DT 30728 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30728

by 2Kiwis  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30728

Hints and tips by 2Kiwis

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

Kia ora from Aotearoa.
We’ve had day after day of strong winds and blustery showers lately but today has presented us with beautiful calm Spring conditions. We could do with plenty more of this.
We found a few tricky stumbling blocks in this puzzle which delayed the solve a little and then encountered the wonderful cringe-worthy Quickie pun which made us both groan and chuckle.

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

Across

1a    Stay calm, and don’t get shown up? (4,4,5,2)
KEEP ONE’S SHIRT ON : ‘Don’t get shown up’ here means do not expose your upper body.

9a    Flying to Tunisia for ball game (9)
SITUATION : An anagram (flying) of TO TUNISIA. Ball game here is used figuratively.

10a    Edge shown by abrupt church official (5)
VERGE : A church official, like Alice Tinker in Dibley, loses her last letter.

11a     Bird in hosta, scratching wings and rolling in it (7)
OSTRICH : The three central letters in ‘hosta’ and rolling in it or wealthy.

12a    Romantic present (6)
TENDER : A double definition. Present here is a verb meaning offer.

15a    Left netting in study (8)
LEARNING : The abbreviation for left and then netting or being paid for what one does.

16a    Load one minicab, possibly (4)
TAXI : Load or burden and Roman numeral one.

19a    Loud where drivers begin reversing for some distance (4)
FEET : The musical letter for loud and the reversal of where golf drivers begin.

20a    Arranged neckband right away – tweed, oddly (8)
COLLATED : A neckband that might be the top bit of a coat without its R(ight) is followed by the first, third and fifth letters of tweed.

23a    Sit-down buffet? (6)
STRIKE : A double definition. The sit-down is a protest and buffet is a verb.

24a    For example, The Thing (7)
ARTICLE : The part of speech exemplified here.

26a    Covering head, modifies house (5)
ARIES : Modifies or alters without its first letter.

28a    Get on with television presenter in US city (9)
ANCHORAGE : Another word for a television presenter and get on or become older.

29a    Noticed Yes and Heart playing for a long time (5,3,4,3)
SINCE THE YEAR DOT : An anagram (playing) of NOTICED YES HEART.

Down

1d    Peck biography includes old film’s first revival (4,2,4)
KISS OF LIFE : What a peck is a familiar word for, then the first letters from two words in the clue, followed by another word for a biography.

2d    Undermining eastern nation, spy who takes up residence? (6,5)
ESTATE AGENT : E(astern) and a country are above (undermined by) another word for a spy.

3d    Talks over food and drink (8)
ORATIONS : The cricket abbreviation for over and a collective word for food and drink.

4d    Wife leaving fizzy wine, happy in festival (8)
EPIPHANY : An anagram (fizzy) of wINE HAPPY with the abbreviation for wife removed.

5d    All there in possession of this? (6)
SANITY : A cryptic definition for the state of being ‘all there’.

6d    Design trendy outlet (6)
INVENT : The two letter ‘trendy’ then outlet or aperture.

7d    Seaman in goal, first half only (3)
TAR : A goal or something to aim at without the last three letters.

8d    Those opposed to sound of a hooter (4)
NOES : A homophone of the facial organ sometimes called a hooter.

13d    Short cable tie’s entangled with rubber loop (7,4)
ELASTIC BAND : An anagram (entangled) of CABLe TIES with the last letter of cable removed, and then a synonym for with.

14d    Mean to accompany film star Mae from Utah to Kentucky? (6,4)
MIDDLE WEST : Mean or central point and the surname of film star Mae.

17d    Colourful flier on the front of Yarmouth Empire (8)
MONARCHY : A colourful flying insect and the first letter of Yarmouth.

18d    Rep loath to travel too much? (8)
PLETHORA : An anagram (to travel) of REP LOATH.

21d    Paper to settle up with woman (6)
TISSUE : The reversal of settle or take a chair and a woman’s name.

22d    The cad fights divorce (6)
DETACH : An anagram (fights) of THE CAD.

25d    Clubs for raving (4)
BATS : A double definition.

27d    Hotel‘s apron missing outside (3)
INN : An informal word for an apron without its first and last letters.

Quickie pun    sought    +    huffed    +    hammock    +    lease    =    Sword of Damocles

66 comments on “DT 30728”

  1. I’m sure many will like today’s offering but it was not for me, I’m afraid. I didn’t understand the parsing of far too many and I had to resort to Mr. G for some. Even when I had the answers there were some I just do not understand.

    Thank you, setter for your effort but you had me totally bamboozled. Thank you, 2Ks for the hints, which I will now read so I can understand the ones that elude me.

    Great Quickie pun. 👍

  2. Sun finally broken through in Sandurst today, and thank god for that, I’ve just heard we’re having the wettest September since Noah set sail.

    Well the puzzle was certainly tougher than the last two days, and rightly so, it is Wednesday after all.

    Really liked the long multi-word ones, especially 1d, brilliant.
    Took a while over the last one in for me, 26a, completely on the wrong trail as to the type of house, schoolboy error really, as we get that type of meaning nearly every week.

    My two of the day are all the long ones around the outside, with the aforementioned 1d being the pick of the bunch.

    Well done Mr setter, a peach!

    1. 26a was also my impossible clue thanks to kiwis for sorting that out, otherwise a difficult but clever puzzle for which I add my thanks

  3. I had to work for this one meaning it was a satisfying solve.

    I couldn’t parse 26a for the life of me and ‘ball game’ took a while to hit home.

    My podium is 4d, 9d and 18d.

    Many thanks to the setter and the 2 Ks.

    3*/3*

  4. Super puzzle, happily gentle & straightforward, so a swift completion, delayed only by 26a (putting in ‘nuts’ at 25d hadn’t helped) where light dawned more slowly on the ‘house’. Great surfaces throughout, some cracking anagrams (if a couple too many for my tastes) and a few red herrings. Ticks everywhere, so I will limit honours to the sublime anagram at 29a, great surface of 19d, and 1d.

    Many thanks indeed to the setter (Twm?) and the 2Ks

  5. 3*/2*. Another curate’s egg Wednesday for me comprising a lot of good clues coupled with some dodgy definitions and anagram indicators as well as a vague woman.

    Thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks.

  6. 29a’s a lovely spot, 25d’s fun and 1d’s smart. 19a’s “where drivers begin” made me smile too. That “possibly” in 16a (Chambers has it as a definition!) slightly puzzled me but I suppose not all ****s are minicabs. so I guess it’s fair enough. As indicators go it was certainly more of a hindrance (to me) than a help, mind. Perhaps that was the idea! Many thanks to our setter (I’m with MG) and the 2Ks.

  8. Oh dear the Toughie has escaped again. A very disappointing and rather turgid offering today. Weird often incomplete clues that I’m afraid did nothing for me. Don’t know if this is one of our regular setters having an off day or a new one. If the latter I really hope they don’t use him/her again.
    ****/*
    Thx for the hints to explain my answers.

    1. Imagine being a new compiler and getting a comment like that on your debut. Oh well, people here seem to find you hilarious so carry on.

      1. Brian is a little terse I grant you, but I do believe one learns more from criticism and mistakes than pats on the back.

        1. Maybe, BL but there is criticism and then there is constructive criticism. The latter advises while the former offends.

  9. As soon as I started this puzzle, I suspected it was a Tumbledown production. we shall see.

    I had a few hold ups, including putting the wrong answer in 5D and misspelling 26A (lord knows why), but got to the finish line in a reasonable time.

    Lots to enjoy, but my pick of the bunch is 29A.

    **/**** Thanks to Mr T? and the 2Ks.

  10. I thought that this was somewhat harder than the usual Wednesday but that is ptobably me not quite matching the setter’s wavelength. 26A was the last one in with the penny dropping with an enormous clang. *** / ** with 1D being my COTD.

  11. Very slow start but persistence paid off and got there in the end. Still not sure about 9a even after seeing the hint.

    No real favourite but good to see the picture of 28a where I worked for a short time. It’s an amazing place but a long way from the UK.

    Sun is out in NE Scotland after the deluge of yesterday

    Thanks to the setter and the 2Ks.

  12. having lately made the case for more difficulty – i was finding life too easy and consequently less enjoyable – along come this offering. A proper puzzle with some impenetrable clues 12a defeated me as did 5d . i needed help with those and find myself at odds with the 12a answer being a synonym of romantic – thats my excuse and i’m sticking to it!
    ***/**** for me thanks to the2 Ks for their much needed hints and to the setter for a proper workout.

  13. Where taxis operate along with minicabs, they most certainly would not wish to be considered one & the same.
    Load one for transportation would have worked perfectly well. (16a)

  14. Quite a struggle for me today. Not on wavelength at all.
    Would never have got 26a without the hint.

    Thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks

    Beautifully sunny here overlooking the Tay…..but chilly…still, you can’t have everything.

  15. Somewhat of a brain mangler for me – 4*/2.5*

    While 14d is in the BRB, dollars to doughnuts that no-one South of the 49th parallel ever uses it, preferring to use the abbreviated version.

    Smiles for 15a, 19a, and 6d.

    Thanks to whomsoever and the 2Kiwis.

      1. Even the US Census Bureau uses the abbreviated version for one of the four ‘census regions’ in the USA!

  16. A step up in difficulty as we should expect on Wednesdays – thanks to the setter and 2Ks.
    For my podium I’ve selected 15a, 19a and 1d.

  17. So many thoughts drifted through my mind whilst solving this but none of them were particularly charitable so I’ll keep them to myself. The short answers worked best for me although nothing shouted ‘favourite’.

    Thanks to our setter – Twmbarlwm for my money – and to our 2Ks for the review. Pleased to hear that your weather has picked up and would imagine that your feathered friends are also happier.

  18. This one was a struggle and very nearly a DNF but finally managed to get 26a.

    Top picks for me were 17d, 19a and 27d (didn’t think anyone referred to an apron as that anymore apart from myself!).

    Loved the Quickie pun too.
    Thanks to the 2Kiwis and the setter.

  19. What a funny guzzle. Zoomed through in record time until the last two shorties in the SW held me up forever. We Sagittarians obviously have an antipathy to other houses (until the penny drops) and I do wish those clubs would stick to their belfries!
    Faves were 9 & 29a plus that 25d, with top spot going to
    29a.
    Many thanks to the setter and to them down under.

    1. We had a 25d flying around in our kitchen last week. Amazing that, as it flew about, there was absolutely no sound. When I was a child I could actually hear the high pitched squeaks of their echolocation.

    2. Those same two in the bottom-left were also what held me up for ages at the end. The crossing letters weren’t much use.

      Only I don’t even have the excuse of being a Sagittarius: I used to be a 26a, before I renounced it. (I now don’t have a star sign at all. If anybody insists that I must do, I point out — with as straight a face as I can manage — that under GDPR that counts as protected personal information and that I’m exercising my right to opt out. Well, GDPR has to be good for something.)

  20. I didn’t find this easy at all.
    Some of it I liked, some I didn’t…
    Thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks. 4*/2*

  21. Fair enough – it is a Wednesday after all. However, I found that a few clues stretched the imagination somewhat but, I think that they were outweighed by the number of well constructed and humorous clues.

    Thanks to the setter (I think Eeyore is correct) and the 2K’s for the puzzle and the review.

  22. A mixed bag today with some tricky parsing, not sure of 23a-thanks 2K’s
    Favourite was 28a followed by 14d ,not seen this clue before. going for a ***/***-
    spot on todays pun-spot on for me.

  23. Really enjoyed this. Thought it was refreshing to see some clueing that made us think a bit differently from the norm. 5d and 9a I particularly liked and 8d made me chuckle. 26a was last one in for me too.
    I don’t recall having previously seen “covering head” to mean a first letter deletion.
    All in all very enjoyable. Thanks to the alternative Mr T(?) and of course to the 2Kiwis
    **/****

  24. This took a little longer than the last two days as befits a midweek puzzle. Despite a couple of iffy surfaces, I enjoyed the challenge, finding there were enough good clues to offset any misgivings. I particularly liked 1d.

    Thanks to our Wednesday setter and the 2Ks.

  25. The two long clues anchored the vast majority of this puzzle for me and I was pootling along happily until I got to the SW and ground to a halt. Could not get food out of my mind in 22a, but then 2K’s hint put me on the correct path and all the remainder fell into place. Thoroughly enjoyed this challenge. My podium comprises 1a, 29a and 23a . Thanks to compiler and 2K’s.

  26. I’m just popping in to say that, for the first time I can remember, I have solved only one … repeat, one … clue, 18d. I’m not holding out much hope for the rest, but I’m going to give it one more go, perhaps with a little ehelp to see if I can get going. To say I’m gutted is putting it mildly. Who set this thing?

    2. I’m back, but not with good news! I’ve tossed it in as a bad job, I did solve a few more but no satisfaction. At a wild guess I’m calling Toombarloom as our setter here … sorry T if it’s not you!
      Whomsoever our setter is, thank you for your efforts but the foot is much too heavy on the accelerator for a Wednesday.
      Much appreciation 2Kiwis for your help, how did you manage that? Your lovely Jacinda Ardern was just on our morning TV discussing the environment. I hope she gets worldwide recognition for her message, she’s so articulate and her message is so important. She says she’s working with a POW Charity, so kudos to him too. Please WORLD, listen to them … that includes you Mr. Trump.

      1. Merusa got no satisfaction
        Though she tried and she tried and she tried.
        Here in Blighty we’re got our macs on
        ‘Cos we think our summer’s died.

        Pip did struggle, ho, ho, ho,
        That’s what I say.
        That’s what I say.

  27. I kept trying to get going and somehow it didn’t want to play – eventually I have to admit I just gave up.
    I did like 16 and 28a and 5 and 18d. My favourite was 3d.
    With thanks to today’s setter and to the 2K’s.

  28. I did about half of this before going out to lunch and came home to finish it after looking at TooKays tips for 5 and 25d. both of which eluded me. Favourite was the bird in the hosta followed closely by 19a and 8d. I desperately wanted 1a to be keep one’s hair but the garment fits the bill. The Quickie pun is brilliant, well done thinking up that one. Many thanks to Messrs Setter and Tookays.

  29. Having “senses” for 5d instead of “sanity” made this a DNF for me
    COTD is 28a as it reminds me of the ice road truckers

  30. That took a while. An enjoyable while, with much to admire. My top two were 19a’s reversing drivers and 28a’s TV presenter. Thank you to the setter, and to the Kiwis for the couple of hints I peeked at along the way to confirm I was along the right lines.

    It didn’t feel entirely like a Twmbarlwm puzzle, though. And he hasn’t claimed it on Twitter. There were some puzzles a few weeks ago that many ascribed to Twm, who had to explain they weren’t his doing. So my guess is maybe the same setter as some mistook for Twmbarlwm last time?

  31. A bit too much off the wall for me, and did not enjoy at all I’m afraid. I suspect it is one of the Welsh mountain man’s as I can rarely get on his wavelength. The answers were either reached despite the clues, or from checkers, and included one of the awful apostrophe less answers in 1a. COTD for me is 18d, a lovely word. Overall a disappointment after yesterday’s splendid challenge. Thanks to setter and 2Kiwis.

  32. That took a while and not particularly enjoyable for me. Just not my cup of tea today.
    Sorry setter
    Thanks for the hints – needed on a couple
    4*/1*

  33. A reasonably straightforward solve for me today. Only foxed by the house it gets me every time. Got the 2 long’uns more or less straight away after filling some crossing clues.
    **/****

  35. Morning all.
    Looks like we weren’t the only ones to find a few stumbling blocks here.
    Note on our weather forecast that we are back to wind again today with rain arriving later. Ah well, Spring is meant to be changeable.
    Cheers.

  36. Unusually for me I tackled this one (at silly o’clock in the early hours) after Robyn’s Toughie & though I completed it & fell 1 shy with the other I didn’t think there was much between them in terms of difficulty. Reading back through it now I’m not sure why it was such a struggle (wavelength presumably) but then it’s bound to look easier once the answers are in front of you. Can’t say I overly enjoyed it but as ever still clues I liked – 1d my runaway fav & podium spots for the top & bottom long ‘uns.
    Thanks to the setter (T methinks also) & to the 2Ks – reckon I’d have been in a mild state of panic had I been reviewing this but my parsing (eventually) tallied with yours.

  37. This was a wonderfully knotty puzzle that I finished in 3 sittings in between busying. I did not know that 8d was a word , and could not parse 26a so just checked that one. Spent ages getting the last letter of 23a and the parsing but the penny dropped in the end. I was pleased to have spotted the golf reference in 19a which was my favourite clue. Thanks so much to the setter – lots of fun and the 2Ks.

  38. Feeling rather pleased that I completed this, but only because the puzzle site tells me if I have put in a wrong answer, which does rather help avoid the accidentally misspelling. I thought it was tricky and several held out for ages and I needed the hints to parse a couple. I really rather enjoyed the challenge.

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2 kiwis for the hints.

  39. Didn’t find it particularly hard (probably just *** rather than **), but it felt like a bit of a strange puzzle, as if I’d picked up a different newspaper. Part of it was the layout of the grid – getting the long top and bottom rows reasonably quickly definitely helped. Last one in was 25d, a clue that I rather enjoyed once I saw it.

  40. Have only just got around to my daily dose of cruciverbal exercise thanks mainly to hours spent struggling online to renew my car insurance which had been hiked by 400% due to two claims even though they were both “no fault”. Anyway this was a welcome diversion from all that although IMHO there were some iffy clues and some rather too clever anagram indicators. What would setters do without golf as a source? I agree that 14d is rarely used. Thanks to whoever set this and to the 2Kiwis for parsing assistance.

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