Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31093
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ***
Distinctly nippy in these parts but bright & sunny so a walk around East & West Common in Harpenden looks on the menu for lunchtime.
Not sure what’s going on at Telegraph Towers but I’d suggest the person charged with pressing the button to load Tuesday’s puzzles onto the app undergoes further training. I think they eventually became available some time between 6.30am – 7am & just as I was about to set out to procure a dead tree version. Surely they can’t be that difficult to upload & that’s 2 weeks on the trot now.
Anyway I assume today’s offering is from Anthony Plumb. It certainly seemed like one of his to me but then so did last week’s puzzle which may well not have been. Either way it was certainly much gentler than last Tuesday though maybe a tad more challenging than yesterday.
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 Vehicle moved slowly and aimlessly (5)
MOPED: a double definition; a motorised two-wheeler & gloomy/broody behaviour.
4a Decorated sailor following the Spanish lecture (9)
ELABORATE: the in Spanish + the usual sailor/merchant ship rank abbreviation + a synonym for lecture.
9a Met doctor as I shifted hospital’s shed (9)
SATISFIED: an anagram (doctor) of AS I S[h]IFTED excluding (shed) the single letter for Hospital.
10a First-rate police officer (5)
SUPER: another double definition.
11a Particular exercises by Charlie in period of inactivity (7)
RESPECT: insert (in) the usual two letter abbreviation for exercises (school lesson for example) + Charlie (NATO phonetic alphabet) into a period of inactivity that goes hand in hand with relaxation.
12a Before each run, recline and recuperate initially (7)
EARLIER: assemble 4 bits of lego as follows – the abbreviation for EAch + Run (cricket) + a synonym for recline + Recuperate (initially).
13a Creatures son found in socks (6)
BEASTS: insert (found in) Son into a synonym for socks/thumps.
15a Admitted what thespian did with mushroom inside (8)
ACCEPTED: insert (inside) a particular type of mushroom into what the thespian did on stage or in film.
18a Teatime’s rearranged for judge (8)
ESTIMATE: an anagram (rearranged) of TEATIMES.
20a Praise? Conservative gets embarrassed by it (6)
CREDIT: Conservative + a synonym for embarrassed + IT in the clue. It’s in short supply for them nowadays.
23a A good artist is enthralled by obscure technical drawing (7)
DIAGRAM: A from the clue + the single letter for Good + the usual artist/Royal Academician are all surrounded by (enthralled) a synonym for obscure.
24a Give authority to European politician and leaders in Oslo will expect results (7)
EMPOWER: European + the abbreviation for a parliamentary politician followed by the 1st letter (leaders in) of the last 4 words in the clue.
26a Greek’s sign of nerves after old group of soldiers retreated (5)
ATTIC: an involuntary repetitive muscle movement that may be an indication of nerves is preceded by (after) a reversal (retreated) of the abbreviation for the old name for the active-duty volunteer reserve force of the British Army. The definition is a dialect spoken in a region around Athens.
27a Children argue about new, difficult task (9)
CHALLENGE: the abbreviation for CHildren followed by a synonym for argue/contend which goes around (about) the single letter for New.
28a Talked to lady bare, then put clothes on (9)
ADDRESSED: the internal letters of lADy (bare) + a verb for put clothes on.
29a Detainee finally let out, creating incident (5)
EVENT: the last letter (finally) of detaineE + a synonym of let out/emit.
Down
1d Blue marble is cracked on base (9)
MISERABLE: an anagram (cracked) of MARBLE IS then append the usual mathematical base (Euler’s number).
2d Dad’s crossing the endless tracks (5)
PATHS: another informal term for dad’s goes around (crossing) TH[e] (endless) in the clue.
3d Diet regularly abandoned? Lock up pudding! (7)
DESSERT: the alternate letters of DiEt (regularly abandoned) followed by a reversal (up/down clue) of a synonym for lock/curl. Neat surface.
4d Half upset about court orders (6)
EDICTS: turn round (upset/down clue) what half could be considered to be then place the reversal around (about) the usual abbreviation for CourT.
5d Hearing car touching fence, not loudly (8)
AUDIENCE: a Volkswagen car brand + (touching) [f]ENCE from the clue (not loudly/Forte).
6d See lob – not the first tennis shot? (7)
OBSERVE: [l]OB (not the first) + a shot in tennis.
7d Fixed a page by cutting (9)
APPOINTED: A from the clue + the single letter for Page + a synonym for cutting in the context of blunt/sharp.
8d Mistake picked up in anger or resentment (5)
ERROR: hidden in reverse (picked up/in).
14d A little time with paper and editor’s captivated (9)
ATTRACTED: A from the clue + Time + a synonym for paper or treatise in pamphlet form + EDitor.
16d Fend off chap’s cleaner (9)
DETERGENT: link synonyms for fend off & for chap.
17d Physicist, surrounded by reeling drunkards, suffers (8)
STOMACHS: the surname of an Austrian known (vaguely rang a bell but needed Mr G to confirm) for his work with the physics of shock waves is inserted into (surrounded by) an anagram a reversal (reeling) of a synonym for drunkards/topers.
19d Turning calmer? I wonder (7)
MIRACLE: an anagram (turning) of CALMER I.
21d Check concerning heartbeat (7)
REPULSE: the usual preposition for concerning/in respect of + a synonym for heartbeat.
22d Indicate group of animals going round a lake (6)
HERALD: a term for a group of animal goes round A from the clue + the single letter for Lake.
23d Adult supporting tot’s play (5)
DRAMA: the single letter for Adult goes below (supporting/down clue) a small measure of alcoholic spirit.
25d Grimace from wife in church (5)
WINCE: the single letter for Wife + IN from the clue + the Anglican church abbreviation.
No standout favourite for me here but I did like the surface read at 3d & thought those at 11&12a followed nicely. Please tell us which clues ticked your boxes.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: BIT + ERR + SUITE = BITTER SWEET
For some reason I struggled with this offering from the professor. It’s probably me not firing on all cylinders but I only had half a dozen after the first pass. I then struggled with the rest but did manage to get over the line. It took a while to get the suffering at 17d because I had forgotten the physicist. I can’t parse 27a so will need the hints to see how that works. I did like the thespian with the mushroom at 15a and the car hitting the fence at 5d and my COTD is the captivated editor at 14d.
Thank you, Professor Plumb for what, for me, was quite a challenge but, as I said above, I think I’m having an off day. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.
Lovely sunny day in The Marches if a bit cold.
Ch for children, N inside allege for argue equals difficult task! Thats`s how I am parsing it!
and so does the hint.
I haven`t read the hints. I come here for the comments!
Thanks, Conor – I got CH for children but did not know allege meant argue.
But, It’s worth reading the hints before commenting to see if the blogger has already explained something that would make your comment superfluous.
Sie haben Recht. Es tut mir sehr leid.
.. somewhat disappointed at the translation I was expecting something more cynical!
Mea quoque culpa .. I only read the hints if I need them otherwise I scroll straight to the comments. Steve is my bellwether!
Having said that, I needed the Huntsman today for 17d … speed of sound named after an Austrian … everyday a learning day.
.. so thanks to Huntsman and setter fir improving my GK.
I very rarely need the hints, but Mustard is correct……Mea Culpa uzw! It’s been a while since I’ve been moderated or put in my place. Currently eating humble pie…..with a large dollop of Colman’s😝
Sorry Conor if my comment seemed terse – as soon as I saw your reply to Steve I just assumed another one of my ****ups (there’s usually at least one)
Kein Problem. All taken with a pinch of salt. But, your point is valid. And I will now read the hints as well🙏
Another solid performance from the prof gets notched up.
I didn’t know the abbreviation for children and the physicist was a new one though it makes sense that he exists.
My podium is 27a, 3d and 6d.
MT to the aforementioned and Hoots!
1*/4*
The name of the physicist came to me in a flash, never heard it coming though, funny that…..
Boom!🙂
At the speed of sound, perhaps
1*/4*. Typically Tuesdayish [ack. Senf].
3d was my favourite.
Many thanks to AP (?) and to Hintsman.
Some fun surfaces, as ever – 13a, 3d, etc. Best thanks to setter and Huntsman. The Robert Cray clip was a gimme. Btw, I couldn’t agree more with you re the app’s new opening screen – if I see the supremely irritating “I am Lord Voldemort” anagram just one more time, my phone is almost certainly going in the river!
Thought I was the only one – of course I forgot the I am bit when I wrote the comment.
I’m assuming the anagram thing is an in joke of some sort that’s over my head …guess I could look it up if I was that interested
You’re not alone, I’ve no idea either!
Well, I envy you both! Presumably, you don’t use the app then?
Nope, don’t own a smartphone, Mrs TC stares at one enough for the pair of us!
I use the App and I have never seen the Voldemort message.
You probably haven’t got the latest app update – my advice would be don’t get it unless absolutely necessary to do so.
Oh yes I use the app and see the annoying Voldemort thing come up every day …. No idea what the reference is. Keeps the Devs happy though.
Good morning. I raced through this getting two thirds on the first pass. The South seemed to fill itself whilst the North took a few minutes more. All in all very pleased. The lazy two wheel rider at 1a made me laugh as did the complex salt at 4a and the excellent copper at 10. Hard to pick a CoTD but it`s a toss up between the red faced Tory at 20a or the bare lady that talked at 29a. Thanks to Huntasman for the review and setter for the puzzle
A very nicely balanced puzzle with a plethora of fine surfaces, none better than 3d. As always on a Tuesday, the resulting puzzle was a delight without being particularly brain-mangling.
Many thanks to AP and The Hintsman.
Hmm , the second whatever it is at Telegraph Towers. The first time is an isolated incident; the second time is a coincidence; the third time (next week?) is a pattern and the common factor seems to be Huntsman on blog duty!
An entertaining puzzle solved 11 hours later than usual! **/****
Candidates for favourite – 13a, 20a, 16d, and 23d – and the winner is 13a.
Thanks to presumably AP, but I am not 100% certain, and to Huntsman.
Gently bentley as is usual for a Tuesday and very enjoyable, maybe a notch up from yesterday. I didn’t know the physicist, but that was my only sticking point. Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.
On completion when reading the hints I thought I may have had the physicist wrong when Huntsman mentioned an Austrian – Google gave me a Czech one – although on closer inspection the beard proves they are one and the same!! So my answer was correct.
As others have mentioned a bit tougher than yesterday but still quite light – as it should be for a Tuesday. Great surfaces as is usually the case with this setter. Great stuff.
Thanks to them and to huntsman
* / ***
Can I be the first this week to say “typically Tuesday-ish”, that’s © someone!
Flew through this pretty much as quickly as yesterday – maybe at the speed of sound ☺ – see COTD. Very enjoyable nevertheless.
Ticked quite a few but COTD was the 17d surrounded physicist.
Thanks presumably to the Professor but I note the comment in the blog and to Huntsman for the blog.
Message for Falcon – huge apologies for my demented offering last night. I was not in a car going over speed bumps neither (you will be surprised to hear) had I had anything more than one G and T before supper! I was in fact in bed and very tired when I remembered that I had not said how much I had enjoyed the guzzle. Put it down to batty old woman syndrome. That’ll learn me to check my text!
Chalicea is on Toughie duty and my quick glance revealed it to be quite friendly. I will have a go at it later.
I have now started the Toughie by Chalicea and it is quite friendly. If you don’t usually tackle the Toughie give it a go today. 👍
Thanks, off to print it now and will save for lunch time.
Unlike Conor, I faced more trouble in the south – think the rot set in with the physicist. Overcame that one with a bit of reverse parsing then proceeded in a fairly orderly fashion to completion. No particular favourite but 23d made me smile thinking of all those parents/grandparents who will soon be faced with a stream of shepherds tending their flocks on school stages throughout the land!
Thanks to Mr Plumb, presumably, and to Huntsman for the review.
Gentle and enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
I didn’t know the physicist in 17d but I now know where the unit of the speed of sound came from.
My ticks were given to 20a, 28a and 3d.
Thanks to the Setter and Huntsman (for the hints). We got off to our usual flying start and then ground to a steady crawl. COTD 16d. LOI 7d.
Pretty straightforward as usual on a Tuesday. I liked 1a and the photo of the 13/60 version of a 22d. Thanks very much to the setter and to Huntsman. Catching the train to St Albans later to see the Young Knives at the Horn. I’m not the biggest indie fan but they’re more interesting than the leaden norm and it’s a great little venue.
Well recognised! I had a 12/50 estate in Valencia Blue, and then a couple of 2 litre Vitesses, the second of which I rebuilt the engine of.
So easy to work on, just open the whole front, sit on the wheel, and you can do nearly any job with only a handful of tools.
Bombproof cars!
I got stuck on 7d and 12a as I couldn’t see beyond amputated. I still struggled when I read the hint but if corse now I realise that a pointed remark can be a cutting one. Anyway, that was my only hold up. I think 9a was very clever and also liked 1 and 23a. Many thanks to the Hintsman for his hunts and to Mr Setter. I frequently astound myself that we pay so much – £3.50 a day and more at weekends – for the paper when we can get so much news from TV and iPhone. Then I think of my lovely hour with the paper on which to scribble and I reckon I’ll carry on being a Dodo.
I much prefer the Dead Tree. It feels like proper “time out” when so much of working life is staring at screens of one sort or another. E-versions are for emergencies, like being away with no obvious paper readily available.
For years the crossword was done on the train during the daily commute. No good for me now sadly as I’m plagued with task specific focal dystonia which makes writing both painful & very laborious so the tablet is a real godsend
Oh blast. If corse is, of course, of course.
Puzzle not done today due to the sheer idiocy at Telegraph Towers.
Absolutely riddiculous
Was not available when I finally went to bed at 10:30 my time.
Made heavy weather of this today. Lord knows the reason why. Just failed to get to grips with it. Hey ho. May have a go at the Chalicea toughie as it seems accessible. Cotd is 1a. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
I agree with those above who enjoyed this today, and that it is just a tad more difficult than yesterday. Would have been a hole in one had it not been for the physicist and the mushroom which I still don’t get. I do try to limit the number of hints I read, but they were the main reason I joined this site many years ago, and am constantly very grateful to all the bloggers. For those that don’t need the hints, you might want to try the Toughie which is available most days. Thanks to Mr Plumb for another enjoyable solve, and to Huntsman. I feel your pain with the late postings by the DT. Technology is great, until it isn’t…
A baby step up from yesterdays in terms of difficulty but just as entertaining.
1*/4*
17d last clue in and favourite. Although I have parsed this as a reversal – reeling – of sots rather than an anagram containing the physicist.
Thanks to AP and Huntsman
Oh, you raise an interesting point. According to the BRB an anagram is a word or phrase formed by the letters of another (word or phrase) in different order. However, in cryptic crosswords, the fodder (input string) and/or the result (output string) are not necessarily words or phrases (though they may be) but sometimes only become words or phrases after adding, inserting or deleting additional letters So, adjusted in conformance with its use in cryptic crosswords, an anagram is a string of letters formed by the letters of another string of letters in different order. Both reversals and cycling operations would satisfy this definition. So can we say that all reversals are also anagrams (but not all anagrams are reversals). Or does the term anagram exclude reversals and cycling which would make the definition: An anagram is a string of letters formed by the letters of another string of letters in different order that is neither a mere reversing or cycling of the letters. On the other hand, if STOS is both a reversal and an anagram of TOSS, then perhaps the determining factor in identifying the type of clue would be the indicator used. In this case, the indicator is “reeling“. That is certainly a recognized anagram indicator but is it also a valid reversal indicator?
Crikey – had to read that twice to understand it (I think 🤔).
Gotta be honest I just saw reeling & thought anagram indicator – didn’t notice it was a reversal so I’ll chalk that 1️⃣ ⬆️ as a blip number one & counting….
17d must be a reversal because an anagram would be indirect (i.e. it would be an anagram of a synonym). Indirect anagrams are verboten and we’d never get one from a professional setter.
and I thought that as I wrote the damn hint
I’m so pleased indirect anagrams are not allowed – some of them seem quite tricky.
More challenging than yesterday’s offering but got there in the end with a completion without reference to the hints or any other source. Slower time than yesterday, probably not helped having had a full Xmas lunch, took my dad out as part of his 93rd birthday present, then dozing off with the crossword on my knee. Two clues for me today, stood out, 23d for the misdirection and subsequent smile and the physicist at 17d, memories of MMO and MNE, etc.
Thank you to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints, which I will now peruse.
I rattled off 90% before I went off to golf. Just came in and filled the remaining 5 clues with little difficulty. For 17d I identified the drunkards and guessed the answer, but only by reading Huntsman’s hints did I realise that the Mach quantity was actually named after someone. I also needed the hint for 29a as I couldn’t see the parsing.
I liked the technical drawing, but my COTD is 11a
1*/3*
Had to get off to Arts Society and admit that priority was given to selecting dress, jacket, shoes and necklace rather than attending to this rather delightful crossword. Yes, I admit to being shallow. We have lunch after the lecture so very late on parade. Favourite today was 22 d because we will be singing of such angels at Christmas . Didn’t know that the measure was named after the physicist so that might help in a future quiz. Thank you Mr. Plumb and Huntsman.
It appears that my hopes from yesterday for more approachable crosswords this week is coming true so far, long may it continue. Another enjoyably straightforward crossword, a godsend for those of us who tackle them later in the day. Favourite was 28a for it’s amusing surface read. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Worth going through just for the music choices!
Especially The Verve – I’ve always loved that song.
Thanks Alasdair.
Another enjoyable puzzle and a notch up on yesterday’s. I spent some time looking at the NE before working my way back round. Delayed over 17d but decided to parse later! Much to like. Many thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
A very good puzzle which was a tad more difficult than some other Tuesdays with perhaps some more unusual synonyms. I completed it but needed to read the hints for the parsing of a couple. I had 17d as my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
I couldn’t get the backpager online this morning. There is no 4g at my husband’s care home, where I was visiting all morning and I was busy after lunch. So I have only just finished the cryptic, shaving started it after dinner. I dound the top half harder to get into than the bottom and the whole puzzle a bit challenging but nonetheless enjoyable. I liked the Lego clue at 23a, the wily Lego clue at 11a and the missing letter anagram at 9a. Thanks to Huntsman for the hints and to Mr Plumb for a clever guzzle.
1* / 3.5* Very similar level to yesterday’s and equally enjoyable. Lots of excellent clues to choose from but especially liked the 5d hearing, suffers at 17d and lastly the 1a aimless vehicle
Many thanks to setter and Huntsman
A bit chewier than yesterday, which is fair enough as the week progresses, but nothing too drastic despite post-eating dizziness creeping on. Thanks to our Setter (it would be nicer if they named the back-page setters – they give as much fun as the Toughie setters, surely?) and to Huntsman for the Blog.
Genie mach! That’s quick.
Very late on parade.
Straightforward and enjoyable.
Thank you setter and Huntsman.
Certainly more demanding than is usually the case of a Tuesday but eventually managed to suss “dodgy” synonyms to back some answers e.g. 11a, 27a and 4d, Didn’t know the 26a dialect or indeed the 17d physicist but bunged in nevertheless. Thanks, as usual, to MrP and Hintsman.l
Even later on parade here, I did like the physicist “travelling at the speed of… er sound” as Queen might have sung.
I agree with Shabbo, we seem to have got off to an easier start of the week after a weekend of prize stinkers.
Thanks to Huntsman and The Prof.
3*/3* …
liked 3D “Diet regularly abandoned ? Lock up pudding ! (7)”