Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31221
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 2.5* – Enjoyment 4.5*
For those who honour it, a very good St George’s Day from Winnipeg where Spring may finally have sprung with rain as the only precipitation in the 14 day weather forecast!
For me, etc© (I have to say that for Terence), if this were a Dada on Sunday I might be using the term quirky, once again not half of a Dream Team Thursday, Dharma on Toughie duty today, but no doubt that this is the work of the Master of Brevity. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and appearances from the Queen and his swEetheart, but no second ‘sweetheart’ this week, appearing in the back pager with an average of 5.25 words per clue. Also, like Dada, Ray T still seems to be making occasional use of a personal thesaurus. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
Candidates for favourite – 18a, 24a, 29a, 3d, and 5d.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Government’s reportedly creating controls (5)
REINS: A homophone (reportedly) of a synonym of government with the contraction ‘S.
4a Notable drink with Queen’s mostly bitter (9)
SUPERSTAR: A three letter verbal synonym of drink and (with) the regnal cypher of our dear late Queen with the contraction ‘S and a four letter synonym of bitter with the last letter removed (mostly).
9a Reckless party, American, harbouring rage (9)
DANGEROUS: Our favourite two letter party and the two letters for American containing (harbouring) a synonym of rage.
10a Initially fed up, made enraged diatribe (5)
FUMED: One of our setters favourite constructions – the initial letters of five words in the clue.
11a Rifle rubbish container in distress (7)
CARBINE: A three letter rubbish container inserted into (in) a synonym of distress.
12a Boys tersely welcoming main residents (7)
OYSTERS: A lurker (welcoming) found in two words in the clue.
13a Student inside that is most lethargic (6)
IDLEST: One for the Latin scholars – the usual single letter used for student inserted into (inside) the two word Latin phrase that translates as that is (and is usually abbreviated to i.e.).
15a Game with Bishop’s Opening in lobby (8)
HANDBALL: A synonym of with and the first letter (‘s Opening) of Bishop inserted into (in) a synonym of lobby.
18a One more gets up to score? (8)
NINETEEN: The number that needs one more added to it to get up to (a) score.
20a Stress putting some cash on account (6)
ACCENT: The smallest unit of some cash used by many countries, including most of Europe, placed after (on) a two letter abbreviation for account.
23a Supply document containing identification (7)
PROVIDE: A verbal synonym of document containing a two letter abbreviation for identification.
24a Possibly make dirty small talk (7)
SPATTER: The single letter for Small and a synonym of talk (used by a sales rep?).
26a Tree feller facing work (5)
MANGO: A person for whom feller is an informal synonym placed before (facing) a synonym of work.
27a For the same turning, indicate left (9)
IDENTICAL: An anagram (turning) of INDICATE and the single letter for Left.
28a Dishonest ring entertains acquiring firm (9)
STRINGENT: A lurker (acquiring) found in the first three words of the clue.
29a Offensive denial about good person (5)
NASTY: An archaic term for denial (still used in some parliaments) containing (about) the two letter abbreviation of a term for a good person.
Down
1d Introduce changes leading to downsizing? (9)
REDUCTION: An anagram (changes leading to) of INTRODUCE.
2d Intimate meal is topless (5)
INNER: A meal (taken at midday or in the evening) with the first letter removed (is topless).
3d Sort of spots round middle of neck (7)
SPECIES: A verbal synonym of spots (surreptitiously?) containing (round) the middle letters of nECk.
4d Spurs, firstly disheartened, got a goal (6)
SCORED: The initial letter (firstly) of Spurs and a synonym of disheartened (check the illustration).
5d Ecclesiastical prior using speech (8)
PASTORAL: A synonym of prior and a term for using speech.
6d Match official employed to be defied (7)
REFUSED: The abbreviated form of a match official (in many team sports) and a synonym of employed.
7d Restrained allure with sweetheart taking time (9)
TEMPERATE: A verbal synonym of allure and (with) Ray T’s swEetheart containing (taking) a synonym of (geological?) time.
8d Travels free on empty express (5)
RIDES: A verbal synonym of free placed before (on) ExpresS with the interior letters removed (empty).
14d New lord and almost new squire (9)
LANDOWNER: An anagram (new) of LORD ANd (with the last letter deleted (almost)) and (the second) NEW.
16d Supporter supports American measure strictly (9)
LITERALLY: No wonder the Americans haven’t gone metric – a nounal synonym of supporter placed after (supports) the American spelling of a unit of volume.
17d Broadcast live set bursting with energy (8)
TELEVISE: An anagram (bursting) of LIVE SET and (with) the single letter for Energy.
19d Undecided purchasing costly detailed hat (7)
TRICORN: A four letter synonym of undecided containing (purchasing) a synonym of costly with the last letter removed (detailed).
21d Moderate Conservative leading race (7)
CHASTEN: The single for Conservative (politician) placed before a verbal synonym of race.
22d State of some trespasser trespassing (6)
ASSERT: A (third) lurker (some) found in the last two words of the clue.
23d Young men suppressing male drives (5)
PUMPS: An informal (canine) synonym of young men containing (suppressing) the single letter for Male.
25d Fixes charge for the audience (5)
TACKS: A homophone (for the audience) of charge (on income or purchases?).
Quick Crossword Pun:
MAUL + TEASERS = MALTESERS
My latest reading material, courtesy of the Winnipeg Library, English author Louise Fein’s fourth novel – not a murder mystery per se. but there has been one in the first 200 pages, two if you count the execution of Sir Thomas More, and not in a series. It does involve ‘jumping’ backwards and forwards between two eras – the 16th and 20th centuries – which may not appeal to all readers but I am finding it easy to follow. Highly recommended, as are all her novels, by me.
I found this a bit of a challenge, compared to recent puzzles. By no means difficult, the solutions had to be teased out, especially in the SW corner. 11a, 18a and 14d are my top picks with 18a taking gold. The American pronunciation of 11a is something that I will never understand, but then again, silent letters in English continue to confuse foreign friends of mine, so who am I to complain! Many thanks to the setter and Senf for their efforts. And a Happy St George’s Day to my English friends!
Before our resident etymologist/linguist TDS jumps in, I’ll try to explain. In America, firearm experts/enthusiasts and military people prefer the “correct” pronunciation “car-bean” due to the word’s French origin. The French word is carabine, pronounced ka-ra-bean.
You beat me to it, J.
Us Brits don’t always get it right.
Hope I didn’t “steal your thunder”.
This was a pleasant and painless solve with fortnightly Fred in fine form.
Far from it, J. I welcome solvers imparting their word wisdom as I’m still learning.
Sorry about the first line, J!
We Brits…
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
It’s an excellent shout, Mr Mr.
I do need to get out of that habit. My wife corrected me last week.
Come on, Tom. Get your act together!
Thank you Jose. I am in Switzerland and we call them Karabiners, of which I own a few; ‘K1889, K11 and K31. However, some Americans pronounce it correctly and others don’t!
You like your guns, C.
I’ll think twice about correcting you on this blog!
Only shoot 4 legged creatures and those with wings! You’re safe😂
Actually, I have some news for you….
Good man! Do you wet a fly as well?
I’ve heard a few expressions over the years, Cons, but wetting a fly isn’t one of them….
Do you fly fish; to wet a fly………
Wow I made hard work of this. Not sure about the synonym for distress in 11a but I don’t have the BRB to check it’s use. I also wanted to put smutter in for 24a which probably isn’t a proper word.
Top picks for me were 12a, 3d, 27a and 4d.
Thanks to Senf and RayT.
I agree about the synonym for distress but based on my recent posting I decided not to challenge it in my initial post.
Me too with distress in 11a.
Me too with distress in 11 a.
I suppose that this will annoy a certain member of our community but:
1. distress is in the listing for care in The Chambers Crossword Dictionary.
2. care, as a noun, in the BRB includes anxiety which I would venture to suggest is a form of distress.
3. An on-line thesaurus includes anxiety and care as synonyms of distress.
Thanks Senf. I know our esteemed setter wouldn’t have got it wrong but it just “felt odd”. I’ll try to remember it for future.
Nice work, S.
I have heard, over the years, the expression ‘the cares of a parent’.
This is where we get carefree from.
Certainly a step up as to be expected on a Thursday. There were a couple of hesitations but fortunately I recalled someone advising that if the clue makes no sense look for a lurker and that was the case today.
I cannot take all of the credit for completing today’s puzzle as with two to go, one being 25d, the current Mrs P looked over my shoulder, shouted out the answer and when asked to parse it…she did. Very impressed as the good lady usually confines herself the general knowledge crossword.
Parsing 13a took a serious head scratch but overlall very enjoyable.
My COTD is 7d
Many thanks to the setter and Senf for the hints
Check out, Mrs P!
This took a while to complete.The clues were subtle and included not onlycsome unusual synonyms but also some ordinary everyday answers. Ifound it quite tricky and needed to slowly build up the checkers. I liked the 12a lurker, the 15a lego clue and the cleverly worded 18a cryptic definition. Thanks to Mr T andto Senf for the hints
On my first pass I completed very few clues then it all fell into place quite quickly. COTD for me was 4D as I haven’t come across that use of disheartened in a clue before and it acted as a very clever misdirection. Thanks to Senf for the hints and to the setter.
On the Thai theme it might interest some of you to know that Thais divide their days into four sections of six hours each not the traditional morning and afternoon sessions that most countries do. This can be mind mangling for a westerner as 7 O’clock in the afternoon for us is one O’clock in the evening to a Thai. So a Thai day begins at 1 O’clock post midnight and then at western 7 O’clock becomes one O’clock in the morning. Midday is recognised conventionally but then you have 1 to 6 o’clock in the afternoon which are followed at 7.00 p.m. western style by 1 O’clock in the evening Thai style. The descriptors for the four divisions are based on the way time was communicated historically in a location, so daytime uses the description of the sound of a gong and evening the sound of a drum. I hope that is clear to all.
I don’t hear it much these days, but the expression ‘as clear as mud’ probably applies
1 to 6 post midnight are the same as western times. Then in Thai time you start again at 1 to 6 for morning times with 6 being midday. Then 1 to 6 afternoon Thai times followed by 1 to 6 evening times. I hope the mud has cleared somewhat.
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), I think The Mighty Chelsea have been living on Tyke’s Thai time. This explains everything.
The gruel was getting cold and I had ignored my orange juice with no bits, as this guzzle enveloped my very soul. Jolly enjoyable to disentangle.
Happy OhHeWasntEvenEnglishHeWasTurkishYouKnow Day for all those who post that on social media year after year.
Thanks to RayTee and The Man From Manitoba*
*Ta for not mentioning the Stamford Bridge drama.
I note that the second best team in SW6 will not be extending its losing streak to 6 on Saturday
In some ways this was a struggle, but mainly to parse them rather than solve. I thought a couple of the lurkers were cleverly hidden. Nice one, Cyril.
3*/4*. I found this tougher than the average RayT but as enjoyable as ever.
Thanks to him and to Senf.
This was a pleasant and reasonably pain-free solve with fortnightly Fred in fine form.
Oh, how I absolutely abhor the misuse of 16d. It’s everywhere! Grrrrrrrrr….
1d was a neat anagram as was the lurker in 10a.
18a reminds me of Steely Dan. How good were they! I was so obsessed with Genesis in my formative years in the 70s that only a handful of other groups got a look-in which is my loss. I have now well and truly caught up with this superb songwriting duo. Becker and Fagen are up there with the best of ’em.
My pody picks are 4d, 7d and 21d.
Talking of 4d, it’s bonkers how much of a shocker the big London teams are having at the moment: the pensioners, the gunners, the irons and the hotspurs.
MTTTA and the Big S.
2*/4*
You didn’t mention Palace who, with a fair wind, could pick up some European silverware.
I really clicked into the right wavelength this morning and romped through this lovely puzzle in jig-time (as an old friend used to say when she was referring to anything at speed).
My podium clues were 13a, 16d and 3d.
Thank you for introducing me to a most excellent expression, Lorraine.
My nemesis aka Ray T struck again ensuring a dnf unaided. I stared at 23d for ever and gave up and, alongside 24a, resorted to Senf’s hints. With those hints – thank you- I stumbled to a complete grid. Cotd of those I completed unaided is 11a. Thanks to Ray T and Senf.
Well for RayT’s fortnightly back pager appearance, he certainly offered a doozie this week! Took me longer than normal to get through this, (almost), Beam puzzle. As always his succinct and concise clueing as well as the Queen and his sweetheart were along for the ride too. I also agree with Senf’s comment regarding the quirkiness and seemingly borrowing Dada’s thesaurus this week.
3*/4* for me
Favourites include 4a, 15a, 18a, 23a, & 3d — with winner 15a
Thanks to RayT & Senf
Very late in the day for me to comment but it is never to late to thank Ray T for yet another superb puzzle, and Senf for his excellent blog.
Later than usual posting because a round of golf bisected the solve, but picked up where I left off this morning. I’m with Lorraine on this and whilst not quite a doddle also did it in unaided jig-time! Are there degrees of jig-time?
My favourites were the tree feller (26a) and the young men (23d) with 18a taking the top spot.
My thanks to RayT and Senf
2*/3.5*