Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31201
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***/****
Today’s puzzle, which I assume is the usual Anthony Plumb production, took me a bit longer to complete than usual so I’ve given it an extra * for difficulty. I suspect that it was probably just me being foggy brained first thing so it’ll be interesting to see what others make of it. As ever nicely clued & an enjoyable solve.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
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 Relative quiet cut short by ring (7)
HUSBAND: a truncated (cut short) synonym for quiet followed by a type of ring/circular jewellery
5a Mimicking policeman telling porkies, scratching head (7)
COPYING: an informal term for a policeman + verb synonym for telling porkies/untruths less its 1st letter (scratching head).
9a Maybe one ace sister embracing Oscar (7)
PRONOUN: ace/expert + a religious sister going around (embracing) O[scar] (NATO alphabet).
10a Blunder from maiden is appropriate (7)
MISTAKE: the single letter cricket abbreviation for M[aiden] + IS from the clue + appropriate/pilfer.
11a Indicates Seve’s last ten irons (9)
EXPRESSES: Sev[E]’s (last) + the Roman numeral for ten + irons/de-creases.
12a Tip paint over for amusement, initially (5)
POINT: exchange the 1st vowel in paint – O[ver] (cricket) replaces (for) A[musement] (initially).
13a Abandon vessel crossing cold river (5)
SCRUB: the abbreviation for an underwater vessel goes around (crossing) the single letter for C[old] & for R[iver].
15a Rue Andrew’s appalling bloomers? (9)
UNDERWEAR: an anagram (appalling) of RUE ANDREW.
17a Old magistrate favouring criminals, dull at heart (9)
PROCONSUL: the usual prefix for favouring + an informal term for criminals/prisoners + the central letters (at heart) of dull.
19a Sees ship circling jetty endlessly (5)
SPIES: the usual two letter ship abbreviation goes round (circling) another term for a jetty less its last letter (endlessly).
22a Protectively covered, chaps weld occasionally (5)
CASED: the alternate (occasionally) letters of the two words between definition & indicator.
23a Verging on criminal administration (9)
GOVERNING: an anagram (criminal) of VERGING ON.
25a Hope irate leaders leave work (7)
OPERATE: the answer is found in the 1st two words of the clues if you ignore the initial letter of each (leaders leave).
26a Free album, perhaps (7)
RELEASE: a double definition – the first a synonym for untether rather than the band.
27a Panto regularly seen in that place? (7)
THEATRE: insert (seen in) the even letters (regularly) of p[A]n[T]o into an adverb for that place.
28a Drop of French cologne (7)
DESCENT: the French for ‘of’ + cologne/fragrance.
Down
1d Miserable as help’s organised (7)
HAPLESS: an anagram (organised) of AS HELP’S.
2d Small insect, perhaps, one’s seen in market? (7)
SHOPPER: S[mall] + an informal term for an insect.
3d Herod always stores up treasure (5)
ADORE: hidden in reverse (stores/up in a down clue).
4d Ancient reptiles could produce a sound, sir? (9)
DINOSAURS: an anagram (could produce) of A SOUND SIR.
5d Shows this writer eating lettuce? On the contrary (5)
COMES: it’s the first-person pronoun for this writer that’s contained within (eating) the type of lettuce as indicated by on the contrary.
6d What boats might do documents for travellers? (9)
PASSPORTS: split 4,5 for what the boats might do though they stop at some on cruises.
7d Fancy picture frames at home (7)
IMAGINE: the usual two letter term for ‘at home’ goes inside of (frames) picture/envisage.
8d Bigger kitchen utensil conserves energy (7)
GREATER: place the single letter for E[nergy) inside of (conserves) a kitchen utensil.
14d Vulgar project is reported (9)
BROADCAST: link a synonym for vulgar/indecent with one for project/throw.
16d Be embarrassed after half of debt is handed over (9)
DELIVERED: be/exist preceded by (after) 50% (half of) DE[bt] then append embarrassed/blushing.
17d Choose tool taken by miner on strike (4,3)
PICK OUT: the tool of choice for a miner + a term for ‘on strike’.
18d Stink over some drama that’s shockingly rude (7)
OBSCENE: reverse (over/down) the two letter abbreviation for stink/personal hygiene issue then append some/section of drama be it film or play.
20d Parrot – I cook it meat (7)
IMITATE: I (from the clue) + an anagram (cook) of IT MEAT.
21d Parcel posted without finally telling me (7)
SEGMENT: posted/mailed goes around (without) the last letter (finally) of tellin[G] & ME from the clue. Without in this sense as in the green hill far away that features in the 19th century hymn about the crucifixion.
23d My small eastern birds (5)
GEESE: my in the sense of an interjection of surprise or enthusiasm + S[mall] & E[astern].
24d Sport with mostly reduced regulations (5)
RULES: the two letter abbreviation for a code of the sport played with a prolate spheroid 🏉 + a shortened (mostly) synonym for reduced.
No particular clue stood out for me today but that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the puzzle. Please let us know which clues you liked best.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: ROD + JAR + MORE = ROGER MORE
Having been to a tremendous Nearly Dan gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden on Sunday night I’m currently in a bit of a Steely Dan mood so a couple of their albums & Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly has been this morning’s listening while preparing the blog. They did a terrific version of this tune
Putting “scrap” in at 13a and “caped” at 22a did me no favours at all in this otherwise enjoyable puzzle. I didn’t know the old magistrate at 17a but the clue was clear in its instructions. I don’t understand 5d so will need the hints for that one. I did like Andrew’s bloomers at 15a but my COTD is the ace sister at 9a.
Thank you, Professor for a most enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.
I did exactly the same thing with 13a Steve and it was only when I struggled to parse 14d that I realised the error of my ways…
Ditto 13a
and me!!
I, too, took alightly longer to solve this Tuesday puzzle than I usually would, due to a temporary mental block in the NW corner. Once I got a handle on it, the grid filled up nicely. There were some good Lwgo clues. I particularly liked the ace aisrer one at 9a, the atriking miner at 17d and , my COTD, the old magistrate at 17a. Thanks to Mr Plum and Huntsman.
The across clues on the initial pass suggested that this puzzle would be somewhat testing. However the down clues were easily solved allowing for a swift fill. 1a, 28a and 6d are my top picks. 18d was my LOI. Many thanks to the setter and hinter
A little chewier than usual for a Tuesday, and while 14d is fair by the BRB, I didn’t overly like it and muttered for a while. 15a tickled me for its surface read, and COTD went to the ace sister at 9a. Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman
Tom – it struck me that a clue/answer in yesterday’s Times puzzle might amuse you, in which the definition (say of a telling off) was “pull up” and the answer, “dress down” … one of those nice contradictory descriptions that still mean the same thing!
I like it, MG.
There needs to be a word for these couples ending with the suffix ‘onym’.
I tried to think of another one and came up with ‘Double up’ and ‘Double down’. But, they’re different as the latter means increasing your risk which the former doesn’t.
Hmm…..
It’s such a shame that raise and raze aren’t spelt the same.
Pipe down and shut up!
(That’s my suggestion, not an admonishment).
Like it Frankie baby. Like it.
“Go all in” and “go all out” mean much the same thing.
One more to add to the list, F.
Fill in / fill out – I only suggest this to wind up RD for un-indicated Americanism ☺
Good one, A-Pop.
Sort of off-topic but I can’t resist my favourite Americanism: when pilots say “we will be landing momentarily” and I always think, please could you stay on the ground long enough for me to disembark!!!!!
That’s for when they bounce the tyres off the tarmac and take off again for a second attempt at a longer-lasting landing!
Good shout! (x2)
A very enjoyable diversion and some clever suggestions – maybe they should be called Tomonyms!
Love it! (obvs)
Not sure why this took me as along to complete as it did. 17d was my favourite…I was completely thrown by the wording of the clue and spent too long looking for a tool after I had put a synonym of choose in place! 12a also held me up before a coffee break woke up a grey cell. The Old Magistrate at 17a was a new word for me but the clue made it clear how to proceed.
All round very enjoyable.
Thanks to the setter and Huntsman
Thank you Graham. I had 17D 25A and 14D remaining and with your suggestion of ‘not a tool’ I was able to finish without resorting to the official hints.
21D was my favourite today.
I found this one much easier than yesterday, which I found really tough although most seemed to find it a breeze, horses and all that…..
All set to watch the launch tomorrow, I was 10 when we last sent men to the moon so have been waiting a l o n g time!
As Huntsman wrote in the preamble, slightly more difficult than usual for a Tuesday but the Quickie grid still suggests that it is an Anthony Plumb offering – **/****
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 11a, 7d, 16d, and 23d – and the winner is 23d.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
P.S. The Huntsman Toughie is eminently doable!
Setting the Sun junior crossword would be beyond me 😊
Oops – delete Huntsman, insert Hudson.
Nicely testing in places with a few pdm’s that made for an enjoyable solve. Andrew’s bloomers raised a wry smile and I liked 11a and 19a. The cotd however, goes to 9a. An excellent clue all round. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Great fun as always for a Tuesday; not difficult but very elegantly clued. As an ex magistrate I got called many things but never 17a. 15a and 17d were my co-favourites.
My thanks to AP and The Hintsman.
Another splendid Tuesday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
15a raised a smile and I also liked 9a, 27a and 18d.
Fairly straight forward for us – but heard tge 1st half of14d meaning indecent.
Thanks to setter and Huntsman
That took longer than it should have done, particularly in the SW, and my enjoyment was slightly marred by the DT’s inability to maintain a stable website in Safari (for an organisation that likes to carp on about others’ inadequacies, a bit of self-reflection/improvement might be in order). Some good clues nevertheless, with 9a my pick of the bunch. Thanks very much to the setter and to Huntsman for the clips etc. I missed Nearly Dan but I’m looking forward to Stanley Dee at the Horn in the afternoon of Saturday week. I think all my kids will be there with various of their friends, thus considerably reducing the average age of the audience.
Got the Stanley Dee ticket without realising it’s a matinee performance so hoping I can get away from starting duties at the golf club 🤞 I’m with an 88 year old so that’ll help redress the age profile.
Gosh, 88 is a mightily impressive age at which to be going to the Horn. I’m a bit worried about a 61 year old friend’s ability to stand that long, although I imagine there’ll be the odd barstool available. Should be a great gig anyway.
1.5*/3.5* A good steady solve with plenty of smiles along the way.
Favourites today include 16d handed over, 21d parcel and the simple but effective drop at 28a
Thanks to compiler and Huntsman
I also found this a fair bit trickier than a usual Tuesday. Although looking back I’m not entirely sure why! Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for reviewing it.
1.5*/4*. TT for me – light and great fun. 18d was my favourite.
Many thanks to AP and to Hintsman.
Another fine crossy from Il Professore hits the back of the proverbial with lots of nice clues on a friendly grid.
Having a tool for the second word of 17d slowed me down in Devon & Cornwall (not Cornwall and Devon) meaning it took me into the next time zone.
Talking of time zones, I love the Samoa/American Samoa situation. For many years, they were in the same time zone as they are only 50 miles apart. But, in 2011, as the latter is a self-governing, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States (love ‘unorganized’), they decided to jump over the International Date Line to have the same time as The States. So, even though they are a stone’s throw from Samoa, they are a full day behind them. I am very happy with that.
My pody is 25a, 18d and the brilliant 15a.
MTTTA and Hoots!
2*/4*
I found this to be a step up in difficulty from yesterday, but highly enjoyable. Pody places for 1a, 9a, 6d and 21d and my COTD is the old magistrate, which as a clue, flowed nicely.
My thanks to AP and Huntsman.
1.5*/3.5*
Didn’t do well with the first read of the across clues but the downs opened it up for me.
Thereafter, fairly straight foreword. 4d was a bung in I thought it was some sort of homophone making a “din” and an Irish accent! 😊 Thanks to Huntsman for correcting me there.
Didn’t know the magistrate but the instructions were clear.
My cotd was 9a … after playing around with sis and nun.
Exquisite choice of music, yet again. Those trousers that Free are wearing bring back memories!
I agree with our blogger’s ratings, a few answers took a fair bit more thought to parse than others, though all were fairly clued.
I particularly liked Seve’s last ten irons in 11a, Andrew’s appalling bloomers in 15a and the shockingly rude 18d.
My thanks to AP and Huntsman.
My predicted end of table standings
🤞
Impressive how you’ve tabulated that, H, I’ll not argue with it at all.
Did you go through each remaining game and award points or is it a rough estimation?
I get the daily Sky Blues updates from the Cov Evening Telegraph & they asked you to predict the win/lose/draw of all remaining matches & the end table came up.
Note of caution – I’m a lousy judge at the best of times
You pumped up my tyres then deflated ’em again!
Coincidentally, I just received this from my sons in Cornwall. Not the most classy of the City’s away tops but at least it wasn’t brown.
I agree with Huntsman that this puzzle definitely seems trickier than a normal Tuesday offering. Took me a while to get going and finish this one.
2.5*/3*
Favourites 1a, 5a, 25a, 2d & 7d — with winner 2d
Smiles for 15a, 28a, 6d & 8d
Thanks to AP & Huntsman
Like others I took more time than usual to finish especially held up by the north west due to my obsession to put grandad in !! 12 and 14 last in . Will nominate 13,23d and 9a for the podium . Will try the toughie shortly ,its usually doable on Tuesdays . Thanks to all
** / ****
An aggregate ** difficulty, 1* for all but two clues and the extra star just for 13a and 14d, which eluded me for a ridiculous amount of time. Not helped by wanting a different answer for 13a – didn’t write it in but it was clogging up the grey matter. Then was convinced the definition for 14d was ‘Vulgar’. Ticks went to the 9a ace sister and the 2d seen in market.
Many thanks to AP and Huntsman
I thought, like others, this was a little harder than some Tuesday puzzles, with one or two synonyms that were unusual to me. That said I enjoyed completing it. I had no stand out favourite,
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
I don’t get the parsing for 9d. Lettuce and writer make perfect sense. But the rest?
Welcome to the blog, delaberi.
I think you mean 5d.
‘On the contrary’ means that rather than the writer containing the lettuce we need the lettuce containing the writer, so it’s COS containing ME.
Another gentle solve for me today. I found it on a par with yesterday’s. Some great clues and a very enjoyable solve. Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.
An enjoyable solve though I had to check up on 17a and wasn’t confident with 24d but it couldn’t have been anything else, given the checking letters. 14d gave me pause for thought. Slower solve than yesterday but it all came together in the end. Many thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
Straightforward until it wasn’t, for that read 14d. If there’s a synonym of broad that means vulgar I can’t think of it, I could try and look it up but to be honest I can’t be bothered. That slightly took the gloss off an otherwise excellent puzzle for me. I did have to check 17a but it was fairly clued. No real favourite but if pressed I’d go for 16d. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
14D – My online Chambers gives coarse, vulgar as 10th definition of broad, but I don’t ever remember encountering it before the Prof introduced us to it today. Excellent puzzle, and I’ll go for 17A as it’s such a great word.
VMT to AP and Huntsman.
A bit chewier than usual, I thought, but a pleasant solve. 12a, 13a needed a bit of thought and care, as did the second part of 17d. I’m not wildly keen on the vulgar synonym in 14d. Andy’s bloomers gets my prize. It’s perhaps a good job Her Late Majesty won’t encounter the clue.
Thanks to our setter and to Huntsman.
A good solve spoiled somewhat by 14d. I have the BRB Thesaurus app and vulgar and broad are not listed against each other. Even a Google of vulgar synonyms did not throw up broad.
I also had scrap for 13a initially. Not that it affected solving 14d.
Thanks to all.
Andrew’s Bloomers
Old guys football this morning and feeling stiff after a lot of running. Was going great guns apart from the SW quadrant where I got into a bit of a pickle so had to resort to the hints to put me back on the straight and narrow. Enjoyed 17a and 21d.
Thank you to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
The final 4 clues took me almost as long as the previous 20-odd. Like Hintsman says, some foggy-brained-ness at play, no reason at all why 25A and 27A shouldn’t have been regular shoo-ins! Didn’t help that I had the wrong second word 17D’s ‘tool’.
Like others I didn’t get the 14D synonym of vulgar.
An enjoyable grid nonetheless. Pody prizes go to the neat 23D birds, 9D partly because I say ‘one’ quite often, and enjoyed 6D’s boating travel doc punnery.
Many thanks to Huntsman, and to AP for a tricky Tuesday pour moi ⭐️
3*/4* …
liked 25A “Hope irate leaders leave work (7)”