Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30630
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from from my home away from home on a small picturesque lake outside Ottawa. Here, we are off-grid and powered by propane and solar panels. Internet service can be somewhat unreliable but fortunately behaved tonight.
I got a late start on today’s review as someone seems to have been asleep at the switch at Telegraph Towers last evening – the puzzle made its appearance nearly a half hour late.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle.
Across
1a DiCaprio has prepared exciting food, say (11)
APHRODISIAC — an anagram (prepared) of the first two words of the clue
7a Miserly Scrooge’s capital wealth (5)
MEANS — another word for miserly and the capital at the beginning of Scrooge
8a High roller? (5,4)
TIDAL WAVE — a whimsical description of an oceanic disturbance
10a What’s put in the pot for a thief (3,4)
TEA LEAF — double definition, the second co*ckney slang
11a Leo, say, with drink for volunteers (5,2)
SIGNS UP — what Leo is in an astrological context and a northern term meaning drink
12a One who’s rehabilitated – a defector to Labour? (2-3)
EX-CON — how one defecting from the governing party to Labour might whimsically be described
13a Irritating complaint you voiced right before I caught song (9)
URTICARIA — Lego time … string together a hom*ophone for you from texting, the two-letter short form for right, I from the clue, caught from cricket, and a song from opera
16a Live east of e.g. Durham, around power plant (9)
SPEEDWELL — place live or reside following (east of) the ecclesiastical status of Durham; insert the physics symbol for power into the result
18a Maybe press Edmund I to invade Mercia’s borders (5)
MEDIA — a shortened version of Edmund and the I from the clue contained in the initial and final letters (borders) of MERCIA
19a Very rude public disturbance led by alumnus (7)
OBSCENE — a public disturbance preceded by (led by) an abbreviated former student of an educational institution for males
22a Hammered iron, holding new iron in fire (7)
INFERNO — an anagram (hammered) of IRON containing the single letter for new and the chemical symbol for iron
23a Deplorable behaviour from idol given crackers (4-5)
EVIL DOING — an anagram (crackers) of the two words preceding the indicator
24a Zero change in part of the reproductive system (5)
OVARY — the letter that resembles zero and another word for change or alter
25a Got lineages confused? This expert could help (11)
GENEALOGIST — an anagram (confused) of the two words at the beginning of the clue; the entire clue provides the definition in which the wordplay is embedded
Down
1d Husband hides in a bedsheet in heavy snowfall (9)
AVALANCHE — the genealogical abbreviation for husband is contained in A from the clue and a whimsically described bed accessory
7d Eats pulse loudly? This person’s washed up (3- 4)
HAS BEEN — the answer sounds like (loudly) a (3,4) phrase denoting “eats pulse”
3d Wild footie nut, not one keeping United off pitch (3,2,4)
OUT OF TUNE — form an anagram (wild) of FOOTIE NUT after removing the Roman numeral one (not one); then wrap the result around the single letter for United
4d Worshippers of Shiva wanting hot water in Asia (5)
INDUS — remove the symbol for hot found on taps from worshippers of the god Shiva
5d I’m going to go over case of idiotic, false reasoning (7)
ILLOGIC — more Lego … link together a three-letter contraction for “I’m going to”, a reversal (over) of GO, and the outer letters (case) of IDIOTIC
6d Dave’s partner admits love for mayhem (5)
CHAOS — insert (admits) the letter suggested by the tennis term ‘love’ into the forename of Dave Peaco*ck’s singing partner
7d People expecting manuscript to contain different words from Hamlet (7-2-2)
MOTHERS-TO-BE — the abbreviation for manuscript bookends different or alternate; the result is followed by a couple of words from Hamlet’s well-known soliloquy
9d Helping to elucidate old scheme by a Conservative (11)
EXPLANATORY — concatenate old or former, a scheme, A from the clue, and another term for a member of the Conservative Party
14d Judgmental king touchily receives reprimand (7- 2)
TALKING-TO — a lurker hiding in the first three words of the clue
15d Criminal arrested with tip from Batman and Robin (9)
REDBREAST — an anagram (criminal) of ARRESTED and the initial letter (tip) from BATMAN
17d Medic’s welcoming drug study in German city (7)
DRESDEN — an abbreviated medical professional together with the accompanying S containing the single letter for the drug Ecstasy; the result is followed by study in an architectural context
18d Proviso if America imprisons revolutionary mob members (7)
MAFIOSI — another lurker, this one reversed (revolutionary) in the first three words of the clue
20d Smart confidence trick (5)
STING — double definition
21d Heather‘s fury when spinning around (5)
ERICA — a reversal (when spinning) of another word for fury and the two-letter abbreviation for around in a chronological sense
Honours today go to the politico jumping ship at 12a.
Quickie Pun (Top Row): REEF + RAY + ZING = REPHRASING
