Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30897
Hints and tips by Shabbo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from sunny Welwyn Garden City. I hope the weather is being kind to you, wherever you are.
It didn’t take me long to realise that this puzzle is the handiwork of RayT, albeit in fairly benign mood. Please let us know how you got on. I am still struggling with the Quickie Pun. Any help gratefully received. The current Mrs Shabbo has come to the rescue!
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, Ray.
Across
1a Discharge iron-clad soldiers (4)
FREE: the soldiers here are the Royal Engineers. Clad them in (put them inside) the chemical symbol for iron.
4a Ban plain writing containing copy (9)
PROSCRIBE: synonym of “plain writing” (i.e. not poetry) outside (containing) a synonym of copy or reproduce.
10a Fasten wrapping around female’s flipping bust! (9)
APPREHEND: a synonym of fasten outside (wrapping around) HER (female’s) backwards (flipping).
11a Water finally put on cheese plant (5)
BRIER: final letter of water after a four-letter French soft cheese.
12a Nark’s first troubled being arrested (6)
NAILED: first letter (first) of Nark + synonym of troubled.
13a Enlarge home, sweetheart bagging apartment (7)
INFLATE: synonym of “home” + swEetheart outside a synonym of apartment.
16a Spoils wife trapped by sink (4)
SWAG: abbreviation for Wife inside a synonym of sink (a verb).
17a Useless bid to forge spanner? (10)
FOOTBRIDGE: anagram (useless) of BID TO FORGE. The spanner, of course, is something that might “span” a river. A great anagram clue.
20a Grasped some flounders too delicately (10)
UNDERSTOOD: hidden word clue (some). Our solution is lurking within words 2-5.
21a Start to unusually park reversing pick-ups (4)
UTES: initial letter of Unusually + synonym of park backwards (reversing) reveals an Antipodean slang word for utility vehicles.
23a Signal in street taking a right (7)
SALIENT: A + synonym of right (a legal term meaning a right to hold property) inside abbreviation for StreeT.
25a Person eliciting great interest? (6)
USURER: cryptic definition. Someone who charges excessive interest.
28a I could be on the radio! (5)
INDIA: another cryptic definition – the word representing the letter I in the NATO phonetic alphabet which is often used in a radio message.
29a Retreat over current backing for leader (9)
EDITORIAL: synonym of retreat (or hideaway) + cricket abbreviation for Over + synonym of current (as in the sea) joined together and then reversed (over).
30a Lay bare in sun’s heat, healthily (9)
UNSHEATHE: another hidden word clue. Our solution is lurking in words 4-6.
31a First Lady with Republican, constantly? (4)
EVER: the first lady in the Garden of Eden + abbreviation for Republican.
Down
2d Blame prudish adult in split (9)
REPRIMAND: synonym of prudish + abbreviation for Adult inside a synonym of split.
3d Regular supporting the Spanish team (6)
ELEVEN: synonym of regular underneath (supporting – this is a Down clue) “the” in Spanish.
4d Look up and down (4)
PEEP: synonym of “look” either way up.
5d Investment racket featured in speech (10)
ORDINATION: three-letter word meaning racket (or noise) inside a word meaning “speech”.
6d People seen working, at last (8)
COBBLERS: another cryptic definition. A last is a shoemaker’s model of a foot.
7d Imbecilic dolt is often thick, initially (5)
IDIOT: initial letters of the first five words of the clue.
8d Hearing things? (4)
EARS: cryptic definition. Things that hear.
9d Shiny metal minus a gem, sadly (9)
MAGNESIUM: anagram (sadly) of MINUS A GEM
14d Body beginning to glaciate in Antarctica? (10)
CONTINGENT: initial letter (beginning) of Glaciate inside what Antarctica is.
15d The French certainly keeping single carefree (9)
LEISURELY: “the” in French + synonym of certainly outside (keeping) the letter signifying single.
18d Frighten quarry, perhaps getting ferret out (9)
DETERMINE: synonyms of “frighten” and “quarry” joined together to reveal our definition (a synonym of “ferret out”).
19d Annoy one turning rattier (8)
IRRITATE: letter signifying one + anagram (turning) of RATTIER.
22d Having debarked tree over mineral deposit (6)
ASHORE: a three-letter tree + a three-letter mineral deposit.
24d Mountain range also easy, occasionally (5)
ANDES: our definition is the name a of mountain range. Also = AND + the even letters (occasionally) of EaSy.
26d Place of smallest room reportedly (4)
LIEU: homophone (reportedly) of the smallest room in a typical house.
27d Queen once provided rising excitement (4)
FIRE: the regnal cipher of our beloved former Queen + two-letter synonym of “provided” and turn the whole lot upside down (rising).
Quickie Pun: KINK + DUNK + HAM = KINGDOM COME
Ray T almost as tough as Beam on Sunday but got there in the end. Thanks Ray and Shabbo.
Message from Steve C;
Could you please let the blog know that I look at it daily and am grateful for the good wishes everyone sends. I’m doing ok but it’s a time of very mixed emotions, not helped by the fact that Hudson decided to develop sickness and diarrhoea!
I hope to start commenting soon but it won’t be until after Lesley’s funeral on 29th April.
Please give my love to all on Big Dave.
Regards
Steve
Good to hear from you Steve, we are all thinking about you. Poor old Hudson, just what you need right now.
You have our sympathy, Steve. All you needed was a sick dog. Our thoughts are with you
Think about you often Steve, at this very difficult time.
Many thanks for passing on the message, SJB, I’m sure we’re all thinking of Steve and willing him to get through this difficult time. Hopefully, once he’s got through the funeral, some sort of healing process can start and he’ll feel able to reflect on the good times he and Leslie shared with more of a smile on his face. No doubt poor Hudson is suffering in his master’s sadness and will perk up again once he comes to terms with the way life will unfold in the future.
I think about you every day Steve. Keep your chin up me ode mucker.
Good to hear from Steve, but sorry to hear Hudson has been under the weather. Hope to see Steve back commenting next month.
Best wishes to you Steve at this time of trouble. I miss seeing and reading your comments but make sure you feel up to rejoining before you do.
Steve: Love to you and Hudson.
John: Thank you for sharing Steve’s comment.
Pun
Kingdom come 🤓
Welcome back to the blog, Joe. According to my research, your last post was on Christmas Day 2012! I hope you will now comment more regularly.
You previously posted under the name of Bluenose. Either name should work now.
I’d prefer it if he commented again in 2038 so he could then change his alias from bluenose to Bluemoon.
I do the quickie later in the day, so I do wish people wouldn’t give the pun away – the answers hidden for a reason.
That’s a tricky one, Sim, because Shabbs was asking for some help.
If he hadn’t got the answer from ‘Every 13 years’ Joe, you would have looked it up later and found no answer.
I suppose he could have asked solvers to email him or fill out the contact form. But, people may not bother as it’s an extra thing to do even though it wouldn’t take 30 seconds.
Hmm…
Another option, Sim, is to not look at people’s posts until you have attempted both the crossword and the pun because many answers to clues are revealed in discussions.
Fair enough Tom, I’m so set in my ways as I always do the cryptic then look at blog then do quickie in the evening! Having said that I’ve just done the quickie. And couldn’t remember the pun answer anyway 🤣
Love it!
Hello 21a! The committee met at dawn today and unanimously elected you to THE LIST. Great news, eh? I should add that 21a’s legal advisor tried to place an injunction against this move, citing the so-called Big Red Book. However the judge stated that the BRB has no relevance in such matters.
As 21a is rather noisy and needs outside space, it will be found in the courtyard near to the restrooms.
Audio guides are available for an extra charge. Assistance dogs only in the Grand Hall. Thank you.
A very challenging guzzle. Struggled.
Thanks to RayTee for the challenge, and to Shabba-dabba-doo
Clem Burke at his finest. Note his unusual drum set up. All drums and cymbals completely flat (most drummers have ’em at an angle).
I can still hear the thud that my jaw made as it hit the floor the first time I saw Debbie Harry on TOTP, changed pop forever!
Definitely at the tough end of RayT’s puzzles (for me at least) but enough easier clues to get going and eventually triumph, though not without a struggle….on an upbeat note, Wordle in one on Tuesday, the puzzlers equivalent of a hole-in-one – mostly luck but satisfying nonetheless …
Wordle in one? What a great feeling.
I have a bank of five words for my starter. So, the odds on me acing it are ridiculously long. My son, aced it a year or so ago as he uses ‘house’ every time. So, it was a matter of time.
I assume you use the same word every day, Omar? If not then that is bonkers.
I use a different word each day, the first that pops into my head. Wordled in 2 today!
Outstanding.
And here was me thinking my 3 was a good effort.
I was up to four today! Have had a run of threes. Find the list of starter words you gave me quite useful 🥰
Lovely stuff
It happened to me once, and can only attribute it to pure luck. Now the 48 times I’ve done it in 2 I can give myself a little more credit for, and I do use a variety of seed words.
48 2s?
That’s a mighty fine number, BL! 👏👏
Thank you, and again it’s mostly down to whatever seed word pops into your head. But it’s definitely a great feeling when you see those greens rolling round. Now today, I was a 5…
….you are human after all.
You must have a great average that’s probably under 4.
Solid fare from Arty which is to be expected with The Home Counties holding me up for a while.
Whenever I see 24a, I always think of the classic joke: Where are the 24d? At the end of your wristies.
I have to dock RayT half a point for the lack of an indicator for the Australianism in 21a.
My podium is 10a (oo, matron!), 29a (great construction) and 30a.
Many thanks to the aforementioned and Shabbs.
3*/3.5
I’d heard a ‘cousin’ to that gag: Where did Napoleon keep his armies? Up his sleevies. Boom-boom!
We love it, Karona!
Talking of boom, boom…..how good was Basil Brush!
Legend.
An entertaining Thursday challenge but then it’s a Ray T puzzle – ***/****
Candidates for favourite – 28a, 29a, 14d, and 24d – and the winner is 24d.
Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.
Continuing thoughts and prayers for Steve C.
Found this one tough with the SW defeating me.
Nothing unfair to be found, just a smidge above my capabilities, or a tad beyond my patience! It didn’t help that I slapped in Looe for 26d; a perfectly reasonable answer, I think, just the wrong one.
Favourites were the ‘pure cryptics’ of 25a, 28a and 6d, with the latter being the winner. 3.5*/4*
Typical fun from Ray T – thanks to him and Shabbo (and special thanks to Mrs Shabbo for solving the Quickie pun and calling a halt to my mutterings).
My podium contains 1a, 10a and 2d.
1.5*/4.5*. All the usual fun and brevity from RayT albeit unusually with two hmms. “Useless” seems to be a bit of a dodgy anagram indicator to me, and 21d needs an Antipodeanism indicator.
With ticks aplenty, 6d takes the top honours, and a special mention for the Quickie pun.
Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.
For me, that was a puzzle of two halves. The top half went in with relative ease but I came to a grinding halt in the south, requiring recourse to the hints for a couple until I could get going again. As usual with Ray T I loved it all, especially the truly cryptic clues with their clever, misleading wordplay. Just about impossible to choose a favourite today but the following can vie for podium places. 4, 13, 16 and 23 across and 5, 6, 8 and 27 down. Thanks to Ray T for the absolute pleasure and Shabbo for the much needed help.
Another lovely morning to sit out and do a RayT.
Childminding duties this afternoon will no doubt involve hosepipes..,
Our antipodean transport and its combi cousin have appeared in puzzles before so no surprise there for me at least.
**/***
Thanks to all
Not one of my favourite back-pagers from our setter although the use of 16a always amuses, conjuring up exactly the sort of illustration our blogger depicted. I also rather liked the 5d investment.
Continuing devotions to Mr T with the hope that I’ll appreciate his next back-pager a little more and thanks to Shabbo for the review. Well done, Mrs Shabbo, for unscrambling the Quickie pun, your other half owes you a lunch-time tipple!
It’s Thursday, it’s Ray T day…oh dear. But lo, the north went in at a reasonable pace and I thought this is going to be a doddle….no it wasn’t, as it turned out the south had me struggling. In the end Mrs P hauled me out into the fresh air and after a restorative cuppa I crawled to completion. My podium are all down clues, 2, 14 and 15. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.
For me trickier than many recent Ray Ts, but I am a bit under par so it may just be me. The synonym at 23a was new to me. As ever there were some excellent clues, particularly the lurkers which always trip me up when they go over 2 lines on the digital edition.
Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo for the hints.
Steve it was good to hear an update from you, I do hope Hudson improves. I am thinking of you and will do so on the day of the funeral too.
I had the pun down as King Duncan! Very enjoyable puzzle held up just by 27d utill I cheated and revealed a letter. Plusieurs mercis to RT and to Shabbo
Like others, I found the North easier than the South and it was ao tricjy that it didn’t take me much longer to do the Toughie. I liked the 17a anagram and rhe 20a lurker and the 28a geographical clue in sisguise. Thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the hints.
I started off thinking what a good puzzle .. but ended up in a frazzle.
.. only one thing to say about 21a … 6d!
Isn’t there enough proper words in the English language to use. Gurrrr!
Thanks to Shabbo for the hints I needed them today.
… and to Steve .. keep your chin up.
No time to go on reading all the comments at the moment as I am off to the local care home to interview the old folks about the war for our village magazine! I was probably the only one who was south of London in the flight path but we’ll see what they have to say. I’ve still got about five to go but so far have enjoyed the challenge. See you later – meeting at 2.15, don’t these old people like a nap after lunch!
Our fortnightly visit from RayT with his precise and concise clueing. Another fun puzzle for me with one word I was not familiar with.
It was nice to see the queen and sweetheart showing up this week too.
2*/4.5* for me
Favourites 12a, 17a, 5d, 14d & 26d — with winner 17a & 26d a close runner-up
Smiles and laughs for 16a, 31a, 8d & 26d … four of the short ones.
Thanks to RayT & Shabbo
Thinking of you Steve C as well I hope Hudson gets well soon too.
All best wishes to Steve C at this difficult time. The usual tough challenge from RayT with the quickie being tricky as well … and not just the pun!
Evening all. Thanks to Shabbo for the review and to all who left a comment.
RayT
Good evening, Mr T, sorry to be less enthusiastic than usual but I suppose that’s always going to happen from time to time.
Slowest back-page solve of the week for me thus far largely due to the crumpet scratching with last in 21a – very slow to twig the fairly obvious wordplay & only then did the term vaguely ring a bell from previous puzzles. I’m with RD in reckoning useless as an anagram indicator a bit of a stretch. Though no particular fav the puzzle was nicely clued throughout.
Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo
Having been usually off wavelength on the last couple of Rayt offerings I was back on it with a vengeance this evening, let’s hope it continues. 21a appears regularly in crosswords so I deem it acceptable. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Favourite was 25a. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo.
I thought this was a really smart puzzle and quite chewy with some non obvious words so enjoyed the solve and most went in at a steady pace. However I gave up on 2 clues and just looked at the hints for the answers which I rarely do. I thought correctly that 25a was a cryptic definition but having looked at the hint I didn’t actually know the word so feel slightly vindicated. However I had total word blindness with 26d so feeling a bit of an idiot for not having got the right answer having gone through the alphabet 🙄. Ah well. Thanks to Ray T for the fun and Shabbo .
This was RayT more like he was years ago, when I struggled to solve very many clues. Over time I have improved, thanks to this blog, but today it was like going down memory lane. Definitely didn’t find it benign. Fair certainly. Probably a bit late and rushed today as I didn’t get to it until now due to a lovely breakfast out at French cafe with the most delicious croissants. Thanks to RayT and Shabbo.
I found this very difficult with 6 clues requiring the answer to be revealed.
4a, 6d, 18d, 21a, 22d and 25a were the ones that defeated me.
I am expecting tomorrow to be a wash out if the last 2 days are an indication of how the difficulty will ramp up.
Thanks to all.
I completed this early this morning but have been out all day and can’t remember how I felt whilst solving it.
21a was new to me and I started off with Looe for 26d.
According to the marks I made on the page, my top picks were 17a, 10a and 23a.
Best wishes to Steve C and I do hope Hudson is feeling better soon.
Thanks to Shabbo and Ray T.
3.5* / 3.5* I found this quite tough but fair , with a very iffy quickie pun (the iffier the better for me)
Thanks to RayT and Shabbo
Too difficult for me unfortunately, due to lack of knowledge and I think, experience. Mind you I solved a fair few unaided including 21a from the parsing but then rejected the answer because I didn’t think it was a word – and assumed I had simply mis-parsed (not sure if this is a word but I think the meaning is clear). Thanks (I think) to RayT and to Shabbo. *****/**
Really late this time. You lot are all in bed! I had such a chaotic time this afternoon with three women all talking at the same time, over and through each other and refusing to stop! I had to come home and sort it all out before my notes lost their meaning. Loved the guzzle, particularly 29a, also liked Terence’s update on The List, so funny. Smiled at Hearing things. Many thanks to Ray and Shabbo.
Evening Daisygirl; despite the lateness you are still being read! Thank you for your continued comments on the crossies and for your updates on your adventures.
4*/4* ….
liked 14D “Body beginning to glaciate in Antarctica ? (10)”