Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30703
Hints and tips by Huntsman
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***/****
Got to dash for golf at Verulam so hopefully no mistakes in the hints today.
All bar three answers of this enjoyable (AP presumably) flew in pretty swiftly & then brain fog descended which extended the completion time to beyond that for yesterday’s guzzle. In addition no matter how many times I said it the penny refused to drop with the Quickie pun & in the end I phoned a florist friend.
In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.
Across
1a Stringed instrument one moves to the middle – there you are! (5)
VOILA: move the letter that looks like one to the right & into the central position.
4a Noel Edmonds finally wearing new shirt and mac (9)
CHRISTMAS: an anagram (new) of SHIRT & MAC around the last letter (finally wearing) of EdmondS.
9a Responses from Republican leader in evading lawsuits (9)
REACTIONS: the single letter for Republican & the opening letter (leader in) of Evading + a term for lawsuits. The Donald really is such a gift for setters…..
10a Iffy Stallone movie (5)
ROCKY: double definition – the latter high up on the list of the worst decisions made by the Academy voters in judging it the Best Picture in the 1977 Oscars.
11a State a grievance initially with European standard (7)
AVERAGE: a synonym for state or maintain + A from the clue + the first letter of Grievance + the single letter for European.
12a Understand each student gets stuck in lift (7)
REALISE: place a synonym for lift around (gets stuck in) an abbreviation for each & the usual letter for a student.
13a Trendy name for fuel (6)
INCITE: link a term for trendy or fashionable with a synonym for name or quote for a definition in the sense of stir up or provoke.
15a Trouble with the woman’s shrubs (8)
HEATHERS: link possibly not the first synonym to spring to mind for trouble (it’s in the lyric of this great Dylan song) with a feminine possessive pronoun. This one caused me a head scratch.
18a Many run with mouse about (8)
NUMEROUS: an anagram (about) of RUN + MOUSE. I’d be one of ‘em.
20a South African golfer’s chicken perhaps putting softly at the start (6)
PLAYER: the musical letter for soft precedes a chicken giving you a nine time Major winner who is now one of the honorary starters at the Masters. Neat surface.
23a Statements in court Edward made up (7)
PLEASED: the statements here are those entered by the defendant + a diminutive for Edward. The definition context wasn’t immediately obvious to me – it’s in the sense of happy as a sandboy.
24a Rent fell, creating disappointment (3-4)
LET DOWN: link a synonym for rent or lease with one for fell or topple.
26a Perfume put in the post for the listeners (5)
SCENT: a homophone (for the listeners) of a synonym for mailed or put in the post.
27a Cheer one dancing with grace outside university (9)
ENCOURAGE: an anagram (dancing) of ONE + GRACE around (outside) the single letter for University.
28a Logical eastern philosophy (9)
RATIONALE: another word meaning logical with the single letter for Eastern appended.
29a Some plucky men eventually repelled foe (5)
ENEMY: hidden in reverse (some/repelled) in the words between the indicators.
Down
1d Change in aviator’s flying (9)
VARIATION: an anagram (flying) of IN AVIATOR.
2d Picture that is capturing adult in car (5)
IMAGE: there’s a bit going on here for a wee word. Insert the single letter for Adult between the letters of an iconic motoring brand founded by Cecil Kimber then place between (capturing) the usual two letter abbreviation for that is.
3d Draw cart regularly on piece of land (7)
ATTRACT: the alternate (regularly) of cArT + a name for a usually large piece of land.
4d Conservative garment for the legs knight picked (6)
CHOSEN: the single letter for Conservative + clothing for the legs + the letter for the chess piece.
5d Reticent about what tennis player did? (8)
RESERVED: required of the player after a let call.
6d Chauffeur possibly inflexible about right type of transport (7)
SERVANT: place a synonym for inflexible or unyielding around (about) the single letter for Right & a road vehicle invariably used for transporting goods.
7d Doctor can hire my equipment (9)
MACHINERY: an anagram (doctor) of CAN HIRE MY.
8d Dash inside dusty lean-to (5)
STYLE: hidden (inside).
14d Skilful jockey not disheartened (9)
COMPETENT: nowt to do with Lester Piggott. A synonym for jockey or vie with + NoT (disheartened).
16d Unknown person scratching bottom left yard in an odd manner (9)
STRANGELY: remove the last letter (scratching bottom) from a word for an unknown person then append the single letter for Left & for Yard.
17d Unopened flower on ideal new plant (8)
BUDDLEIA: a word for an unopened flower + an anagram (new) of IDEAL. Always struggle to remember how to spell this one.
19d Rice dish small and extortionate in South American city (7)
RISOTTO: place the single letter for Small & an informal adjective for extortionate into a carnival city in Brazil.
21d Large sailing vessel nearly capsized touching rear of the iceberg? (7)
LETTUCE: start with the single letter for Large + a reversal of a truncated (nearly/capsized in a down clue) sailing vessel then add the final letter (rear) of thE. Excellent clue.
22d Trite remark about parasitic insects biting husband (6)
CLICHE: the Latin letter for about then append the parasitic insects that the nit nurse used to check for with the single letter for husband inserted.
23d More upmarket hotel is scrubbed? Tricky question (5)
POSER: remove the letter hotel represents in the NATO phonetic alphabet from a synonym for more upmarket.
25d Talk from ordinary judge (5)
ORATE: the single letter for Ordinary + a synonym for judge.
21d was my clear favourite today & I also had ticks against 15,20&23a along with 2,6&14d. Please let us know which clues you liked.
Today’s listening has been a bit of Ashley McBryde. Here’s one of my favourite of her tunes
Today’s Quickie crossword pun: DAM + ASS + CROWS = DAMASK ROSE
Another delightful guzzle that no doubt means we’re in for a drubbing later in the week. I did snooker myself by entering “enormous” in 18a. I didn’t notice my error until I got 1d but I didn’t get that for a while because I thought I had the correct answer for 18a. A case of writing without thought. I liked 2d because we had a GT for quite a while when we were first married. The neat misdirection in 4a had me searching old TV shows until the penny dropped. Bit early – it’s still August but then I have seen mince pies in Sainsburys. My COTD is the woman having trouble with shrubs at 15a because I initially thought it was an anagram.
Thank you, setter (Professor Plum in the library?) for the fun. Thank you Hintsman for the hunts.
I very nearly fished in with enormous Steve 😊.
So pleased I’m not alone, DG! 😁
Very enjoyable esp my last in 21d, a very clever clue. After last weekends pasting this week has started much better. Let’s hope the Toughie remains in its box.
Thx to all
**/****
A gentle and very enjoyable puzzle, happily all completed bar two on the first sweep. Ticks everywhere but I shall join Brian in highlighting the great 21d (COTD) with runners-up 15a and 22d, and 4a in reserve position.
Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman
This took a bit more work than usual for a Tuesday and was a very enjoyable solve.
I had to wave the white flag at 17d as I spent an aeon trying to think of a four letter flower without its first letter. A nice clue.
My podium is 29a (neat surface),16d (hilaire) and 21d (genius).
Many thanks to the prof and Hintsman.
3*/4*
Off to a flying start today and my only hold-up, was my inability to spell 17D, despite them being one of my favourite plants!
I’ve just spent another 30 minutes plus on a phone call to a Vodafone engineer somewhere in the world, but luckily, with a great command of the English language. Fingers crossed that my ongoing broadband issue has been resolved this time.
*/**** for me and out of a lot of contenders, 21D gets my vote.
Thanks to the setter and Huntsman
At least one indicator that this is an Anthony Plumb production but, for me, he has ‘upped the ante’ a little this week – 2.5*/4*
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 11a, 2d, and 22d – and the winner is 22d.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
Not exactly plainsailing but all fair and enjoyably fathomable 23a, 6d or 21d were unparsed bung-ins. TVM MrP and Hintsman.
Just right for a Tuesday and thouroughly enjoyable. The top half went in at the speed of sound but the bottom was more of a challenge. Like Eeyore, I needed the dictionary to tell me where the ‘extra’ letter went in 17d and I had some trouble of my own with the lady’s shrubs since I thought I was looking for a synonym of trouble. Favourite today was the very clever 21d supported by the misleading 13a and the trite remark at 22d. Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
1*/4*. Just the job for a busy Tuesday – light and great fun.
21d was my favourite.
Many thanks to Anthony Plumb (?) and to Hintsman,
Very, very pleasant. 4a’s fun, 21d too. Lovely definitions in 13a, 23a and 8d, etc. Thanks to our setter and Huntsman. Weller and Dylan? Yes please!
I lost interest in this one toward the end, revealing the final four answers.
No way would I call this a one star for ease.
However, I did not do too badly, but didn’t really have the enthusiasm for it.
Wow. That was fun. 21d definitely going in my CB as an outstanding clue. 4d was last in and I had to employ the Hintsman and of course the photograph of my legs gave me the answer. I liked 1a also, hesitated over the woman’s shrubs and considered putting an ‘h’ in the ideal plant and chilling to see the early mention of the ‘C’ word at 4a. Off to the optician now, George has to take me as I’m having drops put in and cannot drive. Many thanks to the setter and the Hintsman.
Even I managed to do ok on this apart from the shrubs one for which I needed a clue. As I see many voted for, 21d was my favourite, but I also liked 2d. It’s not often I see eye to eye on favourites. My brain must be changing 😁
Good Tuesday fun from the professor despite his far too early reference to the festive season – the kids haven’t even gone back to school after the summer hols yet!
Think I’ll go with the flow and put 21d on the top step with 13&24a making up the podium.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review – hope you’ve got better weather than we have here for your golf match.
Fairly standard fare for a Tuesday – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
I ticked 16d (the surface made me laugh), 21d and 22d.
This was great fun, albeit I thought it trickier than Tuesdays past. It was elegant and whilst I got 2d, I needed Huntsman to tell me why..easy when ones told. 20a is probably an oldie, but still good, but today’s outstanding clue is 21d as voted by many others. I spent an age trying to fashion an anagram containing the letter g before the proverbial dropped with a clang. Thanks to AP and Huntsman
Found this to be a typical Tuesday agin this week, with a couple of head scratchers tossed in the mix.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 1a, 4a, 23a, 19d & 22d — with winner 1a
Smiles from quite a few as well … including 1a, 24a & 22d
Thanks to AP & Huntsman
COTD was 21d. Very clever!
I would’ve said this was straightforward if yesterday’s hadn’t been even straightforwarder. 23d’s tricky question was my final clue to solve, which seems appropriate.
My favourite was 19d’s small and extortionate rice dish. I also appreciated 5d’s pun and what the unknown person was up to in 16d.
I didn’t know 20a’s golfer, so performed a reverse image search on Hintsman’s illustration above to identify his first name. Come to think of it, I don’t think I know the names of any golfers, excepting Huntsman himself, of course — who I’m glad enjoyed the surface reading of that clue, because it just seemed like word salad to me, with chickens putting. Thank you to him and the setter.
Photo repeated from yesterday’s comment, where it was actually relevant to the crossword but I posted so late that I presume most will have missed it. Taken in York yesterday, one of the ‘national treasures’ that the National Gallery have loaned out around the UK so those of us not in London can see them.
Planning how to remove the picture from the frame and get it into the backpack? 😁
It’s so important that these works “go on tour” like this so that the rest of the country does not have to visit The Great Wen in order to enjoy them at close quarters.
There was surprising little visible security: the painting had a (very thin, very clean, and non-glare) sheet of glass over it, but we could walk right up to it. There was a member of staff sat on a folding chair the other side of the room, but they looked like a curator rather than security and there was a crowd of people between them and the famous picture.
Presumably there are unobtrusive security measures that visitors are unaware of, but the general impression was that visitors could be trusted.
Your discussion reminds me of the fabulously slick remake in 1999 of the equally brilliant ‘Thomas Crown Affair’ when Mr Eye Candy himself half-inched the Monet. The not-so slick bit was when he folded the painting in half to get it into his case….doh!
Here it is (scroll forward to 1m50s) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJKWjeMtEDM
Talking of boo-boos in film…..I can’t recommend this book enough which must adorn Hintsman’s:
He talks about the non-sequiturs, behind the scenes gossip, continuation muck-ups, quotes and trivia of 1,500 classic films…
It’s brilliant.
…adorn Hintsman’s bookshelf.
Must check it out Tom – I don’t know it
You will devour it in minutes.
It’s an old book and probably out of print.
So, you may have to buy a second hand jobbie.
A very enjoyable puzzle with some amusing misdirection. I too spelt the plant in 17d incorrectly. My vote for COTD goes to 21d.
Terrific Tuesday puzzle with several needing extra thought but I got there in the end. 21d was last in and my favourite.
Beautiful afternoon here so now I have had my cuppa I must get in the garden and do some ivy clearing …..I have been putting it off.
Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.
What a good crossword even though a bit tricky for a Tuesday.
Not too keen on being pushed into the dreaded C word so early in the year – it isn’t even September yet.
17d is always difficult to spell – I quite like them but only the more interesting colours not the purple.
I liked 18 and 27a and 19 and 21d (eventually!) My favourite was 1a.
Thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to the Hintsman for the hints.
See my post below to remember how to spell 17d!
It’s a bit like Fuchsia was named by a German botanist Fuchs –
Aye!
The fun continues, though I did hit a brick wall in the NE, having to use Huntsman’s hint for 15a to get going again; I still don’t get it. I love 17d, tried so hard to grow it here but failed miserably. I always remember how to spell it, the Rev. Buddle named it, so it’s just Buddle-ia with “ia added. I had to google the SA golfer, he was the only one that came up. I liked 1a, but 21d was very clever.
Thank you setter, and to Huntsman for unravelling a few for me.
In my early years I tried several English favourites, including roses, sweet peas, wallflowers, nasturtiums, all to no avail. Summer heat did them all in. I’ve seen lovely rose gardens in Winter Garden, near Orlando though. They just don’t like Zone10b.
Wow, two great puzzle days in a row, what a treat. 6d was LI as I was cleverly misled by Doctor. Needed help for 15a. Relieved and pleased to have another enjoyable crossword before I set forth to declare war on the weeds. They will win though, and send me back indoors with backache. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.
Another great puzzle today. I hesitated over 13a and 15a but both were fine. Sadly, was unable to get 21d despite having 4 checking letters. Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman. It is like winter here in the NW and has poured with rain since mid-morning. Due to get something similar tomorrow. I do hope Huntsman faired better for his golf.
Quality from start to finish – 1a as a brilliant clue. Thanks to Huntsman for such good illustration
Another lovely puzzle. 21D and 22D my faves.
I’m new to this blog, so I’m sure what I am about to say has been discussed before. Is there any objective rationale for the stated level of difficulty. I am currently on holiday. Without the burden of work concerns I am finding most of the crosswords quite straightforward and view them as one or two stars. When back at work they will quickly become three or four.
Welcome to the blog, themoreiseeyou.
The difficulty levels are the purely subjective opinion of the relevant blogger.
Welcome, themoreiseeyou. 👍 Great moniker. As far as difficulty is concerned it is, as Gazza says, subjective. Personally, if I can do a puzzle it’s easy and, if I can’t, it’s difficult with all stages between. 😁 Just tackle them all and ask as many questions as you like.
Hope very much to hear from you again and enjoy your holiday.
A lovely puzzle today.
I needed Huntsman’s help to decipher the quickie pun and my last one in was 15a. A poor show for a keen gardener like me! I did get 17d easily enough though.
Top picks for me were 21d, 23a and 22d.
Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.
I had to look up the spelling of 17d. LOI was 15a as I was trying to put ‘the woman’ around the first ‘E’. Pretty straightforward in the main but good fun. Favourite was 21d. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
Average White Band AND Mr Flanagan . Brilliant. Thank you Huntsman
Found this one tricky. Thank you for the hints, were much needed today. And thank you setter for the two French-related clues, 1a and 4a (others might not see 4a as French-related, but I do 😁).
***/***
Had to check spelling of 17d. Overall enjoyable puzzle.
21d fav for penny drop although I found surface a tad clunky
Thanks for hints
3*/3* ….
liked 21D “Large sailing vessel nearly capsized touching rear of the iceberg ? (7)”