Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31275
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Thanks to today’s setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. I wonder whether your guess as to their identity will correspond with mine.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and indicator words (e.g. anagram indicators) are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons.
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Across
1a Smooth seed oddly ignored near bird (9)
SANDPIPER: assemble a verb to smooth or polish, a synonym of seed and the even only (oddly ignored) letters of ‘near’.
6a Chunk of wood cut after turning (4)
SLAB: a type of lightweight wood is truncated (cut) with what remains being reversed (after turning).
10a Split with pal discovered smuggling valuables primarily (5)
RIVEN: a synonym of pal loses its outer letters (i.e. is dis-covered) and contains (smuggling) the primary letter of Valuables.
11a Flexible, purchasing for the most part fancy cheese (9)
LIMBURGER: an adjective meaning flexible or supple contains (purchasing) a synonym of fancy or longing without its last letter (for the most part).
12a Pound off exotic tropical fruit (7)
APRICOT: an anagram (exotic) of TROPICA[l] without the abbreviation for a pound sterling.
13a Crushes spouse’s offspring (4-3)
STEP-SON: split the answer 5,2 to get a phrasal verb meaning crushes.
14a Naked, removing last of alluring loose nightwear (2,3,3)
IN THE RAW: an anagram (loose) of NI[g]HTWEAR without the last letter of alluring.
16a Handle entry of mine (5)
SHAFT: double definition.
19a Horses eat grass audibly (5)
GREYS: this sounds like a verb to eat grass or browse.
21a Recall party at Westminster socialist George vacuously interrupts (6,2)
DREDGE UP: a political party at Westminster (whose previous leader has this week been convicted of multiple charges of sexual abuse) into which a colourful word for a socialist and the outer (vacuously) letters of ‘George’ are inserted (interrupts).
24a Energy of creatures heading west, needing time for meal finally (7)
STAMINA: reverse (heading west, in an across clue) another word for creatures and replace the final letter of meal with the physics abbreviation for time.
25a Western peacekeeper lacking cover marshals international forces (7)
SHERIFF: a verb meaning marshals (wedding guests into a church, say) without its outer letters (lacking cover) is followed by abbreviations for international and force (twice).
27a European in on wager that’s improper (9)
NORWEGIAN: an anagram (that’s improper) of IN ON WAGER.
28a Bill takes turn briefly making jelly (5)
ASPIC: the abbreviation for a bill or invoice contains (takes) a verb to turn or revolve without its last letter (briefly).
29a Originally wartime remains bear investigation (4)
WASH: the first (originally) letter of wartime and powdery remains after a fire. The answer is more often found in the negative as in ‘Your excuse won’t ****’.
30a Ladies are crazy for dogs (9)
AIREDALES: an anagram (crazy) of LADIES ARE.
Down
1d Laughing uproariously seeing Carry On film? (9)
SCREAMING: double definition, the second what follows ‘Carry On’ in a film title.
2d At no time software vendor is saving for retirement (5)
NEVER: two words in the clue contain (is saving) the reversal (for retirement) of this hidden word.
3d Criticise revolutionary adopting American style (7)
PANACHE: an informal verb to criticise severely and our usual South American revolutionary bracket (adopting) an abbreviation for American.
4d Sumptuous large Indian dish, not starter, and drink served up (8)
PALATIAL: string together the clothing abbreviation for large, a cold Indian side dish without its starting letter and a verb to drink (like a cat). Now reverse the lot (served up, in a down clue).
5d Lax about way of addressing schoolteacher (6)
REMISS: a proposition meaning about or concerning and how a pupil might address a female schoolteacher.
7d What MPs do when member is deceased? (9)
LEGISLATE: glue together a bodily member, IS from the clue and an adjective meaning deceased.
8d Times runs number that’s upset poet (5)
BYRON: a word used in Maths to mean ‘times’ is followed by the cricket abbreviation for runs and the reversal (upset, in a down clue) of the abbreviation of number.
9d Manages entertaining live artist (6)
RUBENS: a synonym of manages or administers contains (entertaining) a verb to live or exist.
15d Sign he’s invested in something a setter uses (9)
THESAURUS: a sign of the zodiac has HE’S (from the clue) inserted (invested) in it.
17d Poor Richard and Georgia, say, put emojis in emails? (9)
TYPEFACES: I knew that Georgia is an example of a font and, apparently, so is Poor Richard. If you split the answer 4,5 it could mean to put emojis in emails.
18d Convict peeping Tom, filled with scorn at intervals (8)
PRISONER: a word for a nosey person or peeping Tom contains (filled with) regular letters (at intervals) from ‘scorn’.
20d Booted partner from clubs, maybe extremely enraged (6)
SUITED: what clubs is an example of in card games followed by the outer (extremely) letters of enraged. The answer is partnered with ‘booted’ in an idiomatic phrase (****** and booted) meaning not turning up for an appointment in jeans and trainers.
22d Film about hotel I dread being remade (3,4)
DIE HARD: an anagram (being remade) of I DREAD contains the letter that hotel represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
23d Raised spray-can, it apparently maintains sheen (6)
PATINA: the clue contains (maintains) the reversal (raised, in a down clue) of a hidden word.
24d Muscle stitch, pinching pain Dad overlooked (5)
SINEW: a verb to stitch contains (pinching) ‘pain’ after the affectionate term for dad has been removed (overlooked)
26d Parking behind this writer’s Tesla regularly in drive (5)
IMPEL: the map abbreviation for parking comes after the contracted form of ‘the writer is’ from the writer’s viewpoint. Finish with regular letters from ‘Tesla’.
I particularly liked 25a, 7d and 17d with my favourite being 20d. Which one(s) reached out to you?
The Quick Crossword pun: PAR + TEAK + AIMS = PARTY GAMES
That was tough! However, it is Thursday and I recall a letter to The Telegraph complaining that the writer thought Thursday crosswords were too hard. Still, I got there in the end. Is 13a enumerated correctly? I have not heard of the cheese but I’m sure others have, especially Sloops. It took a while for the meaning of “times” in 8d to become clear but, once it did, I thought it a good clue but it’s not my top choice. My COTD goes to the dead MP at 7d.
Thank you, setter for a typical Thursday challenge. Thank you, Gazza for the hints.
I tried to make a pun out of the bottom line of the Quickie but t’was not to be.
SC, 13a. I’d say the answer is all one word but having done some research it apparently can also be hyphenated. It seems the hyphen is not quite obsolete yet.
Thanks, Jose. I have always had is as one word and never come across the hyphenated version. I thought the enumeration should have been (5-2) but as I said above, what do I know? 😊
The 4-3 enumeration seemed right to me but since the query I’ve checked it and both the BRB and Collins only have it as a single 7-letter word.
In Collins Online it does state: “also step-son”. So, probably just about passes muster.
I suppose it would work either way. If “Crushes” was the definition, the enumeration would be (5,2) and you could split the answer 4-3 for the for the spouse’s offspring. Having said that, I guess someone might reply citing a technical reason why that wouldn’t work.
The setter obviously didn’t intend the definition to be ‘crushes’ since the enumeration was given as 4-3.
Yes, I realise that. I was assuming that Steve had indeed got “Crushes” (wrongly) as the definition and therefore concluded that the enumeration should be (5,2) and not (4-3).
Ah, that’s it, Gazza. I did take “crushes”as the definition. Thanks for putting me right. 👍
For me this was the trickiest of the week, it makes me wonder what tomorrow will bring.
After the first read through I was actually quite surprised that I managed to fill the grid with solutions although it took me at least as long again to parse them.
I’m not sure I have ever watched a ‘carry on film’ and had to find a list to confirm my offering was on it. 10a reminded me of my only venture into computer games – Myst followed by 10a in the mid 90’s were proper puzzlers. I was not familiar with 11a and I can see why – it’s described as having an aroma akin to sweaty gym socks! The last to fall was 25a and I’m pleased to see that Gazza and I agree, clever wordplay.
On what promises to be a very hot day this was a very enjoyable way to spend an extended period of time.
My thanks to today’s setter and Gazza for the hints.
I agree with Steve – a real toughie but well worth the effort with my stand out clues being 13a and 7&17d. Absolutely first class. Thanks to the production team for something to take my mind off the heat!
What an enjoyable puzzle but it made me think which is dangerous in this hot weather.
Had to check the cheese and poor Richard.
Ticks all over my page with my top picks being 1a, 24d, 7d, 10a, 14a and 24a.
Thanks to Gazza, great cartoons, and the setter.
3*/5*. What a treat on a hot sticky day. I was on course for my 2* time but the NW corner proved to be quite a tough nut to crack. I really enjoyed the whole thing and selected 13a, 19a & 7d for my podium from amongst a sea of ticks.
My money is on this being a Silvanus creation, so many thanks to him and to Gazza.
An enjoyable solve for a Thursday with enough chewiness to keep one on one’s toes. 19a, 4d and 18d are my pick with 17d my COTD although I had to consult Gazza for the connection to Poor Richard which AI had told me (incorrectly(?))was not a typeface.
Thanks to the setter and Gazza
2.5*/4*
There was a lot of guesswork involved but the definitions were clear enough to find the answers with or without understanding tthe wordplay. I amm, however, very grateful to Gazza for explaining some of the more difficult parsing. My COTD was the witty 7d, followed by the geographical anagram 27a, and the two lego clues .one for bird fanciers at 1a and one for cruciverbalists at and astrologers 15d. I quite enjoyed the General Knowledge element of the puzzle. Tha ks to the compiler.
I’m relieved that others were challenged by today’s offering. I had been about to blame a combination of the neat and the World Cup, having given up trying to sleep with the windows open and the local Brazilian community in an ebullient mood and watched their team make the technical chasm between them and the Scots all too clear. A very good puzzle nevertheless with 7d my favourite and last in – perhaps inexcusably given that I spent years supporting MPs in doing just that. Thanks very much to the setter and to Gazza.
What a snorter of a puzzle! Certainly no roll-over, and just right for a Thursday, but my approach from the S was, I think, potentially more forgiving than a conventional N to S. Some lovely surfaces and lots of humour, with plenty of smiles on the PDMs.
14a very timely, and given these uncomfortably hot tropical nights who wants alluring anyway?
Honours aplenty but will limit to 10a 24a, 25a, 20d & COTD 7d.
Many thanks to the setter – Silvanus could be a good call – and of course to Gazza
That certainly was a stiff challenge. Indeed I nearly threw in the towel but persevered and, aided by a few hints, managed to get to completion. Certainly a dnf unaided. Needed the hint to parse 8d in particular. Of those I did solve unaided, I’ll award cotd to 25a. Thanks to compiler for the challenge and Gazza for the much needed hints.
An off week for RayT today so we have a mystery setter.
I found it trickier than I generally find a Ray T offering as per usual as he is very precise and defined in his clues. I find his fill ins on his off weeks just don’t do it for me. Several clues I found with parsing that was tricky.
2.5*/3* for me
Favourite candidates include 1a, 13a, 19a, 27a, 30a & 15d — with winner 30a
Thanks to setter & Gazza
My goodness, no doubt that this was a Thursday challenge; my money, if I could find any at the back of my sock drawer, would be on this being a Silvanus production – ****/*****
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 13a, 19a, 2d, and 15d – and the winner is 19a.
Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever if it is not he, and Gazza.
Wow! What a corker! This was a really meaty solve and I dnf without electronic help for the cheese, which was a new one to me. Really meaty and enjoyble. My COTD 7d. ****/****
Ooo, that was tough. I managed to crawl over the finish line but it took an age with my last two being 25a & 17d.
Hats off to anyone who didn’t biff 25a as parsing ‘lacking cover marshals’ is impossible. So hard. ‘Bear investigation’ was also way beyond me.
22d was a new word for me but perfectly gettable. There are over 200,000 fonts which is nuts. So, I didn’t have a hope with 17d. I got it with the checkers.
My podium is 30a, 7d (love it) and the clever 15d.
Many thanks to, I’m guessing, Silvanus and Gazza.
5*/3*
I am just sitting down to guzzle but wanted to show you this. Yesterday was my 92nd birthday I spent most of the day in Addenbrookes with George’s head but did manage to down a couple of bottles of bubbly in the evening with neighbours. Not boasting of course but just showing it can be done, with the DT as evidence. Of course the cynics amongst you might say it is AI – but I would have ironed out the wrinkles and given myself more hair 😌
Absolutely superb!
Eight years to go to achieve a first.
Wow, Daisygirl! You are an absolute legend. Happy birthday for yesterday. 🥂🥂🎂
Brilliant! Something for us all to aspire to.
Congratulations and many happy returns, DG – even without the AI you are a phenomenal lady!
Though I am wondering what the rest of George was doing, and where, while you were in Addenbrookes with his head … hope all is now well.
MG
Congratulations!
Many congratulations on your birthday, and what a wonderful athletic achievement. You are truly an inspiration.
Amazing Daisy!
Congratulations for yesterday 💐
Wow amazing and Happy Birthday for yesterday!
I’m in awe. Happy Birthday !
Happy belated Birthday Daisy
Congratulations on your birthday Daisy. You are absolutely amazing.
Congratulations at many levels. Firstly for your birthday, secondly for your amazing flexibility and thirdly for your sense of humour and cross wording ability.Many happy returns.
PS we lived beside Addenbrookes because John was on the cardiac arrest team and had to respond at all time to emergency calls.
BTW George did a great job of mowing the lawn in the heatwave. And your borders look lovely and well-established
Looking good Daisygirl! Happy birthday and keep on with those splits!!
Many Happy Returns of the Day, Daisy and what a brilliant achievement! I so admire your spirit and energy!
A cracking puzzle, just up my street, with some clues of decidedly Toughie calibre (no bad thing!). Fine clues, pretty rigorous for a back-pager and a very enjoyable tussle. Too many great clues to isolate a favourite. 4*/4.5*.
A slight roll up the difficulty ramp as we approach the end of the week.
A couple of slang terms, for naked in 14a and recall at 21a along with the western peacekeeper in 25a and the fonts at 17d were my picks.
My thanks to our setter and Gazza.
Just completed this in the afternoon heat. Mr SC is snoring quietly on the sofa after a morning waving the strimmer around.
And yes I agree with others this was tricky. After the initial “easy” clues went in it was a slow struggle to untangle the remaining clues. 24d was my last in.
I had to look up “cheeses beginning with L” as had no idea and was also thinking of the usual other meaning of fancy and trying to fit “ide” in the word so that was not helpful!
Kept hearing the words “frying tonight” after had entered 1d but my clue of the day was 7d.
Also liked the symmetry with the tough both having a Scandinavian in roughly the same place 27a here and 20a in the toughie. Is this just a coincidence?
Thanks all
Yes this was a challenge in the extreme heat. Much of it was guesswork, or gut feeling and I was glad of Gazza’s explanation for several – Poor Richard for instance. I got the horses straight away but spelled it with an ‘a’ which threw me. 11a was very familiar as when George (both head and body) worked for DSM the HQ is in Limburg and we have visited so many times with many friends there. I had just asked George if, when I took my tee shirt off in order to be cooler, he would be diverted from his nap by irrisistable passion, to which he just said flatly ‘no’. Ten minutes later the burglar alarm man came to service the equipment and as I had put a notice on the front door saying ‘working in the garden’ he came round the side of the house and never even blinked at the sight of my deshabille. I really am 92. However, all is well not a cloud in the sky, a bit of a breeze and I have a beautifully completed guzzle by my side.
Many thanks to the Setter – 23a, 7d and 15d particularly sweet, and to Gazza for his untangling.
What a great word deshabille is!
What, with that and the splits, Day Zee style, my day is full.
Thanks for the splits post – I forwarded it to my 88yr old golfing partner (who works out on his exercise bike & wants to walk round a golf course 3 or 4 times a week) to give him something to aim at.
I had to look up deshabille.
I saw a clip recently where a 98 year old gentleman does 40 press-ups a day.
There needs to be a revamp of The Superstars called The Super-agers (an official term) or a film called The Incredribbles, starring Splitzee, Press-up Pete and Hoots’ mucker Willy Wheels.
….or a show with Daisy and me called ‘Tom and Geri’.
Oh, that’ll do.
Certainly a notch harder than last few days. Didn’t know the cheese and was foxed by the naked third word which is not the used phrase in my parish. Anyway thanks to setter.
U2 coming through loud and clear 🎸
All 🏴 opening championship fixture, kings of the south versus the Disney Mickey Mouse upstarts of the north.
For me a significant roll up the difficulty ramp – the grid fill extended into Toughie time. To be fair most of it went in at a decent lick until total heat addled brain fog with the last word at 14a & last in 20d. Those two trebled the solve time – I only saw the wordplay in 14a once the vaguely recalled idiom eventually dawned on me then stared blankly trying to figure the missing two letters in 20d (I’d clocked the last 2) for booted partner – another idiom though this time one I frequently use (d’oh). I also needed Mr G for Poor Richard (Georgia only vaguely rang a 🔔) & had to check the Carry On title also.
Anyway a top notch puzzle. 1,11,21&25a 4,7,15,18,20&22d my Top Ten with the almighty head scratcher at 20d Number One.
Thanks to the setter (surely a Smooth production this time) & to Gazza whose review I shall read later with a large G&T
Congratulations DG , that’s amazing! Never really came to terms with this but plodded on and apart from the cheese and whine /neigh lad (greys) I managed to fall over the line .I thought 13 to be so clever, whichever way it was interpreted and gave it the gold medal in a very classy field . Honourable mentions to 7 and 25 . Thanks to all .Roll on tomorrow .
Second day in trot I’ve given up and reached for the hints. The heat and staying up late to watch football … although I wish I hadn’t bothered.
17d I never have gotten that in a month of Sundays
29a … mmm!
20d … of course!!!!
23d .. found the lurker but never heard of it.
My cotd were the horses at 19a.
Well done again setter and thanks to Gazza.
I enjoyed this puzzle, I was on wavelength and finally this week I haven’t anything else to think about other than staying cool , so nothing else occupying my thoughts, which I find makes such a difference to solving ability. I didn’t actually understand the definition of 29a so looked at the hint, and would never have thought of that – excellent ! . 17d was clever – I’d not heard of poor Richard font , and I liked 15d. Thanks to the setter and Gazza. Time for a siesta now I think.
Home at last. Most entertaining crossword. Like many others I did not know the cheese but the checkers did the work. Never heard of the terms poor Richard and Georgia but again the checkers got me there.
Let my guard drop with 6 across because I got a bit lazy and “ Club” seemed to fit well enough but it was wrong. Got the rest in unaided so that was definitely a positive.Best across clue was the Western peacekeeper and best down clue was what MP’s do.
Thanks to our setter and Gazza.
Many thanks to Gazza (I always enjoy the cartoons!) and to everyone solving and commenting.
Many happy returns for yesterday to Daisygirl, you really are an inspirational person.
See you all again in July.
Thank you for the puzzle, silvanus – you certainly kept us on our toes today. 😊
Thanks for the excellent puzzle, Silvanus.
I found this on a par with yesterday for challenge (difficult!) but more enjoyable so thank you setter and to Gazza for a helpful blog
3.5* / 3.5* A proper challenge, but all fairly clued and gettable.
Best of the day include the spouse’s offspring at 13a, the 19a horses and the ornithological 1a (wanted to put paper for the second half for a while)
Thanks to compiler and Gazza
Mostly solved on a hot Worthing walk home, then in the orbital chair in the garden. A very enjoyable mix of clues, some challenging ones indeed.
Pody winners are 1D’s Carry On film 📺, 21D’s political recall once I sussed it, and the fascinating Poor Richard of 17D.
Many thanks to Silvanus and Gazza, whose name comes up a lot during World Cup fever ⚽️⭐️
Great Thursday puzzle from Silvanus – I’ll vote 15D from a very strong field. VMT also to Gazza.
I thought yesterday was a toughie, but this was very hard for me. I find myself conceding defeat more regularly these days. Nobody else seems to say this, so I suspect my brain is probably shrinking by the day.
Less than a third possibly solved today.
I doubt I will even look at what tomorrow brings.
This was a tricky puzzle for a very sticky day, the cheese was new to me and I needed the hints to explain my answer to 17d. I made it to the end with a fair bit of guess work. Seeing the comments I am pleased I managed it. I liked 1a.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Gazza for the hints. Many congratulations to Daisy for her birthday and remaining so nimble and eloquent!
With a back page like this who needs the Toughie? Really enjoyed it and got it all correct even though I had to guess a couple by the letters and didn’t sort the clues
Welcome to the blog
Welcome, Jim. Please do keep commenting. 👍😊
3*/4* …
liked 7D “What MPs do when member is deceased? (9)”