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DT 30717

by Shabbo  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30717
Hints and tips by Shabbo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

RayT in fairly benign mood today, I thought, but I will let you be the judge of that.  His regular calling cards of the queen (28a & 22d) and sweetheart (12a) are proof enough that he is indeed our setter today.  His trademark brevity also gives the game away.  Virtually bang on five words/clue as an average.  I enjoyed it.

In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons.  Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle.

Across

1a Celestial location with Mars shot (12)
ASTRONOMICAL: anagram (shot) of LOCATION + MARS.

9a Union workers in a salute (9)
AGREEMENT: synonym of workers (male) inside A + synonym of salute.

10a Nice word for love? (5)
AMOUR: cryptic definition.  Nice here is the French resort, so we are looking for a word in French meaning love.

11a Lose track of dispatch on motorway (6)
MISLAY: synonym of dispatch (as in eliminate) after the motorway linking London and Leeds.

12a Hog sweetheart keeping others standing (8)
PRESTIGE: synonym of hog + swEetheart outside (keeping) synonym of others.

13a God virtually accepting church hypocrisy (6)
DECEIT: synonym of god without the final letter (virtually) outside CE (Church of England).

15a Overweight prominent doom-merchant (8)
FATALIST: synonym of overweight + Hollywood jargon meaning prominent (think film stars).

18a One hushes up reports (8)
SILENCER: another cryptic definition. Reports here are explosive noises.

19a Form of seat is pronounced (6)
MANNER: homophone (pronounced) of country house (seat).

21a Brisk maiden at ground (8)
ANIMATED: nothing to do with cricket.  This is an anagram (ground) of MAIDEN AT.

23a Way to face enormous sadness (6)
PATHOS: another word for a way or trail + abbreviation for enormous (outsize).

26a Headless panic creating own goal (5)
ERROR: synonym of panic without the initial letter (headless).

27a Covered lieutenant before entering shanty (9)
SHELTERED: two-letter abbreviation for lieutenant + literary term meaning before inside (entering) synonym of shanty or hut.

28a Queen in harder seat shifting base (12)
HEADQUARTERS: I wasted some time by not checking the anagram fodder properly and had “hind” as the first four letters, which seemed a reasonable way to define base.  However, this is an anagram (shifting) of HARDER SEAT outside QU (queen – not ER this time!).


Down

1d Scared seeing nearly everybody with guns? (7)
ALARMED: word meaning everybody without the last letter (nearly) + word meaning “with guns”.

2d Canvas covers fish that’s revolting (5)
TARPS: a small fish backwards (revolting) reveals an abbreviation for waterproof sheets or canvass covers.

3d Campaign speech incorporating empty prattle (9)
OPERATION: synonym of speech outside (incorporating) the first and last letters (empty) of PrattlE.

4d Overt, perhaps even noticeable, initially (4)
OPEN: initial letters of the first four words of the clue.  “Overt” is doing double duty as both the definition and as the first of the initial letters.

5d Unusually travel in time (8)
INTERVAL: anagram (unusually) of TRAVEL IN.

6d A mother and sons get together (5)
AMASS: A + MA + abbreviation for son twice.

7d Government follower supports party (8)
DOMINION: follower or attendant below (“supports” – this is a down clue) two-letter word meaning party.

8d Clergyman in bother about religious instruction (6)
PRIEST: synonym of bother (a noun) outside (about) abbreviation for Religious Instruction.

14d Dog with ratty coat is mine (8)
COLLIERY: a type of dog + the outside letters of RattY (ratty coat).

16d Steal a bra turning white (9)
ALABASTER: anagram (turning) of STEAL A BRA.

17d Let loose in grass around meadows (8)
RELEASED: synonym of grass outside synonym of meadows.

18d Satan’s opening underworld for spirits (6)
SHADES: initial letter (opening) of Satan + word meaning the underworld.

20d Lives in obscure side street (7)
RESIDES: hidden word (in) contained within words 3, 4 & 5.

22d Queen inside top English stronghold (5)
AERIE: the regnal cipher of our late queen inside two letters meaning top or first class + abbreviation for English.

24d Reportedly gather to see band (5)
HORDE: homophone (reportedly) of a synonym of gather or amass.

25d On the phone, ring boyfriend (4)
BEAU: homophone (on the phone) of synonym of ring.

 

Quickie Pun:  POLLED  +  ANSWER  =  POLE DANCER

79 comments on “DT 30717”

  1. Well, a setter can’t do much better than this.

    This was such a clinical piece of work, topped off with the neatness of 30 clues averaging exactly five words per clue.

    It’s even got another very useful Scrabble word in 22d, my LOI.

    Impossible to choose three but I’ll go with 8d, 14d and 16d.

    Many thanks to RayT and Shabbs.

    3*/5*

      1. Hi J

        It’s one of those handy words, like eerie, aioli, adieu, ouija etc, when you have a rack of vowels.

        1. Hi T
          Apparently there is a word that uses all 5 vowels – iouea (never heard of it, and did not understand its definition “A taxonomic genus within the phylum Porifera”)….. :)

          1. That’s nuffin.

            Check out this six letter one….euouae.

            When I told Day Zee last week, a fellow Scrabblite, she was an extremely happy bunny.

            1. I’m sure I recall that one appearing in either The Times, DT backpager or DT Toughie within the last few years, but certainly cannot remember how it was clued. Creatively, I imagine!

              1. Possibly something to do with The EU and The UAE.

                Either way, it’s Scrabble heaven.

                1. I certainly was a happy bunny. With whom do you play scrabble? (Note the immaculate grammar) or do you play on line and if so, which site? I had trouble finding a good scrabble site – it does t have to be a free one! I used th play against my mother who was ferocious.

                  1. My daughter loves a bit of Scrabble action. She’s naturally a better player but my word knowledge keeps me in the game.

                    It looks like playscrabble.com is worth giving a go.

                    Someone told me a goodie recently which you and other grammarians will appreciate…The Pedants Revolt was started by Which Tyler.

      2. Yeah but if those happen to be the letters you’ve drawn, that’s all you’re going to score regardless of how they are deployed.

        If you’ve got a rack full of vowels, playing something like 22d is handy for getting rid of them and hopefully drawing some better letters. (Though, of course, twenty minutes later you’ll find yourself with no vowels at all and wishing you’d kept some of them.)

        [Edit: Beaten by Tom, making my answer look unnecessary. I must learn to type faster. Or to think faster — one of the two.]

  2. A classic Ray T and very enjoyable. I did need Mr. G. for 22d because, no matter how I tried, I just could not get it. I have always used Y when spelling it and have not come across the version given. There were some very smooth surfaces such as the lost dispatch at 11a and the party supporter at 7d. It is difficult to pick a favourite but I think the overweight doom merchant at 15a has to be my COTD.

    Thank you, Ray T for a great challenge. Thak you, Shabbo for the hints.

    Yesterday in The Marches there was a huge rainstorm with hail. Guess where Hudson and I were? Walking across fields. We both resembled drowned rats when we got home.

    Shabbo, I think the illustration for 1a is in the wrong place?

    1. Thanks, Steve. I think I did that last week as well! It has now been moved to its rightful place.
      My only defence is that I did the blog at about 01.00 last night during another sleepless night.
      That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

  3. I thought this was quite tricky today – for me, it felt more like Beam than MrT.

    I made my solve more complicated by rushing to enter STRIFE at 23a, even though looking back at it later, I know it does not mean sadness, and rife is not synonymous with enormous… perhaps if the clue was ‘Way to face widespread conflict’, I might have had a leg to stand on.

    Anyway – many thanks to MrT and to Shabbo.

  4. Cracking puzzle, for me, especially in the S, a modest increase in difficulty over yesterday and an ideal Thursday back-pager – very well judged by both RayT and the Editor. A very polished puzzle indeed, and my only raised eyebrow came at the equivalence of 13a with hypocrisy. Ticks everywhere, so shall go for podium of 12a, 14d & 20d

    Many thanks indeed to RayT, and of course to Shabbo too.

  5. Another high quality, beautifully concise and most enjoyable puzzle from the pen of Ray T. I often find picking a favourite is quite arbitrary, but 15a was on this occasion a clear winner.

    Many thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

  6. North went in lickety-split but South was a completely different kettle of fish which required much headscratching however it came through in the end. 2d yet another abbreviation of which I had not heard. Needed prompt for 22d. Fav 15a. Thank you RayT and Shabbo.

  8. The master of brevity par excellence! 2.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 12a, 18a, 2d, 14d, and 17d – and the winner is 14d.

    Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

  10. Not particularly benign for me rather the trickiest of the week’s back-pagers thus far & by a margin too. Very slow to twig 7d&19a, a further head scratch at 23a&24d & then to last in 22d which I eventually pegged from the wordplay but needed to check in the BRB. Also embarrassingly slow to cotton on to the context of Nice at 10a & the reports context completely passed me by at 18a. Podium spots for 11&15a + 14d.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo

  11. Reasonably benign as our reviewer says – thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.
    Top clues for me were 11a, 12a and 15a.

  12. Looks as though my Dream Team are working split shifts at the moment – not to worry, just means that I get extra red letter days!
    The master of brevity scored again today, at this rate he’ll soon be hitting the four words per clue maximum.
    Ticks aplenty as always – 11,12,15&18a plus 14d taking the biscuits this time.

    Devotions as ever to Mr T and many thanks to Shabbo for the review.

  13. I thought on first pass that this might be my day for completing a Ray T puzzle without resort to the hints. All was going well until I foundered in the east. As someone once told me when taking exams “Rtfq”. Same with RT puzzles because everything is in the clue. Cotd for me is 15a. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo for the hints.

  14. I struggled with this and had to check 22d. Lots to like though with top picks for me being 12a, 15a and 14d.

    Thanks to Shabbo and Ray T.

  15. Failed!
    North west would not fall into place. I inserted the correct answer to 10a without understanding the French Riviera connection. 7d, 8d and 12a just would not come to me, and I assume my brain was taking a rest. Oh well, I enjoyed the challenge.

    1. PS. Thank you Ray T and Shabbo.
      Also, Apologies for Absence tomorrow – yet another sporting reunion with friends from 1960s. There seem to be fewer of us.

  16. RayT gets me again, this time it was the government clue … and there’s always that last one that is so elusive. Thank you Shabbo for the hint

  17. This weeks’ RayT offering was, for me, definitely at the harder end his spectrum. Almost into Beam territory.
    Lots of head scratching and bung-ins to help me through. Lots of clues I don’t understand the parsing for this week either.

    2.5*/4* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 11a, 1d, 8d & 14d — with winner 14d

    Thanks to RayT & Shabbo

  18. Another excellent Thursday puzzle from Ray T. The usual elegantly epigrammatic clues, a moderate challenge and much enjoyment. I have ticked quite a few and particulerly liked 15a and 14d. 3*/4*.

  19. Sorry to ask but could someone help me understand 25d. I’m OK with “on the phone” & “boyfriend” (which gave me the answer)… but can’t see “ring”

    1. It seems that Ray T has borrowed Dada’s thesaurus to come up with a synonym of ring which sounds like (on the phone) the answer.

        3. I found it in the online BRB Thesaurus eventually
          bow(3)
          noun
          tie a bow
          loop, ring, circle, knot, lavallière
          And now I need to know what a lavallière is 🤨

    3. It’s a bit obscure but I took it to be the sixth entry for the second definition of bow in the BRB, which is “A ring of metal forming a handle”.

  20. Crossword nirvana – nothing but praise and admiration for Mr T who is, by far, my favourite compiler in all his guises.

  21. I found this tricky, but then I always struggle a bit with Ray T as he is, for me, always a challenge due to the cleverness of the clues. Today there were a couple I needed help with to understand the parsing eg 25d and I did not know 22d. 15a was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the hints

  22. As one of our long departed PC Chairmen used to say, I am in agreeance with everyone. First class guzzle with enough chewy clues to give satisfaction when the penny dropped. I did know 2 and 22d but needed Shabbo for 13a. I didn’t know 18d could be spirits – speaking of which I am not taking George shopping again. He came with me to get some tool or other and kept putting things in my basket like large bottle of gin, four batteries which cost £8! and a pair of jeans for the garden. My bill was enormous and I only went in for butter and salmon. I am getting wise to nice/Nice and similar Frenchifications. Plumping for the doom merchant as favourite. Many thanks as usual to Mr Setter & Mr Shabbo.

  23. Had to reveal 19a, so for that reason I rated this slightly harder than the Toughie. Or maybe I’m only firing on three cylinders today. Otherwise all good. Thanks Ray T and Shabbo.

  24. This is turning into a bad day – it’s terribly cold, pouring with rain mixed with big hail, our heating has conked out AND I can’t do the crossword!
    The trouble with RayT being clever with his minimalist clues is that they also mean minimalist answers too so very few choices left open – does that make sense? I suspect not, damn it!!
    Not sure whether to carry on or retire hurt from the rest of the day.
    This is hard – I’m going to be very brave and try for a bit longer.
    I did like 12 and 15a and 14 and 18d.
    Thanks to RayT for his clues (I think) and to Shabbo for bailing me out.

    2. We also are in the conked out boiler situation- maddening as we had the man in to service it in June. G spent ages programming in an hour for breakfast and on again for the evening but nothing happened. He’s just not a natural plumber!

    2. It’s one of Ray T’s trademarks, Jack. You see “sweetheart” there is only one letter he means.

  26. I dunno, I found this very, very tricky, I wonder if I was the only one? I muddled through with ehelp until I got to the SW, when I had to enlist Shabbo’s help to keep going. Natch, the Queen in 28a threw me, RayT right? So, the Queen is ER … not so! I don’t see why 18d is spirits but my answer has to be right. Fave was 18a, with 12a running close behind.
    Thank you RayT, you’re a ⭐️, no matter that you made me work for this. Thanks Shabbo, couldn’t have done it without you.

    1. Merusa’s not the only one.
      We struggled with different quarters,
      Together we would have won
      But are separated by waters.

      1. Will you put me out of my misery and explain, in words of one syllable, why “shades” = “spirits”?

  27. I didn’t find this benign at all, quite the opposite. Clearly I was batting above my pay grade. Even when I resorted to some hints I found the synonyms quite strange, and nothing I would ever have thought of, including 13a, 21a and 18d. But I persevered and passed the post. Thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

  28. Sorry to be so late but had a great days golf on a sunny and fine course in Northumberland.
    Thank you all for your kind comments (one not so kind but fully understandable) and my thanks to Falcon for the info on the 50p offer which I have now taken up. So I’m afraid you are going to have to put up with me for another year. I can’t guarantee to be any less forthright about the puzzles but will try to restrain myself on commenting on the hard working setters (even my nemesis Ray T).
    Heartfelt thanks to all who took the trouble to reply.
    Brian
    PS loved todays puzzle even the churchy clues.

    2. Brian was a man who thought he was a loner
      But he knew it couldn’t last
      Brian said he’d leave us and not be a moaner
      Said his blogging days were past

      Get back, get back
      Get back to where you once belonged
      Get back, get back
      Get back to where you once belonged
      Get back Brian

      Come home

  29. I seem to find RayT difficult to get in to and don’t enjoy them as much as some. This one needed a little help! Thank you

    1. I found Ray T impenetrable at first, JW but I love his offerings now. So much so, that when I wake on a Thursday, the first thing I ask myself “Is it a Ray T day?”

      It’s worth sticking with him.

  31. Great puzzle today
    3*/4*
    Had to check 22d as unfamiliar with that spelling of the word.
    COTD and LOI 14d.
    With thanks to setter and blogger.

  32. I’m in the ‘I found this hard’ camp, some of it my own making like trying to make an anagram of 28a with the wrong queen even though I wanted 25d to be what it was and others where i just couldn’t see the blindingly obvious. 18d was a bung-in and remains so. Hopefully I’ll do better next time. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo.

  33. Another very late posting from me so I shall use the single word approach recently abandoned by Ofsted.

    2*/5* excellent.

  34. I’m always behind like the cow’s tale as my mother would have said so don’t often comment. Did this in the middle of the night and required no hints (although I have looked this morning). Always love the French ones being a Francophile. Ia took me a long time. 10 15 and 28a favourites

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