Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31094
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****
An entertaining midweek puzzle which I really enjoyed – many thanks to our setter.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and indicator words (e.g. anagram indicators) are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons.
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Across
1a Beat Peterboro’ Utd on pens (5)
OUTDO: hidden (indicated by pens) in the clue.
4a Former Queen award-winning singer tackling Help! (8)
ADELAIDE: the name of William IV’s wife is constructed from an English female singer containing a synonym of help.
10a A pigeon enthusiast accompanying dog (7)
FANTAIL: an enthusiast or aficionado and a verb to dog.
11a Sixteen oz LA California rolls stuffed with Italian food (7)
CALZONE: hidden (stuffed) in reverse (rolls) in the clue.
12a Ceremony regularly hosted by Braintree (4)
RITE: regular letters from Braintree.
13a US gangster failing to finish bird (5)
CAPON: the surname of the most famous US gangster without its last letter.
14a Check tide when ebbing (4)
EDIT: reverse (when ebbing) tide.
17a In Whitechapel, one might step on these fruits (6,3,5)
APPLES AND PEARS: double definition, the first being Cockney Rhyming Slang for stairs.
19a Expensive leather rips? Just a fake display (9,5)
CROCODILE TEARS: stick together a type of leather used to make expensive bags and shoes and a verb meaning rips.
22a Frustrate miserable retired husband (4)
DASH: reverse (retired) an adjective meaning miserable or unhappy and add the genealogical abbreviation for husband.
23a Daughter rejected Sicilian hothead poet (5)
DANTE: the genealogical abbreviation for daughter followed by the reversal (rejected) of a geographical feature with a fiery top in Sicily.
24a Your setter, behind pub, gets Italian port (4)
BARI: the subjective pronoun that the setter uses for himself follows a synonym of pub.
27a Natter with boring mate beginning to grate (7)
CHINWAG: the abbreviation for ‘with’ goes inside (boring) an informal word for a mate. Finish with the first letter of grate.
28a Plant liable to fail without oxygen (7)
LOBELIA: an anagram (to fail) of LIABLE containing (without, i.e. outside) the chemical symbol for oxygen.
29a Gosh! Area in remote road where pigs etc are found (8)
FARMYARD: an exclamation like ‘gosh!’ and the abbreviation for area go between an adjective meaning remote and the map abbreviation for road.
30a Unfinished second order for barista (5)
LATTE: an adjective meaning the second (of two) without its final letter.
Down
1d One might Google “rotten holiday” (3,5)
OFF BREAK: stick together synonyms for rotten and holiday. Google is falsely capitalised here – what we need is a specific type of cricket delivery which could be a googly. I’ve never come across this verbal form of googly but it is in the BRB.
2d Challenger might be fitted with this garment (4,3)
TANK TOP: this Challenger is a specific vehicle.
3d Friend putting on over a stone (4)
OPAL: a synonym of friend with the abbreviation for a cricket over put on top of it.
5d Cryptically title old film about animals (6,8)
DOCTOR DOLITTLE: a reverse anagram where the answer comprises the anagram indicator followed by the fodder. Rearranging the fodder gives us TITLE OLD.
6d Money, but no yen? Relax! (4)
LOLL: an informal word for money without the abbreviation for the yen currency.
7d Suitable Dublin or Derry houses (2,5)
IN ORDER: hidden (indicated by houses).
8d Leave former lover adult film covers (5)
EXEAT: start with our usual former lover then insert the abbreviation for adult (film classification) into Spielberg’s classic film.
9d Complex, intriguing broadcast dragged on, alack (5,3,6)
CLOAK AND DAGGER: an anagram (broadcast) of DRAGGED ON ALACK.
15d Go and get fine cut (5)
FETCH: the pencil abbreviation for fine followed by a verb to cut or engrave.
16d Recorded delivery room for ship (5)
BERTH: this sounds like (recorded) a delivery (of a child, say).
18d Breathe audibly like Blackbeard? (8)
ASPIRATE: split the answer 2,6 to get a conjunction meaning like and what Blackbeard was an example of.
20d More dangerous runs beginning to intimidate winter sport fan (7)
RISKIER: assemble the cricket abbreviation for runs, the first letter of intimidate and someone participating in a winter sport.
21d American airline told to return dishonest character (1,3,3)
A BAD LOT: an abbreviation for American and a British airline followed by the reversal (to return) of ‘told’.
22d Inside cafeteria, drinking this? (5)
DECAF: our fourth hidden answer today is lurking (indicated by drinking, i.e. taking in) in the clue.
25d Speak about western influence (4)
SWAY: a synonym of speak containing the abbreviation for western.
26d Murder victim Abraham Lincoln briefly designated? (4)
ABEL: this Biblical murder victim’s name is how Mr Lincoln might be referred to in brief (3,1).
Top clues for me were 4a, 19a, 1d and 5d. Which one(s) did the job for you?
The Quick Crossword pun: COR + NICHE + PAS + TEASE = CORNISH PASTIES
Gazza’s score is bang on for this unusual puzzle. Took a while to get into it but then it was fluent. The 5 lurkers helped. My favourite was 19a although 23a and the amusing 18d were exactas well. Thanks Gazza and our setter.
Sorry not exacta – excellent!
An absolute cracker. 1a’s sweet, 1d & 2d both tickled me, and 5d’s smart. Loved this. Best thanks to setter and Gazza.
Sorry – not exactas – excellent.
Brilliantly pitched for a Wednesday, tough and very fair like the late Mr Bugner.
Loads of clues that could qualify for favourite, but my two have to be the fantastic 1d and the very clever 5d.
Great fun Mr Setter, take a bow!
What a fantastic midweek puzzle. It was jam packed with some clever and amusing clues, none better than the excellent 5d.
Many thanks to our Wednesday setter and Gazza.
A most enjoyable puzzle.
I double ticked 1d from the outset, so despite the other worthy contenders, that gets my vote.
Many thanks to the setter, and to Gazza.
That was a cracker, lots to like and loads of smiles. Not being a cricket fan I struggled at 1d but Mr Google came to the rescue! Isn’t a googly a bit unsporting?
My cotd was Blackbeard the pirate.
Thanks to setter and Gazza.
PS Where’s Steve today? I wondered if he’d listened to Adele?
I’m here, Big Eck and I avoid Adele at all costs. I think she strains her voice.
Late on parade because of a visit to the doctor where I was given the all clear with regard to my heart.
What a strange yet superb puzzle! I did struggle with it in places but perseverance got me over the line. One or two parsings eluded me so I had to get them from the checkers. I will need the hints to see how they work. Lots of great clues such as the hothead poet at 22a and the clothed challenger at 2d. As a former church bell ringer, I could get bells out of my mind for ages for 17a. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry, established in 1570, was the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain and operated for nearly 450 years until its closure in June 2017.
My COTD is the fantastic 1d.
Superb puzzle and great Quickie pun.
Thank you, setter for the fun. Thank you, Gazza for the hints and cartoons.
Yay — fantastic news on your heart, Steve!
Thanks, Smylers – a huge weight off my mind.
Glad to hear all is ticking over well, Steve
Great news Steve, we shall expect to see you in pole position again tomorrow!
Thanks for the kind words last week, my cryptic brain seems to have woken up again now.
Great news on the heart front Steve, I hope the car is working just as well now.
Great news about your heart 😊
Really good news, Steve, I’m sure the world seems like a much better place now!
So pleased for you🥰
Thank you, everyone. Yes, Jane I have been walking with a spring in my step all day. The car is back on the road, SJB and I have vowed never to put petrol in a diesel car again!
Glad to hear you got the all clear.
Thank you, TG. 😊
Good news Steve. I’m sure it will be a great relief for you and sure you will sleep well tonight.
For me, etc, somewhat more challenging than recent Wednesdays but still very enjoyable – ***/****
Candidates for favourite – 17a, 29a, 1d, and 2d – and the winner is 1d – until today, I had no idea that one could ‘google a googly’ without searching on line.
Thanks to the setter, two half crowns from the back of my sock drawer on Hudson, and Gazza.
Nothing too difficult for a midweeker, 1d gets my vote too, great clue.
Nice to see the answer to 27a getting an airing, it’s a fine old school word which was often used when I was growing up.
Talking of which, the 17a was the name of my favourite boozer as an underage drinker.
Happy days.
My thanks to our setter and Gazza.
The quickie pun is brilliant!
Good morning. We are being spoilt this week`: three crackers in a row. Brilliant clues from start to finish. It`s impossoble to pick a podium or a CoTD but 4a, the Pizza at 11a, the castrated bird at 13, cockney rhyming slang at 17, 23a and 24a. As for the down clues, loved 7d less the FX, 15d, 16d, 18d, and the adrenaline junky at 20d. This was a fun and quick fill. Lesson learned from yesterday, super hints from Gazza, which I have just finished reading, but glad to say, were not needed. Thanks to Gazza and setter
That should be 6 down less the FX, and not 7d
What a cracker. So many ticks on my print out, it’s embarrassing. I agree with others that 1d is excellent but so is 21d, 4a and the wheezy pirate at 18d. Indeed it’s a cornucopia of goodies. Tough to pick a cotd so the pin picked at random 9d. Thanks to compiler and Gazza
That was such a lot of fun with only the SE presenting a few slow solves. Took a while for 5d penny to drop but it was a great help thereafter. 3d seems to be a bad cruciverbal penny. 1d was perhaps obtuse for non-Brits and once again 17a may not be familiar to non-Limeys but it was my Fav. Thank you setter for a fun Wednesday and if you’re not a regular do please come back soon and Gazza thanks for being there in case of need.
Gentle and very enjoyable indeed. Honours to 1a, 1d, 2d, 5d though many more could as easily have taken places on the podium. Surprised at the number of lurkers but they were nicely phrased.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza
What are the chances? 😀
As is doubtless also the case with your swing, your timing is perfect!
Super puzzle. 4 crackers all worthy of a podium pick & that was just in the NW. Best of the week thus far for me.
Thanks to the setter & to Gazza – whose review I’ll read later.
Ps can’t recall a comment from MG of late – hope all ok
Hudson at his finest…or could it be a Tumble edition? I’ll go with the former as the latter tends to make us work a tad harder for our supper.
The 1a/1d kicked things off very nicely and it flowed from there.
I’ve never heard the verb google nor will I as it won’t catch on….or should that be off? My LOI was 19a which gave me trouble the last time it appeared in a DT crissy crossy.
My podium is everyone’s favourites:1a (love ‘pens’), 1d and 5d.
MT to the supersetter and ‘G Dog’.
2*/5*
Oh, the pun is totes hilaire.
Quirky in parts and great fun.
I’m not sure the cricket purist would agree with the synonym at 1d – we will let RD be the judge of that.
Anyway – don’t mention the cricket – whatever you do!!
Loved the Sicilian hothead.
Thank you mystery setter and Gazza.
Shabbo, I have only been playing cricket for 71 years but I have never come across “google” as a verb meaning to bowl a googly. I’ve no idea where the BRB conjured this up from, perhaps an AI creation? Incidentally, it’s not in Collins.
RD. I asked Google about the verb “google” in cricket:
The verb “google” is used in cricket to mean bowling a googly.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the earliest known use of the verb “google” in this context is from 1907 in the Badminton Magazine. It is a back-formation from the noun “googly”.
A “googly” is a specific type of ball bowled by a leg-spin bowler that deceives the batsman because it looks as if it will turn in one direction, but actually turns the opposite way. The verb “to google” thus refers to the act of delivering this deceptive ball.
The modern, more common use of the capitalized verb “Google”, meaning “to use the Google search engine to seek online information”, is a separate and much later entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, first recorded in 1998.
Hi J
For a word to be an entry in a dictionary, it needs to be in use which this isn’t. No cricketer has ever heard it mentioned….ever. Yep, I’m speaking on behalf of every cricketer as no one will say anything to the contrary.
To me, when you research a word before making it an entry, you need to find out if it’s being used. This shows that they’ve done no research, whatsoever. My guess is that a lexicographer profferred it as a word saying ‘Well, I know there is a googly. So, you can therefore google a ball.’
What utter nonsense.
See my post below about why there are no verbs for the other deliveries (no 26 Francis’). It’s obvious why they aren’t verbs…because it’s rubbish.
How that became an entry in The OED is beyond me.
Sorry to go against the grain but I’ve heard and used google frequently, also often heard mentioned on TMS.
As an avid cricket fan I’m with you imposter. What bugs me is referring to Women’s Ashes. Absolute rubbish, no Women’s Ashes.
I don’t wish to prolong this, but at the risk of doing so, if dictionaries are supposed to cull words as soon as they go out of use we would never have had the delightful Call My Bluff, that was a fond childhood memory once I had grown out of Robert Robinsons other vehicle Ask the Family.
We love Call My Bluff. So, Spencer Junior….
I’ve never heard google mentioned on TMS. So, I will listen out for it.
But, I ain’t holding my breath….
If it was used that much it would be in my OED but it isn’t.
Sorry, but the jury is still out.
Indeed! *Call My Bluff is currently being repeated on BBC4.
** / ****
Really enjoyed this. A tad harder than Monday/Tuesday as is to be expected. Couldn’t quite read and write but very many fell on returning with one or two checkers. Were there really 5 lurkers, don’t remember that many.
Ticks went to the 1d Google, 2d fashion statement, the use of hothead in 23a and COTD for me © etc. is the 29a Gosh for pigs!
Thanks to Gazza and the setter.
A brilliantly entertaining puzzle for this cold but sunny day. I did need the hints to understand my answer to 1d, I know nothing of cricket. I thought 5d was brilliant and my favourite out of many other excellent clues. In 28a I spent far too long trying to find a plan that was an anagram of liable to without an o even though my first thought had been the correct plant, I always fall into the ‘without’ trap!
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the hints.
Great fun, my favourites are 5d, 9d and 19a. Your tips came in handy for 18 and 21 down, thank you Gazza and to the setter.
Did anyone else see rout lurking in 1a? I did and dismissed it as a lurker until checkers forced a reassessment.
1d and 5d my faves today too.
Thanks to Setter and Gazza.
Yes l did and started to write it in until I realised the error of my ways
Likewise with rout !
It was a sloww start but my progress accelerated as the checkers went in. I liked the lurkers particularly the reverse one at11a, the Cockney rhyming slang clue at 17a and the cryptic double meaning clue at 19a. The 19th century queen Lego clue at5a is also my grand-daughter’s name and was ny favourite clue. Thanks to the compiler for a very enjoyable guzzle and to GaZa for the hints.
So frustrating that by simply changing the last letter of Google, our setter managed to throw me completely off track with the parsing of 1d despite the fact that I’d already inked in the obvious answer – much gnashing of teeth and head-banging when the light finally dawned.
Plenty of humour to be found in the rest of the puzzle as well with rosettes being handed out to 19&22a plus 2&20d with hon mentions to that wretched 1d and the Quickie pun.
Thanks to our setter – think Senf’s Toonies may well be safe, and to Gazza for the review and cartoon selection – Superman’s pet rooster was the winner for me!
A cracking puzzle full of humour and fabulous surfaces. Thanks to the setter and Gazza form the cartoons.
3*/4*. This was a most enjoyable puzzle apart from 1d which I couldn’t parse and, as a lifelong cricketer, I was astonished when I read Gazza’s decryption. That clue gets a thumbs down from me but everything else was excellent.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza.
I agree with you RD .I couldn’t get the second half of 1d from the clue.I have to hundreds of matches over the years sometimes 2 or 3 times per week.Google v googly is tenuous,to suggest off break is completely out of the question , unless we’re talking a Chinaman delivered by a left hander .? A really absorbing quiz todayand full of great clues .The 4 long ones were up there but I will select 29a as my favourite . Thanks to all .
Hi FW
A googly does break from the off. So, the definition is accurate.
The verb has and will never be used and this is why the BRB is truly rubbish. A dictionary is a curator, i.e they record what word is in common parlance which this isn’t. I’d love to know how this clown outfit operates.
I’ve let off the setter as it’s a great clue and it is in a dictionary……of sorts.
I’ve just seen The Hud’s post that Collins have it too (the first black mark against the latter’s name). Both dictionaries are wrong as it’s never used.
I say again, I’ve got no problem with Hudson using it.
I wonder if Chumpers and Collins (the latter has gone down a notch because of this) have the following verbs: doosra, Chinaman, off-break, leg-break, flipper and knuckleball?
If not then why not??????????????????????
But we do hear: “He’s yorked him,” and “She’s bounced her,” — so there are some deliveries that we’re happy to have as verbs.
Personally I’m now going to see if I can drop ‘googled’ into a conversation. (Though if England continue not to pick a spinner, and if matches continue to be over very quickly, there’s less opportunity to do so …)
Hi S
Bounce, bump and york (to trick) were the original terms that became nouns. So, they’re different.
Having slept on it, I reckon TMS have had a bit of fun with it, over the last few years, saying that to Google (online search) can also mean to bowl a googly. They probably Googled ‘google’ to see if it was ever used and found that it was, almost 100 years ago, by a couple of fools which was good enough for them. It should never have been made an entry as it never got traction and quite right too.
No commentator, sorry common tater, in their right mind would use it. If so, they would be laughed at by their colleagues and us!
Setters generally should use words that appear in one or more of the three main English dictionaries: the BRB, Collins or the OED (preferably the BRB). Google as a verb (relating to bowling a googly) is listed in all three. The fact that none of us uses this verb is irrelavent. Some people do or did. Dictionaries contain hundreds, thousands, of words that are not in common usage/parlance – so should they all be ditched?
It was never used.
No one will find one article or report where it is mentioned.
Someone has suggested it for a word and I’m guessing, in days of yore, the committee was one old duffer who liked the idea as he’s a lover of willow hitting leather.
The OED formally recognizes this verb form. Its earliest known use in this context is recorded in the Badminton Magazine in 1907.
Don’t shoot the messenger!
I’m hardly talking to you, am I.
One mention in a magazine isn’t enough for it to be in the dictionary. I was talking to Susie Dent a while back about how a dictionary decides on a word and it’s a darnsight more than one or a handful of entries from 100 odd years ago. There is no way it would pass the test now.
Tom. I used to play cricket and I’ve had a keen interest in the sport since the mid 60s – and I’ve never heard of the verb use either! But it isn’t listed in all three dictionaries for fun, it must have been in common parlance in the past. Obsolete now maybe, but valid to be used!
No, I’m not accepting it was in common parlance.
Proof, baby. Proof!
There is none.
From the Daily Telegraph in, admittedly, 1930 ..
“Grimmett can spin the ball and google it”
A fine effort, Alpingtons.
One down, I’d say, what, 20 to go for it to be in common parlance?
His name rang a bell and I now know why. He was the fastest to 200 test wickets and once got all 10 in a first class game.
I have just seen he was the first to develop the flipper. Why isn’t the verb to flip in common cricket parlance? It’s because people love the word google.
Here’s the proof old son:
Badmington Magazine 1907 (me).
Daily Telegraph 1930 (ALP).
Frequent recent usage (Imposter).
Used/defended by the setter Hudson.
Accepted/tacitly validated by editor CL.
Supported by all three main English dictionaries: BRB, Collins, OED.
I rest my case …
See my post further up.
If someone can show me that it’s been used since 1930 then I will bow down.
I’ll repeat my previous comment, I’ve used google and I’m surprised the cricket followers haven’t heard it on TMS, which is where I first heard it used by FST
Thanks for the blog, dear Gazza, and thanks to those who have left a comment.
@RabbitDave and @FrancisWalsh…regarding1D: My cricket playing days ended in 1977 when I left Sheffield and my cricket watching days in 2005 when I moved to the summer sporting desert that is Germany but both Chambers and Collins support the definition of this clue. Chambers also supports the verbal usage however much it might stick in our craws. I guess them’s the, er, breaks.
Best wishes, Rob/Hudson
Thanks for popping in, Hudson, and for the most enjoyable puzzle.
Well I know nothing about cricket and just put in what I thought sounded right! Many thanks for taking my mind off the cold for a while!
Great puzzle Rob. Thanks for dropping in
A wonderful and slightly unusual puzzle, Hudson that was very enjoyable. Thank you for it and for popping in.
Nice to have a puzzle to solve today after yesterday’s debacle. Enjoyed this Wednesday offering as it seemed easier then the last couple of Wednesday puzzles we have had.
2*/4* for me
Favourites 17a, 19a, 28a, 15d, 18d & 21d — with winners 17a & 19a
Smiles for both of these as well as 18d
Thanks to Hudson & Gazza
Clearly a contrary hat dat today for me, as I found this decidedly more difficult than the past two lovely days. Strangely, but happily, 12a, 13a and 14a went straight in, followed by 2d. It was uphill after that. And now it is time to leave for the dentist, so will hope to resume later. Thanks to setter and Gazza.
Thrilled today to discover that our local public tv station is airing The Great Escaper tonight. For some strange reason, the film has never been released in the US. Being big Michael Caine fans, and having been told ages ago by English friends that we should see this, this is very good news.
Enjoy!
Just back from Tai Chi and so pleased to read that Steve has good news. Added to that we had a smashing crossword. Just loved 17 and 19 across that took the centre of the grid. 23 across was such a clever clue. It is odd how one’s thought processes work with some setters more easily than with other setters. Today was one where I found everything just fell into place and that is certainly not true very often. Thanks for today, Hudson and Gazza
I’d never heard of the term in 1d before and I’m not sure I’ll come across it again but at least I’m learning a few sports phrases from doing these crosswords. The boat clue at 16d held me up until I caught on that I’d written a word for groups of two instead of a word for some fruits in 17a. Favourite clue was the Sicilian hothead at 23a and LOI was the barista’s order at 22d. I’ve written the extra F it needs below the grid (though I’ll reluctantly accept it with one). Thanks to Hudson for a fun puzzle and to Gazza for the hints.
Just as an FYI, here is the response I got from the Telegraph regarding the delay earlier this week in posting the puzzle. I actually did wonder if the new Cogs puzzle was part of the issue …
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Thank you for contacting The Telegraph and sharing your concerns. I completely understand how frustrating it must be when puzzles aren’t available at the expected time, and I appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
There was a delay with today’s puzzle release, and the puzzles were published at 6:30 am UK time. This may have been due to the addition of a new puzzle, Cogs, which was introduced today and required extra processing time.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this caused and are working to ensure future releases happen on schedule. Your feedback is important to us, and we’ll continue to monitor this closely.
If there are any further questions please reply to this email. Alternatively, please visit our Contact Us page here
Kind regards,
*****************************************
Well if they release a new puzzle next Tuesday Chris Lancaster is getting crossed off my Christmas card list 😡
I thought this was a cracking puzzle
2*/4*
I can see 1d has split the room but I like it for the penny drop moment. 2d second place.
1 too many lurkers for me, although 1a is very clever
Thanks to Hudson and Gazza
Four in a row finished unaided – whoopee – but oh dear, it’s Thursday tomorrow.
Courage, mon brave!
Excellent news about your heart Steve. As a cricket fan 1d went in early. For the non cricket fans the second half of the clue more than suffices once you have couple of checkers. COTD 16d. LOI 23a. As usual we attempted the puzzle later in the day ( now dark outside).
Late today as the Pocket Rocket came this morning then I went to lunch with friends and straight on to an Almshouse Trustees meeting. Glad to get home and sit in front of the fire with a great guzzle. Loved the Sicilian hothead. And Steve has had good news, George has just poured me a gin so all is well. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Hudson
A third completion on the trot without reference to any external reference, including the hints. On a roll but keep expecting to be brought down to earth with a bump.
Enjoyable given it was slightly more difficult than the previous two days offerings. Some very good misdirection especially 1d where the cricket reference really eluded me, was thinking of the internet, and it was only as I guessed the second word as a synonym for holiday that the penny dropped. So that is my COTD. Other favourites were the Cockney rhyming slang at 19a and the natter at 17a. One minor criticism is that I thought there were too many hidden clues or variations of such.
That said, thank you to the setter and to Gazza for the hints.
2* / 4* a cracking Wednesday challenge, great fun and good misdirection.
Lots of favourites including 29a where pigs are, the 2d garment and the very surprisingly controversial 1d !
Thanks to setter and Gazza
Quality puzzle. Delighted to learn that google has been an acceptable cricket verb for a century plus. 5D obviously the standout clue, but always good to be reminded of the admirable but unfortunate Queen at 4A. VMT Setter and Gazza.
I thought 1d was brilliant! I only needed help with one clue today, the ship one. I generally look at the hints but rarely comment as I spend long enough on the crossword as it is! Sorry!
Oh do comment, GJF even if it’s the next day. All comments are read no matter how long after the puzzle. 😊
Hello,
I’ve never commented, just lurked… appropriately as lurkers are my favourite clues! It’s the next day now so hoping not too late 😁
I’ve only recently started doing the cryptic regularly after subscribing to the online puzzles and am learning lots, but likely to forget lots too, especially pesky cricketing terms!
Do many of you often use a thesaurus or is that classed as cheating?
Welcome to the blog, TreacleWell.
Now that you’ve de-lurked I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.
Use of a dictionary and thesaurus is fine as far I’m concerned. One’s aim should be not only get the answers but to understand why and if you stick with us and read the hints and tips regularly your solving is bound to improve.
I occasionally do! Thanks for the encouragement. Having the hints is such a help, particularly when you are trying to get the hang of cryptic crosswords. I hate it if you have to give in and google just gives you the answer. Sometimes I still can’t work it out! It’s a wonderful website. Thanks “Dave” RIP.
Good evening. I didn`t get the Cricket Reference in 1d, it was a bung in. But, I do now!
Excellent puzzle and everything has been said.
In passing no one seems to have noticed that 16d (the homophone of delivery) was almost the same construction and answer as
10a Docks’ new deliveries reported
which appeared in the Saturday prize puzzle 4 days ago.
An excellent puzzle today I thought. I was amused to see all the debate around the term google in a cricket reference. I had to check the meaning of ‘off break’ , and I groaned when again it was a cricket reference. 16d was one of my last ones in , but luckily I remembered a very similar clue a few days ago. Thanks so much to Hudson for a great puzzle and Gazza .
This was great fun, though I found it harder than most commenters above: it felt more like a Toughie (especially with the reverse anagram), taking me way longer than Hudson’s backpagers usually do, and I required a little help to get the last few. Definitely worth it though, with my favourites including Peterborough United in 1a, the 11a Italian food, 18d being like Blackbeard, and the 26d murder victim. Thank you to Hudson and Gazza.
Is 17a definitely a double definition? I interpreted “fruits” as being wordplay, on the basis that the answer as a whole only has the Cockney meaning.
I made harder work of this than I should have but managed to stumble over the line. 11a and 24a were new to me. 1d seemed to have caused some controversy, I just accepted it was a term I was unfamiliar with and moved on. Favourite was 27a just ahead of numerous candidates. Thanks to Hudson and Gazza.
Excellent clues but 8d threw me off- thank you Hudson and Gazza. Good news Steve with your old ticker
3*/5* …
liked 1D “One might Google “rotten holiday” (3,5) “