DT 30736 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30736

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30736

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Today we have a fine puzzle from the setter who fills his grid with every letter but X.  Lots of smiles during the solve as numerous pennies dropped due to the excellent misdirection in many clues. 

In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions. Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers. Clicking on a picture will enlarge it. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

 

Across

1a    Congratulatory gestures: give baked goods to Spooner (9)
BACKSLAPS:  Apply the Spooner treatment to the fusion of a synonym of give or looseness and some bread rolls 

6a    Strokes of strong swimmers (5)
FEELS:  The musical abbreviation for strong or loud is followed by some long thin fish (swimmers)

9a    Apt decoration reflected theme (5)
MOTIF:  Apt or appropriate is followed by one of the usual abbreviated decorations or awards, and then everything is reversed (reflected

10a   Working laboriously, runner struggling after second of events (9)
SKIVVYING:  Link together a runner on something that travels over snow, the second letter of EVENTS, and struggling or competing 

11a   Sportsperson's tour with the French jersey (6-6)
TRIPLE-JUMPER:  Join together a tour or journey, “the” in French, and another word for jersey 

14a   Wrongfully torch bridges in ancient city (7)
CORINTH:  An anagram (wrongfully) of TORCH contains (bridges) IN from the clue 

16a   Space around plant native to Asia, perhaps (7)
EASTERN:  A printer’s space is placed around a flowering plant 

17a   It's locked in aboard (3)
OAR:  The wordplay tells us that the answer is hidden in (locked in) ABOARD. The entire clue can serve as the definition 

18a   Regularly taken ale in pub; daily mass relief for chaps (3,4)
LIP BALM:  Alternate letters of (regularly taken in) ALE IN PUB DAILY with the physics symbol for mass 

20a   Picked up sweets and leaves (7)
DESERTS:  A homophone (picked up) of a synonym of sweets as a meal course 

22a   Fairy tale adapted: hot news piece (3,4,5)
THE SNOW QUEEN:  An anagram (adapted) of HOT NEWS with a chess piece 

26a   Once more went in grass concealing key (2-7)
RE-ENTERED:  A grass that grows in wet ground containing (concealing) a verb meaning key or use a keyboard 

27a   Note first of boyfriends always returning (5)
BREVE:  The first letter of BOYFRIENDS with the reversal (returning) of a synonym of always 

28a   Large passage in shop out of a type of thread (5)
LISLE:  The single letter for large is followed by the passage between shelves in a shop, minus its A (out of a) 

29a   Being subversive, small amendment added to promissory notes (9)
SEDITIOUS:  Combine together the single letter for small, an amendment or change, and some informal promissory notes

 

Down

1d    Pack up book that might be mine (4)
BOMB:  The reversal (up) of a pack or horde is followed by the single letter for book. The might be indicates that the definition is by example 

2d    Attractive copper item uncovered (4)
CUTE:  The chemical symbol for copper with ITEM minus its outer letters (uncovered

3d    A fine father feeding child culinary plant (7)
SAFFRON:  A from the clue, the pencil abbreviation for fine, and an abbreviation for father are inserted together in (feeding) a male child 

4d    Storyteller matures with release of good work (5)
AESOP:  Another word for matures with the single letter for good deleted (with release of good) is followed by the usual abbreviated musical work 

5d    Pig tender when I dress cut and wound (9)
SWINEHERD:  WHEN I DRESS minus its last letter and anagrammed (cut and wound

6d    Prefers low-scoring cards, holding a five (7)
FAVOURS:  Some low-scoring cards containing (holding) both A from the clue and the Roman five

7d    Great attempt to consume US author's lengthy works (4,6)
EPIC POETRY:  A synonym of great and an attempt or go containing (to consume) the (US) author of The Raven 

8d    Starter of soup with bananas sure gains sweet quality (10)
SUGARINESS:  The first letter of (starter of) SOUP with an anagram (bananas) of SURE GAINS 

12d   Botched up last curl of carving (10)
SCULPTURAL:  An anagram (botched) of UP LAST CURL 

13d   Support that man and girl in Wessex seeing soothsayer (10)
PROPHETESS:  Put together a support or strut, a pronoun for “that man”, and a female character in one of Hardy’s Wessex novels 

15d   Sound of cat going between stores in direction of residence (9)
HOMEWARDS:  The sound that a cat makes is inserted in (going between) stores or saves 

19d   Name of female figure in Sicilian mount climbing (7)
ANNETTE:  Insert a specific figure in the volcano on Sicily and then reverse the lot (… climbing, in a down clue) 

21d   Group scoffing aromatic confectionery (7)
SHERBET:  A group or collection containing (eating) a particular type of aromatic 

23d   Pundit trashing wingers with Germany nullified (5)
UNDID:  PUNDIT minus its outer letters (trashing wingers) with the IVR code for Germany 

24d   Worthless person about to enter Australia from south (4)
ZERO:  A short word for about or concerning is inserted in (to enter) an informal name for Australia, and then that’s all reversed (… from the south, in a down clue) 

25d   Workers ignoring Ts and Cs in BTEC test (4)
BEES:  Do what the wordplay says and delete every T and C in BTEC TEST 

 

Thanks to today’s setter. Top clue for me was 25d with 15d close behind. Which clues did you like best?


The Quick Crossword pun:  SENT + TEEN + AIRY = CENTENARY


68 comments on “DT 30736
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  1. Best Puzzle in ages, albeit an ‘Absolute Stinker’ in the words of the late great Mr Hoar Stevens.

    New word for me at 28a, but couldn’t be much else from the clue, and for some reason 6a (my last one in) took me ages despite having three of the five letters already in it, a slippery type of clue if ever there was one.

    My two favourites today (out of many) were 10a and the rather confusing at first, 22a, piece eh, who else tried to whack that into an anagram with ‘hot news’?

    No idea who the setter was, but the whole thing was eXcellent.

    1. I don’t know how old you are but I bet a pound to a penny that an elderly maiden aunt or grandmother wore 28a stockings! Very serviceable.

      1. I don’t know about maiden aunts or grandmothers – they were definitely part of grammar school uniform in the early 60s

  2. I needed help with a couple but otherwise it was a terrific challenge. I even managed to get the spoonerism despite my heart always dropping when I see the clergyman in a clue. I don’t get the parsing of the fairy tale at 22a but I’m sure Mr. K. will enlighten me. I started to put “sugargrains” into 8d until I remembered that is two words. My COTD is the sportsperson wearing the French jersey at 11a.

    Thank you, setter (proXimal?) for the mental workout. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints and pusskits.

    Chilly and sunny in The Marches today so I think it’s time to cover some of the tender plants with fleece. It was one degree this morning. I think the dahlias will last a bit longer, though.

    1. The first two words are an anagram of Hot News and the third is a chess piece. Fancy me being able to help you!

  3. Blimey, that was hard work. I had to put several thinking caps on to complete this puzzle. In the process, I think I’ve done enough to claim a degree in Lego.

    My favourite was 1D as it was the last one in, so the pain was over, but I still took ages to parse it.

    *****/*** Thanks to the setter and MrK

  4. Loved it. Hard work but loved it.

    Tyne & Wear held out the longest as 7d took a while and I couldn’t work out what the sixth letter of 10a was, having got the ones either side of it. My first answer was 11a that kicked things off very nicely as it’s one of the best clues in a good while.

    My podium is 10a, 11a and 14a.

    Many thanks to The X-Man and Mr K

    4*/4*

  5. Very difficult but very satisfying today.
    Favourite 10a
    Last one in 1d…..cannot understand why it took me so long to see that chap.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K….great cats as always. Loved the stroking diagram.

    Feeling quite a bit better today thank goodness , so am risking a (long overdue) trip to the hairdresser.

  6. Very straightforward , couldn’t believe how easy it went in. Good sleep last night? Maybe. Great clues . Last one in 1d . Favorite 5d .
    Thanks to all

  7. What a delight to end the week. So many challenging and cleverly misleading clues. I’m glad I didn’t spend too long trying to involve the chess piece in the anagram at 22a. I suspect I will not be the only one who tried. So many ticks on my paper today so impossible to choose a favourite but I loved 1,11 and 27a and 4, 7 and 13d. Thanks to Proximal for the enjoyment and Mr K for parsing confirmation of 1d, and the kitties.

  8. Quite a challenge to end the (non-)work-week from pro_imal – ****/****

    Candidates for favourite – 14a, 20a, and 24d – and the winner is 20a.

    Thanks to pro_imal, for it has to be he, and congratulations on the centenary and thanks to Mr K.

  9. Splendiferous puzzle – thank you, setter! When 1d eventually went in it got the biggest smile, so that’s going down as my favourite. LOI was 10a which I stared at for an absolute age, thinking the ‘v’ already there as the checker was the ‘v’ indicated in the clue (dear reader – it was not). A tut and an eye-roll to the heavens when that one eventually fell. ***/*****

  10. 2.5*/5*. A great finish to the week with a really enjoyable x-less pangram.

    With loads of ticks to pick from, 25d gets my vote as favourite.

    Many thanks to proXimal and congratulations on your anniversary. Thanks too to Mr K for the excellent review and the cats.

  11. A worthy Friday puzzle – thanks and congratulations to Mr X and thanks to Mr K.
    For my podium I selected 9a, 11a and 1d.

  12. A satisfying and enjoyable end to the back-page working week, a decent challenge and a little more testing than its precursors, as should be the case. Reasonably straightforward, and having not spotted the anagram indicator in 5d but with checkers in place and knowing the last four letters, I was about to cuss when suddenly I realised what the answer was: a doh! moment on coming in here and seeing why it was what it was. Happily got the answer to 1a from the first two words; unhappily, having read the next 5 spent a little while trying to convince myself I was mistaken and it had to be harder than that.

    Hon Mentions to 6a for that other swimmer, the red herring; 14a, 7d & 13d.

    Thank you Mr K. Many thanks also to Proximal, and congratulations on the achievement, may there be many more – the QC pun (an amusing variation on Silvanus’s similarly punned ‘anniversary’ yesterday) and subsequent Nina were both rather clever!

  13. Looks as though the second of our erstwhile Rookie Corner graduates is claiming his milestone today, congratulations to him.
    Completely different style to yesterday’s claimant but obviously equally successful in the back-page setting stakes.
    Tops for me in today’s puzzle were the returning boyfriend and the attractive copper item.

    Thanks to proXimal and to Mr K for the review and the felines – seems likely that the one in the 28a pic has found where the shop keeps its supplies of catnip treats!

        1. I am a BD graduate, as Dave published some of my puzzles in the NTSPP series before I ever got any in the national press — as Sue says, under the pseudonym eXternal. Rookie Corner wasn’t around back in those days and by the time it was, I wasn’t a rookie.

  14. Thanks to Mr K for the review and to commenters for comments and congrats. Here’s another pic of Uchi; he’s got the missing X.

    1. Thanks for an excellent puzzle to solve and to hint, and congratulations on your back page centenary. Love the picture of your kitty.

      Thanks also to everyone who has commented today.

    2. Congratulations on your achievement. Long may you continue to provide us with eXcellent puzzles. Wonderful picture.

  15. Firstly, credit where credit is due. After my rant yesterday about the removal of the link to the puzzles app on the digital version of the paper, it has reappeared. I hope this is not a one-off mistake and if it is, I will start ranting all over again. Now to the guzzle – I found this quite tricky but like the other day I did half in bed on the Kindle and the other half on my phone coming home from shopping. Am amazed that my answers transferred over from Kindle to phone. The one good thing about this digital stuff is that you can ask if a particular letter is correct which is handy for awkward spellings. A bit of a hold up putting snow goose in to start with. Loved the pusscats, especially the stroke chart. My last cat loved having raspberries blown on his tummy and quite partial to his tail being vacuumed! Thanks to the setter and Mr K

  16. Very enjoyable but I had to work for it and that’s what makes a great puzzle – except for 1a – never really a fan of a Spooner, but this one really scraped the (biscuit) barrel 😩
    Thanks to Mr K and ProXimal

  17. I was hoping to make it a full house as I had a good run this week until today. With a few clues completed I came to a complete halt and resorted to the hints. I can now see the elegance though it was far too good for me. Congratulations to ProXimal on his milestone and for the “beating” and Mr K for the hints.

  18. Lovely finish to the week with an absolute belter from proXimal that kept me interested for a little longer than average for a Friday. I particularly enjoyed the neat and concise 1d.

    Thanks and many congratulations to the aforementioned and to Mr K.

  19. I have to agree with Sim that the spoonerism did not really work for me but apart from that, a nice end to the week. I needed Mr K for the top LH corner 6a and 7a were last in. Loved the pusskits, I do so miss having a dog/cat. Congratulations and thanks again to Messrs Setter & Hinter. Have a good weekend.

    1. Some dogs for you Daisy! This was just resurrected after hibernating for about four decades! I wonder if the pub is still there in Castle Carey!

  20. Found this Friday puzzle tricky to get going and work through.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites 1a, 18a, 20a & 21d — with winner18a

    Thanks to proXimal (and congrats) & Mr K for blog/hints

  21. A cracking Friday puzzle with great clues providing a good challenge and an entertaining solve. Fav: 11a. 3.5*/4*.

  22. Congratulations to our esteemed compiler; should have guessed from the quick xword but didn’t! As with some others the thread in 28a took a bit of unravelling but got there in the end. Thanks Mr K for the illustrations, always a joy

  23. Like most Friday crosswords this one was a bit tricky for me.
    I did like 11 and 22a and 5 and 8d.
    Thanks and congratulations to proXimal and thanks to Mr K for the hints.

  24. Good afternoon

    Another crozzie where I found it really tricky to worm my way in, with 8d first to fall after much head-scratching. COTD is my last to fall: 10a.

    Many thanks to proXimal and to Mr K, whose help was needed parsing 16a.

  25. Well I thought yesterday’s puzzle was superb and this one is wonderful too even if I did need help with 10a.

    Ticks everywhere but if I have to choose then 5d, 16a and 11a.

    Thanks to Mr K for the hints and cat pics. The stroking diagram is great.
    Thanks and congratulations to ProXimal and I loved the missing X picture.

  26. Great to finish today as difficult challenge. Just not my cup of tea with random names, cards and county girls.
    2*/4*
    With thanks to all

  27. A lovely end to the week, Not straightforward but with persistence and a lot of thinking I got there. It does help that the digital version tells you if you have a letter wrong, which of course is cheating but does stop you wasting hours of time going down the wrong path. All my troublesome ones were in the north east with 7d last to fall. I thought the anagrams were brilliant and 6d was my favourite. Despite my phobia of spooner I even managed that one.

    Many thanks to proximal and congratulation on your anniversary, and to Mr K for the hints and kitties.

  28. Tricky, natch, it’s Friday. I thought I did pretty well, considering I shot myself in the foot at 20a by writing in the letters incorrectly. It’s not as if I don’t know how to spell 20a! This made 7d impossible and a DNF, as were 1a and 1d. I wanted to put “tome” in 1d, “be mine” as “to me”, geddit? Otherwise tumbling to the pangram early on after solving 11a and 22a was a great help. Fave was 14a, but many more could have qualified.
    Thank you proXimal, I think, and Mr. K, our kitties are baaaack! Happy camper here!

  29. No hold ups for me today, unlike some of the puzzles earlier in the week, so a happy bunny. Favourite was 10a. Thanks to ProXimal and Mr. K.

  30. Thanks Proximal for the excellent and challenging Friday puzzle. Love the photo of the missing x pussy. I tried to hard fit an x into my last one in have to say but I now ‘get it ‘ Thanks Mr K too .

  31. This just proves I’m still rubbish! But I enjoyed the struggle and with some help (I thank you Mr K and the cats) I got there.

  32. Many congratulations to proXimal on reaching his milestone. Very much enjoyed today’s puzzle. I’m attributing the fact that it took me Toughie time to solve & parse it entirely down to the fact that I’m as high as a kite on a combo of Tramadol & Naproxin having taken a tumble on the golf course. 18a was my fav with 11a in the silver medal spot & perm any one from a host of ticks elsewhere.
    Thanks & here’s to the next ton. Thanks also to Mr K

    1. So sorry to hear of your misfortune on the golf course Hintsman but sending all good wishes for a complete and speedy recovery. Am sure you will be back in action as soon as you possibly can. 🤞⛳️

  33. For some reason (but I do I have various distracting concerns on my mind) I found this completely inpenetrable and unusually threw in the towel so have much enjoyed reading the hints and blogs from so many who have enjoyed it. Thank you ProXimal and Mr.K.

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