Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31215
Hints and Tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter (I’ll leave you to guess his or her identity) for an enjoyable puzzle pitched at just the right level for a Thursday.
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.
Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought of the puzzle; do try to be positive and comply with the site etiquette which, if you’ve never read it, can be found under the ‘Comment’ tab on the site’s home page.
We know from the site stats that a large number of people read the blog but never comment. If you are one of those now would be an excellent time to introduce yourself; we are a friendly bunch and you’d be made very welcome whether you are new to cryptic crosswords or a seasoned solver.
Across
1a Resist the Parisian’s clasp (6)
BUCKLE: a verb to resist (the trend, say) and a French definite article.
4a Sailor with protective garment, avoiding river notably (5,3)
ABOVE ALL: one of our usual abbreviations for a sailor followed by a loose-fitting protective garment from which the abbreviation for river has been removed.
9a Fabric belt bearing design? (6)
TARTAN: a verb to belt or thrash contains (bearing) a synonym of design.
10a Malign Simon Dee terribly (8)
DEMONISE: an anagram (terribly) of SIMON DEE. How many people remember the short-lived career of Simon Dee?
11a Hedge’s gap strangely ovoid (3-6)
EGG-SHAPED: an anagram (strangely) of HEDGE’S GAP.
13a Came across error now and then in Subway (5)
METRO: a verb meaning came across or encountered and regular (now and then) letters from ‘error’.
14a Just Jones the singer playing violin, but not loud, okay? (4,2,8)
FAIR TO MIDDLING: string together a synonym of just or equitable, the forename of Jones the singer and a present participle meaning ‘playing a violin’ without the musical abbreviation for loud.
17a Imagine royal scratching head in an amusing way (14)
ENTERTAININGLY: a verb to imagine or take into consideration followed by an adjective meaning royal without its first letter (head).
21a Point to 70 per cent off piccalilli (5)
TOPIC: TO (from the clue) and 30 per cent only of piccalilli.
23a Yellow Pages possibly in mostly gloomy church building (9)
DIRECTORY: an adjective meaning gloomy or dark without its last letter (mostly) followed by where a Church of England minister may live.
24a Gives away creamy dessert, so nice at first (6,2)
SPLITS ON: assemble a dessert consisting of fruit and (ice-)cream, SO from the clue and the first letter of ‘nice’.
25a Aggressive advice from feminist council workers? (6)
BINMEN: split 3,3 this is what an aggressive feminist might advise her ‘sisters’ to do.
26a Be seated next to curt noble and Indian musician? (8)
SITARIST: charade of a verb to be seated and an informal term for a noble without its final O (curt).
27a Influence in office (6)
AGENCY: double definition.
Down
1d Is she immersing herself in first half of Band on the Run? (6)
BATHER: weld together the first half of ‘band’, THE from the clue and the crickety abbreviation for run.
2d Actor ridiculously angry visiting Barrow (4,5)
CARY GRANT: an anagram (ridiculously) of ANGRY goes inside (visiting) a type of barrow (falsely capitalised in an attempt to mislead).
3d Student with occasionally mega-itchy ear skin that’s treated (7)
LEATHER: our usual abbreviated student is followed by regular (occasionally) letters from ‘mega-itchy ear’.
5d The only one getting ready for a family? (11)
BREADWINNER: cryptic definition – ready here is an informal word for money. The first part of the answer is another informal word for money.
6d Travelled fast and loud, or moved awkwardly? (7)
VROOMED: an anagram (awkwardly) of OR MOVED.
7d American with inclination for star actors (1-4)
A-LIST: an abbreviation for American and a synonym of inclination or slope.
8d I logged off at last to lurk (3,5)
LIE DOGGO: an anagram (off) of I LOGGED followed by the last letter of TO.
12d Experts with tricks in arguments (4,3,4)
PROS AND CONS: bring together a word for experts, a conjunction meaning with and a synonym of tricks or hoaxes.
15d Cook meal if son Douglas is here (4,2,3)
ISLE OF MAN: an anagram (cook) of MEAL IF SON.
16d Medical practitioners working on set? (8)
DENTISTS: cryptic definition – the set these medical practitioners work on could be an upper or lower one.
18d Seismologist‘s well-off over short term (7)
RICHTER: put together a synonym of well-off and TERM without its last letter (short) to get the name of this American seismologist after whom a scale was named.
19d Wrongly taking chip in golf (7)
NICKING: concatenate a verb to chip or scratch, IN from the clue and the letter that golf represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
20d Having yen for whiskey, Wendy’s going around city (6)
SYDNEY: start with WENDY’S, replace the letter that whiskey represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet with the abbreviation for the yen currency and reverse the whole thing (going around).
22d Navigator I left in vessel (5)
PILOT: insert I and the abbreviation for left into a cooking vessel.
I liked 14a, 5d, 16d and 20d but my favourite was the feminist advice at 25a. Which one(s) came up to scratch for you?
The Quick Crossword pun: LAID + DEE + MUTT + HONOUR = LADY MADONNA
Well, for me, that was tough! I had solved just three after the first pass and they didn’t help much with getting into the rest. I got over the line eventually but it was a slow crawl. There were some highlights, though. I do like the expression at 14a and the feminist council workers at 25a cause a smile. My COTD is the one getting ready for a family at 5d.
The Quickie pun was great.
Thank you, setter for the brain mangling. Thank you, Gazzal for the hints.
I do hope you are feeling better today, Steve, and that the antibiotics are kicking in. I’m also wondering how Hudson is. I do hope his leg is healing at last.
I enjoyed today’s puzzle and didn’t have as much of a struggle as I often do on a Thursday. Thanks to the setter and Gazza.
Thank you, Sarah. I felt better this morning but had a slight relapse this afternoon and I’m still running a temperature. . Hudson’s wound has healed and the dressing came off this morning. However, the skin over the wound is thin so he still has the lampshade. Poor dog has had it on for a month now.
Poor you and poor Hudson. I hope you will both be fully recovered before too long. I’m glad Hudson’s wound has healed – hopefully the skin will toughen up now it’s exposed to the air, as long as he can’t lick it. He must be quite used to the lampshade by now.
Brilliant puzzle that pops and fizzes like a careless match dropped into a firework box.
Best fun in ages, the only one that really held me up was 9a, my last one in, I had 2 potential answers, but neither seemed to work. In the end I had to put the three checkers into my ancient Franklin Solver, and got the correct answer!
My two favourites of the day are 8d, 14a and the wonderful 5d, chapeau Mr setter, a gem!
A gentle and pretty swift completion, but what an absolute cracker of a puzzle, quite superb despite the anagram-fest. Great surfaces and lots of chuckling throughout. The tone was set by by FOI, the laugh-out-loud 1d, and just carried on from there. After considerable winnowing of the many ticks it was joined on the podium by 17a, 25a and 16d, with runner-up 5d.
Thank you to the setter: yesterday was Hudson, Silvanus is on Toughie duty, and so I’m putting my fiver on Twm today – but to whomever if not he. Thanks also to Gazza for the blog and amusement.
I really enjoyed today’s mental work out which was certainly a step up from the previous two days.
6d and 8d were a reminder of past times, while the clue to 25a took us to the modern day.
A number of excellent clues 5d, 14a, 18d, and 21a being my favourites with 5d being my COTD.
Thanks to the setter and Gazza
A real treat, nice and chewy but very satisfying when it finally completed. Many candidates for COTD but 14a won. LOI was 16d; I couldn’t get theatrical sets out of my head for ages. Thanks to the setter and Gazza.
This was a really enjoyable romp through crosswordland and completed in good time for a Thursday. 25a gave me the biggest laugh so that became my favourite clue this morning.
Many thanks to our setter and Gazza. The Silvanus Toughie is well worth the time and very accessible and as brilliant as ever.
Silvanus on Toughie duty but this is not a Ray T back pager to make it a Dream Team Thursday, However, during the solve, I did wonder if it was Silvanus doing double duty but I am not confident enough to root around the back of my sock drawer for any remaining half-crowns. ***/****
Candidates for favourite – 14a, 21a, 5d, and 22d – and the winner is 14a.
Thanks to whomsoever for the enjoyable challenge and Gazza.
You’ll be pleased that you refrained from wagering, Twmbarlwm has claimed the puzzle on Bluesky.
Excellent puzzle – am inclined to agree with MG that Twm is a good shout though a fiver a bit strong. Took me an embarrassingly long time to peg the curt noble in the why at 26a but otherwise pleasingly free of any crumpet scratching.Ticks all over the place – 14,17&25a + 1,2,5,15&18d particular likes along with the Quickie pun. The council workers my fav.
Thanks to the setter & to Gazza.
Ps I’ll second YS’s recommendation for the Smooth Production over in t’other place.
Good workout today.
The long answers being particularly challenging.
9a As a Scot, I consider this to be a pattern rather than the fabric. However, I note definition in BRB.
Last in was 24a and it was a bung in. I needed Gazza’s hint before the penny dropped.
Cotd 14a.
Thanks to setter and Gazza.
Agreed re 9a
An excellent puzzle at the very top end of my solving abilities. A very enjoyable challenge which I was eventually able to complete unaided. Lots of super clues and too many to pick a favourite. Thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the cartoons!
This took two sittings. As ever, coffee + dog walk + pastry allowed the brain to reorganise my initial assumptions underneath my consciousness allowing a steady solve. Or so I thought. Turns out my bung-in at 9a was not good enough. Thank you Gazza for the hint, I probably would have stared at this all day otherwise.
CsOTD 14a and 5d but lovely surfaces everywhere.
Many thanks to the setter.
For 9a did you have turban or thread by any chance?
I spent far too long trying to justify thread as the answer!
Same!
A step up in difficult from yesterday, and I had brain fog today, I had to resort to the hints for 25a yet it’s straightforward enough.🤷🏼♂️
I liked 23a, memories of the Yellow Pages ads raised a smile. Can you even get phone directories these days? Thanks to Gazza and setter.
All good stuff with 14a and 25a at the top of the pile, although very pedantically it’s been many years since most refuse operatives were council workers (and people in Birmingham may have views on why that is). 24a was last in and I finally got there through the dessert rather than the definition. Thanks very much to the setter and to Gazza.
A comment re the comments about anagrams; are the comments that anagrams are too easy or too hard? I would be happy to have 32 anagrams one day – just once, of course. And thank you to those who made suggestions re relatively easy Cryptics for my daughter, especially the quick cryptic in the Guardian. Despite being a regular Guardian reader I’d never looked at the crossies before. She now has a stock of over 100 to work through, and was quite full of herself the other day for completing one unaided!
The Quiptic (on a Sunday) is a notch up from the Quick ones in the Graun & is the next step up once she gets more proficient
Thanks.
Personally I enjoy anagrams, but for me it’s not about whether anagrams are easy or hard, but how many there are in a puzzle. There are so many different types of clue the setter can deploy that I think it a pity when anagrams constitute more than about three or four of the total.
Well done to your daughter, by the way!
Thanks for that. I appreciate the input.
How lovely to have a daughter interested! I see a pot of pens for her in the future.
She now has a daughter who speaks better English than she does, but has no interest in crossies…
I found this quite hard to begin with but gradually chipped away at it. It turned out to be an immensely enjoyable solve.
Top picks for me were 14a, 25a, 15d and 5d.
Thanks to Gazza for the hints and great cartoons and to the setter.
14a and 20d my favourites today. 7/10 for me.
Stingray Music picking the tunes today 🎸
I found this Thursday puzzle trickier for me this week, but then again, it is RayT’s off week from the backpager. It wasn’t as easy as yesterdays puzzle, but I managed to get through it eventually
3*/3* for me
Favourites 1a, 10a, 26a, 5d, 6d & 18d — with winner 18d
Thanks to setter and Gazza
To quote Mr Benaud…what a beaudy.
So many superbly constructed clues on an enjoyable griddly widdly.
My pody picks are 14a (top expression), 20d (great spot!) with top honours going to 5d.
You know it’s an excellent crossword when 25a doesn’t take any of the spoils.
MTTT Gazza and the super setter who could easily be Klara or Zandio but I’m going with Mr T.
2*/5*
Tom I rewatched Clint’s Mystic River last night, which I’d not watched for some time.
On the off chance that you’ve not seen it highly recommended – both Sean & Tim fully deserving of their Oscars & the rest of the cast top notch.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s an absolute belter.
One film that didn’t get enough official credit that reminds me of Mystic River (not sure why) is Sleepers; one of my ‘Go to’ films.
A perfect Thursday back pager with too many great clues to list, although the council workers should probably take the top spot
Thanks very much to Twm and Gazza
Started this morning before I had to go out early doors with only a couple of entries made. Came back to it after a fair while and whilst it was definitely chewy in places it was a very rewarding tussle. I have ended with many ticks on my page, but cotd is awarded to the aggressive feminist Council workers. Thanks to Twm and Gazza.
Had a friend staying so together we were able to enjoyed today’s puzzle. It gave us lots of brain teasing and pleasure before we headed out for a social and lunch. Cannot choose between 25 across and 18 down as favourite. Who ever the setter is I am on his wave length . It definitely is not always so and I can struggle when others proclaim a puzzle to be straight forward and a breeze. Between the two of us we didn’t need Gazza but appreciate that the help was there and thanks for the entertainment provided by today’s compiler.
2*/4* I thought I was going to struggle but once I cracked a couple it fell into place quite nicely.
Favourites of include the 25a council workers, 9a fabric and the travelling fast 6d
Thanks to Gazza and compiler
Ps also a cracking quickie pun
A lovely but challenging puzzle which took me an age to get into. Once I got a foot hold in the south I started to make progress and then suddenly it all fell into place. 25a made me smile so it will be my favourite.
Many thanks to Twmbarlwm and to Gazza for the hints.
I agree with many of the above comments, this was a cracker and set at about the same degree of difficulty as today’s toughie.
Of the many amusing clues which made me smile, I’ll highlight the Welsh warbler and his violin at 14a, getting ready for a family at 5d and the set workers at 16d.
Superb entertainment, my thanks to Twm and Gazza.
Most people finished this even though it was a hard solve but unfortunately for me I really hit the skids in the south east.I had just come off the golf course when I started this and became obsessed with finding a golfing term for 19 . Finally decided on the right answer but oh was I disappointed and then as they say I went to putt (pot)! Didn’t think agency matched the clue’s answer and put the bin men only after consulting the hints .An excellent work out favourites 25 ,26 ,4 and 14 . Thanks to all .
Certainly a couple of notches up from the early week, but managed to get most completed before a round of golf got in the way, leaving the SE vacant. 17a needed a crossword solver to fill in the gaps between the checkers and I resorted to Gazza’s hints for 23a and 19d. Plenty of smiles with the actor 2d and the strange ovoid 11a nicely clued, but my COTD is the ok musician at 14a.
Thanks to Twm and Gaza.
3*/3*
Tough for me today but very enjoyable,
Favourite has to be the council workers.
Thanks to Twm…etc…. and to Gazza
Busy day but have just managed to squeeze in a finish before going off to Arts Society lecture. I love the just ok expression at 14a, a favourite of my grandfather’s. I agree with the query at 9a but we cannot argue with the Big Red Book. Many thanks to Timberland and The Gazman. Couldn’t go to my appointment with the doctor yesterday as they were all ill! Not much of a recommendation is it?
This was tough and chewy, almost to the point of being indigestible. Being a stubborn iniidual, I persevered until I hd fiished the crossword but the enjoyment level wasn’t that high for me. I did like the geographical reverse lurker at 20d and the geographical anagram at 15d. Thanks to the compiler for his efforts and to Gazza for the hints
Don’t like the capital B in Barrow and then the much easier Douglas not being small.
I believe it is an established cryptic crossword convention that setters may capitalize words that would normally not be capitalized but they may not neglect to capitalize words that would normally be capitalized. Both clues you mention adhere to this convention.
I’m confused. Given the deliberately misleading surface how could it not be a capital B & in 15d it’s a capital letter whether it’s a boy’s name or the island capital.🤔
You are correct Huntsman, there is no lower case alternative in 15d so my argument is really not applicable in this case. The point I wished to make was that setters are permitted to use misleading capitalization but they are not permitted to use misleading lower case letters.
Setter here. Many thanks to solvers and commenters, and thank you Gazza for the review.
Thanks, Twmbarlwm, for the very entertaining puzzle.
I’m with the minority on this finding it very difficult. I’m often not on the same wavelength, or planet if it comes to it, as Twm. Today was no exception. Favourite was 18d. Thanks to Twm and g Gazza.
This was a really enjoyable puzzle , and nicely chewy too. I did it in stages , as been busy decorating. I almost forgot I had one clue outstanding – 27a . Despite all the checkers I could not think of a word that fitted. In the end I just now got it with a bit of e help. I’ve never used the definition as meaning ‘influence’ hence why I struggled (well that’s my excuse!) . Thanks to Twmbarlwm, and to Gazza.
Got there in the end. Phew. However, as they slowly fell I was smiling and thoroughly enjoyed the workout. Thank you setter and Gazza.
You’ve changed your alias so this required moderation. Both aliases will work frpm now on.
This was lunchtime plain-sailing – except for the horrid 8D word! Never heard this, hope I never see it again 🙂
For pody I’ll go 25A, 14A (COTD) and 12D, the latter being a phrase I say at least once a day at work, it seems.
Thanks to setter and Gazza ⭐️
Thank you Twmbarlwm for the entertainment. A very quick start on the train home from work — lots of answers on the first pass, wondering if this is going to be my fastest solve of the week — then got stuck near the end and used a couple of Gazza’s hints (thank you) to get going again.
So many great clues, with Jones playing the violin in 14a being my favourite today. Erm, yesterday.
I have. Never in my 65 years heard the phrase Lie doggo .
This make me feel a little better, Tony, and it’s not a word I’m glad to have learned!
Just finished this and Fridays offering
Top notch entertainment with difficulty pitched just right!
9a LOI as I debated turban and thread before the PDM!
Thanks to all.
3*/3* …
liked 5D “The only. one getting ready for a family ? (11)”