Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31352
Hints and Tips by Deansleigh
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ****
Good morning everyone, and welcome to the midweek back-pager blog. Today’s puzzle was one of the hardest Wednesday puzzles that I can remember. I had a very sparse-looking grid after my first pass at the across clues, but fortunately the down clues came a bit more easily. There are some very smooth surfaces and a couple of well-disguised lurkers. It’s almost impossible to pick a favourite from so many fine clues, but the one that I enjoyed most was the plucky naturist in 17a. 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.
Across clues
1a Oscar and Maya wed recklessly after entering a club? (7,5)
ACADEMY AWARD: An anagram (recklessly) of MAYA WED enters ‘a’ from the clue and what a club is an example of. Thanks to Gazza for putting me straight here – I was clearly still half asleep when I parsed this!
Fan of The Simple Life mistakenly cites account going around (7)
ASCETIC: An anagram (mistakenly) of CITES with the abbreviation for ‘account’ going around it.
10a Match over, get visibly elated (5,2)
LIGHT UP: A word for a means of igniting something, and another word for over/finished.
11a Stuck in north awaiting sign of spring (4)
THAW: Hidden (stuck) in the third and fourth words of the clue.
12a Behold instrument, moving over into second position (5)
VOILA: Take the name of a stringed instrument, and move the cricketing abbreviation for ‘over’ so that it becomes the second letter.
This song includes a solo from the instrument in the clue.
13a Hired vehicle turning back within two miles (4)
LIMO: Hidden and reversed (turning back) in the last two words of the clue.
16a A person from Maine going in shortly before European (7)
SOMEONE: Start with a synonym of ‘shortly’, insert (going in) the abbreviation for the US state of Maine, and finish with the abbreviation for European.
17a Brave cheek by a nudist on vacation (7)
GALLANT: Another word for cheek or nerve, ‘a’ from the clue, and the outer letters (on vacation) of ‘nudist’.
18a Universe releasing carbon is an absorbing process (7)
OSMOSIS: Another word for universe without (releasing) the chemical symbol for carbon, followed by ‘is’ from the clue.
21a Old court detailed suffering for edgy figure? (7)
OCTAGON: The abbreviations for ‘old’ and ‘court’, and a synonym of suffering or pain without its final letter (detailed).
23a Romeo dropped from casement for recognition (4)
FAME: Take another word for a casement or structure bordering a window, and remove the letter that Romeo represents in the NATO alphabet.
24a First Lady ignoring case of evil obsession (5)
MANIA: The first name of the current First Lady of the United States, without the outer letters of (ignoring case of) ‘evil’.
25a Acquires intoxicating drinks, but not drug (4)
WINS: Alcoholic drinks without the abbreviation for MDMA/Ecstasy.
28a Shabby review (3-4)
RUN-DOWN: A double definition.
29a Is this writer behind half of original paperwork? (7)
ORIGAMI: The first person form of ‘is he/she’ (is this writer) follows half of the word ‘original’.
30a Another landholding for one who already has three, say journalists? (6,6)
FOURTH ESTATE: A cryptic definition of a term referring to the press.
Down clues
1d Voiced a demand for praise (7)
ACCLAIM: A homophone (voiced) of a two-word phrase meaning ‘a demand’.
2d Not a fan of militia essentially led by soldier (4)
ANTI: The middle letter (essentially) of ‘militia’ follows (led by) an insect, much loved by crossword compilers, of which ‘soldier’ is a variety.
3d Inside of fence, elude capture (7)
ENCLOSE: The internal letters (inside) of ‘fence’, and a synonym of ‘elude’ (a pursuer for example).
4d Messed up eulogy having stolen slice of leftover cake (4,3)
YULE LOG: An anagram (messed up) of EULOGY contains the first letter (having stolen slice) of ‘leftover’.
5d With mature income … (4)
WAGE: The abbreviation of ‘with’, and a verb meaning to grow old or mature.
6d … earn its drunken treat in Greece (7)
RETSINA: An anagram (drunken) of EARN ITS.
7d Harsh initiation – unusual pastime for FBI (7,2,4)
BAPTISM OF FIRE: An anagram (unusual) of PASTIME FOR FBI.
8d Seizing the moment, excitedly point out crisp (13)
OPPORTUNISTIC: An anagram (excitedly) of POINT OUT CRISP.
14d Showing natural growth externally, unlike Rolling Stone? (5)
MOSSY: A cryptic way of describing the state of being covered with a substance that rolling stones proverbially do not gather.
15d Gaudiness and glamour located in tropical zones, primarily (5)
GLITZ: The initial letters (primarily) of ‘ glamour located in tropical zones’.
19d Distracted boyfriend maybe not wrong, something worth keeping (7)
MEMENTO: A rapidly-spreading theme or idea, such as a viral internet image, and an anagram (wrong) of NOT. ‘Distracted boyfriend’ is an allusion to a famous photograph circulating on the internet of a man walking with his girlfriend and looking wistfully at another pretty girl.
20d Stout stem (7)
STAUNCH: A double definition. ‘Stem’ here means to plug or stop.
21d Oxygenated O negative not looking good (7)
OMINOUS: ‘O’ from the clue, and another word for negative or less than zero into which another ‘O’ has been inserted (oxygenated).
22d Bad card produces sour expression (7)
GRIMACE: A synonym of ‘bad’ (when describing a situation, for example) and a playing card.
26d Hard endless circuits for a period of time (4)
HOUR: The abbreviation for ‘hard’ on a pencil, and a word for circuits or journeys without its first and last letters (endless).
27d Air rifle regularly cocked and ready in Turkey (4)
LIRA: Hidden and reversed (cocked) in the alternate letters (regularly) of ‘air rifle’ – ‘ready’ being short for ready money, i.e. currency.
Which clues did you like best? Let us know in the comments below.
The Quick Crossword pun: PIECE + PRIES = PEACE PRIZE
I found this a struggle, and needed some help. Agreed the lurkers were beautifully hidden. I didn’t get the parsing on 11A even after I knew the answer!
Like you, I struggled with 11a. The only thing I can think is that the 3rd and 4th letters of the solution could refer to autumn and winter.
I didn’t get this but the answer is just a sign of spring (eg as winter snow starts to melt)
Another lurker “stuck in” 3/4 words.
I found this chewy but very enjoyable once the multiple pennies dropped.
Top picks for me were 18a, 12a, 29a, 21d and 16a.
Thanks to Deansleigh and the setter.
This all went in very nicely; my only difficulty was with the first four letters of 19d [Distracted boyfriend maybe].
I liked all of the puzzle, but I thought the 7d anagram was nice.
Many thanks to the setter and to Deansleigh.
4.5 for enjoyment.
Quite tricky and enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Deansleigh.
I needed to verify the ‘distracted boyfriend’ in 19d because I’d never heard of it.
I don’t think AND is part of the 1a anagram. An anagram of MAYA WED enters A and what a club is an example of.
I liked 17a, 14d and 21d.
Agree on 1a, otherwise the question mark serves no purpose.
Gazza – Ditto on your interpretation of 1a. Deansleigh’s hint does not ‘provide’ the R needed in the second word of the answer.
Once I’d stopped trying to think of the name of a club from OSCAR & MAYA WED & the obvious dawned I parsed the same way as Deansleigh – it was only reading back through I realised I had an unwanted N & no R.
A very slow start making me think that this was going to be a real stinker. But, almost out of nowhere, the pennies dropped on the four long ‘uns and it was completion at warp factor ten. **/****
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 17a, 30a (even though it ‘needed’ its own sheet of paper), 21d, and 27d – and the winner is 21d.
Thanks to whomsoever and Deansleigh.
Started positively when I noticed before hitting “print” that it was due to take up 2 pages, read 30a and realised I didn’t need to print the second page. Bonus! A very straightforward N to S solve barring two clues, viz. 12a (big smile when 12a fell – nice deception, artful clueing) and 25a, which took considerable extra thought, while 19d (distracted boyfriend) went in with a shrug. Great surface reads, plenty of smiles, and some very clever constructions.
Honours to COTD 21d, 14d, & 17a
Many thanks to the setter and to Deansleigh.
2.5*/4.5*. This was a very enjoyable midweek puzzle with some nice disguises, good surfaces, and clever clueing. 17a was my favourite.
The distracted boyfriend reference in 19d was new to me but the answer was obvious, and Wikipedia explained all!
Many thanks to the setter and to Deansleigh.
I’m relieved our esteemed reviewer found this chewy – at least it wasn’t just me. Though still a pesky 2 letters shy of completion I found Dada over in t’other place much the easier grid fill. Mr G was required for a post solve explanation (the distracted boyfriend) & confirmation of the state abbreviation. Dwelt badly in the stalls messing about looking for the name of a club at 1a having not read the clue carefully enough & it was a slow progression from there.
Very much enjoyed the solve & there were ticks aplenty – 12,17,18,24&29a + 7,14,21&22d particular likes.
I thought 7d a great fodder spot so that one gets my vote as pick of ‘em.
Thanks to the setter & to Deansleigh
I wonder if some of the perceived difficulty has something to do with the verbosity of most of the clues. Like Mustafa G, I was pleased that 30a was solved on first reading and didn’t need to be written out on page 1.
Lots to enjoy and one or two of the clues make me think I have guessed the setter correctly
Thanks to both the setter and Deansleigh
Pray tell me your guess, CS….
The six anagrams helped me on my way to what I thought would be a completely solved crossword. But, no, 16a stumped me as I couldn’t get a person from Poland out of my mind.
25a had me drinking a glass of gin. I was very doubtful, but thought “gains”.
19d of course, like other solvers had me Wikipediaing.
If this blog keeps mentioning the non-word “irregardless”, could it become a meme?
Thanks to setter and hinter
We seem to have reached the Friday level on a Wednesday which is worrying!
An early solve, a visit to the dentist for a clean, polish and check up where the only pain was felt in the wallet, then return for breakfast and the parsing of the puzzle.
It took a while to make sense of 1a, there seemed to be surplus bits whichever way I went and I’d be impressed by anyone who knew about the Distracted Boyfriend without help.
Plenty of head scratching but by following the instructions it all seemed to pan out.
COTD was 16a
Many thanks to today’s setter and Deansleigh for the hints
I had that financial pain yesterday – today’s is the car failing its MOT (rear brakes) so await to see what the damage is there. ☹️
I’m slightly jealous of anybody who didn’t already know what distracted boyfriend is, cos I’m fed up of seeing it, with minor variations, applied to every passing news story as though repetition somehow makes it funnier!
However, it still took me a while to solve that clue: knowing that distracted boyfriend is a thing, I wrongly presumed that was a surface-only reference and the parts would be separated in the wordplay (or even that ‘distracted’ on its own was the definition).
Don’t often comment but compared to some earlier commenters I found that quite easy. Perhaps I just click with whoever this setter is.
And 19 down was a great clue! Got it without outside assistance but having the first letter helped.
Welcome to the blog, Radish.
This took a bit of effort but was an enjoyable nut to crack with my LOI being 14d.
I am extremely happy with ‘oxygenated’ which makes me think it’s the work of Mr Tumble as he loves to ”giv it sum”. Saying that, the pun is straightforward which isn’t him. It’s so tricky to decide between him and The Hud but I’ll stick with him.
‘Distracted boyfriend’ is absolutely bonkers. 99% of us wouldn’t have heard of it. I’m all for pushing the envelope but this is pushing the whole cosmos! Still, I’ll never forget it, that’s for sure.
My picks are 16a, 21a and 4d.
MTTTA and Adele Singh.
3*/4*
I was enjoying this puzzle and was close to finishing it when ,whoosh, it disappeared.
Annoyed.
Agree with others this one took a while to get into and build up momentum. Thanks to setter and Deansleigh. Like most others I was unaware of the “distracted boyfriend” reference but I recently saw a fantastic example.
Love it.
That’s excellent!
Superb!
I had to work hard to complete this tricky puzzle, but it was well worth the effort. Like others, the parsing of 19d and the boyfriend reference passed me by and 1a likewise, albeit having the answers confirmed by checkers. My podium comprises 12a,13a and 21d. Thanks to compiler and Deansleigh
One of those puzzles where it all goes swimmingly until you hit a brick wall; hence the justified ***
Uriah Heep today 🎸
This was a great puzzle – difficult but extremely rewarding. Took a couple of separate sittings to complete. Loads of PDM’s and lurkers that stubbornly refused to reveal themselves for an absolute age. Missed the ‘distracted boyfriend’ ref even tho I remember it well, it must have been about 10 years ago! Thanks to the setter for the brain bashing and Deansleigh for helping to fully understand 19d
Well The Telegraph quoted somebody already describing it as an “old and tired meme” in this 2018 article, so that sounds about right.
Didn’t really enjoy this Wednesday puzzle and likely it’s by the setter I don’t generally click with much.
3.5*/2*
Liked 12a, 28a, 5d, 6d & 14d with 14d the favourite
Thanks to setter & Deansleigh
Going against the majority, I found this easier than many Tuesday–Thursday backpagers. Like Deansleigh not many answers on the first pass, but with crossing letters they soon revealed themselves nicely.
Thank you so much to the setter for this top entertainment, and particularly for behold in 12a, the 18a universe, 29a’s paperwork, another landholding in 30a, 19d’s distracted boyfriend, and the 27u gun in Turkey. And thank you to Deansleigh for blogging.
I found that a challenge and had to resort to the hints to help parse my remaining three or four clues, those awkward 5-letter ones forming the inner core. Have to say I was solving in no particular order, just where I could enter the answer, then more revealed themselves as the grid filled up. Favourites today were 1a, I wouldn’t normally go for an anagram but found the wordplay quite clever, 17a and 7d.
Thank you to the setter and to Deansleigh for the hints.
As an aside, I took up cryptic crosswords seriously about three years ago after retirement since I needed some intellectual challenge. Until then I had been a dabbler, and not a very good one. My abilities have obviously improved yet I find it difficult to work out how I am fairing since there is no established yardstick that I can measure myself against. Does anyone know how well I should be performing after three years or have any suggestions?
Hi FB
If you are solving Monday’s and Tuesday’s unaided then you have done very well (I sound like young Mr Grace).
Anything beyond that is outstanding.
Thank you. Am not yet at the outstanding stage.
Keep powering through…
Slow to start with only 4 of the across clues solved on the first pass, but the downs were much more generous. With ample checkers in place the rest flowed very quickly, especially once I had the perimetral four. For 19d I could see the answer but the distracted boyfriend was lost on me(me). My favourite was the person from Maine, which I got having initially thought there would be a nickname such as the ‘cheeseheads’ from Wisconsin: in fact it is simply Mainer.
Many thanks to the setter and Nigel Hades.
1.5*/4*
Like others, I was slow to get going on this and needed the downs to help. However once I got going it all fell into place, I did need the hints to explain my answers to 19d and 16a. I had 21d as my favourite but thought the anagrams and lurkers were excellent.
Many thanks to the setter and to Deansleigh for the hints.
All went well except 12a taking me into *** territory … thank you compiler Deansleigh for the hint