Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31245
Hints and Tips by Senf
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BD Rating – Difficulty 1.5* – Enjoyment 5*
A very good Thursday morning from Winnipeg where, while there is extreme heat and violent storms to the East of Manitoba, we are still waiting for Spring to start, this weekend perhaps, and it is supposed to be Summer in a months time!
For me, and I stress for me© (I have to say that for Terence), once again not half of a Dream Team Thursday, Silvanus was on Toughie duty yesterday, but no doubt that this is the work of a very benevolent Master of Brevity and, same as last week, there is not an error in my Difficulty rating. The usual one word clues and answers in the Quickie, and an appearance from the Queen but no swEetheart appearing in the back pager with an average of 4.97 words per clue. 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 – 11a, 17a, 27a, 14d, and 26d.
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 American elector gutted seeing exploiter (4)
USER: The standard two letters for American and ElectoR with the interior letters removed (gutted).
4a Drunk in club ultimately having runs? (9)
BLADDERED: The last letter (ultimately) of cluB and a term for having runs (in hosiery).
10a Reckless forward tackling defender, finally (9)
IMPRUDENT: A synonym of forward containing (tackling) the last letter (finally) of defendeR.
11a Country is unwelcoming, reportedly (5)
CHILE: A homophone (reportedly) of a synonym of unwelcoming.
12a Tweet involving hearts gives pleasure (6)
THRILL: A synonym of tweet, when it is not a text message, containing (involving) the single letter for Hearts as a card suit.
13a Hamlet is low admitting delay (7)
VILLAGE: Nothing to do with Old Bill Shakes, a synonym of low, as a personal characteristic, containing (admitting) a synonym of delay.
16a Swindle participant in chess game (4)
ROOK: A double definition – the second is a piece.
17a One good worker in sea vessel (10)
BRIGANTINE: All of the Roman numeral for one, the single letter for Good, and a six legged worker inserted into a synonym of sea (which I am used to seeing with a different last letter).
20a Unusually tender name for sweetheart? (10)
ENDEARMENT: Not Ray T’s swEetheart – an anagram (unusually) of TENDER NAME.
21a Lifeless backup covering Queen (4)
ARID: A synonym of backup containing (covering) the Latin single letter for Queen.
23a People taking great interest? (7)
USURERS: Perhaps those who are like Old Bill Shakes’ Shylock?
25a Bum support around horse, some say? (6)
BEGGAR: A synonym of support containing (around) two letters that sound like (some say) an informal term for a horse.
28a Illness mother’s bearing quietly (5)
MUMPS: A synonym of mother and the contraction ‘S containing (bearing) the letter for musically quiet.
29a Persuades using lies given freely (9)
INVEIGLES: An anagram (using . . . freely) of LIES GIVEN.
30a Undertook a journey tense, then unwound (9)
TRAVELLED: The single letter for Tense followed by (then) a synonym of unwound (which can also be a synonym of an antonym of unwound).
31a Part of semester, maybe (4)
TERM: A lurker (part of) found in two words in the clue.
Down
2d Invalid fed soup or something nutritious (9)
SUPERFOOD: An anagram (invalid) of FED SOUP OR.
3d Capital of Russia? (6)
ROUBLE: Not the capital of Russia but what you might spend in the capital.
4d Dough, we hear, is raised (4)
BRED: A homophone (we hear) of a synonym of (edible) dough.
5d Cutting cord in a hospital department (10)
ASTRINGENT: A synonym of cord inserted into (in) A from the clue and a three letter hospital department.
6d Small bird diving round lake (8)
DUCKLING: A synonym of diving containing (around) the single letter for Lake.
7d Regretting United being in League (5)
RUING: The single letter for United contained (being in) by a synonym of league (as a group).
8d Document read up and down (4)
DEED: A palindromic (read up and down) usually legal document.
9d Troubled brutes did wrong (9)
DISTURBED: An anagram (wrong) of BRUTES DID.
14d Original Victorian gold ring (10)
PRIMORDIAL: A four letter term that is used to describe Victorian behaviour, heraldic gold, and a synonym or ring (when using an ‘ancient’ telephone).
15d Possibly crown the man before speech (9)
HEADDRESS: The third person pronoun equivalent to the man placed before a synonym of speech.
18d Abnormal urge with liar turning Republican (9)
IRREGULAR: An anagram (turning) of URGE and (with) LIAR followed by the single letter for Republican.
19d Aggressor calculatingly holding up game (8)
LACROSSE: A reverse lurker (holding up) found in two words in the clue.
22d Snooze hiding one’s face (6)
RESIST: A synonym of snooze containing (hiding) the Roman numeral for one and the ‘S.
24d Initially South American music, Brazilian actually (5)
SAMBA: The first letters (initially) of five words in the clue.
26d Skip start of Open University (4)
OMIT: The first letter (start) of Open and the three letter abbreviated name of a university (in the ‘other’ Cambridge, but not the ‘other other’ Cambridge in Ontario).
27d Passionate prima donna is upset (4)
AVID: The reversal (is upset) of a single word term equivalent to prima donna.
Quick Crossword Pun:
MAID + MAR + AEON = MAID MARIAN
This was a smashing RayTeaser and I finished it before my coffee became cold. All the usual trademarks were present although sweetheart was used differently. I liked the use of “Victorian” in 14d and the reverse lurker at 19d was well hidden. I tried to think of different calculations and games they could be holding to make an aggressor. Great misdirection. I’ve not heard of the word for drunk at 4a or, if I have, I’ve forgotten it. My COTD is the good worker in the sea at 17a.
Thank you, RayT for the puzzle. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
I Wordled in 2 today with my start word being BLAND. Pure fluke, of course. 😀
Senf, the first word in the pun is wrong. 😊
Oh, we do love getting Wordle in two, SC. Yes, we do.
Getting it after bland is outrageous!
I made the mistake of copying you Steve only to find only one correct letter in the wrong place! Managed it in 5 eventually. Amazed you got it in 2 from that start.
An excellent guzzle from himself and quite patchy I thought – some easy anagrams but a peppering of trickier clues including 14&22d the former being my LOI. Thanks to our hinter – I needed him to understand 13a and 5d. A great Thursday.
I made heavy work of today’s puzzle. Learned a new word at 29a. 17a is my COTD as it is the name of a restaurant in the South of France that I like very much.
Many thanks to the setter and Senf
A very nice puzzle as noted by SC above. My last one in was the very well disguised lurker at 19d which for once I got by remembering the adage that if all else fails look for a hidden clue. I’d never heard of 17a which slowed me down. My favourite was 4a for the amusing and clever ‘having runs’. The answer was an often used word on the school bus in Manchester 45 years ago! Thank you Senf and setter.
Getting 4a on a school trip, SC? I like your style.
🤣
I needed a bit more time today than is usual for a mid-week puzzle. I wandered off in many directions facing a variety of enjoyable challenges.
4a made me smile. It’s been a few years since the current Mrs P suffered from those runs…in her attire I stress!
I tried to fit a farm animal into 13a
17a would have been more obvious with the word ‘water’ included in the clue.
18d revealed itself once I remembered that when a clue makes no sense look for the lurker, brilliantly disguised.
The solution to 30a revealed a word that I had forgotten had contradictory definitions.
COTD was 14d with 5d as a runner up
Many thanks to the setter and Senf for the hints.
I think you mean 19d, not 18d for the lurker. If so, I whole-heartedly agree – I stared at that for an eternity until I remembered to apply THE RULE. Much kicking of self ensued.
I did indeed, thank you.
I didn’t find this as straightforward as Se nf did, Ray T’s pwrsonal thesurus being in use today. Howver, it was anenjoyable guzzle. There were some particukarly good lego clues,, including the delightful term for drunk at4a, the ship at 17a andthe syynoonym of original at 14d. 8 also liked the reverse lurker at 19d. Thanks to Mr T and to Senf for the hints
I have been absent for the last few days due to my need to renew my annual Thai visa application a stressful process due to the unpredictable application of the rules by the officials involved. I am pleased to report that my stay here has been officially sanctioned for another year.
I usually find this setters puzzles hugely enjoyable but for me today was a chore with little humour and few PDM. I also thought 23A and 3D had very little cryptic element and bordered on pure definitions. It may just be my failing memory but the chess participant in 16A seems to be making a very regular appearance.
A quick Thai corner: There is no blue in Thailand.
The Thais do not have a single word for blue, instead they have unrelated words one of which describes sky blue and the other navy blue. They also do not see them as different shades of the same colour but completely different hues. Google suggests that to help a westerner understand this, it should be pointed out that orange and red are different shades of red but that is not how a westerner understands them.
Thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints. Currently 34 degrees here on the patio with the fan on full speed.
34? As Tony ‘Great!’ Webster would say in Reggie Perrin….Sweatsville, Arizona.
I hear we in Blighty are in for a sweaty one this w/e with talk of 27 or 28 degrees which is bonkers for May.
Love the blue story, ‘Thai’ke.
34? As Tony ‘Great!’ Webster would say in Reggie Perrin….Sweatsville, Arizona.
“Super” as his colleague would reply!
I’m sure CJ didn’t get where he is today by having 34 degrees!!!!!
Gentle today and very entertaining. Did not finish because I thought 25 across might be to do with horse tackle that supported a saddle. The other reason was I needed time to do my hair for granddaughter’s graduation. Great start to what might be a non rainy day in London
Many thanks to our setter and Senf for much needed help.
Good luck with the graduation, D. How exciting.
Grandma is going to her granddaughter’s graduation.
We love an alliteration.
Grr…
I’m in the camp that found this tougher going than some Ray T puzzles although after a storming start I thought it might be otherwise. 19d was my LOI, despite telling myself that there had to be a lurker in there somewhere. I have no idea where I dredged 17a up from. 14d was my COTD, being cleverly constructed. Thanks very much to RT and to Senf.
A very nice, friendly crossword from one of our favourite setters. There were plenty of fun clues and some gentle humour. My pick of the day was 17a for the concise wordplay and great surface.
My thanks to Mr T and Senf.
I’m in the trickier than usual camp & the solve just edged into ** time principally due to brain fog with a couple of the pesky wee ones. As ever very entertaining with ticks aplenty & 14d getting my vote as pick of the clues.
I’m off to meet Shabbo for lunch & a couple of scoops at the rather delightful Brocket Arms in Ayot St Lawrence – driving so no requirement to 22d any urge to get 4a.
Thanks to Ray & to Senf.
Ps I found Dharma over in t’other place a distinct step up in difficulty from the previous two days but very worthwhile.
Nice to see RayT here today for his fortnightly trip to the back pager. I must say I found this one a little trickier than I usually do with some of his clues. As always his succinctness and brevity shone through though and I find that always helps me with his precise clueing. Nice to see the queen also popped in too.
1.5*/4.5* for me
Favourites include 13a, 16a, 28a, 4d, 5d & 22d — with winners 13a & 16a
Thanks to RayT & Senf
2*/4.5*. This was almost a 5* except for the dodgy anagram indicator in 2d.
I spent too long trying to parse “plastered” for 4a which fitted the definition and the checkers I had in place.
Senf, I think all of 20a needs to be underlined as it looks to me like an &lit. Sweetheart on its own doesn’t seem to work as a definition.
17a was my favourite.
Many thanks to the master of brevity and to Senf,
No comment on the ‘bum’ in 25a being an Americanism, RD? Not sure what Chambers says, but my dictionary has it marked as a US word.
The BRB classifies bum as (chiefly N Am sl).
Fortnightly Fred rarely disappoints…unlike me.
29a is a great word as is 17a which I dredged up from somewhere. My LOI was 21a which took me into the next time zone.
I didn’t know that the synonym for unwound is a contranym. It reminds me of cleft which is a goodie.
My podium is 23a (love a CD, me), 7d and 14d.
MTTTA and Senf.
3*/4*
Chili, not Haiti !
Hi RW.
I assume you are referring to 11a but I’m not sure what you mean.
Enjoyed that a lot. Slightly chewier than usual for a RayT, and 25a held out for much longer than it should. He really is a master at this style of cryptic puzzle.
Many thanks to RayT and Senf
This was one where I was doing so well until I didn’t and ground to a halt. The SW was my undoing as well as taking far too long going through the Hamlet story trying to find a fit to the checkers until sanity prevailed and I reread the clue, but carefully this time. So another Ray T dnf unaided for me but equally high on enjoyment and frustration. Never heard of the term for a horse at 25a but a version of the answer swapping u for e was a term sister Prawn used on a couple of occasions having been stepped on by her horse. Cotd is 14d. A great word. Thanks to Ray T and Senf
Great puzzle today. Couldn’t work out whether the clue was BUM or BURN on my digital version. Lovely news from you DG yesterday. For fish lovers this great place is about a mile from us and fresh, fresh, fresh!
Me too with burn/bum Manders!
and me
Not sure what happened to my reply to Manders, the original wouldn’t post as it said it was a duplicate. I left the site and returned and it wasn’t there so put something else then both appeared!
Lovely puzzle today. Top picks for me were 4a, 5d, 14d, 15d and 19d.
Thanks to Senf and Ray T.
2* / 4* Lots of cracking misdirection and wit. Last one in like others was the clever 19d.
Favourites the 4a drunk, the 25a bum and the cutting 5d
Many thanks to compiler and Senf
** / ****
1* for the majority and an extra 1* just for 25a and 22d, which together would not reveal themselves and then like busses, both came at once. Knew 29a but not being able to sort the ‘i’ before the ‘e’ rule exception, that too held up 22d. Grateful for the blog to confirm that the part of the answer after the tense can be both a synonym and synonym of an antonym as it didn’t parse otherwise.
Lovely to see “tweet” in 12a not referring to X for once!
Ticks went to the 4a Drunk in club and the runs, the 14d original Victorian and 15d crown.
Lovely stuff from RaT so thanks to him and to Senf
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), as I am a bit dim, the reverse lurker held me up (I never spot ’em), but otherwise a cheery guzzle to solve.
I was too late to express my congratulations yesterday, so… Well done, Daisy!
In what is being described as a tragedy by unbiased observers, I have lost my study again as it is being used a storage facility for about two hundred boxes containing our new kitchen. The old one is being demolished next week, and a new one fitted. A skip is arriving tomorrow.
In December we had two new bathrooms installed. We were told it would take ‘just over a week’. It turned out to be five weeks. So I doubt we shall have peace and quiet again here this side of the World Cup. Bah!
Thanks to RayTee and The Man From Manitoba, waiting for spring to be sprung.
This room is clearly not yours but a storage facility which the châtelaine of the property allows you to use when it is not required for its primary purpose!
So, so true…
My former study/office.
Another in the Burn camp at 25a as a result it was my last one in. All very Ray T like if a bit on his gentler side. Still struggle to derive the same pleasure as most and I can only put it down to a wavelength/sense of humour thing. I don’t know – should be less grumpy as the sun is shining and the sky is blue!
Thanks to the setter and to Senf for blogging