ST 3010 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3010 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3010 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where we have been enjoying temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s as we get ready for Canada Day tomorrow (“get ready” means to stock up on beer, burgers, hot dogs, etc).

Dada a little more benevolent than last week.  6 anagrams (one partial), two lurkers (one not hinted), one homophone, and plenty of insertions/containments!

Candidates for favourite – 7a, 5d, and 8d.

Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in red at the bottom of the hints!

As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”. Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Some hints follow:

Across

7a Sport where a pass gets collected by flankers in line (8)
A from the clue and a type of pass (in the round ball game) inserted into (where . . . gets collected by) the first and last letters (flankers) of LinE.

11a Steep charge by staff (8)
A type of charge placed after (by) a type of staff.

15a Snaring device, component backfiring (4)
A synonym of component reversed (backfiring).

17a Characteristic skill returns with technological subject (5)
A synonym of skill reversed (returns) followed by (with) the abbreviation of a technological subject.

20a Money band wasted, say, providing basic source of income (5,3,6)
A (slang) synonym of money, an anagram (wasted) of BAND, and a synonym of say.

25a Seat lost deliberately, it’s said (6)
The homophone (it’s said) of a single word for lost deliberately.

28a Sculpture of sea god in US city (3,5)
An anagram (sculpture) of SEA GOD IN.

Down

1d Knock party (4)
A straightforward double definition.

4d Shells emptied of peas, I regret (6)
Another double definition – the second is an informal interjection.

5d It’s a headache as I dash into myself! (8)
I from the clue and a synonym of dash contained by (into) a pronoun for myself.

8d Striking boxer, dispatched hooks (7)
A synonym of dispatched contains (hooks) a famous boxer.

16d Ornament someone installing equipment lifted in middle of shipyard (8)
An individual who can install equipment reversed (lifted) contained by (in) the middle letters of shiPYard.

21d Outsiders on estates in desperate want (6)
The outside letters of EstateS contained by (in) a synonym of desperate.

24d Encountered in debate, a sticking point (4)
One of the lurkers (the other is 10a), indicated by encountered in, found in the rest of the clue.

26d Man neither starting nor finishing close (4)
A man found on a board with the first and last letters removed (neither starting nor finishing).


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As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT, or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment.

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I blame my older sister for this one (didn’t I do that before), Adam Faith, born on June 23, 1940, had possibly the shortest ever Number One Single at 1 minute 35 seconds in 1959, this video from 1969:


52 comments on “ST 3010 (Hints)

  1. Unlike Senf, I found parts of this puzzle quite challenging, particularly the NE corner. So it was *** for difficulty but **** for enjoyment as I did enjoy the tussle. My favourite was the 26 d/25a combination, which had me nicelyy foxed with its misdirection. Thank you to Senf for help with parsing a few clues and to Dada for an intiguing puzzle.

  2. Not too much difficulty with this one. Having come up with an answer for my last one in (4d) I had to check it with the BRB and found it was ok.

    Again liked the two long ones across the middle. Nothing I didn’t like.

    Many thanks to Senf and Dada.

    PS: I hope this comment appears. I left a long comment yesterday as I had some time and could be bothered to keep going backwards and forwards on my iPad to check which clues I was commenting on, and then the whole lot disappeared!

  3. Well I have completed the grid without outside help, but for some reason, I can’t say I enjoyed it. Perhaps I just got up too early.

    I’ve got an answer to 12a, but for the life of me I cannot parse it.

    Thanks to all.

    1. I can parse 12a (well I had to because I’ve already drafted the review). Trying to explain it without ending up in the Corner (apparently it is wrong to label people as naughty according to an article I read this week) will take a bit of doing but here goes

      A synonym for ring goes inside (having been stolen) a Scottish or Northern Irish word (we spent a lot of time listening to people use this word last week) meaning minor, the result followed by a case holding down

      1. That was my, fairly immediate, interpretation when I was solving which meant it did not make the hint list. Quite a long parsing for what, at 12 words, must be one of Dada’s longest clues ever.

    2. I can parse the second word as the description is in the clue but only part of the first word. This leaves me 3 letters that I can’t account for.

      1. Thank you CS. i think you avoided the N corner but there are biscuits there just in case.

  4. I must be finding his wavelength as Dada unusually enjoyable today. 16d took time to dawn on me as also 12a which was a bung-in but penny drop moment came when case holding down dawned on me then that became joint Fav together with 4d. 6d new to me. I’m certainly being thick but can’t fully parse 27a. Thank you Dada and Senf.

    1. Can live without remembering Freddie Starr but memories are made of Adam Faith video – thanks go to Senf’s older sister for that – possibly my vintage?!

      1. Well, I was still in short trousers in 1959 and my sister is 6 years older than me!

          1. Yes it was Tommy Steel. Brought back some memories. Know every word.
            Also words to Adam Faith’s Lonely pup in a Christmas shop and what do you want if you don’t want money.
            Happy days!

  5. A real curates egg, some decent clues spoilt for me by the ghastly Americanism in 4d and the silly clue of 12a.
    Not my favourite Sunday puzzle.
    Thx for the hints
    ***/**

    1. Fiddlesticks Brian, surely 4d has been used for ages here as well as in the USA and the parsing of 12a clue amused this “little” mind.

  6. 8d my final entry, ahead of my co-favourites 25a and 26d. Overall a fairly tricky but enjoyable solve for a sunnyish Sunday. Listening to England make a tremendous start at Edgbaston.

    Thanks very much to Dada for the fun challenge and to Senf.

  7. Have to say that I’m in agreement with MalcolmR today – not my favourite puzzle from this setter. There were several synonyms that I didn’t care for although I’ve no doubt that the BRB can verify them – daren’t say any more as I’ve got too much to do other than spend the afternoon in whatever the PC brigade will now allow us to call the Naughty Corner!

    I did laugh at the 22d vegetable container so that gets my gold star today.

    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints and the reminder of a fresh-faced Adam Faith.

  8. 2.5*/4*. I really liked this. I found it fairly straightforward on the whole although a few clues took a bit of teasing out.

    Many thanks to Dada for the fun and to Senf.

  9. Completed most of this fairly easily, then turned to hints kindly supplied bu Senf. Annoyingly I’d solved all the hints already! 4D a problem because I couldn’t make the pea connection. Consulted Chambers and all was made clear. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

    1. Your comment went into moderation, you have always been ‘bryngwyn’ until today. Both should work from now on.

  10. Can anyone give me a hint on 27a – I’ve got the answer ( I think ) but can’t parse it fully .
    Other than that just my level.
    Thanks

      1. Broadly speaking, I think that’s why Dada put ?. It can be pretty big as well.

  11. Sorry Senf, I pressed wrong key. Thank you for replying I thought I would be banned!

  12. I found this tricky, although I finished it ‘all by my own’. I was jolly glad of the comments and parsing because it is annoying to know the answer but not the reasoning. Should 5d have been xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx? It is just a bit hot here in Cambridge, it addles the brain.

    1. The latter part of your comment that I redacted is the answer to your question – look up the synonym for dash in the dictionary and all should become clear

  13. Blimey I thought I wasn’t going to finish this even with the hints. All fell into place eventually.
    Bit of a slog but satisfying.
    Thanks to Senf and Dada

  14. ****/***. Tricky NE corner made worse by being too lazy to go and grab my BRB. I have never associated 4d with peas but something a little more exotic. Got 5d but still haven’t parsed it. For me, not as rewarding as earlier Sunday offerings. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  15. Sunday is my favourite puzzle of the week, the only disappointment was 12a which was a shocker. If a clue is that complex that even CS is not sure of the parsing, then what hope have I got. Not surprising there was no hint for it!!
    Could not spell the cow either.
    Thanks all

    1. It wasn’t really parsing it that was the problem, more how to explain it without having to spend the day in a corner eating biscuits!

      1. What! No lemon drizzle cake? In that case, I’m very glad that I was circumspect in my comments.

  16. I’m getting more on Dada’s wavelength now, not 100% yet but almost.
    Just to be different, my sticking block was 16d, needed the hints.
    The rest of the puzzle was enjoyable, lots to like here, 20a, 25a and 26d stood out.
    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for a fun start to my very wet Sunday.

  17. Agree with some others who have said this was not their favourite Dada puzzle. A bit of a slog for me. But not as much of a struggle as they used to be. Would never use 4d as a form of regret. Forgot ornament can be a verb, an awkward use IMHO. Thanks for the hints Senf.

  18. Another good Sunday but a little trickier than last week for me. Plenty to enjoy but 27 and 28 I thought particularly good. Thanks to Dada and a Senf.

  19. 4d was my last one in this rather straightforward Dada.
    Quite fancy 8d as favourite.
    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints

  20. A little trouble at the close on 11ac and 4d, but the rest went in without too much ado. Good as ever from Dada…

  21. I’m pleased that I wasn’t the only one who disliked 4d. But breezed through the rest,
    Thanks to all, from an overcast and chilly Christchurch!

  22. With the excitement of the cricket yesterday I completely forgot to comment.
    Funny enough 4d was my favourite. Each to their own I guess. I solved this in fits and starts, but it was still an enjoyable challenge.
    Thanks to Dada, and to Senf for the hints.

  23. New to site, have read comment etiquette, but can’t quite rule out foot in mouth incidents.

    I got 12a, but I’m blowed if I can parse the second word.

    Any (further) hints greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    1. Welcome to the blog, as this is your first ever comment it went into moderation which is why it did not appear immediately.

      As this is a prize puzzle the hints are limited but I consider that if you read Cryptic Sues first comment above the parsing should become clear.

      1. Thank you Senf!

        I had already read Cryptic Sue’s hint several times last night. BUT, I just read it again and had a ‘D’oh!’ moment as it became clear.

        Amazing what a night’s sleep can do!

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