Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31342
Hints and tips by Mr K
+ - + - + - + - + - + - + - +
BD Rating - Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. I needed my reference materials this week to confirm a few answers.
In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions. Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
8a Audacious form of dismissal reportedly (4)
BOLD: A homophone (reportedly) of a crickety form of dismissal
9a Master and don excited receiving new decorations (10)
ADORNMENTS: An anagram (excited) of MASTER DON containing (receiving) the single letter for new
10a Bound to accept essentially smallish current paper-maker's measure (8)
CALLIPER: Bound or spring containing (to accept) both the central letter pair (essentially) of SMALLISH and the physics symbol for electric current
11a Cultural home husband returns to visit and so forth (6)
ETHNIC: The reversal (returns) of the fusion of home or “not out” and the single letter for husband is inserted in (to visit) an abbreviation that can mean “and so forth”
12a Where to spot those who are in form? (9)
CLASSROOM: A cryptic definition, where form is used in its educational sense, not its sporting sense
13a Insist on claim omitting nothing factual originally (5)
PRESS: A verb meaning claim or declare minus (omitting) both the letter representing nothing and the first letter (originally) of FACTUAL
15a Tense individual on BBC channel in black and white, typically (3-4)
TWO-TONE: The single letter for (grammatical) tense and a synonym of individual both come after (on, in an across clue) a number that’s a BBC channel
17a Understanding hospital department twice close to collapse (7)
ENTENTE: Two copies (twice) of a usual abbreviated hospital department are joined, and that’s followed by the last letter (close to) of COLLAPSE
20a Letters from Mandela backed flipping secret plot (5)
CABAL: The answer is hidden in (letters from) the reversal (flipping) of MANDELA BACKED
22a Size of US coin Poles first rejected (9)
DIMENSION: Link together a US coin worth 10 cents, the abbreviations for the two poles of the Earth, and the reversal (rejected) of a (2,1) abbreviation that could indicate “first”
25a Abandon criminality in favour of plugging rock band (6)
REFORM: “in favour of” inserted in (plugging) crosswordland’s favourite three-letter rock band
26a Order dessert course (5-3)
APPLE-PIE: A double definition. The answer was clear from the enumeration and a few checkers, but I needed the BRB to verify the first definition
27a Science fiction concept perhaps developed adopting unknown colleague's tips (10)
HYPERSPACE: An anagram (developed) of PERHAPS containing (adopting) a letter used for a mathematical unknown is followed by the outer letters (…’s tips) of COLLEAGUE
28a Challenge women's opinion (4)
VIEW: Another word for challenge with the single letter for women
Down
1d Civil code maintained by Julian, say - and Lex? (5,3)
ROMAN LAW: An adjective that Julian can define by example (say) with what Lex means in Latin
2d Dicky silly to include daughter in rural scenes (6)
IDYLLS: An anagram (dicky) of SILLY containing (to include) the single letter for daughter
3d Overindulging Miles during home redecoration? (9)
PAMPERING: The abbreviation for miles inserted in (during) a form of home decoration involving walls
4d 13 Across representatives on coast at intervals after day in Calais (7)
JOURNOS: Alternate letters (at intervals) of ON COAST come after the French (in Calais) word for day
5d Naked tenants come in (5)
ENTER: Another word for tenants, minus its outer letters (naked)
6d Load again on horse endlessly (8)
RECHARGE: A short word for on or concerning with all but the last letter (endlessly) of a warhorse
7d Moral values in English county mentioned by Mike Tyson? (6)
ETHICS: A lispy homophone (mentioned by Mike Tyson) of an English county
14d Explain informal sandwich shop beneath Milan club (9)
INTERPRET: The informal name of a chain of sandwich shops comes after (beneath, in a down clue) the short name of a well-known Milan football club
16d Happened to cut plant going over flowering shrubs (3,5)
TEA ROSES: A five-letter synonym of happened or came up inserted in (to cut) the reversal (going over) of a verb meaning plant or place
18d One who's unfaithful to merit struggles, wife admitted (3-5)
TWO-TIMER: An anagram (… struggles) of TO MERIT with the single letter for wife inserted (admitted)
19d Sound when shower starts? Mine excluded, not right! (3-1-3)
PIT-A-PAT: Another word for a mine is followed by a synonym of excluded minus (not) the single letter for right
21d Expression of assent finding rare primate (3-3)
AYE-AYE: Another double definition. The expression of assent was obvious from the enumeration, but I had to verify with Mr Google that it’s also a rare primate
23d Tempted female golfer to lift protective cover (6)
SLEEVE: A biblical female tempted by forbidden fruit with a South African golfer, all reversed (… to lift, in a down clue)
24d Entertain male American in Anchorage on vacation (5)
AMUSE: The single letter for male and an abbreviation for American inserted in the outer letters (on vacation) of ANCHORAGE
Thanks to today’s setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: MUTT + CHAD + MIRED = MUCH ADMIRED
An excellent puzzle with a suitably deserving 4-line tribute to Jay.
Too many excellent clues to select one favourite.
Many thanks to the setter, and to Mr K.
2*/5*
Thanks for mentioning the tribute, I hadn’t spotted it.
An excellent spot, J, and well done to the setter.
That was tricky, but I guess it’s what we should expect on a Friday, multiple head scratching moments that certainly kept the grey cell occupied
The 7d introduction to Sean Connery’s replacement made me smile. I wondered whether I’d misunderstood 23d when I spotted that both of crossword lands favourite golfers had made an appearance.
It took a while before I understood 1d…the solution appeared when the checkers were in place, but I would not have parsed it without the help of Mr G.
I’ve never previously come across the assenting primate and paid a second visit to Mr G – one to remember?
I was going to choose 19d as my favourite, but the third bit did not quite work for me and so I settled on the fictional 27a.
Time to focus on the big issues…will another test match fail to last three days, will the sky blues get their first point of the season, and will the two weekend PPs be friendly?
Many thanks to today’s setter and Mr K for the hints.
A DNF for me with the first part of 1d otherwise an enjoyable puzzle.
Top picks for me were 22a, 10a, 23d, 18d and 25a.
Thanks to Mr K and the setter.
For once I couldn’t fail to spot the tribute in the Nina, a nice touch.
That apart, this was a bit of gentle fun on which to end the week.
Poor old Iron Mike takes one on the nose again for his speech impediment at 7d while the golfing Saffa makes another appearance on the tee at 23d.
The gardening work in 16d was my COTD, nicely constructed with a fine surface read.
My thanks to our setter and ALP.
3*/5*. What a brilliant puzzle with a wonderful tribute to Jay and one with which I wholeheartedly concur.
The surface readings were sublime and I have ticks all over my page. I loved the Mike Tyson reference and, if you twist my arm, I’ll settle on 23d as my favourite.
Many thanks to Silvanus for it must be one of his, and to Mr K.
It will be interesting to see if it is the work of Silvanus, or more than one setter.
Cor! That was hard work and was therefore extremely satisfying to solve.
My LOI was 10a that I biffed as I didn’t know the synonym for the verb ‘bound’. Parsing 23d took an age as I was trying to justify ‘Seve’ being on the outside of two letters. ‘First rejected’ in 22a also took a while to work out.
I haven’t heard of 16d as my fauna knowledge sucks. I didn’t know 21d but I won’t be on my own with that one.
It is bonkers how often I hear people mispronounce the adjective of 2d because they think its root is ‘ideal’.
Juneau that Anchorage isn’t the capital of Alaska? Juneau is.
My picks are 28a, 2d and 7d.
Many thanks to, I’m guessing, Zandio and Mr K.
4*/4* (I was going to give 3* but the nod to Jay merits another star)