you like this sort of discussion.

        1. I’ve never really thought about it to be honest. But a quick search suggests that as prepositions the two words can be interchangeable.

      2. Hi Jose. Someone mentioned this t’other day but if your library offers free access to PressReader it’s an absolute boon. All papers and mags (bar the paywall meanies) are there to print at will. And even though printer ink is kidney-expensive, it’s still cheaper than the alternative.

        1. Thanks, I’ll look into that. Last time I did a photocopy at the local library it cost 10p – a bargain, really!

  20. How nice to have a friendly Wednesday crossword – I often find them quite tricky.
    Just for once I don’t seem to have had too much trouble today – the nearest I came to it was 27a.
    I liked 1 and 27a and 3 and 9d. My favourite was 19d.
    With thanks to today’s setter and to the 2K’s.

  21. I was so happy for find a friendly Wednesday puzzle, starting off with 1a, for me, nostalgic term of “browned off” – and then I got to 3d and realised my 1a was wrong. I see that Steve Cowling also had the same answer at first for 1a. A familiar term in my youth, not so much the correct answer. Perhaps a regional thing? Nevertheless I completed more than half at first pass, before the pace slowed and I had to put more thought into solving the remaining clues. I’ve been told 27a helps sleep through husband’s snoring, but I’ve not tried that. A lot to like today, so thanks to setter and 2Kiwis.

  22. An enjoyable Wednesday solve. I love it when words are lurking in the crevasses of the brain , that I’ve never used or really acknowledged come to the fore – 13a and 2d for me today. Thanks to the setter and the 2 ks

  23. I found today’s puzzle very friendly and moved through it at a fairly brisk pace until I ground to a halt at 27A. In the end I just filled in the only sensible answer, given the checkers, but it’s use in helping insomnia is news to me.

    Emboldened by this, I decided to have a go at the Toughie. Reading the clues of the top half produced no results but I fared better in the bottom half. I’ll carry on later if I have time.

    Back to the regular crossword, nothing struck me as being a stand out clue/answer but if I had to vote, it would be for 16D.

    */*** for me. Thanks to the setter and the 2Kiwis.

  24. Whew, what a relief, a guzzle I can actually solve! I feel so pleased, after yesterday when everyone thought it was say peasy and I couldn’t finish, I thought my brain had gone AWOL. This was more to my liking, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had never heard of 16d, so used an anagram solver for that; it sounds so interesting, I’ll check it out later. I liked 9d, with 12a close behind, lovely word.
    The painters are here, so is the lawn mowerer, then some dear friends, who used to live nearby but now live in N. Carliena (!), showed up for a visit with their two dogs. With Sadie joining it, the cacophony when the workmen wandered in and out of their sight was quite a chorus!
    Thank you setter for the fun, and 2Kiwis for your hints and pics! Enjoy your holiday guests.

  25. Morning all.
    Very pleasing to read that our setter has managed to please so many of the solvers. It must be so encouraging for them to know all their hard work is appreciated.
    Cheers.

    1. Hello 2Kiwis.
      My visiting 2Kiwis (from Cass Bay) seem to have been tired out by the Cotswold explorations that I have provided, and have gone to bed. Fortunately today’s crossword was on my wavelength, so I have completed it just before my bedtime.
      How I despise the crossword app. I have developed an equable nature, after the trials and tribulations of my working life (aaah 🥲)but some little things can really annoy me.
      Many thanks to 2Kiwis and the setter.

  26. An enjoyable solve with several penny drop moments and some good surfaces.
    2*/4*
    11/12 ac my favourites today
    Is 27ac helpful in that condition? A bung in for me with all checkers in place.
    Thanks to setter and bloggers.

  28. I was busy on Wednesday, so I did this today. I certainly didn’t find it as easy as many other commenters above — it took me quite a while to finish, even with electronic assistance and some hints.

    I struggled with 1a, even with the hint (which confirmed I was thinking along the right lines): for ages I could only think of ‘cheesed’ for the first word, and it took until I had all the crossing letters to come up with the correct one.

    My favourite was 9d’s love during betrayal. Thank you to the setter and the helpful Kiwis.

Comments are closed.