Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31240
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to a solid 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 Disown and reject charity inspired by celebrity (9)
REPUDIATE: The reversal (reject) of charity or help contained by (inspired by) celebrity or fame
6a Fellowship in Surrey town missing for daughter (5)
GUILD: A Surrey town minus (missing) both FOR and the single letter for daughter
9a Reportedly pen hymn tune (7)
CHORALE: A homophone (reportedly) of pen or round up (livestock, perhaps)
10a Ailment caused by inactivity, sister at heart conceded (7)
ILLNESS: A synonym of inactivity with the central letters (at heart) of SISTER deleted (conceded)
11a Swindle Geordie vocalist (5)
STING: Double definition. The Geordie plays bass in addition to singing
12a Calm Greek character salesperson encountered travelling west (9)
TEMPERATE: The fusion of a character in the Greek alphabet, a usual salesperson, and a synonym of encountered is all reversed (travelling west, in an across clue)
13a Card game cut short by dental work (8,6)
CONTRACT BRIDGE: A word meaning cut short is followed by a type of dental work
16a Addiction treatment of idiotic Texan drunk (14)
DETOXIFICATION: An anagram (drunk) of OF IDIOTIC TEXAN
20a Battling, stall a huge, almost final victory (4,5)
LAST LAUGH: An anagram (battling) of STALL, A, and HUGE minus its last letter (almost)
22a Repeatedly stripped Mini lad knew to be empty (5)
INANE: MINI LAD KNEW with the outer letters of each word deleted (repeatedly stripped)
23a Substitute Stockport's wingers plus one close to exhaustion (5-2)
STAND-IN: Link together the outer letters (… ‘wingers) of STOCKPORT, a synonym of plus, the Roman one, and the last letter of (close to) EXHAUSTION
24a Bill, able to sing well (7)
INVOICE: The answer split (2,5) might mean able to sing well
25a Right to stop one staining towel perhaps (5)
DRYER: The single letter for right inserted in (to stop) a person that stains fabrics, for example
26a Consider record that isn't regularly chosen (9)
ENTERTAIN: A synonym of record with alternate letters (regularly chosen) of THAT ISN’T
Down
1d Trump's break on ship circling Crete, needing vacation (6)
RECESS: A short word for on or concerning and the usual abbreviation for steamship are sandwiching (circling) the outer letters (needing vacation) of CRETE. Trump’s indicates that the answer is an Americanism
2d Reservation in Barbados Ivor ponders over (7)
PROVISO: The answer is hidden in the reversal (over) of BARBADOS IVOR PONDERS
3d Maybe one refusing beer that reduces wind internally? (7,8)
DRAUGHT EXCLUDER: The answer could, whimsically, describe “one refusing beer”
4d Turn away from state benefit finally (5)
AVERT: State or vow with the final letter of BENEFIT
5d Puzzling item in a broadcast about golf clubs (9)
ENIGMATIC: An anagram (broadcast) of ITEM IN A containing (about) the single letter for golf, all followed by the playing card abbreviation for clubs
6d Go back upset across island after information on adopting elderly dog (6,9)
GOLDEN RETRIEVER: The reversal (upset) of a word meaning go back containing (across) the single letter for island comes after the fusion of an informal word for information containing (adopting) a synonym of elderly and on or concerning
7d Country retail store (7)
ICELAND: A straightforward double definition
8d Mess up food course First Lady left (8)
DISHEVEL: Cement together a food course, the first lady in the Bible, and the single letter for left
14d Wasting hour, naff clue he composed for 'wealth' (9)
AFFLUENCE: An anagram (composed) of NAFF CLUE HE minus (wasting) the single letter for hour
15d Suspect Lois died greatly admired (8)
IDOLISED: An anagram (suspect) of LOIS DIED
17d American is able to visit extremely touristy Italian region (7)
TUSCANY: An abbreviation for American and a word meaning “is able to” inserted together in (to visit) the outer letters (extremely) of TOURISTY
18d Regularly coach adroit Noah making musical instrument (7)
OCARINA: Alternate letters (regularly) of COACH ADROIT NOAH
19d Banker always found amongst Poles (6)
SEVERN: A synonym of always inserted between (found amongst) the abbreviations for the poles of the Earth (or a magnet). The definition is cryptic, regarding a banker as being something having banks
21d Raise army to defend garrisons essentially (5)
HOIST: A synonym of army containing (to defend) the central letter (essentially) of GARRISONS
Thanks to today’s setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: MANN + HANDEL = MANHANDLE
Quite gentle for a Friday and very enjoyable. I had the wrong country for the 7d store until the penny dropped. I should have known better because the first one was in Oswestry. I had to leave the fellowship at 6a until the checkers arrived. I wasn’t going to go through a list of towns in Surrey. I see 11a has appeared again. The singing bill at 24a nearly became my favourite but I have to give COTD to the guy refusing beer at 3d.
Thank you, setter for a great end to what has been an enjoyable week. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints.
And so, the week has finished as it started and has been, all week, with another very gentle crossword. I was expecting a challenge today given the relative ease of the last 4.
My top picks are the following; the Fellowship at 8a, the Pen at 9a and the anagram at 16a. 7,8 and 17 down are worthy of mention.
Many thanks to the setter and hinter
And so a week of gentle puzzles draws to a close, with another straightforward and nicely crafted grid. The quality of the surfaces possibly suggests Silvanus, though he is usually a little more challenging than this on a Friday, so maybe it is someone else?
Many thanks to Silvanus or if not he then whomever the setter may be, and to Mr K for the blog.
I wondered what day it was, because I found this much more straightforward than the usual Friday offering. But an enjoyable solve, and it was surprising how the 2 long anagrams just dropped into place immediately. Thanks to both.
Well I wasn’t punished for yesterday’s moan, that’s for sure. Very straightforward and the quickest time of the week. Unheard of. Maybe their calendar is stuck on Tuesday? Good quality clues but not very satisfying. */***
[I think Mr K’s “a solid Friday puzzle” was a fine example of damning by faint praise.]
I took my car in for a service at 8.30am this morning and the puzzle, two cups of coffee and an hour listening to an audiobook filled the time nicely.
I was fearing the worst after the relatively quiet week but this was another very enjoyable puzzle with a number of excellent clues. I particularly liked ‘refusing beer’ and the ‘elderly dog’ and settled on 3d as my COTD.
I am grateful to Mr K for explaining that ‘Trump’s’ is an indicator for americanism, this is a new one for me. Would the same apply if for example it had read ‘Biden’s’?
Many thanks to the setter and Mr K for the hints
On the Americanism indicator, my perhaps failing memory does have recollections of this not being the first time Trump has been used in this way and, yes, Biden has been used in the same way when he was residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC.
Firstly many thanks to Mr. K who rescued my comments yesterday from a spam file.
Today was a treat. I was rather careless and put in a couple of wrong answers and didn’t do a due diligence. First in was 13 across which was a great help. Top clue was 24 across. A very well constructed and entertaining crossword.
I was surprised at how sad I felt when I could not participate on the Big Dave site. It just reflects the value of this forum
Thanks to our cunning setter and Mr. K for his hints and help
A couple of pauses for thought, but otherwise a relatively straightforward progress to completion. Maybe it’s just me, but this puzzle left me feeling a bit flat. Perhaps we’ve been spoiled on the wit and humour front all week. Still my cotd, 3d, did raise a smile. Thanks to compiler and Mr K.
Another enjoyable puzzle. Not heard of the musical instrument. Eric Clapton today 🎸
Thanks to setter😀
Quite gentle for a Friday back pager and I will second Mustafa G but I will go one better and suggest that the quality of the surfaces probably suggest that this is the work of Silvanus – **/*****
A while since we have seen 18d. Why can’t 8d have an antonym that is 8d minus the first two letters?
Candidates for favourite – 6a, 9a, the aforementioned 8d, and 19d – and the winner, as a Surrey chap, is 6a.
Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever if it is not he, and Mr K.