Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31219
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** Enjoyment ****
Well it’s another lovely sunny day here in Harpenden though still deceptively chilly. No golf today to dash off to so I’ve actually read through what’s written though that’s still no guarantee of a mistake free set of hints.
I thought today’s puzzle about on a par with yesterday in terms of difficulty & very enjoyable it was too. As you would expect from an Anthony Plumb production (I assume) it was concisely clued throughout with humour & a hint of topicality thrown in.
I see Dada is back in t’other place & I hope for Whybird’s sake he’s in a better mood than on Sunday.
Fingers crossed for a home win tonight for my team, Coventry City. We will be confirmed as champions of the Championship with another 3 points – the cherry on the cake having secured promotion last week back to top tier after a 25 year absence & very nearly falling out of the league.
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 Often what businessman wants? (1,5,4)
A GREAT DEAL: I’m not sure what to underline as the definition here – a double, the first word or the last three. I’ll plump for often/occurs frequently with a reference to what someone in business is always looking for & what Trump keeps telling us the peace negotiations will yield.
6a Wild American president (4)
BUSH: a double definition – the first a stretch of uncultivated land & the latter a Republican father or son.
10a Put one’s foot down crack in the road (5)
RACED: nowt to do with potholes. Insert (in) a synonym for crack/highly skilled between the two letter abbreviation for road.
11a Powerful current? A lifeboat initially is likely (9)
POTENTIAL: powerful/formidable + the symbol for electric current + A (from the clue) + L[ifeboat] (initially).
12a Boobs – you might see these in bed (8)
BLOOMERS: a reference to a rather old fashioned term for female undergarments – or far more likely, as Gazza points out in the comments, things that grow in garden beds. The definition context is, of course, embarrassing blunders (such as the two in my hints last week).
13a Prod food with leg (3,2)
EGG ON: an ovoid shaped food item & breakfast staple + a side in cricket.
15a Foes somewhat close? I’m energetically retreating! (7)
ENEMIES: hidden in reverse (somewhat/retreating).
17a One large female wearing crown, nearly polished (7)
SKILFUL: a truncated (nearly) synonym for crown/cranium goes around (wearing) the Roman numeral for one + the single letter for L[arge] & for F[emale].
19a Most violent trembles removing bottom half in river (7)
EXTREME: place 50% of trem[bles] (removing bottom half) within (in) a river in South West England that flows into the English channel.
21a Rank odorant wind (7)
TORNADO: an anagram (rank) of ODORANT.
22a Search everywhere around lake (5)
RIFLE: insert (around) the single letter for L[ake] into a synonym for everywhere/widespread.
24a Nice large shed primarily suits agricultural labourers (8)
PEASANTS: remove (shed) L[arge] from a synonym for nice/agreeable then append S[uits] (primarily).
27a The large criminal carrying piano wire (9)
TELEGRAPH: an anagram (criminal) of THE LARGE goes around (carrying) P[iano].
28a Italian niece partly musical (5)
ANNIE: hidden (partly).
29a Carries out birds, very withdrawn (4)
DOES: delete (withdrawn) the single letter for V[ery] from birds associated as symbols of peace & love.
30a Frosty funnel I dry at sea (10)
UNFRIENDLY: an anagram (at sea) of FUNNEL I DRY.
Down
1d Oddly, a surreal atmosphere (4)
AURA: the alternate letters (oddly) in the 2nd & 3rd words of the clue.
2d Remember convoluted Celtic lore? Not I (9)
RECOLLECT: an anagram (convoluted) of CELT[i]C LORE (not I).
3d Sound from car phone, essentially (5)
AUDIO: pick a car model then append the middle letter (essentially) of ph[O]ne.
4d Lower frock, holding base softly (7)
DEPRESS: insert (holding) the letter that represents a mathematical constant/natural base + the musical instruction single letter for softly into a female item of clothing that a frock is an example of.
5d Strait’s affected those working with oils? (7)
ARTISTS: an anagram (affected) of STRAITS. Nowt to do with Hormuz.
7d Carol, with uniform on, is working (5)
USING: carol here is a verb masquerading as a noun. It is preceded (on/down clue) by U[niform] (NATO alphabet).
8d Hold son, possibly? (4,6)
HALF NELSON: I’m sure there’s a name for this type of clue & no doubt someone will tell us. The definition is the two word name for a hold in wrestling. SON comprises the latter part of the 2nd word which is the fraction required for the first. Very clever.
9d Deduce French couturier lacking diamonds is lower in status (8)
INFERIOR: deduce/gather + the shortened name for a French multinational luxury goods brand less its 1st letter (D[iamonds] lacking).
14d Noted Beetle car broken down to begin with (10)
CELEBRATED: an anagram (broken) of BEETLE CAR then append D[own] (to begin with).
16d Lettuces? These are to be avoided in the main (8)
ICEBERGS: a type of lettuce that is also the name for a large floating mass detached from a glacier that a ship on its maiden voyage in 1912 ought to have given a wide berth to.
18d Still on X? Editor’s deflated (9)
FLATTENED: still/calm + the number X represents (Roman numeral) + the usual abbreviation for ED[itor]
20d Describe old scheme involving India (7)
EXPLAIN: the usual prefix for old/former + a synonym for scheme into which you insert (involving) I[india] (NATO alphabet).
21d One delivering lessons in school term, almost without anguish (7)
TEACHER: delete the final letter (almost) from TER[m) then place around/outside of a synonym for anguish/pain. Without in this context indicates an archaic literary term for outside of.
23d Wrong answer admitted by fine university (5)
FALSE: insert A[nswer) between single letter for F[ine] & the abbreviation for a London university where I spent 3 years avoiding the temptation to attend any lectures in the good old days of no tuition fees & a grant.
25d Saw bad cage with no openings (5)
ADAGE: link the two words following the definition having deleted the initial letter from each (no openings).
26d Runs Cambridgeshire city bank (4)
RELY: R[uns] (cricket) + the cathedral city.
The standout clue for me was 8d with lots to like elsewhere. The surfaces at 1&6a + 5d had a Trumpian flavour & I liked the risqué 12a along with 9,16&18d. Please let us know which clues you liked best.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: WAR + KIN + STICK = WALKING STICK
This morning’s listening while preparing the review has Parker Millsap’s 2012 album, Palisade. He’s appearing at a new music venue in Hackney in May & I’m looking forward to seeing him there & hopefully performing the title track.
A nice gentle puzzle with lots to like. For some reason I kept trying to solve 18d by looking at the grid for 14d which held me up for a while.
Top picks for me were 8d, 9d, 27a and 10a.
Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.
1*/3.5* This was a very enjoyable start to the week.
With plenty of clever and witty clues, my favourites being the 8d hold, 12a boobs and the 16d lettuces, just cos !
Thanks to Huntsman and compiler
About right for a Tuesday, nothing overly complicated or obscure.
The hold at 8d brought back memories of the wrestling on ITV’s World of Sport. Black and white TV on a Saturday afternoon. Kent Walton welcoming ‘grapple fans’ as Mick McManus and Jackie Pallo go at it hammer and tongs. The old dears in the ringside audience attempting to whack the ones they didn’t like with a swinging handbag. Now, that was entertainment…
My thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
As I mentioned in CS’s Saturday blog, H, your boys deserve to finish top of the tree.
May the celebrations last all summer!
Still reckon 3 wins for your mob good enough for 2nd place 🤞
Love the ‘handbags’ comment, Frequency Modulation.
‘Shirley vs Martin’ doesn’t quite have the same ring (excuse the pun) to it as Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks does (the former was a 12lb baby!)
Will The Lions sneak ahead of the tractor boys? What a finish it’s going to be!
Hilarious clip, Tom. Not much actual wrestling going on though!
As for the football all we can do is win the last three as Huntsman says and hope Ipswich drop a few points.
Up The Lions!
Started off with a bang with 1 across but became a little pedestrian after that. Good start to the day though and enjoyed it . I wonder if people outside the UK would be familiar with 16 down but there is a double definition to get them through.
Thanks to Huntsman and compiler
Another enjoyable puzzle with just enough to wake up the grey cells . Favourites 8, 12 and 14 .Used to watch wrestling at the Wryton stadium in Bolton . It convinced me to take it up for a while with a couple of friends,both of whom went on to become national champions and bodyguards to Royalty. I just wrested with my pillow to combat my insomnia . Thanks to all .
A solid puzzle from the prof with lots to like.
24a can’t get enough at the moment, popping up everywhere!
Why, oh why, do we drop the second L of both the root word and the suffix in 17a? It is totally ridiculous and makes no sense. ‘Fulfil’ is another crazy word. Our language is completely nuts.
My podium is 1a, 12a (natch), and 8d.
MTTTA and Hoots!
1*/4*
Another enjoyable Tuesday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
I thought that the 12a bed was more likely to be found in the garden rather than the boudoir.
I liked 1a, 22a and 23d but my runaway favourite was 8d.
Yep – reckon you’re probably right. Mind you the ladies got into bed with all sorts still on in Jane Austen’s day didn’t they?
I found a few clues that I couldn’t parse at first and , although most were resolved retrospectively, 8d remains a mystery, even after reading Huuntsman’s hints. I thought 1a was cleverly worded, there was somes ubtle misdirection in 25d and 9d was a good lego clue thanks to Huntsman for the hints and to the compiler
I think of that type of clue as a reverse cryptic with the word “possibly” indicating it in this instance. So take the answer to the clue as a cryptic definition and you end up with son as the answer. Does that make sense- trying not to get into trouble. In my opinion these clues are very hard to spot and nearly always the last one I complete.
I agree with you with 8d, got it ok but still can’t parse it!!
Oh dear, got it! Half nel son! Obvious.
I see (I think). I think it’s probably a jolly good job that my dad used to watch all-in wrestling or Id never have twigged. Thnks for the explanation
Late on parade because of a doctor’s appointment.
Another enjoyable offering from the professor. I refrained from entering my answer to 1a when I realised I would need checkers to confirm one of the many possible answers. I’m not sure my neighbours would relish being known as 24a. The boobs at 12a raised a smile as did the prodding of food at 13a. Without thinking, I put “Soleful” in at 17a, which held me up for a while. It’s not even a word so what was I thinking? My COTD is the powerful current at 11a.
Thank you, Professor Plumb for an entertaining puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.
Hi SC
Someone else mentioned this a month or so ago and I’m not sure why,
24a are a subset of agricultural labourers. So, not all agricultural labourers are 24a.
Surely, these days 24a is a derogatory term?
(Your cue to reply and say “Don’t call me Shirley”). 😊
Good shout.
Not all answers are current words. We had proconsul recently.
Very enjoyable two part solve (pre and post Sir Olly on TV) with a very big smile at the answer to 29a which last week I was unable to recognise in its other definition as animals. I enjoyed a number of today’s clues but my COTD was 8d which I thought was quite exceptional.
Huntsman, I see Coventry City FC is your team. My father took me to my first match, a 2-1 win against Colcheter in 1953, in the Third Division South. A long journey followed from the fourth division through to the first division, much of it termed as ‘the Jimmy Hill days’ and then on into the Premiership. We had the wonderful day at Wembley in May 1987. Shortly after my career took me off to pastures new and now I only watch their matches on the TV. I am fearful of life in the premiership which has proved to be a struggle for newly promoted sides.
Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman for his hints
To start with my apologies to Smylers for my mardy, (Tyke speak), behaviour of yesterday.
Secondly I thought this was a great puzzle and although I’m not sure I fully understand 8d I guessed correctly.
Thirdly I appreciated the positive comments yesterday regarding my weather reports but as the variation in weather here is only between, hot, very hot, wet and hot and wet and very hot I don’t think there is much room for me to keep you amused with the status updates. Based on TDS comments above I thought maybe a short comment on my ongoing battle with the Thai language, which is infinitely madder than English, might be of interest. I am no linguist so the comments will be a personal interpretation of my understanding. My apologies in advance to any Thai scholars on this blog.
My first and maybe most profound experience of how difficult learning Thai was going to be was when I found out that, written Thai has no gaps between words, vowels can be written above, behind or below the consonants that form the word and that in numerous words the vowels are implied and not written.
34 degrees currently at 6.00 p.m.
Jeepers. English is a walk in the park!
I take it all back.
I tried to post in reply but it vanished both times. Ah well.
With friends and colleagues in central India and others in Sri Lanka and my last holiday in Cabo Verde. I’m quite happy with repetitive weather and still jealous of it!
Will certainly cross off learning Thai from my retirement plans!
Like yesterday’s puzzle, nice and light. 30 A is my COTD. Hope to have more time to post a comment from now on and also read other’s observations. Many thanks to the setter and hinter.
A troublesome morning as I attempted to calm down Miss Abinger. She has taken great exception to 12a and arrived on my doorstep at dawn requesting that I “complain in the strongest possible terms about the obscene language”. I have forwarded her thoughts to Mr Lancaster, Sir Keir, Mrs Badenoch, and Charli xcx.
Neat guzzle, I enjoyed the unravel.
The Mighty Chelsea play two teams tonight. Brighton, and also Hove Albion. Seems a little unfair. Still, nothing can go wrong. Surely?
Thanks to the setter, Andy Not On The First Tee, and Super Frank.
For me, etc© not quite Typically Tuesdayish but the usual fine cluing from Anthony Plumb who, as I read in the Newsletter on Sunday, will be the judge of the re-introduced Clue Writing Contest – 2.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 12a, 13a, and 8d – and the winner by a country mile is the excellent 8d.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
Got fixated with trying to ram “Herbie” into 14d until sanity prevailed. Shame though must have been the most noted Beetle car ever. Cotd goes to 8d for the wrestling reminders of yore. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
The Love Bug had a huge impact on me as it was the first film I saw at the cinema (do you remember the number of the car?). Buddy Hackett – what a star. He reminds me of Lou Costello. This is one of the best things I’ve ever seen.
Mastery
Should do. It was 53. Same number as our house. Our kids loved the Herbie movies.
* / ****
Enjoyable if brief today. Ticks went to the 12a boobs of course (sorry Miss Abinger), 24a where I started wanting to include ‘grande’ for ‘large in Nice’ and the return of an old favourite in 26d. I don’t think we’ve been there for quite a while. Double tick went to 8d once I’d read about the parsing (I couldn’t) on here. I too would like to know if that type of clue has a formal name – it’d have to be a reverse something or other.
Many thanks to AP and Huntsman
A splendid puzzle as ever on a tuesday. Lots of delightful surfaces and some fnar fnar humour to boot! Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the excellent blog.
I was watching the baseball in the early hours (due to insomnia) and I noticed it was Patriots’ Day in America. I Googled to see if it was a public holiday but discovered this bonkers fact.
Another nice Tuesday puzzle again this week. Nothing to scare the horses and lots to like,
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites 1a, 27a, 29a, 16d & 26a — with winner 16d
Thanks to AP & Huntsman