DT 30990 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30990

by Smylers  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30990

Hints and tips by Smylers

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

Welcome to Monday and today’s cryptic crossword, one of those with long answers around all the sides, which can lead to solvers experiencing quite different overall solving times based on how many of the long ones they get straight away. (Zero in my case; I needed crossing letters for all of them.) Hints for and explanations of answers are below. Do leave a comment, especially if you haven’t commented before. Don’t worry about it being ‘too late’: many of us often do the crossword later in the day, and all comments get read no matter what time (or even day) they are made.

Did anybody else see Friday’s episode of Countdown? If you haven’t, it’s recommended for two reasons: it was a particularly good episode, with two fantastic players of the game, and one of those players was a Telegraph crossword setter.

Colin Thomas has been setting Telegraph Toughies under the name Prime since last year, and also usually sets Cross Atlantic puzzles on Fridays, which generally have some kind of twist and are often my favourite Cross Atlantics of the week. Though he mentions on Countdown as having recently started as an assistant crossword editor at The Times, so perhaps we’ll be seeing less of his work in The Telegraph now?

Anyway, congratulations to Colin on his Countdown performance, and if you’re somebody who doesn’t regularly watch the programme, Friday’s episode is worth catching up on.

Across

1a Corrupt bets incriminate senior politician (7,8)
CABINET MINISTER: Corrupt the spelling of the following words to get the answer.

9a Send away to the country the reportedly out of practice Ms Blanchett (9)
RUSTICATE: This is a new word to me — thank you to the setter for expanding my vocabulary. Fortunately the first two syllables are well known as an adjective, so it’s easy to see how this word works. Imagine hearing the word somebody could use to describe being out of practice at something, and follow with the first name of the famous Ms Blanchett.

10a Sound of free and open currency (5)
FRANC: Another homophone: a word meaning ‘free and open’ sounds like the name of a currency — one still used in multiple countries, though its been replaced in the country that started it.

11a Idle answer coming after a minute in The States (7)
AMERICA: ‘Idle’ here has a capital letter. I mean, of course it does: it’s at the start of the clue. But that disguises that it’s the name Idle and so needs to be capitalized anyway. We need the first name of the famous person called Idle and the abbreviation for ‘answer’. Those both go after the A from the clue and an abbreviation for ‘minute’.

12a 6 seconds cycling race? Plenty of guts (7)
VISCERA: Start with the Roman numerals for 6 and the abbreviation for seconds. Then cycle the letters of ‘race’, by chopping a letter off one end, sticking it on the other, and shuffling the rest along a position. Keep cycling till you get the answer.

13a Periodically fierce anger (3)
IRE: Use letters from ‘fierce’ with a fixed period between them. Given it’s a 6-letter word and we need 3 letters for the answer, that has to mean alternating letters.

14a One flies straight into the middle of Hull (7)
KESTREL: This is nothing to do with Kingston upon Hull. Nor does ‘middle of Hull’ indicate the letters ‘ul’, but instead a part of a boat that’s found in the middle of its hull. Into that insert the abbreviation for ‘straight’, to get the name of something that flies. Thank you to Falcon for assistance with this.

a bird of prey flying in the sky, presumably the answer to this clue
Pic credit: Travis Leery

17a Cut away pictures Cinderella is saving (7)
RESCIND: The answer is being saved by earlier words in the clue, in the sense that it’s lurking among them.

19a Old, upper-class couple last seen in bar before noon, looking the worse for wear (7)
OUTWORN: This is one of those clues where if you just do what it says, however unlikely, the answer appears. Enter in order: the abbreviation for ‘old’; the single letter indicating something is acceptable to the upper-classes; another word for ‘couple’ — given how few letters are left and how many components there are, it needs to be a short one; the last letter seen in ‘bar’; and the letter indicating ‘noon’.

22a President Hoover initially claiming international victory (7)
TRIUMPH: Start with the name of a president. Append the initial letter of ‘Hoover’, and make the whole lot claim the letter which stands for ‘international’ somewhere in the middle of it.

Chloe Kelly celebrating scoreing the winning penalty yesterday

24a Display first-class runs (3)
AIR: ‘First-class’ here is a letter and a digit which together indicate something of the highest quality; except of course being a crossword, we need to convert the digit to a letter. Follow with the abbreviation for ‘runs’ in cricket.

25a Burning smell surrounding one metallic element (7)
LITHIUM: This doesn’t feature a burning smell, but separate words for ‘burning’ (as in, set on fire) and ‘smell’ (an unpleasant one). The smell surrounds the Roman numeral for one. If you’re stuck, the answer is mentioned in this song:

RIP Tom Lehrer, who died on Saturday, age 97. Do keep watching the video after the end of the song for Lehrer performing a bonus earlier version. And thank you to today’s mystery setter (neither X-Type nor Twmbarlwm, who’ve both commented below) for including a chemical element in the crossword; I was hoping to be able to use this song today as a tribute, so was pleased to find a clue where it fitted.

26a Most luvvyish party/fiesta without any limits (7)
ARTIEST: Remove the ‘limits’, that is the first and last letters, from each of the preceding words.

28a Doctor starts to administer morphine at work in theatre (5)
DRAMA: After one of the abbreviations for ‘doctor’, enter the starting letters of the next 3 words.

29a Maestro composing cantos in Italy (9)
TOSCANINI: Compose ‘cantos’ so its letters are in a different order, and follow with ‘in’ from the clue and the car-sticker abbreviation for Italy.

The title of the video is a spoiler, so to see (and hear) it, you need to Hide it again.

30a Grandad seen in TV broadcast that covers the late news (7,8)

EVENING STANDARD: Broadcast the letters of the preceding words in the clue, scattering their letters around. The definition is of something that used to cover late news by appearing later in the day than other outlets. Crosswords are usually set well in advance, sometimes over a year before publication, so this clue may have been written before last September, when the answer changed its name and became weekly, and is no longer ‘late’.

Down

1d It stimulated Cornwall geek Dan (6,9)
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE: It’s hard to spot the definition in this one. Stimulate the succeeding words to make their letters spell something … and then realize how the definition works! And please do comment if you know (or even are) a geek called Dan who lives in Cornwall — with the thousands of readers every day on this site, there surely must be one!

2d Lubricate one’s joints? (5)
BASTE: This is a cryptic definition, where ‘one’s joints’ refers not to your elbow or knees but to a Sunday roast.

3d More rowdy number one son? That is right (7)
NOISIER: Enter in order: the abbreviation for ‘number’; the Roman numeral that indicates ‘one’; the letter that indicates ‘son’; the Latin abbreviation meaning ‘that is’; and the letter that indicates ‘right’ (as opposed to left).

4d Hiking path takes very advanced, hard work (7)
TRAVAIL: Into a word for a hiking path insert the letters indicating ‘very’ and ‘advanced’.

5d EC1 to develop frost? (3,4)
ICE OVER: For the fourth time in this crossword, convert 1 to a letter. That gives you a group of 3 letters. Develop those into a word by doing something to them. The word you end up with becomes the first word of the answer; what you did to them is the second word. The operation is symmetric, meaning the entire answer can be interpreted as cryptic wordplay that leads to ‘EC1’.

6d Disturbs fitness training (7)
INFESTS: Disturb the letters of ‘fitness’ to spell out another word. Then realize that that doesn’t mean ‘training’, and decide that what you’ve actually done is train the letters of ‘fitness’ to spell out a word meaning ‘disturbs’.

7d Corporation accepting a prize for fiddling figure (9)
TRAPEZIUM: The figure here is a shape. The outside of the answer is the usual ‘corporation’. Inside that fiddle with the letters in ‘a prize’.

8d He had a hunch he’d buy a very expensive horse (7,3,5)
RICHARD THE THIRD: This is a cryptic definition of somebody who both had a hunch and was prepared to pay almost anything to get a horse.

Again, the title of the music gives away the answer, so to see (and hear) it, you need to Hide it again.

15d Made comfortable, compile a conundrum with no conclusion (3,2,4)
SET AT EASE: Enter in order: a word meaning to compile something, such as a crossword; the A from the clue; and another word for a conundrum or puzzle, without is concluding letter.

16d Facial growth trimmed at the edges, one hears (3)
EAR: ‘One hears’ isn’t a homophone indicator here. Think of a word for something that grows on faces and trim off both of its edge letters. We need a 3-letter answer, so simple arithmetic will tell you how long the word you need to think of is.

18d Stray English bishop (3)
ERR: Take care not to be lured by likely-looking crossing letters an accidentally write this answer in the previous clue’s boxes, or vice-versa! It’s the abbreviation for English followed by one of the usual abbreviations for a Bishop.

20d Boris uncovered good mate in Paris working with paper (7)
ORIGAMI: Uncover Boris by removing his first and last letters. Follow with the abbreviation for ‘good’ and the word somebody from Paris would use for ‘mate’ — specifically a male friend (because a female friend would have a different ending).

21d ID Spooner’s broken mustang? (4,3)
NAME TAG: The only meaning of ‘Mustang’ I knew was the model of car, as featured in the song below, but here it’s lower-case and a type of horse. As such ‘broken’ here doesn’t mean ‘damaged’ — and isn’t an anagram indicator — but ‘broken in’. Then the broken-in horse is a Spoonerism for the answer.

Useless trivia: The lyrics to this song, written in the 60s, mention the name of the first American woman in space, in the 80s, albeit accidentally.

22d Van Morrison’s finale singular in quality (7)
TRANSIT: ‘Mustang’ wasn’t a vehicle model in the previous clue, but there is one in here. The letter providing the finale of ‘Morrison’ and the single-letter for ‘singular’ go inside a word meaning ‘quality’.

a toy Morrisons van
(The perfect gift for the Van Morrison fan in your life.)

23d Popular singer Shania separated (2,5)
IN TWAIN: If you’ve heard of a famous person with the distinctive first name Shania then on reading this clue, her surname probably came immediately to mind; that needs preceding with the usual word for ‘popular’. If ‘Shania’ doesn’t mean anything to do, then presumably this clue don’t impress you much.

27d Argentine woman inevitably placed under arrest (5)
EVITA: The answer is being held somewhere in the middle of ‘inevitably’.

Quickie Pun

In today’s Quick Crossword the first 3 clues are italicized, indicating that their answers when read aloud together can be made to sound like another word or phrase; if you want to check, here are the answers and pun:

SUTTEE + HANS + WEEP = SOOTY AND SWEEP
the puppet characters, with Sooty pulling Sweep's ear

The first word was unknown to me, and it really isn’t pleasant.

Recent Reading

cover of the book, featuring the title in red against a warm yellow background, and a table with a pile of books and a dagger stuck through them By the time A Novel Murder by EC Nevin appeared as a library reservation ready to collect, I could no longer remember where I’d heard of this book or who recommended it to me. (Do comment if it was you!)

If you like cosy crime books, you’ll probably like this one. It’s set at a crime-fiction festival, similar to the annual event in Harrogate (but in this case set somewhere near The Lake District), and has a similar overall feel to Robert Thorogood’s Marlow series. It’s well-written in an unobtrusive sort of way — no trying-too-hard, showing off vocabulary, clunky sentences, or anything else which can be offputting.

But also, if you like cosy crime books, there are plenty of them about these days. There wasn’t anything in particular in this one which would make me recommend it over others. I’d happily read another by the author, but I wouldn’t be eagerly awaiting its publication, keen to read it as soon as possible, in the way that I would with new mysteries from some authors.

83 comments on “DT 30990”

  1. The long peripherals were a nice way in to the crossword and provided a good framework for a very steady solve. 8d made me laugh and was my COTD, closely followed by the Spoonerism at 21d. Great start to the week.

    Thanks to our Monday setter and Smylers.

  2. What an excellent crossword.

    It had everything including four 3 letter answers that I always enjoy which is odd as I loathe 4 letter ones. I challenged myself to solve the four biggies and smallies without any checkers. I got 7 out of 8 in a heartbeat though I thought ‘obituary” was going to be part of 30a but couldn’t get 1d over the line – a great clue.

    I like that 16d was also a lurker and ‘placed under arrest’ is a nice container indicator.

    My podium is 8d, 20d and the truly brilliant 22d (Van Morrison – genius!)

    MT to X-Type (?) and Smylers.

    2*/5*

  3. A perfect Monday crossword. My favourite has to be the brilliant 8d

    Thanks to the setter and Smylers

  4. I made a slow start with my first coffe, thinking is this Monday? A bracing hike and a second cuppa must have delivered a bit more oxygen to the brain because it all fell into place. Smylers, you anticipated the traps I fell into ( hull, homophone), leaving 14a & 16d unparsed.
    I loved 8d and I really wanted the late news to be an obituary column.
    Many thanks Smylers and the setter.

  5. A very enjoyable start to a week, or is it a month, of celebrations of the centenary of DT crosswords – 2.5*/4*

    Candidates for favourite – 9a, 25a, 2d, 8d, and 22d – and the winner is 8d!

    Thanks to, presumably, X-Type, or whomsoever if it is not he, and to Smylers.

  6. A most enjoyable start to the week – thanks to our setter and Smylers.
    I ticked 26a, 2d and 22d with my favourite being the brilliant 8d.

  7. What a great guzzle this was. It mangled my brain in places but the effort was well worth it.

    Top picks for me were 11a, 25a, 7d, 8d, 2d and 22d.

    Thanks to Smylers for the well written hints which I read after completion and to the setter.

  8. For some reason I’m not seeing an answer under “Click here” for 19a, just a yellow space.

      1. (I mean that 19a has been fixed. Miscellaneous blogger incompetence has not been fixed and will continue for the foreseeable future.)

  9. What an excellent crossword! The fellow with a hunch at 8d was my favourite from a very strong field with Spooner’s horse at 21d a close second. Thanks very much to Smylers for illustrating the former with my favourite song by my preferred 90s power pop trio from Oxford. And – of course – huge thanks to the setter.

    1. We saw them in Leeds early this year: they performed I Should Coco in full, to mark 30 years since its release, then a sprinkling of other songs, starting with 8d. The band were in good form, and sounded as good as they did in the 90s.

  10. If Monday isn’t Monday any more, Wednesday and Thursday are Fridays, and Saturdays are Sundays, it makes life a struggle for the more casual solver. I struggled on till lunchtime to finish today’s, but I do have other things to do with my life. The toughie was invented for the more ‘serious’ solvers, I imagine.

  11. It’s not me today – after such a long run of Mondays, someone else deserves the credit for today’s back-pager

  12. I enjoyed this a lot. It needed the odd crumpet scratch, but 8d was a gem that caused a lol response. The juxtaposition of 1a and 1d brought to mind Alan Clark and Ugandan relations I think was the phrase, but I digress. Joining 8d in top spot on the podium are 9a and 12a. Thanks to compiler and Smylers.

        1. You’re on a roll, Prawn…or should that be ‘in’?

          Giggling here like a good’un.

      2. Thanks for posting Tom – Ron’s watching badgers & the Eye’s Ugandan discussions two of my favourite.

  13. What a cracker of a puzzle – great surfaces from start to finish. Such an enjoyable solve and after solving went back over the clues just to appreciate the skill of the setter. Masterful stuff.

    I also doff my cap to smylers – who’s hints were as ever equally entertaining. A real treat all round

  14. Looks as though it’s just me swimming against the tide again. There were a few clues that I enjoyed but many others that earned ‘hmms’.
    My shortlist of ticked clues includes 14a plus 8,18&22d.

    Thanks to our setter and to Smylers for the review.

  15. 2*/4*. I enjoyed this and will add my name to the list of those picking 8d as the outstanding clue.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers.

  16. Brilliant puzzle and excellent hints (which I didn’t need, but thoroughly enjoyed reading.) Thanks to setter and Smyler, especially for Tom Lehrer clip and the instruction to watch to the end, had never heard that bit before. I grew up on TL and never tire of hearing him – still relevant today. Actually, that’s given me an idea for the possible solution to the unwanted pigeons in my garden!

  17. The best Monday backpager for quite some time, with the setter dropping names right, left and centre. (I was going to describe it as
    being the ‘names-droppingest’, but I didn’t want Tom to combust this early in the week). Can’t disagree with the stranded monarch in 8d being COTD, I also liked the burning smell in 25a and Van Morrison’s finale in 22d.
    If this puzzle sets the standard for the week, we’re in for a treat.
    My thanks to the setter and Smylers.

    1. Love the ‘combust’ shout, Frankie baby!

      It reminds of the official American sports term ‘winningest’.

      To quote the ledge that is your namesake, Mr Howard…Nay. Nay. Thrice nay.

        1. Autocorrect may be smarter than you think, he was born Francis Alick Howard in York and changed his name to “Howerd” to be different when he tried and failed to get into RADA

  18. An enjoyable guzzle, in which made a start with the second word of the anagram at 1a and the peerless cryptic definition at 8d, which was a chortle-worthy COTD I loved the Lego clues, the figure at 7d and the metallic element at 22a particularly. My last pick was thedocile of theSpoonerism a t21d. Thank you compiler for a guzzle that was not easy bbut very satisfying to complete. Thank you, Smylers, for the hints.

  19. Once again not the usual sort of Monday puzzle we have come to expect in the past … a tad or so trickier again this week. I got three of the perimeter clues to start and then managed the four centre three letter answers. That, I found made working out some of the clues helpful.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites 1a, 9a, 14a, 30a, 21d & 27d — with winner 9a

    Thanks to setter & Smylers

  20. I can never see the 8d answer without thinking of this Ronnie Barker sketch:

    2. ‘I am in a continual George Raft.’

      Sublime.

      Thanks for that.

    3. Brilliant, Gazza! I didn’t see the 8d punchline coming and laughed so hard when it did.

  21. A lovely Start The Week puzzle, witty & clever. The superb 8d gets COTD, with 14a, 22a & 1d the runners-up, but there could have been another two dozen.

    Great blog, Smylers, thank you. Enjoyed the Lehrer clip – I know Michael Gove has always seemed older than his years, but surely that wasn’t him in the audience at 1’53”! ;)

    Many thanks indeed to Twm & Smylers

  22. Was expecting a smooth ride but it proved a little bumpy but enjoyable. Top of my list was the Spoonerism – we have had a few lately and they are growing on me. Probably need to see a doctor. Wait a minute, I’m married to one ! The expensive horse really made for a laugh and the element meant we could remember the great Tom Lehrer. Take my hat off to our setter and thanks to Smylers

  23. I echo the comments on what a great puzzle this is. Thanks to the setter and Smylers. To make a fine point, in 14a I believe the abbreviation is not inserted into the middle of another word for ‘hull’ but rather it is inserted into another word for ‘the middle of hull’.

    1. You’re right. Hint now tweaked. Thank you for the correction. I somehow messed up the parts of boats in a rush to get the blog written before my day job … working for a business that insures yachts. Ooops.

      Also, given the answer to that clue, I do like that it was specifically Falcon who provided the assistance …

  25. So agree with many that this was indeed a brilliant puzzle with some wonderful clues finished without too much head scratching . I was actually lucky with 8d as I got all the checkers in place for the 3 word which made the answer obvious quite quickly. I spent far far too long parsing 11a thinking the definition was ‘Idle’. When the penny dropped it was obvious as always and the Idle reference was a gem. Thanks so much to the setter and Smylers. I’ll now try my luck with the first ever puzzle . I’m assuming it’s going to be hard.

  26. Loved it, especially 8d but I also laughed at the out of practice Miss Blanchette. Oh gosh, aren’t we lucky to have these lovely guzzles to tease and entertain us? Huge thanks to the clever setter and to Smylers for explaining 25a to me.

  27. One of the most fun and enjoyable puzzles in a while, great fun. Several clues made me chuckle, notably 8d my COTD, closely followed by 2d and 11a. Thanks to Smylers for the blog and our setter for the super puzzle.

  28. What a great start to the week.
    Will go with 1d as favourite for the PDM. Was sure it would have something to do with I.T.
    Honourable mention to 9a – new word for me
    2*/5*
    Thanks to all – especially the explanation to 23d – made me laugh anyways

  29. A rare event for me, a complete solution without the need for the hints or any other reference. Made all the more pleasurable in that it was completed sitting by the pool here in sunny Kefalonia, aided by a couple of beers. Stuck on 1d, mainly due to the fact that I miscounted the letters of the first word, as soon as realised my mistake the western half of the grid fell into place.
    No real favourites but 22d made me smile, 8d a nice literary and historical reference.
    Thank you to the setter and to Smylers for the hints, which I will now peruse.

  30. Contrarily I did not find this as much fun as most above. I was naively hoping for a repeat of last Monday, something gentle to lead us into the week. This one had its moments, but there were too many toughie level clues and I need a few hints to finish, so quite low on satisfaction. 1a went straight in which, for me, is strangely an indicator that it will be uphill afterwards. I am probably having an off day, having bombed in Wordle and losing my current 192 day streak. Thanks to setter and Smylers.

  31. Like others, really enjoyed this one today. As has become the norm for a Monday, I get lots of interruptions so picking up and putting down is a pain but it was well worth it.

    My last three in were all really good clues: the misdirection of the ‘middle of Hull’ in 14a, the ‘worse for wear’ at 19a and 15d conundrum.

    Whilst I liked the man with the hunch at 8d, my clue of the day and out in front by a long way was the lost lustre of Ms Blanchett in 9a – a great homophone! (Would that comment have escaped the naughty step on a prize day??)

    Great humour in the blog too, thanks Smylers and Twmbarlwm??? as it’s not X-Type.

  32. This was a bit of a slog for me but I got there in the end, the good doctor at 21d bringing some light relief on the way. Thanks to Smylers, especially for the link to ‘the usual abbreviations’, and the setter.

  33. As so many of you, 8d was my favourite and made me laugh on a Monday morning. Didn’t know the word in 9a but it sounds quite a pleasant reprieve from city life
    Thank you to Smylers for the helpful and too often needed review

  34. I didn’t get on with this as well as last Monday’s, which was just as Mondays used to be. Whatever happened to gentle puzzles starting the week? For me, it was a bit of a slog and not that enjoyable, which puts me at odds with everyone else. The long perimeter clues stymied me. I find anagrams strange. I either “see” them immediately or they don’t click at all. I have no chance with long two word anagrams. I thought some clues would have been better off in a Toughie. While I see the cleverness of 8d I am going for the idle answer at 11a as my COTD.

    Thank you, setter but you bamboozled my brain today. Thank you, Smylers for your usual informative blog and for explanations.

      1. Thanks, BL. I’m so pleased I’m not alone. :rose: (Why don’t emojis work any more?)

  35. As so many of you, 8d was my favourite and gave me a chuckle on a Monday morning
    Didn’t know the word in 9a but it sounds quite
    a pleasant reprieve from city life
    Thank you to Smylers for the much needed hints

  36. An absolute beauty of a puzzle. On any normal day the hilarious 22D would have been my COTD, but 8D belongs with all time classics.

    VMT Setter and Smylers

  37. Thankyou to the Setter and Smlylers for the hints. Val flew through this one, I barely managed to chip in! She likes anagrams! Enjoyable puzzle to start the week. Dinner now in the oven…..Gary and Val.

  38. An entertaining crossword with an even more entertaining blog; I thoroughly enjoyed both so thank you Smylers and Setter. Epic stuff. Very tough for a Monday I do agree; a two glass puzzle which equals around 3 **

  39. I thought this about right for a Monday, I did need to check 9a but fairly clued. I did have to take a deep breath before filling in 2d. Lots of candidates for favourite but like many others I’m going with 8d. Leicester has long claimed him as our own, albeit as his final resting place. I couldn’t believe it when they actually found his body, well done Philippa Gregory. We have two pubs named after him, The Richard the Third and The Last Plantagenet and a road King Richard’s Road. Thanks to the setter and Smylers.

    1. I think you mean Philippa Langley.
      I’ve had more than a few pints of Tiger in the King Richard III, and I’m fairly sure The Last Plantagenet was the first Wetherspoons pub I ever went into.
      My mum was a member of the Richard III Society and we used to eat in cafés and restaurants around St Martin’s and the market when she used to come across to Leicester to visit. She died unexpectedly before Richard III’s remains were discovered. I wish she could have known she’d been sitting less than a longbow shot from where he actually lay.

  40. 1.5*/3.5* what an excellent start to the week, plenty of cracking clues and misdirection.
    Favourites 14a flier, 25a element and the big anagram at 1d
    Thanks to setter and Smylers

  41. Thanks so much…1D got me baffled even though I knew it was an anagram…Once I got that with your help flew through it.
    And yes…8D was a poser so got it with the across clues…thanks..Doug

  42. I finished this much earlier and remember having quite a tussle and not understanding the parsing of a couple eg 14a. I have been out ever since and cannot remember any more except although I thought it was trickier than some weeks I did enjoy it.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers for the hints.

  43. Good evening

    Just finished, during a quiet period at work. My word, what a corkeroonie of a Monday crozzie. Top marks for misdirection in 11a and 14a; and an absolute belter of a COTD in 8d!

    The only answer I had a little trouble with in terms of parsing, was my last to fall, 7d.

    Many thanks to our setter and to Smylers.

  44. Enjoyed this one a lot. Alfiepops thanked Twym – had an inkling it might have been one of his but unsure if he’s in the know. Liked the 4 long peripherals – we had a terrific cinema nearby in Hampstead when I first came down to London in 1979 that put on late night double bills starting at 11pm & remember first seeing 1d in a late night Mike Nicholls double header with Catch-22. Nowadays I see matinee performances as I nod off in the evening. 8d the standout clue for me as well & made all the better for Gazza’s post.
    Thanks to the setter & to Smylers for an excellent review.
    Ps – found the Quick puzzle tricky

    1. I’m with you on only going to matinee performances, Hintsman. I tend to go to bed with a good book at 8pm. Even Hudson is ready for bed by then. The last matinee performance I attended at Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury was “Ghost Stories”. I loved it but not to be recommended for those of a nervous disposition.

      1. We generally prefer matinées as well, though we have had a couple of occasions where the audience contained so many noisy children (or in the case of Shrek, with light-up wands that were being sold in the foyer!) that I’d rather have put up with the late night to avoid the distractions.

        Also, it really irks me that they’re called ‘matinées’ but are in the afternoon …

    1. Thank you also for popping in and eliminating yourself from our enquiries.

      The only other Monday setter we’ve had recently (post-Robyn) has been Chris Lancaster — but he has been continuing Campbell’s practice of a second pun on the bottom row of the quick crossword, which I certainly haven’t been able to find, and I’m kind-of presuming somebody else would have commented with it by now if there were one.

      So that suggests today’s crossword is from somebody new to Mondays. In which case, welcome to the setter, and what a fantastic puzzle to introduce yourself with. Do please comment and let us know who you are!

      1. I suspected the entertaining clues had the stamp of Hudson but wasn’t sure for a Monday. I see on his bluesky account this morning that it was indeed him.

        1. Thank you, Michael R. Great to have that confirmed.

          I’m a big fan of Hudson’s puzzles, so I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise that this wonderful crossword turned out to be one.

          1. Perhaps Jane could go into detail about the “many hmms” she has. It might help Hudson improve as a compiler.

  46. Great puzzle and great blog, thanks to Twm (if he) and thanks to Smylers for the blog and reminder of Tom Lehrer. I have fond memories of listening to his songs in the 60’s and 70’s with Dad. Lobachevsky was a fave along with I got it from Agnes. Nice obit in the Telegraph too.
    8d my runaway favourite today

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