Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30790
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday.
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. In some hints hyperlinks provide additional explanation or background. Clicking on a picture will enlarge it. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Male pair moved in front of relative next in line? (4,8)
HEIR APPARENT: Join together a male pronoun, an anagram (moved) of PAIR, and a relative older than you
9a Setter's row about origin of Telegraph puzzles (9)
MYSTERIES: “setter’s” from the perspective of the setter is followed by a row or sequence containing (about) the first letter of (origin of) TELEGRAPH
10a Rolled cheese filled with very hot sauce? (5)
GRAVY: The reversal (rolled) of a nettle-wrapped cheese containing (filled with) the single letter for very
11a Ignorant Italian article confronts conflict with Spain (7)
UNAWARE: An Italian indefinite grammatical article is followed by a large-scale conflict and the IVR code for Spain
12a Free time in isle cycling with banker (7)
LEISURE: An anagram (cycling) of ISLE with one of the usual rivers (whimsically a “banker” because it’s a thing with banks)
13a Antiseptic regime oddly stopped by investigators (9)
GERMICIDE: An anagram (oddly) of REGIME containing (stopped by) the usual abbreviation for some police investigators
16a Fancy greeting Mike after end of show? (4)
WHIM: A short informal greeting and the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by Mike both come after the end letter of SHOW
18a Rescue silver taken from primitive (4)
SAVE: Delete the chemical symbol for silver from a synonym of primitive
19a Total expert welcoming Newton's speech (9)
UTTERANCE: Total or complete with an informal word for an expert containing (welcoming) the single letter for newton (the SI unit of force)
22a Lizard egg laid in heath (7)
MONITOR: The egg of a louse inserted in (laid in) another word for heath
23a Husband by border being evasive (7)
HEDGING: The genealogical abbreviation for husband with a synonym of border
25a Safe inlet of sea (5)
SOUND: A straightforward double definition
26a Performer let go before a tree collapsed (4-5)
FIRE-EATER: Let go or dismiss from a job comes before an anagram (collapsed) of A TREE
27a Cereal is followed by hard pale pie (7,5)
CORNISH PASTY: Assemble a cereal plant, IS from the clue, the pencil abbreviation for hard, and a synonym of pale
Down
1d City Radio enthusiast brought up food (7)
HAMBURG: The informal name for an amateur radio enthusiast is followed by the reversal (brought up, in a down clue) of an informal word for food
2d Popular station platform (5)
INSTA: Popular or fashionable with the abbreviation for station. The answer is an informal name for an internet platform that hosts images
3d Mass at end of road with song and prayer (3,5)
AVE MARIA: Putting the bits in order, link together an abbreviation for a type of road, the physics symbol for mass, and a song, air, or melody
4d Felines stuck their noses in reportedly (5)
PRIDE: A homophone (reportedly) of a verb that could mean “stuck their noses in”
5d Tough on one being nursed by mum (9)
RESILIENT: A short word meaning on or concerning is followed by mum or quiet with the Roman one inserted (being nursed by)
6d Kissing naked head (6)
NOGGIN: An informal word for kissing minus its outer letters (naked)
7d Monk caught adult climbing up with short friend (8)
CAPUCHIN: Marry together the cricket abbreviation for caught, the single letter for adult, the reversal (climbing, in a down clue) of UP from the clue, and all but the last letter (short) of friend or mate in rhyming slang
8d My clue confused educational establishment (6)
LYCEUM: An anagram (confused) of MY CLUE
14d Extremely hungry bird on river briefly (8)
RAVENOUS: A clever black bird with all but the last letter (briefly) of another usual river
15d Raised fine for pub illegally hiding drug (9)
IBUPROFEN: The reversal (raising, in a down clue) of FINE FOR PUB ILLEGALLY is hiding the answer
17d Recall greed spreading within Irish party (6,2)
DREDGE UP: An anagram (spreading) of GREED inserted in (within) the abbreviation for an Irish political party
18d Fried morsel from island close to Tasmania (6)
SAMOSA: A Greek island with the last letter of (close to) TASMANIA
20d City hosts a German with a passion (7)
EAGERLY: A usual cathedral city contains (hosts) both A from the clue and the abbreviation for German
21d Piercing noise essentially over in workshop (6)
STUDIO: A piercing can be a hole in the body or an item of jewellery placed in such a hole. Follow one of the latter with the central letter (essentially) of NOISE and the cricket abbreviation for over
23d Vocal group initially abandoned god (5)
HORUS: A vocal group encountered in Greek tragic drama minus its first letter (initially abandoned)
24d Greek characters regularly sit on trams (5)
IOTAS: Alternate letters (regularly) of SIT ON TRAINS
Thanks to today’s setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: GEM + RAW + LEAP + EARLY = JAM ROLY-POLY
I needed Mr. G. for a couple but otherwise a very enjoyable guzzle. Getting 1a straightaway is always a good sign. It took a while to recall the cheese at 10a and the fried morsel at 18d also eluded me at first. I didn’t know the word at 2d and I doubt it will be remembered after a day or so. Neither have I heard of the monk at 7d but I have heard of the monkey. My COTD is the lizard egg at 22a.
Thank you, setter for a fun puzzle to end the week. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints and pusskits.
I could make no sense of the Quickie pun today. Now I have seen it in the hints, it still doesn’t work for me.
The monkey was named from the monk because of the habit they wore.
Thanks, Lynne. 👍 One lives and learns.
As is cappuccino because of the color of the habit the monks wore.
Welcome to the blog, Mamatha.
Welcome, Mamatha and thank you for something else learned. Who knew? It makes sense though.
Please comment again 👍
Steve, I had ‘generally eat early’ for the pun!!
At least you saw something, Hilary – I saw absolutely nothing no matter how I pronounced it. I had Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Basil Fawlty and a whole host having a go!
Morning from Brisbane. It’s going to be a hot one. I liked 7d as the wordplay lead you through the clue. I needed Mr G to check. I see those monks a division of the Franciscans. Another one for ‘the bank’. Very enjoyable grid. Thank to the Setter and Mr K. 🦇
A lovely Friday puzzle. 2d’s fun, 5d’s v elegant and 22a’s a winner. 21d’s “piercing” was a super touch too. The Quickie pun is outrageous … and I loved it! Many thanks to our setter and Mr K.
3.5*/2.5*. A mixed bag for a Friday with the NE taking me as long as the other three corners put together. The less said about the Quickie pun the better, and 2d is not an abbreviation recognised by Chambers.
I didn’t realise that 7d could be both a monk and a monkey. You live and learn.
15d was my favourite.
Thanks to the setter and to Mr K.
Not surprised 2d isn’t in Chambers – wonderful dictionary though it is, the latest BRB is now 10 years old & that SM platform was only launched 14 years ago. I don’t know if the abbreviation is in the online BRB, nor how often the online version is updated, nor whether it is the hardback or online version that constitutes the “bible” for the DT. The abbreviation is very definitely common parlance, however, and IMV it’s unrealistic to expect an increasingly obsolete dictionary to be the measure by which the setter’s use of language is judged.
At least the latest Collins Dictionary (in which 2d is noted, online anyway) was issued in August 2023, so perhaps the DT should consider changing its guidelines?
I mostly use the online version. It’s much lighter!
Seeing the correspondence below, to be precise, I mostly use the app.
I have heard that the DT and others are considering that change to Collins but I suspect Chambers will respond with an update soon
2d ruined today’s offering for me, in what was otherwise a good crossword. Insta wasn’t in my BRB app and I’m not convinced it is actually a word. Social media eh! .. where would we be without out?
Cotd 16a. Thanks to Mr K for the hints. I needed them.
One often sees references here on Big Dave to the “online Chambers” which is based on Chambers 21st Century Dictionary. This work is quite distinct from The Chambers Dictionary which is affectionately known here as the BRB (Big Red Book). The latter work is much favoured by crossword setters as “It contains many more dialectal, archaic, unconventional and eccentric words than its rivals”. On the other hand, in the former work “the focus is on the English that people use today, and definitions are given in straightforward, accessible language”. I recall reading (although the source now escapes me) that the former work is not merely an abridged version of the latter but a separate work that was compiled independently. One often finds variations between the two dictionaries, both in spelling (in particular, in the case of compound or hyphenated words) and occasionally even in definitions.
The online Chambers is as you say the shorter version but the App version along with the Thesaurus appears to be the full revised version.
Thanks for this Falcon.
Very informative.
Considering it’s Friday I didn’t find this too challenging. Not being a user of social media I needed the checkers before the penny dropped on 2d. I agree with Steve that getting 1a straight away seems to set one up for a good solve. There are a lot of contenders for podium places today but I’ll go for 7d as favourite supported by 10a and 3d. The quickie pun doesn’t work with my Yorkshire accent. Thanks to our setter for the pleasure and Mr K for the comprehensive blog (and the pusscats)
Quite ‘light’ for a Friday back pager. If it is the work of a member of the Friday Triumvirate then it is probably the work of Zandio but it could equally be the work of an ‘outsider’ – **/***
Candidates for favourite – 27a, 6d, 7d, and 14d – and the winner is 6d.
Thanks to Zandio, or whomsoever if it is not he, and thanks to Mr K.
I researched a kitty photo just in case Mr K was too busy so what the heck:
Can’t have too many kitties, Senf!
Enjoyed this end of week challenge, slowed down a little by the last few clues in the N – groaned when 2d dawned, likewise 7d (spent too long thinking of ???ican brothers. Enjoying 27a twice in a week (one in The Times) is not good for the waistline: very different clues for the same answer. Lovely surface in 15d, Podium places to 9a, 22a, 5d.
Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K
A good puzzle for a Friday
3/4
Nice to see a different 4 letter cheese employed
Lots of good wordplay but 15d my COTD
Thanks to all
Great puzzle. 27a my favorite, always my first choice at the bakers.
A ni e mixture of clues with a speinkling of rhose based on General Kknowledge, which I enjoyed. After a slow start, the grid filled up as the checkers went in, with the NE the last to yield. I liked rhe lizardy lego clue at 21a and the classical lego clue at 8d but my COTD was the clever lego mok at 7d. Thanks to the compiler ans to Mr Kbfor the hibts and the pusskits
I need a 15d as this puzzle has definitely given me a headache. Whilst 1a and 1d fell at first glance, the rest became steadily more tortuous but that was my problem with trying, but failing, to get on the setter’s wavelength. 15a raised a wry smile so that is my cotd. Thanks to compiler and Mr K.
A reasonable gentle Friday puzzle which more than works for me.
I started going through the gears quite nicely after misfiring by putting haven in as my answer to 25a. I biffed 21d as I missed the synonym for piercing, thinking it was a verb which threw me off the scent.
I’m very happy that the setter is using modern speak like 2d as it’s good for grandparents to know the term so they can converse with their offspring.
Lots of excellent clues to choose from for the silverware but I’ll go with 9a, 6d (great word which I use a lot) and 15d (excellent rekrul).
Many thanks to the setter and Mr K.
3*/4*
Oh, I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuv the quickie pun, imagining Mr Boycott saying it. Very funny.
In what context do you use 6d a lot, tds65?
Hi AV
When I tell someone to ‘use their head’ when they’re trying to work something out, I say ‘Use your ******’, tapping my head.
It also reminds me of the genius that is Mr Postgate and his tremendous creation ‘****** the Nog’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Postgate
I’m inclined to think of noddle rather than noggin in a non-drink context but I should obviously broaden my horizons!
Ah! The Saga of!
Not forgetting Nogbad the Bad, of course.
D’oh, now I see what you’re all on about but have to admit he was not part of my youf! And so to bed.
The Coffee and Cornish Cheese were both in my wheelhouse, and one of the best reverse lurkers I’ve seen can fight it out for podium places. It seemed a tad easier than some Fridays but maybe the coffee and cheese helped the braincells.
Thanks to Setter and MrK
Thought I was going to be on a roll when 1a dropped straight in but 2d quickly abused me of that idea – for goodness sake, it isn’t even a real word!
The rather different performer raised a smile but no favourite to mention today.
Thanks to our setter – Zandio? and to Mr K and his felines for the review.
Printing woes continue.
I did manage to print from iPad – but not when using the ink-saving option – which does indeed save ink but only by the expedient of printing a wholly blank page instead of a crossword.
This is the opposite of Firefox/Linux, which prints a wholly black grid.
Whatever they are doing, they are not doing well.
Is there any way of getting some feedback from Telegraph Towers on these problems? Had no response to my email.
Stared at my LOI, 2d, for a while before the penny dropped. Had not heard of the 10a cheese but the answer could only be one thing.
Favourite is the lego clue for the 7d monk. If you visit Sicily, the Palermo catacombs of these 7d monks is highly recommended. The worldly remains of monks and citizens in all their finery are arranged along the walls. The spookiest place I have ever been.
Thanks to the setter and Mr K.
Other than 2d I found this a pleasingly straightforward solve, not that I completed it particularly quickly. Having nothing to do with any forms of social media I just assumed it was an abbreviation but didn’t bother to check. No standout fav but nevertheless very much enjoyed the solve.
Thanks to the setter (Zandio I reckon) & to Mr K
Doubt I’d have twigged the Quickie pun even if I’d realised it was the first 4 & not just the first 3 answers
About right for a Friday with the exception of 2d which was a bung in but I decided it had to be an abbreviation if never heard of not being on any social media. A check on Google to confirm 7d. I did a fair bit of reverse engineering. Favourite was 27a. Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.
Apart from the ghastly 2d and the impenetrable quickie pun, this was mostly enjoyable and fun to solve. My favourite was the lizard egg at 22d.
My thanks to our Friday setter and Mr K.
As is usual for Friday a bit of a head scratcher and a handful of clues where I found the parsing of them not easy.
Two new words for me too.
3*/ 3*
Favourites 1a, 9a, 13a, 27a & 15d — with winner 15d
Thanks to settler & Mr K
Today’s pun was, IMHO, the worst I have ever come across in the Telegraph and I have seen a few. On the other hand, the cryptic has to be, for my money one of the quickest Friday solves that I can remember – great entertainment for all that. It’s difficult to pick a favourite, but I’ll settle for 13a and the well hidden 15d. Am currently basking in the satisfaction of actually having got our front lawn mowed and tidied this lunchtime, before the storm arrives – after which, I suppose it’ll be out with the leaf sucker/blower next week – ah well C’est la vie. Thanks to today’s setter and to Mr K.
Take care in the gales this weekend y’all.
Today was a school day for me. After filling in 1A and 1D, I progressed quite slowly. The donkey says 2D is not a word, so there!!
The cheese in 10A was new to me and I didn’t know 8D was a place of learning, I thought it was a theatre! Lots of clever clues and my pick is the peckish bird in 14D.
I rarely look at the quick crossword but following all the comments, I thought I’d take a look. The ‘Pun’ doesn’t work for me I’m afraid with any accent I’ve come across.
Thanks to the setter for the workout and Mr K for the hints and cats.
I found todays crossword tricky in places. For 13a it took me a while to realise that oddly was an anagram indicator and not the odd letters of regime. Conversely, I thought fried in 18d was, so was looking for names of islands near Tasmania that were anagrams of morsel. Doh! Great misdirection literally, so that is my COTD. Thanks to the setter and for the hints.
I was originally thinking of an island nation in the Pacific, but for that to work Tasmania would have needed to end with an ess.
I did eventually find a Greek Island that with the added a became the tasty morsel
Off to an encouraging start when 1a and 1d went straight in but it was not to last and I needed MrG’s intervention on a couple in order to make it. SW was slowest corner. For 13a I originally worked around alternately for oddly. 16a as fancy is a new one on me. 6d is drink for me rather than head. 5d, (wrong mum!), 7d and and 21d were unparsed bung-ins. Thank you Zandio (?) and MrK.
Gotta be Zandio, who else could twist a girl’s brain into mush? So much I never knew, so no fault of the setter; eg., the monk and the monkey at 7d and the platform at 2d. I used google so much I can’t even pretend to have solved this myself. I had a wrong ending for 19a so was DNF with 20d. Not sure about fave, maybe the lizard egg? I also liked 1a as it went in without hesitation.
Thank you setter, Zandio? I needed you so much today Mr. K, thank you for being there with the kittycats.
The monkey he got drunk,
And sat on the elephant’s trunk,
The elephant sneezed and went down on his knees
And what became of the monkey, monkey, monk?
Oh, Pip, the memories! That must be Edwardian music hall, I remember my Dad singing it on long car rides. He was so into Edwardian music!
Good afternoon
Well, that was a slow burner! Got off to a very shaky start; walked away several times and returned. Got ’em all eventually, with the SE quadrant last to reveal itself.
I deduced 1a long before I could actually parse it, and was completely wrong-footed by the use of “oddly” after “regime” in 13a; I was convinced that I was looking for a word with RGM in the middle!
Several annotations for COTD contenders; I’m going to plump (if plumping is allowed) for the excellent backwards lurker in 15d.
Many thanks to our compiler (my couple of bob is on the Brain Of Silvanus) and, of course, to Mr K.
For me, one of the less tricky Friday puzzles I’ve attempted.
Couldn’t get the Quickie pun and even though I now know what it is it doesn’t work for me.
Hated 2d like some others on here.
Top picks for me were 1a, 22a and 6d.
Thanks to Mr K and the setter.
I thought this was about right for a Friday for me, lots to like mixed with a few head scratchers. I liked 1a but 27a was my favourite, the reverse lurker was well disguised. I needed the hints to parse a couple.
Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints.
Have just done the Quickie – dreadfully contrived pun!
Cornwall is well represented today, what with their cheese and baked goods, though I’m not sure the good people of that county would appreciate their famous food item being referred to as a pale hard pie 🙂.
Thanks setter and Mr K
I rather enjoyed this challenge today. Not as hard as many Friday crosswords, but still a bit cheeky.
2d was my LOI even though I use the platform daily. Didn’t think the short name for it would appear here. Either the setter is down with the kids or had to resort to Google to find a word to fit. Who cares either way. Great solve.
Thanks to all.
For those of you who didn’t know, Yarg” is ‘’Gray” spelt backwards.
It is named after Alan and Jenny Gray, enterprising farmers who found a 1615 recipe by Gervase Markham for a nettle-wrapped semi-hard cheese in their attic. The original recipe is thought to date back to the 13th century.
We love Wikipedia or, to go with the style of the highly praised clue 2d…Wiki.
It is a wonderful cheese. I’m sure SJB knows of it.
Indeed I do. When I first tried it I was worried it might be a bit nettley but it tastes delightful
My local farm shop keep a stock just for me
An easier solve than most Fridays for me. Enjoyed it all apart from the ghastly 2d which, I think, has appeared in the Times recently. Thanks to the setter and Mr K for the explanations of the ones I didn’t parse myself.
Well I’ve now learned something new about monks and cheese! Thank you compiler and Mr K
Unusually for me, printed out and solved on paper — so thank you for the new ink-saving option. Seemed easier than the typical Friday backpager, with many of the first few across answers going straight in.
Being variously on a train, at a gig, and in a waiting room, all without internet access, I was pleased to complete it without requiring any electronic assistance, though I had to guess at the existence of the monks and the island, and 25a was bunged in just based on “safe”; I don’t recall having encountered the “inlet of sea” meaning — so it was far from a straightforward double definition for me, and actually my last one in!
Potential favourites included 22a’s lizard egg, 3d’s mass with song and prayer, 6d’s naked kissing, 15d’s illegal drug, and 23d’s singers abandoning god. My actual favourite was 21d’s piercing noise. Thank you to the setter for the fun, Mr K for explanations, and commenters for the comments above.
A really good puzzle by m’colleague. I’ve popped on to give a view about 2d.
It had to be what it is, which always helps, and I’m now the more hip and trendy for having solved it. It hasn’t made it into my BRB app, which seems to be the full Monty, as it contains words like TAGHAIRM (something we should all try out in my view), but it certainly is in Collins, even in their free online edition (there was an app which came with the dead tree dictionary, which I used a lot, but it seems at some point to have been chopped).
For The Times, I think I’m right in saying that as long as it’s in Ch, Co, SOED or OED it’s a goer, but that would include some entries way more obscure than slang for an online platform. Anyway, I enjoyed that clue, and the rest of the ride.
Thanks setter and Mr K.
4*/4* ….
liked 15D “Raised fine for pub illegally hiding drug (9)”