Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30768
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where – as for many of you around the world – Remembrance Day is being marked today. In addition to today’s ceremony at the National War Memorial, for several days there has been a nightly display of images of poppies dropping down the Peace Tower – each representing a fallen member of the armed forces.
I found today’s puzzle to be at the easier end of the spectrum, though as enjoyable as usual from Robyn.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a Playing Spain, Tuchel makes appealing remarks (4-2,5)
CHAT-UP LINES — an anagram (playing) of SPAIN TUCHEL
7a Student, after top grade, prepared earlier on (7)
ALREADY — after rearranging according to instructions, we have the top academic letter grade, the usual student driver, and prepared and available for use or action
8a Light kind of rock music embraced by dandy (3,4)
FOG LAMP — a glitzy style of rock music from the 70s inserted in a dandy or vain, affected man overly concerned with his appearance
10a I had last portions of gelati, no apricot fool (5)
IDIOT — the contracted from of “I had” followed by the final letters (last portions) of the three words preceding the definition
11a One in Lear isn’t, surprisingly, more angelic (9)
SAINTLIER — insert the Roman numeral for one into an anagram (surprisingly) of LEAR ISNT
12a Historian from India plugging diplomacy by American (7)
TACITUS — the letter represented by India in radio communications injected into (plugging) another word for diplomacy and followed by the two-letter short form for American
14a Broadcast I stream showing great artists (7)
MAESTRI — an anagram (broadcast) of I STREAM
15a Supplied food and European wine, following Tom? (7)
CATERED — string together the animal whose male is known as a tom, the single letter for European, and a type of wine distinguished by its colour
18a Do a bit of supper for mother (7)
PERFORM — a lurker, hiding (a bit of) in the final three words of the clue
20a Television presenter has no charm – an eccentric (6,3)
ANCHOR MAN — an anagram (eccentric) of NO CHARM AN
21a Mind British bad weather (5)
BRAIN — the single letter for British and what is bad weather for golfers and often a godsend for farmers
22a Former leader Boris still to admit large wrongdoing (7)
YELTSIN — not a British PM; we need still or so far containing (to admit) the clothing label symbol for large, all of which is followed by a moral transgression
23a Cry for attention troubled girls in industrial platforms (3,4)
OIL RIGS — an often angry cry for attention and an anagram (troubled) of GIRLS
24a The return of King Charles from holiday before speech (11)
RESTORATION — a holiday or period of relaxation before a formal public speech
Down
1d Perhaps hearty, comic account about the setter (7)
CARDIAC — another term for comic or wag and the abbreviations for account containing (about) a pronoun the setter might use subjectively to refer to themself
2d Bill and Ted initially pocketing a penny in change (5)
ADAPT — a bill or poster and the first letter (initially) of TED containing (pocketing) the A from the clue and the single letter for the current penny
3d Big novel from Huxley is as dense after regular cuts (7)
ULYSSES — a regular sequence of letters excerpted from (after regular cuts) the four words preceding the indicator
4d Went over current case for socialism and socialist ideology (7)
LEFTISM — another word for went preceding (over in a down clue) the physics symbol for electrical current and the initial and final letters of (case for) SOCIALISM
5d Near wife, cutting hole in pyjamas, say (9)
NIGHTWEAR — an archaic word for near followed by the genealogical abbreviation for wife inside (cutting) a usually unwelcome hole (unlike the one in the garment below)
6d Fan of nationalisation tests it at school, somewhat upset (7)
STATIST — an inverted lurker, concealed (somewhat) and reversed (upset) in the four words following the definition
7d Peer group? (11)
ARISTOCRACY — a cryptic definition of the titled class
9d Mum and dad receiving letters etc about assemblies (11)
PARLIAMENTS — mum and dad collectively placed around (receiving) a reversal (about) of the letters, etc brought by the postman
13d Drunkard turns up around drunken Tories? They move very slowly (9)
TORTOISES — a reversal (turns up in a down clue) of a chronic drunkard containing an anagram (drunken) of TORIES
16d Footballer, say, has fishing kit by river (7)
TACKLER — another name for fishing kit and the map abbreviation for river
17d Singer Fats entertaining good opera singer (7)
DOMINGO — the last name of singer Fats containing (entertaining) the coin collectors’ symbol designating a condition of good
18d Chinese native grabbing gold box recipient (7)
PANDORA — a large, furry native of China containing (grabbing) the heraldic symbol for gold
19d Zero tax, popular around Oman’s capital, getting applause (7)
OVATION — the letter that resembles a zero, the acronym for a tax imposed by most governments around the globe (although under varying names), and popular or trendy encompassing the initial letter (capital) of OMAN
21d Spicy food more ignored in Maryland city (5)
BALTI — MORE removed (ignored) from the largest city in Maryland
My favourite clue of the day has to be the slow-moving drunken tories at 13d.
Quickie Pun: BUFFER + LOBE + ILL = BUFFALO BILL
I thought today’s offering a tad difficult for a Monday but it was enjoyable, nevertheless. I hadn’t heard of the historian but he was gettable if the clue were followed. The parsing of 1d eludes me so I will need the hints to explain it. I liked the former leader at 22a and the Chinese native at 18d but my COTD is the wife cutting a hole in some pyjamas at 5d.
Thank you setter, for the challenge. Thank you, Falcon for the hints, which I will now read.
Great Quickie pun.
The penny has just dropped with regard to 1d! DOH!
A fair bit trickier than most Mondays, with some very convoluted clues which took me about twice as long as is usual for a week starter.
Having said that, all the clues were very fair (once you’d actually got them) with the last one being 18d, couldn’t get ‘canton’ out of my mind for ages, but I expect that’s what the setter intended.
My two favourites today have to be 9d and 14a, a word I’ve never used and never expect to either. Many thanks to our setter today, intrigued to see who it is.
Ahhh, Monday. A nice, straightforward number to ease into the week. A found some of the surfaces a little clunky (23a, 6d, 19d), but some lovely clues as well. 4d was nice, but the winner has to be 22a. */***
A very straightforward one to kick off this week’s proceedings with lots of the usual techniques on display.
A fine effort to get the new England manager into a clue. Is Robyn the first to do this amongst the nation’s setters, I wonder.
My podium is 20a, 22a and 1d.
Many thanks to the aforementioned and Falcon.
1*/4*
Oh, it’s always nice to get a namecheck.
Oh, is that the manager? I presumed it was the name of a footballer I hadn’t heard of.
Yep he’s our new hope.
It’s pronounced ‘Too cool’.
Let’s see….
This took a bit more thought than some Mondays past but once fully tuned in was very enjoyable. Many ticks on my page. Loved the misdirection in 22a and the construction of 8a. My podium comprises 3d, 18d and 13d in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Falcon
I thought 22a was outrageously funny and was easily my COTD. Overall, I tend to agree with our blogger about the relative straightforwardness of the puzzle, yet it still retained plenty of enjoyment and humour. Great fun
My thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
I did very well with this one, needing only one extra tip from here.
If the blogger used the example shown in the picture for 1A, then I guess they’re still single. ;)
Enjoyable puzzle to start the week off with.
Re 1a, clearly the would-be suitor’s crosswording skills don’t translate well to his social life.
Light but great fun. This matches what has become the norm for me of 1*/4* for Monday back-pagers.
With plenty of ticks to choose from, 22a gets my vote as favourite. Brilliant surface!
Many thanks to Robyn and to Falcon.
I’m inclined to agree with Steve C rather than Falcon on the difficulty of today’s enjoyable puzzle – 2*/3.5*
Candidates for favourite – 22a, 24a, 2d, and 18d – and the winner is 22a for having to go back further in time to find the correct Boris!
Thanks to Robyn(?) and Falcon.
A nice easy starter for the week.
Thanks for the comments and videos.
Disappointed though not to see Ron Burgundy playing jazz flute for 20 ac. 😁
Or Half Man Half Biscuit with Bob Wilson -Anchorman! A classic amongst many others.
99% of gargoyles look like Bob Todd
All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit
I also had problems parsing 1d, but otherwise I thought it was at the easier end of the spectrum. My picks of the day are 22a and 18d. Thanks to the setter and for the hints.
Well I made heavy work of this with two new words for me at 6d and 12a. It didn’t help that I got ‘kiss me quick’ in my brain for 1a and it took ages to go away even though I knew it was wrong.
Top picks for me were 22a, 18d and 13d.
Thanks to Falcon and Robyn.
I agree with Steve and Senf that I found this harder than recent Mondays, but it was still a delight to complete. Several clues made me smile, 22a, 5d and my favourite 18d. I had not heard of 12a so needed to confirm after.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
I thought I had overslept by about three days as I took quite some time to crack any clue, but eventually I worked up a head of steam and finished in a 1* time.
I’d never come across the plural in 14A and 6D was a new, and to me, a very contrived word. No particular favourite but enjoyable nonetheless.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Good afternoon
Crikey! I’m not normally this early reporting in; however I’m pleased to report that today’s crozzie is all done. Nicely pitched for a Monday.
Many thanks to our setter and to Falcon.
Great stuff – thanks to the setter and Falcon.
I liked 24a, 3d and 18d but my favourite is the outstanding 22a.
Slightly more challenging for a Monday, but most satisfactory. The Boris clue pleases many of us.
With my comings and goings I haven’t kept up with everything on Big Dave. What news of Merusa?
Good fun today with the odd tricky clue
2*/4*
COTD 7d and 22a
Thanks to all
I found this less challenging than most Monday backpagers. Boris in 22a clearly being clue of the day (and possibly of the month), I also liked the rocking dandy in 8d, the box recipient in 18d, and the Maryland city in 21d.
I’m glad 3d was spelt out in the clue; there’s almost no chance I’d’ve spelt it correctly otherwise.
Thank you to Robyn for the entertainment, and Falcon for blogging.
I would strongly suggest that there is nothing at all appealing about the use of 1a’s – perhaps that’s where the users of same make their first mistake! Elsewhere, this was an excellent Monday puzzle and I do like the way our setter tells a story in so many of his clues. Fighting it out for the top slot today are 22&24a plus 17&18d.
Thanks to our setter – Robyn, I assume, and to Falcon for the review – loved the Domingo/Denver duet.
I really enjoyed this pleasant Mondayish puzzle with its humour, misdirections and sensible surface reads. No hold ups apart from time spent trying to come up with a collective noun for a gang of voyeurs to fulfill the clue for 7d! Favourite today was 22a, with podium places for 1d and 9d. Special mention for the quickie pun. Thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
Not only another excellent Monday puzzle, but also, the sun has shown it’s face for the first time this month! So, plenty of reasons to be thankful – if it wasn’t for a stinking cold life would be great!
Favourites today were Tuchel at 1a and Boris at 22a and the pyjamas in 5d nearly made it, but I’m sure we’ve had a very similar clue before, or maybe it was a cold induced dream?
Thanks to Robyn and Falcon
I wonder if I was the only one who those of a different Fats at 17d before I looked at the grid.
A gentle but enjoyable puzzle today.
Thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
*”those’ should read ‘thought’. Android spellchecker once again does more harm than good!
On the rare occasions that I comment, I don’t think I’ve ever chosen a COTD, but 22a was just so great I had to mention it. Like some, I struggled a bit with this, but thought it was an excellent puzzle and a very satisfactory solve.
Many thanks to Falcon and setter.
Enjoyable puzzle. Unusually I finished it before bed last night, a mistake on a day with no toughie. Checkers really helped with a few clues.
A good start to the week and a relatively easy solve apart from 22a has I’d plumped for Aristocrats rather than Aristocracy at 7d .. that held me up!
Cotd 1a as I was initially convinced that the “help” was in the answer as in appealing remark and it made me smile when the penny eventually dropped.
A great puzzle to start the non-work week. Lots of laughs on the way through too.
1.5*/4*
Favourites 8a, 15a, 23a, 17d & 21d — with winner a tie between 8a & 23a
Chuckles and smiles for the two winners and 10a,21a & 13d
Thanks to setter & Falcon
We struggled to get foothold but once we did we made steady progress towards completion with a few head scratchers on the way. Favourite was 18d, there were other contenders. Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Enjoyable solve and the ‘big novel’ brought back memories of student days when I tried so hard to read that thing but gave up in utter frustration. Thank you setter and Falcon
I too found this a bit trickier than recent Mondays but still relatively light and enjoyable , especially after yesterday’s slog. Thanks to the setter and to Falcon for hints.
What a lovely start to the week, especially as I had struggled into Saturday with Friday”s crossword. I was able to solve each clue in turn which resulted in */** difficulty for me. Had to ask my husband for an historian beginning with “T” and luckily he knew all about Tacitus. LOI was 22a as I had put Aristocra(ts) instead of Aristocra(cy). Once the Y was in place everything became clear! Enjoyment definitely scored highly *****. Thanks to Robyn (?) and Falcon>
Gave this up as a bad job, dreadful Monday puzzle in my opinion.
*****/*
Brian, Oh dear! Thought you might have liked 21a.
Dear Brian, I always look out for your comments, as do others I am sure.
It seems to me there is a common theme: those puzzles you find difficult are often “dreadful” or similar. I don’t think that’s fair on the setter. Can you give some reasons, apart from the above why it was dreadful?
I wouldn’t hold your breath! 🤭
He never gives reasons. Cannot sustain an argument. Probably a pussycat but doubt he’ll show his face at the birthday bash.
Putting Masters for 18a without checking properly held me up a bit
COTD has to be 12d
What do the asterisks refer to in terms of time in minutes/hours?
You were once ‘Oldpete’ so a new alias has sent you into moderation. Both aliases will work from now on.
The difficulty stars are purely down to the bloggers. Some bloggers base their difficulty rating on time taken, others have other methods.
Sorry, I am with those who found this tricky for a Monday, and definitely more than a *. Surprised no one has pointed out the 3d typo in the answer, with an S following the U, rather than an L. I had never seen the plural in 14a, but I suspected as such and googled it. However it was quite far down before I saw this definition, all earlier mentions were food related. This really didn’t feel like a Robyn to me, I usually fare much better with his. Thanks to setter and Falcon.
Oops! 3d spelling now corrected. Not sure how that happened – those keys could not be much further apart on the keyboard.
For me this was a straightforward 1*/4* thanks both
Not sure about 21a. The brain is a physical part of the body but the mind is an abstract concept. You use your brain in order to speak your mind. Comments invited.
My thoughts exactly, G.
Sorry did not enjoy this too many convoluted clues, especially for a Monday 😳 ***/** Favourites 1 & 22a and 9d Probably me not the Compiler so thanks and to the Falcon for his much needed de-coding 😬
Having been to Luncheon Club for an indifferent meal and a talk about Age Concern in Hertfordshire ( where I do not reside) I came home in an off mood which was lifted by this Monday guzzle. I only need you hint for 6d Falcon but thankyou for that – and thanks to the setter for the smoke at 22a and 18d. I also thought what a good example 15a was. Dashing off now to Arts Society talk – Age Concern? Get thee behind me.
DG,
I think i’d take age concern off the roster if i were you. You’re too young for all that caper
Hear hear! Anyone who can do the splits has no need of Age UK.
Oh that Boris failing to hold his hands up to wrongdoing…..At least he had this excuse that he was almost certainly p*ss*d when he strayed. Cracking surface & easily COTD.
Thanks to Robyn & to Falcon
I’m new to comment but I found this delightful probably because I finished it without hints ! Loved 1a ( which I don’t have ! )
Congratulations on finishing without hints, and welcome to the blog. Please do continue to comment on crosswords, whether you use the hints or not!
Congratulations and welcome, Marty. I never had 1a either! 😊
Please keep commenting whether or not you complete the crossword unaided.
A very enjoyable start to the week, following a great weekend. Slightly tougher for me than most Mondays but very fair. I was about to jump on my podium to complain about the archaic GK required in 12a then realised I had solved it from the clue alone. I thought 17d was a bit lazy but more than made up for by 8a, 12a, 18a and 23a. COTD 18a for hiding the solution so well.
Off now to improve my Thai reading skills, which is a challenge in a written language that doesn’t separate its word with spaces.
Somewhat enjoyed this solve today. Made hard work of it initially, but I soon got to grips with it.
Thanks to all.
Fine, but for me a bit too straightforward to be truly enjoyable….8a my last one in and definitely COTD
Found today’s puzzle more difficult than usual for Monday. Completed with my top clues being 22a and 18d. Enjoyable!
Doesn’t hurt to have a bit of a challenge on a Monday. We wouldn’t want to get complacent, would we? So thank you Monday setter for spicing things up a bit 😁.
2*/4* ….
liked 3D “Big novel from Huxley is as dense after regular cuts (7)”