DT 30933 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30933

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30933
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

We are back from our week in the Highlands and I would again like to thank Huntsman for standing in for me at short notice last Thursday.  It was much appreciated.

There is no doubt that this is the work of RayT, as all of his usual hallmarks are there.  He has excelled himself on brevity this week, averaging a fraction below 5. I think this is the first time on my watch that he has dipped below the 5 words/clue barrier.  Quite remarkable.

My podium clues are 24a, 8d and 14d.  I found the puzzle about right for a Thursday in terms of difficulty.  What did you think?

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.

Many thanks to our setter and the DT Crossword Team.


Across
1a Explicit, even ruder dancing around pole (10)
UNRESERVED: anagram (dancing) of EVEN RUDER outside (around) S (one of the two poles).

6a Gathered Independent retracted article (4)
ITEM: synonym of gathered (as in assembled) + abbreviation for Independent reversed (retracted).

10a Third letter to the Corinthians? (5)
GAMMA: cryptic definition – the third letter of the Greek alphabet.

11a Marine is intense embracing a female (9)
SEAFARING: synonym of intense outside (embracing) + A + abbreviation for Female.

12a Rogue operation acquiring large force (7)
IMPULSE: synonym of rogue + synonym of operation outside (acquiring) abbreviation for Large.

13a Gets rid of outhouses (5)
SHEDS: double definition.

15a Trespasser derisively holding back justice (7)
REDRESS: hidden word backwards (holding back).  Our solution is lurking back to front within the first two words of the clue.

17a Sopranos unfortunately lacking a godfather (7)
SPONSOR: anagram (unfortunately) of SOPR(a)NOS (lacking a)

19a Devout following with Queen opening (7)
FERVENT: abbreviation for Following + regnal cypher of our beloved late Queen + synonym of opening.

21a Forgiving one found in clear (7)
PATIENT: I (one) inside (found in) synonym of clear (as in obvious).

22a Bouquet dispatched for listeners (5)
SCENT: homophone (for listeners) of a synonym of dispatched.

24a Live outside university grounds? (7)
RESIDUE: synonym of live outside abbreviation for University. Lateral thinking required on the definition – think coffee.

27a Immobile prisoner conceals endless mania (9)
INANIMATE: synonym of prisoner outside (conceals) (m)ANI(a).

28a Line undivided after carbon copy (5)
CLONE: abbreviation for Line + synonym of undivided after abbreviation for Carbon.

29a Call for anger ends occasionally (4)
NEED: every other letter (occasionally) of aNgEr EnDs.

30a Pinched by coppers, is tentatively obstinate (10)
PERSISTENT: hidden word (pinched by).  Our answer is lurking within words 3-5 of the clue.

Down

1d Rise removing top, provoking desire (4)
URGE: synonym of rise without the first letter (removing top).

2d Signal keeping America in balance (9)
REMAINDER: synonym of signal outside (keeping) abbreviation for America.

3d Small instrument with a point (5)
SHARP: abbreviation for Small + large stringed instrument.

4d Puts bottoms on mules again? (7)
RESOLES: a cryptic definition.  Think shoes.

5d Periodically, seller locks up paints (7)
ENAMELS: every other letter (periodically) of SeLlEr + synonym of locks (think hair).  Join them together and turn the whole lot upside down (up).

7d Crust finally covers mature rhubarb (5)
TRIPE: final letter of crusT on top of (covers – this is a down clue) synonym of mature.

8d Wise men consider adopting street justice (10)
MAGISTRATE: synonym of wise men (think Christmas) + synonym of consider outside (adopting) abbreviation for STreet.

9d Under pressure idiot left key (8)
PASSPORT: abbreviation for Pressure + synonym of fool + synonym of left (think boats).  Chambers describes the definition as “that which gives privilege of entry to anything”.

14d Job announcement (10)
PROFESSION: double definition.

16d Thrilling vote for Republican in charge (8)
ELECTRIC: synonym of vote for + abbreviation for Republican + abbreviation for In Charge.

18d Dock worker to deserve getting fired (9)
STEVEDORE: anagram (getting fired) of TO DESERVE.

20d Bank record contains case of error (7)
TERRACE: synonym of record (think evidence) outside (contains) the first and last letters (case of) ErroR.

21d Crew going over ship’s hold (7)
POSSESS: synonym of crew + crosswordland’s favourite abbreviation for ship (SteamShip).

23d Cancel dates with sweetheart (5)
ERASE: synonym of dates + the heart of swEet.

25d Divides into cubes, evenly sliced initially (5)
DICES: initial letters of the first five words of the clue. I probably could/should have underlined the whole clue as the definition.

26d Soft fabric is stroked (4)
FELT: double definition.

Quickie Pun:  WAR  +  TERSE  +  KEY  =  WATER SKI

 

43 comments on “DT 30933”

  1. I couldn’t get going with Ray T’s offering today. In fact, I found it a bit of a slog. Not that it wasn’t a great guzzle because it was. It’s just my brain cells not getting into gear. I tried to use “campus” at 24a and I wanted to start 26d with a “p”. I did like the third letter to the Corinthians and that becomes my COTD.

    Thank you, Ray T but you beat me today. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.

  2. 2*/5*. An absolutely tremendous week for back-pagers continues today with this splendid offering from RayT.

    With loads of ticks to pick from, my favourite is 10a.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

  3. Super and reasonably light puzzle, the trick to which I found was not allowing myself to get hung up on a clue if the answer didn’t come to mind straightaway, instead moving on to the next, tackling the puzzle broadly clockwise and finishing with 5d. A few left-field synonyms/definitions (5d, again) but trademark RayT excellence – and brevity – throughout.

    Honours to 9d, 4d & 10a

    Many thanks RayT, and also to Shabbo of course.

  4. Another solid Ray crossy hits the back of the net.

    I roared through three quarters of it, looking good for a one star jobbie, but got bogged down in janner country, taking me into three star territory.

    Plenty to pick from but I’ll go with 1a, 10a (always good fun) and 16d (excellent surface and construction)

    MT to Raymundo and Shabbo.

    3*/4*

    P.S Dipping below a five word per clue average is indeed a rare and splendid feat.

    1. Good to see a reference to those Janners, Tom, even if they be over the river in that there England … ;)

      1. I knew it was a tad controversial but I thought I’d throw it out there.

            1. Every day is a school day … especially when Tom’s having some fun with language!

  5. A typical Ray T guzzle disti guished by brevity, unusual synonyms, the Queen and a sweetheart, I could have drawn a diagonal separating the tricky NW from the more accessible SE. It was a bit of a struggle but i gormt there in the end. I liked the Lego clues at 27a and 11a, the reverse lurker at 15a and the double meaning clue at 14d. Thanks to the master compiler foe a challenging puzzle and to Shabbo for the hints.

  6. Ray T was too good For me today. A dnf as I needed too many of Shabbo’s hints to get me restarted having ground to a halt with just over half completed. A fine puzzle nonetheless. Cotd has to be 10a. Thanks to Ray T for the brain mangling and Shabbo for the much needed hints.

  7. Trickiest guzzle of the week so far (for me, and I stress for me © Senf). No rush of entries, just a steady untangling of the glues constructed by The Baron Of Brevity.
    In that spirit of abridgement – thanks to RayTee and Shabba-dabba-doo

  8. The Master of Brevity at his best but it was an ‘all over the map’ solve moving around the grid in a very random manner until ‘Oh look, I’ve finished’ – 2.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 10a, 19a, 28a, 5d, and 16d – and the winner, by a country mile, is 10a.

    Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  9. A circuitous solve today. Found it tough going and with very little enjoyment. The highlight was finishing it. Just didn’t feel like the same quality usually associated with this setter.****/*

    Of course – that’s no doubt down to me and whatever wrong side of the bed I got out of.

    Thanks to the setter and to the hinter who’s words of wisdom I shall now enjoy

  10. RayT is on good form today – thanks to him and Shabbo.
    Top clues for me were 10a, 19a, 24a and 9d.

  11. 19,20&21 caused a delay , tricky but once solved??? Needed the explanation for 5 down . Slow progress but got there in the end, with a little help.
    Thanks to all .

  12. Surely even the master of brevity can’t reduce the word count any further! All the usual trademarks present and correct in an excellent compilation. Top clues for me were 11&24a plus 14d.

    Devotions to Mr T and many thanks to Shabbo for the review.

  13. 3* / 4* I thought this was going to be a walk in the park, but the SW held me up for longer than it should have. Plenty of excellent misdirection and wit.
    Favourites 4d bottoms of mules, 5d paints and the thrilling 16d
    Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo

  15. I found that hard going too and, as others have said, it was very much a case of plodding through in no particular order as pennies dropped. I thought at first that it was a consequence of having lost whatever touch I have after being off grid for a few days, so I’m reassured to see it wasn’t just me. 4d was my favourite. Thanks very much to the setter and to Shabbo.

  16. Took awhile today. I didn’t understand 23 down, and why it’s a synonym of dates (rase).

    1. A change of email address sent you into moderation

      Eras are, apparently, a synonym of dates

  17. An excellent puzzle, pleasing me particularly, as I managed it unaided. I thought the lurkers were especially good today and the mix of clues just brilliant and brief of course.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the hints

  18. Great to end the working week (those were the days!) with such a fun guzzle. A change to have all smooth surfaces. Not sure about stroke for 26d. Failed to parse 5d. Favs 10a followed by 4d. Many thanks RayT for the amusement and Shabbo for being on hand.

  19. Another fine puzzle from Ray T. The usual concise clues, mostly of medium difficulty, provided an entertaining solve. Favourite today: 19a. 3*/4*.

  20. As always, a delightful RayT puzzle on his fortnightly drop-in visit.
    Lots of fun with his brevity, precise and exacting clueing, as well as the Queen along with his sweetheart this week too.
    What could be better??

    2*/4.5* for me

    Favourites include 17a, 19a, 21a, 4d, 21d & 23d — with winner 4d
    Smiles for 21a, 21d & 23d

    Thanks to RayT & Shabbo

  21. Looks like Union ******* Gardens in Aberdeen for the 20d illustration. They are now a weedy mess. Donated millions to reconstruct them but apparently no budget to maintain then.

    Enjoyable challenge with no real favourite.

    Thanks to RayT and Shabbo for a couple of hints.

  22. I am going to go against the flow here, the obvious end point of brevity is one word clues, and then it is all down to how well you know your thesaurus.
    At about five words per clue not all wordplay has vanished but I wouldn’t want to go much further down this rabbit hole.
    Sorry for being a grumpy bugger today maybe it is a side of the bed thing with me too
    Thanks to Shabbo and RayT

    1. I’m with you, Sloops.

      Creating clues that use so few words yet still making them interesting needs to be acknowledged as it’s a skill.

      However, I prefer them a tad longer because it means there are more trapdoors and blind alleys to avoid which is great fun.

  23. I agree with Senf that this was an ‘all over the map’ solve. Finished without need of hints but twice was about to give up and check them. There were big holdouts all over the grid but the NW trio of the 3d point (yes, really, just couldn’t get it), 12a force and 4d mules took this into however many difficulty stars are allowed plus one! A huge unlocking moment was solving the 6a Corinthians’ letter and that took forever. All in all, the hardest RayT I recall.

    15a got the big COTD tick as even this reverse lurker took until my second pass to spot!

    But enjoyment is not proportional to difficulty so huge kudos and thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the blog to confirm everything, thankfully not until after event.

  24. Late again from me but I wanted to thank Ray T for an outstanding puzzle that positively fizzed from first clue to last. As for a favourite, as usual it is a very varied choice, but I think I have to go with the third letter to the Corinthians. Quite brilliant. Thanks, too, to Shabbo.

  26. I was late to this today due to a lunch date out and other things. I found it quite tricky. LOI was 23d even though I think we have had it recently but I couldn’t remember the answer but could remember that I struggled with it that time too!

    Top picks for me were 5d, 21d and 4d.

    Thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

  27. Evening all. My thanks to Shabbo for the analysis and to everybody else who left an observation. Much appreciated, as always.

    RayT

    1. Good evening, Mr T Looks as though a lot of people found this one quite tricky!

  28. Perhaps I’m getting better at RayT puzzles? I liked this one and managed it reasonably well (for me). Thanks all

  29. Typical Ray T fun (perhaps “cleaner” than usual?). My only gripe is being defeated by 4d and 12a. Having settled on “reshoes” for 4d (which seemed eminently reasonable) I was left with “implore” for 12a, which only two-thirds works (although that is better than many correct answers I’ve found in the past).

  30. My main stumbling block was putting commission in for 14d which seemed a perfectly reasonable answer, unfortunately it messed up the NW. Having realised that 15a was a rekrul it forced me to reconsider my answer and come up with the correct solution the rest followed fairly quickly after that. I still found this the toughest Rayt of the year so far. Favourite was 8d. Thanks to Rayt for the mental beating and Shabbo.

  31. Good evening

    By the cringe! That was an epic tussle today, with the workings of the Mighty Mr T’s brain! Obviously I knew it was him from the start, and I knew therefore that it would be no picnic, but today’s crozzie really did stretch my brain cell; and I have to be honest with you, chums – it’s a DNF today, because for the life of me, I couldn’t twig 5d.

    COTD is 10a, from a list of excellent contenders.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo.

  32. Tackled today’s puzzles far too late this evening after watching Luke Littler win yet another Premier League Night. Battled through Hudson’s super Toughie & the eyelids then just about coped with Ray. Thankfully not too demanding & enjoyable as ever. 17a my fav – one of the truly great series which I periodically rewatch.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo – will read the review tomorrow as the land of nod beckons.

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