Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31104
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Ottawa where, apart from the temperature being marginally warmer than Winnipeg, Senf’s meteorological report from yesterday very accurately sums up conditions here.
Progress was swift through most of today’s puzzle, which I will assume is from X-Type (until someone else steps forward to claim credit), although a few clues at the end extended the solving time a bit. However, the Quickie pun proved to be a different kettle of fish. Neither I nor my human phone-a-friend resource could decipher the answer but Aria, the Opera browser AI assistant spit it out immediately.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a Powerful expert‘s shabby trench coat (10)
TECHNOCRAT — an anagram (shabby) of the final two words of the clue
6a Defraud second Conservative politician in Wales formerly (4)
SCAM — the single letters for second and Conservative followed by the abbreviated former title of a member of the Welsh Parliament AM (Assembly Member)
10a Plan service, visiting Didcot on vacation (5)
DRAFT — a British military service inserted in (visiting) the outer letters (on vacation) of DIDCOT
11a Clarity from occasionally loud police department head (9)
LUCIDNESS — string together an alternating sequence of letters (occasionally) from LOUD, the abbreviated detective department of a police service, and a geographical head
12a Lottery also enthralling married bishop, glad at heart (7)
TOMBOLA — a synonym of also containing (enthralling) the genealogical abbreviation for married and the chess symbol for bishop, all followed by the two letters at (the) heart of GLAD
13a One pound I invested in TSB? I lost capital (7)
TBILISI — a Roman numeral one, the abbreviation for pound sterling, and the I from the clue are placed in (invested in) an anagram (lost) of TSB I
14a Vehicle reversed by hot bloke, Home and Away composer (12)
RACHMANINOFF — link together a reversed motor vehicle, the water tap symbol for hot, a bloke or chap, a synonym for (at) home, and another for away (from work)
18a At sea, I contact past explorer (7,5)
CAPTAIN SCOTT — an anagram (at sea) of the three words between the indicator and definition
21a Break from driving – it’s best after parking (3,4)
PIT STOP — ITS from the clue and another term for best following (after) the street sign symbol for parking
23a Old seaman holding forth (7)
ORATING — the single letter for old and an ordinary seaman
24a Musicians or socialist backing creative pursuits (9)
ORCHESTRA — OR from the clue, a famous 1960’s South American Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, and a reversal (backing) of a collective term for creative pursuits
25a Patriarch is about to ring recovery group (5)
ISAAC — IS from the clue and the single letter abbreviation for about (in chronological terms) surround (to ring) the abbreviation for the name of a group that supports those trying to wean themselves off the bottle
26a Exam paper for teachers finally out (4)
TEST — the abbreviated name of the British weekly trade magazine aimed at educational professionals (paper for teachers Times Educational Supplement or TES) and the last letter (finally) of OUT
27a Thin sniper adjusted position, briefly (10)
INTERNSHIP — an anagram (adjusted) of the first two words of the clue leads to a position providing practical training under supervision to a new graduate before advancing to a permanent position
Down
1d To see so far (2,4)
TO DATE — TO from the clue and see romantically
2d Cold Deputy PM is unpleasantly damp (6)
CLAMMY — the water tap symbol for cold and the Deputy PM of the UK David Lammy
3d In Manhattan, Leo reworked country song (8,6)
NATIONAL ANTHEM — an anagram (reworked) of the first three words of the clue
4d Ring a good Chinese former Prime Minister (9)
CALLAGHAN — ring on the telephone, the single letter for good, and the name of the largest ethnic group in China (and the world)
5d Sick of regularly stopping at racecourse (5)
ASCOT — an alternating sequence of letters (regularly) from SICK OF contained in (stopping/plugging) AT from the clue
7d Extremely clever journalist, one you owe something to (8)
CREDITOR — the outer letters (extremely) of CLEVER and the usual senior journalist
8d Dogs – mum’s pets? (8)
MASTIFFS — another informal term for mother (with the accompanying S) and pets or fits of bad temper
9d Management notice cars helping to carry tonnes (14)
ADMINISTRATION — a short commercial notice, some small cars, and a helping or portion enveloping (to carry) the symbol for tonnes
15d Some branch or agency in Alaskan city (9)
ANCHORAGE — the answer is hidden (some) in BRANCH OR AGENCY
16d Assess the potential of octopuses, briefly cooked (5,3)
SCOPE OUT — an anagram (cooked) of OCTOPUSES after removing its final letter (briefly)
17d Move from delivery company receiving criticism (2,6)
UP STICKS — an abbreviated American courier company wraps around (receiving) British slang for criticism; will this clue receive some ot the latter?
19d Hardy novel about international capital (6)
RIYADH — an anagram (novel) of HARDY contains (about) the single letter for international
20d What might contain soldiers’ destination? (6)
EGG CUP — a cryptic definition of a piece of tableware that holds the interim destination for some breakfast soldiers before they march onward to one’s mouth
22d Appoint Russian leader (3,2)
PUT IN — split the Russian leader according to the numeration to get a term meaning to appoint (to a position)
There are so many clues deserving of honours, it is difficult to choose just one. As I have a soft spot for cryptic definitions, I’ll go with 20d.
Quickie pun:: SUMMON + LYRE + CUE = SOMEONE LIKE YOU
On this day …
… in 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside of the Dakota building in New York City, where he lived with his wife, Yoko Ono, and youngest son, Sean. His 25-year-old killer, Mark David Chapman, initially approached the former Beatle for an autograph. At the time of his death, the 40-year-old musician was in the middle of a highly successful solo career, while he and Ono had released their fifth studio album, Double Fantasy, weeks earlier. The following day, the newly-widowed Ono publicly declared, “John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him.”
Quite straightforward on the whole but with one or two traps to catch the unwary. One such was the capital at 13a, which I had to look up because I haven’t heard of it. I forgot the particular soldiers at 20d and I spent too long thinking of Hardy novels at 19d. The lurker was well hidden and there was yet another way to clue the old favourite at 24a.
Difficult to pick a favourite but I narrowed it down to the break from driving at 21a and the appointment at 22d. After deliberation I am going for 21a.
Thank you, setter for a great start to the week. Thank you, Falcon for the hints.
I couldn’t decipher the Quickie pun.
This was pretty much a read and write from the outset; which is how I like my crosswords! So many great clues, that just clicked immediately starting with the anagram at 1a. My podium is 11a, 13a, a capital I visited this year and 14a which is just superb. 19d deserves a mention as the solution featured quite recently in one of last weeks`s puzzles or the week before. 20d was LOI. All in all, a brilliant puzzle. Thank you for the hints, which weren`t needed and to the setter for the entertainment.
1*/5*. Lovely Monday fare – light and great fun! Could this be another splendid offering from Chris Lancaster?
I had a plethora of ticks, but 2d made me laugh and gets the nod as my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
I really enjoyed this. 13a reads beautifully, 14a’s a lovely construction and 20d is a cracker. Not for the first time, the Quickie pun took the most unravelling. Best thanks to setter and Falcon.
Really nice puzzle, pitched just right for my ability. Lots of excellent clues. I liked 8d and for once I remembered this meaning of ‘pets’ (which I only come across in crossword land). 10a was my LOI but the ‘visiting Didcot on vacation’ bit of the clue was really nice. Finally as mentioned above 20d was a terrific clue, even if as always I spent too long thinking of GIs / SAS / TAs etc etc. It took me an age to think of these particular soldiers. Thank you Setter and Falcon (particularly for parsing 26a).
An excellent opening to the (non-)work week. Even though they appear reasonably regularly a check of the spelling of the two capitals was required – they are almost as hard to remember as that village on Ynys Mon that is often shortened to Llanfair PG! 1.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 11a, 8d, 17d, and 20d – and the winner is 20d.
Thanks to the setter, RD’s suggestion could be spot on, and to Falcon.
This has kicked off the week’s proceedings very nicely.
The Welsh political abbreviation has been added to the crib sheet and ‘lost’ in 13a is one too far for an anagram indicator. A synonym of a legitimate one like ‘confused’ is going to put off rookie solvers. It’s just not worth it.
It’s official: 24a has topped the frequency charts for 2025.
My podium is 11a, 14a (a splendid effort) and 20d.
MT to X Type (?) and Falcs.
2*/4*
A terrific puzzle – thanks to our setter and Falcon.
Standout clues for me were 14a, 21a, 26a and 20d.
Pretty straightforward but great fun & top notch. Did have to check on the abbreviation for the Senedd member & was slow to twig the indicator at 19d (despite knowing full well there’s no Hardy book title of 5 letters) but otherwise problem free. ✅s aplenty – 11,12,13,14&25a plus 17,19&20d particular likes though I would prefer to see 22d not used in puzzles.
Thanks to the setter & to Falcon.
Ps as with yesterday couldn’t figure the Quickie pun – the title of a wildly popular Adele track from her 21 album but Van’s beautiful love song off Poetic Champions Compose knocks spots off it
An absolute joy to solve with a few outstanding clues eg liked the political slant for 2d and 4d.
20d gets my vote for COTD, took a while to think of some alternative soldiers!
Thanks Setter and also Falcon for the welcome hints.
Very entertaining and great fun the best of which was 20d. Thank you
Fairly gentle start to the week although I did get slightly held up by the Hardy novel that wasn’t! Top clues for me were the excellently constructed composer, the break from driving and the cold politician.
Thanks to our setter for a fun puzzle and to Falcon for the review.
No doubt about my favourite clue this afternoon – 2d by a considerable distance. This excellent Monday puzzle may have been fairly straightforward but it was an absolute pleasure to solve and very rewarding. I do hope the setter pops in to claim ownership.
Many thanks to whomsoever was responsible for this excellent crossword and to Falcon.
Super start to the week. I do have dyslexia so the 2 capitals which are in no way phonetic in their spelling did mean that I had to look them up although I knew them and just what they sounded like. The crossword is an exercise in helping my spelling and it has been of great benefit. Favourite was 20 down followed by 21 across. Have never used the phrase for 16 d but like to keep abreast of these things.
We are so lucky and I thank our setter and Falcon.
Cracking fare for a Monday. Many contenders for cotd, but it has to go to 14a. A joy. Thanks to compiler and Falcon.
Very straightforward but hugely enjoyable. Like RD, I wonder whether this might be Chris Lancaster’s handiwork. Hopefully the setter will drop in later to take the plaudits.
I had to check the spelling of the capital at 13a and needed Falcon’s help to parse 26a.
19d and 20d are my joint COTD.
Enjoyed the Quickie Pun and Huntsman’s Van Morrison song.
Thank you Falcon and mystery setter.
Some good humour to be found here and I’ll no doubt remember the answer to 2d whenever I see the DPM on TV.
The Hardy novel in 19d was an amusing read though the soldiers in 20d went down best of all.
My thanks to our setter and Falcon.
Reckon he certainly felt 2d during his stellar performance in the GK round on Mastermind
Ha, I’d forgotten this Panesar-esque car crash. And they still made him foreign secretary after that!
FANTASTIC!! Thanks Huntsman.
Reminds me of the woman in a quiz show who was asked where the Leaning Tower of Pisa was. “Cairo” she said with confidence.
I found this a fair bit trickier than others on here. Needed the hints to fully parse 6a and 26a. So thanks to Falcon for those.
This was super. Not actually all that difficult, but a lot of perfectly fair alternatives for “standard” clue elements that had to negotiated. Only the 6a politician was slightly obscure, but that was easily pinned down. Lots of ticks for me – 2d, 3d, 19d, 20d, 26a in particular, but nearly all have clever, smooth surfaces.
Thanks to Falcon and our setter.
* / ***
Enjoyable romp and over pretty quickly. A great start to the week. Ticks went to the 2d unpleasantly damp deputy PM and the 4d Chinese former PM! COTD went to the very well composed 14a.
Many thanks to the setter and Falcon for confirming the parsing of 26a – I’d forgotten the TES!
Many thanks to setter and Falcon. Thoroughly enjoyed this, though I struggled more than I should have.
Liked 3D despite the penny not dropping until after I’d searched through Dolly Parton’s back catalogue, but favourite was 20D.
It is reassuring to me to see that so many on the other side of the pond also struggled with the Quickie pun. My rhotic accent puts me at a distinct disadvantage with examples such as today’s pun, despite my best (but still very poor) efforts to pronounce it in a British accent.
I can’t add anything to what has already been said about this well clued puzzle. Like SC I was diverted by Hardy novels and the soldiers, but quickly realised the error of my ways and completed in pretty good time. 14a was a great walk-through for the composer, but for sheer amusement 20d gets my COTD.
1 5*/4*
Thanks to the Setter and Falcon for the hints. Fairly easy as we expect for a Monday puzzle. COTD 22d LOI 25a. Not much more to say other than everyone enjoy their day!
Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle nice to be on the setter’s wavelength for a change.
25a I was trying RAC or AA as the recovery group, but the result came out the same.
Many thanks to the setter and Falcon
I hadn’t even thought of that type of recovery group. In Canada, we call those services “roadside assistance” rather than recovery.
It’s Monday so I wasn’t surprised that this was a gentle start to the (non-)work week for me. Most answers slipped in easily with the odd exception.
1.5*/4* today
Favourites 10a, 11a, 4d, 16d, 20d & 22d — with co-winners 4d & 20d
Of the two clues (13a & 19d) that required the same ‘type’ of answer, I had never heard of the 13a one.
Thanks to setter (X-Type?) & Falcon
Nice gentle start to the week tucked up in my cosy bed with a hot ribena first thing. Due to heavy cold lost my sense of taste but can taste ribena. Weird Quickie pun today. I was also in to the roadside recovery group. Thanks to the setter and Falcon. Posted two small Christmas cards today, one to USA and one to France. A shattering £3.40 each, so that’s the last year I do that!
My goodness, that’s a lot of postage – to send a card from here to the UK is £1.28, unless they are large or heavy,
Just an ordinary 5×5 card BL! Daylight robbery but never again.
And sadly they are going out of fashion over here. Very poor selection of individual cards this year, i.e. could not find “Daughter and Son in Law” versions this year. My complaints fall on deaf ears, and met with shrugs, and “people prefer ecards these days”. Perhaps if they didn’t charge so much for the cards they would sell more…
Enjoyed after struggling to get a foothold, and also falling into the Hardy novels trap. Having been made to read The Mayor of Casterbridge at school, I instantly developed a strong disliking of his novels. Not quite the friendly Monday I was hoping for, but satisfying to solve. Thanks to setter and Falcon. Now it’s time to get on and bake my 4 dozen mince pies.
Lovely crossword, and still laughing at 2D. VMT Setter & Falcon.
Late on parade today after spending a lot of time queuing, first at the post office, having taken out a mortgage to pay for Christmas postage, then at Boots prescription counter, then Waitrose and,finally the Petrol Station. Unlike others, I found it hrd to get started on this guzzle. It’s at times like this that being a Geography teacher helps enormously and I enjoyed 13a, 18a and 19d, whixh opened things up nicely, with the checjers they provided. The 3d anagram and 14a Lego composer were also good fun. Thanks to the compiler and to Falcon for the hints
Harder than some Mondays of late, liked 14a (first one in) and 20d (last one in) best. Thanks to setter and Falcon.
What fun that was, a few needed extra thought eg 20d my last in. 2d made me laugh and will be my favourite but it was hard to pick one.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
I am late today also, due to Royston Ladies Luncheon club Christmas lunch and a postprandial nap! I live the importance of 1a and the composer at 14a and the realisation of the soldiers in 20d. Wednesday and Saturday are Boiled Egg days in our house. My last one in was 16d , I entered it correctly but had never heard that usage so had to check it out. Early night tonight as we have to be at Addenbrookes at 8am for George to have yet another (5th) squamous tumour removed from the top of his head. Wear a hat if you are rowing on the river, chaps! It will be a long day. Many thanks to the Setter and Falcon.
Really enjoyed this.
Needed the hint to parse 26a. My mother was a teacher and still hadn’t heard of the magazine.
As I had some spare time I attempted the quick crossword. It was much more difficult than the main one for me… Needed the Thesaurus and was a big fat dnf.
Thanks to all.
This was very good fun with 20d my runaway favourite today. Main hold up was the spelling of the two capitals. I was unaware of the welsh politician but with checkers the answer was straightforward.
1.5*/4.5*
Thanks to Setter and Falcon.
I got off to a good start and was really pleased with my progress until suddenly I hit a brick wall in the south–east. 20d I was definitely thinking of the wrong soldiers and had to resort to the hints. Much to like, especially the anagrams. Was not familiar with the expression at 16d but bunged it in anyway and husband confirmed it was right. The pun didn’t sit right for me despite repeating it numerous times. Many thanks to the Setter and Falcon.
Raced through this until getting held up in the SE but it turned out to be a ‘solve one and the rest fall’ thing. Last one in and cotd was 20d. Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable solve and Falcon.
This was a great puzzle which I felt was a bit harder than the usual Monday but still quite gentle. I was held up at the end in the Sw with 20d – the soldiers destination and the patriarch at 25a. I spent a whole dog walk chewing over words I something A … I suspected the AA or RAC was the recovery group but discounted the AA as no word has two As …..! except the answer of course which once I got the soldiers clue became clear. Thanks to the setter and falcon.
Got there in the end but needed the hints for my final entry, 10a, then could have kicked myself. Could not get MOT out of my head. Some very amusing clues today, 21a, 20d and 22d. But my COTD has to be 19d, there was me looking at lists of the works of Thomas Hardy, none fitted, then bingo.
Thank you to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
To each his own and I see there are a lot of supporters today but in spite of returning to this several times over the course of the day I got nowhere with it. Thank goodness tomorrow is another day so I look forward to seeing what it brings. Thanks anyway XType and Falcon.
2*/4* ….
liked 8D “Dogs – mum’s pets? (8)”