DT 30798 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30798

by Smylers  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30798

Hints and tips by Smylers

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

Hello, fellow commoners. If the Telegraph crossword is common, then I certainly have no wish to be anything else. How ridiculous anyway, suggesting that you should decide what to put on your pudding not based not on what you’ll enjoy eating most but on how posh or common some others will judge your choice! But at least the article used the term ‘U’, not often encountered these days outside of crosswords, thereby justifying setters’ continued use of ‘posh’ to indicate that letter.

The Daily Telegraph crossword on Mondays is one of the best places to learn how to solve cryptic crosswords. If over the Christmas period you encounter any students who show any inclination towards crosswords, do let them know they can have a free subscription, including Telegraph Puzzles — and of course make sure they know about Big Dave’s Crossword Blog for help with working out what’s going on.

Today’s puzzle is a treat for those who like putting one thing inside another. Do leave a comment saying how you got on with it.

Here in Ilkley this weekend we had the Rudolph’s Run parade of decorated tractors passing through — illuminated farm vehicles as far as the eye could see. (Our household’s resident statistician counted 213 of them go past.)

a tractor with fairy lights on it driving past a tower block, with another behind it, and more behind that, tailing off into the distance
a tractor outlined with with fairy lights, and more on the inside of its wheels, with reindeer shapes on its front attachment, also illuminated an illuminated tractor lifting a massive model rudolph at the wrong, with lit-up red nose and antlers

Across

1a Disallow pro bridge player’s action (6)
FORBID: The surface reading here makes us think of a professional bridge player, but for the answer we need another word for ‘pro’ as in ‘in favour of’, followed by an action taken by a bridge player.

5a A lovey-dovey person with no name wearing nice perfume? (8)
AROMATIC: We start with the letter A from the clue. Follow that with a word for a lovey-dovey person, but without the abbreviation for ‘name’. The question mark indicates that wearing a nice perfume is an example of the answer.

9a Sense group rowing must embrace agreement (8)
EYESIGHT: Take the term for a rowing group (based on the number of people wielding oars) and make it embrace a word one says to indicate agreement.

10a Navratilova triumphantly displays a bit of heart (6)
ATRIUM: It’s hard to think of a synonym for a long name like this (except for the tennis player’s first name, which would be too long for the answer), so it’s probably there as a collection of letters. Too many letters for an anagram, so looks like a lurker — and indeed the answer can be found displayed across the first two words.

11a Henman perhaps is grabbed by old leader’s positive attitude? (8)
OPTIMISM: This time we do want the first name of the mentioned tennis player — it being a nice short name with convenient letters for forming part of longer words. It’s followed by ‘is’ from the clue and those together are grabbed by (inserted into) the abbreviation for ‘old’ and an abbreviated position of political leadership.

12a Artist’s unable to ignore odd parts in religious practice (6)
RITUAL: Ignore the odd letters in the first two words, and what’s left provides the answer.

13a Heading for library, gaining knowledge (8)
LEARNING: In crossword-speak, the heading for ‘library’ is the L at the start of it. We need to follow that by another word that can mean ‘gaining’ in some contexts (and which, presuming the answer isn’t in Welsh, is going to start with a vowel).

(It’s the first line of the lyrics that are relevant here, in case anybody’s wondering what that song or artist has to do with the clue.)

15a Wanting diamonds, epic poet wagered money (4)
ANTE: The definition here cleverly looks like a verb, but it’s actually a noun: ‘money that has been wagered’. The answer is ‘wanting diamonds’ in the sense that if you add the abbreviation for that suit (the single letter used by those who can’t type ♦) to it, you’ll get the name of writer known epic poems. In the Puzzles Newsletter yesterday Chris Lancaster mentioned 5-letter words that crop up frequently in crosswords; this answer is one of a few 4-letter words that seem to feature disproportionally often in the Cross Atlantic puzzles.

17a Bishop tucked into beer around Italian island (4)
ELBA: Turn round another word for ‘beer’ so it’s facing the other way, then tuck one of the abbreviations for ‘bishop’ into it, to get the name of an Italian island with a population similar to Windsor’s. Similar in how many of them there are, I mean, not that the individual people are similar.

19a Medic with zero information on extremely heavy gas (8)
HYDROGEN: ‘On’ in an across clue often indicates ‘after’, so here we start with the extreme letters from ‘heavy’, followed by a title used to address a medical person, the letter that looks like zero, and a word meaning ‘information’.

20a Complete borders of Ethiopian flag (6)
ENTIRE: The borders of ‘Ethiopian’ are its first and last letters. Follow them with a synonym meaning to flag as a verb.

a flag with horizontal bands: green at the top, then yellow in the middle, and red at the bottom; in the centre is a portrait oval in pale blue, with a yellow pentagram inside it

21a Stolen strong drinks for virtuosi (8)
HOTSHOTS: If this answer were split (3,5) it could describe some measures of spirits which have been acquired illegally.

22a Not in debt, love to invest in an apartment (6)
AFLOAT: We need a synonym for the phrase ‘an apartment’ and the letter that looks like the number that indicates a score of love in, for instance, tennis. Invest the letter in the phrase by inserting it somewhere in the middle.

23a Maybe Alex Ferguson‘s in bed aboard ship by isle (8)
SCOTSMAN: Of all the things Alex Ferguson has done, here he features simply because of where he happened to be born. Put a word for a particular type of bed inside the usual abbreviation for ‘ship’ and follow it with the name of an island.

24a Talks nonsensically and walks clumsily after tea, we hear (8)
TWADDLES: Put a word meaning ‘walks clumsily’ after the letter that we’d hear if somebody said “tea” out loud.

three penguins walking in the snow
Pic credit: 青子守歌, CC BY-SA

25a Prompts people without clothing to accept clothing, finally (6)
NUDGES: ‘Without clothing’ in a cryptic cryptic crossword could indicate removing the outer letters from a word, and ‘clothing’ could be inserting one word in another. But not here! We simply need a word for people who don’t have clothes on, then make that accept the final letter of ‘clothing’ by welcoming it in among its own letters.

Down

2d Top athlete‘s main ploy when running (8)
OLYMPIAN: The answer can be made by the letters of ‘main ploy’ running, so that they are in a different order.

3d Live outside a calm old prison (8)
BASTILLE: Here we need another term for ‘live’ as in ‘exist’ and to put it outside the A from the clue and a word meaning ‘calm’.

4d Try aiding unfortunate VIP (9)
DIGNITARY: Make the first two words unfortunate by putting their letters in a different order. Doesn’t seem that unfortunate to me — they might enjoy being a VIP!

5d People not keen on Charles and Camilla’s Christmas – nation getting upset (15)
ANTIMONARCHISTS: Think of a word that describes people not keen on the existence of the positions held by the couple mentioned in the clue, and presume that it’s an anagram of ‘Christmas nation’. It’s 15 letters long, and really you’ve got better things to do than check each one of them.

6d Dull home with grand floor cover (7)
MATTING: Here we need a word for ‘dull’ as in not reflecting the light, the usual word for ‘home’, and an abbreviation for ‘grand’.

7d Fish containing bone left in court (8)
TRIBUNAL: Place a particular bone (but not one of those with complicated Latin names) inside a particular fish (ditto), and end with the abbreviation for ‘left’.

8d Yours truly cutting a lilac, possibly, or flowering shrub (8)
CAMELLIA: Another term for ‘yours truly’ cuts into a possible arrangement of the letters ‘a lilac’.

close-up of a plant with flowers with vivid pink petals and yellow middles
Pic credit: Junichiro Aoyama, CC-BY

14d Near urban area, bagging good piece of lingerie (9)
NIGHTGOWN: We need a word meaning ‘near’, what an urban area is, and the single letter indicating ‘good’. Our eldest was part of a group of pupils raising money for their school funds by hanging around the checkouts in Tesco on Saturday offering to bag shoppers’ groceries. (Most declined: the school got more donations from those who didn’t want a bunch of 12-year-olds anywhere near their shopping than those accepting their help.) Anyway, bag the letter in the analogous way, by inserting it into the rest of the answer.

15d Item that’s made in cafe – tart made differently (8)
ARTEFACT: Take the letters from ‘cafe’ and ‘tart’ and make them into a different word.

16d Unwell American goes after wrong food in Tijuana? (8)
TORTILLA: Place a word meaning ‘unwell’ and one of the abbreviations for ‘American’ after a legal wrong, to get an item of food which originated in the part of the world where Tijuana is.

17d Motivated newspapermen thus editing covers (8)
ENTHUSED: This lurker stands out less than the other one: the middle three words of the clue ‘cover’ the answer. ‘Newspaperwomen’ would’ve worked as well.

18d Couple eating little bit of porridge, say, in Oxbridge event (4,4)
BOAT RACE: We need one of the many words that can be used to indicate two of something, and a single piece of what porridge is made from. The latter gets eaten by the former, so ends up inside it.

(Many crosswords in fiction suffer from not being plausible as real-world puzzles. My first thought here was it would be an unusual grid to have a 4-letter word for which crossing answers had provided its first and last letters — but I see that could happen with both 15a and 17a in this very crossword, if you happen to solve particular down clues first, so actually it’s fine.)

19d Difficult to admit referee’s assistant in top university (7)
HARVARD: The referee’s assistant here is the abbreviation for the person who watches replays to see what happened. They are admitted to a synonym of ‘difficult’, by being inserted inside it.

Quickie Pun

The first 3 clues in today’s Quick Crossword are italicized, indicating that their answers when read aloud together can be made to sound like another word or phrase. If you want to check, here are the answers and pun:

CHAI + COUGHS + KEY = TCHAIKOVSKY

47 comments on “DT 30798”

  1. Another great start to the week with plenty to like. I did need help from Mr. G for 21a because when I see a clue with a reference to football, my mind goes blank. Getting the long one at 5d opened things up nicely. I liked the unwell American at 16d but my COTD goes to the porridge eating couple at 18d.

    Thank you to Robyn, presumably, for a great start to the guzzling week. Thank you, Falcon for the hints.

    3. Sorry – I did mean 23a. I have broken my glasses and I’m using an old pair that make my sight somewhat fuzzy. 🤓

  2. 1.5*/4*. The usual great start for the crosswording week.

    I rarely pick an anagram as my favourite, but today the superb 5d gets my vote.

    Many thanks to Robyn and to Smylers.

  3. I found this a little trickier than recent Mondays but all good fun and fairly clued.
    3*/4*
    Thanks to Robyn and Smylers

  4. A splendid start to the week with Batman’s buddy being in fine form. As I am a sports nut, I enjoyed the handful of sporty nods.

    It’s very rare to see a crossword that doesn’t contain a down clue beginning with 20 something.

    My podium is 15a and 22a, for their surfaces, with the gold going to 5d’s outstanding anagram.

    Many thanks to Robyn and Smylers.

    1*/4*

  5. A very enjoyable Monday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Smylers (who’s taken to this blogging lark like the proverbial duck going swimming).
    There are no anagrams at all in the across clues but that’s compensated for in the downs.
    The top clues for me were 15a, 5d and 16d.

  6. Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle to start the week. The answer to 17a was quite easy to get, but I didn’t know it was Italian, not French. Anyway, my COTD is 7d with 3d a close second. Many thanks to Smylers for the hints.

  7. No sweat (as they say) today rather an enjoyable solve along mainly traditional cryptic lines with clues such as 11a, 25a and 14d. Not sure about running for 2d. Thank you Mysteron and Smylers for a fun start to the cruciverbal week.

    1. I interpreted it in the sense of “the ink has run”, meaning that letters have moved around from where you put them. But I think it also works if you imagine them with trainers on going for a jog around the page.

      Anyway, here’s a bonus song on “run” — I think there’s more people on stage playing with Amy Macdonald here than there were in the entire audience when I saw her at The Water Rats in London, shortly before her first album was released:

  8. Good fun to start the week! 1.5*/4.5*

    No problems with the double unches which I didn’t notice until I had finished!

    Candidates for favourite – 5a, 19a, 20a, and 25a – and the winner is 19a.

    Thanks to Robyn(?) and Smylers.

  9. The Quickie pun and 5d were exquisite examples of the setter’s art, and were clear favourites this morning. This may have been a relative stroll in the park but it was highly enjoyable while it lasted.

    Thanks to our Monday setter and Smylers for a great blog.

  10. A lovely start to the week. 5d just brilliant and my favourite, somehow I managed end up with 17d as last in as I did not see the obvious!

    Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers for the hints.

  11. Another gentle start to the crossword week from our regular Monday man and very enjoyable it was although that’s the first time I’ve come across 24a used as a verb. Favouritism here lies with the splendid 5d anagram and the neat construction of 19d.

    Thanks to Robyn and to Smylers for the review.

  12. Another excellent Monday offering and dare I say it slightly trickier than usual but still thoroughly enjoyable 23a probably my favourite.
    **/****
    Thanks to Robyn and Smylers

  13. I’m with those that felt Robyn had upped the difficulty a tad today. That said it was very enjoyable and of the usual high standard. 5d was an excellent anagram but I’m going for 19a as my cotd. Thanks to Robyn and Smylers.

  14. I ve been getting behind again , not sure why – busy plus darker nights means I tend to finish harder puzzles later in the evening , as spending precious light hours with dog walking etc. Anyway loved this Monday puzzle , a gentle but challenging solve that’s set me up well for the week. Can finish off my few from yesterday later. Thanks to setter and Smylers

  15. A lovely puzzle to start the week with many smiles.

    Top picks for me were 7d, 21a and 8d.

    Thanks to Smylers and the setter.

  16. I agree that this was a nice entry into what is going to be a fairly manic week. George was glad to see two mentions of his favourite sport in 9a and 18d. We have a 12’ blade on a beam in the sitting room, goodness knows how DD2 got it here from Twickenham tied on the top of her mini! I loved the anagram at 5d but needed Smyler’s help for 19d- I guessed the answer but had no idea why. I am still no wiser – Var? Lovely clip from Porridge! Anyway, many thanks to Robyn? and Smylers. The quickie pun was cool, too.

    1. DG, like you I bunged in 19d but have since learnt that the title is video assistant referee. One lives and learns!

    1. Good shout, but I’m trying not to have all the music being male 90s bands with guitars! Though I failed to find a video of B Bumble & The Stingers, hence the amateur on the piano in the shopping centre.

      (Also, I’d rather most of the songs were matched to words in the clue than the answers, so that they aren’t spoilers to somebody scrolling past. One of them today is, but because most of them aren’t, hopefully anybody glancing it won’t presume it’s necessarily the answer.)

      Welcome to the blog, Bluekoala. Hope you’ll stick around and keep commenting.

  18. Good afternoon

    Owing to an extended break today, I was able to get stuck straight in to the crozzie today, and I’ve got ’em all. And I didn’t even need my Lucky Green Pen – Parker Black stepped up for duty.

    Some excellent clueing, perfectly pitched for a Monday. Particularly liked 7d, which is COTD.

    Many thanks to Robyn (?) and to Smylers.

  19. For whatever reason, I had trouble starting this puzzle which is unusual for me on Mondays. Eventually a few things slid into place and then I was off to the races.

    2.5*/3.5* today

    Favourites include 10a, 19a, 3d, 5d, 7d & 18d — with winner 5d, but was very hard to choose as all were good for different reasons.

    Thanks to Robyn(?) & Smylers

      1. Thank you … I think.
        I didn’t know this was even tracked, but then again, what isn’t these days!!

  20. Super puzzle. Not a duffer in there & ticks all over the shop. 5d is a cracker so maybe just noses it in a bunched finish.
    Thanks to Robyn & Smylers for a splendid review.
    Ps 9a & 14d Sonny Boy Williamson clips for me –

    1. The Cross Atlantic puzzle (a bit of a downer) also set by Robyn today & very entertaining too.

  22. My heart sank when I saw the *** rating, and thought the DT had forgot Monday was supposed to be the gentlest day of the week. But having now finished I can’t see that it warranted more than a **. It was tricky for me, as I don’t play bridge or watch sports, but at least I did know who Alex was. And I have to question if 24a is really a verb, having only have it heard it used as a noun. Otherwise enjoyed more than I expected as I penned in my first answer. Thanks to Robyn and Smylers.

    1. Sorry for alarming you, BusyLizzie! Possibly I should’ve given the previous crossword I hinted just *, but having given that ** I felt this one had to be ***.

      I’m still finding judging difficulty tricky, partly because I never did star ratings before I started hinting, and partly because I write the hint for each clue as I solve it — which I think works well for ensuring the hints accurately reflect what I did to solve the clues, but means I don’t yet have a big enough sample size for the total solving time to be meaningful.

      (Today the timer in the corner of the crossword kept on ticking as I was, for instance, finding and then rejecting a succession of Porridge clips for nudity, homophobia, etc, until there was one I was happy to include — something that obviously has nothing at all to do with the puzzle’s difficulty!)

      Today I felt like I got far fewer answers on the first pass than in any of the previous puzzles I’ve blogged, so I’m counting that as ***.

      1. I fully understand that ratings must be very difficult to assess as obviously they are subjective. What others find easy I can find hard, and vice versa. And even harder for you smart folk who do the hints to make those assessments, as what is easy for you is likely not so much for some of us.

  23. Monday is now my favourite puzzle of the week! Brilliant clues and great fun to solve. Finished in ** time, which is great for me and am awarding **** for enjoyment. Just wondered if ‘twaddle’ is a verb – have only seen it used as a noun – but BRB confirms it is an intransitive verb, so I have learned something new! Thanks to Robyn for a great puzzle and to Smylers for the excellent blog.

  24. Seems I’m on my own in struggling to get beyond solving 2 clues. Obviously me failing to locate any form of wavelength.

    1. Had a second stab at this and managed to complete all but 2 clues unaided. 7d because I’m daft and 8d because it is a new word.

      23a took an embarrassingly long time to get.

      Glad I made the second attempt as was an enjoyable solve.

      Thanks to all.

  25. On the tricky side for a Monday ***/*** 😃 Favourites 10 & 28 across Thanks to the Compiler 🤔 and to Smylers

  26. I’m in the slightly trickier camp. Last in was the NE but finished that at a canter so it must have been the rest. Enjoyable as always on a Monday. Hard to pick a favourite but I’ll go with 3d but it could have been any of several others. Thanks to Robyn and Smylers.

  27. It took a while for the fish on trial to drop but the rest was done between questions watching Mastermind and Only Connect.
    Thanks to Robyn and Smylers.
    I now see why my Saturday trip to the Cheese Shop was diverted to avoid Ilkley. Henrietta the Navigator (my name for the lady who directs me on Google maps) sent me through Fewston and Kex Gill to avoid the tractor jam

  28. Another of my “apropos of nothing” posts.
    Bones, my little Citroen Ami electric car is all decked out for Christmas and he says on our local Facebook page he will have a surprise when he takes me to the village shop on the morning of Christmas Eve to collect the papers.
    I’ll say! He wants me to dress up as Father Christmas!

  29. Completed this one before I’d finished my whisky. Enjoyable puzzle but over too quickly. COTD for me was 5d. Thanks to the setter and Smylers.

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