Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30849
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Shabbo has had the temerity to request a day off as he is off enjoying himself in the Cape so you’re stuck with me. Can’t promise his precise explanations but there are some good tunes to listen to.
No prizes for guessing the identity of today’s setter. With no more than six words in any clue & a crafty appearance for one of his trademarks (albeit in the form of an anagram) it’s Ray T, the first half of Jane’s Thursday dream team with Silvanus on Toughie duty. I’ll be interested to see how many, if any, hands go up for one consonant shy of a correct grid. A thoroughly enjoyable solve from start to finish.
In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.
Across
1a Air pressure inside heats more furiously (10)
ATMOSPHERE: insert the single letter for Pressure into an anagram (furiously) of HEATS MORE.
6a Fish sailor rejected alongside ship (4)
BASS: reverse (rejected) the abbreviation for a member of the deck department on a merchant ship then append the usual ship prefix.
10a How to lie without getting caught? (5)
DOGGO: lie here is to recline rather than tell porkies. The phrase was apparently popularised by Kipling.
11a Spread includes old wine for monarch (9)
POTENTATE: insert (includes) O(ld) + a Spanish red into a tasty forcemeat that’s yummy on toast.
12a Join accepting one in private? (7)
SOLDIER: insert (accepting) the Roman numeral letter for one into a synonym of join (fusible metals).
13a Court takes on man’s case (5)
CHEST: place (takes on) a possessive contraction for man’s between the usual two letter abbreviation for court.
15a Pasta heaps on Parmesan finally (7)
NOODLES: a synonym for heaps/abundance of preceded by the last letter of ParmesaN (finally).
17a Faint occasionally spying cool poet (7)
SYNCOPE: the alternate letters (occasionally) in the last 3 words of the clue. I was unfamiliar with this as the medical term for a temporary loss of consciousness.
19a After cool former partner, play loose (7)
INEXACT: the usual for former partner follows (after) a term for cool/trendy + a synonym for play/feign.
21a More boorish figure’s sarcasm partly rebuffed (7)
CRASSER: hidden in reverse (partly/rebuffed) in the two words between definition & indicators.
22a Following hole working mountaineering gear (5)
PITON: a hole (for mining perhaps) + a synonym for working/functioning.
24a French city banks chasing gold (7)
ORLEANS: a verbal synonym for banks/inclines follows (chasing/after) the heraldic two letters for gold. Over the pond I know but I like the tune.
27a Small fine admitting resistance for taxing (9)
STRENUOUS: S(mall) + a synonym of fine/insubstantial or flimsy into which you insert (admitting) Resistance (Ohm’s law).
28a Declare nothing with deal, say (5)
OPINE: the usual letter for nothing + deal/type of wood.
29a Confrontation expected facing Labour’s leader (4)
DUEL: a synonym for expected/imminent + the first letter (leader) of Labour.
30a Met with certain changes making payment (10)
REMITTANCE: an anagram (changes) of MET CERTAIN.
Down
1d Assists in doing something, initially (4)
AIDS: the openers (initially).
2d Unwelcome gas to release around outlet? (9)
MEGASTORE: hidden (around) in the first four words of the clue. No prizes for guessing where my infantile sense of humour took me.
3d Winds up reel (5)
SPOOL: reverse (up) a synonym of winds/coils.
4d Joint then pastries for flower children (7)
HIPPIES: joint here is the body part that supports the weight of the torso + baked pastry dishes either sweet or savoury
5d Counters and equipment in laboratory (7)
RETORTS: a double definition – the latter rang a vague bell & I’m sure it has cropped up before but I knew bunking off Miss Taylor’s chemistry classes would have consequences one day & I had to check what they were.
7d A ship’s follower is vigilant (5)
AWAKE: A from the clue + a maritime term (unfamiliar to me) for the trace on the water (ship’s follower) a moving vessel leaves behind it – hence the idiom presumably which dawned on me as I struggled to make sense of two possible definition synonyms.
8d Flame adjustment to reheat stew (10)
SWEETHEART: Ray T’s trademark makes an appearance but in an anagram (adjustment) – REHEAT STEW.
9d With America embracing a criminal snake (8)
ANACONDA: insert A(merica) & an informal abbreviation for a criminal into a synonym of with/also then append A from the clue at the end. Here’s a classic from the northern soul scene
14d Dopiness I’d reformed poorly (10)
INDISPOSED: an anagram (reformed) of DOPINESS I’D.
16d Culture of bias surrounding Republican (8)
LEARNING: a synonym of bias/slant with R(epublican) inserted (surrounding).
18d Pupil once sitting displays phobia, maybe (9)
OBSESSION: the usual for a male pupil once + a nounal synonym for a sitting (in court or parliament for instance).
20d Couple with wife huge in volume (7)
TWOSOME: insert W(ife) + the two letter abbreviation for outsized into a volume/book. War and Peace is a weighty one for sure.
21d Company debt on industry’s first titans (7)
COLOSSI: the usual abbreviation for company + another word for debt/failure to show a profit + the opening letter (first) of Industry.
23d Paroxysm from cast for the audience (5)
THROE: a homophone of another word for cast or shy.
25d Adult with bottom in the air (5)
AFOOT: A(dult) + a synonym for bottom/base.
26d Joined end of line for dole (4)
METE: joined or encountered + the last letter (end) of linE. Nowt to do with unemployment benefit but you can’t beat a bit of Donna down at the dole office.
I had ticks against 10,11&27a plus 2,8&9d. Please tell us which clues ticked your boxes.
Today’s Quick crossword pun: HEIST + ACHES = HIGH STAKES
After seeing that they have a new album out in June this morning’s listening has been my Doobie Brothers playlist. Here they are in 1973 on The Midnight Special performing the opening track off their second album, Toulouse Street.
Ray T at his devious best with some cracking glues. Fortunately, I remembered the private at 12a and the word meaning faint at 17a so they helped me on my way. I liked the company in debt at 21d and the new take on Ray T’s trademark at 8d. My COTD is not getting caught at 10a.
Thank you, Ray T for a very enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts and for standing in for Shabbo.
Ray T at his best, with the trademarks, the elusive synonyms and subtle misdirection, but quite benign, I thought. I liked the 12a lego clue with cunning misdirection, th 17a alternate letter clue and tge 8d anagram. Not sure what alternative letter there might be , my completed geid came up right first time. Thanks to Ray T and tto Senf for standing in with the hints
R for the K
Not me Chriscross!
Steve – I just do not know how you manage to get the guzzle done so early!!! Yesterday you asked me if Jingle Bells was easy to grow.
I planted two winter flowering clematis about 8 years ago, one either side of the gate, so both roughly in the same orientation. Freckles, planted
at the end of a border up against a fence has really struggled and this year has not bloomed at all. Jingle Bells, on the other side planted in gravel has to be hacked down each
year as it goes over the fence into the neighbour’s garden. Not that they complain, but we feel we have to control it! So my answer is yes, easy to grow.
I have lots of clematis ( or maybe clemati !) in the garden but this one, blooming when little else is in flower, is a joy.
Thank you for the info, DG I’ll look into Jingle Bells. I have an arch with a climbing rose on one side but the clematis I placed on the other (can’t recall the name off the top of my head ) is not doing very well. This variety sounds ideal.
What a delight for a grey Thursday, with concise and ingenious compiling oozing comfortingly from each clue. I am not going to select a favourite as the whole grid was a delight, and I thoroughly enjoyed the solve.
Many thanks to Ray T and supersub The Hintsman.
Not a lot to be said – 2.5*/5*
Favourite – not often that I choose an anagram but today it has to be 8d!
Thanks to Mr T and Huntsman.
It’s dream Thursday again this week with a Silvanus Toughie to accompany the RayT back-pager. Yes, it is definitely he, even though his sweetheart is hiding in plain sight today.
My rating is 2*/4* with 10a, 29a, 1d, 2d & 26d my top picks.
NHO of 17a but it was fairly (and, of course, briefly) clued.
Many thanks to RayT and to Hintsman.
Thanks again to Huntsman for filling in for me today. The sun continues to shine here in the Cape and the wind is still “brisk”. Sadly, we fly home tomorrow night, so I will be back on Thursday duty next week.
No doubt as to the setter today, as others have already pointed out. A lovely puzzle, as ever.
I was trying to make 10a more complicated than it actually was, otherwise, all was fairly straightforward.
Thanks to RayT and Huntsman.
I will now take on the challenge of Silvanus in the Toughie.
I can’t disagree with Huntsman’s picks. 10a’s fun, delighted to remember 11a’s wine, and 2d (excellent lurker) and 8d both made me smile. Ta lots to our setter and H. Cracking tunes today – once I’d got over tutting at Air! LOVE Gurf. New to me, so especial thanks for him.
A Dream Team day – all’s right with the world! HM appears to have taken a back seat but his sweetheart was definitely given a prominent place. Crowded podium here housing 1&29a along with 2,20&26d.
Devotions as always to Mr T and thanks to Huntsman for manning the hot seat – enjoyed the albeit brief clip from The Full Monty and also the track from The Doobie Brothers – one of my favourite songs from back in the day. Made me cringe slightly when I realised just how long ago that was……….
Just what we’ve come to expect from a Ray T Thursday. Brilliant succinct clueing and a pleasure to complete. ( I’ve also completed the Silvanus toughie so am on cloud nine today!) The 2d lurker is my favourite since it took me too long to spot it and was my LOI. Podium places for 18d and 20d with special mention for 8d and the unique way of clueing the seemingly ever present 16d. Thanks to Ray T and Huntsman.
Am I right Mhids in remembering that you said you were older than I am the other day? I’m amazed! I thought you were one of the youngsters! (Slap me down if I am wrong, I should have made a note!)
Not me Daisy. I’m not a youngster by any stretch but I think you can give me a few years!
Had the fortune to tune-in from the first glance at 1a, so this rather wonderful puzzle flew past and was over way too soon. Straight out of Mr T’s top-drawer. My podium places go to 8d, 11a and 10a.
Many thanks, Mr T, and of course also to Huntsman – excellent Joe clip, haven’t heard that one before.
Good fun from Ray T – thanks to him and Huntsman.
I liked 10a, 11a and 4d but my favourite (because the surface made me laugh) is 2d.
A dnf for me as I had to resort to the hints for 25d. Just could not see it, but once nudged in the correct direction it was obvious and I felt a right prawn. A shame as I was doing well up to that point. Many great clues but my podium comprises 10a, 15a and 8d. Thanks to Ray T and Huntsman.
Am I right Mhids in remembering that you said you were older than I am the other day? I’m amazed! I thought you were one of the youngsters! (Slap me down if I am wrong, I should have made a note!)
Oh just wipe me off , I’m all over the place today. I don’t know why this appeared here.
Thank you Ray T for clearly indicating solutions, even making unfamiliar words possible to spot, such as 17a. I was almost aloft with my own petard at 25d, but realised that made no sense despite being ‘in the air’.
And thanks to Huntsman for playing straight down the middle, as Bing would have sung.
I was aloft as well for a time, Pip.
Me too
And I was.
Wow – today Ray T really managed to showed up my ignorance – never heard of the word or phrase at 10a nor the wine at 11a as well as the word for faint at 17a and the lab equipment at 5d – I’m amazed I actually managed to get through this!
But, having said that this was an excellent if slightly chastening puzzle.
Loved the lurker in 2d took me ages to spot it
***/****
Thanks to Huntsman and Ray T
Hmm – would I be correct in thinking that your forecast for the Friday puzzle being a doddle could be going slightly off-track given that today’s has chastened you?
Jane, you are not wrong! 😄
I am with Pip in having gone ‘aloft’ and had to check with the Hintsman to try and parse it, and of course realised my mistake. But otherwise this was a great pleasure although I had never contemplated a single throe on its own, it looks so odd. Lying 10a was a very common phrase, but 17a I do not think I have met before although I entered it correctly. On Valentine’s Day 8d has to be everyone’s favourite but 20&12a were also neat. Many thanks to RayT and the Hintsman.
Another fine offering from RayT, with the concise and exacting clueing from the master of brevity. A slightly different way this week of including one of his trademarks, but made it fun too. Three words I was not familiar with but managed to work them out with cross check letters.
2*/4.5* for me.
Favourites 6a, 19a, 2d, 4d 7d & 9d — with winner, the one that made me laugh, 7d
Thanks to RayT & Huntsman, for Shabbo
Can not yet work out who the setters are but I could see it was clever and full of misdirection. Making a note of trademark Ray T. Got most of it done before Knitter Natter but came unstuck later with 23 and 25 down. I was aloft and didn’t recognise 23 as a word. Live and learn which is a joy. Many thanks to Huntsman as well as Ray T. This is such a supportive site. Not only the help with parsing and improvement but such positive comments the other day from Steve Cowling, Daisygirl and Huntsman after the medical appointment. Much appreciated.
Ray T in a very bad mood. Two unknown words in 17a and 23d and a lurker with no indicator in 21a.
A real hard slog to complete this one and low on the enjoyment scale. Ray T is usually better than this, weird words make for poor clues.
Thx for the hints
****/*
Brian I think you’ll find that “partly” is the indicator and “rebuffed” implies backwards!
As for me I came a bit undone in the NW and needed assistance!
Thanks to RayT and Huntsman for that assistance.😎
Thanks for your thx for the hints though you clearly didn’t read them otherwise you’d have seen there were indeed indicators at 21a – partly & rebuffed.
I didn’t need to read them for 21ac!
Just needed to point something out to Brian who never seems to come back to his posts, or read the hints.
No I realise that SW – it was a reply to Brian not to your good self. The order displayed just makes it look like I’m replying to you 😀
No problem😎
I don’t believe that “bad moods” come into the equasion, Brian – one man’s so called “weird words” are another’s general knowledge. For goodness sake be open minded and prepared to learn something fresh.
Thanks RayT for another super puzzle.
Equation – d’oh :-) :-)
Indeed!
But Brian never returns to view other peoples (usually helpful) comments in response to his abrasive criticisms. He does not understand the site, the setters, the Telegraph and possibly not even himself.
Perhaps Brian knows exactly what he’s doing? An amended Lewis Carroll rhyme might apply:
Speak roughly to your little Brian
and beat him for his wheezes
he only does it to annoy,
because he knows it teases!
I agree with you, Pip. I am sure Brian says what he says just to see the kind of reaction he will get.
Yes my hand must go up on 21a. I do find Thursdays a challenge but it’s very clever (and satisfying except when I get it wrong). Thanks both
I flew through this but got bogged down in Tyne & Wear with 11a, 5d & 7d taking forever. I too hadn’t heard of 17a, 5d and the wine in 11a but, as always, all three were very gettable due to his most excellent cluing.
Can somebody please tell 16d to take a break as it’s getting silly?
My podium is 11a, 2d and 8d.
Many thanks to Arty and Hoots.
3*/4*
I thought arrogantly that this was a cinch but kept getting ‘close but no cigar’ when finishing and then resorting to Huntsman in order to discover that 21a 25d were the culprits. Thank you RayT for such clever deceptions!
Evening all. My thanks to Huntsman for the review and to all who left an observation. I’m glad that most of you enjoyed it!
RayT
Thank you, Ray T for a great puzzle. I loved the way you used your trademark sweetheart. Thank you for popping in.
Good evening, Mr T. Take no notice of Grumpy, he’s probably just had another bad day down in the mine. Probably tripped over his pick-axe again!
Thanks for popping in & for such an enjoyable puzzle. I rarely stray from shallow waters of the Tuesday blog so I was grateful that you weren’t fiendish though there were still one or two head scratches.
Rather more chewy than the last few days , but still a satisfying solve. I got stuck on 28a across – I did try the word OCITY (with the Kent town in mind) – I love it when I ‘make up’ a word and it turns out to be a an actual word ( as happened with 17a) but failed on this occasion. I didn’t think of the wood! 🙄 Thanks to Ray T and Huntsman.
Struggled with this today. Quite a few new words for me – 10a, 17a, 5d. Never heard of the Spanish wine either.
Some of the new words required me to reveal the answers as the hints were no help.
A 16d experience for me today.
Thanks to all.
Certainly the hardest of the week 3* / 4* for me.
Lots of excellent clues, learnt some new words which I’ll try to retain, favourite clue the lurker at 2d which took an age to spot.
Thanks to RayT and Huntsman
A lovely puzzle, with some tricky synonyms but very enjoyable. My favourite was 8d and I appreciated the well hidden lurkers.
Many thanks to Ray T and to Huntsman for the hints.
This was a game of two halves for me today. Half the clues flew in, and then I spent 3 x the time wrestling with the other half – but very satisfying to get there in the end. Never heard of the Spanish wine – another one to add to the list. Thanks to Mr T and Huntsman.
Good evening
Well, if yesterday’s posting counts as showing off for being all cock-sure of myself for having knocked off the crozzie on the train journey into work, today demonstrates that Hubris inevitably leads to Nemesis.
Yes, I have a complete grid; but I have to confess that I have entered ALOFT at 25a. No wonder I couldn’t parse the bloomin thing! I also entered ORATE at 28a, although I did correct myself when I deduced 18d.
The little twist in the tale today was The Mighty Mr T placing his trademark at 8d in the form of an answer. The first thing I did today, before picking up my Lucky Green Pen, was spot the short clues and go looking for it in amongst them. A nice, witty touch.
I’m nominating 2d as COTD, if only because it took me forever to spot it! Runner up is my last to fall, 19a.
Many thanks to Ray T and to Huntsman.
***/*** from me. Unfortunately, I missed a couple of easy ones and had not heard of 17d (but actually got it quickly from the Lego) or 22a or 23d, neither of which I could solve. Also was “aware” in 7d and “aloft” in 25d. As a relative newcomer, this puzzle really required some heavy thinking – and I nearly gave up early – but enjoyed it when the penny dropped on the clues. Made me feel though that I have reached the limit of my capabilities but I will persevere. Thank you to the setter – and to Huntsman for the hints.
I thought there would be more hands up for aware at 7d but clearly that meaning of wake is widely known – I certainly had to look it up to confirm the hunch.
Thanks, Huntsman. I did know the “wake” meaning but it simply did not appear in my mind when I was trying to solve the clue.
3*/3* ….
liked 4D “Joint then pastries for flower children (7)”