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DT 30777

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30777
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Good morning and welcome to 21st November.  On this day in history, French philosopher Voltaire was born in 1694 and Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte was born in 1898.

I thought this enjoyable RayT offering was reasonably gentle for a Thursday. No prizes for “Guess the Setter” today as he has included all of his usual trademarks of sweetheart, the queen and brevity of clueing, clocking in at a miserly 5.2 words/clue with no double definitions.  The short but perfectly formed 15a gets my prize for CoD. It took me ages to see the Quickie Pun, which is not terrible at all!

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.  Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter.


Across

1a She aids with term’s running (12)
HEADMISTRESS: anagram (running) of SHE AIDS TERMS.  The definition is the entire clue, making this an &lit or all-in-one clue.

9a Stern row leading to change (9)
REARRANGE: synonym of stern (think boats) + synonym of row (not as in argument).

10a Tree possibly source of long bow (5)
LARCH: initial letter (source) of Long + synonym of bow (as in curve).

11a Dismiss terrible aunts ringing Bertie finally (6)
UNSEAT: anagram (terrible) of AUNTS outside (ringing) the final letter of bertiE. A nod to the great PG Wodehouse, perhaps?

12a Place, loaded, stuffed with gold inside (8)
ELDORADO: “stuffed” must be an anagram indicator, but I don’t think I have seen it used in this way before? Make an anagram of LOADED and put one of crosswordland’s two-lettered abbreviations for gold inside it.

13a Make attractive girlfriend earthier, somewhat (6)
ENDEAR: hidden word (somewhat).  Our solution is hidden within words 3 & 4 of the clue.

15a Cutting round end of iron grating (8)
GNASHING: synonym of cutting (as in drawing blood) outside (round) the final letter (end of) iroN. Our setter wants us to picture an iron grating here, but for “grating”, think “grinding”.  Neat.

18a Experienced again keeping sweetheart happy (8)
RELIEVED: synonym of “experienced again” outside (keeping) the heart of swEet.

19a Socrates’ art really describes philosopher (6)
SARTRE: another hidden word clue (describes).  Our French philosopher is lurking inside words 1, 2 & 3.

21a One drives over mountain in haze (8)
MOTORIST: abbreviation for over (think cricket) + three-letter synonym of mountain or hill inside (in) synonym of haze.

23a Extremely exhausted drunk (6)
SOUSED: synonyms of “extremely” and “exhausted” joined together. A lovely clue using only three words.

26a Strip club free and explicit (5)
LURID: remove the outside letters (strip) of cLUb  and add a synonym of “free” (a verb).

27a Brief obstruction around street (9)
BARRISTER: synonym of obstruction outside (around) the normal abbreviation for street.  The definition is a noun masquerading as an adjective.

28a Changing line electing dope (12)
INTELLIGENCE: anagram (changing) of LINE ELECTING.

Down

1d The woman’s outfit reportedly is hairy (7)
HIRSUTE: homophone (reportedly) of words meaning “the woman’s” and “outfit” joined together.

2d Acquire many articles, securely stashed initially (5)
AMASS: join together the initial letters of the first five words in the clue.

3d Wreck created involving a large jam (9)
MARMALADE: take a synonym of “wreck” (a verb) + a synonym of “created” and put them outside (involving) A + L to reveal  Paddington’s favourite jam.

4d Boy group’s opening number (4)
SONG: synonym of boy + the first letter (opening) of Group.

5d Wine from Rhine oddly with support (8)
RIESLING: the odd letters of RhInE + the type of support one might use for an injured arm, perhaps.

6d Colossal volley conceals volley (5)
SALVO: another hidden word – our answer is hidden (conceals) within words 1 & 2.

7d Player pulling out all the stops? (8)
ORGANIST: a cryptic definition of one who plays the king of instruments.

8d Crowd seeing band covering Queen (6)
THRONG: a synonym of band (think strap?) outside (covering) the abbreviation for queen (or king, for that matter).

14d Delaying raising a top Conservative (8)
DILATORY: A + synonym of “top” (think Tupperware®, perhaps) upside down (raising – this is a down clue) + four-letter word meaning Conservative.

16d Shanty, say, about popular salt? (9)
SEASONING: another word for a shanty outside (about) a two-letter word meaning “popular”.  The question mark at the end of the clue indicates that this is a “definition by example” and it has nothing to do with sailors.

17d Changing a belief’s possible (8)
FEASIBLE: anagram (changing) of A BELIEFS.

18d Politician consumed by law and disorder (8)
RUMPLE: abbreviation for politician inside (consumed by) a synonym of law.  Chambers describes the definition as “to make uneven or disordered”.

20d Back nag losing hard after tip (7)
ENDORSE: synonym of “nag” without the abbreviation for hard (think pencil lead) after a synonym of “tip”.

22d Artist fellow is a dangerous element (5)
RADON: abbreviation for artist + synonym of fellow (think academia).

24d Perhaps was cocooned by material? (5)
SATIN: synonym of “was cocooned by” (split as 3,2) joined together to create a lustrous material.

25d Your fault, occasionally, it’s said (4)
ORAL: every other letter (occasionally) of yOuR fAuLt.

 

Quickie Pun:  TAR  +  RUB  +  ABLE  =  TOWER OF BABEL

78 comments on “DT 30777”

  1. A typical Ray T and very enjoyable. I did need Mr G for a couple but, on the whole, an satisfying solve with some lovely penny drop moments. Rather stupidly, I spelled 1d incorrectly and that held up Cumbria for a while. The surface of 1a was great as was the tribute band covering Queen at 8d. My COTD is the popular salt at 16d.

    I thought the Quickie pun was wonderful.

    Thank you, Ray T for an enjoyable guzzle. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.

    1. You’re not alone in spelling 1d incorrectly, making 13a my LOI even though it was a lurker. I suspect we won’t be the only two!

  2. Worra lorra laffs. Lovely if very gentle puzzle from The Master of Brevity. Paused at the end on the golden place, trying to work out how why it was what it was – ultimately agreeing with Shabbo’s explanation, above. Mr T does pen rather super lurkers, so 19a is my COTD, with 21a also on the podium alongside 16d, with runner-up 14d.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo

    1. 4th place being called runner-up?

      Come, come, MG. I know it’s hard picking three when you have four that you like but really….

  3. Loved the nod to Wodehouse and his aunt’s
    Thanks to Shabbo and RayT – about to go boozing with Elgar in Malton

        2. Great! Enjoy and have one on me!. 🍺

          I also didn’t realise you wore such colourful shirts. 😊

  4. An excellent puzzle, which although not that tricky, did make me work for my last in, which was 15a.
    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.
    I wondered whether 12a was an &lit?

  5. I agree with Shabbo this was relatively gentle for my favourite setter at **/****. Lots of anagrams – 5 – and lurker based clues – 6 – with a pause at my last one in 15a. My favourite for no particular reason was 8d which did make me chuckle although 27a was great too. Thank to our setter and hinter.

  6. Ray T in very friendly mode for me today. Perhaps I have finally tuned in to him!

    1A was very clever. I fear the answer might upset the ‘PC’ brigade, but no problem for me. 15A held me up the longest and the synonym is not one I am familiar with.

    Thanks to Ray T for the puzzle and Shabbo for the hints.

  7. Perfect.

    A benign RayT at his very best with the cherry on top being no double definitions.

    I too can’t see how ‘stuffed’ can be an anagram indicator. Maybe someone can help us out with that one.

    I’m sure RayT has done his homework but I am struggling to find any references to 12a being one word. It originated from the Spanish ** ****** meaning The Golden One, a nickname given to the king of this mythical South American city. Still, it’s not important and won’t affect my rating of this splendid crossy if it is a boo-boo.

    My podium is 1a, 21a and 7d.

    Many thanks to Arty and Shabbs.

    2*/5*

    1. I did wonder, briefly, whether “place” could be the anagram indicator for an all-in-one. But “stuffed” has been used before as an anag. ind., not least by Gazza in an NTSPP. And who’s going to argue with the boss? Not me!

      1. Hi ALP

        You’re pretty good with these things…..can you see how stuffed works as an indicator?

        1. Oh, definitely. If summat’s stuffed, it’s up the spout, ie broken. And get stuffed = get knotted. No?

    2. BRB, first words of the entry: “(2,6) or (8)”. And the BBC used the single word version for its late unlamented soap opera of the same name, a program which, like Death in Paradise, appeared to be a vehicle for helping jobbing actors get a winter sun tan.

      No boo-boo, Boo-Boo, Mr T is smarter than the average bear!

      1. Thank you, gents. It was never really in doubt though I wonder why it was merged into one word? Just people being lazy, I guess.

        I reckon that RayT would have had it as two if he wasn’t restricted by his rules as I’ve never seen it as one.

        It’s one of those classic variants that is seen in crosswords but extremely rarely in life (we’ll ignore that truly dreadful TV show).

  9. I got on with this much better than I sometimes do. There were so many clever (and brief) clues but my favourite was 16d. For some reason 23a hung out till last.

    Many thanks to RayT for the fun and to Shabbo for the hints

  10. Very enjoyable with just a little head scratching here and there. The 22a / 23d combo held out the longest for me. I didn’t have enough words in the 22a clue until I did when the penny dropped. Favourite has to be the very clever 16d with podium places for 27a and 14d. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  11. An enjoyable not too challenging challenge from the master of brevity – 2.5*/3.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 10a, 27a, 3d, and 6d – and the winner is 27a.

    Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  12. An excellent puzzle, and one I’d characterise as “easy for a Thursday”. Very annoyed to be beaten by 15a despite staring at it for an eternity; I think I wrangled with that one for as long as the other clues put together before grumpily admitting defeat. ***/****

  13. Mercifully easier than his back-pager a fortnight ago. A brisk solve that would have been brisker but for a bit of a head scratch with last in 15a. I also wondered if 12a was another all-in-one clue. Like Steve 16d was my pick of the clues with podium spots for 8d&26a. The Quickie pun escaped me.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo for his usual top review.
    Ps it’s been ‘tuff’ going in the other place this week & today’s offering no exception

    1. .. I’m with you on 12a .. however could I suggest an alternative? Place is the anagram indicator with loaded (obviously) the fodder and stuffed with gold is the definition of Eldorado, the mythical city of gold.
      Apart from that another puzzle of two halves for me. Southern side more difficult. I needed the hint to see how 24d worked. My cotd the ‘eadless ‘orse at 20d.
      Thanks to setter and Shabbo.
      Re Steve’s comment yesterday on the 3Kw heater .. another win for the planet .. heaters that don’t heat comparable to the vacuum cleaners that don’t vacuum .. what will it be next I wonder? Maybe electric cars with run out if charge before you get to your destination!!!!😤

      1. .. forget me suggestion to 12a .. just thought about it again .. and I still need to the heraldic gold!

      2. I totally agree with your comments regarding my heaters, Beck. The 2KW burned for ages and made very little difference. The 3 KW heated the room in half an hour and turned itself off.

  14. I can only echo the thoughts of earlier commenters; benign, gentle, friendly and most enjoyable. 27a and 16d were my top two clues this morning.

    Many thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  15. Agh. Can’t access puzzles on the Telegraph app as it keeps scrolling. As it’s a Ray T Thursday perhaps it’s done me a favour, but I would have liked to try. Will continue my tussle with the app.

  16. I also thought it was a very enjoyable puzzle. 3a was very gettable, but I struggled to parse it correctly. Other than that my vote for COTD is 7d, which took me a while to get. 15a was my LOI. Thank you setter and hint supplier.

  17. Ray T is well up to his usual standard today with some good laughs – thanks to him and Shabbo.
    Top clues for me were 26a, 1d, 7d, 16d and 24d.

  18. 1.5*/5*. A true delight from the master. Levity with brevity!

    My podium comprises 27a, 7d & 16d.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

  19. My favourite day today … the day we get a RayT puzzle. As always from him a puzzle that is succinct, precise and logical. As Shabbo says, this week we have the Queen and sweetheart showing up too. Who could ask for more??

    1.5*/5* for me.

    Favourites 18a, 26a, 1d, 3d, 5d & 8d — with winner 1d
    Smiles from 23a, 7d, 8d & 16d

    Thanks so much to RayT for an awesome puzzle & Shabbo for the blog/hints (although I won’t see them until the morning), given the time I get the puzzle here on the West Coast of Canada.

  20. Ah yes, I see I’m not alone in finding myself staring at 15a as the last one in.

    Jolly pleased to see the Plum Wodehouse reference; his books have brought me so much pleasure over the years, and I return to them constantly.
    His characters live in a timeless reverie of punts on the lake, being up before the beak, and twerps falling in love with girls who think the stars are God’s daisy chain.
    A couple of years ago I asked to be given books from the new-ish Wodehouse Everyman series for birthdays and Christmas. As The Youngster helpfully pointed out, with a hundred or so books in the series I shall die before the set is complete.
    This pleases me as my nearest and dearest will have to stare at the incomplete set and weep/breath a sigh of relief at the knowledge that I have gone to join the choir invisible.

    Thanks to RayTee and Shabba-dabba-doo

  21. Enormous fun as ever from our master of brevity. I didn’t have any problem with ‘stuffed’ as an indicator as in ‘I really stuffed that one up/made a mess of it’ but I did have something of a fight with 15a before the penny dropped.
    Favourite here was 14d – great word, with a host of others vying for the remaining podium places. Although I’m sure we’ve seen it before, 20d made me laugh as did the Quickie pun.

    Devotions as always to Mr T and many thanks to Shabbo for the review.

    1. Regarding 20d, I don’t think I would have been able to resist the temptation to go with the last nag to finish at ‘arrogate.

  24. Good afternoon

    A day off and a train trip meant an early start and early finish to today’s crozzie, which I recognised as being the handiwork of the Mighty Mr T.

    Now, last time we crossed swords, Mr T had the upper hand; today, I’m pleased to report that I got ’em all! Excellent wit and wordplay in the clueing, a couple of nice lurkers, and several contenders for COTD, of which I’m going to plump (if plumping is permitted) for 16d.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo.

    1. Go, AC!

      Clarkee finishes a Raytee!

      Many more to come, I’m sure. His puzzles are a joy to solve.

      Congrats again.

    2. Congratulations, AC. When I first encountered Mr. T, I could not get on at all and I remember the first time I solved one unaided.

  26. Idid enjoy this Ray T puzzle, sparkling clues everywear ,
    Difficult to choose favourites, first one spotted was 12a and the last 14d,
    Just abour agreed with the Quicky pun as did Mrs B.
    Again thanks to our brilliant setter

  27. Ray T at his most benign. Only needed the hints to explain 23a, still think the synonym for extremely is very stretched. Apart from that small jiggle, very enjoyable.
    ***/****
    Thx to all

  28. My cup runneth over! Still sluggish but able to do most with some ehelp and a final push from Shabbo. My DNFs were, again, in the SE, even with brain at full power I’d never have got 15a or 23a. Lots of smilers. Fave was 1d, I love the word.
    Thank you RayT for a very entertaining morning, and Shabbo for your help across the finish line.

  29. Nice to see you Merusa! We all missed you. I enjoyed this until I got to 15a where I was completely stumped and had to turn to Shabbo for help. Jane, did you really say yesterday that you lived in a boat? I am visualising a yacht moored in the Mediterranean somewhere, or maybe a canal boat in Little Venice – surely not the upturned hulk that Dickens wrote about? Anyway, nice guzzle with the right amount of head scratching for a Thursday, many thanks to Setter and Shabbo.

  30. After my tussle with the app( thanks SJB for the steer) this was an enjoyable Ray T albeit a dnf as I needed a couple of prods from the hints to finish. I groaned at 20d but I’ll award cotd to 15a. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  31. Lovely treat for aThursday 😃 which is often the case when Ray T is the compiler ***/****
    Favourites 16, 21 & 27 across and 14 down 👍 Thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo
    I failed however to get the phrase in the Quick Crossword 😳

  32. What an enjoyable RayT! I was having so much fun I had to tear myself away half way through as it was time to leave for check up with my rheumatologist. Now back, done and dusted. If only all Thursdays could be like this 😊. Another puzzle where everything was there if you looked, and no need for any GK deep dives. Thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

  33. Evening all. My thanks to Shabbo for the illumination and to everybody else who left a comment.

    RayT

  34. To quote Senf (thank you), for me, and I stress for me 3d and 12a are linked. The latest Paddington film (Paddington in Peru) features both, but the film is not as good as P2. I digress.
    A lovely crossword today, which I completed in good time, only needing Shabbo’s help for the parsing of 15a. Thanks to Shabbo and Ray T.

  35. Quickest RayT solve I can remember – hope I am improving but I fear mainly he was just going easy on us….

  36. This guzzle was a pleasant exercise. SW corner brought up the rear mainly due to my reluctance to accept the parsing/synonyms for 18a and 26a. Fav was 27a. Thank you RayT and Shabbo.

  37. I finished this some time ago but didn’t post before disappearing to go to the pub to meet my friend Mike who now lives in America. Any road up an excellent crossword as usual from Rayt. Favourite was 27a, could have been almost any of them. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo. The toughie will have to wait until tomorrow but it’s likely to be my third dnf in a row this week, hang my head in shame

    1. You’ve changed your alias since your previous comment so this needed moderation. Both versions will work in future.

    2. No, “soused” does not mean “exhausted”. Split it (2,4) to get two words meaning “very” and “exhausted” respectively.

  39. Great puzzle – I do look forward to a RayT. Thanks to him and Shabbo.
    I suppose nobody is still monitoring this thread, but had to say I was surprised there was no mention of the same format clue and same anagram indicator used for 28a/17d.

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