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DT 30962

by Gazza  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30962
Hints and Tips by Gazza

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

We’re getting some great puzzles on Wednesdays and I really liked this one. Many thanks to our setter.

In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and indicator words (e.g. anagram indicators) are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons.

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Across

1a Kid twitching, not relaxed for panto (4,11)
DICK WHITTINGTON: an anagram (relaxed) of KID TWITCHING NOT.
9a Flapping of eaglet swallowing lima bean (9)
FLAGEOLET: an anagram (flapping) of OF EAGLET containing the letter that lima represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.

10a Declines to follow parking attendants (5)
PAGES: a verb meaning declines or withers follows the map abbreviation for parking.

11a Secretly listens to daughter dropping off expensive rugs (7)
EARWIGS: start with a phrase for expensive rugs (4,4) (where rug is an informal term for an artificial head covering) then delete the genealogical abbreviation for daughter.

12a Perhaps Bob Hope’s first broadcast party (6)
HAIRDO: string together the first letter of Hope, a verb to broadcast and a festive party.

15a Orders bound publications in this establishment? (8)
BOOKSHOP: a verb meaning orders or reserves and a synonym of bound or jump.
16a Group foremost in Britpop, loud regularly, right? (4)
BLUR: assemble the foremost letter of Britpop, regular letters from ‘loud’ and an abbreviation for right.

19a Relative took flight after heading for Gatwick (4)
GRAN: a verb meaning fled follows the first letter of Gatwick.

20a Line 51 in Aesop tale is flawed (8)
FALLIBLE: insert the abbreviation for line and 51 in Roman numerals inside how we usually describe a tale by Aesop.

23a Boycott away touring capital (6)
OTTAWA: hidden in the clue (indicated by touring).

24a Sweet Tom Hanks character circling old road to the west (7)
GUMDROP: the surname of a character played by Tom Hanks contains the reversal (to the west in an across clue) of the abbreviations for old and road.

26a Saucy make-up (5)
LIPPY: double definition.

28a Silk trade involves a lot of risk (9)
BARRISTER: a synonym of trade or swap contains the first three letters of risk.

29a Delayed at traffic lights maybe, point and play (7,3,5)
WAITING FOR GODOT: held up at traffic lights marking time until the lights turn green (7,3,2) followed by a point or speck.
Down

1d Steamed pudding and nutty bagels in containers (6,4)
DUFFEL BAGS: a pudding steamed (in a cloth bag?) followed by an anagram (nutty) of BAGELS.

2d Caught changing in lavatory, should she foresee that? (11)
CLAIRVOYANT: the cricket abbreviation for caught precedes an anagram (changing) of IN LAVATORY.
3d Most overgrown with couch grass possibly, wet in the extreme (8)
WEEDIEST: double definition, the second most wet in the Mrs Thatcher sense of most feeble.

4d This writer will occasionally burst in on conjuror’s trick (8)
ILLUSION: how the writer would say he or she will followed by occasional letters of ‘burst in’ and ON (from the clue).

5d Very small pine in middle of shantytown (6)
TITCHY: a verb to pine or yearn inside the middle letters of shantytown.

6d Square wearing a ring in the restaurant? (6)
NAPKIN: cryptic definition.
7d Pull spare tyre up (3)
TUG: reverse (up, in a down clue) what a spare tyre is an informal word for.

8d I smell scone Charlie’s left out (4)
NOSE: remove the letter that Charlie stands for in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet from SCONE and make an anagram (out) of what you have left.

13d Weighed and measured diamonds (11)
DELIBERATED: a synonym of measured or methodical and the cards abbreviation for diamonds.

14d What cleaning a lamp might do for maverick! (4,6)
FREE SPIRIT: what rubbing a magic lamp might do.
17d Australian resident playing organ, mostly okay (8)
KANGAROO: an anagram (playing) of ORGAN OKA[y].

18d Downswing in golf getting worse (8)
SLUMPING: assemble a downswing or downturn in the economy, IN (from the clue) and the letter that golf represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.

21d Lairy paparazzo from the south frames old documents (6)
PAPYRI: hidden (frames) in reverse (from the south, in a down clue).

22d Bigmouth Spooner’s fish joke (6)
GASBAG: Spooner might turn this into a freshwater fish and a joke (BASS GAG).

25d Heard blackthorn fruit is late (4)
SLOW: a homophone (heard) of a blackthorn fruit.

27d Starts to praise holiday in letter from Greece (3)
PHI: the starting letters of three words in the clue form a Greek letter.

The clues which I liked best were 12a, 29a, 6d and 14d – which one(s) did the business for you?

The Quick Crossword pun:   OAF  +  FULL    +  TEEN     =    OVALTINE

 

73 comments on “DT 30962”

  1. Superb! I think Wednesdays are currently my favourite crossword day. Lots of good clues, no obscure words, and all filled in pretty swiftly.

    My top few included 28a (“silk trade”), 29a (“point and play”), and 14d (“cleaning a lamp”). Thank you to Hudson and Gazza.

      1. Ooops. I mean thank you to this crossword’s setter for this one, and to Hudson for the Toughie!

  2. A lovely little romp. I can’t, unsurprisingly, better Gazza’s picks but I did rather like nicely-done 13d too. Best thanks to setter and Gazza. Hudson, Smylers?!

  3. What a great crossword! Full of excellent clues and great surfaces. Overall it felt really fresh and slightly more modern and that is a very good thing in my book. So many great clues but I shall highlight 2d as my favourite.

    Brilliant work setter and thanks for the hints Gazza – I shall now read your hints

  4. Best midweeker in ages, and a puzzle that just fell into place from the word go, just goes to show it doesn’t need to be too tricky to be very enjoyable.

    Can’t wait to see who set it as I’m rubbish at guessing them all.

    My two favourites today were 11a, 6d and the wonderful 29a, I’m sure I saw a version of this on the telly with Max Wall years ago, but maybe not as the memory seems a bit hazy…

  5. I loved this. Sailed through the top half then ground to a halt in the south, particularly the SE. My final two in were the pair of lurkers. When will I ever learn?! No overall favourite but contenders for the podium include 12a, 28a, 29a 6d and 14d. Thanks to our setter and Gazza.

  6. I just wanted to hop in early and say thankyou to SJB for his good wishes yesterday. I did the guzzle very late and probably the same today – life is a bit tipsy turbo at the moment. Hope the meeting at The George was a success yesterday I would love to have been there when I would certainly have done 24a. I would love to think that it was not just a coincidence that 24a appeared yesterday! DD2 always makes me do this with DT front page proof.

    3. You are quite remarkable Daisy – well done, and belated birthday wishes.

      Thank you to today’s setter and Gazza for today’s brilliant entertainment.

    4. Happy Birthday DG 💐!

      ( I’m days behind but thanks to all the setters and hinters… much appreciated)

  7. Sorry to spoil the party but I found tgis puzzle hard ro get into and a slog to finish. There were, however, some good clues although I could only parse them after I had used the definition and the checkers to guess tge answer. 1a was a great anagram, 29a aa clever cryptic definition and 23a a nice geographical lurker. Thanks to rhe compiler for the challenge and to Gazza for the hints, which I shall now read, as there were a few cllues that I couldn’t parse.

    1. Thank heavens, I thought I was the only one who found this tougher than normal.

      1. And me. It only really clicked into place this morning ( started on a late train out of London last night). Misspelling 1d delayed completion

  8. Smylers, ALP and Gazza have all highlighted my faves already, but it was a nice romp through crossword land
    Thanks to Gazza and setter, let’s go see what Hudson has to offer in t’other place

  9. A Wednesday wonder full of charm and wit. I have a multitude of ticks on my page, with particular smiles for 12a, 28a and the Spoonerism in 22d. But honours go to 14d, 26a and 29a in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Gazza.

  10. 2.5*/2.5*. Curate’s egg Wednesday again for me. Some very good clues plus a few hmms. Some surfaces were OK, some not so smooth.

    I don’t think 29a works because “GO” signs aren’t used when there are traffic lights. Also, the wordplay and answer for 18d involve the same meaning.

    I liked 12a, 28a & 2d.

    Thanks to the setter and to Gazza.

    1. Hi RD

      There’s no mention of a Go sign in the clue or answer. ‘Go’ is an abbreviated term for ‘The green light’. There are children’s songs called ‘Red means stop and green means go’.

      Downswing is the second part of your swing with backswing being the first.

      1. TDS65. My reading of the answer to 29a carries the implication of waiting for (a) GO (sign). Your interpretation makes sense but it’s a bit woolly for my taste.

        I know what a downswing is in golf. My problem with this clue is that to unravel the wordplay you need to take downswing meaning slump followed by IN and G to arrive at the answer so the whole thing is “same-sidey”.

        1. Fairy nuff.

          I was surprised about the golf misunderstanding, which I was wrong about, as most cricketers like your good self can swing a club in anger.

  11. A very enjoyable midweeker from Mr Tumble who is at the top of his game.

    Touring is a new lurker indicator for me and I’ve never heard of ‘couch grass’. How rubbish am I???

    My podium is 1a, 28a and 14d.

    MT to Mr T and Mr G.

    3*/4*

  12. Flew through this cracking puzzle with little to occasion delay. Great clues throughout and many lovely surfaces. Thought it might be Twm with the quietly inserted Spoonerism down in the S.

    COTD 14d, with runners-up 29a and 5d.

    Many thanks indeed to Twm and to Gazza

  13. Sorry but I’m bucking the trend here because I didn’t get on with today’s offering at all. I couldn’t get into it and, once I did, I continued to struggle. I don’t get the answer to 12a at all. I understand how the answer is arrived at but not what it has to do with “perhaps”.

    Sorry, setter but thank you for your efforts. As I said yesterday, my solving abilities are in the doldrums at the moment. Thank you, Gazza for the hints and cartoons.

    2. There are many hairstyles and the second word of the clue is not, despite the capital letter, the first name of the actor.

    3. Hi Steve,
      A Bob is an example of the answer. It could have been ‘Perhaps beehive’ or ‘Perhaps Mullet’ instead although of course the rest of the clue wouldn’t make sense.

    4. Thanks, guys. I was sent on a wild goose chase because of the capitalisation of bob. 😳

  14. I thought this was excellent, challenging but with some brilliant penny drop moments. All my favoured clues have been mentioned but my favourite was 14d.

    Many thanks to Twmbarlwm who has claimed this one and to Gazza for the hints.

  15. I’m with Chriscross and RD; the saving grace was 23a!

    Other smiles for 28a, 1d (even though I found out that I have been mis-spelling the first word since forever, I always thought the last two letters were the other way round), and 14d.

    Thanks to Twmbarlwm and Gazza.

        1. I have just seen that it’s named after the town, Duffel, in Belgium though it is disputed.

          The el of Belgium, the el of duffel.

          Simples!

  17. A DNF for me as I just couldn’t decipher the Spoonerism. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this with lots of smiles throughout.

    Top picks for me were 1d, 6d, 28a and 29a.

    Thanks to Gazza and the setter.

    1. The Spoonerism was my last one in, about half an hour after completing the rest of the puzzle.

  18. For me, the puzzles are improving day by day this week.
    Excellent puzzle with plenty to enjoy.
    I did chuckle at 11a, how many synonyms can there be?! rug, syrup, hamster, an Irish….

    Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza.

      1. It’s not rhyming slang, just a saying I used to hear in my childhood days… ” I swear she’s wearing a hamster”…

  19. I see from comments this has divided the audience.
    I thought it very good
    3*/4.5*
    Fav clues the spooner and the silk
    Thanks to Gazza and T

  20. Yes, I thought this was a great puzzle too and, as has been said, a little different from the norm and perhaps less formulaic than some offerings. My favourites were 14d and 22d. Thanks very much to the setter and to Gazza.

  21. We finished this in one sitting. No real hold ups. Therefore very enjoyable and on our level. Gary and Val

  22. We’ve been away watching Surrey crush Worcestershire in a county game so I haven’t been commenting for a few days, but this was a first rate puzzle to return to. Some terrific clues and subtle misdirection, my favourite being my final entry, 6d.

    Thanks to T etc and Gazza.

  23. Late start on puzzles today but my top two in this one were 20&24a.
    Thanks to our setter and to Gazza for the review and always smile-worthy cartoons – particularly liked the young lady using up two of her wishes in one go!

  24. For me this was a really strange Wednesday puzzle as some clues were really hard to fathom out.
    Some were ok, but a lot of head scratching in this.

    2.5*/3*

    Favourites 1a, 19a, 23a, 7d, 14d & 25d — with winner 23a, of course
    Never heard of 21d

    Thanks to Twmbarlwm & Gazza

  25. Found this quite straightforward and very enjoyable. Off to a great start with 1a, and the top half of the puzzle fell quickly into place. However slowed down with the SE corner and came to a grinding halt with the SW one. LOI was 22d and had to consult Gazza to solve it. I’m definitely not very good with Spoonerisms. 18d was also problematic for me, (I’m not a golfer in spite of playing a bit in the sixth form at school back in the 60s), and I spent far too much time watching videos showing me how to improve my downswing! 🥱🥱 This pushed me into *** time but was just a minor hiccup so will award **** for enjoyment. Best clues for me were 1a, 19a, 28a, 5d (lovely word!) and 17d. Thanks to both Gazza and the setter.

  26. Like today’s Toughie, I found this very enjoyable with some great surfaces. My podium consists of 1a, 12a and 2d.
    Thanks to Gazza and the setter.

  27. Somewhat deflated by this one as I was getting too comfortable with Tuesdays. 1a went straight in, but several answers later I ground to a halt and had to turn to the hints. COTD, with smiley face, goes to 12a. Never heard of the 16a Rock Band, and three sad faces in the margin for 9a – I bet none of my friends or neighbours have ever heard of that bean. And of course I was stumped by the Spoonerism. So not my best effort. Thanks to setter and Gazza.

  28. I enjoyed this once I got down to it. I very much liked 1,2 and 6d. We use 6ds in rings which the grandchildren find very quaint. A silver one engraved with your name was a de rigeur christening gift. My last one in was 16a partly ‘cos I’m an old fuddy duddy and partly because regularly to my birdbrain means even letters ie B and then odr so I thought Bodr was some Scandinavian Britpop I’d never heard of. But apart from these hiccups old 19a was pleased with the guzzle and sends thanks to Twmbarlwm and to Gazza for helping me out.

  29. Great puzzle. 12A just pipping 14D and 29A for my favourite. VMT Twmbarlwm and Gazza.

  30. 1.5*/ 4* I thought this trickier than yesterday and yet somehow completed in a quicker time ! Some tremendous clues with plenty of smiles along the way.
    Favourites include bob at 12a, silk at 28a and the play at 29a
    Thanks to Twmbarlwnan Gazza

  31. As requested, just introducing myself. I discovered this website a couple of years ago and have been using it to help unravel the mysteries of cryptic crosswords. Progress is slowly being made…..

    1. Welcome to the blog, Ian.
      Now that you’ve introduced yourself I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.

    2. Welcome, Ian. Stick with us and progress will be made. Until I joined BD my solving was virtually nonexistent but it comes together slowly.
      Please comment again and let us know how you’re getting on.

  32. I liked 2d, but am tired of the stupid Spoonerisms (22d) which have plagued recent puzzles

  33. I have not commented for a while but even though I have not completed the puzzle I thought it an excellent offering. I particularly enjoyed 6d. I would also like to congratulate Daisy on her anniversary and I hope she will forgive me for thinking of her when solving 12a and 26a 😊 Thanks to the setter and also to Gazza for the hints which I am sure I will need. Douglas

  34. Good evening

    Apart from the parsing of 3d, I found this an achievable and enjoyable solve, with plenty of misdirection, of which, I think, 12a was the best example. The sneakily placed lurker in 23a took a while to twig, as did 15a, 13d, and my winner for COTD and last to fall, 29a. Excellent stuff!

    Many thanks to Twmbarlwm and to Gazza.

  35. Held up in the NE by the spelling of 1d and never heard of the bean. I’m asks in the not so straightforward camp. Wasn’t that keen on 3d or 6d but that’s just me. I never do well with Twmbarlwm crosswords. Favourite was 20a. Thanks to the aforementioned T and Gazza.

  36. Late to this one. Thought it a cracker & did briefly wonder whether Hudson was doing double duty. It was a surprisingly quicker completion than AP yesterday though the why for the 3d double required an embarrassingly long crumpet scratch. ✅s galore – 11,12,15,28&29a plus 1,2,14&18d particular likes.
    Thanks to Twm & to Gazza.

  37. Really enjoyed this today. Penultimate one in was the Spooner one and LOI was 18d. Spent waaay too long trying to make it start with a “g”.

    If this is a twmbarlwm I am chuffed to have solved unaided.

    Thanks to all.

  39. Thank you all for decoding Daily telegraph puzzles.
    Helps me to relax before I sleep

    😀

  41. 3*/4* ….
    liked 14D “What cleaning a lamp might do for maverick ! (4,6)”

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