Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31269
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where yesterday, I enjoyed watching England’s first game in the World Cup although it seemed to a be, as the saying goes, a game of two halves. Canada play Qatar at 5 o’clock this afternoon.
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), there is no doubt that this is the work of a very benevolent Master of Brevity with some lateral thinking required. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, but not the plain sweetheart, in the back pager with an average of 5.09 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 – 12a, 21a, 25a, 3d, 18d, and 20d.
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 One in mob clash turning chaotic (9)
SHAMBOLIC: The Roman numeral for One inserted into (in) an anagram (turning) of MOB CLASH – what a delightful word.
6a Foliage from meadow beginning to fall (4)
LEAF: A three letter synonym of meadow and the first letter of (beginning to) Fall.
10a Hops finally put into grain kilns (5)
OASTS: The last letter (finally) of hopS inserted (put) into a type of grain.
11a Hands in a welcome deal (9)
AGREEMENT: Hands (as in two legged workers) inserted into A from the clue and a synonym of welcome.
12a Make out Queen name on record (7)
DISCERN: The regnal letters of our dear departed queen and the single letter for Name placed after (on) a rotating musical(?) record.
13a Provided money due after termination (7)
ENDOWED: A synonym of (financially) due placed after a synonym of termination.
14a Literal dash following motorway (8)
MISPRINT: A verbal synonym of dash placed after (following) the designator of England’s second motorway.
16a Rapid attacks in daring swoops, initially (5)
RAIDS: One of Ray T’s favourite clue constructions – the initial letters of five words in the clue.
19a Nostrils near reeks occasionally (5)
NARES: Alternate letters (occasionally), I’ll let you decide if it is odds or evens, found in NEAR REEKS.
21a One scores for other players? (8)
COMPOSER: The other players are musicians.
24a Determination making stand (7)
STOMACH: A double definition – the second is a verb.
25a Worst owner after vacation alfresco (7)
OUTDOOR: A verbal synonym of worst, which can also be a verbal synonym of best, and OwneR with the interior letters removed (after vacation).
27a Shocking, beginning to embrace Left (9)
STARTLING: A synonym of beginning containing (to embrace) the single letter for Left.
28a Horses like circling westerly watering hole (5)
ARABS: A two letter adverbial synonym of like containing (circling) the reversal (westerly) of a three letter watering hole.
29a Fabricated cover covering sweetheart (4)
LIED: A type of cover containing (covering) Ray T’s swEetheart.
30a Crazy Gang’s oddly steady (9)
POSSESSED: A ‘formal’ gang formed to pursue a criminal gang including the ‘S and the odd letters of StEaDy.
Down
1d Second’s words manage to inspire fighter (9)
SWORDSMAN: A lurker (to inspire ) found in three words in the clue.
2d Fools judge lacking conclusion (5)
ASSES: A verbal synonym of judge with the last letter removed (lacking conclusion).
3d Bra seems almost undone being dirty (7)
BESMEAR: An anagram (undone) of BRA SEEMs with the last letter deleted (almost).
4d Study tendency to embrace Right (8)
LEARNING: A synonym of tendency containing (to embrace) the single letter for Right.
5d Turn over motor, even losing volume (6)
CAREEN: A synonym of motor (as a vehicle) and EvEN with the single letter for Volume deleted (losing).
7d Plant seeds while missing hard ground (9)
EDELWEISS: Cue Julie Andrews – an anagram (ground) of SEEDS WhILE with the single letter for Hard deleted (missing).
8d Celebrated with meal, eating tons (5)
FETED: A synonym of meal containing (eating) the single letter for Tons.
9d Sex details with elevated blushing (6)
GENDER: A three letter synonym of details and (with) the reversal of (elevated) of a synonym of blushing.
15d Unusually got rare US representative (9)
SURROGATE: An anagram (unusually) of GOT RARE US.
17d Stunned seeing safe nearly forced (9)
SURPRISED: A synonym of safe with the last letter deleted (nearly) and a synonym of forced (open).
18d Bad smell’s around rotten areas (8)
BOROUGHS: An abbreviated form of a bad (personal) smell and the ‘S containing (around) a synonym of rotten.
20d Worker housed in modest shack (6)
SHANTY: A six legged worker inserted into (housed in) a synonym of modest.
22d Servant carrying lavish dish (7)
POTTAGE: A (young male) servant containing the abbreviated three letter form of phrase equivalent to lavish.
23d Child is quiet, quietly biting lip (6)
SHRIMP: A two letter interjection equivalent to (be) quiet and the musical notation for quietly containing (biting) a synonym of lip.
24d Part of ropes is always fibre (5)
SISAL: A lurker (part of) found in three words of the clue.
26d China’s topped with old gemstones (5)
OPALS: A three letter synonym of china (based on rhyming slang) and the ‘S preceded by (topped with) the single letter for Old.
Quick Crossword Pun:
MARRED + MACS = MAD MAX
Having read her four previous novels, I presently have temporary ownership, from the Winnipeg Library, of Daisy Woods fifth novel – The Secrets of Provence – a sequel to The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris. Only 50 pages, of 370, read so far but I am sure that it will be as enjoyable as her others but, if you haven’t already done so, I would recommend reading The Forgotten Bookshop first.
Another great RayTeaser with all the usual hallmarks in evidence. I managed to get about half on the first pass and this gave lots of checkers to allow me into the rest of the grid. 22d is a lovely word and pease 22d was a staple of the medieval English diet. Lots to like, as ever, from the Master of Brevity but my COTD is the welcome deal at 11a.
Thank you, RayT for the entertainment. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
Lovely day in The Marches so the garden beckons.
Outdone by 18d of all clues so a dnf unaided from me today. But as Ray T offerings go the remainder was quite gentle. 19a was a new word for me and needed confirmation. I liked 6a and 1d, but cotd goes to 20d. Thanks to Ray T and Senf.
Diito. All in but 18d. Never easy when checkers are vowels.
A very enjoyable well clued puzzle. I was a bit quick off the mark with 1d thinking that a boxers second could be a spongeman, which fitted perfectly! Sadly this was not to be as I quickly found out. I had to check with the BRB that 5d was correct…the clue was clear but I was favouring a different final letter.
Two favourites – the bad smell at 18d and my old mate at 26d.
Many thanks to the setter and Senf for the hints.
I had to workat it, one usually has to with Mr T but I finished the puzzle with only one hint, 18d. It seems my concussion is improving. The doctors anticipate 12 weeks for a full recovery. I liked the 7d anagram, the literary gaffe at 14a and the dish at22d, which was often sold as pease pudding with a large saveloy sausage as street food in the post war East End of my youth. Thanks to Mr T and to Senf for the hints
Sorry but this question has to be asked. Was the pudding hot or cold and how many days old was it?
You love it!
The pease pudding and the saveloy were both redhot. Many ate them straightaway .vwe didn’t all have cars then so you had to run S fast as you could through the back alleys to get it home hot. Or you could put it in the bag on the fender in front of the coal fire to stay warm. Never tried it 9 days old (ugh)
Great story!
A very enjoyable puzzle with just 3 needing clarification after, some excellent anagrams. No single favourite today.
Many thanks to RayT and to Senf for the hints
I struggled hugely with the SE corner. The fact that my wife and I went to lunch with two neighbours at a superb Chinese restaurant (not Thai) and a couple of beers were consumed has nothing to do with the struggle. It was only as I closed my eyes for a siesta on the sofa in the 32 degree post lunch heat that the answer to 21A came to me which ruined the planned nap. Half a roast duck two noodle dishes various sides and the aforementioned beers for less than £40 between the four of us. COTD has obviously got to be 21A across as it nearly came to me in a dream.
Thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints.
Still don’t fully understand 14a, I can get the answer from the clue, but is literal meant to mean misprint?
So says the BRB, as a noun:
1. A wrong letter in printed or typed material.
2. A misprint of a letter in a word (printing).
And, you have to know that Ray T, like Chalicea, will ensure accuracy in all his clues.
It does, TC. It’s a typo, usually one letter.
It comes from the Latin litteralis (of letters). Goodness knows why the i changed to an e as we have literature, literacy etc.
Thanks to both, every day’s a school day!
I’m sure I’m over thinking it but is, ‘rotten’, just a direction for the middle part of the solution or is it serving some dual purpose as , ‘rotten bxxxxxxs, were a thing?
I like your thinking ATIB.
I don’t think it’s doing double duty. My guess is he used the synonym ‘rotten’ due to your suggested connection.
Just a direction for the middle part of the solution. Colloquial ways of how one might might describe oneself when unwell.
I struggled to get started but once tuned in I built up from the SE corner. With the E completed, the W fell quite quickly. The quietly quiet child at 23d is my LOI and COTD.
Thanks to RayT and Senf
2*/3*
Another solid crossy from fortnightly Fred hits the back of the net.
My LOI was 23d which I had to biff because I didn’t know the slang term for short or small that surprisingly dates back centuries.
5d rang a vague bell but 3d and19a are new ones. 1a is a top word. The last five letters were added as they liked the sound of sym*****.
7d is a brute to spell but the last five letters is a common German surname, meaning white, which may help.
I appreciate that they are a noun and a verb but don’t determination and stand mean the same thing? Maybe there’s a slight difference but it’s probably too close to use in a clue. Saying that, I am a mere mortal and RayT lives on Mount Olympus. So, I will creep back under my rock, whence I came.
My picks are 11a, 1d (superb lurker) and 18d.
MTTTA and Senf
3*/4*
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf) I found this rather H-A-R-D, like dear Chris above (I do hope the recovery continues apace).
A large multipack of potato crisps (potato chips in the USA) has been discovered in the house, with a sell-by date of June 20th. Consequently I am being fed ready salted crisps as a luncheon ‘starter’ every day. To my surprise I am finding this most agreeable and I’m tempted to adopt the practice as a regular pre-lunch taster. I may suggest it as a potential winner for The Wolseley and The Delaunay.
Thanks to RayTee and The Man From Manitoba.
Come on England! (and Canada)