Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31347
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** Enjoyment ***
The additional star I’ve awarded for difficulty today is wholly down to the problems I had with 24a which were largely due to the positioning of the comma. Many thanks to our setter.
In the hints below the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and indicator words (e.g. anagram indicators) are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the Click Here buttons.
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Across
1a Crooks casing large compounds (6)
BLENDS: a synonym of crooks or curves contains (casing) the clothing abbreviation for large.
4a Unexpected communication from officer beginning to disperse around everyone (4,4)
COLD CALL: assemble the abbreviation for a senior army officer, the beginning letter of disperse, a single-letter abbreviation meaning about or approximately and another word for everyone.
9a Each male in animal enclosure is amorous (6)
STEAMY: insert abbreviations for each and male into an animal enclosure.
10a Chilling unknown exotic lager in bottles (8)
RELAXING: a mathematical unknown is contained in (bottles) an anagram (exotic) of LAGER IN.
11a Conifers planted in bit of turf reflected stupidity (8)
DOPINESS: types of coniferous tress are inserted (planted) in the reversal (reflected) of a piece of turf.
13a Energetic person involved in too many deeds to recall (6)
DYNAMO: hidden in the clue (involved in) and reversed (to recall).
15a Uncaring leaders in institute newly swindle with bank fee (13)
INCONSIDERATE: string together the leading letters of Institute Newly, an informal verb to swindle, a synonym of bank (of a river, say) and a word for a fee or charge.
18a Get an old nurse to train healthcare worker (6,7)
DENTAL SURGEON: an anagram (to train) of GET AN OLD NURSE.
22a Group leaves guests, both half-cut (6)
LEAGUE: stick together half of each of the second and third words.
24a Again, move back beside Yorkshire river (8)
REAROUSE: this caused me more difficulty than the rest of the puzzle put together. I took a long time to twig the definition because of the confusingly positioned comma – a lesson in the need to ignore punctuation when parsing. We just need to put together a synonym of back or hind part and a 4-letter Yorkshire river.
26a Getting round backtracking editor, this writer’s very cocky (8)
IMMODEST: around the reversal (backtracking) of our usual abbreviated editor are the contracted form of ‘this writer is) from the setter’s viewpoint and an adverb meaning ‘very’ or exceedingly.
27a Those sorting things when king’s involved in difficulties (6)
FIXERS: the single-letter abbreviation for king is contained (involved, for the second time) in an informal word for difficulties or predicaments.
28a Foreign lover once learnt to adapt (8)
EXTERNAL: our usual word for a ‘lover once’ and an anagram (to adapt) of LEARNT.
29a Timely training following school function (6)
PROMPT: the abbreviation for physical training follows a ball at the end of a school year for those students leaving.
Down
1d Insect circles as bird regularly skipped by (6)
BESIDE: a hard-working insect contains (circles) alternate (regularly skipped) letters of ‘as bird’.
2d Politician overcoming resistance in effort for immunity (9)
EXEMPTION: start with a word for effort or strain then replace (overcoming) the abbreviation for electrical resistance with that of our usual elected politician.
3d Hellish music from unsigned artist, pleasant when cut short (7)
DEMONIC: a word for a musical recording made to show an artist’s potential and an adjective meaning pleasant without its last letter (cut short).
5d Take away tips from frank individuals (4)
ONES: remove the outer letters (tips) from an adjective meaning frank or truthful.
6d Wow! Edam and rye crackers (5,2)
DEARY ME: an anagram (crackers) of EDAM RYE.
7d Listened to a smarter lady (5)
ANITA: a homophone (listened to) of A and a comparative meaning smarter or tidier.
8d Ears bear piercings (8)
LUGHOLES: a verb to bear or carry and another word for bodily piercings.
12d Asset abroad concealing name is most sensible (6)
SANEST: an anagram (abroad) of ASSET containing the abbreviation for name.
14d Frenchman‘s blunder filling pastry (6)
PIERRE: a verb to blunder goes inside (filling) a baked pastry.
16d Article amused an eccentric endlessly (2,7)
AD NAUSEAM: one of our indefinite articles is followed by an anagram (eccentric) of AMUSED AN.
17d Singer from Tottenham accepts help somewhere in Australia (8)
ADELAIDE: a singer originally from Tottenham who’s known just by her forename contains a synonym of help.
19d American left-wing student group turned into fragmented parts (7)
ASUNDER: start with an abbreviation for American then reverse (turned) a colourful adjective meaning left-wing and the abbreviation for the students’ union.
20d Former husband of countess that is close to her (7)
EARLIER: the title of the husband of a countess (one of whom is all over the news this morning for his spat with the King) followed by the abbreviation for ‘that is’ and the closing letter of her.
21d Debt is rent for accommodation (6)
BEDSIT: an anagram (rent) of DEBT IS.
23d Own hands moist, now and again (5)
ADMIT: regular letters (now and again) from ‘hands moist’.
25d Like upcoming commercial for supermarket (4)
ASDA: an adverb meaning like or ‘in the manner of’ and the reversal (upcoming, in a down clue) of an abbreviated commercial.
I liked 26a and 2d. Which one(s) did the job for you?
The Quick Crossword pun: THIN + KINK + APP = THINKING CAP
A most enjoyable challenge which, on completion, had me rummaging around the back of my sock drawer until I found a half-crown and a florin which together say that this is the smooth work of Silvanus – 3*/4.5*
I understand that in recent years the 29a school function may have ‘crossed the Pond’.
Candidates for favourite – 9a, 15a, 24a, 7d, 14d, 20d, 25d, and an HM for the Pun – and the winner is 7d,
Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever if my 22½p goes down the drain, and to Gazza.
I thought that was quite tough for a Thursday with a fairly barren grid after first pass . Switching to the NE got me underway and gave the grey cell time to warm up.
A laugh out loud moment when I arrived at 18a which I assume appears as a form of compensation to Steve C for never having awarded him the mystique? I was a Telecommunications Engineer if one of the setters would be good enough to squeeze that in.
I had a bung in 27a with ‘L’ as the third letter but had to correct it came to parsing.
I liked the uncaring leaders at 15a, the very cocky 26a and singer in 17d.
My COTD is the 2d politician.
Many thanks to the setter and Gazza for today’s hints.
Nothing worse for a Sky Blues fan than losing to the Villa…things are not quite going to plan.
I enjoyed this although I made things difficult for myself for putting Alexa in 7d although it didn’t quite parse. She is though a smart lady in a way.
Top picks for me were 11a, 9a, 1d, 8d and 17d.
Thanks to Gazza and the setter.
Gazza, loved the cartoons. The email is showing all the solutions.
I think it’s my fault that the solutions are showing when you access the blog via the email notification because I forgot to insert a page break in the blog which has caused such a problem in the past.
Apologies for that – I’ve inserted the page break now which I hope has fixed the problem.
One or two more complicated clues to unravel than of late, with the difficulty level ramping up as the week progresses.
The shell-likes in 8d is an amusing word, while 24a just looks wrong written down.
The cocky 26a, 2d’s immunity and the individuals in 5d stood out, all were cleverly constructed with pleasingly flowing surfaces.
My thanks to our setter and Gazza.
This took a bit longer than usual, mainly because I was solving against the background noise of scaffolders doing their thing in readiness for the installation of solar panels tomorrow. At least there was no Radio 1 blasting out to add to the cacophony. Like our blogger, 24a was my last one in, and for the same reason. Overall, I thought it was tough but fair, with plenty of quite chewy parsings to contend with. My favourite was 17d.
Many thanks to both setter and Gazza.
I found this tricky in places but very enjoyable. I too put a virtual women in 7d initially, 24a took ages as 1d as I tried to put an x in it.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the hints.
A reasonable (apart from 24a) and enjoyable puzzle, in that I was able to complete it. That comma was very cunning.
Shouldn’t setters be fair and mention all available supermarkets? And perhaps not mention that unmentionable word.
I’m not keen on the lug word, but I suppose it’s used quite a bit.
6d was a tad weird – who exclaims like this?
Thanks to setter and hinter
Terry Pratchett in his introduction to Witches Abroad (1991): “This book is dedicated to all those people – and why not? – who, after the publication of Wyrd Sisters, deluged the author with their version of the words of ‘The Hedgehog Song’. [Insert 6d as 5,5,2]…”
Thumbs up!
Miss Marple.
Yes, definitely.
3*/5*. An excellent challenge which was great fun to solve.
Presumably this is a rare outing for Mr 4X.
Many thanks to proXimal and to Gazza.
As others have said, a tad more difficult than those earlier in the week. Still, I managed to finish it and I welcomed 18a but, despite what Graham P said above, it is no substitute for The Mythical. I do hope a setter gets Telecommunications Engineer for Graham. 😊 I had no idea the singer at 17d came from Tottenham but why would I as I can’t stand her voice? My COTD is the politician at 2d.
Thank you, Tumbledown Mountain (Just feels like one of his) or to whomsoever if not thee for the puzzle. Thank you, Gazza for the hints.
I missed the “X” in every quadrant! Thank you, proXimal for the challenge.
A chewy little number, hugely satisfying to solve and a welcome step up in challenge. Many absolutely cracking surface reads, resulting in some very well-hidden definitions. Ticks everywhere – I thought 13 & 18a both read extremely well, likewise 2d & 17d, while I really appreciated the smooth artistry of 5d’s construction.
Many thanks indeed to the setter and, of course, also to Gazza for the wonderful blog. I’m no fan of the 17d singer but that was a great video clip.
A fine Thursday puzzle with great clues providing a decent challenge and much enjoyment. Plenty of ticks and sevaral clues I really liked but I’ll pick 17d as my favourite. No idea why the comma in 24a should cause any controversy? 3*/4.5*.
From my MRB:
Kill a man and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men and you are a conquerer. Kill everyone and you are a God. (Jean Rostand).
24a – The comma made me think that the definition was “again”. It had me head scratching until my hair started coming out.
If the news is to be believed, is AI God? 🤔
A challenging puzzle, with asome masterfully cunning misdirection and an interesting variety of clues–must be Silvanus. I liked the reverse lurker at 13a, magnificent Lego clue at 15a, the anagranmatic Steve Cowling at 18a and the Latin tag at 16d. Thanks to Silvanus and to Gazza for the hints
I thought this was very difficult, but very enjoyable at the same time.
2d was my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza.
Not sure if I have time for the toughie later, but hopefully …..
The Django Toughie is very entertaining and well worth a go.
Thanks for the recommendation
Here in Valencia, last night I saw the worst weather I have ever seen in 58 years. After emptying hundreds of litres of water from our basement this morning, I’m fragile both mentally and physically.
I’ll definitely have a look early evening
A dnf from me as I needed the hints to complete this challenging, but elegant puzzle. It was just too good for me today. 24a was new to me but my cotd is the Tottenham songstress in Oz at 17d. Thanks to Silvanus (?) and especially Gazza for the hints.
This puzzle is not from RayT this week, so who knows the setter for today.
Not a puzzle I really enjoyed as some of the parsing was hard to suss out.
3*/3*
Favourites 18a, 6d, 8d, 20d & 25d — with winners 18a & 25d
Thanks to setter & Gazza
proXimal would be my guess, as there are 4 times x in each corner of the grid.
That’s what I said about 2 hours ago but no-one else seemed to agree.
I agree RD.
4X = Proximal. I will be wrong though, I normally am.
This was tough and almost a DNF with 24a LOI. With checkers in place I added a 3 letter river initially and almost threw in the towel.
Thanks to Gazza and Setter
4*/4*
While Gazza grappled with 24A, I had parsing problems with 2D – the answer seemed clear but I did not pick up that overcoming meant ‘replacing’. But my real 6D! moment was 16D where I’d spelt the answer wrong, even though it’s an anagram (I made the final A a U… 😒). Other than the misspelling, LOI was 7A, took inexplicably long to land.
Entertaining stuff though, made for an enjoyable train ride and Brighton brekkie accompaniment. Pody picks – will pick 24A as I liked the clue, but what a horrid word! I don’t expect I will ever use that, though I suspect it will now stick in the memory. In contrast I like 6D’s expression, the snappy surface, and rye crackers (and cheese but not *that* cheese). Finally, 17A which my wife helped with during the train journey, as soon as she saw ‘Singer from Tottenham …’
Thanks to setter and to Gazza ⭐
You are not alone, I too misspelled 16d in exactly the same way and my LOI was 7d, I ended up running through names that fitted in my head until the penny dropped.
Favourites today were 11a and 26a.
We have lit the first coal fire of this winter tonight as it is chilly and damp here, 10C and proper siling it down earlier, not quite stair rods but close.
thanks all
Wow, yes, two issues shared – clearly I meant 7D not 7A 🤯 but you clocked that 🙂
I found this really tough going. Nearly gave up a few times but managed it without the hints – although will read through as I am not sure if I got the parsing spot on.
Thanks to the setter and Gazza
I really enjoyed this puzzle , nicely chewy but it fell into place slowly and was a satisfying solve. No tricky GK required or fancy words , just some excellent word play. My last one in was 24a, and first off I had the wrong river, so that didn’t help and I was also looking for a word meaning ‘again’ but in the end I just put letters in that worked and out popped the answer eventually . Thanks so much to the setter and Gazza . The Adele clip is brilliant , I’ve not seen that before and it made my day !
Very tricky and like Gazza that comma threw me completely! Thank you compiler
A very satisfying Thursday puzzle completed in 2 bits with a round of golf intervening between a mediocre start and several PDMs to finish. 24a was also my last one in as I was convinced the second part was the other Yorkshire river, but once the Frenchman was found I saw where the ‘back’ came from. The unexpected communication and the healthcare worker are my top picks of many contenders.
Many thanks to the setter and Gazza
3*/4*
Excellent Thursday workout with the politician overcoming resistance at 2D my favourite. VMT to ProXimal and Gazza.
Good evening
I have to admit a DNF. I was stuck on 24a and 27a; as soon as I opened today’s blog and read Gazza’s opening remarks re the misplaced comma, I twigged 24a. But 27a just wouldn’t come. Eventually I hoyed the sponge in and clicked the reveal.
The idea of an X in every quadrant eluded me completely. Yous lot are ower clivvor for an owld Wansbeck Valley slacker like me!
Many thanks to our setter and to Gazza.
An excellent crossword by Castlemaine that was a joy to solve with LOI being, like many, 24a because of the wrong river.
I had planned to give it full marks but ‘abroad’ as an AI hurts too much. It, along with ‘overseas’ and ‘rudely’, take pride of place on the ‘AI schmodium’.
Talking of which….I was about to question ‘train’ but have just seen that one of its meanings is to manipulate or shape, one’s hair, for example. It has been duly noted.
2d was clever and 11a took some work.
8d is a truly superb word.
My picks are 18a, 2d and 7d.
MTTTA and G.
3*/4*
I completed this without resort to ‘Big Dave’s hints’ – not an easy crossword but a rewarding challenge. There is an alternative answer to 7d which works just as well, btw. Foxiest clues IMHO 24 and 26. Best anagram 16.
What’s the alternative answer to 7d?
I have one possible answer but it’s a stretch: Amina
If someone is a mean speller, it means they are exceptional. So, one could argue that they are a smart speller.
It is a longshot and probably not what Johnny V is thinking.
At least it wasn’t just me with 24a – last in & it substantially delayed completion the blame for which lies squarely with AP. Having included another N Yorkshire river in his last 2 puzzles I immediately assumed R was the final unchecked letter & it was an age before the penny dropped. Otherwise I found the puzzle tough going (Django was the quicker grid fill though the whys maybe the tougher ask) but very enjoyable & failed to even register the X in each quadrant.
Ticks at 4,11&26a + 2&3d
Thanks to proXimal (presumably) & to Gazza – great illustrations
***** / ***
A tough assignment indeed and no time to comment yesterday. A DNF me as although I got the correct Yorkshire river immediately and I also got the ‘back’ half of the answer, I couldn’t put them together and had no time to check that the answer was a real word and hence didn’t write it in! I also couldn’t get 27a as I couldn’t get the synonym of difficulties. My COTD were the 8d ears.
Belated thanks to Proximal and Gazza