Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31255
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***
The much needed rain with hopefully cooler temperatures has arrived so the prospect of a decent night’s kip a realistic prospect to look forward to.
I found today’s puzzle a good bit trickier than the usual Tuesday fare & for me at least more difficult than yesterday’s offering. It didn’t have the feeling of an Anthony Plumb production but I’m probably wrong so it will be interesting to see what others make of it. Anyway I enjoyed the solve & thought it nicely clued throughout.
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 Copper’s dunked in river, extremely morose and sorry (6,2)
EXCUSE ME: insert (dunked in) the chemical symbol for copper + the possessive ‘S into a river in South West England then append the outer letters (extremely) of m[oros]e.
5a Listen to enthralling record getting promoted (6)
HELPED: a verb meaning to listen/pay regard to goes around (enthralling) the abbreviation for a vinyl album.
9a Unusually cute, rare animal (8)
CREATURE: an anagram (unusually) of CUTE RARE.
10a Extorts small groups of sailors (6)
SCREWS: S[mall] + sailors/ those manning nautical vessels.
12a Stiff old writing implements I have (9)
EXPENSIVE: link the usual two letter prefix for ‘old’ with writing implements (Nicola’s ex, who is due in court today, shelled out over 4K on a number of ‘em having presumably, like Steve, despaired of ever winning the Mythical) then append a contraction for ‘I have’.
13a Sailing vessel heading off, say (5)
UTTER: remove the 1st letter (heading off) from a versatile type of vessel – generally thought of as a single-masted sailing vessel.
14a Took advantage of some countryside surroundings on the way back (4)
USED: hidden in reverse (some/on the way back) in the two words between the indicators.
16a Those who sketch boxers? (7)
DRAWERS: a double definition. Nowt to do with pugilists.
19a Get a hundred and twenty-four sheets of paper (7)
ACQUIRE: A from the clue + the Roman numeral letter for 100 + the term for 24 sheets of paper which comprises one-twentieth of a standard ream.
21a Revolutionary female cook (4)
CHEF: the first name of the Argentine Marxist revolutionary (whose massed produced fizzog came to represent counterculture) + the single letter for F[emale].
24a Training exercise – this could be boring (5)
DRILL: a double definition – those into DIY seem to have a bewildering collection of ‘em.
25a One male invalid is itching (9)
IMPATIENT: link the Roman numeral for one + the single letter for M[ale] + a noun synonym for invalid/someone suffering from illness.
27a Bird returning in due course with what it’s caught? (6)
OSPREY: I’m assuming the parse here is the reversal (returning) of a two letter word for in due course/in time followed by a synonym of quarry/what it’s caught. Perhaps someone can supply a sentence where the first bit is interchangeable.
28a Judge’s decision encapsulating street’s lower crime? (8)
RUSTLING: the term for a judicial decision goes around (encapsulating) the usual two letter abbreviation for street. Lower in the context of the definition relates to noise made by cattle.
29a Partially withheld estate for first-born (6)
ELDEST: hidden (partially).
30a Emotions shown by Eastern European in brief romantic affairs (8)
FEELINGS: insert the single letter abbreviation for E[astern] & for E[uropean] into a term for romantic affairs or brief dalliances.
Down
1d Artist’s fees not oddly steep in France (6)
ESCHER: the even letters (not oddly) of f[E]e[S] + the French for steep/12a. The wordplay is pretty straightforward but I can’t say I was familiar with the Dutch graphic artist.
2d Policemen surrounding His Eminence, ruler of Egypt (6)
CHEOPS: an informal term for policemen goes around (surrounding) the two letter abbreviation for His Eminence. Yet again Mr G required to tell me all about the 2nd pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty of Egypt. He was also known as Khufu & is generally considered responsible for commissioning the construction of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
3d Modelled wearing silk fabric (5)
SATIN: a verb for modelled/posed + wearing/dressed **.
4d Groom gets this short female horse annoyed, heartlessly (7)
MARRIED: remove the last letter (short) from the term for a female horse then link with a synonym for annoyed having removed its central letter (heartlessly).
6d Egg on our hen cage unfortunately not hard (9)
ENCOURAGE: an anagram (unfortunately) of OUR [h]EN CAGE (not H[ard]).
7d Row after pert bust is more appealing (8)
PRETTIER: an anagram (bust) of PERT precedes a noun synonym for row/echelon.
8d Is tense cutting clothing for Harrow (8)
DISTRESS: insert (cutting) IS from the clue + the single letter for T[ense] into a noun for clothing or apparel. Definition is nowt to do with the public school.
11d Was in charge of penning a clue (4)
LEAD: a past tense verb for was in charge goes round (penning) A from the clue.
15d Calm host half ignored complaint (9)
STILLNESS: 50% (half ignored) of hoST + a complaint/malady.
17d A few supporting worker striking (8)
HANDSOME: an adjective for a few/small number goes under (supporting/down clue) a term for a worker or staff member.
18d Prepared interviewee ultimately made a witty remark (8)
EQUIPPED: the last letter (ultimately) of the 2nd word in the clue followed by a past tense verb for made a witty remark.
20d Give out porridge, upset (4)
EMIT: reverse (upset/down clue) another informal synonym for porridge which is usually preceded by serving.
21d Seize hat on top of the river (7)
CAPTURE: a type of flat hat + the 1st letter (top) of t[he] + a river in North Yorkshire.
22d Rule about start of sick leave (6)
RESIGN: a noun or verb synonym for rule goes around S[ick] (start of).
23d Deer’s protecting middle of her legs (6)
STAGES: the term for male deer (plural or with the possessive S) goes round the central letter (middle) of h[E]r. The definition context is phases.
26d Perfect trout regularly seen on a lake (5)
TOTAL: T[r]O[u]T (regularly) + (seen on) A from the clue + the single letter for L[ake]
28a was my pick of the clues today with podium places awarded to 27a & 6d. Please let us know which clues you liked best.
Today’s Quick Crossword pun: RAN + SUM + WEAR = RANSOMWARE
A classic production from the professor and most enjoyable. The only clue I’m not sure about is 26d. The answer could be nothing else if the instructions in the clue are followed but I don’t see how it relates to perfect. I will need to look to the hints for enlightenment. There are so many good clues that it’s difficult to pick one for the top spot. The stiff writing instrument at 12a, those sketching boxers at 16a and the artist’s fees at 1d are all contenders. In the end, I have gone for the hundred and twenty four sheets of paper at 19a as my COTD.
Thank you, AP for a fun puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.
Another synonym for ‘perfect’ here might be ‘complete’, which would have the same meaning as the solution, I think.
Hmm. Not convinced but thanks, Harry.
How about he was a perfect/total pain in the arse.
Ok, I’ll sort of buy that but, to me, total is to add up; to calculate the sum of while perfect is to make perfect; to improve or hone.
Maybe I’m just old fashioned. 😊
Perhaps two stars would more appropriate.
I forgot to amend the rating at the top – fully agree & now changed.
Overall I found today an enjoyable exercise. A number of well crafted clues from which I am selecting our hen cage at 6d and the old writing implements at 12a as my favourites.
Out of interest and asking for a friend…
I generally start my puzzle in the NW corner but today, thanks to 1d and 2d, it’s where I ended up. The wordplay and checkers for these two beauties created words which meant nothing to me, and I resorted to asking Mr G if he knew the artist and the Egyptian ruler, which fortunately he did. The clues did their job, and I recognise that I am a 31253 21d but when trying to parse is Mr. G becoming as invaluable as the BRB?
Thanks to the setter and Huntsman for the hints
Even if this wasn’t our normal Tuesday setter as our blogger suggests, it still felt like one of his; elegantly and accurately clued, gently humorous and a joy to solve. 19a and 2d were particularly good and my favourites this morning.
My thanks to whomsoever and The Hintsman.
I didn’t know the Egyptian or the artist so had to check those but otherwise quite gentle.
Top picks for me were 12a, 28a, 11d, 20d and 7d.
Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.
I too found that more challenging than the usual Tuesday fare, but it was no less enjoyable for that. The paper quantity at 19a required some research and I’m going to nominate it as my COTD. Thanks very much to the setter and to Huntsman for the tunes. It’s good to see a bit of colour returning to the lawns and hopefully we have a few more days of typical English summer weather ahead.
Fun whilst it lasted. 28a gets my vote. Today’s toughie is also very approachable.
Thanks to today’s setter and Huntsman.
Your comments on your favourite clue, 28 across are noted but to say that the underlined clue (lower crime) relates to the noise that cattle make is incorrect. Lower crime (theft of cattle) is called rustling which, in my humble opinion, is what the setter had in mind.
It was also my favourite, I concur with the explanation offered in Huntsman’s hints.
I’m well aware of that David & yes that is what the setter has in mind. I was trying (& clearly not succeeding as far as you are concerned) to provide a nudge to any not familiar with lower in the context of a crossword term for a cow – so called because of the noise it makes.
I also had the same problem as Huntsman regarding the first two letters of 27a. However, ‘in due course’ is given as an example in the BRB so it must be right.
Thanks to Huntsman for all the hints and to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle.
Last one in 1d .That says it all ? A very enjoyable solve today, which I found slightly more difficult than most Tuesdays , largely due to the north west corner. Favourites are many but G,S and B to 2,4,6.Thanks to all .
As our reviewer says this was rather trickier than we usually get on Tuesdays but very enjoyable.
As Humph above says ‘in due course’ is lifted straight from the BRB for the required word in 27a; I can’t think of a very good example for it but perhaps something like ‘The train was waiting at the station and ** the journey began’.
Ticks from me for 13a, 4d, 17d and 23d.
Many thanks to our setter and Huntsman.