Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30596
Hints and tips by 2Kiwis
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Kia ora from Aotearoa.
Thanks Gazza for filling in for us last week while we were away on a ‘jaunt’. We have put a picture at the end of this blog which will explain where we were and what we were doing on our jaunt. It was an awesome experience and well worth the effort.
A most enjoyable solve for us today with a couple of tricky pieces of wordplay to keep us amused.
Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Blunder from star footballer, almost winning (4,2)
MESS UP : A famous Argentinian footballer without his last letter and a two letter word for winning.
5a Most unpleasant sparkling wine in Robin’s home? (8)
NASTIEST : Robin here is a bird and its home surrounds a type of Italian sparkling wine.
9a Torquay hotelier I caught by a church (8)
BASILICA : The forename of a TV Torquay hotelier, then ‘I’ from the clue, the cricket abbreviation for caught and ‘A’ from the clue.
10a Bobby Charlton, on pitch, prompts English rejoicing initially (6)
COPPER : First letters of six words in the clue.
11a Tabloid calls for old timers? (8)
SUNDIALS : A particular tabloid newspaper and then calls on an old-type telephone.
12a Plan he abandons finally (6)
INTEND : Start with a 2,3,3 phrase meaning finally and remove the ‘HE’ from within this.
13a Boost fixed green issues, occasionally (8)
ENERGISE : An anagram (fixed) of GREEN and alternate letters from issues.
15a Telegraph journalist is employed (4)
USED : How the setter refers to his employer, and a senior journalist.
17a Prow of boat running north — it’s on the Rhine (4)
BONN : The first letter (prow) of boat, then a two letter ‘running’ or ‘in operation’ and N(orth).
19a Fancy hairstyle, with length cut, creates frenzy (8)
HYSTERIA : An anagram (fancy) of HAIRSTY(l)E with its L(ength) removed.
20a Respect received by compiler? I’m dancing about (6)
ADMIRE : A reverse lurker, hiding in the clue.
21a By the sound of it, person eating may explode (8)
DYNAMITE : A hom*ophone. Split 4,4 it can be heard as a person eating and a synonym for may.
22a Figures defending alien beliefs (6)
TENETS : The first of the two digit figures contain the movie alien.
23a Features co*ckney intellectuals on the radio (8)
EYEBROWS : Start with a word for intellectuals and in co*ckney fashion remove the initial H to get a hom*ophone of the answer.
24a Domestic returns and dons tailored suit (8)
DIAMONDS : The reversal of a domestic servant and an anagram (tailored) of DONS.
25a Band holding record back is prominent news story (6)
SPLASH : A cloth band contains the reversal of a 33rpm record.
Down
2d People rescued, you heard, in northerly spot with grotto (8)
EVACUEES : Working in the reverse direction (northerly) we have spot or observe, then the letter that sounds like ‘you’ and a grotto.
3d Taken for a ride in sleigh, catching breeze (8)
SWINDLED : A sleigh or toboggan contains breeze or zephyr.
4d Amassing stamps from foreign letter recently (9)
PHILATELY : The 21st Greek Letter, then a synonym for recently.
5d Ed Sheeran’s playing with Sting, creating issue for viewer (4-11)
NEAR-SIGHTEDNESS : An anagram (playing) of ED SHEERAN’S and STING.
6d Recount catastrophic defeat (7)
TROUNCE : An anagram (catastrophic) of RECOUNT.
7d European therefore consumes squash or coffee (8)
ESPRESSO : The abbreviation for European and a two letter word for therefore contain squash or squeeze.
8d Knock back tea loudly — drink quickly holding pot (4,4)
TURN DOWN : The letter that sounds like (loudly) tea, then a pot or vessel followed by a word meaning drink quickly.
14d They run small devices connected to computers (9)
SPRINTERS : The abbreviation for small, then the devices connected to computers that cause so much trouble for people like us who like to solve Cryptics on paper.
15d Bananas, nuts and date not consumed (8)
UNTASTED : An anagram (bananas) of NUTS and DATE.
16d Say Arab and American will show narcissism (8)
EGOMANIA : The two letter abbreviation for say or for example, then a person from an Eastern Sultanate and A(merican).
17d Starmer’s lot turned up right in royal residence (8)
BALMORAL : The reversal of the party led by Starmer and right or principled.
18d Scientist’s embracing wife in Telford and Milton Keynes? (3,5)
NEW TOWNS : The scientist associated with gravity, with his ‘S, contains W(ife).
19d Hard speech cut, one appearing in Hamlet (7)
HORATIO : The abbreviation for hard and a speech without its last letter.
4d is our favourite today. We also appreciated the clever wordplay in 2d and 12a.
Quickie pun mane + tonne + ants = maintenance
