DT 31051 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 31051

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31051
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Good morning, fellow puzzlers.

I’m on Tuesday blogging duty today, as Huntsman is away for a few days’ golf on some of the excellent courses on the beautiful North Norfolk coast.  If the weather up there is as good as it is here, he is in for a lovely few days.

I found this a bit trickier than normal for a Tuesday, or maybe it’s just me being a bit slow out of the blocks this morning?  It was a bit disconcerting when 1a took me ages to parse, but in retrospect, it shouldn’t have done. There is an unindicated Americanism which might irk RD, but as it is in the Quickie Pun, I think our setter is off the hook!

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

Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.


Across
1a Large parcel oddly wrapped in blue blanket (10)
WIDESPREAD: I got the answer quickly enough, but the parsing took a bit longer, as I couldn’t decide  if the definition was at the beginning or the end of the clue. It’s at the end. Take a synonym of large and then insert the odd letters of PaRcEl inside (wrapped in) a synonym of blue or unhappy. Hands up if you saw “blue” and immediately tried to make “eiderdown” work (even if it is only 9 letters!).

6a Tot‘s play cut short (4)
DRAM: synonym of play without the final letter (cut short).

10a Is certain Republican leaving problem? (5)
ISSUE: IS (kindly given to us by our setter) + synonym of certain without the abbreviation for Republican.

11a Government intended heartless announcement (9)
STATEMENT: synonym of government + synonym of intended without the middle letter (heartless).

12a Good-looking workers and ordinary me (8)
HANDSOME: synonym of workers + abbreviation for Ordinary + ME (another freebie from our benevolent setter).

13a Cowboy might throw this woman out, initially (5)
LASSO: synonym of woman + initial letter of Out.

15a In secret I rediscovered what you did at bedtime (7)
RETIRED: hidden word (indicated by “in”).  Our solution is lurking within words 2-4.

17a Reading genuine cases about Information Technology (7)
RECITAL: synonym of genuine outside (about) abbreviations for about (or Circa) + Information Technology.

19a Requiring new engine crossing Germany (7)
NEEDING: anagram (new) of ENGINE outside (crossing) abbreviation for Germany or Deutschland (International Vehicle Registration)

21a Begging primarily benefits dogs (7)
BASSETS: initial letter (primarily) of Begging + synonym of benefits (a noun).

22a Hard work editor expected (5)
HOPED: abbreviations for Hard (think pencil lead) + work (or OPus) + EDitor.

24a Swede perhaps eaten up – or abandoned, lacking time (8)
EUROPEAN: anagram (abandoned) of EA(t)EN UP OR (remove the abbreviation for Time).

27a Almost sorry cheat upset group of players (9)
ORCHESTRA: a similar clue construction to 24a.  Anagram (upset) of SORR(y) CHEAT (almost invites us to remove the last letter of sorry). A crossword favourite, but not a carthorse to be seen!

28a Perfect card player’s declaration? (5)
IDEAL: what a card player might say…

29a Return if shoe has half cut off sole? (4)
FISH: IF reversed (return) + SHoe (half cut off)

30a Royals in clubs repressing urges? On the contrary (10)
PRINCESSES: a clue in two parts.  First take IN C (in clubs) and put it outside (repressing) a synonym of urges. “On the contrary” then invites us to reverse the insertion process, i.e. IN C goes inside the synonym of urges.

Down
1d Fancy week with that fellow? (4)
WHIM: a  nice gentle start to the Down clues following the verbal gymnastics of 30a. Abbreviation for Week + synonym of “that fellow”.

2d Pull down idlest man’s pants (9)
DISMANTLE: anagram (pants – think nonsense) of IDLEST MAN. Titter ye not.

3d Genesis without number one in pop career (5)
SPEED: nothing too tricky here, although I tried to make it more difficult than it actually was. I wrongly assumed that “without” required us to find a synonym of “genesis” and remove the I (without number one).  Incorrect.  What we need to do is find a synonym of genesis and put it outside (without) the first letter (number one) of Pop. Neat.

4d Reply about relative entertains papa and daughter (7)
RESPOND: a Lego or charades clue. Synonym of about (think business letters) + synonym of a male relative outside (entertains) abbreviation for Papa + abbreviation for Daughter.

5d Non-specialist friend admitted by a university with little resistance (7)
AMATEUR: another Lego clue. Take a synonym of friend and out it inside (admitted by) A + an abbreviation for University and finally add abbreviation for Resistance.

7d King tries ignoring river birds (5)
RHEAS: abbreviation for king (or Rex) + synonym of tries (think courts of law) without the abbreviation for River (ignoring river).

8d Still without formal proposal? (10)
MOTIONLESS: double definition, the second one requiring a bit of lateral thinking.

9d Casts back shows (8)
REFLECTS: another double definition.

14d Nice baker might give you this (6,4)
FRENCH LOAF: a cryptic definition.  If you are struggling, you might be pronouncing “Nice” incorrectly?

16d Animal‘s controlled here, as Cockney says (8)
REINDEER: how a Cockney might pronounce a synonym of controlled and here.

18d Adolescents irregularly eat greens (9)
TEENAGERS: anagram (irregularly) of EAT GREENS.

20d Bigger electronic cutting utensil used by chef (7)
GREATER: abbreviation for Electronic inside (cutting) a utensil used by a chef.

21d Steal goat I regularly found in shed (7)
BARGAIN: every other letter (regularly) of GoAt I inside (found in) a large agricultural shed. The definition is a noun masquerading as a verb.

23d Chooses things guitarists might use (5)
PICKS: double definition.

25d Sit, maintaining one’s composure (5)
POISE:  synonym of sit (think artist’s model) outside (maintains) I (one).

26d Positive quality luxurious hotel’s missing (4)
PLUS: synonym of luxurious without the abbreviation for Hotel.

Quickie Pun:  CAN  +  DEE  +  CAINE  =  CANDY CANE

74 comments on “DT 31051”

  1. I found the professor a little on the harder side today but it could just be me as I’m a little under the weather at the moment. Yet another novel way of cluing an old favourite at 27a. It would be interesting to make a list of all the different clues associated with the word. I completely forgot the word for “tries” at 7d and I can’t parse 3d. Neither do I understand 1a but I will, no doubt, slap my forehead when I see the hints.

    Thank you, AP for the puzzle. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints. The puzzle has no title.

    2. I’m with you today .. I couldn’t parse 1a or 3d .. both were bung ins for me. After checking the hints (thanks to Shabbo) not too convinced in the synonym for Genesis at 3d and it’s not in my BRB.
      Apart from that good Tuesday fare. My cotd was le pain at 14d.

    4. I concur. Much simpler to solve than to parse. Many thanks to Shabbo who did yeoman’s work today.

  2. Good morning. This went well for me. NW fell first, then SW, NE and finally SE. Lots to like 6a, 12a, 22a, 29a, 1d, 2d, and 14d. I can`t remember LOI and it is difficult to choose a COTD. On the whole, very enjoyable. Many thanks for the review and to the setter.

  3. Not altogether easy but a puzzle that was doable with patience. Iiked 27a, yet another variation for that word, the 12a Lego clue andthe cleverly worded 14d, my COTD . Thanks to our Tuesday compiler and to Shabbo for the hints.

  4. Quite tricky and I needed a bit of help. Also couldn’t parse 3d though was OK 1a, 1d. Defeated by the bird at 7d that I’d never heard of in real life but which appears from time to time in crosswords. An enjoyable (almost) solve. Favourite clue was 1a. Thank you setter and Shabbo

  5. I’ll put my hand up for initially thinking eiderdown for 1a but the maths didn’t work, so back to square one for that. I finally justified my answer (wrongly) by thinking large tract of land. The answer was correct, but the parsing, pants. That said lots to enjoy albeit in a trickier than usual Tuesday offering. My podium comprises 11a, 16d and 21a in top spot. Thanks to AP and Shabbo.

  6. Another goodie from Il professore hits the back of the net.

    Nice to see my favourite group getting a nod in 3d (great clue). They indeed never got to the top of the hit parade in Blighty but did on the wrong side of The Pond in ’86 with Invisible touch that was knocked off by guess who…………………Peter Gabriel with Sledgehammer! What are the chances?

    To quote Richie Benaud…what a marvellous stat, that was.

    My podium is 12a (love it), 30a and the apt 18d.

    MT to the aforementioned and The Shabster.

    2*/4*

      1. Hi B

        Is it the Genesis bit or just me in general? If it’s the latter then who knows. I and many people close to me have been asking that for years.

        Nurse!

  7. Not quite Typically Tuesdayish for me particularly on the enjoyment level but it still appears to be the work of Mr Plumb – 2.5*/2.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 6a, 29a, 8d, and 25d – and the winner is the excellent double definition of 8d.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and Shabbo.

  8. Thanks again for covering for me Mark – grateful for the lie in this morning after a wonderful day of golf in gorgeous sunshine at King’s Lynn (albeit we had to cope with an invasion of ladybirds the like of which I’d never seen before) followed by a lovely meal at the Rose & Crown in Snettisham. Weather looks great too for Sheringham today.
    You weren’t alone with a crumpet scratch where the parse of 1a was concerned & I thought the puzzle a good bit trickier than the Tuesday norm.Podium spots for 16d + 24&29a with a narrow miss for 7d.
    Thanks as ever to AP.

    1. I’m glad the weather is kind. We are up there again at the end of the month.
      The Rose & Crown in Snettisham is an excellent pub and has been graced by holidaying royalty, I believe.
      Enjoy Sheringham. I played my first few golf shots there (out of sight of the clubhouse!) when caddying for my grandfather.
      I think some of the course (5th green?) has been lost to the sea since then.

      1. Enjoy your trip, Hunstman. Which pronunciation of “Snettisham” did you go for? There appear to be several, but all only 2 syllables.

        On a recent ‘deer safari’† in Snettisham, our guide told us that the Rose & Crown exists because it was built specifically for the workers building the nearby St Mary’s Church, and that the church’s spire originally doubled as a lighthouse, when the coastline was much nearer.

        A quick web search shows some other claims for the former but I’ve been unable to validate the lighthouse thing. Anybody know if there’s any truth in it, or is it just something fun to tell (gullible) tourists?

        † Sit in a trailer pulled by a tractor with a bag of deer pellets. The tractor stops, the deer are keen, and before you’ve worked out what to do, the deer are ahead of you and you find your hand inside a deer’s mouth. Recommended!

    2. Strangely, we had a modest invasion of ladybirds yesterday afternoon at home in Shropshire. Perhaps it is the mild Autumn weather?

    3. Hi Hoots

      Seeing you mention King’s Lynn reminded me of something I learnt that Alan Partridge would be proud of….

      There are 17 A roads (one or two digits) that begin in London and end on the coast, bar one. Parts of some of them aren’t there anymore and one has changed (so a bonus point if you can name the original one and the new destination)

      95% of you would rather watch paint dry but there may be a fellow loser like my good self who fancies the challenge:

      A1
      A2
      A3
      A4
      A5
      A10
      A11
      A12
      A13
      A20
      A21
      A22
      A23
      A24
      A30
      A40
      A41

      Hang your head if you get at least 15.

        1. It’s okay.

          Move on to the next post as it’s a very longshot that anyone will relish the challenge.

  9. The NW corner was the last to fall with 1a proving troublesome to parse for quite a while. Overall this was a little harder than normal for a Tuesday but all the more enjoyable as a result. The elegant 7d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to AP and supersub Shabbo.

  10. A bit chewier than a normal Tuesday as has already been mentioned- but it still had the fabulous surfaces I associate with this setter and a fair dollop of humour to boot. Has been my favourite of the week for a while now. Thanks to them and Shabbo for the excellent review/hints

  11. A smidgen trickier than what we’re used to on Tuesdays but equally entertaining – thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
    My ticks went to 1a, 7d and 8d.

  12. 2.5*/4*. As others have indicated, this was slightly more difficult than our usual Tuesday fare but as much fun as ever with 1a my favourite.

    Many thanks to AP and to Shabbo.

  13. Really enjoyed this one … thank you to all. And this is by no means bragging, but I always find it hard to understand why I find your rated 3* and 4* puzzles much easier to solve (and also more enjoyable) than the 1* and 2* ones … for which I invariably require your valuable hints.
    Just don’t understand it 😅 … any suggestions?

  14. 1d was my first one in so I was not looking at eiderdowns or bedspreads and I did think of blue as sad. But then at 7d I entered kites as my birds – K for king and anagram of tries without R so I was in the mire. Added to which my tot was a child and I put skip (ping) as okay but short. Annoyingly the rest of the grid went in bish, bash, bosh and then I stared at the topLH corner for ages before turning to dear old Shabbo for help with 11a. Thank you for sorting me out and thanks to AP for the workout. Interesting to see our old friends 24 & 27a in a slightly new guise. George and I had our flu and Covid jabs on Saturday and were pretty much laid low for two days as were some others in the village. Still feel one degree under. ☹️

  15. I thought again this week that this Tuesday puzzle was not so ‘Typical’. Seemed it was a tad trickier than normal. I will be interested to see others comments.

    2.5*/2.5*

    Favourites 12a, 21a, 29a, 14d & 26d — with winner 14d … first in.
    Smiles for 6a, 23d & 25d

    Thanks to AP & Shabbo

  16. Almost a read and write but got stuck on 3 and 7 .knew the bird type but kept trying to work in ” tries” without the r . Favourite v clever 1a . Thanks to all , now for the toughie.

  17. Can someone explain to me what the Quickie Pun is? And also, what is meant by “hidden clues”? Thanks!

    2. A hidden word clue is where the answer is actually given to us by the setter, albeit “concealed” within the clue. These clues are generally indicated by “in”, “within”, “concealed in” etc
      In 15a the solution is “hidden” within words 2-4: In sec(ret I red)iscovered what you did at bedtime (7)
      I hope this helps.

    3. The first two or three answers in the Quick crossword, when said together give an alternative word.
      FAQ #36 explains further

    4. You can often find answers to your questions in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section of the blog (especially when the questions pertaining to jargon unique to this blog) which can be accessed via the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

      If your question about the Quickie Pun goes beyond simply the answer to today’s pun, see FAQ #36.

      For information on hidden word clues (as Rod says often referred to as lurkers) and their variants, see FAQ #38.

  18. I nearly finished – just couldn’t get 9d. It took me ages to realise kites (7d) was wrong.
    Hard work but I enjoyed the struggle.
    Relaxing this afternoon watching the women’s cricket.
    Thank you to the setter and to Shabbo for explaining some of the clues.

    1. A tricky solve: some obvious, others less so.

      Not troubled by attacks of ladybirds here-or is that an affliction normally reserved cryptic crossword solvers?

      Like others still puzzled about 1a.

      23d was a bit clunky: how about “worries about guitars”?

    2. On 9d I had the initial letter and spent an age trying to justify ‘rooks’ as there are clearly NO other birds of four letters beginning with ‘R’. Other than the actual answer, that is.

      [awaits a passing ornithologist or twitcher to provide several other examples]

        1. I knew that was irresistible bait! Never heard of it, but wiki tells me its a family of birds including coots and moorhens (among many others actually called ‘rail’).

          I can see why it would be useful in crosswordland.

  19. Felt slightly better seeing Shabbo’s rating after struggling with this. Thanks to setter and Shabbo for much needed hints

  20. A mixed bag for us but doable. Some clues flew in instantly others took ages to fill in without fully parsing. Many thanks to setter and shabbo for explanations.

  21. I found this one fairly gentle although I couldn’t parse 1a or 3d so just looked those up. I only know the birds at 7d from doing the crosswords regularly ! Thanks so much to the setter and Shabbo.

  22. Oh dear, second day of the week and another puzzle a bit trickier than normal. I needed more hints than I care to use to finish, so not a satisfying solve. Some on the convoluted side, particularly 30a which was my LI. Thanks to setter and Shabbo. Perhaps I should sit the rest of the week out if this is the trend.

  23. Been out for most of the day although did manage to solve this one before leaving home. Thought this was rather more tricky than usual for a Tuesday but it fell after a little persuasion. Top clue here was 8d which I thought was very clever.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Shabbo for the review.

  24. Agree with several commenters above this was not the usual Tuesday fun walk in the park so surprised myself by finally coming through with biggest hold-up in the NE. Once again far-fetched anagram indicators and more grating use of “pants”. I always forget tries synonym as in 7d. Yes indeed, Shabbo, I was pronouncing “nice” wrong in 14d so couldn’t parse and couldn’t understand why it had to be such a baker. Thank you AP for the challenge and Shabbo for help with parsing on one or two.

  25. A bit trickier than many Tuesdays but still very enjoyable, I needed to check the parsing of 3d but otherwise all was straightforward.

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

  26. An enjoyable and quick solve the latter being rare for me. 7d caused a short delay. COTD 1a. Many thanks to the setter and Shabbo.

  27. Fell into the same trap as Daisygirl in the top right. 8D – my favourite today – rescued me. VMT to setter & Shabbo.

  28. I didn’t find this unduly difficult in fact my biggest hold up was breaking my pencil but nonetheless enjoyable for that. Being straightforward I mean not breaking …… oh! Get on with it. Favourite was 7d. Thanks to AP and Shabbo.

  29. 1* / 3.5 I found this a nice straightforward solve after yesterday’s struggles. Plenty of top clues to like, with humour and excellent misdirection.
    Favourites include 1a blanket, 21a hounds and still at 8d
    Thanks to setter and Shabbo

  30. A satisfying solve, in a clockwise circuit from the Far NE, with the pesky, but clever 9d the last to fall. 2d appealed to my Inner Schoolboy, 3d is very clever. Thanks to Shabbo and the Prof.

  32. Did I suggest last week it was a little too easy?
    If so the Prof has listened and upped the difficulty today.
    Great fun – 2*/5*
    3d and 8d favourites.
    Thanks to Prof and Shabbo.

  33. Good evening

    First of all, I’m relieved that I’m not the only one who entered KITES at 5d; I also didn’t help myself by entering 23d’s solution in 25d’s place….

    Tougher than usual challenge from the Prof today. It took me three or four passes to get there, and right up to the last moment, I thought I’d have to hoy the sponge in with 8d still left unsolved.

    Got there in the end. COTD is 1a.

    Tomorrow, I’m taking no chances. I filled today’s crozzie in in blue ink; tomorrow I’m not even going out of the door without my Lucky Green Pen.

    Many thanks to the Prof and to Shabbo.

  34. A relatively tough challenge and like others had Kites at 5d as the bird, which in turn hindered the solutions to 6a and 8d. I suppose 1a would be my COTD but no real standouts today.
    Thank you to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints, which were needed for the NE corner.

  35. Thanks to the setter and Shabbo. I made harder work of than I should have done, very enjoyable nevertheless. With a few left to do last night I set the puzzle to one side but when I picked it up again this morning the missing answers came immediately, seems I just needed a fresh look.

  37. Love this site. Been doing the Big T’s since school in the late ‘70’s and accessing Big D’s for about the last 8(?) I can’t help but feel there’s a ‘Detectorists’ or ‘After Life’ type series in here trying to get out. Enjoyed this one but similarly foxed myself by over interpreting 3d. But eventually struck gold…

    1. Welcome to the blog, Chooch.
      Now that you’ve introduced yourself I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.

    2. Welcome from me as well, Chooch. Be great to hear from you on a regular basis. 👍😊

  38. I missed 17a because of ‘cases’. If ‘about’ is abbreviated as ‘c’, then it cannot also be the clue that it’s inside itself. I kept trying to think of a word meaning ‘genuine cases’. But I think the setter meant us to understand ‘cases’ as ‘encases’ or ‘showcases’ (indicating where ‘c. IT’ goes). Am I right? Otherwise a straightforward puzzle.

    1. I had to remind myself of the clue:
      Reading genuine cases about Information Technology (7)
      Reading here is the definition. We need REAL for “genuine” and put it outside (cases) C for “about” + IT.
      I hope this helps.

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