Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31040
Hints and tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg where on the last full day of Summer on Sunday we experienced a dismal high temperature of 19 degrees, yet on Monday, the first (partial) day of Autumn (it began at 1:19pm for us), we enjoyed cloudless skies and 26 degrees.
It was sad to read of the passing of outstanding cricket umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird at the grand age of 92 – RIP.
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), an enjoyable challenge in a symmetrical 30 clues. I suspect that the setter may be the same as for my last mid-week blog two weeks ago. But, carefully, my Toonies and Loonies are staying in my pocket.
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 12a, 16a, 3d, 8d, and 26d, and The Pun.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Rob sent back school starter of tomato soup (7)
BORSCHT: 6 consonants in a 7 letter word, 5 of them in a row! ROB from the clue reversed (sent back), the three letter abbreviated form of school, and the first letter (starter) of Tomato.
9a Fancy tailor clothes husband, old rake! (8)
LOTHARIO: An anagram (fancy) of TAILOR contains (clothes) the single letter for Husband, all followed by the single letter for Old – originally the name of a character in a play written in 1703.
10a Marvellous painter, reportedly says the Princess Royal (7)
CEZANNE: A homophone (reportedly) of says and the first name of the present Princess Royal.
11a Tipsy supporter, according to Spooner, one such as Charon (8)
FERRYMAN: Written as (5,3) a phrase that can be equivalent to a tipsy supporter before it is given the Spooner treatment and I am sure you all know your Greek mythology!
12a British maintenance corps commandeering island rowing boat (6)
BIREME: The single letter for British and a four letter Corps of the British Army containing (commandeering the single letter for Island.
13a Free space newly fitted with one emergency exit (4,6)
FIRE ESCAPE: An anagram (newly) of FREE SPACE containing (fitted with) the Roman numeral for one.
15a One is against unfrocked six-footer seen praying (4)
ANTI: A six footer often seen in a praying position with its outer letters removed (unfrocked).
16a Where to sleep soundly, notice a spot for life (9)
BIRTHMARK: A homophone (soundly) of a place where one can sleep and a synonym of notice.
21a Take a bite of white chocolate as a prelude to foxtrot (4)
ECHO: Phonetic alphabet time – a lurker (take a bite of) found in the next two words.
22a 14lb layer granite hollowed out in rock collection (10)
STONEHENGE: The avoirdupois term for 14lb(s), a layer (of eggs), and GranitE with the interior letters deleted (hollowed out).
24a Each German from the east collects good music (6)
REGGAE: The reversal (from the east) of all of the abbreviated forms of EAch and GERman contains (collects) the single letter for Good.
25a Greek who went for a dip sick, beset by pains (8)
ACHILLES: More Greek mythology – a synonym of sick contained (beset) by a synonym of pains.
27a Means to follow objective target for driver (7)
FAIRWAY: A synonym of means placed after (to follow) a synonym of objective (which was new to me).
28a Centaurs ravaged old Italian (8)
ETRUSCAN: An anagram (ravaged) of CENTAURS.
29a Chaps in police force first to order souvenir (7)
MEMENTO: A synonym of chaps inserted into the abbreviated form of a well known police force and followed by the first letter of Order.
Down
2d Honour long Bible books, following orders (8)
OBEDIENT: An honour, frequently awarded twice a year, a synonym of long (as in want) often combined with ‘for’ and the abbreviated form of 27 books in the Bible.
3d Save Romeo one little bit of barbecued meat on the bone (5,3)
SPARE RIB: A synonym of save, the letter represented by Romeo in the phonetic alphabet, the Roman numeral for one, and the first letter (little bit) of Barbecued.
4d Sadly, the French taking over from this point (10)
HENCEFORTH: No French required – an anagram (sadly) of THE FRENCH containing (taking) the single letter for a crickety Over.
5d Sound made when Newton breaks part of foot (4)
TONE: The single letter for Newton (as a derived SI unit of force) inserted into (breaks) one of five parts of a foot.
6d Singers beginning to charm Egyptian god (6)
CHORUS: Now we get some Egyptian mythology – the first letter (beginning to) of Charm and the Egyptian god of the sky, war, and kingship.
7d Transport sheep in rickety cart (7)
TRAMCAR: A (male) sheep inserted into (in) an anagram (rickety – oh dear move one letter) of CART.
8d Doorman runs after black cat (7)
BOUNCER: The single letter for crickety Runs placed after all of the single letter for Black and an Asian big cat (that we encounter frequently).
11d Distant rounds of applause welcoming 1,000 agricultural workers (9)
FARMHANDS: A synonym of distant and the plural of a term for round of applause containing (welcoming) the Roman numeral for 1,000.
14d Provoke former partner, bitter at English (10)
EXACERBATE: Our favourite two letters for former partner, a Latin based synonym of bitter, AT from the clue, and the single letter for English.
17d As a breakfast dish, cooked Gere egg sandwiches (8)
KEDGEREE: A lurker (sandwiches) found in three words in the clue.
18d Talk of Moroccan city soldier being shot at? (8)
PHEASANT: A homophone (talk of) of a Moroccan city and a six-legged soldier.
19d Live in an outbuilding, mortified (7)
ASHAMED: A synonym of live (based on a verb) inserted into (in) a (1,4) phrase for an outbuilding.
20d Try Hugo pants, a cultured product (7)
YOGHURT: An anagram (pants) of TRY HUGO.
23d Volunteer to pay attention when cycling (6)
ENLIST: A single word for pay attention with the last two letters moved to the ‘front’ (when cycling).
26d Style the Spanish article (4)
ELAN: THE in Spanish and one of the indefinite articles.
Quick Crossword Pun:
WRY + TUP + MICE + TREAT= RIGHT UP MY STREET
Held up for a while as I got fixated with Rabat for part of 18d, but 27a soon put paid to that.
My two of the day are 11a and the brilliant 22a, great fun!
How come I’m first, where’s Steve?
Out to lunch! 😊
Me too – but we were not together!!
Yes, that was a shame. 😊
What a great puzzle. I thought 22a was brilliant and there were lots of other smiles. 18d was LOI and it took a while for me to understand the parsing and I thought it very clever when I got it.
Top picks for me were 22a, 10a, 18d, 25a and 11d.
Thanks to Senf and the setter.
Good morning. This was one of the most enjoyable crosswords that I have ever done. The SE corner fell first, then the SW. The Northern half was trickier and required more effort and the use of the dictionary. 10a is my COTD, simple but brilliant. 1a and 12a were the final two to go in once spellings had been confirmed. All in all, very enjoyable. Thank you for the review and to the setter
This was an enjoyable guzzle, not too difficult but with an element of challenge therein. 1a was a fine Lego clue ( though I had to think twice about the spellling).and the homophone /Leego cluesrat 10a and 18d but my COTD cwas the Sponerism at11a. Thabks to Senf for the hints,it’s been rather cold for the time of year in rural Oxfordshire, with frostvon the roofs on Monday. Thabks to the compiler, I particularly appreciated the GK related clues.
Pleased to see our reviewer has awarded this a high enjoyment rating – it was certainly the Quick pun for me. A swift completion but it would have been a darn sight quicker had I known Tommy Cooper’s headgear was a Moroccan city – it was last in & a bit of a crumpet scratch so guess it’ll have to be my pick. Off to Mid Herts to see if I can locate the 27a from the tee then to a gig at the Brixton Academy. It’s going to be a long day & late to bed so hope tomorrow’s puzzle is easy to parse as I’m blogging for Shabbo.
Thanks to the setter & to Senf.
Ps The Insect over in t’other place is not really sticky & worth a look for those who maybe don’t usually venture there.
I parsed 27a as the first word being objective as in neutral. Great puzzle, I found it far more challenging than rated, although said 27a and 18d had me floored and 10a made me lol. Thank yous to our setter and Senf.
A very enjoyable midweeker that took a bit of teasing out with lots to talk about…
1. I too appreciated the five consecutive consonants as the longest streak in a regular, non-compound word of English origin is four.
2. Is the setter giving their opinion of the French artist or is there some relevance for ‘marvellous’? I do hope it’s the former as it would be hilarious.
3. I didn’t know this term for the corps.
4. Unfrocked is a new one for me which I like.
5. I didn’t know why 25a was held in The Styx, i.e to make him immortal and invulnerable. But, his mother held him by his heel which was therefore dry. So, that bit was still vulnerable.
6. 2d is an adjective and honour is a noun. So, is that a boo-boo by the setter that sneaked past the team at Telegraph Towers?
7. Its so rare for ‘The French’ not to mean Le, La or Les. So, that made a pleasant change.
8. The synonym for bitter without ic has been duly noted.
9. Getting 17d into a lurker is a splendid effort.
10. Re 23d, I didn’t know that you can cycle more than one letter. I suppose you can therefore recycle 3 or 4 or even 5?
My podium is 10a, 4d and 8d
MT to Hudson (?) and the Manitoban mountie.
3*/4*
P.S Re my first comment, I haven’t included an s for a plural or present tense, e.g lengths.
TDS65, a couple of replies from me:
6. Honour is not the definition. It is clueing the first three letters.
10. Yes, you can cycle any number of letters. I mentally picture the letters in a circle with the new word to be found appearing clockwise from a different starting point.
Hi RD
Re 6. How can I have missed that? I read orders as order (OBE), i.e ‘long follow books following’ it. How dare I question the setter and TT.
Good to know about the cycling.
I found that a fair bit tougher than the last couple of days’ offerings, but nevertheless enjoyed it greatly. I was mostly held up by the 27a/18d combo, knowing very little about NATO’s G and even less about North Africa (like TC, I couldn’t get beyond Rabat for a while). 18d was very good though, as were 10 and 11a and 11d. Thanks very much to the setter and to Senf.
A really enjoyable puzzle – thanks to our setter and Senf.
I have a plethora of ticks on my printout including 11a, 15a, 22a, 27a and 18d (and extra kudos for the Quickie Pun).
2*/5*. This was great fun and very enjoyable. My guess is that it was set either by Hudson or by Karla, but I could be well wide of the mark.
I have two questions:
– 2d. Although “dying” can be synonymous with “longing”, does that necessarily mean that “die” is synonymous with “long”? I can’t actually think of a concrete example for the latter equivalence (even when followed by “to” or “for”.)
– 18d. The definition doesn’t work for me even with the question mark.
Too many goodies to make even a podium selection.
Many thanks to the setter and to Senf.
18d – PDM! It does work for me!
Thanks — just the knowledge that you’d got it was enough for me to go back and see work out was going on! That is indeed a clever definition; well done to the setter.
The answer is defined as a being (ie living thing) that is commonly shot at (ie hunted). Feels quite robust to me.
Thanks Slowcoach, I had the same concerns as RD, but your explanation clears things up nicely
Thanks to the Setter and Senf (for the hints). COTD 10a. LOI 18d. We got off to a flying start and then slowed right up. Nevertheless and enjoyable brain work out.
I’m afraid the lack of decent surface reads spoiled the solve for me although it doesn’t seem to have bothered other commenters. Having said that, the Spoonerism raised a smile and I thought the Quickie pun was rather good so thanks to our setter for those in particular and thanks to Senf for the review.
Like you Jane I too do miss good surface reads. These days they seem to have been replaced by ever-increasing terms for anagram!
Jane, in response to your query about the Isabel Alende Long Petal of the Sea, we all thoroughly enjoyed it although it was not an easy read. A good deal of concentration was required ( not a bad thing, of course but that comment was made) sadly despite reading a number of books on the subject I am still slightly woolly on the rights and wrongs of the Spanish Civil War! To my surprise there was not a lot of empathy for the main characters, it seemed to be agreed that they were all self seeking / I’m not sure that I agreed with that. However, well written, some wonderful descriptions and I think it got 9/10!
Thanks Daisy, I’ll make sure I’ve ‘got my head into gear’ before I tackle it! To be honest, I know very little about the Spanish Civil War so perhaps it will even teach me something…
Sounds interesting but my acid test for a “good read” is now any book that, when I wake at 2 or 3am and can’t get back to sleep, I think “Oh good, I can read it bit more then”. Anything I’m not tempted to pick up at silly o’clock goes on the hall table ready for the next trip to the Library. When I was younger I would always pursue a book to its bitter end, even when laborious, but now if something doesn’t grab my attention in the first few chapters I’m off to the next one. Fortunately we have a fantastic local library, and I always have Apple Books ready as back up.
That of course is where a book group has some merit, in that it does make me finish a book I might otherwise dump. The first page of The Girl With The Louding Voice made me blanche, but it was such a good book. On the other hand , maybe life is too short to put yourself through the stress?
Discuss!
Yes, I agree a book group can make you feel more like finishing a difficult read. I am definitely in the life is too short. Best book I’ve read this year is Joseph Finder’s “The Oligarch’s Daughter”.
This started off quickly, with most answers on the first pass, so I found it both more straightforward than yesterday’s (which I struggled with) and involving fewer new words than Monday’s. I didn’t know the 12a boat, though.
Thank you to Senf for confirming some parsing. I’m with Rabbit Dave in not understanding now 18d’s definition works.
My favourite is 4d, for “the French” not indicating ‘le’ or ‘la’. Thank you to the setter.
I’ve finally twigged the 18d definition, Smylers. It is a being which is shot at. Very clever!
My reply above crossed with this – clever clue (which eluded me)
Very similar experience here. Got more answers on the first pass than I think I’ve ever done, then ground to a halt confronted with the definition at 18d, before Slowcoach clued me in. Liked the classical references – 25a my pick of the day. Thanks to Senf and setter
I found that very enjoyable with lots of smiles, especially at 10a and my success in getting the spooner. I did need help to parse 27a and 18d was last in and my favourite.
Many thanks tot the setter and to Senf for the hints.
What a great mid-week puzzle, full of charm and wit. I thought the pun on the marvellous painter was excellent. Cannot abide 1a, albeit the clue was clever, but anything to do with beetroot leaves me cold. Ugh. Tough to pick a podium but I’ll plump for 9a, the spoonerism at 11a and the doorman at 8d. Thanks to compiler and Senf.
1.5* / 4* I found this wry tup mice treat ! Favourites include 1a beetroot soup, nice spoonerism at 11a and the Jamaican music at 24a
Thanks very much to setter and Senf
Wry tup mice treat?
We love it!
Can’t take credit for the wit, it’s the quickie pun.
Ah, okay. It’s a beaut.
My word, that was slow of you TD – don’t you do the pun? I would have thought that would be a daily must for you. The pun is the only part of the quickie I manage – the rest is far too hard
For some reason, I don’t, as I do love a pun…as you know.
I’ll start to get amongst it.
Splendid crossword – I could have marked so many clues I really liked but will just mention 10a, 15a, 22a, 25a and 3d
Thanks very much to the setter and Senf
Thought this Wednesday puzzle was going to be tricky when I started as I only got one on the first pass through.
Gradually the SW revealed itself and In the end I filled the grid bottom to top, with NW last in.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 10a, 13a, 22a, 5d & 11d — with winner 10a
New word in NW for me today.
Thanks to setter & Senf
Was that Bireme? Quinquireme is one better, – as ‘of Nineveh, from distant Ophir’. Has that ever been in a guzzle?
RD ” to die for” equates to long for eg I’m dying for a cuppa or something stronger . Superb today with so many good clues .Thanks to all
Francis, to some extent you’ve proved my point as you needed to use “dying for” (= “longing for”) rather than “die for” (= “long for”).
Can you come with an example where “die” and “long” can be interchanged (preferably without being followed by “for”)?
R D No I can’t but assumed die was contextual if that makes sense .I will continue to rack my brains but if you can’t, I rather doubt if I can . Perhaps someone somewhere is going to give us an example ,but we could be waiting” for” a “long” time.
Is this one or is it the same as ‘for’…
Would you die/long to play at Lord’s?
I’m not sure it’s grammatically correct.
I refer the right honorable gentleman to the comment I made earlier (@11)
. I am seeking equivalence without the use of “for” or “to”!
Hmm….
‘For’ or ‘to’ have to follow ‘long’ when it’s a verb. So, any example will have these words in the sentence.
I’m sure I’ve seen many synonyms in crosswords where a word can be replaced by another in a particular phrase or sentence that doesn’t work as a ‘stand alone’ replacement……haven’t I?
Oh, who knows!
Does anybody out there know what the rules are when it comes to using synonyms in crosswords?
Rules in crosswords:
Rule 1 – There are no rules.
Rule 2 – If in doubt, refer to Rule 1.
A very fair comment, S.
If that’s the case, then the clue is fine.
Onwards!
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), there is nothing more on this earth that makes me question the presence of God than the fact that beetroot lives among us. How could a benevolent being allow such a manifestation of the devil to grow in our fields. Then it uses its malevolent forces to smuggle its way into the food chain. Don’t give me your “Oh, it has an earthy, sweet flavor and vibrant colour…”. ‘Earth’ says it all. It tastes of grime and soil. From the depths of the underworld, Hades has coloured this gruesome root as the deepest shade of red, as if the blood of mankind has been shed to produce it.
Great guzzle. R.I.P Dickie B.
Thanks to the setter and The Man From Manitoba, basking under his autumnal skies.
Lovely entertaining description of beetroot that may well be true, but the health benefits are well documented and far too many to list here, and, “I stress for me”, outweigh other considerations. Not least amongst them is improved blood flow to the brain improving cognative function especially in older adults, which I for one find particularly helpful! Best roasted and served with feta, walnuts, lentils and rocket. As for the presence of God – to misquote Benjamin Franklin – Beer; a constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
Thanks to all here who have entertained and informed me over the years, improving my solving ability greatly, though it is still far short of the Friday Toughie standard. Today, only the SE corner gave me trouble.
Welcome to the blog and now that you have come out into the open please comment often.
Thank you. I’ll try but as I am away from home a lot and print crosswords I am usually a week or two behind everyone else! Occassionally when I happen to be doing the current offering, as I did today, I’ll endeavour to try to add something that may be useful.
Terence – is it worse than orange juice WITH bits?
Thought I had alread commented but it seems not. Anyway I did enjoy this puzzle. South came first. My Favs included 10a, 11a, 8d and 20d. Not sure 2d component (without for) is a long synonym? Wanted to bung in unparsed sole for 5d. 18a unparsed too as Fez didn’t spring to mind. Surely 19d live component only refers to a single person? Thank you setter and Senf.
I wasn’t sure about the definition of “being”, but the BRB affirms it can refer to a person or other living thing.
However, for me that is a bit dubious as “beings” would then also include plants and even bacteria, which is too much o a stretch! Collins is better on this one in my opinion as it defines “being” as “any real or imaginary creature”! And just to close the loop, Collins describes “creature” as “any living thing that is not a plant”.
Collins is better than the BRB. Full stop.
My point was really only about the two letter verbal content of the 19d solution as justification for live.
Really enjoyed the puzzle, though i got sole for tone wrong. 15a and 22a great clues, even liked 11a, a homophone which i usually dont like. Thank you setter
I thought that was a much harder solve than a 1*. That said I was only defeated by one clue, the Moroccan city and needed Senf’s hints for that, my knowledge of Moroccan cities extending only to Casablanca, Marrakesh and Agadir (the diplomatic crisis of circa 1911).
However, there were some wonderful clues today, my favourites being the Princess Royal’s great painter at 10a, I wouldn’t normally choose an homophone, and the rock collection at 22a.
Thank you to the setter and to Senf for the hints.
This was good fun but tricky for me – a DNF as the four letter corps at 12a was new to me and I could not recall the boat.
I particularly liked 15a, 16a, 22a, 25a, 27a and 17d
3*/5*
Thanks to Senf and setter.
A new boat for me otherwise very smooth solve thank you compiler and Senf
Not much time for the puzzle today because of meeting friends for lunch near Hereford.
I have just finished it and found it a delight. Mind you, I kew trireme and quinquireme but 12a has eluded me. For once, the good reverend did not phase me and he became my COTD. I never thought I would ever say that about him.
Thanks you, setter for the fun. Thank you, Colonel for the hints, which I needed.
Superb entertainment. Tough to choose a winner when there’s competition from the likes of 11A, 22A and 19D, but for full on laughter it has to be the post-impressionist at 10A. VMT to Setter & Senf.
Definitely upping the ante today, but mostly enjoyable and within my pay grade, even solving the Spooner related 11a. Never heard of the 12a boat, and 18d completely foxed me, but everything else – even the mythology related – was pleasantly doable. In fact I have learnt more about mythology etc. from crosswords than any formal classes. Thanks to the setter and Senf.
Quite proud of myself as I had to go for the dreaded stress/nuclear test early this morning, and despite having to fast before hand, and a restricted diet the day before, I rather surprised myself by being able to reach the required levels on the treadmill. Phew!
Really enjoyed this . thank you to all. Just one thing; in 25a, I’m wondering if the setter is confusing Achilles with Archimedes? … but then, maybe I’m missing something.
Hi Rod , so your question piqued my interest – I should have checked this myself , so I asked my new AI friend ChatGPT what Achilles was famous for , and seems : his mother Thetis dipped him in the River Styx as a baby. There you go !
A dnf due to 18d. Spent almost as long on this clue as the rest of the crossword. The hint didn’t help. Knew the hat but didn’t realise it was also a city.
A great crossword nonetheless.
Thanks to all.
I didn’t think much of 12a, still doesn’t make sense to me. 11a was a nice one. 2d wasn’t great either. So there! It wasn’t that hard, reasonable for a Wednesday maybe I’m just grumpy today.
An enjoyable puzzle as others have said for me it was a notch up from yesterdays. I ended up with 2 answers eluding me , 12a and 27a the latter which I had a big suspicion was a golf related answer. Ended up going through the alphabet and got to F, and bingo ! The penny dropped. I couldn’t work out 12a , so did a reveal on the hint – a new word for me , and I couldn’t have parsed it either. Thanks to the setter and Senf.
Very late having been out to lunch and then going on to get some groceries. Delightful guzzle, neat Spoonerism, nice old rake, two great lurkers – much to like. Terrific pun, too. Am excited to hear a date for the January bash- will I be able to manage it again, a whole year older? Deo volente. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Senf – scarf weather here in Cambridgeshire!
I made harder work of this than most though on completion I couldn’t see why. Didn’t know the objective in 27a or the city in 18d but we live and (hopefully) learn. I had the answer to 17d and it still took an age to spot the lurker. I don’t understand the ‘dip’ in 25a. Favourite was the Spoonerism. Thanks to the setter and Senf.
Hi Taylor. I looked this up following Rod’s question. Apparently his mother Thetis dipped him in the River Styx as a baby.
Thanks for the blog, dear Senf, and thanks to everyone who has left a comment.
Regarding the wordplay for the clue at 25A, I should say that I attended a grammar school in Sheffield in the late 60s/early 70s and my “stream” was weighted towards sciences so I took neither Latin nor Greek. Pretty much all of my [very superficial] knowledge in the mythology dept is due to solving cryptic crosswords – mostly The Times but also Bunthorne & Araucaria in The Guardian. One thing I do recall however is that the mother of 25A held her son by the heel (odd if you ask me, but there we are) and dipped him into the River Styx, thereby conferring full body immunity against breakages and whatnot, but unfortunately the bit between her forefinger and thumb where she held the lad didn’t get marinated in the magic juice and that’s what did for him – an arrow in the ********* tendon. In much the same way as Macduff was able to top Macbeth. Always read the small print.
Best wishes to all, Rob/Hudson
Thanks for popping in and thanks for a very entertaining puzzle. I only did Latin (O-level failed) but I heard about 25a somewhere along the way and it is one of those things that is impossible to erase from memory plus the clue was very ‘friendly’ (for me).