Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31384
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty *** - Enjoyment ***
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday.
In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions. Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Shirley Bassey hit redhead restraining elderly female (10)
GOLDFINGER: An informal word for a redhead containing (restraining) both a synonym of elderly and the single letter for female
6a European eliminated from Pointless displays intellect (4)
NOUS: The single letter for European is deleted from (eliminated from) a (2,3) phrase meaning pointless
10a Key ingredient originally behind British dish (5)
BALTI: A key on a computer keyboard and the first letter (originally) of ingredient both come after (behind) the single letter for British
11a Musician has theory occasionally about strange tantrum (9)
TRUMPETER: Alternate letters (occasionally) of THEORY are containing (about) synonyms of strange and tantrum
12a Musical prelude, piece inspiring quiet brooding (13)
INTROSPECTION: An informal word for a musical prelude is followed by another word for piece that’s containing (inspiring) the musical abbreviation for quiet
14a Picked up Sir Andy maybe for retirement drink (8)
NIGHTCAP: Homophones (picked up) of a Sir and the last name of the cartoon character that Andy defines by example (maybe)
16a Ashes opener spurned by MPs (6)
EMBERS: Another word for MPs minus its first letter (opener spurned)
18a Seaside town, Montrose, restrictive over houses (6)
RESORT: The reversal (over) of MONTROSE RESTRICTIVE hides (houses) the answer
20a Mum again is travelling, touring hot city (8)
SHANGHAI: Mum or quiet is followed by an anagram (is travelling) of AGAIN that’s containing (touring) the single letter for hot
22a Champion, one angry over American getting medal (8,5)
VICTORIA CROSS: A champion or winner is followed by the Roman one, the single letter for American, and a synonym of angry
26a Deploy clever Len as message carrier? (5,4)
NERVE CELL: An anagram (deploy …) of CLEVER LEN
27a Type of coffee hotel assistant virtually upset (5)
IRISH: The letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by hotel and Apple’s virtual assistant are joined and reversed (upset)
28a Discover solace finally by leaving county cricket club (4)
SUSS: The last letter (finally) of SOLACE and the letter abbreviating “by” in arithmetic are both deleted from (leaving) a south coast cricket club
29a Coerced student into odd bungee jumping (10)
BLUDGEONED: The single letter for student is inserted into an anagram (jumping) of ODD BUNGEE
Down
1d Journey over huge, endless desert (4)
GOBI: A verb synonym of journey is followed by all but the last letter (endless) of a word meaning huge
2d Familiar text message by Heather, sitting around lazily (7)
LOLLING: A usual text message abbreviation with another word for the heather plant
3d Dummy, dim on the radio (5)
FEINT: A homophone (on the radio) of dim or not bright
4d Subject concerning the whole country (8)
NATIONAL: A double definition, the first a noun and the second an adjective
5d Fit conclusion to risqué joke? (5)
EQUIP: The last letter of (conclusion to) RISQUE with another word for joke
7d Rough idea of published column (7)
OUTLINE: Synonyms of published and of column
8d When playing got runs, it's something you're good at (6,4)
STRONG SUIT: An anagram (when playing) of GOT RUNS ITS
9d Flipping celebrities surrounding international astronaut (8)
SPACEMAN: Another word for celebrities containing (surrounding) a sportsperson selected to represent their country is all reversed (flipping)
13d Say gibberish, entertaining new impressions (10)
ENGRAVINGS: The fusion of the abbreviation for say or “for example” and another word for gibberish is containing (entertaining) the single letter for new
15d Go off having extra pastry (8)
TURNOVER: Go off or go rotten with extra or surplus
17d Journalist was first to support prisoners ultimately in chains (8)
SHACKLED: A derogatory term for a journalist and a word meaning “was first” are both coming after (to support, in a down clue) the final letter (ultimately) of PRISONERS
19d Gets hold of extremely spreadable preserves (7)
SECURES: The outer letters (extremely) of SPREADABLE with another word for preserves (meat, perhaps)
21d Cloth Shane is weaving (7)
HESSIAN: An anagram (weaving) of SHANE IS
23d Model shown by papers regularly bloated in retirement (5)
IDEAL: The abbreviation for identification papers is followed by the reversal (in retirement) of alternate letters (regularly) of BLOATED
24d Round on broadcaster Jeremy being sheepish (5)
OVINE: The round letter is followed by the last name of broadcaster Jeremy
25d Tunesmith uploaded repeatedly vacuous dull sound (4)
THUD: TUNESMITH UPLOADED with the interior letters of both words deleted (repeatedly vacuous)
Thanks to today’s setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: MEATY + AURIC = METERORIC
When the first 4 went straight in I thought this was going to be a piece of cake, but it then slowed to a crawl. The pace picked up with the downs and I was just left with the gibberish at 13d, which given the checkers was gettable, but took some time to work out the parsing.
My picks from many fine clues are 26a, 25d and 12a.
Thanks to the setter and Mr K
2*/4*
Quite a mild challenge for a Friday but with excellent clues and strong surfaces throughout. I don’t know iif the setter intended the surface of 19D to intentionally misdirect but I couldn’t see any other solution that didn’t involve preserving in the way onions and beetroot are so that caused a hold up. As always I wavered over which version of the word should go into 3 down and I know every time this happens a blogger explains the rationale but I still had to work at it. COTD goes to 6A for a lovely concise but humorous challenge.
Thanks to Mr K and the setter.
Thai corner.
I’m pretty sure I’ve blogged before about one of the major delights of living in Thailand, apart from the food, cost of living, weather etc, is the fact that all the flat pack retailers send a team with your delivery to build your bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers on site for free. I experienced a double delight today when the chest of drawers we ordered, as a result of the recent flood damage were delivered and the delivery team assembled them in our front room. To my shame I took great pleasure in seeing the expert put the sliding drawer front on upside down and after sliding it into its place having to reassemble it to fit. Schadenfreude is not something to be proud of experiencing but after fighting IKEA flat packs for 50 years I think it’s excusable.
Love the schadenfreude story.
Again, a tough Friday puzzle , but that is to be expected for the last of the work week puzzles.
Lots I struggled with and many I found the parsing was unfathomable to my mind.
3*/2.5*
Favourites 1a, 16a, 26a, 29a, 1d & 15d — with winner 1a
Thanks to setter & Mr K.
Yesterday the top half went in without anything in the bottom half. Today the exact opposite, the south went in before the north. Again, I only had a small handful of glues on the first pass. Getting 1d meant I could see 1a which opened the whole puzzle up. Last one in was 25d as it couldn’t be anything else but am grateful for Mr K for explaining. And many thanks to the setter.
Worthy of the Friday backpager slot, there was plenty to chew over here, with very few bung-ins. A fair sprinkling of Christian names bunged in too.
My favourite was 14a with the Daily Mirror cartoon character reference. I was delighted to discover he’s still going strong, after first appearing in 1957. An icon of British culture if ever there was one!
That brought back memories…
My thanks to our setter and Mr K.
Top half went in like a rocket, and then nothing, a complete brick wall.
Never have I met a puzzle with such a clear cut half split between very simple and nigh on impossible, nearly gave up there and then.
It’s only due to the two factors of me being laid up a bit due to sore ribs and sheer bloody-mindedness that I pressed on, and I’m jolly glad I did, brilliant puzzle.
The toughness of the lower half made completing it all the more satisfying (albeit it took rather a long time)
My clue of the day has to be 28a with 25d a close second. One last piece of trivia, Jimmy Page played guitar on 1a all those years ago, wonder whatever happened to him…….
And I struggled mightily in the NE, having solved the lower half relatively(!!) quickly. Funny old world, horses for courses, one man’s meat is another man’s poison, etc, etc.
Looks like you’re the same as Manders, weird how we all see things differently, as you say, horses etc….
Well.indeed. I thought this a bit of a doddle for a Friday. The only clues that really held me up were 8d and 13d, the latter of which I still can’t parse. Thanks to the setter and to Mr. K for the tips, which I will now have a look at.
A worthy Friday challenge, chewy in places, but a joy to solve even if the old crumpet felt the odd scratch or two. Many contenders for podium places, but the honours go to 16a, 20a and 24d. Thanks to compiler and Mr K.
A nice way to finish the non-working week with this fairly comfortable puzzle. I had a couple of sticking points, but everything was fairly clued so any delays were entirely down to me. My last one in was 13d, and my favourite was 16a.
Many thanks to both our Friday setter and Mr K.
Entertaining stuff – thanks to the setter and Mr K.
I particularly enjoyed 6a, 14a, 28a and 15d.
A very satisfying Friday puzzle which I found appropriately quite tough for this day. Fine clues provided an enjoyable tussle. Very difficult to pick a favourite from such a good bunch but I’ll go for 20a today. 3.5*/4*.
From my MRB:
If you smile at me, I will understand
’cause that is something
Everybody everywhere does
In the same language.
*Opening verse from Wooden Ships by Crosby, Stills and Nash.
This was an excellent Friday puzzle, several tricky clues and a couple I needed help to parse eg 13d, but persistence paid off. I had 1a as my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to mr k for the hints.
I feel 29a as I couldn’t 28a 27a and 25d until I had an early 14a, very early!
Good all round puzzle, much enjoyed.
Favourite is the frequently used 5d with a cheeky new clue.
Thanks to setter and hinter
What a brilliant way to finish a truly stellar week. The best week I can recall. Wonderful stuff.
When I saw 28a, I immediately wondered why cricket club was added. But, when I got it, I thought ‘nicely done’.
25d and 29a are such great words. The former is onomatopoeic and the latter may as well be.
1a is my favourite Bond film for so many reasons. Having the best Bond line ever, and one of the best in all films, certainly helps the cause…’No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die’.
My picks are 1a (a great scene), 14a and 22a.
Many thanks to….hmm….Silvy Wilvy perhaps and Mr K.
3*/5*