Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31107
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good morning, fellow puzzlers.
Another lovely Thursday back-pager to keep us out of mischief today. Quite tricky in parts, but a most enjoyable solve. Smooth surfaces throughout and it’s definitely not RayT, so I will leave you, dear reader, to suggest a possible setter. So many lovely clues, from which I will pick 13a, 15a, 21a, 6d, 18d and 20d as my favourites. Which ones did you like?
Many thanks to our setter and to the DT Crossword Team.
Across
1a Very obvious King acts really flustered (7,5)
CRYSTAL CLEAR: the regnal abbreviation for our King + anagram (flustered) of ACTS REALLY.
9a During time before shower exercise too much (9)
OVERTRAIN: synonym of during + abbreviation for Time + synonym of shower.
10a Long introduction to outstanding winter theatre show (5)
PANTO: synonym of long + first letter (introduction to) of Outstanding.
11a New York banker should regularly start to streamline working (6)
HUDSON: the even letters (regularly) of sHoUlD + initial letter of Streamline + synonym of working. For solvers new to cryptics, a banker is often a river (something that has banks).
12a Hurriedly leave exam, most quick of all (8)
FLEETEST: synonyms of “hurriedly leave” and “exam”.
13a Top offer, receiving million for book (6)
SUMMIT: find a verb meaning to offer and then remove the B and add an M instead (receiving Million for Book). Clever.
15a Snooker venue in Cheshire town Basil’s wife mentioned (8)
CRUCIBLE: homophones (mentioned) of a Cheshire town + Basil Fawlty’s wife. The answer is the venue in Sheffield which hosts the World Snooker Championships in April/May every year.
18a Artist captures a hot Polynesian islander (8)
TAHITIAN: Italian Renaissance painter outside (captures) A + abbreviation for Hot.
19a Name about to visit flipping US city university, incredible! (6)
UNREAL: abbreviation for Name + two-letter abbreviation for “about” inside (to visit) abbreviation for a US city + abbreviation for University joined together and reversed (flipping).
21a Skivvy with physique of a boxer? (8)
DOGSBODY: double definition. Neat.
23a Ultimately ignore notice entering cut field (6)
MEADOW: final letter (ultimately) of ignorE + abbreviation for notice (or advertisement) inside (entering) synonym of cut (think grass).
26a Mean lurcher goes round burying bones (5)
ULNAE: hidden word backwards (goes around burying). Our solution is lurking backwards within words 1-2.
27a Endlessly enraged VIP spread rumour (9)
GRAPEVINE: anagram (spread) of ENRAGE(d) VIP. “Endlessly” tells us to remove the final letter of enraged.
28a Sportsperson presently in Rolls touring area (6,6)
TENNIS PLAYER: no – it’s not Mo Salah – wrong sport. Anagram (rolls) of PRESENTLY IN outside (touring) abbreviation for Area.
Down
1d That man is wearing Wally’s costume (7)
CLOTHES: synonym for that man inside (is wearing) synonym of wally + S.
2d Admit daughter every so often sleepily turns over (5)
YIELD: abbreviation for Daughter + the even letters (every so often) of sLeEpIlY backwards (turns over).
3d One making an impression on you? (9)
TATTOOIST: cryptic definition.
4d Jump from raised board, without balancing essentially (4)
LEAP: synonym of board upside down (raised – this is a down clue) outside (without) the middle letter (essentially) of balaNcing.
5d Pub owner in outskirts of Leatherhead maintaining traditions mostly (8)
LANDLORD: the outskirts of Leatherhead are L AND D. This goes outside (maintaining) a synonym of traditions without the final letter (mostly).
6d Australia is struck by acclaim for tech company (5)
APPLE: my LOI. The answer was obvious, but it took me a while to decipher the parsing. We need to take a three-letter abbreviation for AUStralia and remove it (is struck) from a synonym of acclaim. A tricky but excellent clue.
7d Outfit of Stephen’s, emblematic to some extent (8)
ENSEMBLE: hidden word (to some extent). Our solution is concealed within words 3-4.
8d Hate swear-word that divides the French (6)
LOATHE: synonym of swear-word inside (that divides) “the” in French.
14d Wood lots use selfishly adult must stop (8)
MAHOGANY: synonym of lots outside (must stop) synonym of “selfishly use” and abbreviation for Adult.
16d Swimmer from Greece, only failing to finish in medley (6-3)
CONGER EEL: anagram (in medley) of GREECE ONL(y). “Failing to finish” tells us to remove the final letter of only.
17d Garment king maybe put on one rearing horse (8)
CARDIGAN: synonym of king (think poker, perhaps) + I (one) + three-letter synonym of an inferior horse reversed (rearing).
18d Clean trams perhaps? (4,2)
TIDY UP: a reverse reversal clue, if that makes any sense! Find a synonym of clean (or put things in order) and follow the instructions in that solution to reveal “trams”. Clever.
20d Cheap clothing that’s needed for climbing hills? (3,4)
LOW GEAR: synonym of cheap + synonym of clothing.
22d Note using revolting English word (5)
BREVE: abbreviation for English + a “doing word” joined together and reversed (revolting). The answer is a musical note.
24d Newspaper Lydia folds (5)
DAILY: anagram (folds) of LYDIA.
25d Spend change (4)
PASS: double definition. Think “spend time” and “change from one state to another”.
Quickie Pun: DELHI + GAIT = DELEGATE
A really enjoyable puzzle despite some of the parsing being unclear – to me anyway. I have ticks all over the paper again and it’s difficult to pick a favourite. Leaving the exam, the snooker venue, the skivvy and the cheap clothing were all in the running. As I couldn’t choose between them, I put them into a random selector and out came the snooker venue at 15a.
My dog was pleased with his name check at 11a.
Thank you, setter for a fun puzzle. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.
15a is not in cheshire. Misdirection? or misinformation?
No but the homophone is. 😊
For many a year I always thought a homesick Paul Simon wrote Homeward Bound sitting on the railway station of the Cheshire homophone (actually Widnes) so had it been one of the options for a million in WWTBAM I’d have done my money.
Crewe
This will rank as one of the best crosswords that I have ever completed. It was not a fast fill, but rather steady and deliberate. Only 8 on the first pass and after that, it was a case of slowly teasing out the solutions. The clues are superb from start to finish with ticks a plenty on both axes. 1a is a superb opener, 12a is magnificent, the drudge at 21a, the apparel at 1d, and the Gallic detestation of 8d. Many thanks to the setter for a belter of a puzzle and Shabbo for the hints, which were not needed, and will be read at some stage today!
3*/5+*. I have a strong feeling that this smooth masterpiece must be a Silvanus creation. That means therefore that today is dream team Thursday (at least for Jane and me, but I suspect for others too) as we also have a Beam Toughie to tackle.
From a plethora of ticks, my crowded podium selection is 13a, 15a, 21a, 1d & 8d.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo.
Sailed through this until I hit three in the SE which gave me real grief until I finally twigged 19a. I couldn’t parse 25d. A total blind spot. My answer that I bunged in was total “shoe menders” and I was corrected by Shabbo’s hint. Thank you. I’m awarding cotd to Baldrick in 21a. Thanks to compiler for the entertainment and Shabbo for the hints.
All went in pretty easily except 6d, oh I had the answer alright, but no idea why. Had to look at the hint after completion for enlightenment, and still took a few moments before it clicked. A toughie clue if ever I saw one.
Great fun all in all, hope tomorrow’s is even half as good.
There were several unmistakable definitions which made some clues easy to crack but also a few headscratchers, so something for everyone.
The very obvious 1a got a tick although it wasn’t particularly, as did the sportsperson in 28a.
Likewise the king’s garment in 17d, the clean trams in 18d and the revolting English word in 22d.
My thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
An excellent puzzle from Sade that was a joy to solve.
My last two in were 25d as I couldn’t see how the answer meant ‘change’ and 6d which I biffed. Well done to Shabbs for parsing that bad boy as I wouldn’t have worked it out in a million years.
It’s such a shame to see ‘winter theatre’ as opposed to ‘Christmas’ in 10a. I was hoping that the DT would hang in there a bit longer. It’s like seeing ‘Winter wishes’ in a Christmas card. It’s all very sad.
Anyway…..my podium is 13a, 1d and 8d.
MT to the SAS.
3*/5*
I moaned to one of my fellow yoga classmates about Christmas becoming Winter and had my knuckles well and truly rapped. Did I not realise that many schools ooop north had no Christian children at all? I countered that this was, after all, a Christian country and she replied says who? I’m getting too old for all of this.
Moi aussi!
And me. When a teacher can be sacked for saying this is a Christian country things have come to a pretty pass.
Good grief…
I can assure you that “winter theatre” was included rather than “Christmas theatre” purely because I thought the latter made the answer more obvious. As it happens I can’t stand all the PC “Winterval” nonsense either.
I am relieved and thank you for another excellent crossword.
You keep teeing them up and we smoke ’em down the middle. Well, that’s the idea but, with some of yours, I snap hook it out of bounds.
Talking of which, for any golf lovers out there…..Ian Baker-Finch, who won The Open in 1991, got the yips so badly that, at a subsequent tournament at St Andrew’s, he hit his opening drive out of bounds left which is some feat as the 18th was between him and the road!
He knew that he had to call it a day when more fans on the course watched him than the other players as they wanted to see how bad he was. Having shot 92 at Troon in 1997, he cried in the locker room and retired. Golf is a marvellous yet very cruel game.
So, he went to the commentary box for the next 28 years, where he had a stellar career, putting down the microphone a few months ago.
Quite gentle and smooth for a Thursday back pager and I concur that it has to be the work of one half of our Ynys Mon correspondent’s Dream Team. However, a mild Hmm over 25d, but research shows that it is fully supported by entries in The Crimson Tome and Collins (on the Interweb). **/****
Candidates for favourite – 12a, 15a, 21a, 4d, and 18d – and the winner is 18d.
Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
Hallo Senf – did yesterday’s guzzle after midnight and picked up your comment about The Paris Apartment. We were both surprised that we enjoyed it – thought it was cleverly plotted and one or two twists really surprised me. I wonder what you will think?
Thanks DG. I will be collecting it from the library today so you might get my opinion on Sunday more likely next Wednesday.
Make it Wednesday, Senf – my copy isn’t arriving until the end of the week!
Another tip-tip puzzle rolls off the Smooth production line (surely). Not the 12a of grid fills principally because last in 25a was far from 1a to me – polished off the Beamer puzzle in t’other place quicker than it took me to come up with the required 2 letters. A couple of the whys proved very tricky – the penny dropped eventually at 6d but refused to budge with the trams & only did so after reading the hint twice. As ever ticks all over the shop – 15,21&26a my podium choices.
Thanks to the setter & to Shabbo
An entertaining puzzle – thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
I thought that the use of a synonym in the 18d ‘reverse reversal’ was rather unusual in a back-page puzzle.
Ticks from me for 13a, 21a, 18d and 20d.
Looks as though I have an early Christmas present in the form of a Dream Team appearance – quite made my day! My paper is covered in ticks which made it very difficult to choose the rosette winners but the nod eventually went to 1,15&21a plus 20d. Like others, it took me a while to parse the obvious answer to 6d and I had to resort to the BRB for the answer to the second definition of 5d – not my favourite clue.
First glance at the Quickie made me think that we were going to get the infamous Indian stomach complaint but the answer was far more clever and nothing like as painful!
Many thanks to Silvanus for another of his ultra- smooth compilations and also to Shabbo for the excellent review.
5d?
Oops, didn’t press the button firmly enough. Should have read 25d!
I think Shabbo has got the grading spot on for this puzzle. Quite hard going but very enjoyable at the same time.
COTD for me was the aptly named “Baldrick” in 21a, it would have been easy to go on completely the wrong tack the way the clue was structured. Like others 25d was LOI and I don’t think I would ever have got this if it wasn’t for the hints.
Thanks to Shabbo for the explanations and to the Setter for spreading some joy on what is a dark and miserable day here in Scotland’s Central Belt.
I enjoyed this but it wasn’t the 12a solve, finding a couple of the parsing incomprehensible and thus “bunged in” the answers based on the check letters vis a vis 6d and 18d. 25d I went for “cash” initially (as in “cash in” or spend), thus 28a was insolvable!
Cotd without a doubt, 21a solved with the assistance of the “big lad” lying at my feet.
Thanks to setter and Shabbo.
An absolute belter of a back-pager to keep us busy this morning. So difficult to choose a winner, but I particularly liked the clever 18d and 20d.
Many thanks, presumably to Silvanus, for a delightful puzzle, and to Shabbo.
Like a fair few others I failed to parse 6d – so thanks Shabbo!
Also had a hmmm next to 25d for the synonym of the second word.
All in all tho a tip top puzzle and I agree with difficulty/enjoyment rating.
I felt quite proud of myself for knowing the snooker venue and to my amazement George, who is the most untechy person I know, came up with the tech company. I think he is beginning to feel a bit better. It has been a tiring three days and we still have to wait to find out whether they need to go right into the skull again or if it was caught in time. Poor old boy. I would show you pictures of the top of his head but it would put you off your lunch. Waiters blanche when he sits down! By the way, last night I got the Lillian Gish clue straight away – my mother (also Lillian) was a great fan and thought to resemble her! Many thanks to the Super Setter and the not-so-shabby Shabbo.
Pleased to hear G is making satisfactory progress.
So glad he is doing well, and fingers crossed it was caught in time.
Good to hear George is doing well. Onwards and upwards! 👍
Top half went in easily so it was a shock when the bottom half didn’t especially as we had had the discussion about the benefits of starting the crossword from the bottom up. Went off to Knitter Natter and returned to finish – apart from 25 down. Of all the fine clueing this one does not impress. Perhaps I’m just feeling miffed. Favourite is the Skivvy but so many other contenders. Although 18 down had to be a bung – in the explanation was indeed clever. Thanks for the explanations Shabbo and to our clever setter.
I thought this was brilliant.
3*/5*
6d favourite once the penny dropped on the parsing.
25d LOI – I struggled to convince myself that the answer I had was a synonym of either
And pant as a synonym for long? I must be missing something here!
Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
I am panting with desire…
Sounds like one from Dada’s personal thesaurus.
Or more likely Silvanus’s first long trousers
For my birthday today I would have preferred a more gentle puzzle, but being a Thursday I knew that was not going to happen. But not too bad, I have finished half and will get back to this at lunch time. I’ve had to look at the snooker hint as even with know Sybil I was never going to get that one. Steve’s dog’s namesake river was easy as we have actually walked across that bridge on a visit to Rhinebeck. Need to get moving now, so we can have a restful afternoon before heading out for “our” birthday dinner, it is Peter’s birthday on Tuesday. Thanks to setter and Shabbo.
Happy birthday both – enjoy your meal out.
Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful dinner. 🎂🎂🍾🥂
Happy Boobydoo from me as well. My brother’s birthday is in January and I always felt smug that, with a birthday in June, my allocation of presents was nicely balanced. Brother had 11 months to wait before the next gift- fest!
My birthday is in January as well but far enough into the month to stop my parents and relatives from giving me “joint” Christmas and Birthday presents. 😊
Many thanks to Shabbo for his Hints and Tips and to all those solving and commenting.
Constructing 26a did make me wonder briefly whether “lurchers” could become a rival name for “lurkers”!
See you all again soon.
Lovely guzzle, Sylvie – keep them coming!
Great puzzle. Please keep them coming.
** / ****
Difficult to comment as solved in a break in an all day meeting and finished in a loud and distracting pub! Remember smiling at a lot of clues. Printed at work and didn’t notice it went to two pages so didn’t have the clue for 25d!!!
Many thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo
I seem to be the only person who doesn’t get the answer for 18 down even after Shabbo’s hint. Can someone explain in a different way please? Thanks to setter and Shabbo . A most enjoyable crossword despite this blind spot on my part.
Trams (smart, tidy) backwards
Apologies. Quite difficult to hint without revealing the answer.
Don’t worry, it was a tricky clue.
Filled 75% before I went to play golf; came back and completed it in under 5 minutes. Like the Suffolk Lass also failed to understand 18d. I got the answer but didn’t spot the reversed synonym.
Plenty of favourites but the snooker venue at 15a gets my COTD
Thank you Sylvanus and Shabbo for the hints.
3*/4*
A lovely puzzle with so many excellent clues it’s hard to pick one but I think 21a just got ahead. 25d was a guess as I.could not see why it worked, thanks to Shabbo for the hints.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo for the hints.
I don’t always do the DT but found myself on a train this evening and was struggling (long lunch) so I thought I’d get a bit of help, then realised it was Thursday so could have just asked Shabbo directly!
Hi Shabbo’s sister
A long lunch? Disgraceful. I am on a train now after a long dinner.
Keep trying with the puzzles…I probably wouldn’t have helped you anyway!
Sat down with dog on the settee and fire lit to tackle this wonderful puzzle. Definitely a notch up from the last few days . I too had no idea about the parsing of 6d. Also didn’t help myself with my last one in the note at 22d by spelling the 26a bone wrong. Having read the comments I realised that the winter/ Christmas thing had totally passed me by – the world’s gone mad ! Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
I wouldn’t have parsed 6d or 18d in a month of Sundays and I still don’t really see 25d. The rest were ok though favourite was 15a but others ran it close. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.
Good fun, this, but some Toughie-level clues. No problem with 10a’s “winter”. The relevant season extends beyond Christmas, but not (as far as I know) into the Autumn or Spring, so seems fair enough to me. 4d, 6d and 18d get my rosettes for the level of head scratching involved in sorting them.
Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo
Still don’t understand 6 Down!
It’s tricky.
Remove AUS from applause.
As per Shabbo’s hint – the acclaim synonym is APPL[aus]E.
That was a lot of fun and just the ticket with which to relax after a stressful day. Like Taylor Gibson I needed a bit of help with 6d, 18d and 25d. Thank you very much Silvanus for the fun and Shabbo for some parsing.
My Fav was 21a.
3*/3* …
liked 21A “Skivvy with physique of a boxer ? ( 8)”