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DT 31055 (Hints)

by crypticsue  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31055 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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It seemed extra dark first thing this morning when I had to make an extra early start to get the paper, solve the crossword and then prepare and schedule the blog before going out. We ought to be  back around lunchtime so I would be grateful if you could ensure that your  comments obey the blog’s ‘rules’ so I don’t have to do too much redacting on my return

I will be most surprised if anyone other than the NY Doorknob turns up to admit to being the setter of this fun Saturday Prize Puzzle

Please ask for help if you are stuck on clues I haven’t hinted, but before doing so, please read the comments that appear before yours, so that you are not duplicating questions,  and make sure you obey both THE INSTRUCTIONS IN RED at the end of the Hints and the blog’s  Comment Etiquette – Big Dave’s Crossword Blog)

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”. Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Across

1a           British and others bringing in fish for shopping (8)
The abbreviation for British and a Latin abbreviation meaning and other people or things, between which is inserted (bringing in) a type of fish

9a           Girl deceived reportedly by a serpent (8)
Homophones (reportedly) of a girl’s name and a slang synonym for deceived followed by A (from the clue)

13a         Energy needed in frenzied exercise (5)
The symbol for Energy inserted into (needed in) frenzied or in a state of fierce excitement

24a         Cassady perhaps retaining power in country (5)
One of those ‘once you have the checking letters, the country is clear, so remove the symbol for Power and look up Cassady to see which person with that surname had the forename required for the solution’   He was a major figure in the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movement of the 1960s – so now you know

27a         Fairly easy on the eye … (6)
An adverb meaning fairly can also be an adjective meaning attractive

29a         My doubled bet on this (3-3)
‘Double’ an interjection of surprise (my)

30a         FA home match most difficult to see (8)
FA (from the clue), the usual two-letter home and a match

Down

1d           Romantic German: born artist on Navy vessel (6)
The abbreviation for Born, the usual abbreviated artist and the usual abbreviation placed before the name of a navy vessel

11d         Topless brothel-keeper punished gardener (4)
Remove the first letter (topless) from the woman in charge of a brothel

15d         Obstacle in shabby toilet makes one wee on foot (6,3)
If you weren’t sure who set this crossword, this clue would make it very clear who did!  An obstacle or obstruction inserted into an anagram (shabby) of TOILET

17d         Churchill keeping quiet, initially garrulous in city (8)
A diminutive form of Churchill’s forename ‘keeping’ the musical abbreviation for quiet, followed by the initial letter of Garrulous

18d         Place rook perhaps in corner? (3,5)
A carefully planned and executed bit of teamwork such as a corner or a free kick.   A verb meaning to place and a name given to a rook in a chess set

22d         Leonard entering spot showing moon goddess (6)
The diminutive form of Leonard ‘entering’ a verb meaning to spot or notice

26d         Release Penny trapped in loveless marriage (5)
The abbreviation for Penny ‘trapped’ in a marriage without the letter O (loveless)

As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT, or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment. If in doubt, leave it out

Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.

If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then please don’t leave a comment.

The Quick Crossword pun:  TERROR + FIRMER = TERRA FIRMA

73 comments on “DT 31055 (Hints)”

  1. I think it must be me because I’m struggling with guzzles these days and today was no exception. I got there in the end and could see the clues were fair and well-constructed but my brain seems to have lost its ability to sort out cryptic clues. Ah well, not to worry because I’ve experienced this before and my solving abilities usually return.

    Plenty of good clues today and I liked, particularly, the double bet at 29a. However, my COTD is the deceived girl at 9a.

    Thank you, setter (NYDK?) for another stab at The Mythical – assuming my entries are correct. Thank you, CeeSoo for the hints.

  2. This one was an absolute joy to do, not a bad clue anywhere.

    Just about right for a very tough but ultimately doable Saturday puzzle.

    Too many favourites, but if pushed for my two of the day, it would have to be 1a, 5a, and of course the brilliant Femme Fatale.

    Hats of to our setter today, take a bow!

  3. This was a very enjoyable Saturday Prize Puzzle, even the inevitable multi word clue was well clued and actually helped me to get a start on the right hand side of the grid. I liked the1a Lego clue, there was clever misdirection. 16a was cleverly camouflaged too. The 25a angram was fun and the two geographical clues at 24a and 17d were the cherry on the cake. Thanks to thecompiler for a wortgy challenge and to CS for the hints

  4. I thought this was one of the best SPPs for a while, full of ingenious clues and a few giggles along the way. I liked 15d for the schoolboy humour, but my favourite was the brilliant 28a/7d combo.

    Thanks setter for a terrific puzzle, and to Sue for the blog. Much appreciated.

  5. 2*/4* from me for a very enjoyable SPP. I’ll let the setter off the vague girl in 9a as the clue made me laugh. On the subject of girls, strictly speaking, Juliet in 20d should have had 2Ts.

    Not surprisingly, I’ve never heard of Cassady so I had to look him up.

    1a was my favourite of many ticked clues.

    Many thanks to NYDK (?) and to CS.

        1. Which is why some editors are fine with Alpha and Whisky instead of the official Alfa and Whiskey. (I’m not sure about Charley and mic!)

          1. A bit more investigation suggests that Juliett is the preferred spelling to ensure that French speakers pronounce the final T.

    1. Try indefinite and definite articles from each side of the channel.

      very enjoyable. Thanks setter and CS

  7. Good morning. There were a few clues here which took time to parse and the use of Google to make sure that such a deity existed. Really liked 5a, 14a,16a, 28a and 7d, 4d, and 18d. Even though it took little time to complete, it felt more difficult than it was. Enjoyed the Pun as well! Many thanks to setter and reviewer.

  8. A very enjoyable SPP to round out the week of back pagers. Just what CS wrote for Cassady in 24a – all I needed to get the country was the checker from 15d. Hardly worth e-confirming the individual but I did it anyway.

    Favourite, from a list of one, 17d!

    Thanks to NYDK, for it must be he, and to CS.

    1. There’s another country with the same checker at 15d though. This messed up my solve so the obscure hippy was a bit frustrating for me.

  9. I thought this was very difficult and I only completed after getting help with 21a (I had a different marker of rank which of course I couldn’t parse) 24a (Hm re the hippy and I had a different country with the same middle letter) and finally 22d (Moon goddess new to me). Lots of really lovely and clever clues though – I liked the linked clue. 1a took ages but was terrific with the misdirected definition, and the 9a homophone was lovely. 14a where I got the clue and the word but struggled to see the definition for ages was good too. Thank you NYDK and Cryptic Sue

  10. Just as well that the answer to 24a was obvious because I hadn’t heard of the gentleman in question and had to ask Mr G about him! No problems elsewhere although the solve did seem to take longer than I expect on a Saturday. Top clues for me were 1&5a with a nod to 17d for its reference to one of our excellent bloggers.

    Thanks to NYDK and to CS for the hints.

  11. Can someone please explain the obstacle in 15d as I don’t understand
    Thanks to the setter and for the hints

    3. If it doesn’t get me in the naughty corner [redacted] A rather archaic use I think
      Lovely crossword with some lovely clues. Thanks to the setter and to cryptic Sue

      1. The still missed Big Dave used to say that if you were saying ‘think of…’ you were giving an alternative clue, and he used to suggest that people looked in the dictionary for assistance. You can imagine his reaction when one commenter, on being told to do so, said “But that’s what you [the bloggers} are for!

        1. Good advice – I did just that and lo and behold the answer was there. Never knew that definition – every day is a school day and all that!!

  12. Great guzzle. I enjoyed unravelling it. 1a was my last one in; despite having all the checking letters. Duh.

    Meanwhile, five minutes ago, I was standing in the hallway. The front door was open. Absentmindedly I was singing 1960s girl group favourite ‘My boyfriend’s back, he’s gonna save my reputation…’
    I looked up and there was the postman waiting to hand me our mail. He was grinning.
    Now I can never open the front door again, and will only be able to leave the house under the cloak of darkness.

    1. Terence, I sympathise but ‘twas a schoolboy error if don’t mind me saying so.

      Were you dancing? Just between us, were you?

  13. A lovely puzzle to start the weekend, all of the clues were very well constructed with some standouts like 1a and 16a which took a bit more thought but gave a great deal of satisfaction when the penny dropped.

    I too needed help with 24a having never heard of this fellow, otherwise managed nicely by myself.

    Thank you NYDK and Cryptic Sue!

  14. In car en route to Aldeburgh. Great puzzle but can’t see 14a for the life of me despite hint above. Still time for the penny drop moment though. Thanks all.

    1. Having arrived in Aldeburgh an hour later, found my entire puzzle had disappeared into the ether! Can’t face starting again so 14a remains unsolved😐

      1. Me neither, I’ve got the answer I think but can’t parse, would be grateful for enlightenment.

          1. Thanks Sue, I think I have the answer but don’t understand how the last 2 letters fit the clue?

            1. The grammatical articles are one letter on one side of the channel and the one on the other side has three letters

  15. Slow coach has pretty well summed it up for me. That said there were many smiles when the answers dawned on me. 1a was excellent but took an age to get, but I’m giving cotd to the topless brothel keeper. Thanks to NYDK and CS.

  16. What a wonderful puzzle. I hadn’t heard of the Cassady but it was easy to confirm. 22d was also a new one for me.
    Lots of smiles today and lots of ticks on the page.
    Top picks for me were 1a, 5a, 9a, 16a, 29a and 15d.

    Thanks to CrypticSue and NYDK.

  17. This puzzle went to the shredder after an hour, with no clues solved. Prize puzzles are not normally this difficult. Perhaps it’s me. Anyway, I received a mythical during the pandemic. It remains untouched in a drawer. Just who uses fountain pens these days??

    1. I also have a DT fountain pen languishing in a drawer. At one time I obstinately used my school Parker FP to sign cheques but don’t even do that anymore more. Fortunately I have also got two DT biros
      😌 !!! I have promised my next one to Steve.

      1. You are an angel, DG but it will, no doubt, self destruct before my eyes. The Mythical is not meant an innocent such as I.

  18. I am in a rush today so only completed with a bit of help from Sue and checking a couple of answers afterwards. I found it tricky but that is probably more about time pressure than the puzzle.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints.

  19. Thanks to NYDK and CS. For a prize puzzle we found this relatively easy. 24a and 22d we had to Google as not heard of either of them. COTD toss up between 9a and 16a. LOI 14a.

  20. This was a cracker .. but I nearly gave up .. then Caithness went in and I finished in Sutherland.
    Some great clueing.
    Loved 14a but my cotd and last in was 1a.

  21. Superb. Truly superb.

    The Big Apple rapper is at the top of his game and deserves his place in The Pantheon of Crucihokeycokeys.

    I can’t imagine Churchill was called that as an adult. Maybe he was.

    Having now done a bit of Google action, it was nice to find out who Cassady was. This is why I love GK in crossies.

    So many to choose from but I’ll go with 16a, 28a/7d (obvs) and the brilliant 15d (what a surface!)

    MMT to the afore etc and she of the crypt.

    3*/5*

  22. Steady going until I came to the SW corner where I came to a juddering halt.I felt 17d was a bit contrived as said person was never really known by that diminutive form, the whole certainly. The moon goddess was unknown to me so needed some help there.
    I liked 1a and 18d (memories of the great KDB). But my COTD was 26d, as soon as I read the clue I was transported back forty years and that great sitcom, Just Good Friends, and the gorgeous Jan Francis.
    Thank you to the setter and to CS for the hints.

      1. Interesting. Yet all the newspaper references to him, cartoons of the times all referred to the longer name. As did colleagues and adversaries. The two, allegedly, infamous encounters with Bessie Braddock, “******* you are drunk,” Madam, you are…” or my favourite, the altercation with Margot Asquith, “******* if I were married to you I would put poison in your coffee “
        Reply, “Madam, if I were married to you I should drink it.”

  23. I thought this Saturday puzzle today from NYDK was a step up in head scratching this week. A few clues I stumbled over until I finally got the pennies to drop.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites 5a, 12a, 28/a7d, 29a, 11d & 17d — with winner 28a/7d
    Chuckles for 5a, 29a & 21d

    Thanks to NYDK & CS

  24. If you were as old as I am, Flyboy, you would know that he was certainly known as that during the war years. Second WW that is of course, I am not that old. Everything has been said about this guzzle, an absolute bobby dazzler. 1a was delicious but so were many others. Thank you Mr Setter for brightening my day and thank you CeeSue for being there to hold my hand had I needed it. I googled Cassady 🤭

  25. For those of you who are getting error messages when submitting your prize entries on the website, I finally got DT to recognise that I was a bona fide person. I had to give them the details of the error plus screenshot which I’d already sent them and am still awaiting a response. I’m still getting the error today.
    I’d strongly suggest, if you are getting an error too, that you contact DT yourselves as the more who contact them the more they are likely to recognise that they actually have a problem.

    1. I sent an email to them after I read your post above. I received the standard reply advising me to clear the cache, to do something called “Hard closing”, to log out and log back in or delete the app and re-install. Nothing addressed the issue of the pop-up message and I did send a screenshot.

      1. Having looked into the error message on Google, it refers to a missing character in the Java Script instruction string which tells the tablet or smartphone what to do. Such as an unclosed bracket eg (… rather than (…) or <… rather than or {…. etc etc. It’s a typo by whoever wrote the tech stuff behind the button you press to submit the solution. Do these solutions ever reach DT Towers? Pleased I don’t need to learn about all this!

  26. Trickier than many Saturdays of late. I took several passes through the clues before sufficient pennies dropped. I am glad 25a was clued that way as I always misspell it. 15 and 17d were favourites today and may have been joined on the podium by 12a if I hadn’t misremembered who Bob Hope described as “The two and only”
    Thanks to NYDK and CS

    1. Or is the comment from Twm a sign that we have it wrong?
      And sorry to CS for straying earlier.

  27. Too hard! After just managing to solve the East I’m throwng in the towel and am glad not to be alone as to the difficulty or is it a wavelength problem? Thank you NYDK (presumably) and CS.

  28. Where to start with the ticks? Took ages to switch to the correct shopping at 1a but loved it, the doubled bet was great too at 29a as was the 30a FA home. Ticks also to the 3d ace and of course the wonderful 15d shabby toilet humour!! I don’t think I have anything wrong and there’s been no real discussion on the 28a/7d combo and I think I know what it must mean but for the life of me even with all the checkers I can’t get anything to spring to mind.

    Many thanks to NYDK (I presume but apologies to Twm per his earlier comment of I’m wrong) and to CrypticSue for the blog.

    1. OMG: the penny just dropped! What a fantastic clue. Jumps to my clue(s) – as it’s two – of the day!

      Wonderful!!!!!

  29. 1.5* / 5* Best puzzle for weeks and there’s been some gooduns! Loads of humour and tremendous misdirection, also learnt about a beat poet ! Favourites are hard to choose but I’ll go for 25d wee on foot, 30d hero and the flame thrower at 5a
    Very many thanks to setter and Sue

  30. Solve not made easier by completing it one phone having left my iPad in a mate’s car – still no excuse for the time it took for a bunch of pennies to drop.
    Anyway a humdinger of a puzzle stocked full of terrific clues too numerous to list.
    It had the feel of a Donny production to me & if so he further cements his position in my dream team of setters. Thanks to him & to Sue.
    With apologies to Twm if it’s one of his.

  32. Lovely puzzle to end the week. Lots of great clues, but I’d say 1A was as good as any.

    VMT Setter & Sue.

  33. Great puzzle to end the week. Almost threw in the towel but the PDM at 5a came to my rescue.
    1a, 28a and 7d favourites.
    Thanks to NYDK for the challenge and Sue for the confirmation of correct interpretations.

  34. Very enjoyable puzzle, which I only completed this Sunday morning, so I doubt there is much point in commenting, but thought I would anyway…….I needed to resort to Google for the moon goddess, but I was one of seemingly very few who knew about Cassady…….the inspiration for Dean Moriarty in the classic On The Road.
    Many thanks to setter and Cryptic Sue

  35. An absolutely excellent puzzle. Wonderfully smooth but deceptive surfaces. Never heard of the Cassady, but it was easy to work out what to look up.
    Thanks our Setter and to CS

  36. Really enjoyed this! Went in much quicker than my usual weekly struggles. Particularly liked 9a, 11d, 15d and 18d. Thanks to the setter and all on this wonderful blog 👍

  37. 3*/5* …
    liked 6D “Some disruption on the way ? (9)” …
    they seem to be everywhere !

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