Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31080
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from snowy Ottawa where we are experiencing our first snowfall of the season. It began about noon yesterday and is forecast to continue for most of the week. Not a great deal is expected – perhaps only six inches or so.
We have a gentle puzzle to start the week which was much appreciated as I prepare the review Sunday evening and arrived home late from an earlier engagement having had to drive home on snow-covered, slippery roads.
I would like to take this opportunity to make a comment on the term “all-in-one clue” which we often see on the blog. My recollection – and I stand to be corrected by longer serving members of the blogging crew – is that Big Dave introduced this term as an alternative to “&lit. clue” which he regarded as pretentious jargon that did not align with his vision of explaining clues “in plain language”. In those early days, we used the terms all-in-one and semi-all-in-one in place of &lit. and semi-&lit. respectively. Over the years, this term seems to have acquired a broader meaning – perhaps through uninformed usage by more recent members to the community who inferred its meaning without knowing its origin – and I now see it being applied to other types of clues that, similar to &lit clues, don’t have distinct definition and wordplay components such as cryptic definitions and even acrostic clues. Thus it would seem that it is no longer a precise term for one particular type of clue but has become an umbrella term for a collection of clue types. I know it is unlikely that the hands of time can be rolled back, so – ironically – it would appear that if one wishes to be precise when discussing &lit. clues, one must fall back on the very term that Big Dave strove to avoid.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a Policeman seizing husband’s helicopter (7)
CHOPPER — insert the genealogical abbreviation for husband into a slang term for policeman
5a Gear or smack (7)
CLOBBER — double definition
9a Ruined ancestral city (9)
LANCASTER — an anagram (ruined) of ANCESTRAL
10a Mike leaves lucky charm for racecourse (5)
ASCOT — remove the letter represented by Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet from a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck
11a Sorrowful, having lost fine hat (5)
BERET — remove the pencil symbol for fine from a synonym for sorrowful
12a Detectives overlook nearly everyone, getting the sack (9)
DISMISSAL — string together the pluralized abbreviation for senior police detectives, overlook or fail to notice, and all but the final letter (nearly) of another word for everyone
13a Jaguar perhaps in Guiana distressed nation (9)
NICARAGUA — insert what Jaguar is an example of (think highways, not jungles) into an anagram (distressed) of GUIANA
16a Makes a mistake, having knocked back small beer (5)
SLIPS — start by prefixing the clothing label symbol for small to a light lager beer; then reverse (having knocked back) the result
17a Church council initially suspended your nice old deacon (5)
SYNOD — the initial letters of the final five words of the clue
18a Vegetable sauces introduced by a health resort (9)
ASPARAGUS — Italian sauces preceded by (introduced by) the A from the clue and a health resort
20a Learning of English coin, Oscar breaks in (9)
EDUCATION — link together the single letter for English, an old European gold or silver coin, and finally the letter represented by Oscar in the NATO phonetic alphabet enveloped by IN from the clue
23a Show disapproval before it’s over for the whole orchestra (5)
TUTTI — an exclamation of mild disapproval followed by a reversal (…’ over) of IT
25a Saw American teen oddly getting into D&D (5)
DATED — place the single letter for American and the odd-numbered sequence of letters (oddly) from TEEN between two instances of the letter D
26a Too dense to grasp page’s pointy stick (9)
TOOTHPICK — a (3,5) expression meaning “too dense” containing (to grasp) the academic footnote abbreviation for page
27a Standard dirty look in reception room (7)
PARLOUR — a standard of performance (in particular, on a golf course) and a dirty look or menacing scowl
28a In a fury, endlessly deny tragedy (7)
ENRAGED — remove the first and last letters (endlessly) from the two final words of the clue
Down
1d Shakespearean character in cabal going rogue (7)
CALIBAN — an anagram (going rogue) of the two words preceding the indicator
2d Person in possession of narcotic drug shaving head (5)
OWNER — remove the initial letter (shaving head) from a calming narcotic
3d Very drunk, with a coat on? (9)
PLASTERED — double definition, the latter being cryptic (think building construction)
4d Judged sweetheart taking temperature the wrong way (5)
RATED — insert the physics symbol for temperature into a pet name and reverse the result (the wrong way)
5d Scrap hard, ordered cheat (4-5)
CARD-SHARP — an anagram (ordered) of the first two words of the clue
6d African native agreed on a ratio in maths (5)
OKAPI — weld together a concise way to say agreed or approved, the A from the clue, and a maths ratio used in the determination of circular areas
7d Supports political faction’s court motion (9)
BACKSWING — glue together supports or is in favour of and a general term for a political faction; for court, think athletes rather than barristers
8d Scares starlet, upset (7)
RATTLES — an anagram (upset) of STARLET
14d Leader caught on channel with old Republican (9)
CONDUCTOR — affix in order the cricket scorecard symbol for caught, ON from the channel, a channel that might be anatomical in nature, and abbreviations for old and Republican
15d Happy I set up list for film (9)
GLADIATOR — line up happy or pleased, the I from the clue, and a reversal (set up) of a duty list
16d What transports patient from Chester extremely resistant to change (9)
STRETCHER — an anagram (to change) of CHESTER and the outside letters (extremely) of RESISTANT
17d Occasionally, supreme Northern Irish politicians gain momentum (5,2)
SPEED UP — an alternating sequence of letters (occasionally) from SUPREME followed by the abbreviation for a Northern Ireland political party
19d Avoided silence, annoyed (7)
SHIRKED — a brief admonition for silence and a synonym of annoyed
21d Briefly check oxygen’s sound (5)
AUDIO — remove the final letter (briefly) from a synonym for check or verify and append the chemical symbol for oxygen in its place
22d European shortly heads north to find something a hangman needs (5)
NOOSE — join together the single letter for European and shortly or before long; then reverse the result (heads north in a down clue)
24d Lean on grand item (5)
THING — lean or slender and the abbreviation for grand in mobster lingo
My favourite clue today is the non-judicial court motion at 7d.
Quickie pun:: TICKER + MARSALA = TIKKA MASALA
On This Day …
… in 2023, the Beatles topped the UK charts with their single, ‘Now and Then’, making them the act with the longest gap between their first and last No.1’s. Sixty years after ‘From Me to You’ topped the charts, Sir Paul McCartney said: “It’s blown my socks off!” ‘Now and Then’ became this century’s fastest-selling vinyl single, according to the Official Charts Company. Its first bars were written by John Lennon in 1978, and the song was refined in stages by the then three remaining Beatles over a nearly three decade period beginning in 1995.
The song originated as a ballad that John Lennon wrote and recorded around 1977 as a solo home demo but left unfinished. After Lennon’s death in 1980, the song was considered for inclusion in the Beatles’ 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology but, due to production difficulties, it was shelved for nearly three decades until it was completed by his surviving bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, using overdubs and guitar tracks by George Harrison (who died in 2001) from the abandoned 1995 sessions. The final version features additional lyrics by McCartney. Lennon’s voice was extracted from the original demo tapes using machine learning–assisted audio restoration technology.
A great start to the week although it did put up a bit of a fight. I didn’t know the word at 23a and putting the answer to 16d in 15d didn’t help. I had a number of ticks on the paper but my favourite and COTD is 18a and its vegetable sauces.
Thank you, setter for the Monday fun. Thank you, Falcon for the hints.
I have an echocardiogram appointment tomorrow so won’t be around during the day.
Good luck tomorrow
Good luck for tomorrow, Steve.
Ditto.
Best wishes for that Steve, my wife had one yesterday and she was in and out in about half an hour. I have lost count of how many I have had. Hope it doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
I had one too Steve and if for any reason they find something there’s lots they can do – also the technicians at our hospital have strict orders not to say anything to patients afterwards,
Good luck from me too.
All the best Steve
Belated best wishes for tomorrow Steve.
Good luck Steve. One of the many tests my husband has had that revealed no problems. . Hope yoursgoes well
Good luck tomorrow Steve. I recently had the trifecta – EKG, echocardiogram and nuclear stress test so understand your trepidation. Hope yours is all good news.
🤞 Steve
I had one of those recently. Takes about 40 minutes. No result on the day but eventually got a report from the consultant which was obviously full of medical terms. One of my sons ran it through chatgbt to make sense of it. Good luck
A very gentle and enjoyable intro to the week. I have many ticks on my page including the odd splodge of marmalade given a breakfast time solve. Out of the mess and plethora of options I’ll pick a podium of 6d, 23a and 13a in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Falcon
Hurray for Monday! TVM setter for the fun and Falcon for being there in case of need. Good luck Steve with your angiogram. As a long-term cardiac patient – been there, done that!
Sorry Steve, I meant to say echocardiogram but good luck anyway.
Good morning. This was a read and fill from the outset. The Shakespearean character at 1d is new for me but two attempts at spelling got me there in the end. Stil struggling with Saturday`s with 2 remaining. Thanks for the review and to the setter.
Re 1d, I needed two attempts as well.
I had to swap characters 4 and 6.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
A very pleasant start to the week that didn’t cause any problems.
I’ll be impressed if any of you know what D&D means. I only know as my son is completely hooked on it. It’s Dungeons and Dragons.
5a is such a great word as is 23a (I use the expression ‘the whole 23a’ at every given opportunity)
My podium is 1a, 23a and 25a.
MT to X-Type (?) and Falcs.
1*/4*
So D&D is not an abbreviation for Drunk and Disorderly?
For people of a certain age, it most certainly is….hic!
I recall playing D&D as a fantasy RPG many decades ago, back when I was 11 or 12 years old: reams of paper, books and many-sided dice. Great fun, but something I was happy to grow out of when I discovered girls, fresh air, girls, sports, girls …
Our local all-girls’ school has a lunchtime D&D club, so clearly it is something that girls like too!
At least, I presume they meet to playing dungeons and dragons — I’ve noted Senf’s alternative expansion above, but don’t think that’s something there’d been an official school club for …
D&D is an interesting one.
He is sadly on his PC a huge amount, playing it three or times a week, with different groups, after work which isn’t the way forward. But, he’s met lots of like-minded people who are now his friends (including a few women) which is obviously a good thing.
Unfortunately, most of them are remote. So, he meets them every quarter/half.
He is a man of many talents and is a brilliant actor but that’s not getting a look-in at the moment.
It is most certainly different times which I don’t see changing for a while.
Misjudged your son’s age, Tom – apologies for any offence, none was intended.
Smylers – D&D has clearly come a long way in the last 45+ years! Glad to hear it’s moved on to gain a broader appeal and I’m sure it would be unrecognisable to me now.
No problem, MG.
I’m still reeling from your mightily impressive routine (daily, was it?) of girls, fresh air (come up for some), girls, sports and girls, you smooth operator, you.
Rather more straightforward than some recent Mondays and I thought I might be heading for a PB before being held up for a few minutes in the Home Counties. Good fun though and I nominate 16a as my COTD, not least because I struggled to see it for a while. Thanks very much to the setter and to Falcon.
Very gentle and very enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Falcon.
Top clues for me were 28a, 3d and 7d.
I can confirm Falcon’s view that BD introduced the term ‘all-in-one clue’ as a more understandable alternative to ‘&Lit clue’. An all-in-one clue is one where every word is used for both the definition and the wordplay. BD’s advice on how to determine whether a clue is an all-in-one was:
The best way to check whether a clue qualifies is to cross out all of the elements of the wordplay. If nothing is left, then reread the clue to see if all of it defines the answer.
Thanks for this Gazza. I did wonder what Falcon meant being a relative newbie to this blog, and think I understand now.
Only vaguely recalled the subhuman fella in The Tempest so he needed confirmation but otherwise straightforward & an enjoyable start to the new week. Podium places (in no particular order) for 26a + 7&15d.
Thanks to the setter & to Falcon – re the term (& I was guilty last Tuesday) all-in-one Chris Lancaster, our esteemed editor, deals with the subject on page 91 of his excellent How To Solve A Cryptic Crossword.
Strangely, the solving of this enjoyable Monday challenge seemed to take longer than it actually did – 1.5″/4*
Candidates for favourite- 18a, 23a, 26a, and 19d – and the winner is 23a.
Thanks to, presumably, X-Type, or whomsoever if it is not he, and thanks to Falcon.
An enjoyable and light piece of Monday morning mental stimulation. Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
0.5*/4*. A very light and very enjoyable Monday puzzle which was reminiscent of the Monday puzzles of yore.
18a was my favourite of many ticked clues.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon.
RD, so many of us talk of enjoyment of DT puzzles in days of yore but, as I have previously said, ‘fings ain’t wot they used to be’.
A gentle and enjoyable puzzle for a rainy Monday. Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Like others, I found this straightforward and most enjoyable.
I confess to not knowing 1d, but it was fairly clued.
Most of my ticks seem to be for the Across clues:
1a, 9a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 26a and 7d.
Good fun.
TY setter and Falcon.
Fun while it lasted. Thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the review which I shall now check out
Seem to have got well behind this morning so a late solve for me – just as well it was reasonably straightforward! Top three here were 18a plus 7&24d.
Thanks to our setter, X-Type sounds right to me, and to Falcon in the snowy reaches for the review.
* / **
Light and friendly. Was disappointed in myself for reading and writing 6d so quickly using ‘on’ from the clue. Didn’t stop to think of ‘ok’, which is blindingly obvious so probably generated my fastest ever technical DNF!!!!!
Never heard of the character in 1d and so just guessed the order of the vowels (all the unchecked were vowels) and happened to get it right. As I didn’t want to Google it, I guess I’m not overly enamoured with that.
Ticks went to the 26a pointy stick and the 7d court motion.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Gentle crossword and a pleasure to work through. North east corner was the last in and delighted by 6 down which had seemed impenetrably difficult. Thanks to all involved..
After what I found was a rather difficult weekend of Prize Cryptic puzzles, I was glad for this Monday offering. It’s been a strained weekend for us with lots going on.
1.5*/4* for me toda
Favourites were aplenty today with 1a, 12a, 13a, 20a & 26a — with winner 26a
Smiles from 1a, 5a, 9a & 22d.
Thanks to setter & Falcon
A lovely gentle start to the week. Goodness knows why I thought that startle was the answer to 8 down – ah yes, because it’s an anagram of starlet and means scare but not scares….once that silly error was sorted, it was pretty well R & W.
The other day I had an e- mail asking for me to subscribe to Big Dave’s Crossword Blog, I just want to check if this is a scam or if I should open it up ? Sorry if I sound impertinent or mean but it is just that I have been scammed in the past and it makes me a little wary.
Definately a scam. Don’t follow the links.
A pleasant Monday solve. Thanks to XType(?) and Falcon for the blog.
Thanks to the Setter and Falcon. As per usual we sat down to the puzzle later than most. Quick and easy solve as its Monday. COTD 26a Loi 27a.
Pretty straightforward apart from 1d but even that was fairly clued. Light but enjoyable. Favourite was 18a. Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
I solved this fun and straightforward little gem early this morning then forgot to comment, so thanks to our setter and Falcon.
A very pleasant puzzle which I enjoyed. Strangely I also enjoyed the really chewy puzzle on Friday, so it just goes to show that thecevel of enjoyment one gets from a puzzle is not dependent on thedifficulty of the clues. I liked the Lego geographical clue at 13a and the Lego film clue at 15d. The 1d Shakespeare character was clever too. Thanks to the compiler and to Falcon for the clues
First time solve for a Monday puzzle for ages. Surprised myself as the grid was slowly filled in. Now the rain is falling as Mahler’s Third blasts out from the stereo to balance out the day towards dusk.
Hope Liz doesn’t get back from Craft Club at the village hall before the final movement ends. Liked 1d, did the play for ‘O’ level and 8d if only for the fact that Simon is the conductor of the said Mahler.
Thanks to Falcon and the setter for making it a happy Monday.
I did The Tempest for O level Eng Lit, together with Paradise Lost and Lord of The Flies. I didn’t enjoy any of them but manage a pass somehow.
Today’s puzzle was a welcome relief after the struggles of the previous few days. Lots to enjoy but 5A hit me as the best!
Thanks to setter and hinter.
Hope you had an uninterrupted ending to the Mahler! It’s a very grand and moving finale.
24d Lean on grand item (5)
GRAND — lean or slender and the abbreviation for grand in mobster lingo
should be
Thin g
Oops! Thanks for bringing it to my attention. The faux pas has now been corrected
A reasonably straightforward solve although I did get held up in the NE corner, trying to think of African tribes/races rather than zoology! Also struggled a bit with 21d until the thought of accountancy came into my mind. So a good start to the week, especially with the 3-0 demolition of Liverpool yesterday.
COTD for me today was 7d, had me thinking of bewigged people at the Old Bailey rather than Wimbledon.
Thank you to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
You weren’t alone with tribes & Rumpole
So relieved to find this lovely puzzle waiting for me this morning as I was close to giving up cryptics yesterday. Thanks to Steve Cowling, Madflower and Manders for their words of encouragement. Only fell at 3 today, 1a because my Shakespeare knowledge is limited to anything not Falstaff, 25a because I had no idea what on earth D&D is (clearly a sheltered life), and 23a was new to me. So big thank you to the setter for restoring my confidence and to Gazza. The cold weather that has brought snow to Ottawa is being a refreshing cool front to South Florida tomorrow when I shall have to consider bring my orchids inside temporarily, at least those in bud. It’s nearly cool enough today to have the windows open 😊.
It was Falcon who provided the hints.
Yes, just realized after it was too late to amend. Sorry Falcon 🙁.
Keep it up BL, you are on a roll!!
An enjoyable solve which was leading to a speedy ending but got delayed with 23a. I decided to take a gamble and having checked with Mr Google I was right. Many thanks to the setter for giving me a satisfying start to the week and to Falcon, especially for the Beatles video.
Steve try not to worry overnight about the upcoming test. Some deep yoga breaths and relax. We will be thinking of you and wishing you well.
I thoroughly enjoyed completing this puzzle this morning, 7d was my last one in as I was completing in the wrong court. The rest fell into place nicely and I had no single favourite as it was all good fun.
Many thanks to the setter and to Falcon for the hints.
While it has nothing to do with today’s puzzle (apart from my intro), I thought I might share with you that Canada has now made football (soccer) a winter sport (unfortunately too late to make it into the next Winter Olympics in February). Yesterday, Athlético Ottawa won the Canadian Premier League championship game in extra time in a driving snow storm here in Ottawa. The game was played with an orange ball for visibility and had to be paused to clear snow off the field. Apparently, goalkeepers were provided with snow shovels to keep the goal area free of snow.
Love it, especially the goalie’s shovel……and what a great goal!
You can see why it was a summer sport.
Superb goal, btw.
Apparently this type of goal is commonly known as a “bicycle goal” (alluding to the kicking motion involved, I presume) but the media have dubbed this one “the icicle goal” .
Icicle goal is brilliant!
Oops! got the term wrong*. It is bicycle kick/icicle kick (not goal).
*Not only did I get the term wrong but the video went viral on every imaginable platform around the world so I am reminded of my error everywhere I turn.
Was it better than Doku’s goal against Liverpool yesterday?
I got my annual renewal for the telegraph today £379
I rang to cancel. We can do it for £119 she said.
Just cancel it I said.
Ended up at £69. It’s the same as the Black Friday deal I got last year. Always worth a go!
Nice puzzle Thanks to setter and Falcon
Just goes to show how they try and rip their customers off. 😡
Had a little battle with this crozzie this afternoon and evening but got there in the end without assistance – although afterwards I had to check the vowel order of 1d as I had never heard of the creature. LOI and COTD 7d for the construction, misdirection and surface. Thanks to setter and Falcon. */***
I live five miles from 9a and prior to that lived 5 miles from 10a! A really enjoyable Monday solve.
Thanks to the setter and Falcon.
Good luck Steve, I’ve just had an echocardiogram.Less than 5 weeks later I had two stent put in . Thanks to all .21a my favourite
Good evening.
Nice and straightforward today! My braincell needed that after wrangling with Friday’s crozzie, and not managing to so much as glance at one over the weekend. On grandbaby duty, so busy, busy, busy!
Many thanks to our setter and to Falcon.
1* / 4* Excellent start to the week, no problems apart from the Shakespearean character, which I’m pleased to see I’m not the only one who didn’t know it.
Favourites 7d court motion, 5a gear and 11a hat
Thanks to Falcon and setter
Thank you everyone for wishing me good luck for tomorrow. I really appreciate it and this is such a caring and friendly blog. However, it’s not the test that bothers me more than the result.
Steve, keep the faith. Good luck.
2*/4* ….
liked 7D “Supports political faction’s court motion (9)”
Ooops, I started this last night and thought I’d clicked on to yesterday’s puzzle, but somehow the Puzzles site served me this one and I didn’t noticed until I tried to check one of Falcon’s hints and found them to be for a completely different set of clues!
Anyway, however it happened, I’m glad it did: this was fantastic, one of my favourite backpagers of the year, with 10 clues on my shortlist of potential favourites (which I’m not going to bother to type out here, given how few will now both read this and remember the crossword in question!), but I’ll go for the too-dense 25a as my favourite. Massive thanks to the setter.
Thank to you Falcon for explaining the type of court in 7d, which until then had me baffled, and confirming the 20a coin and the 27a dirty look. I got lucky with the vowels in 4d, stumbling across the right answer first time.
Well, your comment did not go entirely unnoticed; at least one person has read it.