Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31353
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 2* – Enjoyment 4.5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where, with the start of Autumn, we are being told that a powerful ‘super’ El Niño is underway in the Pacific Ocean developing faster than any previous El Niño on record. So, in Manitoba, and the other Western Provinces, we can expect a milder, warmer Autumn and Winter with less snow and drier conditions both of which do not bode well for next year’s wildfire season.
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), not a Dream Team Thursday, Potoroo is on Toughie duty. But, there is no doubt that this is the very entertaining work of the Master of Brevity. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and two appearance from the Queen, Ray T’s swEetheart, but not a plain sweetheart in the back pager. Nothing to excite the latent third formers among us. 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 – 1a, 10a, 13a, 20a, 3d, and 27d.
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 Supporters being rowdy at stadium, initially (4)
BRAS: The first letters (initially) of four words in the clue.
4a Borders with shade for butterfly (9)
BRIMSTONE: A synonym of borders, note the plural, and (with) a synonym of shade.
10a Fight eruption emptied bar (9)
ENCOUNTER: EruptioN with the interior letters deleted (emptied) and a synonym of bar (in a café or restaurant?).
11a Russian leader is installed (5)
PUTIN: A (3,2) phrase equivalent to is installed.
12a Guard posted next to railway (6)
SENTRY: A synonym of posted (a letter) placed before (next to) the two letter abbreviation of railway.
13a A racket around tenement’s first floor (7)
ASTOUND: A from the clue and a synonym of racket containing (around) the first letter of Tenement.
16a Tour of Queen wearing crown (4)
TRIP: The Latin based single letter for Queen contained by (wearing) a synonym of crown.
17a Guarantee from all to clear off (10)
COLLATERAL: An anagram (off) from ALL TO CLEAR.
20a Elope with single partner being proper (10)
LEGITIMATE: The first part should be very familiar! A (3,2) synonym of elope (quickly), the letter that can represent a crickety single, and a synonym of partner.
21a Former capital of Italy? (4)
LIRA: Make sure you select the correct synonym of capital (it’s not bricks and mortar).
23a Stone jar keeping cool in recess (7)
GRANITE: A verbal synonym of jar containing (keeping) a two letter synonym of cool reversed (in recess).
25a Thus African country is African (6)
SOMALI: A two letter synonym of thus and a four letter African country.
28a Trunks decay around soil, oddly (5)
TORSI: The reversal (around) of a synonym of decay followed by the odd letters of SoIl.
29a Sweetheart, joking, putting kit on (9)
EQUIPPING: Ray T’s swEetheart and a synonym of joking.
30a Blissful activity embracing blonde (9)
DELIGHTED: A type of activity containing (embracing) a synonym of blonde.
31a Backing stake for unpredictable mount? (4)
ETNA: the reversal (backing) of a type of financial stake.
Down
2d Withdrawing some acupuncture can tingle (9)
RECANTING: A lurker (some) found in three words in the clue.
3d Escort from Lord protecting Queen (6)
SQUIRE: A synonym of lord containing (protecting) a two letter abbreviation of queen.
4d Thrash hard, possibly in sauna (4)
BATH: A three letter synonym of thrash and the single letter for Hard.
5d Lure Tories out, undecided (10)
IRRESOLUTE: An anagram (out) of LURE TORIES.
6d Holds up drinks, purchasing drink (8)
SUPPORTS: A verbal synonym of drinks containing (purchasing) guess a drink (often used for toasts).
7d Temper, losing head regularly (5)
OFTEN: A verbal synonym of temper (in metal working?) with the first letter deleted (losing head).
8d Bird in net picked up (4)
ERNE: A homophone (picked up) of a synonym of net (relating to income).
9d Changeable relative’s undergoing change (9)
VERSATILE: An anagram (undergoing change) of RELATIVE’S.
14d Dedication of note about Cambridge University (10)
COMMITMENT: A synonym of note (when reviewing a document?) containing the three letter abbreviation for the Cambridge University that is approximately 3,300 miles sort of Westish from Cambridge, England.
15d Bending in empty grasslands for leftovers (9)
GLEANINGS: A synonym of bending inserted into (in) GrasslandS with the interior letters removed (empty).
18d Fall of rain out in wild (9)
RUINATION: An anagram (wild) of RAIN OUT IN.
19d Reputation still rising (8)
STANDING: A triple definition – not sure I need to say any more.
22d Stop, please, not entirely getting upset! (6)
TOPPLE: A lurker (not entirely) found in two words in the clue.
24d Country is source of Russian river (5)
RURAL: The first letter (source) of Russian and guess a river (that does partly flow through Rusia).
26d Endless work for boss (4)
STUD: A synonym of (academic?) work with the last letter removed (endless).
27d Amusing day in pool (4)
FUND: A synonym of amusing and the single letter for Day.
Quick Crossword Pun:
MINCE + HOARSE = MINT SAUCE
Nice little number today with no holdups and no particular favourites. Am gutted, totally forgot to Wordle yesterday so my run of 164 is now back to 1!!! Still, out to WI Committee lunch to the Red Lion at Stiffkey travelling on the Coasthopper bus so all good fun. Thanks to Ray T and to Senf for today’s offering.
Oh that is so annoying. Every now and then I get a note saying my entry cannot be noted but I can go ahead anyway. Either way, I go back to square one
I hope you enjoyed The Red Lion in Stiffkey. A regular haunt of ours when we are staying in Wells.
An enjoyable puzzle although I made heavy work of the SE.
Top picks for me were 20a, 4a, 11a and 14d.
Thanks to Senf and Ray T.
Good RayT fare with all the usual “tells” in evidence, right from the start! Possibly took a minute or two longer than usual for a RayT owing to my last two in the SE, but ultimately all went in without a hitch. COTD 20a
Many thanks indeed to RayT, and of course also to Senf.
Agree with Manders about nice little number. But I always have holdups.
Today they were the butterfly, the capital of Italy and putting kit on. I’m always caught out by capital in clues.
I especially liked 8d – Bird in net picked up.
Thanks to setter and hinter
Found this very tricky. Not knowing the butterfly, and using the wrong abbreviation for ‘queen’ made the puzzle’s northern ranges very slow going. Got there in the end on the second visit.
As ever with RayT, beautifully and fairly clued throughout. I’m going with 23a as CotD, as it took me an age to parse – it’s only six words! – but is a masterclass in economy and smoothness-of-surface. ***/****
Wow. It may just be me but it feels like the early week setters have got it in for us this week. I must say however that the enjoyment rating for me so far is also a step ahead of normal so I am not complaining. I did think however that 4A and 15D were clues that were aimed soley at the crosswording fraternity. My nominations for COTD are 20A, 21A, 8D with 21A mounting the podium as it was my LOI and the penny dropped with a huge clang when I realised why my list of cities that fitted the checkers wouldn’t parse. Thanks to Senf for the hints and to the setter.
Thai corner.
I’ve mentioned previously that when stating numbers of objects the Thai language always requires a classifier which doubles the learning challenge. I recently learned that all objects regarded as pairs share the same classifier which seemed to reduce the challenge slightly but I found I was in a fool’s paradise, as objects in English that are seen as pairs, are not in Thai. Thus spectacles, trousers, shorts, binoculars, amongst others, do not share the same classifier. Oh well.
As usual I found this on the challenging side, as I find so few words difficult for some reason. I did finish unaided with a couple needing the hints to parse. The south east was most troublesome but I had 25a as a favourite.
Many thanks to RayT and to Senf for the hints
RayT’s crosswords are interesting.
If you’re a rookie, they are probably a real challenge as there is nothing to work. It is very often a synonym fest which can be testing. However, once you’ve got used to them, they are way less of a challenge as one rarely gets thrown off the scent. I can’t remember the last time I gave one of his puzzles four stars for difficulty.
Today’s was reasonably straightforward with my last two being the 4s. Is thrash a synonym of the first three letters as I’m struggling to see it? Also, doesn’t the answer need ‘steam’ before it to be a sauna or is it okay without?
I’ve never heard of the synonym for leftovers in 15d though it makes sense because of its root word.
I do hope people pronounce 7d without saying the t as it should be. Us Brits find it too much of an effort to stop halfway through the word to say it as it stops the flow, e.g listen and soften.
Funny to see the currency again so quickly, albeit a different country’s.
My picks are 4a, 23a (nice construction) and 26d
MTTTA and S.
3*/3*
I often whistle while I fasten glistening Christmas presents.
Very good, Clix!
I understand not saying it when it follows a consonant but the yoof of today have taken it to another by omitting it after a vowel, eg computer.
It doesn’t get a look in.
Please may i have a more detailed explanation of 3 down?
The synonym of lord can be a historical/obsolete term of address to a man of high rank. The abbreviation of queen can also be an abbreviation of question.
The answer (verb or noun)is a somewhat old-fashioned/literary synonym for escort.
The 4 letter lord contains the 2 letter qu[een].
My last in & by a margin too
Thank you so much – for your answer and your empathy!
Bill
Two holdouts made this a longer grid fill than it ought to have been. Like Anorak I was fixated on the wrong abbreviation for queen at 3d & I initially had the last 2 letters as my empty grasslands preceded by ‘in’ from the clue at 15d so messed about trying to think of a 5 letter synonym for bending. Otherwise fairly straightforward & an enjoyable solve. 2d was neatly hidden in the surface so gets my vote as COTD.
Thanks to Ray & Senf
I did exactly the same as you re 15d.
I tried to parse it as 5 2 2, and couldn’t understand the first five letters.
Many thanks to RayT and Senf.
Me three!
This was a pretty quick solve for me. Must be getting used to his style.
LOI and a real sticking point for me was 23a, I ended up going through the letters of the alphabet for the first letter until it clicked, luckily only had to go as far as G lol!! I then needed to check the hints to parse as the word cool seemed redundant but of course it wasn’t.
Favourite today was 25a so simple!! I liked the anagram at 17a as well.
Thanks all
I think we are on the alert when we see old capitals of European countries. Very nice doable guzzle, just as well as I am dashing out for afternoon tea with the Rotary Ladies. Many thanks to our Setter and Senf.
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), I wish to complain in the strongest possible terms!
For approximately one zillion years, yer man RayTee has acknowledged Her Majesty The Late Queen in a guzzle, with the subsequent answer of ‘er’. Now, out of the blue, this terrible man changes everything and the solver is sent into a spiral of uncertainty. It is an outrage. As a result I have written a stern letter to Axel Springer, with copies to Mr Burnham, Mrs Badenoch, Piers Morgan, and Harry Styles.
Eh? Oh yeah – great guzzle. Thanks to RayTee and The Man From Manitoba and his distant El Niño.
Also – thanks to The Man Who Cannot Be Named who forwards me the Telegraph Crossword newsletter each week. Very kind indeed.
*** / *****
Hugely enjoyable crossword from MrT this week. 4d/4a probably earned 2 of those difficulty stars. The rest might just have stayed in 1* territory. The answer to 5d immediately made me think of the unthinkable non-word but irregardless in it went ☺ and on to the podium. The 20a synonym of elope raised a laugh and that made the podium too. The third onto the podium and the COTD winner was 14a for use of THAT Cambridge (which to be fair, is a long way south-ish as well as west-ish of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire). Loved it.
Thanks to Senf and RayT.
Another fine puzzle for RayT’s fortnightly back pager appearance this week. Thoroughly enjoyable along with his brevity and succinctness and precise clueing, with no wasted words.
Nice to see the Queen twice as well as his sweetheart show up too.
2*/4.5* for me today.
Many favourites in this grid including 12a, 20a, 28a, 29a, 9d & 18d — with winners 1a & 20a
So many clues that made me smile as I solved them including most of the favourites as well as 5a, 11a, 6d & 22d
Thanks to RayT & Senf
I find the brevity very challenging but I guess that is no bad thing. Not at all convinced that earn is a synonym of net but no other complaints in what is a classy production.
I found this RayT offering to be fairly straightforward with ¾ completed on the first pass. The remainder then fell quickly with the crossing letters. Last in was the stone jar at 23a which needed a little ponder to find the recess before realising it was an instruction. No real standouts for me, but I’ll go with the aforementioned 23a as my pick of the day.
Many thanks to RT and Senf
1*/3*
Never rejoice when I spot its a RayT coming out of the printer. But as ever, I am in the minority. Thanks to him and to Senf for the blog