Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31045
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
Another lovely sunny autumnal day perfect for an afternoon of golf at Centurion.
We have another offering of typically gentle Plumbing from the Prof complete with the usual plethora of single letter insertions. I’d rate it about on a par with yesterday in terms of difficulty with maybe a little more to it in terms of the parsing. For any yet to try a puzzle over in t’other place or to complete one unaided then today is the day as Chalicea’s ‘floughie’ is certainly no more difficult than this one so I hope Whybird’s review gets plenty of comments.
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 Fat and short politician (5)
PLUMP: a truncated (short) synonym for and/in addition to + the abbreviation for a parliamentary politician.
4a Controversial issue animated King Edward, possibly (3,6)
HOT POTATO: a synonym for animated/impassioned + what a King Edward is a variety of.
9a Get rid of priest friend hides at home (9)
ELIMINATE: a biblical high priest followed by a synonym for friend/buddy with the usual two letter term for at home inserted (hides).
10a Some lad imitated retreating chicken (5)
TIMID: hidden in reverse (some/retreating).
11a Country clubs in denial, unfortunately (7)
ICELAND: insert (in) the single letter card suit abbreviation for Clubs into an anagram (unfortunately) of DENIAL.
12a Apron’s so tangled adult’s scratched back (7)
SPONSOR: an anagram (tangled) of (a)PRONS SO (Adult scratched).
13a Simpler answer in test, essentially, that is right (6)
EASIER: insert (in) the single letter for Answer between the central letters (essentially) of tESt then append the two letter Latin abbreviation for that is + the single letter for Right.
15a Welcome sound of a bell after endless hunger (8)
GREETING: an onomatopoeic noun for the sound of a bell (though I’d reckon an alternative starting consonant more representative of the sound) is preceded by a synonym of hunger/avarice less its final letter(endless).
18a Each Conservative inside steals buns (8)
TEACAKES: insert (inside) the usual abbreviation for EAch + Conservative into a synonym for steals.
Scotland’s finest export other than single malt.
20a Worth embracing new pop star?
PRINCE: a synonym for worth/cost goes round (embracing) the single letter for New. Many of his songs have been covered but arguably none better than this.
23a Stay away from young lady’s weapon (7)
CUTLASS: link a synonym for stay away from/cold shoulder with a term for a young lady.
24a Pull half of that belt (7)
ATTRACT: 50% (half of) thAT + a synonym for belt/expanse (of land for example).
26a Shouted about wine crossing Italy (5)
CRIED: the usual single letter abbreviation for about (Circa) followed by the IVR code for Italy inserted into (crossing) a type of wine.
27a What patient might get a newspaper career, unusually? (9)
AFTERCARE: A from the wordplay + the abbreviation for the pink paper + an anagram (unusually) of CAREER.
28a Plots in Greene’s novel (9)
ENGINEERS: an anagram (novel) of IN GREENES.
29a Curse from don after start of seminar (5)
SWEAR: a synonym for don/put on preceded by (after) the 1st letter (start) of Seminar.
Down
1d Trump perhaps remaining under pressure (9)
PRESIDENT: a synonym for remaining/staying preceded by (under/down clue) the single letter for Pressure. If only….
2d Upper-class twit and European get together (5)
UNITE: the usual single letter for Upper-class + another term for a twit & the single letter for European.
3d Secret, Tommy? (7)
PRIVATE: straightforward double definition.
4d Difficult keeping ordinary small squirrels away (6)
HOARDS: insert the single letter for Ordinary into a synonym for difficult then append Small.
5d Tense about a certain value (8)
TREASURE: the single letter for Tense + the usual preposition for about/in respect of + A from the wordplay + a synonym for certain.
6d Arrive after incorrect result (7)
OUTCOME: a synonym for arrive/attend preceded by (after) a term that could mean incorrect/wide of the mark.
7d Acknowledgment from District Attorney turning up with assignment (9)
ADMISSION: reverse (turning up) the abbreviation for the US State law enforcement officer then append a synonym for an assignment.
8d Move falteringly taking top off stranger (5)
ODDER: remove the initial letter (taking top off) from a verb meaning to move falteringly/with an unsteady gait.
14d Frightening bird grabbing rodent’s tail (9)
STARTLING: insert (grabbing) the last letter (tail) of rodenT into a small to medium-sized passerine bird.
16d Reportedly irritate nude group of stars (5,4)
GREAT BEAR: link homophones for irritate & nude.
17d Get rude apes bananas (8)
PERSUADE: an anagram (bananas) of RUDE APES. Definition in the context of people onside presumably.
19d Leave a party with old knight (7)
ABANDON: A from the clue + party/grouping + Old + the chess abbreviation for knight.
21d Puts back wheels again? (7)
RETURNS: alludes to the repeat motion of wheels.
22a Male insect is creature with large, spiny forelegs (6)
MANTIS: Male + a colonial insect + IS from the clue.
23d Hiding place a child found in church (5)
CACHE: insert (found in) A from the clue + the abbreviation for CHild between the two letter for the established Protestant church in England & Scotland.
25d A struggle before mobile finally is switched on (5)
AWARE: A from the clue + struggle/military conflict + the last letter (finally) of mobilE.
Please let us know which clues ticked your boxes. I’ll go for 27a as my pick of the clues with podium spots for 14&16d.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: GET + OVA + WRIT = GET OVER IT
That was a beautiful offering from the professor and a personal best for me as to swiftness of solve. Chuckles galore especially wine crossing Italy at 26a and putting wheels back at 31d. I entered the wrong country at 11a at first, which was annoying because, had I read the clue properly, I should have had the correct one. I have three contenders for the top spot – 1a, 27a and 3d. After due consideration. I award COTD to the secret Tommy at 3d.
Thank you, Professor in the library for a fun puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.
Chalicea Toughie alert!
👍
Been there, done that!
It’s another goodie!
Agreed, it is, AD and just right for novice Toughie setters (such as I).
Not quite as rapid a solve as yesterday but still pretty quick. I agree with our blogger that today’s parsing was a little trickier than Monday’s offering, which pushed out the solving time. Loads to enjoy though, with 1a and 14d my top picks.
Many thanks to AP and The Hintsman.
Good morning. This was another read and fill. 27a is my COTD with 14d being a close second. Many thanks for the review and to the setter
Another gentle puzzle.
Top picks for me were 27a, 16d and 18a.
Thanks to Huntsman and Mr Plumb.
Huntsman, you have missed off the last word in the answer to the Quickie pun.
I wonder if anyone wears an apron (as in 12a) in the twenty-first century? In the 1960s and 1970s, if a writer wanted to indicate a character as a working class woman, she would don curlers covered by a headscarf, and wear an apron (Hilda Ogden). However, if the writer wanted to portray a woman as aspiring to middle class, all of those accoutrements would disappear, replaced by smart ‘slacks’ and a blouse with a flouncy collar (Yootha Joyce in ‘Man About The House’; Penelope Keith in ‘The Good Life’). The apron transformed from a practical piece of cloth designed to protect, to an indicator of status.
Great guzzle – thanks to the setter, and Andy On The First Tee (I guarantee his guests will receive a kinder reception than his American counterparts)
You can put me down as an apron wearer – always when I am in the kitchen and frequently when I am out in the garden pruning as some of our shrubs can leave an indelible stain. Not sure why anyone would want to risk getting food splatters etc. over their nice clothes. I guess if you don’t cook or garden then you might not have any.
I wear an apron when I’m cooking but wearing my posh stuff (eg in the run up to a dinner party/wine tasting/shoot dinner). Nothing could be more middle class. Or practical.
An early start after another sleep deprived night, but although this didn’t take long, it was fun while it lasted. Nice music as per, I would like to mention this for 21a but it was bunged in wrong along with the unparsable missile for the armed young lady.
I seem to write the same every Tuesday but it is yet another fabulous puzzle by this setter. Great surfaces that made me smile. Possibly a touch 13a than normal?
Thanks to the setter as ever – and of course to Huntsman especially for those vintage TV ads that usually accompany the clues!
Another enjoyable romp, as mentioned not quite as easy as yesterday but very much of the same ilk. I sometimes think that a puzzle that flows so beautifully like this one is just as satisfying as a really tough one.
1d made me laugh, especially looked at alongside 1a!
Gentle and enjoyable, what more is to be said? Thanks to our setter and to Huntsman (and thanks also for the Blackadder sketch).
Top clues for me were 1a, 4d and 16d.
Short and sweet. For such a straight forward puzzle it seems odd that I had to bung in 1 across. Do not understand it ? Good start to a sunny late Summer day. Many thanks to huntsman and our setter.
The first three letters would mean “and” if another letter were added.
Thank you Steve. I knew someone would come to the rescue.
A very enjoyable solve, as always, from the prof.
I don’t think I’ve ever given him three stars for enjoyment. His cluing is so neat and smooth.
There is a nice pattern for the eight countries that begin with the letter I. Well, almost.
1. Iran & Iraq (one letter difference)
2. 11a and a one letter change for a country that isn’t far away from it
3. India & Indonesia (‘India’ is split by ‘ones’)
4. Israel & Italy (this one is a bit rubbish but at least the second letters are next to each other in the alphabet)
‘Incorrect’ in 6d reminded me of Mr Withers’ comment from Friday.
My podium is the excellently crafted 1a, 16d and 17d.
MT to the super setter and Hoots!
2*/5*
A couple of rather surprising synonyms today but that didn’t detract too much from an enjoyable solve. Having dithered for a while over picking a favourite, the nod finally went to the Quickie pun which made me laugh.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review.
Hello Huntsman,
Just a minor point – I think today’s puzzle is no. 31045 (not 31041).
Thanks to the prof for another enjoyable Tuesday romp, and thanks to Huntsman for the hints which I didn’t need but always enjoy reading, and thanks (again) to Huntsman for the recommendation to do the Chalicea toughie, which I have now also done, which I heartily endorse. Both good fun!
Thanks – Huntsman is probably on the first tee so I’ve updated the puzzle number (and the Quickie Pun) for him.
Quite right Gazza. Tucking into a cheese & tomato toastie at half way & we’re 1 up. Don’t know why WordPress doesn’t retain the change of puzzle number – I certainly changed it.
What did I write for the Quick pun given I knew full well what it is – I’ll get over it either way
You’d left the last word off the pun answer.
1*/4* from me for a typically Tuesdayish puzzle with 1a my favourite, and a special mention for the Quickie pun.
Many thanks to AP and to Hintsman.
I too liked the quickie pun and the guzzle itself of course. I don’t remember having gone through filling in squares so rapidly for a long time – I was on a roll. 23was last one in for some reason, a plain enough clue. I won’t repeat my joke about King Edward potatoes as it went down like a lead balloon last week. And it’s not that funny (but it makes me laugh – I am a simple soul) speaking of which, I am going to a Rotary lecture tonight by one of the members on Quantum Theory. Should be fun. Many thanks to the smooth setter and the hinter on the tee.
What are you talking about, Daisy? Your joke was superb! I loved it.
In January’s meet-up, you need to crack one whilst doing the splits which I will record. So, it would need to be a one-liner. The vid (to keep RD & Senf happy) would go viral.
Definitely keep ’em coming…..
I thought this Tuesday puzzle a little tricker than the normal ‘Typical Tuesday’ offering. A couple of head scratchers for me and a couple of parsings I could not get my mind around.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 4a, 9a, 23a, 28a & 14d — with winner 4a … an oldie but a goodie.
Thanks to AP & Huntsman
1* / 3.5* another gentle one on par with yesterday’s, nonetheless enjoyable.
Plenty of clever clues of which I’ll choose the frightening bird at 14d, patient treatment at 27a and the buns at 18a (prefer the Tunnocks caramel wafers to the tea cakes)
Thanks to Huntsman and setter
So do I if truth be told
A pleasant and gentle solve as befits a Tuesday. I loved 17a with the rude apes bananas, reminding me of a conversation with friends a while back…’BUT WHY’ they asked when I was explaining that a certain word was an anagram indicator , to which I replied ‘it just kind of sounds like it’ . I’ll keep that one in mind for the next time we meet ! Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.
Could someone please explain to me the context of Tense becoming that letter? Obviously it’s in the dictionary, but I don’t know why.
Thanks Huntsman!
It seems to be from linguistic abbreviation TAM – tense-aspect-mood describing grammatical useage of a verb.
I found this much more tricky than yesterday. Thanks as always to the setter and blogger.
Since starting back with these Tues is definitely my favourite day … pretty quick solve apart from three in Sw corner … thanks Professor and Huntsman for hints …
Thanks to AP and Huntsman. Another late start for us as we have been painting a fence this morning. Fairly straightforward puzzle with just a few hold ups LOI 6d COTD 4a. Now for some sunshine 🌞
Very Tuesdayish. Very straightforward.
Thanks to our setter and Huntsman. Enjoy your golf at Centurion today.
I didn’t find this that straightforward but, as usual, on completion I couldn’t see why. Enjoyed it though. Favourite was 14d, others ran it close. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
As few people likely saw my late evening (middle of the night in the UK) posting after I arrived home after a busy day yesterday, I just want to repeat my thanks for all the congratulatory comments yesterday.
😀
Took a little while to get into this but once I did it was a quick solve. Unfortunately, I then discovered that my answer for 21d, “ retires”, was incorrect although it almost works. Also needed the hints afterwards to fully understand the parsing of 1a. COTD 12a for its construction and surface. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Forgot:*/***
It has all been said, throughly enjoyable.
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
Like some others I found this a tad more difficult than yesterday but I got there in the end. Some answers jumped off the page at me but some required a bit more thought. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.
Late on parade today as I decided to sort out the bookshelves in my study, whilst waiting in for a delivery ofcompost sacks and some parcels. I enjoyed this ratherlight guzzle and managed, like others to misread vthe anagram fodder in 11a and get the wring country at first. I liked the homophone at 16d and the Lego clues at 9a and 15a. Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the hints.
Away this week for a hospital clinical system go-live. This was a treat over a pint at the end of the day. Thanks to the prof and to Huntsman for confirming a couple of parsings. I really liked the conservative buns and the young lady’ weapon.
Lovely from the Prof, with 16D an absolute hoot. VMT also to Huntsman.
Very good puzzle with my favourites being 28 across and 4 and 17 down, which particularly amused.
I sometimes wonder whether this compiler enjoys the Plumbing puns and being called Professor week in, week out. Just seems a little disrespectful to me.
Disrespectful? Surely not. The other setters are called all sorts of names.
I wouldn’t mind being called a professor when talking about a craft or a skill.
If they saw it as disrespectful, we’d’ve been told. It’s all wordplay which is what crosswords are all about.
I think it’s highly unlikely.
Quite possibly, but people call him Professor just because of his surname. It’s all a bit school playground to me.
It absolutely is.
When you come on to this blog (the playground), you walk over to the crowd that appeals to you and listen to what they have to say i.e you read their posts, ignoring the other crowds (other solvers’ comments) and maybe talk to them (your post) or not (lurk).
I can’t tell whether or not you’ve missed my point, which is that the compiler has presumably heard every play on his surname since childhood and might possibly prefer not to have to hear them again from adults who don’t know him. Of course he may not care either way, but basic politeness should prevail. I suspect I’m in a minority of one so I’ll shut up now.
Lighthearted, gentle wordplay is not impolite.
You may well have a point Michael. I guess we’ll never know as he (to the best of my knowledge) hasn’t contributed to the blog & who knows if he even reads the comments. It would be lovely if he did drop in one day.
Good evening
Not been able to do a crozzie nor nip in here for a couple of weeks, what with holliers, family concerns, and work, so glad today of a two-hour break at work this afty. This afforded me the chance to finish the crozzie and check in with your good selves.
All done, with a few stumbles along the way. COTD is 12a, which I particularly liked. You can always rely on The Prof to provide a suitable Tuesday-ish challenge; my thanks to our Prof and to Huntsman.
1*/4*
Another pleasingly diverting crossword – fortuitous as the emergency dentist awaits tomorrow.
26a COTD – will need this to numb the pain.
Thanks to AP and Huntsman
Cor! Nice 14d bird…
I found this marginally more tricky than the Toughie, and managed to completely foul up 21d (I went for tyres) which again sort of works. Apart from that, the SW held me up a bit, but nothing too drastic.
Thanks to the Prof, and to Huntsman for the blog – and plug for the (Not) Toughie!
Goodness Terence, you either never enter the kitchen, or your washing machine must get a high usage. It’s the first thing I do when I go in the kitchen. On the odd occasion I don’t bother, the least I end up with is a damp front from splashes from the sink. I have even been known to answer the front door with my apron on (which shouldn’t be done) if I think it’s a cold-caller, as I then have a good excuse for getting rid of them quickly. Anyway, on to the crossword, which was amazingly easy for the second day in a row – or am I just getting the hang of it? EXCEPT for 21d which I had as a word including the things you put on the wheels (USA spelling) and I didn’t realise was wrong until I checked the grid (online). My favourite was 16d. Thanks to all concerned.