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? 😊
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. 🥂🥂🎂