Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30901
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***/****
A miserable start to the day here in Harpenden but with the consolation of some much needed rain for the golf courses.
A typical Tuesday offering from the Prof today. Nicely clued as ever & with one or two slightly tricky parses. Apologies if the review is mistake laden but am feeling the effects of late nights watching golf & early starts working.
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 Cracked a cheaper pan, ignoring husband’s look (10)
APPEARANCE: a straightforward anagram (cracked) to kick off with – A ChEAPER PAN (omitting/ignoring Husband).
6a Settee, until now, scratching rear (4)
SOFA: delete the final letter (scratching rear) from a two word term meaning until now.
10a Serious novelist on the radio (5)
STERN: a homophone of an Anglo-Irish 18th Century writer best known probably for his comic novel, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. I’ve never read any of his stuff but remember the Michael Winterbottom film starring Coogan & Brydon.
11a Important place where people walk in hospital department (9)
PROMINENT: the place where people walk in this instance is the abbreviation for a path (alongside a beach or seafront typically) + IN from the clue & crosswordland’s favourite hospital department.
12a Make-up that goes on the mouth, cheek and stomach (8)
LIPSTICK: link synonyms for cheek/impertinence & stomach/tolerate. On the collar in the Connie Francis song which was the title of a great Dennis Potter series starring Ewan McGregor
13a Time with a popular US writer (5)
TWAIN: Time + With + A from the clue + a synonym for popular/trendy. Reputedly responsible for saying ‘Golf is a good walk spoiled’ – misguided fellow.
15a Electronic disaster initially after fuse came out (7)
EMERGED: start with the single letter for Electronic then add a synonym for fuse/join together & append (after) the first letter (initially) of disaster.
17a Bandages doctor compresses, cutting half off (7)
DRESSES: the usual abbreviation for doctor + 50% (cutting half off) of compresses.
19a Product no longer in fashion show (7)
OUTCOME: a word for no longer in fashion + show as in turn up.
21a Warrant finally from CID because tennis player’s shot? (7)
DESERVE: the last letters (finally) of the 4th & 5th words in the clue + the tennis player’s opening shot.
22a Start gripping opening from Rider Haggard (5)
DRAWN: nowt to do with the writer – insert the first letter (opening from) of Rider into a word for start/advent.
24a Contribution from rotten European gang (8)
OFFERING: a synonym of rotten + European + a word for gang/cartel.
27a Acknowledgment Simon said sorry (9)
ADMISSION: an anagram (sorry) of SIMON SAID.
28a Perfect fish with tail oddly removed (5)
IDEAL: the Prof’s favourite ray-finned freshwater fish (definitely all 3 letters this time) + the even letters (oddly removed) of tAiL.
29a Twice carry out old bird (4)
DODO: a verbal synonym of carry out x 2.
30a Concerned before entering dentist, unfortunately (10)
INTERESTED: insert (entering) a literary conjunction or preposition for before into an anagram (unfortunately) of DENTIST. – likely concerned about how much it’s going to set you back.
Down
1d Piece of metal soldered to boot (4)
ALSO: hidden (piece of).
2d Perhaps Lincoln inhabitant gets put under pressure (9)
PRESIDENT: definition by example – a word for an inhabitant follows (put under/down clue) Pressure.
3d Jeers at topless relatives (5)
AUNTS: remove the first letter (topless) from a synonym of jeers.
4d Used computer program and concocted a story (7)
APPLIED: a three letter term for a computer program + a verbal past tense synonym for concocted a story/ told a whopper.
5d Nefarious chef taking in King Edward (7)
CROOKED: insert (taking in) the regnal Latin single letter for king into another word for chef then append a diminutive for Edward.
7d Nothing a salesman picked up for Aida? (5)
OPERA: insert the reversal (picked up/down clue) of a term for a salesman between the letter that represents nothing & A from the clue. The ? indicates definition by example – saw it once & can’t say it did anything for this cultural philistine.
8d A dishonest criminal is lost for words (10)
ASTONISHED: an anagram (criminal) – A DISHONEST.
9d Old princess’s hair trouble (8)
DISTRESS: the old princess here is the diminutive for William & Harry’s mother with the possessive S + a word for a lock of hair.
14d Used feature on a watch? (6-4)
SECOND HAND: double definition.
16d My attempt to ultimately end up on a ship (8)
GOODNESS: there’s a bit going on in the parsing of this one – a synonym for attempt + the last letter (ultimately) of tO + a reversal (up/down clue) of END in the wordplay + the usual ship prefix. The definition is an exclamation of surprise & the surface reminds me of a question in the 🎥 round in a quiz – the names of the 3 actors who were the only ones to make it to safety in The Great Escape, two of ‘em on a ship to Sweden.
18d Most powerful small rook in nest got excited (9)
STRONGEST: insert (in) the chess abbreviation for Rook into an anagram (excited) of NEST GOT.
20d Feeling base moving (7)
EMOTION: Euler’s mathematical constant precedes a synonym of moving.
21d Support part of the football team? (7)
DEFENCE: a double definition. Campbell, Toure, Cole & Lauren with Jens Lehmann in goal conceded only 17 goals in Arsenal’s ‘Invincible’ season in 2003 – 04 so surely the 18d’s back line ever.
23d Journo after article this writer’s planned (5)
AIMED: the single letter for Article + a contraction of how this writer may refer to himself followed by (after) the usual two letter usual for a journo.
25d Tailless bird hiding in river (5)
RHINE: insert (hiding) IN from the clue into flightless South American bird lacking its final letter (tailless).
26d School clothing 50 boys in blue (4)
PLOD: the school here is marine animals (especially dolphins or whales) placed around the Roman numeral letter for fifty. The definition term presumably derives from pounding the beat.
Today’s Quick crossword pun: HOE + MAD + DRESS = HOME ADDRESS
16d was my pick of ‘em today & I liked the surface reads at 4d&30a so they can join it on the podium. Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes.
Sweet surfaces, as always. I liked 16d, 30a and 19a. The “fashion” goes with the “no longer in”! Best thanks to our setter and Huntsman. Ta for the clips. Rumours really has aged surprisingly well.
D’oh – knew I was tied🥱
tired even.
Ha, I preferred “tied”. Spoke volumes! I feel your pain.
…but the final round of The Masters was unmissable TV on Sunday night, so well worth staying up late for!!
Very light but good Tuesday fun.
I liked 15a, 17a, 22a, 27a, 25d and 26d.
Thank you setter and Huntsman.
Finished fairly quickly but still can’t fully parse 19a despite ALP’s comment. Enjoyable nevertheless.
Hi John. In case H is hitting balls in the rain, you’ve got four words to give you the first three letters and then “show” as in turn up/arrive.
Yes, thanks. Got the “out” but couldn’t see the last syllable. I’m there now.
19a Fashionable items are “in”, so unfashionable items are “out”. I think “come” means to show up or show.
Welcome to the blog
1.5*/4*. The usual very high standard offering from the Prof. Great fun!
Many thanks to AP and to Hintsman.
This all went in smoothly with my only pause being the parsing of the second part of 19a.
I didn’t know that 26d, I term I love, is the plural as well as the singular.
My podium is 3d, 8d and 16d.
Many thanks to Il Professore and Hoots.
1*/3*
Though it pains one to disagree with The Hintsman, one has to point out that the Chelsea defence (Premier League winning team of 2004/5) conceded a mere fifteen goals in the entire season. The core 21d was Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, JT, Gallas so any hats being thrown into the air should be bunged in their direction. I thankyoo.
Another guzzle right at my level, therefore it is the most marvellous thing. The committee was stood down so they visited the local tea shop for light elevenses. Toasted teacakes were in abundance.
Thanks to the setter and Andy On The First Tee (bedecked in showerproof clothing)
Today’s crossword soundtrack: Squeeze – East Side Story
Typically Tuesdayish – it’s good to be able to enjoy Mr Plumb’s work when there is so much craziness going on around us – **/****
Candidates for favourite – 15a, 1d, 5d, 14d, 20d, and 25d – and the winner is 25d.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman and there is an equally enjoyable Floughie Toughie today – highly recommended!
16d was the last to fall n this excellent and very accessible Tuesday puzzle; it also became my favourite. I thought Mr P was on top form today with some terrific surfaces.
Great entertainment all round.
Many thanks to the aforementioned and The Hintsman.
Gentle and enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
I liked 12a, 16d and 25d.
A light and pleasant accompaniment for a late morning coffee, the only delay being to parse 19a’s answer.
Thank you to setter and Huntsman: my sympathies – sometimes golf needs to be played indoors!
Gentle and enjoyable today as always. Liked 26d and especially 12a. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.
Always a pleasure to have one of the professor’s Tuesday puzzles to solve. Plenty of choices for podium places – I settled on 24&27a plus 4d.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review – loved the reminder of the Smokey Robinson song.
Light and pleasant for a Tuesday.
I, like others, had a moment parsing the second part of 19a.
Top picks for me were 16d, 14d and 25d.
Thanks to Huntsman and the compiler.
Needed help with parsing 16d and 18d, otherwise everything fell into place.
I always thought Plod for policeman referred to Enid Blyton’s PC Plod in the Noddy books…..but maybe nobody else is old enough to remember him.
Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.
You’re quite correct – just looked it up.
Don’t worry, Ora, I remember him as well!
Very straightforward today. 16d is a thing of beauty – wonderful!
I needed help in parsing 16d and 19a, as whilst I had answers that fit the checkers, my answer to16d was obviously nonsense. Other than this, the remainder was relatively straightforward and very enjoyable. 26d makes the podium on the smile factor, together with 13a and 25d. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
For me this seemed a little trickier than a normal ‘Typical Tuesday’ puzzle. Several I could not fathom the parsing even when the answer was entered.
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites 11a, 8d, 14d & 26d — with winner 26d
Smiles for 6a, 9d & definitely for 14d
Thanks to AP & Huntsman
A very pleasant puzzle today with just 16d holding me up. Too many enjoyable clues to pick one.
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
Very nice puzzle. COD 16d which was really enjoyable (particularly once I’d parsed it) Stumbled on 28a and the fish that I’ve only heard mentioned in crossword-land and similarly for the bird in 25d. That’s no real excuse as they make regular appearances in puzzles. Thank you Prof and Huntsman
Quite enjoyed this one, although I wasn’t confident at first pass. It was with some trepidation that I approached my printer, having seen that the DT puzzle page had a new look. Huge relief that everything printed ok. I’m afraid the 21d hint made less sense to me than the clue, being totally brain dead when it comes to sports. But many hints did confirm my answers when I was reluctant to ink them in. COTD for me was 25d, just because we are booked to be cruising down same in June. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.
1* / 4* A light and enjoyable puzzle with many excellent clues.
Favourites 5d, 8d and 16d
Thanks to setter and Huntsman
Did most of this over a quick lunch before going to Book Group and just finished it with my gin and tonic – no ice. 27a was my favourite and it was nice to meet the old PC Plod character again. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Hintsman. Liked the quickie pun!
Pretty straightforward but I suspect it took me longer than it should have.12a was a bung in as I still can’t see the second synonym, am I missing something, a brain cell perhaps? Apart from that about perfect for a Tuesday. Favourite was 16d. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Hi TG.
The pain is too much for me. I can’t stick/stomach it.
This was not quite as much fun as Tuesdays usually bring however I did finally make it with a bit of help from MrG. Gave up on convoluted 16d and 26d was only partially parsed. Thank you to the Prof and Huntsman.
This was not as much fun as Tuesdays usually bring but I did make it with a little help from MrG. 16d was just too convoluted to sort and 26d was only partially parsed. Thank you to the Prof and Huntsman.
Thought I had deleted duplicate post – sorry.
Lightly does it. Enjoyable Tuesday puzzle. 16d went in last, and got it by pure guess work 🤷♂️. Thank you Setter and thank you Huntsman. Had to dip in from time to time just to check.
A day behind on commenting again. I found this similar to Monday’s in difficulty. My top couple were 1d’s metal soldered to boot and 9d’s princess’s hair trouble. Thank you to the setter and hinter.
2*/4* …
liked 26D “School clothing 50 boys in blue (4)”