Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30885
Hints and tips by Shabbo
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Good morning from sunny Wells-next-the-Sea. We are getting our biannual Norfolk birding fix this week and the weather has been glorious, as Manders will confirm. For the birders amongst you, the star species to date have been pallid harrier, shore lark and black redstart, but birding is really just an excuse to walk in beautiful places and we have done plenty of that. This is the view from our lovely first floor apartment:
As for the puzzle, I found it very straightforward. Maybe it is just that the Norfolk air has cleared my cluttered mind, so please forgive me if you found it challenging. The brevity of clueing (5.1 words/clue), the single word answers and the single word clues in the Quickie suggest that RayT is our setter today, although there is no queen and the sweetheart is there just to tease us. With Silvanus on duty in the Toughie slot, Jane will no doubt be enjoying her cup of tea more than usual this morning. Some knowledge of the human face is required at 24a, 28a, and 24d, so perhaps a mirror might help? I would not suggest that you use it for 8d, though.
In the blog below, the definition element of each clue has been underlined, anagrams are CAPITALISED and the crossword technique “indicator words” are in brackets. The answers are concealed under the “Click Here” buttons. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you thought of the puzzle. Please also try to be positive – it’s only a bit of fun.
Thank you, setter.