Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30795
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Despite some very brief clues, I am convinced that this is not the work of RayT, so I will leave you, dear reader, to play Guess the Setter.
I had to be very careful with the spelling of 1a, but happily some checking letters came to my rescue. 13d is such a lovely and underused word, but my CoD goes to the very clever 16a.
I am no aficionado of popular music, but even I had heard of the Quickie Pun!
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 Relish maybe invitation from florist on the telephone (10)
PICCALILLI: homophone (on the telephone) of what a florist might invite a customer to do.
6a Almost reject inducement (4)
SPUR: synonym of reject without the final letter (almost).
10a Mount of Dettori an issue somewhat in retrospect (5)
SINAI: a hidden word backwards clue (somewhat in retrospect). Our answer is hidden backwards within words 3-5 of the clue.
11a Ointment female succeeded to purchase works (9)
FUNCTIONS: abbreviations for Female and Succeeded outside (to purchase) a synonym of ointment or embrocation.
12a Notice Fred on TV wasting time, terribly cocky (4-9)
OVER-CONFIDENT: anagram (terribly) of NOTICE FRED ON (t)V. Wasting time invites us to remove the T from the anagram “fodder”.
14a Ben read novel about eastern Scottish city (8)
ABERDEEN: anagram (novel) of BEN READ outside (about) E.
16a Old revolutionary talked at length (4,2)
WENT ON: this took me a while to parse, but it was well worth the effort. Take two words (3,3) meaning “old” and reverse them (revolutionary). I love this clue.
18a Content of paperback, it’s cheap trash (6)
KITSCH: another hidden word clue – our answer is lurking (the right way round this time) within words 3-5 of the clue.
20a Obvious energy behind book two friends will pen (8)
PALPABLE: abbreviation for Energy comes after (behind) a three-letter informal term for friend twice outside (will pen) abbreviation for Book.
22a What children learn from cursory bursary? (7,6)
NURSERY RHYMES: cursory and bursary both “correspond in sound” with the first word of the solution.
26a Journalistic set that would use unorthodox recruitment methods (5,4)
PRESS GANG: double definition
27a Quiet musical work broadcast (5)
PEACE: homophone (broadcast) of musical work.
28a Notice Fair-Isle sweaters, say, making comeback (4)
SPOT: Fair-Isle sweaters are an example of these. Find that word and turn it round (making comeback) to reveal the solution.
29a One from Paris meeting fiancée perhaps, not planned (10)
UNINTENDED: indefinite article in French (one from Paris) + synonym of fiancée.
Down
1d Promote hot drink on the counter (4)
PUSH: “on the counter” here tells us that this is a reversal clue. Abbreviation for Hot + verb meaning drink joined together and reversed.
2d Excuse swindle perpetrated (7)
CONDONE: join together synonyms of “swindle” and “perpetrated”.
3d Fond of American previously in uniform (5)
ALIKE: abbreviation for American comes before (previously) a synonym of “fond of”.
4d Touring Connecticut, graze below hip becomes septic (8)
INFECTED: another word for graze underneath (below – this is a down clue) a two-letter word meaning hip or trendy outside (touring) state abbreviation for conneCTicut.
5d Mark new cloth (5)
LINEN: synonym of “mark” (think starting point of a race?) + abbreviation for New.
7d Extrapolate scheme (7)
PROJECT: double definition. Any clue with only two words is likely to be a double definition.
8d Like some glasses of wine, receiving note it’s dodgy! (4-6)
ROSE-TINTED: a type of wine (not rosé) outside an anagram (dodgy) of NOTE ITS.
9d Begin to play rap at university (6,2)
STRIKE UP: rap here has nothing to do with the overrated musical genre, instead it is a word meaning hit. Find a synonym of this and add it to a two-letter word meaning “at university”.
13d Cheeky child of sailor initially pinched hors d’oeuvres (10)
JACKANAPES: take a four-letter synonym of a sailor and add it to another word for hors d’oeuvres without the initial letter (initially pinched). What a lovely word!
15d Moderate scare about entering river (8)
DECREASE: anagram (about) of SCARE inside (entering) the name of the river which flows through 14a (there are actually five rivers with this name in the UK, believe it or not).
17d Detailed page on the rough cause of disease (8)
PATHOGEN: anagram (rough) of PAG(e) ON THE. “Detailed” asks us to remove the tail of page.
19d Deport criminal over supplying weapon (7)
TORPEDO: anagram (criminal) of DEPORT + O (the cricketing abbreviation for Over).
21d Shoot involving celebrity, one taking flight? (7)
BUSTARD: a three-letter word meaning shoot (think gardening) outside (involving) a synonym of a celebrity. Despite weighing in at about 13.5 kg, this bird can indeed take flight. They were shot to extinction in the UK in 1832 but were reintroduced to Salisbury Plain in 1998, ironically a British Army training area!
23d Long period of time before delicatessen’s closing (5)
YEARN: a period of time + the final letter (closing) of delicatesseN.
24d Tailless simian stops climbing tree, finding another one (5)
MAPLE: synonym of simian without the final letter (tailless) inside (stops) the name of a tree upside down (climbing). The solution is another type of tree.
25d Principal crisis (4)
HEAD: double definition.
Quickie Pun: TAILORS + WHIFFED = TAYLOR SWIFT
I found this to be on the tough side but it is Thursday so no complaints from me. I loved the cursory bursary at 22a and the cheeky child at 13d. I entered the wrong word into 21d by using a different second letter. I should have known! My COTD is the invitation from the florist at 1a.
Thank you for the challenge, setter. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.
There is an inn on Salisbury Plain named after the 21d flight taker. Frequently friend and foe would meet there mid-exercise for a swift half before resuming hostilities. Happy days.
Would that be the one in Shrewton? I used to go past it every day on my way to school. Occasionally, the school bus would be delayed by a convoy of tanks crossing the road!
As you say, happy days!
I did the same with 21d, thank goodness it didn’t cause more errors than I already had!
A good Thursday challenge.
Off to take Lila for a walk at the 14a beach so that answer came quite easily. Some other answers did not come so readily such as 13d.
My favourite is a dead heat between 22a and my LOI, the clever 16a.
Thanks to the setter and Shabbo
Although 13d is a delicious word, the committee held an emergency meeting this morning to decide whether to admit the answer to THE LIST. Luckily for 13d, the sheer delight of the word, in both written and spoken form has just saved it, by a narrow majority. 13d has been warned for its future conduct, and it must report to its local police staion weekly.
Glovely guzzle; one that I whittled away at, rather than burst through.
Usual midweek task given to me – a ‘short’ shopping list even though we had a supermarket delivery last weekend and another due on Saturday. I feel Daisy’s theory that H and The Youngster want me out of the house for a couple of hours may be spot on.
Thanks to the setter and Shabba-Dabba-Doo
What a great crossword that has to be the work of Silky Silvanus. Saying that, his trademark alternate letter rekrul wasn’t in it. Hmm…
The amusing 1a kicked things off nicely and it flowed nicely from there with a couple of road bumps, dead ends and dark alleys along the way. Just what the doctor ordered,
I bunged in ‘upstair’ for 21d, thinking that up is shoot and i (one) was taken in by star with the whole thing meaning flight. But the splendid 20a put paid to that. I love the adjective of the synonym for ointment for describing someone who is a sychophant.
My podium is 16a (genius!), 4d (great construction) and 13d (an excellent clue for a word that is so satisfying to say)
Many, many thanks to ‘The SAS’ (Silvanus and Shabbo)
3*/5*
Tough but very clever, a bit like a boxing blue.
Thought I’d never finish it, and oddly my last one was 27a, even with 3 letters in it, it still took me ages until finally after starting the alphabet thing I got to ‘e’ and that was that.
Does anyone still use 13d? I can just image in the TV documentary ‘Police Interceptors’ a copper chasing a 15 year old who’s just decamped from a crashed car shouting ‘come back here you little Jackanapes’ oh well, maybe one day…..
Today’s offering was way above my pay grade. I became so distracted by the esoteric clues that I failed to see the solutions to the more traditional offerings and thus missed out on placing checkers to assist with reaching a finish. I gave up about one third in and resorted to e-help to ease the frustration of my failure. I appreciate my lack of enjoyment of yesterday’s puzzle was only shared by about a half of the contributors. I will be very surprised if I am not in the majority camp today.
Completed but not without some tussling. I did not know the word in 13d and could not parse 16a without the hints. I liked 26a and 1a but 22a was my favourite. There were many more excellent but challenging clues.
Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints
A real cracker. I agree with Tom. Amongst other things, there’s a mildly Scottish flavour that is certainly setter-suggestive. 1a, 16a, 22a and 13d are absolute snorters. Many thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
All good stuff! The only one I struggled with was 13d, which was my last one in (I have never heard of the word before).
Many thanks to the setter, and to Shabbo for the write-up.
The word seems a bit Dickensian to me but I love it!
Great fun and perfect for a cold, cloudy Thursday morning. I loved 13d because it is such a beautiful word, but my gold star goes to the popular 16a.
Many thanks to our setter for a superb puzzle, and to Shabbo.
Shabbo being ‘convinced that this is not the work of RayT’ is probably well founded as, even after Beam’s ‘surprise’ appearance as the Sunday Toughie setter four days ago, his alter ego is also on Toughie duty today. So, is this a ‘Dream Team Thursday’ for our favourite Anglesonian? Probably. A smoothly entertaining and enjoyable challenge which my shiny new King Charles Loonies are telling me is a Silvanus production – 3.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 16a, 2d, and 4d – and the winner is, with a groan for 22a, the delightful 16a.
Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever if my Loonies go down the drain, and thanks for Shabbo.
2.5*/5*. This must surely be the handiwork of Mr Smooth. What a delight, and a Beam Toughie to follow. Crossword heaven.
13d was a new word for me, and 22a was my favourite of many, many ticked clues.
Many thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
I thought that this was pitched ideally for a Thursday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
I have a smorgasbord of ticks on my printout including 1a, 8d and 13d (lovely word) but I’ll join the consensus in making the excellent 16a my favourite.
Far from convinced during another laboured solve that it’s a Mr Smooth production which means it almost certainly is one of his. Like T it was definitely more of a case of whittling away at it than bursting on through. I was embarrassingly slow to twig the wordplay on a couple of ‘em (the initially pinched letter deletion at 13d & the old revolutionary at 16a to name but two) & my explanation for 8d (tainted rose) would have been well wide of the mark though it seemed feasible to me at 3am. All very enjoyable with strong competition for podium picks – ticks for 1,16&29a plus 8,13&21d. The committee is to be applauded for the decision to spare 13d – it short heads the one taking flight for top spot with the old revolutionary nabbing the last spot & the yummy relish just out of the frame.
Thanks to the setter/Silvanus & to Shabbo for a top review & pics.
Ps Beam’s Toughie (with the possible exception of a couple in the SW) was a comparative breeze & well worth a bash for Ray T fans.
A great puzzle. Not a bung in but a nice work out on a gloomy Thursday.
Lovely wordplay. 1a 8d and 13 d my favourites
Didn’t think Ray T as no heart sweetness.
Now just waiting for my bus pass to arrive!
Officially old tomorrow!!
Thanks to all
The free bus pass is one of the few delights of old age!
Very few!!
Cheers Daisygirl
It would seem that I have another Dream Team day, what a lovely early Christmas present! I was a bit slow to get the American in uniform but it amused me to recall what was said about those GIs, and I dreaded the possibility of having to know more than I do about Fair Isle knitting patterns but all became clear as the solve progressed.
As ever with one of Mr Smooth’s compilations, my paper is awash with ticks but if I have to restrict myself to a top three then I’ll opt for 22a plus 9&21d. The Quickie pun made me grin and perhaps speaks volumes about how I rate that young lady’s supposed talent – more likely the support of a very successful PR team in my opinion!
Man thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo for the review.
A dnf for me as, for some odd reason, I just could not see 27a. On consulting Shabbo’s hints I felt a complete chump as I had the first letter….one lives and learns. A very enjoyable challenge none the less. 1a must be on top of the podium for the sheer smile factor, supported by 13d ( sorry Terence) and 22a. Thanks to compiler and Shabbo.
See my comment @ 5 about 27a, foxed me too.
A top-notch Thursday production. Great clues, a good challenge and overall a very satisfying tussle. Plenty of ticks but I’ll have to go for 16a as my favourite clue – very clever, took a while to suss out. 3.5*/4*.
Great puzzle and a perfectly fair workout. Even though I had the answers I struggled to parse 16a until I saw the hint, then I realised what a great clue it was and also 8d as I was convinced that the first 4 letters were the wine – I was obviously wearing blinkers rather than the correct eyewear.
Thanks to setter and Shabbo for showing me the error of my ways
I found this harder than a RayT puzzle that we get every fortnight … but that is not today.
Some tricky parsing but some good clues too.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 1a, 12a, 22a, 4d 13d & 15d — with winner 4d
Laughed at 1a, 22a & 8d
Thanks to setter & Shabbo
Yes, I am with the majority- a first class guzzle. At 16a the correct answer was my first guess but I couldn’t see the revolutionary- then suddenly the penny dropped. My only stumbling block was not being able to spell 1a – probably because I am not keen on it! That left me searching for a word beginning with L and I had to look at the hints. 22a made me laugh and my grandfather used to call my young brother a 13d. All in all a very enjoyable workout. Many thanks to Mr Setter and Shabbo – how did you get on at the lunch last Friday?
Hi Daisy
A lovely lunch where long-retired former rugby players reminded each other how good they once were and how the game was better in our day, all whilst drinking more than was sensible for people of our advanced years. So, in summary, very predictable but also great fun.
Took a little bit of getting into but once started it flowed well. Very enjoyable and such a contrast to yesterday’s offering. Everything made sense and were well clued. My fav was def 1a which made me smile.
Thx to all
***/*****
Well, I got there in the end. I found it hard but doable, the parsing on a number of them coming with a bit of wrangling after the answers went in. 16a is an absolute cracker of a clue, as is 22a. Thanks to our setter and Shabbo for the hints. ***/****
I needed rather a lot of help, mainly because I bunged in too many without due care and three of them were wrong, so I was DNF. I loved 1a but that was one I needed help for, it’s not something we have here. I liked lots, which makes me think this was Silvanus; 11a and 26a stood out, but fave was what children learn.
Thank you Silvanus (?) for the fun, and Shabbo for his help.
I must be in the minority as I really was not a fan of this. Sorry setter
Threw in the towel with 4 unsolved
4*/1*
Thank you for much needed hints
1a favourite
28a – is fair isle necessary in this clue?
Hi SL*
It is necessary as sweaters are not out of fashion. But, these may be, i.e ‘sweaters’ on its own wouldn’t work.
Thanks Tom, thats a good point
A pleasure, Slatey Watey.
You don’t live in Bourne End, perchance?
1a was my COTD being one of my favourites as a relish, right behind Branston pickle. It was a bit of a slog through, and I very much doubt that this is the work of RayT but I am useless as setter identification so who knows? I had the answer to 16d but it really was a bung in, didn’t know “counter” in 1d meant reverse, and 13d was new to me. But it all kept me out of mischief before we head off to do the weekly shop. Thanks to setter and Shabbo. Quite chilly here, woke up to 59F, so jeans and long sleeved jumper today for a change.
Not my cup of tea at all I’m afraid – I was enjoying this weeks puzzles so far until this one – just felt a bit of a slog 😐
NW was chewiest corner. Started with wrong but IMHO feasible solution to 5d but had to think again to accommodate 1a. 1d was bunged in unparsed as was 4d as I failed to take time to unravel that. Agree with SL8 re superfluity of fair isle for 28a but the broad 3-letters seem to be used these days to refer to almost anything worn above the waist. I was indeed trying to justify 8d thinking around pink wine rather than the darker/heavier one. 13d a new one on me. Thank you Silvanus and Shabbo.
Many thanks to Shabbo for an excellent blog and to everyone solving and commenting.
See you all again soon!
Thank you, silvanus.
Thank you for a superb puzzle. Normally you beat me and this wasn’t easy but it contained many superbly written clues.
Not on the wavelength today. Solved about 5 before conceding defeat.
Thanks to all.
As I’m doing this puzzle I’m thinking how much I love this witty , cunning setter. Hard to pick favourites as there were so many contenders but top 3 would be 1 and 16 across and 8 down. Maddeningly I had to consult Shabbo for a hint to 27 across and then gave myself a mental slap. Thank you Silvanus and thank you Shabbo
Good evening
Time, persistence, and my Lucky Green Pen won the day. I knew from the very first look that it was a job for the LGP, and I wasn’t wrong! I am not in the least surprised to learn that the Brain Of Silvanus has been at work today.
I very nearly hoyed the sponge in with a few left in the NE quadrant; I needed a quick peek at the hints to get my last to fall, which was 3d, because I was convinced that the key word was “fond” – wrong!!
16a and 22a are joint COTD.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo.
I felt I made harder work of this than the toughie but on completion I couldn’t see why, everything was perfectly straightforward if you followed the instructions. I did enjoy this with so many good clues and penny drop moments numerous contenders for favourite but I’ll go with the majority and pick 16a. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
What a superbly written puzzle. Many great clues but I’ll go for 8d for the misdirection. Thanks to the setter and Shabbo.
Many thanks to Shabbo for the hints, although even with them this was a DNF. I enjoyed this puzzle and join with a number of others to say what a grand clue 16a is.. I am very fond of 1a, and in my younger days used to make it frequently, but have always been quite unable to spell it. Thanks also to Silvanus for the brain challenge.
Very difficult and 22a is such a brilliant clue, thank you Silvanus (but assumed this was a RayT because of brevity) and Shabbo
4*/5* .
liked 22A “What children learn from cursory bursary ? (7,6)” amongst others .