Daily Telegraph Vintage No 23
Hints and Tips by Steve Cowling
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***
The first crossword to be set by Ruth Crisp and quite a crisp one it is too. It took a while to get into it and I’m still not sure of some of the parsing. There has been much discussion on the blog recently regarding anagram indicators and there are a couple of strange ones here. Anyway, enjoy today’s offering and please forgive any errors – I haven’t done this before.
Definitions are underlined and if you are really stuck click on “click here!” to reveal the answer.
Across
1a Making use of one’s time at home (10)
MAISONETTE: An anagram (making use of) of words four, five and six
6a Get moving! (4)
STIR: I think the use of the exclamation mark means this is a word used to get someone to move as in “*** yourself!”
10a A point appropriate for the picket (5)
STAKE: This point is used in a type of fence
11a People asking questions of pitmen following cut-back (9)
EXAMINERS: People who go down pits after a word to cut is reversed
12a The instructor’s sister dealt with in writing (8)
MISTRESS: An anagram (dealt with) of “sister” in the abbreviation for a document gives a teacher (not a paramour)
13a Stop hundreds with some expertise (5)
DWELL: A letter indicating five hundred followed by a word meaning with some expertise gives a word meaning to live somewhere.
15a About to strike, a worker is insistent (7)
CLAMANT: A single letter meaning about, a three-letter word to strike followed by one of the usual workers gives a word for insistent. I had to check the BRB to see if the single letter did mean “about” and it does.
17a Area of military activity where the Territorials retreat before regular soldiers (7)
THEATRE: “The” from the clue, the abbreviation for the reserve army reversed (retreat) followed by the abbreviation for a group responsible for the command and control of military operations and personnel.
19a Nice tax arrangement – but it’s not right (7)
INEXACT: An anagram (arrangement) of the first two words
21a Well-qualified man and boy in charge of the stonework (7)
MASONIC: The abbreviation for a higher qualification in the arts, a three-letter word for boy followed by the abbreviation for in charge.
22a Retired doctors exercise here (5)
EPSOM: The abbreviations for doctors and exercise reversed give the name of a town in Surrey
29a Place for a story – not at all vulgar (4)
LIEU: A three-letter word for a story, usually false, followed by a letter used to define the upper, not common, class
30a Dogs recovering (10)
RETRIEVERS: A breed of dog that recover things
Down
1d A large number refuse crush (4)
MASH: The Roman numeral for a large number followed by rubbish (refuse) left after a fire
2d Spiritless for a time in an upheaval (9)
INANIMATE: An anagram (upheaval) of “a time in an”
3d Round and green and clear (5)
OVERT: The usual round letter followed by a four-letter word meaning green
4d Quarter people in rented section (7)
ELEMENT: A compass point (quarter) followed by some people inside a three-letter word meaning to rent out
5d Tidy up – start in the passage (7)
TRANSIT: An anagram (tidy up) of the third and fourth words
7d A topic for discussion in depth: emergent nations (5)
THEME: A lurker
8d Flexibility is shown about one put inside still (10)
RESILIENCE: The usual two letters for about followed by a word meaning still, as in quiet, containing the letter Sir Humphrey described as the vertical pronoun
9d Don’t 21 Down so much when there’s no air-current (8)
WINDLESS: Once the answer to 21 Down is found do less of it for air that is still.
14d A Westerner losing nothing by chance (10)
ACCIDENTAL: The letter A followed by the opposite of oriental minus the letter O
16d A swimmer having to carry a weapon is terrible (8)
ALARMING: A cod-like fish surrounding a generic three letter word for a weapon
18d Exotic Argentine fruit (9)
TANGERINE: An anagram (exotic) of Argentine
20d A suggestion offered about royalty’s housing (7)
TERRACE: A word meaning a hint of surrounds the royal cypher of our late queen for houses in rows
21d Coil – the average German article (7)
MEANDER: another word for average followed by the German word for “the”
23d It is not required to be forbearing (5)
SPARE: Something left over can also mean to forgive (forbear)
25d Susie’s undisciplined children (5)
ISSUE: An anagram (undisciplined) of Susie’s
26d Supports the sovereign for example – the head of state (4)
LEGS: A letter for an pound in pre-decimal currency, the usual example followed the first letter of state
That’s it! I would like to thank Gazza for his help with a couple and for inviting me to write the blog. It has been a privilege.
Great work, Steve. As you no doubt discovered, parsing and hinting is trickier than solving sometimes.
Good to learn about the setter.
Ruth Crisp
Thank you, Rossophile. You are right.. We parse everyday – hopefully – but when it comes to writing it down there are so many pitfalls. Things like plurals, singulars and tenses throw stones at you. What you thought was clever parsing turns into a nightmare. I think when we are solving clues we stop parsing once the answer has been found.
An enjoyable puzzle – thanks to the late Ms Crisp and Steve C.
I thought that most of the clues would be acceptable today but several of the surfaces would be ‘crisper’ nowadays (e.g. grammatical articles would be removed from 10a, 15a, 5d and 26d etc.).
I liked 11a, 14d and 23d.
Well done Steve, I’m very impressed! Now to start the guzzle.
Thank you, Mandera.
Well, blow me – another surprise reviewer! Well done, Steve, on your debut.
Thank you, Jose.
Thanks for the hints and tips Steve, I needed them to get going in the north. I found this one a bit of a struggle, so not as enjoyable as yesterday.
Thanks Steve and well done on your first blog.
Thank you, Moonraker.
I found this a little trickier than the Bert Danher one, but definitely recognisable as a crossword as we have become accustomed too.
“Spare” the “stake” and spoil the “issue” is a phrase that comes to mind.
Thanks to Mistress Crisp and Steve
I found this very tricky. It’s the first vintage one I’ve attempted.
Well done Steve for volunteering and doing the blog so well.
I still need help with 27a as although I have something which fits, it makes no sense to me
For some reason known only to The Mythical, 27a was not included in the hints, which is strange because I certainly remember hinting it. The answer is a group of soldiers from the 17C and 18C, usually local men in a village or town, who were required to drill on a regular basis. The modern day equivalent is the Territorial Army ready to be called up in the event of hostilities. However, the “Trainbands” rarely drilled and hardly ever turned up if called.
Thanks Steve. I had the train part but not the band! They don’t sound as if they would be very reliable!
Congratulations on your maiden blog Steve.
We found this a tricky solve particularly in the NW for some reason where we actually revealed a letter or two when we got stuck. 27a was a new word for us too.
Thanks.
Thank you, both and hope you are well. I hadn’t heard of the old soldiers so there was a deal of trawling the interweb. As I said to Madflower, where the hint disappeared to I have not the foggiest.
Apologies I’m a day late Steve but well done on your debut blog. Alternate Tuesdays available if you’ve a taste for it. I haven’t paid a great deal of attention to the Vintage series & to be honest didn’t think this one a patch on what we get nowadays. Didn’t find it easy & revealed a couple of letters to finish.