DT 30987 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30987

by Huntsman  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30987
Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **  Enjoyment ***

Overcast  here in Harpenden this morning & with rain in the forecast this afternoon so no golf.

Shabbo is off to Suffolk hence our swap which takes me out of my Anthony Plumb comfort zone. I was expecting a Smooth production but pretty certain it’s not one of his & wouldn’t like to hazard a guess at who the setter is. I found it pretty straightforward other than some doubt as to what to underline in a couple of the clues. There’s rather a lot of GK which I guess is fine if you’re familiar with it so I’ll be interested to see what others think.

Great to see some new commenters on yesterday’s blog. I do hope that having de-lurked they comment again.

In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.

Across

1a Play, since it gives solver pleasure (2,3,4,2)

AS YOU LIKE IT: a synonym of since/because followed by a three word phrase confirming the solver gives something the ?. The definition is one of the Bard’s comedies.

9a Fish doctor freed from frozen area (4)

TUNA: remove (freed from) an abbreviation for doctor from the term for an area of the Arctic where the subsoil is permanently frozen.

10a Conservative area MP, Etonian, trained as a submariner (7,4)

CAPTAIN NEMO: the single letter for Conservative & for Area + an anagram (trained) of MP ETONIAN gives you a fictional character played by James Mason in the Disney adaptation of the Jules Verne’s science fiction adventure novel.

11a Heads of African states invest across the continent (4)

ASIA: an acrostic (heads of).

14a The Spanish back in Bilbao – clever – enunciate clearly (7)

ELOCUTE: the singular definite article in Spanish with a masculine noun + the last letter (back in) of BilbaO followed by an informal synonym for clever/cunning.

or alternatively

16a American fake news boss embarrassed (7)

ASHAMED: American + a synonym for fake + the usual abbreviation for the newspaper boss.

17a Like an egg? Zero purchase tax, European (5)

OVATE: link the letter that represents zero with the UK acronym for purchase tax & European.

18a Sudden impulse has Patty getting undressed (4)

URGE:  ignore the deliberately misleading capitalisation – patty here is a flattened portion of ground meat. Remove (getting undressed) the outer letters from a more commonly used word for it.

19a 20 Across is dull and boring, by the sound of it (4)

SLOE: small darkish purple 20a of the blackthorn bush that can make a boozy tipple – a homophone (by the sound of it) of a synonym for dull & boring/pedestrian. Any excuse to play JB’s encore favourite – this acoustic rendition best captures the despair of Tim Curry’s brilliant profanity laden original.

 

20a Healthy after eating starters of ripe unwaxed oranges? (5)

FRUIT: place a synonym for healthy/in good shape around (eating) the initial letters (starters) of Ripe & Unwaxed.

22a Lock securing letter boxes (7)

RINGLET: hidden (boxes).

23a Lasting for ages, which can be deplorable (7)

CHRONIC: not sure but I’ll plump for a double definition – the former a description of a condition of persisting or constantly recurring illness & the latter in the context of appalling/dreadful.

24a Mild tempered maiden: “a mouse!” (4)

MEEK: the cricket abbreviation for an over that yields no runs + an onomatopoeic exclamation of horror or surprise.

28a Outlaw killed, hit by rebels (5,3,3)

BILLY THE KID: an anagram (rebels) – KILLED HIT BY.

29a Welsh chap’s electronic commercial vehicle (4)

EVAN: the single letter for Electronic + a commercial road vehicle primarily used for transporting goods.

30a Classic novel one wouldn’t associate with Amazon? (6,5)

LITTLE WOMEN: the title of a much loved  & many times filmed literary classic contrasts (wouldn’t associate) to the stature of mythical warrior females from Greek mythology.

 

Down

2d Bogus, rubbish actor succeeded at first (4)

SHAM: the derogatory term for an actor who overacts/gives a poor performance preceded by the single letter for Succeeded. Bit of a shame the answer has already featured in 16a.

3d Curse when reluctant to go topless (4)

OATH: remove the 1st letter (go topless) from an adjectival synonym for reluctant.

4d Barely moving at sea – fibbing as well, by the sound of it (5,2)

LYING TO: telling porkies or being economical with the actualite (Alan Clark admission about his answers to parliamentary questions) + a homophone (well 1 letter shy really) of an adverb synonym for as well. I was only vaguely familiar with the nautical term – it’s a manoeuvre to position a vessel in heavy weather that minimises forward motion to help maintain control & stability, achieved by adjusting rudder & sails to counteract wind & waves.

5d Clark County? (4)

KENT: nowt to do with Nevada’s most populous county where Las Vegas is but rather the southeastern county known as the garden of England. It’s also the surname of a certain superhero whose first name was Clark.

6d Gently boils headless English duck (7)

IMMERSE: take off the 1st letter (headless) from a verb for boils gently then append the single letter for English.

7d BA’s lounge? My poor kids were filmed causing mayhem in it! (5,6)

BUGSY MALONE: an anagram (poor) of BA’S LOUNGE MY. The definition refers to the entire cast being children in Alan Parker’s terrific directorial debut. Cracking clue.

8d Maybe Evelyn with segment on the radio for epic novel (3,3,5)

WAR AND PEACE: two separate homophones (on the radio) split by a synonym for with. The first is of the surname for Evelyn, writer of 2 of my favourite novels in Brideshead Revisited & A Handful of Dust, and the second of a synonym for segment. Such is the length of the weighty tome it gave rise to an idiom. Never read it but watched the BBC adaptation.

12d When touring Birmingham Lee – a bum – changed into a dandy (4,7)

BEAU BRUMMEL: place an anagram (changed) of LEE A BUM around (when touring) the informal abbreviation for Birmingham referenced at 25a in the setter’s Quick puzzle. The dandy in question is the nickname (real first names George Bryan) for a fella who was considered an arbiter of fashion in the Regency period.

13d Legendary character Olaf Germany booted out? (6,2,3)

MORGAN LE FAY: an anagram (booted out) – OLAF GERMANY. The character is an enchantress from Arthurian legend.

15a Tennis player always tense (5)

EVERT: a synonym for always + Tense. A multiple grand slam winner & principal rival of Martina Navratilova.

16d Stripped crossed laths in uppermost room (5)

ATTIC: remove the outer letters (stripped) from a noun that could be a network of crossed laths.

20d Famous director collapsed at home on island (7)

FELLINI: a past tense verb synonym for collapsed + the usual for at home & the single letter for Island. With the possible exception of Ingmar Bergman mainland Europe’s most influential filmmaker.

21a Area of hospital that sees plenty of drama? (7)

THEATRE: the wordplay references thespian drama on stage in a playhouse. As the room where life threatening operations take place the drama is of another kind entirely.

25d Monotonous Liberal article found in newspaper (4)

FLAT: insert Liberal & Article (single letter abbreviations) between (found in) the two letter abbreviation for the pink paper.

26d Large sense of self? It’s part of many people’s childhood (4)

LEGO: Large + the term for a sense of self. Perhaps the fact that I didn’t play with either  it or with Meccano as a kid accounts for my utter ineptitude when it comes to anything remotely practical – disasters trying to assemble things from Ikea in years gone by ensure I get someone who knows what they’re doing.

27d Loud rage, passion (4)

FIRE: the musical letter for loud/Forte + a synonym for rage.

 

7d was my clear favourite today with podium places for 18&30a. Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes. For any not familiar with the film this clip gives you a flavour

 

Today’s Quick crossword pun: SLY + DROOL = SLIDE RULE

 

86 comments on “DT 30987”

  1. A lovely guzzle for a Thursday I thought. My only real hold up was in the Southeast where I couldn’t fathom out the outlaw at 28a nor the novel at 30a. Things sorted themselves out when I discovered I had entered the answer to 26d into 25d. To compound the issue, I placed the answer to 27d in 26d. A steady solve with my COTD being the epic novel at 8d.

    Thank you, setter for the Thursday fun. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

  2. Quite a few 4 letter words, but nothing too taxing today.
    I always though 12d had an addictional L at the end.
    Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

      1. .. I was posting to comment on 12d too .. I think we’ve been 4d here. Incidentally, as a mariner of many years I did enjoy Huntsman’s description of 4d. However, lying to doesn’t necessary mean heavy weather .. you can lie to a tide for example. Hove to means you’re in the thick of it! 19a my cotd as I’m been trying to cultivate two blackthorn shurbs to produce the evasive little purple blighters!

        1. They grow wild in the hedgerows in rural Oxfordshire ans sre gathered to produce Purple Blighter Gin and Purple Blighter Whisky. My son and his wife produce some of this for Christmas but you have to time it right. After the first frost but before the other Purple Blighter Pickers arrive!

          1. No need to wait for a frost, pick ’em when they’re ripe and stick ’em in the freezer. Job done. ????

      2. Great puzzle. A lot of gk needed. Quite a few longer clues with multiple words wish I always enjoy.

        Thanks all

    3. I’m not so sure about 12d now!
      The same confusion appeared back in Feb 2024, puzzle 30527 reviewed by Rahmat Ali…

  3. I thought tricky today at ***/*** but with some interesting clues. I thought the literary clues in 1a and 30a excellent with the latter my COTD. Never heard of 13d but managed to guess it correctly once all the cross checkers were in. Hardest for a while. Thanks Huntsman and the setter.

  4. Very jolly. 24a’s “a mouse!” is superb and 7d reads brilliantly. Clued with feeling and experience, one suspects! Best thanks to setter and Huntsman.

  5. The clues covered a wide range of General Knowledge topics, including literature, cinema and historical figures and I enjoyed this guzzle immensely. 7d and 12d were delightfully cunning anagrams but my COTD was the homophone combination at 8d. Thanks ro the compiler and to Huntsmaan for tthe hints.

  6. Reasonably tricky in places, not helped by an incorrect spelling for 12d, unless I’m missing something in the clue? I liked the fish doctor in 9a, but my podium comprises 24a, 30a and the homophonic 8d in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Huntsman.

  7. With Beam on Toughie duty, first thoughts was this would be a Mr Smooth production but I am in agreement with our blogger that that is probably not the case. In any event, even with the double unches which I didn’t notice until I had almost finished, a ‘mild’ and enjoyable Thursday challenge – **/****.

    Candidates for favourite – 9a, 20a, 30a, and 26d – and the winner is 26d.

    Thanks to whomsoever and Huntsman.

  8. Very enjoyable for me today.
    Held up by 22a until I remembered the advice given on here several years ago….”if all else fails, look for a lurker”….doh!
    Favourite 30a.
    Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

    Overcast here, but not raining…..Will I, won’t I with the washing?

    1. Good advice. Worth remembering. I’m really annoyed because it was my last one in and not actually lurking in total darkness.

  9. This was spot on for a Thursday with some lovely GK which is always welcome.

    I was hoping for a Lego clue for 26d, i.e made up of three pieces or even four (without using an acrostic). It is ironic, for cruciverbalists, that lego is a short word, very much like ‘abbreviation’ being a long one.

    My pody picks are 24a (love ‘a mouse!’), 30a and 7d. I was going to have 12d as one of them but had to take the medal back due to the misspell, unless the setter and those at Telegraph Towers are ahead of us.

    MT to the setter and Hoots!

    3*/4*

  10. Another very accessible and enjoyable romp through crosswordland with 7d the outstanding clue this morning. An honourable mention, too, for 8d.

    Thanks to our setter for a fun challenge, and to The Hintsman.

  11. I thought this was an excellent puzzle on an unusual grid and with a bit more GK than usual, although at the accessible end of the spectrum. Having said that, I’d forgotten all about my LOI at 13d, despite having spent many hours in my youth admiring the Pre-Raphaelites in Birmingham’s art gallery. Too many great clues to easily pick winners but the four around the edges were all very good (and contained another Birmingham reference) while the surface read at 7d was of the highest order. Thanks very much to the setter and to Huntsman for the weekly dose of the Dan.

  12. Not often we come across a misspelling in a solution but I agree with Jezza about 12d. I’ve tried goggling the answer with one L but everything diverts to the spelling with two.
    Surprised this wasn’t picked up before publication.
    Decent enough otherwise, my COTD concerns Patty the striptease artist in 18a.
    Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

    1. Just laughed at myself for pointing out a misspelling and inserting goggling instead of googling.
      In my defence, I think the predictive spelling facility corrected my original. (It just did it again, but I spotted it this time).
      Still my fault for not checking.
      I don’t like the way it can autocorrect without the author’s approval.
      A bit ‘Big Brother’ and could cause serious misrepresentational issues.

  14. Thanks for the blog, dear Huntsman, and thanks to those who have left a comment.
    I’m very sorry for the error in the grid entry BEAU BRUMMEL. Oddly enough, I watched an old John Barrymore film not that long ago which had the same spelling and I should obviously have checked it before submitting the puzzle. Poor effort on my part.
    Best wishes to all, Rob/Hudson

    1. Thanks for popping in Rob. Wouldn’t have pegged this one as one of yours but 7d should have put you in the frame. Didn’t even notice the missing L so shows you what I know.

    2. Thank you for a great puzzle, Rob. As for the extra “L”, even the editor didn’t spot it. 😊👍

  15. Plenty of GK but all very fair – an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    Pity about 12d. I liked the topical 16a as well as 24a, 30a and 26d.

  16. A delightful Thursday puzzle which I thoroughly enjoyed- please step in to take a bow, Mr setter.
    Top clues for me were 1,24&30a plus 8&26d.

    Thanks to our setter for the fun and to Huntsman for the review – loved the clip from My Fair Lady.

  17. Enjoyed this, a good mid-week puzzle. Honours to 30a, 4d & 8d. And to Huntsman for the review and some excellent music choices!

    Many thanks to the setter.

  18. This was a great puzzle despite the 12d hiccup. 13d was new to me but gettable from the cluing.

    Top picks for me were 24a, 30a, 7d and 8d.

    Thanks to Huntsman and Hudson.

  19. Nice puzzle. 16d a little bit tricky. 8d definitely COTD. Definitely a literary slant today.

    1. This is the sixth different alias you’ve used. Please remember that every time you dream up a new alias someone has to rescue you from moderation.

      1. I guess that should be me dealing with comments going into moderation on my blog but I don’t really know what I’m doing & perfectly happy for it to remain that way ????

      2. Hopefully that’s a sufficiently large reason to convince Fionn McCool — a Giant Cause Sway, if you will …

  20. Thanks, Hudson. I enjoyed the literary references, and I’ve learnt the 4d boating phrase (though I’m still not accepting that ‘to’ has a long O sound in it!). My top few are 18a (“Patty”), 8d (“Evelyn with segment”), and 26d (“many people’s childhood”).

    And thank you Huntsman for some hinting and confirmations, particularly 13d.

  21. 2*/3.5* Just right for a Thursday, got 22a without realising it was a lurker. Favourites 7d gangster kids, 8d epic novel and 10a submariner
    Thanks to Hudson and Huntsman

  22. 2*/3.5* Just right for a Thursday, plenty of quirky clues with a literary feel.
    Favourites 10a submariner, 7d gangster kids and 8d epic novel
    Thanks to Hudson and Huntsman

  23. Haven’t looked at today’s cryptic yet but Beam’s (Ray T) toughie is very enjoyable and quite approachable. I’m not a regular toughie solver, so worth a look.

  24. I enjoyed the non-general knowledge clues immensely, with the mild mouse taking top spot. However, not being much of a film buff, and taking ages to think of classic books I struggled with most of the GK clues. Thanks to the two Hs for the puzzle and the hints.

  25. For this non-RayT Thursday puzzle, I knew I was in for trouble the moment it was printed. Overall not my cuppa, even more so than Wednesday’s puzzle. Only 8 clues/answers I liked in the whole grid with numerous parsing issues except for the eight I managed.
    And, I too, thought way to much general knowledge for a cryptic puzzle, but that is just me
    4*/2*

    Favourites 21d & 26d

    Thanks Hudson & Huntsman

  26. Agree with Huntsman regarding 7d as best clue with strong rivals to choose from. Thank you Hudson and did not notice the missing L!

  27. Enjoyed this and I am sure our dear departed American puzzler would have done too. 30a way ahead as Clue of the Day. My thanks to Hudson and Huntsman for entertaining me at lunchtime.

  28. Everything fell into place beautifully and I was heading for a record time feeling cocky. Then I attacked 7 down. 15 mins later I resorted to the master and felt humbled. Is this the first time Bugsy Malone has featured in a crossword?

    1. No idea Bill – Falcon is your man for that.
      Bugsy Malone is, of course, a fictional creation but there’s another very underrated Barry Levinson film called Bugsy starring Warren Beatty & Annette Bening about Benjamin Bugsy Siegel, a real life hood whose vision created Vegas – the Moe Greene character in Godfather II is based on him. Worth catching if that sort of thing is your bag.

    2. “Film policeman saving good man holding on (5,6)” in DT Cryptic 29097 is the only previous appearance I could find.

  29. Found this quite tricky. I’ll join the missing ‘L’ brigade and thanks to Hudson for confirming! Needed the hints for 22a, 23a and 24a and so annoyed even after getting the lock at 22a, I couldn’t parse it and hadn’t spotted it was a lurker!!! For once, the 4 letter clues were mostly benign. Enjoyable fare, whatever.

    Thanks to Hudson and Huntsman

  30. Another near miss, being defeated by 13d, although I had identified the clue as an anagram. Just something I was not familiar with so had to resort to some outside reference. A pity because it was going so well with about 85% of the grid solved in record time. That’s life I suppose.
    COTD for me, 30a and 7d take top spot.
    As always, thank you to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.

  32. Beau Brummell is spelt with 2L‘s not one
    This is the first time I have written this please note

    1. Thanks for that Bozo though if you read through earlier comments you’ll see it’s been addressed in some detail & Smylers helpfully reproduced some research undertaken by Rahmat Ali that gives context to the single L. What did you think of the puzzle otherwise?

  33. My apologies if I hit the button twice
    Once for each L at the end of Beau Brummell

  34. Thank you Huntsman and Husdon. We enjoyed the literary theme. Have been to the local beach this morning and roasted! Our COTD 8d. On the the whole a very pleasant puzzle, a tad easier than most Thursdays. Gary and Val.

  35. Found most of this puzzle quite straight forward so many anagrams most of which were well known and answerable, but 13d!! Favourites were 9, 20 & 30 across ????Thanks to the Huntsman for much unravelling and to the unknown compiler PS have not read comments yet!

    1. Welcome back, Brian. A lot of people missed your presence on the blog and expressed concern over your absence.

  37. 3*/5*. This puzzle was a shining light on yet another wasted cricket day for me! I set off early, we played half a game and the heavens opened. Match abandoned! Excellent tea though!

    I thought I was going to finish in under my 2* time but the last few clues took me up to 3*. The whole thing was a joy to solve and fortunately I had no idea how to spell Beau Brummell so the correct number of Ls passed me by.

    8d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Hudson and to Hintsman.

  38. An interesting and entertaining puzzle today rather stretching my GK! 7d was my favourite as it was so well constructed.

    Many thanks to Hudson and to Huntsman for the hints

  39. I hated it! So many films, people, just a struggle with 7d causing a dnf. I can’t do pub quizzes either. Thanks for the hints. On the other hand, a mythical arrived in the post yesterday so all is not lost.

    1. I hope they sent the correct ink cartridges Jenny.
      I almost ruined a fountain pen I won some years ago by trying to make the wrong ones they sent fit!

  40. Lovely puzzle. I particularly liked the ones round the edges, but for COTD it has to be ‘fibbing as well by the sound of it’.

    VMT Rob & Huntsman

  41. Unfortunately, I went for “scam” in 2d as I was thinking of poor actors in cams, not that that affected matters elsewhere (and I was only one letter wrong). Never heard of 12d but knew it had to be an anagram of a real person from years ago (given when “dandy” was used) so found it on line (with two els). Could not solve 14a as my mind kept saying “elucidate”, which doesn’t work. Also, could not solve 22a as forgot the rule about looking for a lurker and never heard of 13d – and couldn’t solve it as I didn’t have the checkers from the surrounding clues described above. Solved all the other clues mind and with hindsight some of those were more difficult than the 3 (or 5, depending on your point of view) that I couldn’t do. COTD 7d for its construction and surface. Thanks to Hudson and Huntsman ( who sound like they should go on stage!) ***/***

  42. Only one unknown today, 13d, which I’m happy with, it’s when there’s 5 or 6 it gets a bit tiresome. Anyway I’d decided it was an anagram and guessed the first name and with both checkers in place it didn’t take much working out. I didn’t know how to spell 12d so I put the answer in and moved on. Favourite was 8d. Thanks to Hudson and Huntsman.

  43. An excellent puzzle overall, so thanks to Hudson. Fascinating stuff on the 12d spelling. Last on in was 19a, where I was rather literally phonetic in my speed. In addition to 7d, I very much like 30a, and the surfaces of 16a and 25d.
    Thanks to Huntsman for the Blog, too

  44. An interesting puzzle today what with the books and fictional characters etc but got there in the end, and a few names were lurking in the crevices of mind that came to the fore – like Beau Brummel, which I wasn’t aware I even knew, I’m always impressed by a theme , as surely just setting a puzzle in itself must be difficult without having to make connections ? Well done to Hudson and to Huntsman. I’d not heard of Hudson before.

    1. If you enjoyed this one you ought to have a stab at his Toughie yesterday. Sue rightly gave it the full 5* for enjoyment & it wasn’t unduly difficult & not much GK

  45. Thanks for enjoyable puzzle, Hudson especially liked 1a and 8d. Managed most clues before looking at hints but as always found them helpful to explain some of the parsing- thanks Huntsman . Still can’t work out what “duck” is doing in 7d – can anyone enlighten me please?

    1. Do you mean 6d Tyro? If so it’s the definition – as in submerge as opposed to a quacker.

  46. I have been a lurker for a very long time, recently because I have had a stroke and been in rehab, but although I am 91 I have made a reasonable recovery, and can still cope with DT cryptics. My thanks today to setter and Huntsman, and indeed to all those who undertake these tasks every day.
    I notice today that another long-time lurker, Brian, has made a comment and I hope that we shall see more of him again in the future.

    ToniHaHa

    1. Welcome to the blog Toni and thank you for delurking. I hope that when I reach your age I will have the same positive attitude and will still be doing the DT cryptics. Please continue to comment.

  47. 12d No ‘l’? And only 5 months until Christmas, maybe our setter’s thinking ahead.

  48. Add my name to those who thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
    I have many ticks on my printout. Top of my list are 1a, 24a (which made me chuckle), 30a and 8d.
    Many thanks to Hudson for a delightful cryptic and to Huntsman for the richly illustrated review.

  49. 3*/5* …
    liked 8D ” Maybe Evelyn with segment on the radio for epic novel (3,3,5)” … amongst others.

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