Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3015 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where it is hot (32 degrees) and humid (feels like 39 degrees) with heat warnings.
Dada not quite as tricky as last week, but more quirky – 4 anagrams, one reverse lurker, and no homophones.
Favourite – 16a!.
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
9a Could girl be put out? (5)
One of the descriptive words for what a girl may be in familial terms.
10a Send back list including a bit of fish — large snapper? (9)
A type of list containing (including) A from the clue and a part (bit) of a fish all reversed (send back) – the illustration should help.
12a Some returned mail, a German sovereign’s collection (7)
The reverse lurker (some returned) found in the rest of the clue.
13a Surrey town remote, map leads to farm, all concluding (5)
Select the last letters (all concluding) of remotE, maP leadS tO farM.
16a Pivotal moment, ace in tennis? (5,2,2,6)
A double definition – consider what the receiver cannot do with an ‘ace’.
19a Awful weight to bear, don’t attack Lebanese port! (5,4)
A single word for don’t attack and a Lebanese port.
25a Touching line from man with whip (7)
A synonym of man after (with) a synonym of whip.
28a Famous — as are Mozart’s works? (5)
A single word to describe the ‘characters’ in Mozart’s works.
Down
1d Legs cut doing a backflip (4)
A synonym of cut reversed (doing a backflip).
3d Measure bringing age into focus (10)
A synonym of age inserted into (bringing . . . into) a synonym of focus.
5d English king and James VI, say, both briefly outside (8)
A bit of a history lesson – an English king (who burnt the cakes) followed by the short form of the nationality of James VI (there have been only two King James of England) with their last letters removed (briefly).
7d Financial promise broken by broadcaster, that’s for sure! (1,4,3)
A financial promise containing (broken by) an informal term for a broadcaster, as in a piece of equipment.
13d Show what one used to do for work? (10)
Written as (2-8) how one can describe what one used to do for work.
15d Rank place, occupant below (10)
A synonym of place followed by a type of occupant.
18d Turner placing wife between insect and rat (8)
The single letter for wife inserted into (placing between) an insect and a (two legged) rat.
20d Everything one owns ending in garbage, say (6)
The last letter (ending in) garbagE followed by a synonym of say.
26d Still not accomplished? Bother! (2-2)
A double definition – the second is a nounal synonym of Bother.
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The 118th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s and the Queen Mum’s birthdays, and Jane’s xxth birthday today; this was a number one in April/May 1968 (although it might have been recorded in 1967):
Finished reasonably quickly and enjoyed the journey .
Loved 16A and 19A .
Thanks to everyone .
This was rather a quirky crossword, with quite few clues that relied on seeing the pun or joke. I wasn’t keen on 5d, which seemed to me to rely too heavily on both GK and abbreviation. Not the most enjoyable puzzle I have ever seen (**/**) but 19a was fun. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
It’s not often I can finish without resorting to a little “help”, so I really enjoyed polishing this off all on my own. 13D was puntastic. Thank you.
2.5*/4*. Another very enjoyable Sunday puzzle. Dada is definitely on a roll now on Sundays.
Senf, I might be wrong but I parsed 9a differently with “put out” as the definition and a nebulous girl as part of the wordplay which is asking the question “could girl be?” Needless to say this was my least-liked clue!
Everything else was hunky-dory from my point of view with 16a, 19a, 5d & 26d scrambling for podium places.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
I agree with you about 9a but were it not Sunday I’d say more about your comment
Yes, were it not Sunday I would have worded my comment differently.
Thanks RD and others. One of those instances of ‘couldn’t see for looking’ – either not enough or too much of my favourite Bordeaux.
This took me my normal Sunday time, which is usually slightly longer than other days, and I always enjoy the tussle.
It took me a while to parse 3d and I had to look up the port, but all in all, good fun.
Many thanks to Senf and setter.
Another in the run of most enjoyable Sunday puzzles from Dada.
I did check on 2d ‘just to be sure’ and the Lebanese port involved a slight pause for thought but nothing else to report beyond wondering how well 9a would go down with RD!
Top two for me were 16a & 26d.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints – nice to have Mr Armstrong and the Queen Mum on parade today!
Very enjoyable puzzle, NW last to complete.
Favourites 7d and 19a – although my studying Google Maps didn’t help as the spelling of the port has changed!
Thanks to Senf and setter.
I parsed 9a differently. The last 3 letters are a girl’s name.
Having 27a, 7d with lots 26d, I am glad this 4d through, 5d with no 25a, whilst 11a-ing my 1d and contemplating my 19a looking forward to 21a later. All in all, within a 3d of being a 13d of a 23a.
Now must go and stop the 8d playing with the fake 10a before it gets to a 16a.
Or maybe have another cup of coffee!!
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
P.s. I agree with RD on construction of 9a; at least 14a wasn’t one.
19a my clear favourite this morning in this very enjoyable and reasonably testing offering from Dada. Generally a high standard of clueing apart from the slightly dodgy 9a.
Thanks to the aforementioned and Senf. Back to the cricket.
Found this one tough – not as clever as you lot. Favourite clues were 19a, 7d and 8d. Senf’s hints were excellent, wouldn’t have finished otherwise. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Well I finished it without recourse to the hints but I am not sure about 7d. I have done what you call a bung in without knowing why! Used to have ballroom dancing lessons in a room over Boots in 13a, many years ago!
Nothing to scare the horses with today’s crossword! Everything seemed to go in quite smoothly. 16 tickled my fancy.
Thanks to Dada, and to Senf for the hints
A hard fought victory with several retuning of my feeble brain waves required to complete another of Dadas wickedly clever Sunday puzzles. This one did have its quirks didn’t it…. on completion I can say all the better for them!
Favs 10ac, 13&15 d.
3*/4.5*
Gratitude to Dada & Senf for direction on a couple that just had me flummoxed.
Enjoyed that and managed without resort to the hints but needed Senf to explain a couple of bung ins in the NW. Thanks for that and the Louis Armstrong clip. Thanks too to Dada who presented an ideal Sunday workout again.
Much harder than last week, so little enjoyment.
Thanks all.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, with a few to make you think. Last in was 9a, I parsed it the same as Rabbit Dave & Cryptic Sue. Favourite was 2d. Was 2*/4* for me.
Amazing how a girl can change her mind! I was on wavelength today and enjoyed this, albeit twisting my brain back to front. I think you hit the nail on the head with “quirky”, Senf, dead right.
I’m at a total loss unravelling 6d but it just has to be right.
Lots to like, 28a was very clever, sweet and to the point, but fave is 16a, and I liked 19a; the port is often mentioned in the Bible, usually teamed up with Sidon.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for his hints and tips. Oh, and thanks heaps for the Louis Armstrong, my fave version.
Is it our Jane’s birthday? Very Happy Birthday, Jane!
I don’t understand 6d … hopefully, someone will explain it.
6d Back on summit in Greece, very excited (4)
An adverb meaning back followed by the summit (top letter) of Greece.
Thx Gazza, I can see it now but seems a bit weak to me.
Thanks Gaza, I spent faaar too long staring at that four-letter word muttering four-letter words! Don’t you feel dim when you know the answer?
Ps. “Gazza” is not a four-letter word.
It doesn’t worry me – I’ve been called far worse four-letter words!
C’mon Gazza, you got my intent!!
Glad its not just me!
Sometime things are easier than they seem.
Thank you, Merusa, just got back from a most enjoyable ‘lunch + vino’ session with 9 of my ‘girl’ friends. Took my mind off the horrendous number of years I’ve managed to clock up – with any luck I can now qualify as being a much sought after vintage model!
Betcha can’t catch me! Glad you had a good time. Cheers
I found this on the tricky side. The bottom right got me started then with the help of some of the excellent hints I managed to complete the rest. Some of the clues were a bit quirky and may have stumped some of our overseas solvers such as the slang in 1d and 5d certainly needed a knowledge of British history.
Not sure if I liked it or not!
Thx to all
***/***
I had no problem as I had an English education in the colonies. Even, say America, they learn a smattering of English/European history in much the same way that you learn basic American history. I’m sure you learnt about the George Washington and so on.
Really enjoyed tackling this brainteaser from Dada beginning with completion of the Northern sector. Fav probably 16a. Think I begin to warm to Dada to whom I say thank you for today’s offering and also to Senf (particularly for the great clip of the youthful, slim version of The Reverend Satchmo 🌹).
Thought this was going to be v difficult – only one clue solved on first pass through. But perseverance paid starting in SE then SW followed by NE and NW. 16a favorite.
Joint effort this end, completed with son-of-HP, over a G&T whilst better-half/mother worked around us with the important stuff like tidying cooking and cleaning. Agreed it was a bit quirky and like RD, thought 16a was good. A nice end to the day spent mostly pursuing and photographing butteflies. **/*** thanks to all.
I’m obviously thicker than the rest of you as I couldn’t get a handle on this one. I thought I had begun to figure out Dada’s puzzles, but gave up when I needed too much help today. Managed to overcook some cup cakes, and looks like rain storm will prevent us going out as planned this afternoon. Roll on Monday…
It’s been as hot and humid as Winnipeg for the last two months down here. With half a day’s rain in the middle.
No change in the horizon either.
Took a pose from Enigmatist in the Graun to tackle this week’s Dada.
Very enjoyable as usual and needed all the checkers to get the definition and the answer to 5d.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf.
Happy birthday Jane.
I wonder what a pose from Enigmatist looks like?
I’ll ask him at the York S&B and report back!
Perhaps like Rodin’s thinker with his elbow on a pub counter.
I meant pause bien sur.
Thank you, JL, missed your company so much at the last birthday bash and, sadly, not likely to make the next one. Always nice to look back on the ‘good old days’ though!
Keep well and I hope that young lady of yours is still thriving.
Back on the right day and its nowhere near midnight, I haven’t done yesterday’s mind you. I think Dada’ s really on the Sunday wavelength now. Yes 16a cotd. Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
Needed a few hints for this one, but got there in the end.
Feel as though I might be starting to get a handle on Sunday Cryptics now….famous last words…….
I liked 19a best.
Thanks to Senf and to the setter.