Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31086
Hints and tips by Smylers
Hello. It’s a busy week in our household. Both children are dancing in The Nutcrackers and the Music Box, which has its first performance on Thursday and rehearsals in the theatre every night before then. We’re hoping school doesn’t set them much homework this week (though the eldest is taking some Latin revision to this evening’s rehearsal, for a test tomorrow).
I’m guessing today’s Telegraph Crossword is by X-Type — but do note I’m writing this introduction on Sunday evening, before having seen the crossword, so that really is a guess, not an opinion based how solving went! Hints and explanations to each clue are given below, with answers hidden inside the Tickets still available. Discount for the Thursday evening performance. blobs.
Please do leave a comment below saying how you found the crossword, or if a hint is unclear or an illustration baffling — or just to update us on your life in general. It’d be especially lovely to hear from you if you haven’t commented before. We are all guests here, so please consult Big Dave’s etiquette guide for the house rules.
Across
1a Approach crook with diplomacy (7)
CONTACT: Start with the informal shortening of somebody who’s been found guilty of a crime. Follow that with another word for ‘diplomacy’.
5a Tramp parties wildly (7)
TRAIPSE: The answer is a verb, which can be made by arranging the letters of ‘parties’ in a wild order.
9a Encroachments where a colossal statue was once found, we hear (7)
INROADS: The answer sounds like what we’d hear if somebody was using a two-word phrase to describe the location of a famous colossal statue, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
10a Independent politician having drink with Democrat is transfixed (7)
IMPALED: This is literal rather than metaphorical transfixion. Form it by entering in turn: the single letter that can indicate an independent candidate in an election; the abbreviation for a particular type of politician; the name of an alcoholic drink; and the single letter for a member of the Democrat party.
11a Rewrite embargo on returning missile (9)
BOOMERANG: Rewrite the subsequent 2 words so that their letters spell out the answer.
12a Competitor is one in posh car (5)
RACER: The posh car here is the abbreviation of a brand of luxury cars. Inside that place the name of the playing card that can have the value ‘one’.
13a Reboot device, finally, during break (5)
RESET: The final letter of ‘device’ appears during a word that can mean a break.
15a Go out and about in New York causing crisis (9)
EMERGENCY: We start with a word meaning ‘go out’. After that put one of the abbreviations meaning ‘about’ inside the abbreviation for New York.
17a Student I scolded and released (9)
LIBERATED: This starts with the letter that indicates a student of driving and the I from the clue. The rest is a synonym of ‘scolded’
19a Fires in huts lacking heat at first (5)
SACKS: Here we need to think another word for huts then remove the first letter of ‘heat’ from it. The answer is a verb.
22a Barb is in Bath or Newcastle (5)
THORN: The answer is found lurking in the rest of the clue.
That photo was taken at Babbacombe Model Village. You can get a better sense of the scale in this picture.
23a Marks pitch for bit of pavement (9)
FLAGSTONE: Start with another verb that can mean ‘marks’, in the sense of labelling something. End with another word for ‘pitch’, musically.
25a Embarrassed about second hint being delivered (7)
RESCUED: Here we need to place a colourful word meaning ‘embarrassed’ around both the abbreviation for ‘second(s)’ and a hint for what to do or say next. The answer is ‘delivered’ in the sense used in The Lord’s Prayer, “deliver us from evil”.
26a Old boy likes strange pillar (7)
OBELISK: Follow the abbreviation for ‘old boy’ with the letters of ‘likes’ in a strange order.
27a The setter’s in first place to get drug and drink (7)
LIMEADE: We need how the setter would say ‘the setter’s’ (as in ‘the setter is’) from their point of view and to put that inside a way of referring to first place while an event is still ongoing. Finish with the letter that’s a slang term for crossword setters’ favourite drug.
28a Rebuild support with rock (7)
RESTORE: The answer is formed from a support (not either of the usual golfing or underwear supports) and metal-containing piece of rock.
Down
1d Charlie meets supple mountaineer perhaps (7)
CLIMBER: The letter represented by ‘Charlie’ in the Nato phonetic alphabet followed by a synonym for ‘supple’ give something that a mountaineer is an example of.
Pic credit: © michaelsulock.com, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
2d Darts after knight in straits (7)
NARROWS: A slang term for darts comes after the letter used to indicate a knight in chess.
3d Swiftly cover up in A&E (5)
APACE: A verb meaning to cover something goes up the grid inside the letters A and E.
4d Will try books about contents of games (9)
TESTAMENT: We need another word meaning ‘try’ and some usual books. Those are placed about the contents of the word ‘games’ —— that is all but its outside letters. Note the books are just being used for their letters, and (in this clue) are nothing to do with the definition.
5d Fine golf device (5)
THING: Think of another word that can mean ‘fine’, and append what ‘golf’ indicates in the Nato phonetic alphabet.
This contraption was created by Rowland Emmett. Along with several other of his machines, it’s on display at the Merrion Centre shopping centre in Leeds. Worth popping up to the balcony and seeing them if you’re in the city centre.
6d A health resort raised money for vegetables (9)
ASPARAGUS: Start with the A from the clue, then a term for a health resort. At which point the required vegetables are obvious, so write in the rest. Look at the answer and note that the remaining letters do spell out a word raised up the grid; look that word up in a big dictionary to confirm it is indeed one of the many slang words used for money. Or maybe you knew this one already? It was new to me.
7d Bird priest caught in cooking vessel (7)
PELICAN: Insert the usual Biblical priest and the cricket abbreviation for ‘caught’ into a cooking vessel.
8d Old tree left by yard (7)
ELDERLY: The answer is composed from: the name of a tree; the abbreviation for ‘left’; and one of the abbreviations for ‘yard(s)’. There are a lot of trees, so I started at the end with this one.
14d Spider is natural at spinning (9)
TARANTULA: Spin the letters of ‘natural at’ to spell out the answer.
16d Try and finish each verse with possessive word (9)
ENDEAVOUR: Enter in order: a synonym for ‘finish’; the abbreviation of ‘each’; the abbreviation of ‘verse’; and a word that indicates possession.
17d After a line gets creative? (7)
LATERAL: Enter in order: another word for ‘after’; the A from the clue; and the abbreviation for ‘line’.
18d Having accepted defeat revolutionary crowd flourish and prosper (7)
BLOSSOM: We need a word for a crowd, then to make it revolutionary by writing it backwards. That then goes round the outside, accepting inside it a word for a defeat.
20d Piece of basic, horizontal meat product (7)
CHORIZO: The answer is a piece of the words that follow.
21d Little spot where deer and mushrooms arise (7)
SPECKLE: The answer can be formed from a type of deer and some mushrooms, both rising up the grid. Very clever!
Pic credit: © Stu’s Images, CC BY-SA 3.0
23d Fake sweet (5)
FUDGE: This double definition involves ‘fake’ as a verb and a confectionery item.
24d Understands Boxing Day roots (5)
SEEDS: A word meaning ‘understands’ boxes the abbreviation for ‘day’. Deliciously misleading! The answer is ‘roots’ in the sense of the origins of something.
Quickie Pun
Today’s Quick Crossword has an unusual grid, quite possibly to accommodate the lengths of the first 4 answers, which being italicized can have their answers spoken aloud to sound like another word or phrase:
TOTE + ALOE + TEAR + YEARN = TOTALITARIAN
Recent Reading
This was a recent chance discovery in Barter Books on our weekend in Alnwick. Trevor Noah is a USA-based comedian I knew very little about, but Born a Crime grabbed me first by its title, and second by its blurb explaining the crime in question: the author was born in South Africa to a black mother and a white father at a time when interracial relationships were illegal.
So this isn’t a showbiz memoir of celebrity anecdotes, but an illuminating tale of a boy growing up in an environment when he couldn’t be seen in public with either his mum or his dad: a trip to the park involved being taken by an ally with similar skin colour, with a parent following discreetly behind. And in desribing his life, we also learn about the conditions that black families lived in. I knew in general about apartheid in South Africa, but was ignorant of much of the detail of what life was actually like for those affected by it.
It’s also an engagingly written book, with plenty of humour. It’s a subject I hadn’t realized I wanted to learn more about, and I probably wouldn’t have sustained interest in a more scholarly study of the topic, but Trevor Noah knows how to tell a good story, keeping me reading to find out what happens next, and educating me in another culture along the way.
A beauty of a puzzle to get the cruciverbal week off to a good start. After the first pass, I had quite a few checkers to allow me access to the rest of the grid. The word at 5a is a lovely one and the one at 20d I have never known how to pronounce. All in all an enjoyable solve and my COTD is inspector Morse’s middle name at 16d.
I could not solve the Quickie pun so will need to see the hints.
Thank you, setter for a most enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, Smylers for the hints.
For 20d, if I were writing it as a Quickie pun I’d go for ‘chore Reith owe’ — but I’ve just checked and Oxford Dictionaries have it as either ‘chore Rhys owe’ or ‘chore ease owe’.
Whereas among UK staff of places with it on the menu, the most common pronunciation seems to be ‘chore Ritz owe’.
So maybe the wisest policy is to avoid saying it at all? Last year I somehow managed to chair the Q&A at a meeting about saving Ilkley lido … without once saying the word ‘lido’! (I noticed that one of the organizers said ‘lee-doh’ and t’other ‘lie-doh’, so I didn’t want to take sides.)
Thank you, Smylers. So all the ways I have been pronouncing it are correct? 😊
From the Spanish, it’s chore Reith owe or if using the southern accent or South American accent, chore reess owe. That’s my layman’s opinion before any linguists start jumping on me. I have never heard tz in Spanish before, only a hard s, so I think it’s Anglicised.
Thank you, Geraldine. Interesting.
I am surprised that Smylers has given this a ** for difficulty, I went through it like the proverbial dose of salts, unusual given my limited experience in the cruciverbalist sphere. That said a few smiles during the solve. COTD for me was 24d, not the most difficult but there was me thinking of the forthcoming season of goodwill rather than seeing Boxing as an instruction.
Thank you to the setter and to Smylers for the hints.
Well done on your speedy solve!
I considered ★ for difficulty, but there were a few clues that took a little untangling to explain and a couple of less-used meanings, so I felt it deserved more than that (and last time I attempted 1½ stars, it turned out the half-filled star symbol didn’t show properly for many people), so went for ★★.
But these ratings are all completely subjective and somewhat arbitrary, so please don’t read too much into them!
Thanks for taking the time to reply. As you say these things are subjective.
Good luck with the Nutcracker, with two daughters been there, done that and got the medals and T-shirt!
Thank you! I’ve no idea how hard the actual dancing is, but the parenting logistics are intense!
This was pitched perfectly for a sunny Monday morning. Plenty to enjoy, not too difficult, with 14d my favourite clue.
Many thanks to our setter and Smylers.
A light and lovely puzzle for a Monday morning. That synonym for money was new to me, too, but knowing it was unnecessary, fortunately. Honours to 9a and 21d.
Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers – enjoy your musical week!
A very enjoyable guzzle from Monday’s compiler, with a good variety of clues. I liked the classical homophone at 9a, the lego clue at 17a, the forwards lurker at 14d and the reverse lurker at 20d. Rhanks to the compiler and to Smylers for the hinbta
Good morning. This was a peach of a crossword. The Northern Hemisphere was filled on the first pass as was the SE quandrant. I thought a new record was possible, but the SW stumped me for a few minutes. However, once 17a and 17d were finished it was game over save for 27a, which I bunged in by playing around until I found the correct spelling. So much to like 10, 12,15,17,19,3 and 27a 1 and 17d. Lots more were excellently clued as well. 5 star enjoyment. Thanks to setter for the puzzle and Smylers for the review.
Recently bought Chris Lancaster’s book “How To Solve a Cryptic Crossword”.
It gives a good explanation of the tricks of the trade used by setters, and also has lots of reference material. It would make a good Christmas present for anyone trying to get into cryptic crosswords – or for someone you would like to convert to cruciverbalism.
Haven’t looked at today’s crossword yet. That’s part of the post-prandial routine.
We love the word post-prandial, DB.
I read this book, a gift last Christmas, and have been doing the puzzle ever since
A pleasant start to the new week. A quick grid fill with no real head scratching other than a bit of a pause to satisfy myself that the 1st bit of the 23d DD was synonymous with the answer. I’ve no problems with the setter’s Iberian pork sausage in this puzzle but do take issue with his Italian one at 13a in the Quick one, which, unless I’m mistaken,is a vegetable. Could make neither head nor tail of the pun which wasn’t surprising as I was inanely muttering 7/3/8/9a in a variety of silly accents instead of in the correct order – the default accent for some reason, when I can’t see the pun, tends to be impenetrable Glaswegian.
Thanks to the setter & to Smylers
Well spotted on 13a in the quick crossword. The answer is indeed the Italian for a pepper. The English name for the Italian sausage has another P in it, presumably because so does the English word ‘pepper’.
But it really would’ve been better if the whoever named the sausage in English had used a different word for it. In Pisa I witnessed one of our group order a peperoni pizza and be dismayed that it didn’t have any salami on it. I wonder if any Italian vegetarians get caught out the other way round? Possibly not, because their English is probably better than our Italian, and also if you were from Italy and visiting the UK, why on earth would you order a pizza of any sort — that’s just bound to be disappointing!
Not that the Italians are entirely blameless here: just as we call sausages after their word for peppers, they use ‘salami’, a variant of the Latin word for salt.
A very enjoyable puzzle where the S took longer than the N for no real reason except I was being more than a bit dim. Loads of great clues from which I will pick a podium of 17a, 2d and 21d. Thanks to compiler and Smylers.
A puzzle of two halves! North completed while South remained empty save for a couple of answers. It seemed to be more difficult than for recent Mondays but that is probably a personal problem. **/****
Candidates for favourite – 7d, 21d, and 23d – and the winner is 21d.
Thanks to the setter (X-Type as usual on a Monday?) and Smylers.
P.S. I heartily agree on your book selection and your comments on it. I added it to my ‘library’ soon after it was published nine(?) years ago.
Not for the first time, I agree with Senf. This was definitely a puzzle of two halves. I completed the top half in double quick time but much of the bottom took quite some teasing out. 2.5*/3.5* from me.
Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers.
Comments as Senf and RD above.
Thanks to setter and Smylers
What an excellent start to the week with X-Type taking a leaf out of RayT’s ‘single word answer’ book. Get you, Exy Wexy!
There’s so much to like about this: Boxing Day is genius; 17a is a superb surface, though I’m not sure why the question mark is there, and 26a is a great clue for a marvellous word. I could go on.
I didn’t know the slang for ‘money’ though it makes sense with ‘daddy’ after it and the grammatical boo-boo in 16d (‘to’ not ‘and’) won’t affect my rating as it was that good.
I think X-Type now owns Mondays. This is good news as it’s such an important slot because it needs to put us in a good mood for the rest of the week. The DT and other cryptics are in rude health with so many excellent setters working their magic, week in week out. We are very lucky.
My pody picks are 26a, 27a and 17d.
MT to the aforementioned and Smylers.
2*/5*
There isn’t a question mark in the paper, TDS65. Must be just on line.
Apologies, SC. I meant the stupendous 17d.
Apologies not necessary, TDS65.
A very light and entertaining puzzle; perfect for a Monday!
Last in was 17d – with the checking letters in place I thought of two other words that fitted, before I understood the wordplay.
Favourite clue was 15a.
Thanks to the setter and to Smylers.
Fairly gentle and enjoyable which is what we need on a Monday. Thanks to the setter and Smylers.
I’d never heard of the slang term for money in 6d – apparently it derives from Cockney slang ‘sugar and honey’.
My ticks went to 9a, 4d and 16d.
Hence sugar daddies.
Thank you for that, G.
Being raised in London, albeit the South West, I thought I’d’ve heard that one over the years.
What, with this and a 5 star crossy….my day is full.
A very enjoyable puzzle. Quick to complete but fun while it lasted. Also some of the surfaces are worth revising on completion. Like others I was impressed by Boxing Day – so award it my cotd.
Thanks to the setter and of course to smylers
Forgot to mention the very cheeky bit brilliant 17d – amazed that got past the censors at DT!
The DT is so dan wiv der kidz with 17d.
Respect.
I must be missing something. What’s cheeky about 17d? 🤔
A line of cocaine.
I have the same question Steve.
A line of cocaine?
Gosh, I have led a sheltered life.
Me too! So innocent still, at my age. To me a line was ‘L’. I did wonder what was creative about it.
Sorry for corrupting the innocent! Yes ‘a line’ is youf parlance for taking some cocaine.im fairly sure that’s what the setter is alluding to – unless it’s just my debauched mind!!
Passed me by too.
Me too thankfully.
Hurray for a fresh start to our weekly cruciverbal challenges and I did enjoy it. For a change amongst setters today’s didn’t seem to be on an ego trip but merely to give us a gently challenging exercise. I didn’t think of first word in 1a as a person. Fav was 24a. TVM to setter and Smyler.
Great start to the solving week with lots of amusing and clever surface reads. 17d was my favourite. Might have been in PB territory, but held up slightly in the SW and I can barely see the screen thanks to conjunctivitis (that’s my excuse anyway). Thanks very much to the setter and to Smylers. It’s not often we get a Pavement video in the hints.
A bright and breezy start to the week, rather like the weather here, although the temperature’s taken a nosedive and it wouldn’t surprise me to see snow on the mountains as the week progresses.
Just the money in 6d that needed checking and the ‘smile’ award goes to the encroachments at 9a. Favourite was probably 21d.
Thanks to our setter, X-Type? and to Smylers for the review.
I thought this was excellent for a Monday. Mostly straightforward with a few that were more difficult.
1.5*/5*
Ticks for 17d, 18d, 24a and 17a.
Thanks to Smylers and Setter.
Very enjoyable and a perfect start to the week. 24d was my favourite of some excellent clues.
Many thanks to the setter and to Smylers for the hints
1* / 4* A great start to the week, witty clueing and nice misdirection.
Favourites 20d the lurking sausage ! , 5a tramp and the big billed bird at 7d
Thanks to setter and Smylers
It has mostly been said, great Monday guzzle, didn’t know the money slang, missed the drug reference, took me a moment to spot the priest for some reason but very satisfied with the whole workout. Lovely and warm in the sunny conservatory with the sun on my back but it is bitterly cold outside. Many thanks to the Setter and Smylers. Break a leg for the show.
Lots of fun today. 6d whenever there is a health resort/veg combo the answer is invariably this. I too was confused by the second half of the word – thinking the setter could have clued that – then realised they had! Duh
Once again for Monday, a nice gentle start to the non-work week. That was welcome as it has been a busy three days for me.
No issues, some chestnuts thrown in and well as some clues that made me smile.
1.5*/3.5*
Favourites 1a, 11a, 12a, 22a, 25a & 18d — with winner 1a
Thanks to X-Type(?) & Smylers
Most enjoyable with smooth clues and a great quickie pun. Thank you compiler and Smylers
A tidy start to the week although 24dn held me up for a while. My COTD.
At 21 dn (another great clue) Surprised to see Volvariella bombycina (also known as the silky volvariella or silky sheath).
Edibility: generally considered edible when young and fresh, but not highly prized and easily confused with some toxic species by beginners, so caution is advised.
In Italy it’s known as “volvaria serica” or “fungo seta”
Thanks to Smylers and setter.
Much rather see this:
I couldn’t find any photos featuring both deer and mushrooms, so I went for the one on the Wikipedia page for ‘deer mushroom’, which it claims is Pluteus cervinus.
How about this? 😎
Apparently the deer mushroom can be easily mistaken. According to my source “can look superficially similar at a glance (brown cap, white stem), but the volva and silky cap make Volvariella unmistakable once you know what to look for.”
But good try👏
Yeah, that’s an option I hadn’t thought of!
If Wikipedia have got their mushrooms in a muddle, then do go and fix them there — anybody can edit any page, but there’s no way I’m qualified to edit anything about mushrooms!
The mushroom in the answer is cep isn’t it? That’s boletus edulis, known as porcini in Italy and penny bun in the UK.
Thanks to the setter and Smylers for the hints. Busy day and only just sat down to do the puzzle. Typical start to the week. No major hold ups. COTD 21d. LOI 24d. Sun has set over our vista of the bucolic horizon.
It’s all been said by all the usual suspects so a heartfelt thank you to the setter for a proper Monday crossword and to Smylers for his unravelling.
9 and 11a the two clues that made me smile.
Great fun – best of several laughs with the Wonder of the Ancient World at 9A. VMT setter and Smylers.
Great start to the week though didn’t get chance to look at the puzzle until later this afternoon. My only delay was 17d with which I was right all along but held back on and parsing 24d! Much enjoyment with 21d being my COTD. Many thanks to the setter and Smylers. Didn’t get the Quickie pun. Thanks for the lovely photo from Stone Waller.
Great start to the week let’s hope it doesn’t descend in something impenetrable like last week. Like others I set off like a house on fire then slowed down in the south. Favourite was 20d, there were other contenders. Thanks to the setter and Smylers.
I meant 21d.
Cracking puzzle I enjoyed earlier but didn’t get time to comment earlier. Not a doddle as I had to have a couple of goes to get an opening in the SW.
Does anyone remember this;
Thought of it and Smylers children when 18d dropped. Mayim Bialik dropped out of acting for a while and studied neurobiology but came back in The Big Bang Theory
Really enjoyable and fairly light start to the week , with a few chewier clues thrown in. I too missed the drug ‘a line’ reference at 17d 😳 Thanks to the setter and Smylers.
Late on parade due to working on site at a client.
* / ****
Loved this with the 5a tramp, the 17a released and the 18d prosper getting the big ticks.
No holdups and no trouble parsing. Glad the cocaine reference passed me by!
Many thanks to smylers and the setter.
A great start to the week. Just late getting to it today after a busy morning running errands. Unfortunately I bunged in rival at 12a and paid for my haste with delay in the NE corner. Lots to like here today. Thanks to setter and Smylers. As a follow up to Senf’s comment yesterday about the shops and Christmas stuff way too early – flabbergasted this morning to see Christmas trees on sale outside our supermarket this morning, in South Florida! $60 and will certainly be dead long before the big day. Nuts.
When I started this crozzie I thought it was difficult but as the checkers appeared I got into it and finished without assistance. However, afterwards I had to check the priest and the mushrooms as I don’t think I had heard of them. COTD 24d for the construction and surface. Thanks to setter and Smylers.
Sorry, forgot: **/****
Excellent puzzle! Top clue for me is 21d as it includes my favourite mushroom. Thanks to setter and Smylers.
I don’t care for chorizo.
Fair enough. Welcome, Sausage. Any thoughts on the rest of puzzle?
Do please comment again, possibly even on crosswords that don’t have sausages in them!
Like it, sausage. Like it.
Me neither, too spicy.
2*/3* …
liked 18D “Having accepted defeat revolutionary crowd flourish and prosper (7)”
A popular choice! Thank you for commenting. And to anybody else reading this thinking it’s too late for a comment: please comment anyway — there’s always somebody still reading!