Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31234
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a fun Friday puzzle.
In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions. Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Drawback in recession, maître d' is pilfering sandwiches (8)
FLIPSIDE: The reversal (in recession) of MAÎTRE D' IS PILFERING hides (sandwiches) the answer
5a Changes plugs in apartment? Quite the opposite (6)
ADAPTS: Following the quite the opposite instruction to invert the wordplay, insert the abbreviation for apartment in some plugs intended to, for example, sell something
9a Take back incorrectly ordered espressos (9)
REPOSSESS: An anagram (incorrectly ordered) of ESPRESSOS
11a Colour copies on the counter around one (5)
SEPIA: The reversal (on the counter) of copies or imitates containing (around) the Roman one
12a Get combat rations regularly (6)
OBTAIN: Alternate letters (regularly) of COMBAT RATIONS
13a Party conference - leader ultimately gets hand (8)
LABOURER: A political party that did not do well in yesterday’s elections is followed by the last letters (ultimately) of CONFERENCE and LEADER
15a Picture of what I froze - roughly about 500 ounces (3,6,2,2)
THE WIZARD OF OZ: An anagram (roughly) of WHAT I FROZE containing (about) the Roman 500, all followed by the abbreviation for ounces
18a Sport with lanes in PE with Bolt winning stupidly ... (6,7)
TENPIN BOWLING: An anagram (stupidly) of PE BOLT WINNING
22a ... easy victory, with a fan keeping close to track (8)
WALKOVER: Link together the single letter for with, A from the clue, and another word for a serious fan that’s containing (keeping) the final letter (close to) of TRACK
23a Take out key men before time (6)
ESCORT: Join together a key on a computer keyboard, some usual abbreviated soldiering men, and the physics symbol for time
26a Greek character with a large bottle (5)
PHIAL: Cement together a letter in the Greek alphabet, A from the clue, and the single letter for large
27a Giro money's so wasted - loves going out - it's better with others (9)
SYNERGISM: An anagram (wasted) of GIRO MONEY’S SO with all the single letters for love deleted (loves going out)
28a Understand mine is in Paris (6)
DIGEST: A synonym of mine (minerals, for example) with the French (in Paris) word for “is”
29a Plastic bag from container ship (3-5)
BIN-LINER: A type of container followed by a big passenger ship
Down
1d Scottish river houses really old - old-fashioned indeed (8)
FORSOOTH: A Scottish river contains (holds) both a synonym of really and the single letter for old
2d Enter hot place (5)
INPUT: Hot or fashionable with place or set
3d Band I'm in snubbed Japanese food (7)
SASHIMI: Glue together a band one might wear diagonally across the chest and I’M IN from the clue minus its last letter (snubbed)
4d Expected to join with student for fight (4)
DUEL: A synonym of expected with the single letter indicating a student or learner driver
6d Criminal has to enter party, and two females run away (4,3)
DASH OFF: An anagram (criminal) of HAS inserted in (to enter) a usual word for party, all followed by two copies of the single letter for female
7d Eschewing topping, wrap a pizza badly for flash-mob (9)
PAPARAZZI: An anagram (badly) of WRAP A PIZZA minus the first letter in the phrase (eschewing topping, in a down clue)
8d Ringo's making one right international flight? (6)
STAIRS: In the surname of drummer Ringo change one copy of the single letter for right to the single letter for international
10d Supports or tolerates Times (6,2)
STANDS BY: Tolerates or bears with a synonym of times in the arithmetic sense
14d Fight with current head leads to caution (8)
WARINESS: Concatenate a serious fight, the physics symbol for electric current, and a head that sticks out into the sea
16d Former spouse ringing, celebrating (9)
EXTOLLING: A short word for a former spouse with another word for ringing a bell
17d Transfer goods from the south, beginning with electronic kitchen gadget (3,5)
EGG TIMER: The fusion of transfer or send and two copies of the single letter for good is all reversed (from the south, in a down clue) and that all comes after (beginning with) the single letter for electronic
19d Pasta in new bags (7)
NOODLES: The single letter for new with bags or lots
20d Ne'er-do-well? Used to be - but over the hill finally (7)
WASTREL: A short word meaning “used to be” is followed by the final letters of each word in BUT OVER THE HILL
21d Women's group, having rushed around, made a decision on Tinder (6)
SWIPED: A usual abbreviated women’s group contained by (having … around) a synonym of rushed
24d Bulb working - one that's electrically charged (5)
ONION: Follow working or not off with the word describing an atom that is electrically charged
25d Reportedly bet against (4)
ANTI: A homophone (reportedly) of a bet or wager
Thanks to today’s setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: GEL + LEA + DEALS = JELLIED EELS
Having been tipped off by a friend as to who had set this Friday back pager, I just had to find time to solve the crossword
Lots and lots to enjoy in what I found to be a very friendly for a Friday crossword
Many thanks to Django and Mr K
Thanks for the hint to 3d Mr K as I didn’t understand that one. 1d was my COTD and 8d a close 2nd. The answer to 3d was a new one for me but easily parsed. I agree with Mr K – a *** but only just. Some nice anagrams. Thank you to our setter.
What a great puzzle. By no means a walk in the park but great enjoyment once the clues were parsed and the enlightenment dawned.
Top picks for me were 19d, 11a, 24d and the marvellous 1d.
Thanks to Mr K and the setter.
Not sure if its a ***! I was not feeling that well this morning but managed it without wondering why that was the answer. I like 15ac and 16ac anagrams, they got me going to solve the rest. I would put the puzzle at **.
I found this surprisingly straightforward for a Friday. Mostly a read and write, only requiring assistance to unravel the anagram at 27a.
Overall, very enjoyable for the time taken. Clear, smooth and concise surfaces. COTD is the bag at 29a.
Many thanks to the setter and Mr K
I was also amused by the Quickie pun.
1*/3.5*
A very straightforward puzzle today . Just held up by 8d even though the I had the answer . Very enjoyable especially liked 1d , 27 and 15 . Didn’t know the food but easy to work out.Thanks to all
Happy Friday! Completed this in one sitting – very chuffed with myself 😊 Just dipped into the BRB to confirm a couple of spellings, then came here to get help parsing a couple, but was too early for the hints! Figured them out after a bit more effort, hooray!
Could not have achieved this without the enlightenment, every day, from everyone on here, thank you.
Determined to use 1d in conversation today…
Enjoyable Friday fare, not overly onerous and good company for the mid-morning coffee. Some lovely surfaces. Honours to 1a and 20d.
Surprised to see this credited to Django, to whom my thanks, and also to Mr K of course.
I thought this the best puzzle of the week, it required thought to solve and parse but I found the clues to be very fair.
Two particular favourites 1d and 27a
Many thanks to the setter and Mr K for confirming the parsing.
This was a fairly friendly solve for the sharp end of the week.
I don’t see how ‘snubbed’ can be an indicator to knock off the last letter? It means ‘ignored’ but why just the final letter? Maybe ‘snub’ has another definition meaning ‘curtailed’ or something.
In 4d, ‘with’ seems surplus to requirements. I was trying my utmost to work out an anagram of ‘pasta in’ to mean ‘bags’ in 19d until 26a put a stop to it. I liked the use of ‘goods’ in 17d.
Honours got to 1a (a splendid rekrul), 9a (nice surface) and 6d.
MTT Jang (Django Unchained) and Mr K.
2*/4*
If you snub someone you cut them was how I looked at it.
Hmm, interesting.
I see it meaning cut out completely as opposed to shortening.
Maybe I’m going down the semantics route and need to get a life.
Snub = to cut short, Tom. As in a snub-nosed gun, etc. Without the -nosed, it’s oft-used for a last-letter deletion.
Ah, thank you, Alpingtons.
It’s been duly noted.
A relatively gentle work out for a Friday from Django but highly entertaining and a fun solve. Cotd is a toss up between 1d and 20d and 20d gets it by a short head. Thanks to Django and Mr K.
Most enjoyable. Some of the answers I stumbled on inadvertently. For 5 across plugs put me in mind of adaptors but Mr. K gave me the right route although I had gone down the wrong route to get the right answer. Did not finish by one clue and that was 27 across. As Eric Morecambe would say, “ I had all the right letters but not in the right order.” Favourite today was 24 down.
Many thanks to Django and Mr. K
A great puzzle which I completed in between some pretty impressive thunderstorms. Although I finished with a fair degree of certainty, I needed the hints for the parsing of 23A and 5A. Lots of contenders for COTD but the prize goes to 15A. Thanks to Mr K for confirming my guesses and to the setter for a great puzzle.
At the local market this morning my wife and I met one of the samlor (three wheeled pedal driven rickshaws) drivers who plies his trade around our village and noticed he had only one shoe on. When questioned about it he looked at us as if to say what a stupid question. He explained that as the car park was on a slope the most obvious and convenient chock to stop his tricycle rolling away was his left shoe. Obvious innit.
Love it!
I thought he was going to say he found it (that classic joke)
This was a nice way to end the working week, though there is still much to be done before the work and the week is over. As usual, I have ticks a plenty, perhaps too many, but I did enjoy this solve. 1,5, 12,15, 18, 22 and 29 for the across clues and 4, 8, 17 and 19 for the downs. I cannot pick a podium nor a COTD. Many thanks to the setter and Mr K