Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31339
Hints and tips by Huntsman
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BD Rating – Difficulty * Enjoyment ****
Well it’s been a damp start to the day here in Harpenden and there seems to be plenty more to come. Fortunately tomorrow looks ok for ⛳️ which I’m looking forward to having shot my lowest gross score for 3 years yesterday – no doubt a freakish aberration.
Today we have the usual gentle Tuesday puzzle from Anthony Plumb which as ever is nicely clued throughout & very enjoyable. I thought it a little trickier than yesterday so I’ll be interested to see what others make of it.
Ray T is on duty over in t’other place with a very gentle anagram free Beamer that really isn’t more, if at all, difficult than this one so well worth having a stab at. Whybird is on hand with some afternoon tunes & to provide a nudge if required.
As usual there is a selection of music to enjoy or ignore.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED & the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons. Please leave a comment below telling us what you thought & how you got on with the puzzle.
Across
1a Rap over the knuckles? This could make gent ill (7-3)
TELLING OFF: we start with a reverse anagram – GENT ILL is the fodder then think of a suitable indicator.
6a Prevent beer bellies returning (4)
STOP: reverse (returning) an informal term for large stomachs caused by too much ale.
10a Prison’s thieves (5)
NICKS: a double definition – the former plural rather than possessive.
11a Cautioned about training (9)
EDUCATION: an anagram (about) of CAUTIONED.
12a Beginning to shed a bit of hair? Edward’s worried (8)
STRESSED: S[hed] (beginning to) + the term for a lock, curl or ringlet of hair & a diminutive for Edward.
13a Cheers the Parisian’s stories (5)
TALES: another informal way of saying cheers or thanks + the French definite article used before any plural nouns.
15a Go for scheme I’d oddly dismissed (7)
PROCEED: an adjective meaning ‘for’/in favour of followed by the alternate letters (oddly dismissed) of the 3rd & 4th words in the clue.
17a Editor rejected request for lecture (7)
DECLAIM: reverse (rejected) the usual abbreviation for the 30a boss + a synonym for request.
19a Regretting keeping small hotel running (7)
RUSHING: insert (keeping) the single letter abbreviation for S[mall] & H[otel] (NATO alphabet) into a gerund verb synonym for regretting.
21a Essentially political motive for crime (7)
TREASON: the central letter (essentially) of [poli]T[ical] + a synonym for motive.
22a The chap’s enthralled by court case (5)
CHEST: insert (enthralled by) a third-person pronoun + the possessive into the usual two letter abbreviation for court.
24a Typical celebrity – eating and drinking, primarily (8)
STANDARD: place AND from the clue (eating) inside another word for a celebrity then append D[rinking] (primarily). Neat surface & easy to miss the wordplay on the first read of the clue.
27a Dancing at nude rave, wanting a thrilling experience (9)
ADVENTURE: an anagram (dancing) of [a]T NUDE RAVE (wanting/less A).
28a Gran? Not an awful cook (5)
GRILL: GR[an] (not AN) + maybe not the first synonym to spring to mind for awful but ok I guess if answering a query as to how one is feeling.
29a Comfort guy scratching head (4)
EASE: remove the first letter (scratching head) from AP’s oft used verb synonym for ‘guy’.
30a Wraps pens we damaged, but not with rags (10)
NEWSPAPERS: an anagram (damaged) of [w] RAPS PENS WE (less/not W[ith]).
Down
1d Can opener in your mini (4)
TINY: another word for a can + Y[our] (opener in).
2d Places old cat gets surrounded by big ones (9)
LOCATIONS: O[ld] + CAT from the clue are inserted into (surrounded by) the plural of the 2nd largest of the wild cat species.
3d Children in the US signed up (5)
ISSUE: hidden in reverse (in/up)
4d Judged client in audition (7)
GUESSED: a homophone (in audition) of client in the context of hotel resident or restaurant customer maybe. The definition context is estimated rather than passed judgement on.
5d Discovered half of shed is built (7)
FOUNDED: an adjective meaning discovered + [sh]ed (half of).
7d Test result finally upset Den (5)
TRIAL: [resul]T (finally) + a reversal (upset/down clue) of a den/animal home or haunt for humans.
8d Nine thumps? Barbaric chastisement (10)
PUNISHMENT: an anagram (barbaric – I await Tom’s verdict) of NINE THUMPS.
9d I caught husband coated in adhesive mixture (8)
PASTICHE: I from the clue + the cricket abbreviation for C[aught] & the genealogical single letter for H[usband] are surrounded by (coated in) a type of adhesive.
14d Be aware of rise in value (10)
APPRECIATE: a double definition.
16d Being cross with one pop star after end of performance (8)
EXISTING: the letter that can represent a cross/multiplication sign + the Roman numeral letter for one followed by the Geordie ex-policeman are all preceded by (after) [performanc]E (end of). Neat surface.
18d Confident vet raises cuckoo (9)
ASSERTIVE: an anagram (cuckoo) of VET RAISES.
20d Wave perhaps gets moving on river (7)
GESTURE: an anagram (moving) of GETS + a river in N Yorkshire that flows into the Ouse.
21d Teacher initially goes on about student trips (7)
TRAVELS: T[eacher] (initially) + a verb meaning goes on/praises wildly or rants into which the usual single letter is inserted (about).
23d The King’s constrained by tunnel vision (5)
ELVIS: hidden (constrained by) – and here’s the Carl Perkins song that was track 1 off the debut album that kicked it all off.
25d Follow mother’s teaching (5)
DOGMA: follow/track + an informal term for mother.
26d Festivity’s no good, regrettably (4)
ALAS: remove the single letter for G[ood] from a type of festivity – plural or with the possessive.
My picks of the clues today would be 1&24a together with 2,9&16d. Please let us know which ones ticked your boxes.
Today’s Quick crossword pun: BOY + ALL + SLAW = BOYLE’S LAW
I’ve been working my way through the entire Black Keys discography since seeing them last week. Most lists of their albums from best to worst have Turn Blue ranked very low but I think it may be my favourite. Last week I had Weight of Love & here is another cracking tune from the album.
A typical professorial offering that I found to be somewhat trickier than usual. In fact, I had solved just four after the first pass and then it was slow going until the finish. It was still enjoyable, though, and I have ticks aplenty on the paper. I must admit that I didn’t know the word at 17a meant a lecture so that’s my something learned for the day. I liked the Yorkshire for motive at 21a and this is my COTD.
Thank you, AP for the puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts and Bonamassa.
I wasn’t sure about 17a either!
The BRB gives “To make a set or rhetorical speech”, =lecture?
I’d looked in the smaller red book which has lecture as one of the solutions synonyms.
An early Tuesday solve for me as rain halted my visit to the golf course. This was pretty straightforward in a typical AP manner. Steady, enjoyable fare with the cats at 2d; the nude dancing at 27a and the barbarism at 3d being my pick of the clues.
Thanks to AP and Huntsman.
1*/3*
Another enjoyable front end of the week offering that I found to be broadly on a par with yesterday.
Plenty of straightforward anagrams to get the ball rolling, let’s just hope that the indicators pass muster!
I liked the construction of the 16d cross pop star and the 2d old cat but my COTD award goes to a clever 1a
Thanks to AP for a very smooth puzzle and Huntsman for the hints.
A damp start to the day and so, until it dries up, I shall return to ‘The Dentist’ for an hour.
I literally scampered through this and thought I was on for a personal best but then a couple held me up at the end. Very enjoyable so will now have a look at the Toughie. Summer seems to be over here and it is pretty chilly and drizzling. Thanks to the Professor and Huntsman
No pause for thought in this puzzle, although I did check the 17a lecture, as did SC above.
No particular favourite, although the ‘Typical celebrity eating and drinking…’ sounds about right.
Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.
The old chestnut at 30a had me looking for ages without cottoning on. These rags catch me out every time.
Still an enjoyable puzzle with, for me, a bit of an iffy synonym at 28a.
Thanks to setter and hinter.
As others have said, another gentle puzzle.
Top picks for me were 28a, 21d, 9d and 26d.
Thanks to Huntsman and Mr Plumb.
A tiny step up in difficulty compared to yesterday.
30a LOI – fooled by this again for ages!
Great fun with 9d favourite today.
Thanks to all
I thought for a while I might beat my PB, which was set just yesterday, but I was help up briefly by thinking of the wrong meaning of the definition 30a (I see I was not alone), despite walking past the recently closed Trinity Mirror printworks within the last hour or so. Like our blogger on the golf course, I assume this is just a brief aberration from my normally mediocre form. 1a was my COTD. Thanks very much to AP and to Huntsman. That Black Keys tune is another cracker and I really should give them a listen.
As Typically Tuesdayish as ever – 1.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 24a, 1d, 3d, and 25d – and the winner is 25d with an HM for the Pun.
Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.