Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30792
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa, where winter has finally made an appearance. We have had a couple of fairly significant snowfalls recently and the ground is blanketed in white. However, it may not stick around for long as rain is forecast this coming week.
I encountered several old friends among the clues in Robyn’s puzzle today. This was welcome as I am likely not at my sharpest after spending a couple of hours clearing snow earlier in the day and working in my volunteer position at the hockey game this afternoon.
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 Likely consequences of corrupt politicians pocketing millions (12)
IMPLICATIONS — an anagram (corrupt) of POLITICIANS containing (pocketing) the abbreviation for millions
9a Some pounding rave’s ending in Kentish Town? (9)
GRAVESEND — a lurker, hiding (some) in the three words following the indicator
10a Girl‘s mother put on precious stone (5)
GEMMA — an informal word for mother appended to (put on) a general term for a precious stone
11a Smooth down exterior of Annabel’s shoe (6)
SANDAL — smooth down with abrasive paper and the exterior letters of ANNABEL
12a Does it imply nothing left? Yes! (3,5)
ALL RIGHT — the answer could literally mean there is nothing to one’s left
13a Chastises son, getting complaints (6)
SCOLDS — the genealogical abbreviation for son and common complaints of the medical variety
15a Swine hosting new, formal party – it may be thrown in winter (8)
SNOWBALL — a female swine containing (hosting) the map abbreviation for new followed by a formal dance party
18a Where people discuss dreadful macho rot (4,4)
CHAT ROOM — an anagram (dreadful) of the final two words of the clue
19a At first, styling hair creates anxiety (6)
STRESS — the first letter of STYLING and a long lock or plait of hair
21a Beaten and twisted round etc (8)
TROUNCED — an anagram (twisted) of the final two words of the clue
23a I slip in South American mountain range (6)
SIERRA — I from the clue and a synonym of slip (think make a mistake) bookended by the abbreviations for South and American; note that Chambers does not list SA as an abbreviation for South American (only for South America), so I have carefully described the components as two separate abbreviated words
26a Like chips? Chum gives away indefinite number (5)
FRIED — a chum or pal from which the maths symbol for an indefinite number has been removed (gives away)
27a Shifting ground and sea posing a risk (9)
DANGEROUS — an anagram (shifting) of GROUND SEA
28a Honest physicist expelling one fictional scientist (12)
FRANKENSTEIN — honest or candid and the name of a brainy German-born theoretical physicist from which the Roman numeral one has been deleted (expelling)
Down
1d Current homes for birds occupied by grand swallows (7)
INGESTS — current or trendy the physics symbol for electric current [thank you, Gazza] and homes for birds containing (occupied by) the abbreviation for grand (think £1000 or $1000)
2d Simple scheme blocked by the crossword setter (5)
PLAIN — a scheme or intended course of action containing (blocked or plugged by) a personal pronoun the setter would use in reference to themseslf
3d When speaking, I defame a northern European (9)
ICELANDER — sounds like (when speaking) a phrase meaning I defame
4d Lincoln meeting Democrat having retired? (4)
ABED — string together the first name of an honest Republican president (How long since we’ve seen one of those?) and the abbreviation for Democrat
5d Lazy extremists in Italian party advanced (8)
INDOLENT — link together the initial and final letters of (extremists in) ITALIAN, an informal party, and advanced (in a monetary sense)
6d African country concerned with strong alcohol on the rise (5)
NIGER — join together a preposition denoting concerned with or with regard to and a strong alcoholic spirit; then reverse (on the rise in a down clue) the lot
7d Golf in Dubai, perhaps, live in another country (8)
EMIGRATE — take the letter represented by the word golf in radio communication and insert it into what Dubai is an example of in terms of system of governance
8d Group monopolising the market supply claret (6)
CARTEL — an anagram (supply) of CLARET; as an anagram indicator, supply is a variant spelling of supplely meaning in a supple or flexible manner
14d Speaker and I love sacred music (8)
ORATORIO — concatenate a formal term for a speaker, the I from the clue, and the letter that looks like a love score in tennis
16d Amusing quality – observer keeps it up (9)
WITTINESS — an observer containing (keeps) a reversal (up in a down clue) of IT
17d The main deity unfortunately poisoned (8)
POSEIDON — an anagram (unfortunately) of POISONED; “the main” is a literary expression for the open ocean
18d Disinherit cold, upper-class member of the nobility (3,3)
CUT OFF — line up the water tap symbol for cold, the abbreviation for upper-class popularized (but not coined) by Nancy Mitford, and an informal term for a member of the nobility
20d Actress Gloria’s final performance cut short (7)
SWANSON — the final performance before one’s death or retirement with the last letter removed (cut short)
22d Free article brought up a really low point (5)
NADIR — a reversal (brought up in a down clue) of all of free or disencumber and a grammatical article
24d French runner, extremely rich individual (5)
RHONE — the initial and final letters (extremely) of RICH and another word for an individual; in Crosswordland, a river is whimsically described as a banker, flower, or runner since it has banks and flows or runs
25d In the end, cook chicken – fine, delectable joint (4)
KNEE — take the final letters (in the end) of the four words separating the indicator and the definition
My favourite clue today is 17d – for no reason other than I am somewhat of a fan of Greek mythology.
Quickie Pun: SON + DAZE + COOL = SUNDAY SCHOOL
A delight from start to finish with just enough head scratchers to give pause. ‘Plenty of smiles too such as the observer keeping it up at 16d. I love the word at 21a being almost onomatopoeic. My COTD is the main deity at 17d and I believe that to be the first anagram I have chosen.
Thank you, setter (Robyn?) for a great start to the week. Thank you, Falcon for the hints.
A very pleasant Monday romp (on Sunday evening) – 1.5*/3.5*
Candidates for favourite, all Oldies but Goodies(?) – 11a, 5d, and 14d – and the winner is 14d.
Thanks to (presumably) Robyn and to Falcon.
Robyn was given the day off yesterday as the toughie was set by Beam. It was worth it to get this delight this morning.
I will pick 28a as my favourite today but there were quite a few contenders. The 17d anagram could have been there but the Gene Hackman, Roddy McDowell, Shelley Winters film is bound to crop up over the holidays sometime. Thanks to Robyn and Falcon
A fine start to the cruciverbal week with Robyn in splendid form.
1a kicked things off very nicely as it’s such a good anagram followed by the neat lurker in 9a. Here’s a fun fact: Pocahontas was buried in this Kent….ish town.
I hope there are no comments about 3d not working for people as we all know the homophone drill by now.
My podium is 1a, 15a and 20d.
Many thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
2*/4*
I would be interested to know your (and any others reading) thoughts on the homophone\homonym debate
Are they total synonyms or is there a reason for using one over the other?
Perhaps wrongly, I have always taken “homophone” to mean the same pronunciation (allegedly! 😉) but different spelling, and “homonym” to mean the same spelling but a different pronunciation.
The BRB is vague on the distinction but I will aim to use homonym more often as the spell checker for homophone comes out as homophobe 😲
Brilliant, Sloops!
… and what about “homographs” ?
I think that refers to the writing of words more than the pronunciation but for cruciverbalists you have to both pronounce and spell them correctly
Technically, homophones can have the same pronunciation but a different meaning as opposed to a different spelling though the majority of people go with the latter. So, bear can be one, e.g bear with me and a grizzly (great word)
Homographs are two words that have the same spelling but different meanings, e.g minute, bow and tear. They don’t need to be pronounced differently to be one, e,g read
Homonyms are words which are either homographs or homophones or both! The words row (oar), row (a line) and row (argument) are homonyms because they are homographs though only the first two are homophones.
Homophones that are spelled the same are both homographs and homonyms.
It looks like all they are trying to cover all bases which is a tad confusing. As a rule of thumb, I would go with RD’s definitions and the first part of the above definition for a homograph:
Homophone: different sound
Homonym: different pronunciation
Homograph: different meaning
I think I need to lie down…..nurse!
When you get up from lying down, I don’t think you’ve written what you meant to regarding homophone…
I definitely need to lie down!
I suppose I need to keep my ‘disappointing’ reputation intact.
A very pleasant and gentle start to the week with our regular Monday setter on fine form. I loved the surface of 17d and that became my favourite this morning.
Many thanks to both Robyn and Falcon.
Call me a Luddite but it was such a joy to have today’s traditionally cryptic puzzle with clever clues which all read feasibly and no dodging about. I didn’t fully parse 5d or 22d but they had to be. Hard to pick Fav(s) but I did like 1d and 12a. Thank you Robyn (?) and Falcon.
Not difficult today, in fact over quite fast. Nevertheless, an enjoyable crossword. My COTD goes to 1a for the excellent surface. Also honourable mentions of 3d and 28a. Thank you to the setter and for the hints.
Light but great fun & the perfect gentle kick off to the new week. Top 3 for me in no particular order all made me think of films – 17d (Gene, Shelley, Ernest & Red), 20d (Sunset Boulevard) + 28a (The Spirit of the Beehive + Hammer’s films & Mel Brooks).
Thanks to Robyn & Falcon
1*/4.5*. This was very light but extremely good fun with great clues and super-smooth surfaces.
My top picks were 1a, 12a, 3d & 8d.
Many thanks to Robyn and to Falcon.
Gentle but excellent and satisfying. I really like puzzles that maintain an even difficulty of clues. There have been a few recently where i’ve got stuck with 5 or 6 to go despite having crossers. Thanks setter and blogger.
Delightful way to ease us into a new crossword week, with plenty to amuse. Top picks for me were the cleverly constructed 1a along with 12a plus 16&20d.
Many thanks to Robyn, presumably, and to Falcon in his snow kingdom.
1*/5*
Really good fun today.
1a, 28a, 3d and 17d my favourites
My only minor quibble would be I’m not a fan of random names as answers ie 10a
I agree with Falcon that 10a is a two part charade – precious stone and mother – so, for a change, not guess a random name.
Short and sweet solve this morning but with plenty to smile about and enjoy. Clever anagram at 1a and satisfying homophone at 3d my favourites.
*/****
Thanks as ever to Robyn and Falcon
Another Monday masterclass from Robyn. The 9a reference to pounding had me in mind of the Eastenders theme tune and couldn’t get it out of my mind until I twigged that the checkers were pointing me in the direction of the lurker. So many good clues as always, but top marks and cotd must go to 28a. Thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
Mrs TFC babysitting the grandchildren today called for a 6am start so I wasn’t able to enjoy the crossword at breakfast but all fell into place later when I finally did get started. 28a raised a big smile so I’ve selected it as favourite. Job for this afternoon: repairs.The aftermath of Storm Darragh has left me with a ripped off gate, three fence panels needing replacing, and a new window required for the shed. Fortunately my greenhouse was undamaged.
1*/3***
It was a plus to have a puzzle that was pretty straight forward today because time is of the essence. So much to do. Only two ticks 28 a and 17 d. The clueing was excellent and the whole shebang produced no 19 a. Thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
A superb crossword by Robyn (presumably). Thanks to him and Falcon.
I think that 1d starts with the symbol for electric current rather than ‘trendy’.
It’s difficult to restrict my selections from such a lot of good clues but I’ll go for 9a, 26a and 17d.
Yes, you are correct. It seems even after all these years I still haven’t learned to double check the parsing not only when I solve the clue but also later when I write the hint.
Good afternoon
A quiet hour before work, and the crozzie is done! Most surprised to have finished so early; they did all seem to fall into place this afty.
COTD: 28a, without a doubt. And I must mention 12a; I’d have had “Not arf!” as part of the clue, had I been the compiler. Fortunately I’m not! Thank you to Robyn, who was, and to Falcon.
A typical Monday puzzle this week again. No issues other than one new word that I worked out from the cross letters.
1.5*/3.5*
Favourites 12a, 15a, 28a, 1d & 6d — with winner28a
Smiles from 9a, 11a & 17d
Thanks to setter (Robyn?) & Falcon
My favourite today was 3d, defaming the northern European — especially given the topic of Chris Lancaster’s Puzzles Newsletter yesterday.
Thank you to the setter, and to Falcon for explaining 5d, where I got hung up on the literal ‘in’ in the clue providing the first 2 letters of the answer. I didn’t know the actress in 20d, but her name was easy to work out from the crossing letters and wordplay.
You should watch Sunset Boulevard Smylers – one of the all time greats
A nice light start to the week.
Top picks for me were 28a, 7d and 1d.
Thanks to Falcon and Robyn.
Brilliant and enjoyable. 17d my favourite but many others were close.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
Pleasant exercise today except for 24d and 25d. The answers were quite obvious but the wordplay was confused. Thx for the explanation of my answers.
Thx to all
**/***
How were the word play for 24d and 25d confused? I presume you mean that you found them each individually confusing, rather than they were collectively confused in the sense that they provided the wordplay for each other? Though for anybody into the latter, this puzzle by the setter known round here as Prime sounds incredible!
For 24d, I actually thought the wordplay was more straightforward than the definition. And 25d was simple as soon as I stopped trying to force an F (for ‘fine’) into the answer.
Monday and it can’t get better than this! Of course, I love it because I solved without any help and I had no questions. I dare say it might be a tad “light” for others. Lovely word at 21a, but fave has to be 18a “dreadful macho rot” indeed!
Thank you Robyn, what a great start to our week. Thanks Falcon for you hints and pics; when I see all that hair in the pic at 10a, I wonder how they can stand it just hanging like that, just my quirkiness, I know!
I’m “quirky” with you Merusa re the trend to long, straggly hair which invariably looks as if it could do with a good wash!
Enjoyed today despite getting into it in the late afternoon’
Minor quibble – shouldn’t 9a be a Town of Kent rather than a Kentish Town?
Many thanks to the setter and Falcon
Hi Mr Walton.
9a is the northwest of Kent which means that it’s the area where Kentish people come from as opposed to people of Kent.
Three cheers, what a lovely start to the week. Quite makes my day when I can solve without any hints. Did start off badly when I rushed at the 1a anagram, putting in complication and then smacking myself when I realised my mistake. But after that it was an enjoyable solve to the finishing post. COTD has to be 24d, if only because it brought back memories of a lovely cruise on it from Lyon to Avignon. Big thank you to Robyn who clearly knows it doesn’t have to be tortuous to be fun, and to Falcon.
I overcomplicated 1a for a while but got it all sorted before the 2nd coffee
If you liked this one he has also set this week’s Guardian Quiptic – similarly light & good fun & free to access.
Thanks I’ll take a look.
Lovely puzzle today which I enjoyed very much.
Thanks to falcon and to the setter.
Is Daisygirl OK ?
Yes, she is rather late isn’t she? I hope all is well.
Nice Monday Crossword 😃 **/*** Favourites 7d, 20d and 24d 👍 Thanks to Robyn and to the Falcon
After a weekend of power cuts and misery what a delightful start to the week . 17d my favourite . Many thanks to setter and hinter .
All completed with barely a pause for breath but enjoyable nevertheless. The pictorial hint at 10a would have been no use to me had I needed it as I have no idea who she is. Several contenders for favourite which I’ve narrowed down to a toss up between 28a and 3d with 3d just shading it. Thanks to Robyn and Falcon.
A very enjoyable puzzle which fell into place very quickly.
Being a Kentish Man, born to the West of the River Medway, whereas my son was a Man of Kent born to the East of the Medway, and still living near to 9a, this has to be my favourite today. As Disappointed Tom said, Pocahontas was buried in 9a, although the exact whereabouts of her grave in St. George’s churchyard is unknown, there is a statue of her there (photo hopefully attached)
Many thanks to Robyn for the puzzle and Falcon for the hints.
Thanks for the pic, KM. It looks like a beautiful place to be buried.
2*/4* ….
liked 17D “The main deity unfortunately poisoned (8)”