Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30920
Hints and tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where, with fluctuating temperatures, Spring sunshine continues. More importantly there has been very little precipitation and wildfires are already occurring!
For me, etc (I have to say that for Terence), a slightly more challenging but still very entertaining midweek puzzle but, even with the absence of the Reverend W A Spooner, I am not making any guesses as to whom the setter might be. Whomsoever it is, thank you. However, I do expect at least one magnificent answer to be condemned to purgatory on The List.
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 12a, 27a, 5d, and 16d.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Cats chasing off crabs (10)
SOURPUSSES: A plural term for cats placed after (chasing) a synonym of off (relating to milk?) – the answer is based on Definition 2 of crab in the BRB.
6a Staunch allies tempting guards (4)
STEM: A lurker (guards) found in two words in the clue.
9a Hate shown by sailor given chore, edging away (5)
ABHOR: A two letter abbreviation for a term for a sailor and (given) cHORe with the outer letters removed (edging away).
10a Smooth joke entertains new recruit with force (5-4)
PRESS-GANG: A verbal synonym of smooth (clothing?) and a three letter synonym of joke contains (entertains) the single letter for New.
12a Pedestrian‘s comment about milk bar’s limited menu? (2,5,6)
NO GREAT SHAKES: A double definition – per the BRB, the first might relate to being uninspired.
14a Overrules sad Cinders, principal character in show (8)
RESCINDS: An anagram (sad) of CINDERS followed by the first letter (principal character in) of Show.
15a Margin in book with type to the right (6)
BORDER: The single letter for Book followed by (to the right) a synonym of type.
17a A chime ringing quietly for prayer (6)
APPEAL: A from the clue and a synonym of chime containing (ringing) the letter for musically quietly.
19a Liking fleecy jumpers back to front (4,4)
SOFTSPOT: A synonym of fleecy (how it feels?) and the reversal (back to front) of a synonym of jumpers (as in clothing).
21a Conceited film star to pen novel (4-9)
SELF-IMPORTANT: An anagram (novel) of FILM STAR TO PEN.
24a State individuals must visit home of the Taj Mahal (9)
INDONESIA: The plural of a synonym of individual inserted into (must visit) the country that is the home of the Taj Mahal.
25a Language is Rear Admiral’s focus (5)
HINDI: A synonym of rear and the centre letter (focus) of admIral.
26a Loving Persuasion (4)
KIND: A double definition – the second, ignore the Italics – nothing to do with one of Ms Austen’s literary efforts, might relate to maintaining a belief.
27a Bishop died chopping trees? Nonsense (10)
BALDERDASH: The single letter for Bishop followed by genealogically Died inserted into (chopping) two types of tree (the first of which caused some problems on Monday).
Down
1d Photograph me too! (4)
SNAP: A double definition – the second may be derived from a (children’s) card game.
2d Lets go of university employees after November (7)
UNHANDS: The single letter for University followed by a synonym of employees placed after the letter represented by November in the phonetic alphabet.
3d Pigeon trainer goes off travelling (13)
PEREGRINATION: An anagram (goes off) of PIGEON TRAINER.
4d Phase out posters for nits (8)
SAPHEADS: An anagram (out) of PHASE and the abbreviated form of types of posters – the nits are not what the school nurse would be looking for.
5d Wimbledon winner, always last to submit? (5)
EVERT: A synonym of always and the last letter of submiT.
7d Followed plot on the radio (7)
TRACKED: A homophone (on the radio) of a synonym of plot (of land).
8d Myna emptied its great snapping beak (10)
MAGISTRATE: MynA with the interior letters removed (emptied) and an anagram (snapping) of ITS GREAT.
11d Miss passing minor tasks, for example? (13)
SCHOOLTEACHER: Hmm – a person, that can be female, approving (passing) tasks completed by a minor (as in a child).
13d Lolly and gum, something to chew on (10)
BREADSTICK: A slang synonym of what lolly is an informal synonym of and a verbal synonym of gum (as in attach one item to another).
16d Where you might see Heather in low light around river (8)
MOORLAND: A synonym of low (as an animal noise) and a synonym of light (at the end of a flight?) containing (around) the single letter for River.
18d Knight‘s pressure on panto to take a day off (7)
PALADIN: The single letter for Pressure placed before (on) the title of a pantomime, about a magic lamp, with one of the single letters for Day deleted (off).
20d Plant held up by bonsai nut: epilobium (7)
PETUNIA: A reverse lurker (held up by) found in three words in the clue.
22d Pause at first when covering odd bits of Thai food (5)
PASTA: The first letter of Pause and a two letter synonym of when placed before (covering) the odd letters (bits) of ThAi.
23d Accompanying Dorothy Parker for one hour (4)
WITH: A three letter term to describe Dorothy Parker who was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays known for her caustic wisecracks and the single letter for Hour – Dorothy Parker – Wikipedia
Quick Crossword Pun:
SIGH + LOVE + OWN = XYLOPHONE
Mastery. Pure mastery.
My FOI was 1d and my LOI was funnily enough the sublime 1a. What a great image that conjures up.
This was so enjoayble and damn clever. Take a bow, setter!
Many of you won’t know that 24a’s capital is going to be Nusantara (on Borneo) as Jakarta (on Java) is sinking! It was supposed to happen last August but has been delayed until 2028. It has five phases with the last one happening in 2045 to tie in with the celebrations of the centenary of its independence, dubbed “Golden 24a 2045”.
Here’s a link for you: Borneo has three syllables to tie in with it being the third biggest island (landmass) and having three countries: 24a, Malaysia and Brunei.
There endeth today’s lesson.
My podium is 1a, 27a and 4d.
MT to Hudson or Tumble and Senfingtons
3*/5*
My wife is off to 1a
Jakarta?
No, she went of her own accord
Boom Boom, I’ll get my coat
That one works better with Jamaica :-)
They’re both goodies that always make me chuckle.
Top end ***/*** for me. Tricky. Particularly my LOI which I doubt I could have got without all the cross checkers in. Needed the hints to understand 15&25a and 18,22&23d. I was relieved to finish it. Thanks to our hunter and setter for the challenge.
Forgot to say my LOI was 1a folks.
I enjoyed this a lot, mainly bc of the inclusion of some unusual words and phrases not often seen. Thank you setter, this was great entertainment without being too obscure. Thanks too to Senf of course.
Quite a tricky guzzle today with some very clever clues. I liked the Lego clues at 1a at 13d and the lovely anagram at 3d-surely one for Terence ‘s list. COTD,however, was the the cryptic definition at 12a. Thanks ro rhe compiler, just the kind of crossword I like and not a linked word in sight. Thanks to Senf for the hints
Proper smart, witty stuff. 1a was a snorter for a kick-off. 19a and 13d both tickled me and 12a is just delightful. A real treat, this. Classy. Best thanks to setter and Senf.
1a a clear winner for me as it brought to mind The Egremont Crab Fair, some real 1a on display there
Thanks to Senf and Setter. Time to tackle the Tick-Kcit next
A very enjoyable crossword today, a bit tricky in places with some words unfamiliar to me. I spent a while trying to find a US state or a nation ending in agra for 24a, but as the checkers appeared I realised the correct parsing. 4a was LOI, and I had to check that it was a real word. 12a and 19a can fight it out for top spot on my podium. Thanks to the setter and to Senf for the blog.
I spent as long staring at 1a as I did in solving the rest of the puzzle, but it was well worth the effort. A belter of a clue and my CoD by a distance.
A slightly clunky surface read at 20d, but that is just me being picky. This was an excellent puzzle.
Many thanks to our setter and Mr Mustard.
Despite my typos on a bumpy road I am relieved to Conor that another found this one problematic Shabbo
A very entertaining puzzle – thanks to our setter and Senf.
Top clues for me were 1a, 12a, 27a and 16d.
3*/3.5*. I didn’t totally warm to today’s puzzle which for me was a bit of a mixed bag.
I thought 11d was a bit strange, as was the surface for 20d.
“Persuasion” can be used in the context of “what’s your persuasion?”, but I can’t come up with a sentence to make it synonymous with 26a. Can anyone help please?
What a strange choice for a “wit” in 23d for a British puzzle. Why not pick someone closer to home? Oscar Wilde, for example.
I did have a lot of ticks with 1a, 12a & 16d making up my podium.
Many thanks to the setter and to Senf.
Hi RD
I just found this example for 26a on the http://www.thefreedictionary.com site that I use all the time…
5. Informal Kind; sort: “The place where rockers of any gender or persuasion can become megastars”
Great sleuthing Tom. Good work. It certainly worked for me – I thought it was clever. Sort of clue I could imagine RayT putting up. Not that this is him, of course!
Me again, RD.
Regarding Dotty…my guess is that the setter is male and he would traditionally accompany a female not a male.
Or it could just be that Dorothy is one of his faves.
Thanks, TDS65, that kind of persuasion works for me.
This one wasn’t for me I’m afraid, just felt like a slog to get through and not many of the clues gelled with me, but that was probably due to feeling stressed to get the guzzle completed before my laptop and phone ran out of juice as we have no power here as electricity engineers are replacing some power lines outside, so must go befo……..😵💫⚡
I can’t say I particularly warmed to this puzzle, completing it with a shrugging “meh” sort of feeling. Some unconvincing surfaces, synonyms & parsings. Highlight 12a, but it had no competition.
Thank you setter but sorry, not one for me. Thanks also to Senf.
I found this Wednesday puzzle a little trickier this week and needed to really think about quite a few of the clues. After all said and done don’t know why I struggled as much as I did.
3*/3.5*
Favourites 1a, 12a, 27a,1d & 8d — with winner 27a … I just like the word!
Thanks to setter & Senf
I thought that was great fun, with 1a my favourite. I did need Senf to clarify a couple of parsings. It’s a lovely sunny day and much warmer so I am off to cut the grass now.
Many thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints.
There were some brilliant clues here, 8d is hard to beat but 27a was a cracker as well. You setter’s are SO clever! Was not too sure about 29a and 26a was my last one in. but altogether it took my mind off my visit to the Nuffield this morning. A lovely young surgeon, whilst stressing it was my decision, said he didn’t think I should have my right knee done. Senf, you may have to carry me across London next January ! In the meantime, keep guzzling with a daily G’nT thrown in for good measure. Many thanks to Setter & Hinter – I agree that The List committee may well be mobilised.
Having knees done is a good thing as they flush the rubbish out and let you keep running Daisygirl.
Sheer bloody mindedness got me to the end of this puzzle. The answer to some clues such as 8d leapt off the page where others had to be dragged out kicking and screaming. It was not a case of like or dislike, but a sense of relief on completion. Hats off to the compiler for the challenge and also to Senf for the hints.
Finished, but only with Senf’s help. Particularly for 4d, 5d and 25a. The latter I solved, but needed hint to see where the “I” came from. The rest was Ok, but no real sense of enjoyment, unlike yesterday. Thanks to setter and Senf.
You asked yesterday about my cleaning help interview. She charges £19 an hour and can offer me two hours once a fortnight. She said several times that she is honest. She brings all her own cleaning supplies and seemed very pleasant. I’ll report again once she’s been!
I’ll be interested to hear as well. I’m considering hiring a cleaner.
I have a cleaner too. The charge is £33 for two hours. I really appreciate their hard work. You should go for it Steve!
Late in today but have to say that I didn’t particularly gel with this one although I do like the word at 27a, reminded me of a book I have which is entitled * and piffle – most amusing.
Thanks to our setter and to Senf for the review – I enjoyed that rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee.
A bit of a mixed bag for me too.
Plenty there to think over with not too many leaping out as obvious.
Wasn’t keen on 11d or the awkward wording in the reverse lurker at 20d.
25a and 13d got my ticks, as did 1a, my LOI.
Thanks to the setter and Senf.
Found it a bit of a struggle today and the PDM’s were met with groans more than chuckles. Anyway, thanks to setter and Senf (couldn’t have completed 1a without the hint) and needed parsing confirmation across several others; not a fan of the 11d ‘miss’ at all.
I agree…11D was more a guess…I couldn’t quite parse it with clue….Passing Minor Tasks…Minor (kids)…?
It was enjoyable though…👍
I see the entire clue as a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is embedded. Senf has underlined the precise definition. The entire clue points to a woman (miss) who awards passing (or failing, as the case may be) marks to assignments (tasks) completed by children (minors).
Late on parade because of a trip to the QE Hospital in Birmingham for routine tests so I did the guzzle while waiting. Well, I say I did it but there were 8 that simply eluded me and I needed Mr. Keen’s help. Rather stupidly, I entered “brasstick” at 13d with a note to self to look up the meaning on my return home. I had completely forgotten the other word for lolly. My COTD is the bishop chopping trees at 27a.
Thank you, setter for the fun. Thank you, Senf for the much needed hints.
For me this was plainer and more enjoyable sailing than Wednesdays usually provide. NE was last corner to fall. Needed prompt for 4d. Thank you Mysteryone and Senf.
What a superb puzzle…very enjoyable…3D was one of the cleverest anagrams I’ve seen..brilliant….more of this setter please….Doug.
4* / 4* A tough but very enjoyable challenge for me. Needed Senfs help for a couple of parsings but all completed satisfactorily.
Favourites 1a crabs, 27a good word and 26a Persuasion ( hated the book for O Level)
Many thanks to Senf and setter
1a, which a lot of people liked, only just works for me as I would always spell the cats with an ‘I’. Never heard of 3d or 4d, is it an americanism? 11d was a total bung in as the clue made no sense to me whatsoever and wasn’t keen on 12a either. These rather took the shine off this for me, a shame because I rather enjoyed the rest. Favourite was 27a. Thanks to the setter anyway and Senf
4d is likely a word few, if any, of us has encountered. The frequency of use chart on the Collins website shows the first usage around 1788 and the last usage around 1808.
1a my last in too & my pick of the clues – particularly liked 3d (great word) + 12&27a.
Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle & to Senf for the review.
Thank you, Twmbarlwm — lots of fun clues, including 27a chopping trees, 10a’s new recruit, and my favourite, 12a’s milk bar menu. When I arrived at Leeds Uni, the union building contained a venue called the Harvey Milk Bar. It wasn’t a milk bar, but a normal bar named in tribute to Harvey Milk (of whom I hadn’t heard at the time).
Tougher than I was expecting, but I got there in the end. Thank you, Senf, for explanations.
Great puzzle! The setter is Twmbarlwm. Whenever he sets one he usually posts a bleat on Blue Sky announcing this, which I saw.
Welcome to the blog
Welcome from me as well, Tony. Please don’t be a stranger and visit us again. 👍😊
I started this puzzle late yesterday and attempting to finish it now. Been quite a mind bend and a bit of a slog if I’m honest but there have been some great clues and unexpected answers. I still have a few left to finish , but just checked in here to see how others felt. Thanks to setter and Senf although I haven’t looked at the hints yet – maybe shortly !
3*/5* ….
liked 8D “Myna emptied its great snapping beak (10)”