Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31326
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from my lakeside retreat near Ottawa where summer is gradually beginning to edge toward the wings and I am trying hard to enjoy what little is left before it leaves the stage entirely.
While I have successfully called the setters on a couple of recent puzzles, I don’t believe I’ll press my luck today. I think most solvers will find today’s offering is well-suited to the level of difficulty we expect to start the week.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a Number Ten popular after reversing policy at last (6)
NINETY — glue together TEN from the clue and popular or trendy, then reverse (after reversing) the lot and append the final letter (at last) of POLICY
4a Remembered name adopted by grass (8)
RECALLED — a verb synonym of name contained in (adopted by) a type of grass
9a Profit from revolutionary magnet, perhaps? (6)
REWARD — reverse (revolutionary) a word that characterises a magnet in terms of the effect it has on certain metallic objects
10a Romeo, young man wearing ring in private (8)
PERSONAL — the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO phonetic alphabet and a younger male member of one’s family are contained in (wearing) ring or toll
11a A playful seal pup’s clapping (8)
APPLAUSE — A from the clue and an anagram (playful) of the two words preceding the definition
13a Bishop was in charge of church subdivision (6)
BRANCH — cement together the chess symbol for bishop, a word denoting ‘was in charge of’,and the map abbreviation for church
15a An opinion broadcast with curt way of speaking (13)
PRONUNCIATION — an anagram (broadcast) of all of AN OPINION and (with) CURT
18a Scans cut crime, bizarre state of affairs (13)
CIRCUMSTANCES — an anagram (bizarre) of the first three words of the clue
22a Amount produced in unfashionable place (6)
OUTPUT — unfashionable or no longer in vogue and a verb synonym of place
24a Antlered animals in river run after drained relative (8)
REINDEER — fuse together IN from the clue, a river (pick either the one from the eastern or western UK), andthe cricket symbol for run; then place the result following (after) RELATIVE from which the interior letters have been removed (drained)
26a Did former English copper start to threaten editor? (8)
EXECUTED — lots of lego bricks in this clue; join the usual short word for former, the single letter for English, the chemical symbol for copper, the initial letter (start) to THREATEN, and the abbreviation for editor
27a Dressed up, took court action to protect it (6)
SUITED — a word denoting took action in a court of law surrounds (to protect) IT from the clue
28a Island group handles closure of airport badly (8)
SHETLAND — an anagram (badly) of HANDLES and the final letter (closure) of AIRPORT
29a Annoy weak-kneed leftie, to an extent (6)
NEEDLE — a lurker, concealed in (to an extent) the two words following the the definition
Down
1d Liberal supporting opera – typical! (6)
NORMAL — the single letter for Liberal following (supporting in a down clue) an early nineteenth century opera by Vincenzo Bellini (whom, as I recall, made a recent appearance in a puzzle)
2d Snapper we arranged for The Telegraph? (9)
NEWSPAPER — an anagram (arranged) of the first two words of the clue
3d Storm split a party (7)
TORNADO — an adjectival synonym of split, the A from the clue, and a colloquial term for a party
5d Regular type of rugby not using wings (4)
EVEN — the name for the type of rugby played at the 2024 Olympic Games with the outside letters removed (not using wings)
6d Country song about just leaving Jack (7)
AUSTRIA — an operatic song containing (about) JUST with the playing card symbol for Jack deleted (leaving Jack)
7d Row over new fabric (5)
LINEN — a row or queue precedes (over in a down clue) the map abbreviation for new
8d Swimmers note records broken by China endlessly (8)
DOLPHINS — string together the first note of sol-fa scale and the plural for a phonograph record with lots of tracks; then insert CHINA from which you have removed the outside letters (endlessly)
12d Crush culinary vegetable (6)
SQUASH — a double definition
14d Difficulty in fight with European (6)
SCRAPE — a fight or minor brawl and the single letter for European
16d Looked closely at centipedes lacking energy to run (9)
INSPECTED — an anagram (to run) of CENTIPEDES after removing one of the physics symbols for energy (lacking energy)
17d Maybe Glaswegian periodically learns to conserve old vehicles (8)
SCOOTERS — start with the nationality of someone from Glasgow or elsewhere in the country (maybe) followed by a regular sequence of letters (periodically) from LEARNS; then wrap the result around the single letter for old
19d Upper-class university admitting group of students nearly all odd (7)
UNUSUAL — the letter denoting upper-class and the single letter for university (an Americanism if I recall correctly from previous puzzles) bookend the abbreviation for a UK student’s association; the result is followed by ALL with the final letter discarded (nearly)
20d Bewilder Conservative and join (7)
CONFUSE — the longer abbreviation for Conservative and join by the application of heat
21d Edgings from clothier adorned large bed (6)
CRADLE — the outside letters of (edgings from) the three following words
23d Some other extremely comforting word (5)
THERE — another lurker, this one hiding (some) in the second and third words of the clue
25d Observed part of play, we hear (4)
SEEN — the answer sounds like (we hear) a minor subdivision of a play
We invite you to tell us which clues you liked in the comments below.
Quickie pun:: TOUR + KISS + CHEEP = TALK IS CHEAP
On This Day …
… in 1966, The Doors started recording their first album at Sunset Sound Recording Studios, West Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. They had developed much of the material for their debut during live performances in 1966, particularly at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles. Released in January 1967, the album contains the full-length version of the group’s breakthrough single ‘Light My Fire’ and concludes with ‘The End’, noted for its improvised Oedipal spoken-word section. The album is now widely considered one of the greatest albums in rock history, and has been consistently ranked among the greatest albums of all time by various publications.
Here they are performing live At the Isle Of Wight in 1970.
I found today’s offering slightly more difficult the most Mondays but an enjoyable solve, nevertheless. I didn’t know the opera at 1d but the checkers came to the rescue there. Perhaps a little too early for the antlered animals at 24a to make an appearance? I did like the ring at 10a and the upper class university at 19d was a satisfying solve. My COTD is the swimming endless China at 8d.
Thank you, setter for a great start to the week. Thank you, Falcon for the hints and The Doors.
Like SC I found this a slightly stiffer challenge than we are used to on a Monday, but that didn’t detract in any way from the fun I had solving it. There were plenty of excellent,clever clues, and the wordplay was spot on. For a favourite I went for 5d.
My thanks to our setter and Falcon.
A nice gentle start for a Monday.
Despite having the anagram fodder, I always struggle to spell 15a (the seemingly missing o).
Thanks to the setter and to Falcon (I love The Doors – I regularly go looking for them on YT)
It was an enjoyable puzzle, not entirely straightforward but then we need a few brain-teasers.i liked the lego clue at 1a,, the clever Lego clue at 8d, the geographical anagram at 28a and the long anagram at 15a. Thanks to the compiler and to Falconfor the hints.
Woke up to find the Broadband connection down – called EE who confirmed a local network issue and the promise of an update within 3 days. Less than 15 minutes later the network was up and running – can I assume that the cleaner had accidentally pulled the plug?
After the past three days of brain scramble I found today tricky in places but overall fairly gentle relief.
I liked the type of rugby (5d), the swimmers (8d) and the upper class uni (19d) but my COTD goes to the excellent Glaswegian misdirection (17d)
Many thanks to today’s setter and Falcon for the hints
I’m also in the trickier than usual for a Monday camp, but enjoyed the solve. My podium comprises 28a, 21d and 5d. Thanks to compiler and Falcon.
Happy Monday to you all. Gentle indeed, LOI was 28A where I’d not seen the anagram for a while.
I did need the hint to parse 24A which wasn’t apparent when hurriedly doing this before work. And 14D – I thought perhaps ‘difficulty’ and ‘fight’ – and their target synonyms – a little too close together in meaning?
Pody picks – 6D’s country song, 1A’s cheery (fictional) political surface, 8D’s swimmers Lego and surface.
Thanks to setter and to Falcon ⭐️
1*/4*. Very nice Monday fare, which was light and fun. 5d was my favourite. Many thanks to the setter.
Thanks for the blog and for the memory, Falcon. I was at the Isle of Wight pop festival in both 1969 and 1970. In 1969 my girlfriend and I slept in the open, but we upgraded to 1st Class in 1970 and took a tent. The Doors were brilliant.
As you know, I was at the IOW in 1969 and slept on the grass under a polythene sheet with 3 others. In 1970 I was at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music near Shepton Mallet in Somerset and had the sheer luxury of sleeping in a car, again with 3 others. What a stellar lineup that was! Johnny Winter was incredible. Seems like a lifetime ago now – and I suppose it is in a way.
A straightforward cryptic puzzle which I enjoyed at a leisurely pace.
I did initially wonder about the fish in 8d, but I suppose all creatures that swim in the sea are acceptable, including me and my dog?
Thanks to setter and hinter.
8d answer – fish??
J
I was wondering before I had the answer what the fish could be. I and my dog are certainly not fish.
But the answer isn’t a fish – that was my point.
The clue gives a swimmer rather than a fish, Clicks.
Sorry – just seen your reply to Jose.
Like others I enjoyed this entertaining but slightly trickier for a Monday puzzle. 8d was my favourite but there were lots of potentials.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
What a day ahead! The weekend saw the return of Premiership football, and today, The Mighty Chelsea have the simple task of popping along a few hundred yards towards Putney to hoover up an easy three points against Fulham. Nothing could possibly go wrong.*
I know many people welcome my tips on how to live a better life. Here’s one – don’t go to IKEA in Reading on a Sunday. Oh my goodness, half the world and all of their brothers were there. Top that up with staff who give the impression that they would rather be anywhere else in the world, and you have an unbeatable combination.
What’s that? Oh the guzzle! Terrific – though I need to go up there and check out the parsing of a couple.
Thanks to the setter and The Bird Of Prey.
*1-1 and Caicedo gets sent off.
* / ****
Nice start to the week after a tough weekend. My ascent of Mount Tumbledown on Saturday didn’t get far and I still need to go back to see if I can finish that one. Not even had time to look at Dada’s offering yesterday yet. Back to today, a good ‘Monday’ puzzle and my COTD was the Edgings at 21d.
Many thanks to the setter and Falcon.
A pleasant Monday puzzle with fine clues providing a mildish challenge and moderate enjoyment. I’ve ticked a few and my favourite today is: 11a – a very imaginative surface. 1.5*/2.5*.
From my MRB:
Today, a quote from one of my chess heroes.
Conceit I consider a foolish thing: but more foolish still is the false modesty that vainly attempts to conceal that which all facts tend to prove. (Jose Raul Capablanca).
Love it!
An ideal puzzle for Monday – thanks to our setter and Falcon.
I liked the topical 1a, 10a, 8d and 21d.
Phew, after tough weekend solves how nice to open the cruciverbal week with a
painlessly solvable puzzle which I enjoyed sailing through. 28a bunged in as yet another ai missed. No Fav as it was a collection of fun clues. TVM setter and Falcon.
I am in agreement with Steve C, slightly more difficult, and Chriscross, not entirely straightforward – **/***
Are 17d really vehicles rather than major nuisances?
Candidates for favourite – 13a, 22a, 26a, 1d, and 21d – and the winner is 1d.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Perfick for a Monday that will please all punters.
To get a lurker out of 29a is an outstanding effort. I can’t think of another way of lurking it (not rekruling).
Why oh why the o of the verb gets dropped to make 15a is beyond me. I’ve looked it up and the explanation is rubbish. I do love the irony of the word ‘noun’ being in the verb but not in the noun.
My picks are 24a (an excellent construction and a great scene), 26a and 19d.
Many thanks to Falcs and…now, let me see…….X-Type (the bookies’ favourite) or Weatherman…..cue drum roll…….Weatherman!
1*/5*
I’m just wondering about 8d, which I nearly chose as my favourite. Is “endlessly” OK for removing both the first and last letter of a word and not just the last? I know that a word (a linear thing) has two ends, front and back, and I don’t have a massive problem with it. But the usual indicators for this are naked, peeled, hollow, unframed, etc.
A nice gentle start to the week. LOI was 17d. Loved them as a child but hate the electric ones which now litter the pavements and are ridden, mostly, by lunatics or thugs.
Top picks for me were 10a, 1d and 17d.
Thanks to Falcon and the setter.