Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31328
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. I found today’s puzzle to be a step up in difficulty from the previous two days, with one or two more obscure words and a reasonable amount of general knowledge required. Amongst my favourite clues were 1a, 10a, 12a and 2d, but the one I liked best was 14a, which made me laugh once the penny dropped. Many thanks to our setter.
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.
Across Clues
1a Military jumpers for destocking, original shade (7)
PARASOL: Some airborne soldiers and the outer letters (for destocking) of ‘original’.
5a Dull periods periodically rotating US spies (7)
PROSAIC: The alternate letters (periodically) of ‘periods’, and the abbreviation for the Central Intelligence Agency spelt backwards (rotating US spies).
9a Study gazing at the stars? (3,2)
MUG UP: A cryptic definition. If you were stargazing, the solution could describe the position of your face.
10a One having a small bite here in Mexico? (9)
CHIHUAHUA: A cryptic definition. This Mexican toy dog breed is also the name of a Mexican state.
11a Firm undertaking involving mass trade-off (10)
COMPROMISE: The two-letter abbreviation for a firm, and a synonym of ‘undertaking’ or ‘commitment’, are placed round the symbol for ‘mass’ in physics.
12a Temporary setback as Mike bales out of small airship (4)
BLIP: The letter represented by Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet is removed from a word for a non-rigid airship.
14a Painter & decorator getting nice Hello! mag spread (12)
MICHELANGELO: An anagram (spread) of NICE HELLO MAG.
18a His job is to sort out the classroom (12)
SCHOOLMASTER: A cryptic all-in-one definition. The answer is an anagram (to sort out) of THE CLASSROOM.
21a Crazy to write off British force (4)
ARMY: A synonym of ‘crazy’ without the single-letter abbreviation for British.
22a Something from the Savoy Hotel, a grip perhaps (5,5)
LIGHT OPERA: An anagram (perhaps) of HOTEL A GRIP. This musical genre was once synonymous with the Savoy Theatre.
25a Swiss city hosting today’s Facebook lead? (4,5)
BASE METAL: The name of a Swiss city on the Rhine is placed around (hosting) the name of the company that is the current owner of Facebook.
26a Boredom leads to extremely nasty nationalists urging insurrection (5)
ENNUI: The initial letters of (leads to) the last five words in the clue.
27a Where toy manufacturer is dependent on elf ‘n’ safety at work? (7)
LAPLAND: A cryptic definition of the location of Santa’s workshop.
28a Pardon means roughly twenty to be discharged (7)
AMNESTY: An anagram (roughly) of MEANS, and the outer letters (to be discharged) of ‘twenty’.
Down clues
1d Rodents beneath edges of plateau rock (6)
PUMICE: Some small rodents are after (beneath, in a down clue) the first and last letters (edges) of ‘plateau’.
2d Note Russian jet circling on eastern course (6)
REGIME: The second note in the solfège scale and a Russian jet spelt backwards (circling) are followed by (on, in a down clue) the abbreviation for ‘eastern’.
3d Delightful guest ignoring tech boss (10)
SUPERVISOR: Start with a synonym of ‘delightful’. Then add another word for a guest, from which the abbreviation for Information Technology has been removed (ignoring tech).
4d Temporary vicar Old Jock Hume entirely stripped off (5)
LOCUM: The internal letters (entirely stripped off) of the words ‘Old Jock Hume’. John “Jock” Hume was one of the musicians on the “Titanic”.
5d Maritime campaigner Samuel, originator of sea pumps (9)
PLIMSOLLS: The surname of a nineteenth-century politician and campaigner, and the initial letter (originator) of ‘sea’.
6d Work over – drink up! (4)
OPUS: The abbreviation for ‘over’, and a word meaning ‘to drink’ spelt backwards (up, in a down clue).
7d Lad who went for a dip feeling sick, beset by pains (8)
ACHILLES: A synonym of ‘feeling sick’ inside (beset by) another word for ‘pains’. The definition is a cryptic description of a mythical Trojan war hero.
8d Tory eating meat pie without base – excellent! (8)
CHAMPION: Start with a three-letter abbreviation for a Conservative. Then place this round a type of processed meat, and ‘pie’ from the clue without the letter representing the natural log base in mathematics.
13d Angry Lebanon regularly denying former queen (4,6)
ANNE BOLEYN: An anagram (angry) of LEBANON, and the alternate letters (regularly) of ‘denying’.
15d Clumsy, poor actor is deft when tipsy (3-6)
HAM-FISTED: A word for a poor actor, and an anagram (when tipsy) of IS DEFT.
16d City in Turkmenistan bulldozed (8)
ISTANBUL: Hidden in the last two words of the clue.
17d Little Tom’s out of bed, which is an encouraging sign (6-2)
THUMBS-UP: The surname of a diminutive fairy tale character, followed by ‘s’ from the clue, and a word that can mean ‘out of bed’.
19d Game served up in Moonrakers Inn, Eton (6)
TENNIS: Hidden and reversed (served up, in a down clue) in the last three words.
20d National Insurance collected in tax year is an extravagance (6)
VANITY: The abbreviation for National Insurance inside the abbreviation for Value Added Tax, and the single-letter abbreviation for ‘year’.
23d Turkish sweet hearts left entertained by Ms Gardner (5)
HALVA: The abbreviation for ‘hearts’ in cards, and the abbreviation for ‘left’ inside the first name of a twentieth-century Hollywood actress.
24d Daughter in law initially goes off puzzle book (4)
EMMA: Remove the initial letters of the words ‘daughter in law’ from a synonym of ‘puzzle’ or ‘problem’ to reveal a nineteenth-century novel.
Which clues did you like best? Let us know in the comments below.
The Quick Crossword pun: BODICE + LAMB = BODY SLAM
What a fabulous puzzle. Ticks all over my page and lots of smiles. My only holdup was trying to spell 10a.
Top picks for me were 22a, 25a, 9a, 24d, 1a, 5d, 7d and 17d .
Thanks to Deansleigh and Hudson (if I read yesterday’s comment correctly).
Hi crazy river.
Does it help that the last six letters are a repeated three letter grouping, i.e letters 4,5 and 6 are 7, 8 and 9?
No problem if not.
I did notice that Tom but I doubt I’d remember it for the very rare occasions that I would need it unless of course it becomes the new serengeti or orchestra.
I’m amazed at the number of ways you come up with to remember different words. Probably as many as there are official anagram indicators 🤣
I have some recollection of someone (possibly Mark Kermode back in the Five Live movies slot on a Friday) pronouncing this somewhat phonetically and it stuck with me and solved the spelling problem. As it’s not a prize puzzle, I assume I can ‘spell it out’ here: Chee – hoo – a – hoo – a; it’s one of those words I now deliberately mis-pronounce in that way!!
It’s a technique that works well but only for a few words. ‘Wed Nes Day’ is a classic example.
It certainly has its place.
I’ve done thousands of them. It’s what I do for a living.
I’m intrigued now Tom, what’s your job title to be paid to do that? Magician (teacher of spelling)?
I like it.
‘Magic Ian’ I am not.
I have created a resource to help children learn facts, starting with spelling tricky words, all the way from ‘was’ to ‘onomatopoeia’.
He’s Susie Dent’s scriptwriter. 😊
I found today’s offering a step up but the most enjoyable of the week to date with an excellent mix of clues to keep the grey cell occupied.
I chuckled to think that Pope Julius commissioned14a because he’d heard he was a good painter and decorator. (During the interview for the job he was asked if he did landings – ‘no’ he replied “I’m a P&D not a pilot’)
A second chuckle came from 27a’s toy manufacturer.
The 23d Turkish sweet was clear from the clue but not a word I’m familiar with and fully parsing 9a and 10a took a moment or two of thought… but I got there in the end.
Three long un’s at 14a, 18a and 22a are brilliant examples of a setter’s skill that I greatly admire but my COTD is 7d – the lad who went for a dip
Many thanks to today’s setter and Deansleigh for the hints.
What a stunner. One of the most enjoyable crosswords I have completed for a long time. I was grinning from the start to the finish. I do not understand how I have never encountered 18A before in at least forty years of head scratching. I am sure I will now be bombarded with examples from those more experienced than me. The setter was inspired today. COTD goes to 18A with a gold stars to 5A, 7D and 9D, the latter resonates as it was my Lancastrian grandfather’s stock phrase for awarding praise to something. Thanks to Deansleigh for the hints and to our wonderful compiler.
Thai corner.
One of my teeth fell out yesterday prompting me to ask my family if the tooth fairy was active in Thailand. I was told that the normal tradition was to throw a lower tooth onto the roof of the house so the replacement would grow upwards and an upper tooth under the house for the opposite effect. I was also advised that reciting a nursery rhyme asking a mouse to eat the tooth was advisable as they have strong teeth and would pass on that property. I also googled the current U.K. value of the 6d that the tooth fairy traditionally left and was suprised that it’s only 52p in new money. Google also informed me that modern tooth fairies in the U.K. are more generous nowadays and the standard rate per tooth is now a £2 coin.
2*/4.5*. This was a very enjoyable midweek back-pager.
My one and only concern is that I don’t think “angry” in 13a is a reasonable anagram indicator.
I wouldn’t normally pick an anagram as a favourite but 18a is an exquisite example takes the honours today.
Many thanks to the setter (Hudson perhaps?) and to Deansleigh.
Hear, hear re angry but increasingly far-fetched anagram indicators seem to be the name of the game these days.
A very enjoyable Wednesday offering with a few chewy morsels that added a bit of spice. I thought 14a was excellent and very tongue in cheek. It makes my podium alongside 5a and 1d. Thanks to compiler and Deansleigh.
A very enjoyable puzzle from The Hud which needed a bit of work but wasn’t too tasking.
‘Destocking’ is a new one that works for me but ‘Angry’ doesn’t. ‘Upset’ will more than suffice. A synonym of a nailed on anagram indicator needs to be able to stand up on its own which it doesn’t.
I loved Hud’s made-up Berkshire boozer due to the Bond bond to Eton and didn’t know a moonraker was a sail.
Elf ‘n’ safety is hilarious and the stargazer was clever.
My picks are 9a, 18a (a superb anagram) and 20d.
MTTTA and Adele Singh.
3*/4*
Oh, love the ‘Quickie pun’ pic.
I’m not the sharpest tack in the box so nothing is ever truly nailed on but I thought the setter’s intent was clear when ‘Angry’ was used as an anagram indicator. Is intent not good enough?
No, it’s not…..in my books.
There are more than enough anagram indicators out there for setters not to use ones like ‘angry.
There’s just no need. I understand that using the above improves the surface. Unfortunately, they need to avoid them and go back to the drawing board for a new surface.
Angry means upset/disturbed. So angry letters can be upset/disturbed letters in a cryptic clue situation. Not “naiiled on”, no, but adequate enough. I know you won’t be convinced but that’s fine.
I mean, do you think these setters have nothing better to do than sit around all day trying to write 100% perfect clues?
Good shout.
The Hud should definitely have used ‘Upset’. Using ‘angry’ instead brings nothing to the gig.
Onwards!
Never mind Onwards! I haven’t finished yet.
What it brings is a bit of non-conformity – a good thing in a cryptic clue!
FRom my MRB:
Consistency is the hobgoblin of the small mind. (Emerson).
Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. (Possible Oscar Wilde?).
*I’ve written this at 2.05am, so it’ll get a good few hours grace before you gainsay it.
Non-conformity?
For me, angry is not an anagram indicator.
I wouldn’t mind calling it a day with this one as this word has had far too much airtime,
I’ve more or less given up on watching out for anagram indicators… it seems anything goes these days. For the most part I find if the sentence doesn’t make sense, then there’s probably an anagram in it.
A good theory.
That or a lurker/rekrul.
Definitely a step up in difficulty following the past 2 days. Several head scratching moments, but managed to wheedle them out one by one. Ticks for 25a, the Swiss city lead, 10a the Mexican with the small bite and 12a for the sheer audacity of describing the answer as a ‘painter and decorator’. Very enjoyable.
Many thanks to the setter and
Helga Dines
2*/4*
Like yesterday’s toughie, another clever and entertaining puzzle from Hudson. He certainly ramps up the fun factor.
After a slowish start in the north, my tactic was to identify the clue’s definition and think laterally. Cue lots of smiles and admiration of his wacky misdirections.
Military jumpers at 1a, the Savoy Hotel at 22a, today’s Facebook lead at 25a and the lad who went for a dip in 7d were the cream of a very decent crop.
Great entertainment, my thanks to Hudson and Deansleigh.
Today’s toughie by Zenas is no more difficult than this and is well worth a look.
On a par with yesterday’s Toughie! 1.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 25a, 6d, 17d, and 24d – and the winner is 6d.
Thanks to Hudson and Deansleigh.
A bit trickier than his crossword yesterday but the usual brilliant entertainment from one of my favourite setters. My favourite clue was 10a
Thanks very much to Hudson and Deansleigh
This is a real hit of a puzzle. Inventive, amusing and one to keep us on our toes. 5 down was my downfall. I was fixated in Samuel Pepys. In fact I was 3 away from finishing but have had lots to do and must go to Paracise. It was an honourable defeat because of the quality of this puzzle. Ticks every where but podium to the lad who went for a dip.
Grateful thanks to Hudson and Deansleigh
I’m slow today but just can’t see how “elf ‘n’ safety at work” work!
Welcome to the blog, tsimsi.
Welcome from me, as well, tsimsi. The key word is “elf” – they help Santa in 27a. That’s my take on it, anyway.
Please comment again.
Completed in four sessions with tea and biscuits and naps in-between, or so I thought. But no! 5d spelt incorrectly (haven’t worn them for about 60 years).
I had to guess 27a and 24d as I couldn’t make out the clues.
Thanks to setter and hinter.
Oh yes, computer said ‘no’ when I thought I’d finished, for likely the same 5D misspelling.
What are those things on the bottom of feet and shoes? They don’t have a double “L”.
I suspect I’ll spell it wrong next time too. I’d rather remember 9A than 5D if it’s a choice for my brain 🙂
Hi Wriggles
Remember that Samuel and Plimsoll both end with an L
Plimsoll can also be spelled ending in OLE – it’s in your favourite red book.
*Couldn’t sleep, so am up at 1.50 having a brew. And what else is there to do other than get my laptop fired up and have a look on here?
Spelling it sole is simply wrong.
This highlights perfectly why quoting these reference books carries no weight with me. It’s in there because people assume it’s sole. A dictionary is a record of what people write. It doesn’t mean they are words.
Indeed. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. What do I know? I just looked it up as a matter of germane interest and conveyed the info re the alterative spelling (OLE) in a major UK dictionary. I suspect that the alternative spelling evolved because many people latterly decided to pronounce the original spelling to rhyme with sole instead of toll. It seems to me that if enough people, over a long period, spell or pronounce a word incorrectly it eventually becomes right/accepted and find its way into the main dictionaries.Whether they are real words or not is somewhat subjective.
I don’t look up these words in dictionaries anymore as I now realise that it’s just a record of what’s said and written. It doesn’t mean they are accepted.
I’m no longer curious to see if a word is in one.
Plimsole is purely in there because people have assumed it has something to do with the ‘sole’ of the foot.
It’s perfectly understandable and actually quite funny but it doesn’t mean it’s accepted.
I wonder if Samuel saw it coming.
Today is a great example of why I enjoy these hints and the comments. I was going to say that I didn’t find 18A very cryptic … only to see that I totally missed the anagram 🤡
It was a quick solve but entertaining and I needed my wits about me. Hadn’t heard the 9A expression before, I like its brevity. I almost needed the hint to parse the excellent 8D too – I was treating ‘meat pie’ as one thing, schoolboy error.
Pody picks – a few contenders … will go with the aforementioned 18A, 8D and rounding off with 14A; I recall Karl Pilkington once describing this painter and decorator as such, much to Ricky Gervais’s cackling amusement.
Thank you Hudson and Deansleigh ⭐
Hudson’s second 8d puzzle of the week (I agree with others that this was marginally the trickier of the two – many thanks to him and Deansleigh.
I have ticks all over my printout including 12a, 27a, 5d and 7d.
Not as straightforward as the previous two days but that is how it should be half way through the week. I tried to put “Chinchilla” in at 10 but ran out of grid. I doubt 14a would have relished being called a painter and decorator but what a good clue. The surface of 18a was superb and is my COTD.
Thank you, Hudson for the entertainment. Thank you, Lee Shading for the hints.
Today’s Toughie, as others have pointed out, is well worth a look.
Me too with chinchilla!. Others have said the Toughie is doable, but I’m only half way through and see that Sue has given it 3 starts for difficulty so maybe I won’t get any further!
Another Wednesday puzzle that was a step up in difficulty from the last two days.
Found it a bit of a struggle in many areas of the grid.
2.5*/3
Liked 14a, 18a, 6d, 15d, 17d & 19d
Thanks to Hudson & Deansleigh
* / *****
Like others, thoroughly enjoyed this, lots of smiles throughout. Hadn’t heard to the Turkish sweet but a lovely clue. Liked the 3d delightful guest, the 26d extravagance and my COTD was 18a. Hard to believe I’ve never come across that anagram before – superb! Could have ticked many more.
Many thanks to She Aligned and the setter – Hudson??
A DNF for me as I had never heard of the person at 5d and couldn’t work it out from the checkers. Other than that very enjoyable but struggling with the Toughie – half done and half still to do but SC has given it 3 stars so I’m not surprised. Thanks to all.
Presumably he’s the guy who’s now famous for his eponymous line.
I was going to say that 18a was a bit weak and out of place in such a brilliant puzzle. Totally missed the anagram … thanks Deansleigh.
My thanks and apologies in equal measure to Hudson.
ps I was looking for a Red-faced emoji so I pressed “more …” at the end of the available emojis.
It doesn’t work … at least not on my iPad.
Sorry to be a pain, Stan.
Works for me on my Lenovo tablet.
You can type. : oops : but without the gaps to get the same emoticon
And it works on my phone
Things that work on a MacBook often don’t on an iPad. If I send an essay back to a student with comments they often don’t see them if they open the essay on an iPad. I have to put a rider under my name:-
“The comments will be visible if you open the document in Word on a PC/Mac desktop or laptop computer. Previous experience suggests the comments may not be visible if you open the document on a tablet or smartphone version of Word.”
You are so right. We both prefer using our iPads, but occasionally you get site that just doesn’t cooperate, and then, sigh, I have to get up and turn on the PC instead. In fact, we ditched our Mac for that very reason. You just can’t be all IOS in one household. But you would think that site developers would consider that millions of people around the world rely on IOS.
1.5* / 4.5* Another excellent puzzle with plenty of wit and clever misdirection. Also didn’t see the anagram in 18a !
I’ll pull three favourites out of a hat, 22a Savoy entertainment, the queen at 13d and the painter and decorator at 14a
Many thanks to Hudson and Deansleigh
An enjoyable puzzle with an interesting variety of clues ckued so that even those I knew nothing about were approachable. I liked the painter and decorator at 14a and the music genre at 22a. The geographical lurker at 16d wasright up my street as was thebook by oe of my favourite novelists at 24d Thanks to Hudson, particularly for the General Knowledge content and to Deansleigh for the hints
Good afternoon
Pen down after an enjoyable challenge. I thought at several points of picking up the sponge and getting ready to hoy it in, especially when it came to the NW quadrant; I can’t believe the length of time it took me to get 11a! 1a almost eluded me, but I got there in the end, and finished on 3d.
COTD: a tie between 7d and the classic piece of misdirection in 25a.
Many thanks to our setter and to Deansleigh.
I can never spell the name of that wretched little dog! Thank you compiler and Deansleigh
An excellent puzzle today, with many smiles along the way. Star gazing and painter and decorator joint favourites. Thank you to setter and Deansleigh.
I forgot to say that I loved how he dropped the hyphens in daughter-in-law to make the clue work.
To me, it’s irrelevant that ‘daughter in law’ doesn’t exist.
Hi TDS.
Where has “on the horns of a” gone? It always used to be the full saying, meaning a choice not a puzzle.
You have educated me, Clix, as I didn’t know the saying.
I knew the Greek etymology but not the expression with the bull that came along further down the line.
Thank you.
I have battled with this on and off all day but did enjoy the challenge and was pleased to get there in the end. Only 28a was unparsed but bunged in. Anagram indicators are getting more and more dodgy but they presumably boost the setter’s satisfaction. Thank you Deansleigh and Hudson.
A couple of hold outs but another relatively gentle puzzle, didn’t realise when answering14a that it was an anagram but was just general knowledge; enjoyed with the much missed REM 🎸
No League Cup run this season 😔
This was an excellent puzzle and very satisfying to solve, and was definitely a notch up in difficulty from the last two. I thought the parsing of 24d was excellent so was my favourite. I have no problem with angry as an anagram indicator and I like the fact they seem to be at the setter’s discretion. I think we like understanding the rules to parse the clues and therefore causes some frustration when it’s not definitive but I think it makes it more interesting. Thank you to Hudson and Deansleigh
Early solve late to post as out golfing at The Grove near Watford – super course, beautifully conditioned & an all round treat to play. Suffice to say I took a good few more shots than Tiger did when he won a World Golf Championship event by 8 shots there 20 years ago.
As Gazza said another 8d puzzle that certainly gets the 17d from me + the full 5* enjoyment rating. Slim pickings up north (4d the only yield) after glancing at the first few clues so retreated south for a pedestrian bottom ⬆️ solve that individually took longer than both today’s & yesterday’s Toughies. Surprised myself by correctly spelling the yappy mutt but needed Mr G to tell me about the lad’s ma dipping him in the Styx.
Fav was the simple 9a but a host of ✅s elsewhere – 10, 14 (great surface & fodder),25&27a together with 3,7&8d particular likes.
Thanks to Hudson & to Deansleigh
Finished but did need some reference to check the spelling of 10a although I had worked out the wordplay. Defeated by the owners of Facebook, I knew the Swiss city but was looking how I could get an ‘f’ into the answer. That said, some very enjoyable clues, so many to choose from. Favourites were 1a, I was trying to do something with cavalry, 5a and the elf & safety regime at 27a.
Thank you to the setter and to Deansleigh for the hints.
Enjoyable, but not so much as yesterday. A bit of a spelling challenge today, with 10a plus 13d and 14a which I always manage to misspell. Never had any sort of Turkish sweet (not counting Turkish Delight which I always avoid), so that was LI. Thanks to setter and Deansleigh.
Very enjoyable and some wonderful penny drop moments, 14a was my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Deansleigh for the hints
This was quite a beastie.
A new meaning for 5a to me.
Impressed with anyone that could spell 10a without help.
I thought 14a to be chucklesome.
22a was new to me.
Didn’t realise the origin of 5d. 23d was new to me as well.
Every day is a school day, especially today.
Very pleased to solve unaided.
Thanks to all.
I didn’t know you could spell 5d like that but didn’t have a problem spelling 10a. Needed the hint to parse 22a and never heard of 23d. No outstanding favourite but generally enjoyable. Thanks to Hudson and DL.
Absolutely superb, and lived up to yesterday’s promise, a belting Wednesday puzzle even if not overly challenging. All GK known, brilliant surfaces and laughs aplenty throughout.
Many thanks indeed to Hudson and Deansleigh
Another great puzzle from Hudson, which I found to be much more straightforward than yesterday’s accessible Toughie, even if I didn’t know the Turkish sweet. Looks of quality clues, with 5a, 18a, 24d and 25a getting prizes from me.
Thanks to Hudson for doubling up (or Down these days…🙄) and to Deansleigh
Enjoyed today’s offering and completed it wihtout too much difficulty.
But yerterday, I whizzed through it Monday evening (here in the USA) and wanted to post about it but couldn’t becasue the Blog wasn’t up yet! And I really wanted to be the first because I Iive in Myrtle Beach and usually get to the puzze (sorry – guzzle!) well after you folks are finished.
Oh well…
Thanks to Hudson and Deansleigh
I’m late to the table but have to agree it was a good puzzle but I did need the checkers for some of them.
3*/5* …
liked 7D “Lad who went for a dip feeling sick, beset by pains (8)”