DT 29055

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29055

Hints and tips by Mary Poppins

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

What a lovely puzzle we have here today. Full of fun and mischief but not very hairy. We have an expected birth to cheer us all up and plenty of food to eat. Our setter even provides a venue to eat at.

These hints and tips have been created lovingly to help those of you who may need help to solve a couple of clues or to understand why an answer is what it is. Usually a clue consists of two parts. 1. A definition, which is usually at the beginning or end of a clue. 2. Wordplay which tells to what to do to solve the clue. The hints and tips help with the wordplay of the clues. Definitions are underlined. Some hints are illustrated. These illustrations may or may not have a bearing on understanding the clue.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a Worker wearing flat hat tears tight-fitting trousers (5,5)
{CAPRI PANTS}: Don’t you just love it when 1 across falls into place as easily as pie? Well not today it didn’t. Mostly because I have never heard of the items in question. Now that I have I am reluctant to google them in case they are not very nice. The clue is a three-parter. Begin with one of two regular cryptic worker insects. Find a flat hat. Find a simple synonym of the word tears. Not the tears you cry, the tears where you pull something apart. With a bit of jiggling as suggested by the clue you ought to come up with what is essentially nothing more than a pair of trousers

6a Member‘s parking skill (4)
{PART}: Use the abbreviation for parking. Add the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.

10a A well-bred fellow broker (5)
{AGENT}: Begin with the letter A which is a gift from the setter to you. Add a word descriptive of a very nice bloke.

11a Consider short leg spinner, balding (4,2,3)
{THIN ON TOP}: Start with a word meaning to consider. Remove its last letter (short). Add the cricket side which is called leg (either on or off). Add a child’s spinning toy. The result is something that happens to all men as they age. Unless you are Bob Dylan who appears to have a full head of hair even though he will be seventy-eight years old on the 24th of this month. Or is it a syrup?

12a Develop figure at college (5,2)
{SHAPE UP}: A word meaning a figure is followed by a word meaning at college. Simple.

13a Excited seeing son’s birth (7)
{GENESIS}: An anagram (excited) of SEEING is followed by the abbreviation for son

14a General panic when crooked lawyer in Michigan initially absconded (4,8)
{MASS HYSTERIA}: Begin with the abbreviation of the state of Michigan. Add the letter A (initially absconded) inset a short word meaning when together with a longer word meaning a person, especially a lawyer, who uses unscrupulous, fraudulent, or deceptive methods in business

18a Toy poodle is plastered with cake (12)
{KALEIDOSCOPE}: Anagram (plastered) of POODLE IS with CAKE

21a Father looked on, agog (3-4)
{POP-EYED}: Begin with a word for your father. Add a verb meaning to have looked on with interest

23a Missile may be ear-piercing heading away (7)
{TRIDENT}: Find an adjective meaning ear piercing. Remove its first letter (heading away)

24a Russian port‘s leading backer (9)
{ARCHANGEL}: This Russian port can be found by using a prefix that means leading, chief or principle followed by a financial backer of shows in theatreland

25a Hike miles conveyed by horse-drawn carriage (5)
{TRAMP}: The abbreviation for miles sits inside a horse drawn vehicle

26a Asian chief within shook hands (4)
{KHAN}: The answer lies hidden within the words of the clue. The word within tells us so

27a Whip food in retreat left by artist that’s retired? I might (3-7)
{CAT-BURGLAR}: This thief who enters a building by climbing to an upper storey can be found by following the instruction in the clue. Begin with a type of whip. Find a slang term for food and reverse it (in retreat) Add the abbreviation for left. Add our regular artist (Royal Academy) but reversed (retired) I have explained how to arrive at the obvious answer but invite suggestions as to how the answer is best defined given the clue we have

Down

1d Rough route, it’s said (6)
{COARSE}: A homophone clue where the answer sounds like another word. We need a word that is synonymous with rough and sounds like a route

2d Page about marvellous sort of dwelling (6)
{PREFAB}: begin with the abbreviation for page. Add a short word used regularly by setters to mean about. Add a word from the 1960s meaning marvellous

3d Expecting win, they may fail abysmally (2,3,6,3)
{IN THE FAMILY WAY}: This most wonderful way of describing pregnancy is actually an anagram (abysmally) of WIN THEY MAY FAIL

4d A new piece of advice regarding appetiser (9)
{ANTIPASTO}: Start with the letter A from the clue. Add the abbreviation for new. Add a piece of helpful advice such as you are reading now. Add two short words that mean regarding

5d Unconvincing leader of gang’s obsession (5)
{THING}: Begin with a very stretched synonym of unconvincing. Add the initial (leader of) letter of gang

7d Stair repaired with effort and great skill (8)
{ARTISTRY}: An anagram (repaired) of STAIR is followed by an effort or an attempt

8d A father feeding spoiled brats in a place that serves light snacks (5,3)
{TAPAS BAR}: The letter A together with a two-lettered term for your father sit comfortably within an anagram (spoiled) of BRATS

9d Indicate position of dog and cross-country racer (5-2-7)
{POINT-TO-POINTER}: The first two words suggest how one might indicate the position of something using their index finger. The final word is a type of gun dog

15d Does one need a craft to be a member here? (5,4)
{YACHT CLUB}: The craft here is a medium sized sailing boat equipped for cruising or racing. The answer is an association dedicated to those who own such craft

16d Captain appearing with sailor’s fish (8)
{SKIPJACK}: Shortened form of address for a captain is followed by a word used for a sailor

17d Shock loss bound to divide a government agency in America (8)
{ALOPECIA}: A word meaning to walk or run with a long bounding stride sits within the letter A from the clue and the initials of the Central Intelligence Agency. The shock here refers to hair. This fellow doesn’t appear to have any such problems.

19d Remember to cancel (6)
{RECALL}: A double definition. The first rather obvious. The second not so

20d Spout stupidly on top of rotunda, in a daze (6)
{STUPOR}: An anagram (stupidly) of SPOUT sits nicely on the initial letter of Rotunda

22d Follow scholar’s teaching (5)
{DOGMA}: A verb meaning to follow is itself followed by a scholar. A Master of Arts

Exciting times. What will tomorrow bring.?

Quickie Pun: {Board}+{Align}={Borderline}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzgl148D8Mc