Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30759
Hints and tips by Shabbo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A beautiful autumnal morning here in Welwyn Garden City with the promise of a lovely day ahead. Fingers crossed.
After my inauspicious debut blogging the SPP on Sunday, it is good to be back in my regular slot. I thought this morning’s puzzle was spot on for a Thursday, with some smooth surface reads and plenty of smiles. Thank you setter, whoever you are. The brevity would point towards RayT, but neither of his calling cards is there. I struggled a bit with the parsing of 12a initially, but that was entirely down to me being daft and not following the wordplay correctly.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a Element oddly bright framing blue material (7)
BISMUTH: every other letter (oddly) of BrIgHt outside (framing) a synonym of “blue material” (think lewdness).
5a Valets in location barely west of islands (7)
LACKEYS: synonym of location without the first and last letters (barely) before (west of) synonym of low islands or reefs.
9a Colonel on board making Monsieur cold sauce (7)
CUSTARD: the name of the colonel in Cluedo (on board) with the M becoming C (making Monsieur cold).
10a Animal from Indian state crossing stream (7)
GORILLA: three-letter Indian state outside (crossing) a synonym of stream.
11a Porous nature of ink – easel’s ruined (9)
LEAKINESS: anagram (ruined) of INK EASELS.
12a Third of sacred holy texts mostly backed up (5)
SAVED: one third of SA(cred) + synonym of holy Hindu texts without the final letter (mostly). The definition is computer-speak. I initially assumed “backed up” was a reversal indicator, but it is, of course, the definition.
13a Fish in ditch when king is away (5)
TENCH: remove the regnal abbreviation for king from a synonym of ditch to reveal the solution, which is a noun masquerading as a verb.
15a Total expert digests new statement (9)
UTTERANCE: synonym of total + synonym of expert outside (digests) abbreviation for “new”.
17a Bird recalled snare next to high ground (9)
PARTRIDGE: synonym of snare backwards (recalled) + synonym of high ground (think mountains).
19a Money secured close to bagging area (5)
WONGA: synonym of secured + final letters (close to) of bagginG and areA. The definition is a slang term.
22a Some serving us tomato relish (5)
GUSTO:a hidden word clue (some) – our answer is lurking within words 2-4 of the clue.
23a Very best vessel reversed prior to escape (3-6)
TOP-FLIGHT: synonym of cooking vessel backwards (reversed) in front of (prior to) a synonym of escape.
25a Lion shivering in enclosure without warmth (7)
STONILY: anagram (shivering) of LION inside synonym of enclosure (think pigs).
26a National poet’s back on isle before one (7)
ISRAELI: writer of nonsense verse backwards after (on) two-letter abbreviation for island/isle all before the letter signifying “one”.
27a Trick lacking substance on the radio (7)
SLEIGHT: homophone (on the radio) of a word meaning “lacking substance”.
28a Unique property of oxcart in transit around France (1-6)
X-FACTOR: anagram (in transit) of OXCART outside (around) country code abbreviation for France.
Down
1d Indirectly illuminated osteopath’s books? (7)
BACKLIT: a light-hearted semi-cryptic definition of how osteopath’s books might be referred to. My osteopath is very hard-working. In fact, he works his fingers to the bone.
2d Mark captures American bear (7)
SUSTAIN: synonym of mark outside (captures) two-letter abbreviation for American.
3d Taste sample of Rum A mistakenly (5)
UMAMI: another hidden word (sample of). The solution this time is hidden within words 4-6. A potentially tricky word clued fairly.
4d Investment in topiary perhaps and diamonds (5,4)
HEDGE FUND: two-word expression meaning how one might describe topiary + abbreviation for Diamonds.
5d Delay really upset African city (5)
LAGOS: synonym of delay + synonym of really upside down (upset – this is a down clue) reveal the largest city in Nigeria (but since 1991 not the capital city, apparently).
6d Waiters might use it to draw Irish sailors? (9)
CORKSCREW: how one might describe sailors from the south of Ireland joined together to reveal something a sommelier might use.
7d Cheer up nine lonely idiots initially occupying flat (7)
ENLIVEN: first letters (initially) of Nine Lonely Idiots inside a synonym of flat.
8d Bandage wife in seat (7)
SWADDLE: abbreviation for Wife inside a synonym of seat (think horses).
14d Prince almost overdrawn? It’s painful (9)
HARROWING: ginger-haired prince without the final letter (almost) + synonym of overdrawn.
16d Actor hot and cross beneath popular statue (3,6)
THE SPHINX: abbreviated term meaning “actor” + abbreviation for Hot + letter signifying a cross after (beneath) a two-letter word meaning popular.
17d Drunk sage’s up to see stars (7)
PEGASUS: anagram (drunk) of SAGES UP reveals a constellation.
18d Gentleman tipped only for fried morsel (7)
RISSOLE: a title for a gentleman upside down (tipped) + synonym of “only”.
20d Disregard information about the French court (7)
NEGLECT: slang word meaning (general) information reversed (about) + “the” in French + abbreviation for court.
21d In tears, possibly more nervous (7)
ANTSIER: anagram (possibly) of IN TEARS.
23d Assignation put good person to the test? (5)
TRYST: synonym of test + abbreviation for saint (good person).
24d Note artist eating Victor’s grub (5)
LARVA: a two-letter note (from the solfège system) + abbreviation for artist outside (eating) the NATO alphabet letter signified by Victor.
Quickie Pun: CHER + PUD + SPY = SHEPHERD’S PIE
That was tough but enjoyable. I haven’t heard of the word at 21d but it could be nothing else given the checkers and anagram indicator. Putting “trout” at 13a threw a spanner in the works for a while. In my defence, it does have a king going away. I missed the instruction to swap letters in 9a so that held up 1d. My COTD is 6d with the waiters pulling Irish sailors.
Thank you, setter for a great Thursday challenge. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.
The Quickie pun made me laugh out loud.
I was in the trout camp too, probably because that’s our usual Friday treat.
Good grief that was tough, an absolute stinker in the parlance of Mr Hoar Stevens.
Very slow to start, and then just got faster towards the end, even though I had to do it from the bottom up.
This could have easily fitted into the Toughie page in my opinion, but great fun nonetheless.
Great clueing with some wizard misdirection added in for good measure.
My two of the day were my last one in, 5a, and the brilliant 16d, chapeau Mr setter, a belter.
Off to continue the thirteenth labour of Hercules now, raking sodding leaves!
Just popping in to ask if Merusa is ok? I’ve not seen her on the blog for a while.
I’m several days behind as usual but there have been some great and some very challenging puzzles over the last few weeks but always appreciated. Many thanks to Messrs Setters, Hinters & Bloggers.
Merusa has spent the past week in hospital but sounds bright enough in the couple of emails I’ve received from her. Think she’s hoping to be back at home with her beloved Sadie very soon.
Jane,
I think others must have missed your post. If you are in touch with her again please on my best wishes.
Thanks
And send her my love as well please.
Regards from me also please Jane.
I’ve been in touch with her every day, and she is a trooper, but definitely missing Sadie.
And thanks too to you BL. Please let her know she has been missed..
Many thanks for the update Jane
I will pass on everyone’s good wishes, as I’m sure BL will also do, she’ll be delighted to hear that we’re all thinking of her.
Jane – please give her best wishes and tell her we’re thinking of her.
Please send Merusa ‘fondest get better soon wishes’. Her regular contributions to the blog on varied topics are greatly missed and I enjoy exchanging comments with her e.g. on tennis.
From me too and I will email her.
Tell Merusa we miss her
And will you also please wish her
Our love from over the ocean –
And give her ‘recovery potion’.
Best wishes from me too.
It took me quite a while to get started and I thought it was going to be more difficult than it actually was. Once I got going I enjoyed the quirkiness of some of the clues with more than a little clever misdirection. I struggled to parse 5a because I was trying to remove only one letter from the location.Thanks Shabbo for putting me straight. Favourite today was 9a with podium places for 4d and 6d. Thanks to our setter for the pleasure.
Another tough workout that flowed very nicely but it kept me on my toes.
I’m sure most people have heard of the root word in 21d but I wager the comparative version has never crossed anyone’s lips. I think the technique in 5a of changing a word that isn’t in the clue, in this case a synonym of ‘location’, shouldn’t be used in a back pager. It’s too much of an ask. If the word that you are making bare is in the clue, then no problem.
An embarrassment of riches to choose from but I’ll go with 28a, 6d and 14d.
Many thanks to the setter and Shabbs.
4*/4*
Oh, I love your joke in 1d, Shabbs.
Totally agree Tom about the clue type for 5a.
Yes, cracked a broad grin at that one!
re 5a … I see where you’re coming from, but have to disagree, Tom. It’s a technique you see in a large number and variety of back page clues, even elsewhere in this puzzle, where at 12a you have to think of what the ‘holy texts’ might be, and then change that word as instructed. Or 13a where you again remove a letter from the synonym, not the word in the clue. Or 14d where you need to think of one of any number of princes (fortunately so many in English history had that name it’s an evens bet) and remove a letter.
If you confine such an operation to the inside pages you rob both setter and solver of a classic clueing technique.
I hear you MG but I think it’s a case of how far a setter goes with it.
This clever but advanced technique, that is quite rightly rarely used by Robyn and The Prof, is seen in crosswords at the end of the week. But, I think it should be used sparingly, especially if the indicator isn’t obvious like ‘barely’. Most people know what ‘briefly’, ‘almost’ or ‘cut short’ mean but ‘barely’ is too hard.
As you have a cut-off for the number of anagrams that should be seen in a crossy, I will have one for this technique of, say, two in a Wed/Thu/Fri puzzle.
TDS65, I agree with MG on this one me owd cock sparra. We often have to find a synonym of a word in the clue and then change it (as intructed). Place is a straightforward synonym of location and “barley” is a straightforward instruction to remove the first and last letters. Nothing untoward with any of that!
I don’t agree that it’s straightforward, J. I think it’s a brute.
You could argue that it’s an indicator to remove the last letter as it means ‘nearly’ or ‘not quite’, e.g barely old enough.
An absolute delight. 9a tickled me, 26a & 1d are both cunning and 6d’s fun. Superb surfaces throughout. 19a is just so incredibly neat – by far the best clue for XXXXX I’ve seen yet. This felt like Silvanus to me but I’m invariably wrong. Many thanks to our solver and Shabbo.
Wrong again, I’m afraid! Not me.
Ha! As I’ve said before, my Silvanus radar has clearly gone to pot. Apologies.
Not just you mate – I suspected his fingerprints were on this one too.
Delighted to hear I’m not alone in my madness! Though I see YS was with us too – good man. So who on earth was it? On reflection, I should clearly have thanked “our setter” not “our solver”. Doh.
Lovely day here, spoilt by the fact that I have to spend 3 hours in a Speed Awareness Course! My bad.
I thought this was an escaped Toughie at first, and failed to fill anything in until I got to the SE. Then, with the aid of checkers, I managed to work backwards and fill the rest of the puzzle. I mucked things up with a wrong bird at 17A but saw the error of my ways.
I’m not sure any valets would care to be called 5A, but who knows. I hate the words 19A and 21D. Rant over. Favourite is 6D.
Thanks to the setter and Shabbo.
My bad???!!!
Doing 51 in a 40 limit. Lack of awareness. 😒
I do not like the expression either, Vince but I suppose we have to admit that language is always changing. After all, we no longer say “Prithee”, in itself a diminutive form of “ Pray thee”, as a request.
Ah, the joys of language!
This was a really good workout, full of misdirection and nicely conceived clues. I loved the surface of 25a, but my favourite was 16d.
Thanks to our setter (Silvanus?) and Shabbo.
I loved this. Enjoyable from start to finish.
3*/4.5*
I’m docking half a star on enjoyment as I really dislike the slang word for money. But otherwise a cracking puzzle
Me too with the money ‘word’, hate it!
Just because we hate a word
Doesn’t mean it’s never heard.
There are many things to hate,
Which make our ancient molars grate.
Compilers surely have the right
To use a word which we indict?
Very good, Pipsqueak.
I love the word. It’s almost onomatopoeic.
I got nowhere with this one. Way too tough for me (same as yesterday). I knew that the only way I would be able to solve this would be to reveal too many answers, and that is not the way I like to do these.
So a non-starter for me.
I enjoyed this puzzle after a slow start where I thought I wasn’t going to manage it.
Top picks for me were 6d, 16d and 1d.
Thanks to Shabbo for the hints and 1d funny and to the setter.
What fun that was, tough in places and.a couple of new words (thankfully 21d was an anagram). Many made me smile but 6d was my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints.
Beautiful day here, we cleared the leaves yesterday……they are all back again today!
Difficult, but enjoyable crossword with several clues making me smile. It took me a while to parse 5a, until realising lac was missing a letter at each end. My podium is 1d, 6d and 14d. Thanks for the hints and to the setter for this great workout.
Isn’t 20d a repeat clue from a few days ago? 🤔
I actually can’t believe I finished this . At first I went down the grid , and was thinking it would be a DNF . Then I gave myself a good talking to, and started picking off the clues I could do and actually it turned out to be a steady solve in reasonable time too. 9a I thought was brilliant. A truly excellent puzzle. Thanks to setter and to Shabbo.
Wow that took some unravelling but I enjoyed doing just that apart from a couple of awful words viz 19a where Chambers came to my assistance and 21d (Shabbo – your concealed solution for this has a typo!) SE held out longest. Thank you Mysteryone and Shabbo.
Great fun – many thanks to the setter and Shabbo.
I liked 9a, 1d, 14d and 16d but my favourite was the ‘topiary perhaps’ in 4d.
Reading the above comments I had to double-check we’d all done the same crossword. Evidently I’d had the good fortune to tune-in to the setter’s wavelength from the off and, other than 20’ing to read beyond the first three words of 9a (which made for a furrowed brow at 1d) this was a swift and trouble-free solve going clockwise and finishing at 8d.
Clearly in a good mood after last night’s football, with Arsenal not registering the more usual early EFL cup loss but instead earning a place in the QFs to face the Eagles (a great excuse to hear their crowd singing Glad All Over before the match, even just on the small screen). I know Pele said ““The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning”, which may be more appropriate to a Friday Toughie from Osmosis or Elgar but I’ll take anything going, even a win against PNE, though romantics would have preferred it otherwise.
Lovely surfaces throughout, tremendous wit and humour, some lovely deception. Honours for me went to 6d, 16d and 5d, with runner-up 4d.
Many thanks indeed to the setter for such an enjoyable accompaniment for the morning coffee, and of course to Shabbo for the review.
I agree. I thought today’s was easier than yesterday’s and I breezed through anti clockwise.
But I do agree it’s a wavelength thing and if you’re on it it’s easy enough. The clues were quirky but fair.
I don’t think it’s a Ray T as the clues are too long and no sweetness!!
Thanks to all
Really enjoyed this one and suspect it may be the work of a setter who has graced our Thursdays a few times recently but unfortunately never pops in to claim authorship.
12a fooled me for a while with the reference to ‘third of sacred’ and I was a bit slow to latch onto the Irish sailors but what a satisfying puzzle this turned out to be.
Top three for me were 4,6&23d.
Thanks to our setter and to Shabbo for the review – don’t knock yourself over the SPP review, only a couple of slips that anyone could have made, and I’m sure Senf was most appreciative of your overtime on his behalf.
3d. I got the answer from the clue, but had to look it up to confirm. Can anyone put it in a sentence?
“That mushroom salt adds a wonderful 3d overtone to the grilled pork belly slices, more than just a salty taste”
“3d is a characteristic taste of many far eastern cuisines”
“I have a tube of 3d paste in the cupboard that is years past its sell by date because I keep forgetting to use it”
I think if I used a sentence such as your first one, in my social circle, I would be accused of being pretentious. But, thanks, anyway.
quite
I use it all the time, it’s delish!
Hi MG
I’ve never understood why we don’t use the word ‘savoury’ as opposed to 3d. Can you or anyone else tell me why?
”Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savoury” reads so much better.
If there is a difference, is it big enough that you can’t use savoury? If there isn’t then I won’t be a happy camper.
Grrr….
I believe it’s the Japanese word coined by the scientist who first identified it as a distinct 5th taste. Savoury is a more general term for a range of flavours maybe.
Apparently not everyone can taste umami properly. I wonder if this accounts for the controversy over Marmite.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami
Thanks Chris
The distinction seems so small that I don’t know why they didn’t just stick with savoury as the definition of umami is ‘pleasant savoury taste’. Can savoury be unpleasant?
Oh, hoo nose.
I struggled to parse 12a too and had to research the holy texts to make sense of it. Seemed to be on this letter’s wavelength apart from this clue.
Thought there would be a few moans about the reappearance of 19a.
My standout clue from the clever and amusing selection has to be the 9a sauce.
Thanks to the setter and Shabbo
After a really good run recently I struggled with today’s offering. I also had never come across the word in 21d and it appears that the answer which appears after the click here is pressed has the s and t transposed.
Oops. Sorry. Mea culpa.
Now corrected.
Apparently the word originates from the expression “have ants in one’s pants”, or so the BRB reliable informs me.
For me this puzzle falls into the same category as yesterday’s puzzle. No enjoyment, no really great clues. No fun when a clue was solved for the most part.
3*/1*
Favourites (?) 9a, 17a, 1d & 4d — with winner 1d
Never heard of 3d and only knew19a as we have it it in the last couple of weeks.
Thanks to setter & Shabbo
A decent, trouble-free puzzle! I found it considerably easier than yesterday, which I think that puts me in a small minority along with Mustapha. Only place I stalled was 26a where I parsed it correctly and then thought of every single country with that starting letter except the one I needed! Must be because that one is never in the news (ahem). **/***
5a, 19a, and 21d last three in. Enough has been said about them by people move knowledgeable than me. Agree with Eeyore’s comments.
That said I thought 6d , 16d and 23a among a cluster of very good clues.
I took a while to get going but it became more enjoyable once the answers popped up.
Thanks to all
I’m the world’s worst setter spotter but I’m pretty sure this isn’t a RayT production. We had a slow start on the acrosses but the downs came to the rescue so I’ll agree with Shabbo’s ratings. Thanks to him and the setter.
BTW, pommette and I are both OK after the disastrous weather in Valencia. The real bad stuff was a fair bit to our north. All we had was a lot of wind and rain but nothing really serious. Over 6 inches of rain in an hour in the town of Chiva beggars belief. My sympathies are with those affected. Hope Jezza is OK as he lives somewhere around Valencia.
See comment 12 on Wednesday’s back pager blog
Ah, glad to see he’s OK. I was more than a little concerned about him!
Absolutely awful. So glad you are both OK. It just goes to show no of us can be assured of tomorrow – as someone recently said to me cheerily.
.
Thank goodness you’re both OK, pommers, the TV footage of the area was dreadful.
Hi pommers
Fortunately we got away with it lightly. Our pueblo, L’Eliana, suffered mostly storm damage and as far as I know, no casualties. Earlier today Pedro Sanchez was a stone’s throw from our house, addressing Valencia from the 112 emergency services coordination centre.
Hopefully we will never see another DANA of this magnitude again!
Glad you’re OK. Have a friend who was down in Malaga with her mother and they escaped with a flooded basement.
Glad to hear pommers, pommette, and Jezza are all ok. I had been hoping we would hear from them.
Terrible pictures coming through. What a tragedy! So pleased you are all okay.
A top-notch Thursday puzzle. Fine clues, a decent challenge and much enjoyment. I have ticked quite a few but my favourite has to be 4d – rather clever! 3.5*/4*.
Enjoyable, but had to resort to Shabbo for confirmation of 21d and to point out my erroneous spelling of 16d holding up 26a being my loi. I thought 1a a good clue especially when the penny dropped on the type of blue material. This forms part of my podium along with 6d and 1d in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Shabbo.
This is too bizarre even for a Ray T. Lots of clues that are v difficult to unpick and often make little sense even when you get the answer. All in all [*** redacted ***] as far as I am concerned.
****/*
Thx for the hints
This is not a RayT puzzle! He does every fortnight on the backpager and he did last week puzzle. Secondly his clues are all six words or less and he does not do multiple word clues.
A bit on the tough side not helped by the flash of genius which shouted ‘Cluedo’ and I entered Mustard without thinking, juggerung me up for 1d. 19 a was last one in, I didn’t know it and shall try to forget it. I quite liked 28a but I think 6d has to be favourite. 17a brought back the memory of an elderly, rather pompous couple who came to the village some 50 years ago in the days when you called older people Mr and Mrs. I could not remember their surname, Woodcock, which was a little embarrassing if I had to introduce them. Eventually I gave myself a stern talking to ‘remember , it’s a game bird’. The next time I had to make the introduction I called them Mr and Mrs. Partridge.
They were not amused. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Shabbo. I have just had a ‘ping’ on
My Chart for my next appointment- 2.30 on Sunday!
Top notch guzzle & hugely entertaining. I too found it a good deal less demanding than T yesterday & it was only the holy text that required a post solve investigation. Ticks aplenty but if forced to pick a fav it’d have to be 16d.
Thanks to the setter & to Shabbo
Ps I know there’s a diff between an 18d & a meatball but the clue made me play this anyway
Where is RayT when you need him? I could not get on wavelength, and had to verify many of my answers as most did not have that “Aha moment”. 3d a new word, I’m not familiar with the slang 19d (although I distantly recall it coming up once before), and I too don’t think valets would appreciate being called a 5a. Yes, I filled in a lot of boxes, but didn’t enjoy so not one for me I’m afraid. Thanks anyway to setter and Shabbo.
I’m just wondering if I might be brave enough to stick my neck out and say that RayT was today’s setter.
I agree that the clues aren’t quite enough brief but a couple of the clues sounded like him – 1d and 19d even though the Queen and the sweetheart are both having days off. oh well . . .
I liked 9 and 15a and 4 and 6d.
Thanks to whoever did set today’s crossword and to Shabbo for the hints.
This was a puzzle of 2 halves for me. Almost read and write on the left and lots of head-scratching over on the right. Despite having the starting letter for 5a I failed to get the clue. Also failed to complete 6d, 19a and 21d (never heard of the latter 2 words until today). I did enjoy most of the puzzle and given it’s a Thursday I should be grateful for how much I achieved! Many thanks to the setter and Shabbo
I enjoyed this one, I usually struggle on a Thursday but this was mostly good, Shabbo’s help on a bit of parsing much appreciated. I did like the Irish sailors!
I really enjoyed this challenge. Solved unaided other than to check 1a was correct.
Shows to me how significant getting on the setters wavelength can be. Yesterday was a washout for me, but most people seemed to be able to solve it. Today I didn’t find it that difficult, yet many found it hard.
Nevertheless, thanks to all.
Thanks for help…Israeli got me…And dont quite get answer clue for 5A…Keys yes..but LAC…barely…dont get it…doh…cheers for help though..not far from you….Benington….Doug.
Hi Smithy
A synonym of location is ‘place’.
If it is bared, ie its cover (the outside letters) is taken away you’re left with ‘lac’
Take a look at the conversation under my post #5.
I think this technique with this particular word is too tough for a backpager.
Another escaped toughie for me with a number of bung-ins. Too difficult to be enjoyable. If I had to pick a favourite out would be 14d. Thanks to the setter anyway and Shabbo.
Totally agree Taylor I only managed to answer a few. 13a was about my level!
Thankyou Shabbo and setter for the challenge. Pleased our Spanish friends have survived the dreadful weather.
A very enjoyable puzzle tonight. Thanks to our anonymous setter and to Shabbo for the blog.
Very difficult but a good night’s sleep works wonders with 6d being my favourite clue. Thank you mystery setter and Shabbo
3*/4* …
liked 14D “Prince almost overdrawn ? It’s painful(9)”