Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31200
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where the temperature roller coaster is heading upwards. Temperatures that have recently been in the neighbourhood of -10 C are forecast to hit +15 C today.
Today’s puzzle, though, does not depart from the recent trend of gentle introductions to the cruciverbal week.
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 Worker in Nice dropping off student (7)
PEASANT — remove the symbol displayed on the vehicle of a student driver from a synonym of nice (ignore the intentionally misleading capitalization)
5a Runs off key copies (7)
ESCAPES — a keyboard key and copies or imitates
9a Develop tactile grid (7)
LATTICE — an anagram (develop) of TACTILE
10a She had a box of gold, with Chinese symbol on the outside (7)
PANDORA — wrap (on the outside) an animal symbolic of China around the heraldic term for gold
11a Designer changing her tactic (9)
ARCHITECT — an anagram (changing) of HER TACTIC
12a Indigenous Greenlanders understand declining temperature (5)
INUIT — discard (declining) the single letter for temperature from a synonym for understand
13a Vapour in section of cafe’s tea maker (5)
STEAM — a lurker hiding in (in section of) the final three words of the clue
15a Former teacher for Rembrandt? (3,6)
OLD MASTER — line up synonyms for former and teacher
17a Sailor sent round globe is able to soak things up (9)
ABSORBENT — a nautical rank and SENT from the clue go round a literary word for globe
19a Workwear that hides mud (5)
EARTH — the first two words of the clue conceal (hides) a lurker
22a Feature a friend (5)
CHINA — a facial feature and A from the clue; the answer is Cockney rhyming slang
23a Brave Lisa worked out elements of equations (9)
VARIABLES — an anagram (worked out) of the first two words of the clue
25a Love trifle (7)
NOTHING — double definition, the first being a term used in tennis and similar sports
26a Cut off flex to aisle (7)
ISOLATE — an anagram (flex) of the final two words of the clue
27a Top water sports professional? (7)
SURFACE — split the answer (4,3) to twig the wordplay
28a Properties in European countries (7)
ESTATES — the single letter for European and another term for countries
Down
1d Posts medication via regular couriers finally (7)
PILLARS — a unit of medication and the terminal letters (finally) of the last three words of the clue
2d Maybe an item (7)
ARTICLE — double definition, the first being the grammatical term of which an is an example
3d I bail out defence (5)
ALIBI — an anagram (out) of the first two words of the clue
4d Mix up three, pick up four as a result (9)
THEREFORE — an anagram (mix up) of THREE and a homophone (pick up by the ear) of FOUR
5d Émigré returned recording with unknown content (5)
EXPAT — reverse (returned) a recording and insert (with … content) a mathematical unknown
6d Nominee‘s appointment introduced by Conservative and Independent (9)
CANDIDATE — a romantic appointment is preceded by (introduced by) the single letters for Conservative and Independent separated by the AND from the clue
7d Expert reportedly dodged result (7)
PRODUCT — a shortened synonym for expert and what sounds like (reportedly) a word meaning dodged
8d Loosely throw out some Schrödinger’s cat terminology (7)
SCATTER — a lurker hiding in (some) the final three words of the clue
14d Initially makes a robust granita adding rum into the alcoholic cocktail (9)
MARGARITA — the first letters (initially) of nine words in the clue
16d Settle hamper belonging to me? (9)
DETERMINE — hamper or discourage and a first person possessive pronoun
17d Climbs a trail, slowly at first (7)
ASCENTS — string together the A from the clue, an olfactory trail, and the initial letter (at first) of SLOWLY
18d More timely Westminster paper leads in educational reform (7)
SWIFTER — a charade of the postcode for Westminster, the abbreviation for the pink newspaper, and the initial letters of (leads in) the final two words of the clue
20d I learnt unconventional counting (7)
RELIANT — an anagram (unconventional) of the first two words of the clue
21d Places like the Ritz taking over small inns (7)
HOSTELS — wrap (taking over) the name for the Ritz and its counterparts around the clothing label symbol for small
23d V&A visitors not half uncertain (5)
VAGUE — the V and A from the clue precede half (not half) of a synonym for visitors
24d Connected with a fight (5)
ABOUT — A from the clue and a fight in a competition
I’ll award top honours to the Westminster paper as it pushed my cryptic solving skills to the limit. Did you have a favourite or noteworthy clue.
Quickie pun:: MILL + KEY + WHEY = MILKY WAY
On This Day …
… in 1968, Céline Dion was born in Charlemagne, Quebec. Dubbed the “Queen of Power Ballads”, her over 200 million records sold worldwide make her not only the best-selling Canadian recording artist but the best-selling French-language artist and one of the best-selling musical artists in the world. Since being diagnosed with a rare neurological disease in 2022, she has made only limited appearances including a performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Recent reports claim she is planning a series of concerts in Paris this autumn. Joyeux anniversaire, Céline.
Here she is singing what has become her signature song in several live performances from 1999 to 2020.
A typical Monday offering with a few curveballs thrown in but enjoyable, nevertheless. It seemed to me that there were quite a number of anagrams but I haven’t counted. Plenty of good clues making it difficult to pick a favourite but I have ended up with two., the water sports pro at 27a and the dodgy expert at 7d. After due deliberation, I’m awarding COTD to the latter.
Thank you, setter for a great puzzle to get the week started. Thank you, Falcon for the hints.
Blowing a hooley here in The Marches but at least the sun is shining. 😀
I found this pretty easy with the first pass resulting in a well filled out grid. Top picks are 1a, 1d and 21d. Many thanks to the setter and hinter.
A gentle introduction to the crossword week. Nothing to overly exercise the grey matter. A few old favourites and as SC has observed, plenty of anagrams to tease out.
My thanks to the setter and Falcon.
1*/3*
1*/3.5* Well that was short and sweet with plenty of clever clueing. Needed to check a couple with Falcon but no hold ups.
Best of the day include 27a top, 14d cocktail and the worker at 1a
Thanks to compiler and Falcon
A very enjoyable anagram fest (got to keep MG happy) with lots of nicely constructed clues that will be within reach of most solvers’ grasp.
I didn’t know the verb in 12a nor the meaning of granita.
My podium is 17a, 27a and 4d which was great fun.
MTTT setter and Falcs.
1*/4*
I forgot to put 3d on my podium. A perfect clue.
Did you mean keep DG happy? I am the Anagram Queen !!
A very fair comment.
I was having a giggle as MustafaG ain’t a fan of anagram-heavy crosswords.
A gentle introduction to the week although I struggled with the Westminster postcode today.
2*/4*
12a and 27a favourites today.
Thanks to Falcon and Setter.
Some rhyming slang today – be strong TDS, be strong!
Good shout, Slate.
It obviously should be ‘Feature a mate’ not ‘friend’ but I’ve made my peace with it……just.
I quite like that a cockney crossed a Westminster-based clue.
Grand Monday fun. Too many podium contenders so I’ll simply plump for 27a as cotd. Thanks to compiler and Falcon.
This certainly maintained the run of straightforward but enjoyable Monday puzzles. Plenty of good clues along the way with the popular 27a also my favourite this morning.
My thanks to both setter and Falcon.
I’m enjoying this run of Monday puzzles like they used to be
Thanks to the setter and Falcon
Gentle but very pleasant. 7d my pick of the clues with a nod to the pun.
Thanks to the setter & to Falcon
A straightfoward and enjoyable Monday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Falcon.
The clues I liked best were 10a, 2d and 18d.
Very enjoyable, the perfect start to the week. Have done a tip run but now it’s raining, cold and blowy so the garden will have to wait.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints
An enjoyable Monday guzzle with many favourites. 27a was my last in and became my favourite when I eventually sorted it out!
Thankyou to setter and Falcon.
Great puzzle, thank you, but.Not available on downloaded paper. Had to spend ages finding it by other means. Anyone else having this problem? V annoying. Thanks to setter and hinter.
A bit late on parade due to a quck visit to the local Sainsbury’s garage to top up with fuel. It wasn’t by any means a bunfight but much busier than an average Monday mid-morninng. The attendant said they had plenty of fuel. I agree with those who are appreciative of Monday puzzles like they used to be. I liked the cryptic Lego clue at 10a, the double definition at 15a and the anagram cocktail at 14d. Thanks to the compiler and to Falcon for the hints
* / ***
A pleasant and brief start to the week. Liked the mix up in 4d, the terminology in 8d, where the answer is somewhat linked to the physics of Mr. S’s cat and my COTD was the 25a Love trifle.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Straightforward and enjoyable start to the week.Just one hold up 18d knew the answer but missed the parse , feeling rather dopey this morning after a sleep broken by strong winds , !!!.Gales rattled the windows , as a backup .! 15, 25 and 27 my podium picks . Thanks to all .
1*/4*. Joyous Monday fare with 12a, 27a & 14d my podium choices. The last of these is a perfect acrostic.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
I agree, this was a gentle way to start the week. Today’s anagrams were certainly easier than some of the real brain teasers we saw last week. I finished in the SW corner and enjoyed 17d, 18d and 27a.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon
This Monday puzzle seemed a little trickier than normal to start out the non-work week, at least for me it did.
All came to light in the end though.
2*/3.5*
Favourites include 5a, 15a, 27a, 1d & 8d — with winner 8d
Thanks to setter & Falcon
Enjoyable puzzle, helped along by Supertramp 🎸
I liked the initialled drink clue😃
Lovely Monday puzzle, a couple of anagrams needed checkers before they sorted themselves out. The Westminster postcode caused the most difficulty but once I eliminated the baby indy as a newspaper it soon dropped.
Thanks to Setter and Falcon
P.s. following a recent conversation with Nanabot on a Sunday Toughie blog it would be nice if we had a FAQ to explain what an unch or double unch means
Page 7 of Big Dave’s Little Guide to Crosswords https://crypticcrosswords.net/crosswords/crossword-guide/7/ explains unches
Sue, I had never come across Big Dave’s Little Guide and found it fascinating, thank you
It’s always worth exploring the site, Manders. It is full of interesting and helpful things.
Had a reread of this helpful little fella and turns out i had never heard about Ximenes and his set of rules – put me down a rabbit hole which led to watching a bit of dave gorman on youtube. A great distraction and very enlightening. Thank you CS!
I had forgotten about that very useful guide, I will try and remember to put a link to it in the preamble to future blogs
Finished in a respectable time but with a stupid error at 2d, entering attaché instead of the desired answer. What comes of entering based on the completed letters rather than reading the clue carefully!
My last entry was 18d, thinking of order papers, but then the penny dropped, so that is my COTD. I was thinking of 3d as well, not because of its difficulty, it wasn’t, but reminded me of Griff Rhys-Jones and his ‘aleebee.’
I should have said thank you to the setter and to Falcon for the hints. Apologies.
Very late today because I segued (I have always wanted to use that word) from Monday’s guzzle back to finish the Sunday Toughie.
Oh boy, was that tough, I nearly threw in the towel. I have to beware of the Naughty Step Police, but 17a drove me mad. I went through every tool I could think
of and some I made up. So devious, crafty and downright brilliant. But that was yesterday just finished, and we fairly buzzed along
with today’s offering, beautifully clued, a Monday Masterclass. I particularly liked the more timely Westminster paper, briefly explored
Hansard, and the sports professional. Many thanks to the Smart Setter and the Friendly Falcon.
A nice start to the week. Nothing too taxing but enjoyable, nonetheless. I had a doh! moment with 1a. COTD 27a many thanks to the Setter and Falcon.
Was expecting a revolt after seeing 1a but as of no uprising! Nothing wrong with a few anagrams, the fewer the harder the xword, but it’s Monday so..
In agreement that it was worthy of a Monday.
Thanks to all.
As others have said a gentle start to the week which is always welcome after the weekends prize offerings.
Enjoyable. Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Enjoyable Monday. Last one in was 26a – didn’t recognise ’flex’ as an anagram signifier – still fairly new to this and much to learn! I love a bit of rhyming slang. I have fond memories of teaching a few words to some very bemused Iraqi colleagues whilst working in Baghdad some years ago. Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Actually I found this harder than most and struggled to get a start. Needed the hints for 12a, 14d (convinced it was something to do with granita) and 18d. Managed to stumble over the line in the end. Favourite was 10a. Thanks to the setter for showing me I was having a real off day and Falcon.
Welcome to a new week. At one point this was looking like a ‘quickest solving time of the year’, till a slightly bumpy patch arrived in the SW with 4 connecting clues getting there after a little while.
Pody picks go to 10A’s box, 23A because I like them, and I’m joining the club on 27A, a very satisfying LOI.
Thanks to Falcon and to setter ⭐
Mondays used to be my fav day but not any more and once more today was not a barrowload of fun for me so hope a more friendly Tuesday will follow. Yet more far-fetched and supposedly amusing ai’s. NE corner came in last. Favs were 10a and 27a. 8d iffy as IMHO is 16d settle. Surely 20d lacks on. Thanks setter (whom I see nobody has plumped for) and Falcon.
Thank you to Heron for this light and fun crossword. I thought it felt like Heron when solving yesterday morning (but am visiting family in Salisbury, so was busy all day, hence only posting the following morning), but she only confirmed on social media yesterday evening.
I haven’t been solving long enough to remember “How Mondays used to be” (at the time I still needed many hints every day, regardless of the setter), but I find it interesting that commenters have felt we’re getting that from 2 or 3 different setters.
Like Simon Rigler above, at the start this felt like it might be a very quick finish, but then getting the final few took me to a more typical time. 27a was my last in and, like so many others’, my favourite. I also particularly liked 5a’s running off copies (where initially I was trying to remove an R from a word for ‘key’); 15a with Rembrandt; and the 19a mud. Thank you to Falcon for blogging, especially since I wasn’t available to do it.
That this puzzle was “How Mondays used to be” is probably a sign of a good editorial team at The Telegraph. They provide a wide range of puzzles for solvers of all abilities. Relative newbie setters such as Heron and returns of long established such as Notabilis, keep all of the solver’s happy most of the time
2*/4* …
liked 25A “Love trifle (7)”
25A – Was sure the answer was pudding and still think it’s a better answer…. Anyone else in my predicament?
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