Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31281
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 1.5* – Enjoyment 5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where, oh dear, after several weeks of suggestions ‘floating around’ news media and the internet, it was confirmed yesterday that, starting next year, Canada will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, oh dear again!
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. 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 5.25 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 – 5a, 13a, 18a, 6d, 8d, 18d, and 23d.
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 Cable in power line producing force (6)
PROPEL: A synonym of cable inserted into (in) the single letters for Power and Line.
5a Caught with girl, reportedly stylish (6)
CLASSY: The single letter for crickety Caught and a homophone (reportedly) of a synonym of girl (North of the Border).
10a Tree is barer with top removed (5)
ALDER: A synonym of barer (as in often on a man’s head) with the first letter deleted (top removed).
11a Criminal given stretch, put in prison? (9)
CONSTRAIN: The three letter abbreviated form of a synonym of criminal and (given) a synonym of stretch.
12a Brother’s hairdo certain to follow fashion (7)
TONSURE: A synonym of certain placed after (to follow) the quaint three letter synonym of fashion (that we have seen before).
13a People dressed like a monk? (7)
INHABIT: Written (2,5) a phrase equivalent to dressed like a monk.
14a Esteemed Queen returns with set practised (9)
REPUTABLE: The regnal cypher of our dear late Queen reversed (returns) and (with) synonyms of set and practised.
17a Insect check for tree (5)
BEECH: The insect that provides us with honey and the Chess abbreviation for check.
18a Join, say, rock band making comeback (5)
MERGE: The reversal (making comeback) of all of a two letter Latin based abbreviation equivalent to say and the three letter name of a rock band – apparently based on the initials of a photographer and not the abbreviation associated with the dream stage of sleep – so says Wikipedia.
19a Real thin, a cute rogue (9)
AUTHENTIC: An anagram (rogue) of THIN, A CUTE.
21a Roams vacantly taking stroll? (7)
RAMBLES: A double definition – the first relates to wandering in mind or discourse.
23a Deliberate lie repeated about studio (7)
ATELIER: When all else fails . . . A lurker (about) found in three words in the clue.
25a Group deny act is rubbish (9)
SYNDICATE: An anagram (rubbish) of DENY ACT IS.
26a Topic of empty tirade about border (5)
THEME: TiradE with the interior letters removed (empty) containing (about) a synonym of border (relating to clothing).
27a Guys accepting help to get girl (6)
MAIDEN: A synonym of guys containing (accepting) a synonym of help.
28a Force outfit includes uniform (6)
DURESS: A synonym of outfit contains (includes) the letter represented by Uniform in the phonetic alphabet.
Down
2d Occasionally great fellow produces gas (5)
RADON: Alternate letters (occasionally – I’ll let you decide if it is odds or evens) of GREAT and a synonym of fellow (at a university) – an excess of this gas was ‘responsible’ for the, at least, temporary closure of Dartmoor Prison in 2024 – so says Wikipedia.
3d Rue toe tip spinning in turn (9)
PIROUETTE: An anagram (spinning) of RUE TOE TIP.
4d Draw includes 100 in cash (5)
LUCRE: A synonym of draw contains (includes) the Roman numeral for 100.
5d Seasoning is minced, not ground (9)
CONDIMENT: An anagram (ground) of MINCED, NOT.
6d Character often missing in EastEnders? (5)
AITCH: From Old French, a letter (character) of the alphabet which is frequently ‘dropped’ in speech by Eastenders, not just in the TV soap opera.
7d Nastiest taxi-drivers seen in street (9)
SCABBIEST: A familiar diminutive of a synonymic term of taxi drivers inserted into (seen in) the abbreviation for street.
8d Royal order for lingerie item (6)
GARTER: A double definition – the first is the oldest Royal order of chivalry the members of which have an annual ‘get together’ at Windsor on the Monday before Royal Ascot begins.
9d Take sides, finally, as expected (6)
SNATCH: The last letter (finally) sideS and a slang synonym of as expected.
15d Unhappy Roman, I apprehended, hides compulsion (9)
PYROMANIA: Another, if all else fails . . . A lurker (hides) found in four words in the clue.
16d A satin bow arranged for sailor (9)
BOATSWAIN: An anagram (arranged) of A SATIN BOW.
17d Ale limits action by English yeoman (9)
BEEFEATER: A synonym of ale contains (limits) all of a synonym of (heroic?) action and the single letter for English.
18d Moody detective admitting nothing (6)
MOROSE: The famous fictional Oxford detective containing (admitting) the letter that can represent nothing.
20d Rush job? (6)
CAREER: A double definition – the first is a verb and the second is a noun.
22d Landowner right to tuck into spread (5)
LAIRD: The single letter for Right inserted (tuck into) a synonym of spread.
23d Blokes absorbed by plug repair (5)
AMEND: A synonym of blokes (it was guys in 27a) contained (absorbed) by an abbreviation of a synonym of plug (as in support a product).
24d Fancies miserable one upset about sweetheart (5)
IDEAS: Well, we had to wait until the last clue but here she is! The reversal (upset) of all of a synonym of miserable and the Roman numeral for one containing (about – again!) Ray T’s swEetheart.
Quick Crossword Pun:
DICED + RATES = DIRE STRAITS (I think)
What a terrific puzzle! RayT at the top of his game and providing us with some sublime cluing. The only one to hold me up was 4d because I assumed “draw” was the definition and I tried to put “c” into a word for cash. It got me nowhere, of course. I have ticks all over the paper starting immediately with the cable at 1a. This was quickly followed by the stylish girl at 5a, the stretched criminal at 11a and the brother’s hairdo at 12a. There were plenty more but my COTD is the dressed monk at 13a.
A great Quickie pun, as well.
Thank you, RayT for a cracker of a puzzle. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
Sunny and blustery in The Marches today so I think some time in the garden is called for. Unfortunately, because of the cold spell early in May the beans stopped running so won’t be ready for the village fete. The chillies might be, though. 🌶️🌶️
Another great puzzle today, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Top picks for me were 12a, 18a, 13a, 4d, 6d and 18d.
I liked the Quickie pun too.
Thanks to Senf, liked the cartoons, and of course to Ray T.
2*/5*. A beautiful puzzle from the master of brevity.
Many thanks to RayT and to Senf.
PS. Wordle had me gritting my teeth today ☹️
Me too!!
And me! 😡
I’m not sure why because it’s not particularly warm here only 33 degrees but I found today’s offering irritating although not too challenging. I don’t think the solution to 7D fits the definition. In my opinion the surface to 3D is clumsy and not very cryptic. I’m sure the dictionary will prove me wrong but my understanding of the solution to 23D means to change not to repair. I was aware of the word in 12A but not the three letter word at the start, (my ignorance not the setters fault). I could not parse 21A properly as to me the clue was missing a part as I was trying to fit the first and last letters of roams around a synonym for stroll, (amble). Finally, I had a solution to 8D which I believed parsed fully with an order to stop, (generally given by a policeman), on top of a regular abbreviation for a deceased queen giving an item of lingerie.
Rant over. Those who bother to read my ramblings will know that it rare of me to be negative about a puzzle.
It is not rare however for me to forget to thank the hinter and the setter so my apologies. Thanks to both.
It will be of no consolation but I came to the same conclusion re 21a. A vacant RoamS taking AMBLE.
Absolutely and then you need another element to take you to the solution. Overthinking is us.
Hi Thaike.
You’re right about 21a. If it was a straight double definition, there would be no question mark, i.e the parsing (roams vacantly) can also be the definition though it could be argued that ‘roams vacantly’ is a pleonasm.
Re 8d for ‘order’ to mean ‘halt’, it would need ‘to stop’ after it.
I, too, am struggling to think of a sentence where amend and 23d are synonymous. But, I’m sure someone can give us an example as there are no flies on fortnightly Fred.
Having just done some Googling for the meaning of 7d, there’s an expression ‘a *****y trick’ meaning ‘nasty’ which I haven’t heard of.
The best I can do is, thinking of erroneous text: “I will repair the text” / “I will amend the text”.
You beat me to it, AP. 😊
I thought that to correct text was emend?!
Oh no is that another one I have had wrong all this time?
As for 21a, I had it the same amble inside R&S and had it as a sort of all in one clue.
You’re correct, M. “Amend means to change for the better while “emend” means to correct text.
Good shout as TDS65 would say. 😊
Thanks, A-Pop & SC.
I’ve never heard of or seen the expression but it’s obviously out there somewhere.
Not the best choice of synonym by RayT but it’s obviously legit.
23d – straight from The Crimson Tome, where else, think of repair as other than using spanners, etc, amend – to free from fault or error, to correct, to rectify, to mend.
Thanks gents.
As far as I can see, repair tends to be a physical thing but maybe there’s a good example of it not being the case.
As you know, using dictionaries as evidence carries no weight with Tommy boy.
Examples, baby. Examples.
I thoroughly enjoyed today’s tussle with a Ray T puzzle even if I made a complete horlics of 1a and 4d to begin with. That and the SE needed some sorting out. Lots of ticks on my print out, but cotd goes to the moody detective in 18d. Thanks to Ray T and Senf.
A pleasant **/**** from RayT although I did look at Senf’s hints to fully understand the solutions to 12a and 9d. The 5 anagrams were all very enjoyable. Strangely no particular favourites today – they were all good! Thanks Senf and RayT.
I always enjoy a Ray T puzzl and today cwas no exception. It was notoverly difficult but the misdirection was clever, the clues succinct , and it was enjoyable. I liked the 16d anagram, what a lovely old-fashioned word. The double meaning clue at 16d , the cryptic definition at 6dand the lego clue at 17d were also good fun. Thanks to Mr T and to Senf for the hints ( to me, aSenf, Eurovision is like Marmite, my daughter-in-law loves it, me not so much).
Very enjoyable although I cannot claim total success as I had Senf to thank for the parsing of 9d. I like the Thursday tussle and even I recognise this setter’s appearances.
I’ve two favoured clues – 15d and 23a, which I though were excellent examples of their type.
Many thanks to the setter and Senf for the hint.
Ray T on absolutely top form today with each and every clue a little masterpiece. It is very hard to pick a favourite, but if pushed I will go for 18d.
My thanks to the aforementioned and to Senf, to whom commiserations are in order.
A solid puzzle from Arty which was a straightforward solve with no hiccups.
I’m very impressed with him being ‘street’ with the synonym for ‘as expected’ as I know that many people of a certain age hate the expression. There are some modern terms that I will never utter (pants, super-excited, guestimate) but I really like the one in 9d but can’t explain why.
My picks are 27a, 18d and 20d.
MTTTA and Senf.
2*/4*
* / ****
A very enjoyable solve from the master of Brevity. Very much at the easier end of his spectrum.
@TDS65: I was going to comment that I would wager that you’d love 9d but you confirmed it before I had the chance! It just felt like your sort of word; you being so young and down with the kids ☺!
My ticks went to the nasty taxi-drivers in 7d and the 22d landowner.
Very many thanks to RayT and Senf.
I think the 21a clue was not given the credit it deserves. “Roams vacantly taking stroll?” is what you guys call an &lit, I think. The entire clue is the definition AND the wordplay. R-amble-s is the outer letters (vacantly) of Roams, around (taking) a verb meaning ‘stroll’.
Always nice to have RayT show up on the back pager every fortnight as it brings brevity, precise and succinct clueing that I like and a compelling sense of logic in my mind. Nice to see the Queen and his sweetheart show up again this week too.
2.5*/4* for me this week.
Favourites include 10a, 13a, 18a, 3d, 6d & 18d — with co-winners 6d & 18d
Smile for both of those as well as 10a & 19a
Thanks to RayT & Senf