ST 3067 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3067 (Hints)

by Senf  

 

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3067 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where we are enjoying a three day holiday weekend with more sensible temperatures than we have had of late. 

Keep staying safe everyone. 

Dada approaching benevolence this week with a sprinkling of Hmms and some recent repeats – I counted five anagrams (three of which were partials), two lurkers, and one homophone – all in a symmetric 28 clues, with 16 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.

Candidates for favourite – 1a, 11a, 6d, and 7d.

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

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

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

1a Beastly African cases for old doctor (11)
The short form of a large African animal (beastly) and a synonym of (large) cases.

10a Titan finally scratching back (5)
A (2,4) expression for finally with the last letter removed (scratching back) gives one of the Titans.

11a Feeling less, yours truly getting hit (6,3)
A term that is equivalent to more lack of feeling (in any part of the body?) and a three letter word that can be equivalent to the perpendicular pronoun when referring to yours truly.

14a Absolutely not certain of earnings, only some shown (2,4)
The first lurker (only some shown) found in the rest of the clue.

18a Current unit in outskirts of Hyderabad, incapacitated (8)
The unabbreviated form of the unit of (electric) current inserted into (in) the first and last letters (outskirts) of HyderabaD.

23a Captured by Spain, a Uruguayan island (5)
The second lurker (captured by) found in the rest of the clue gives a Micronesian island.

26a Antelope nuzzling into nice new flower (9)
One of cruciverbalists’ favourite antelopes inserted into (nuzzling into) an anagram (new) of NICE.

28a Lover gone, one helping to find forgiveness (11)
The two letter term for a lover gone, ONE from the clue, and a synonym of helping.

Down

2d Relative hammered nail on top of wardrobe (2-3)
An anagram (hammered) of NAIL placed before (on) the first letter (top) of Wardrobe.

4d Seed overcome, by the sound of it? (6)
The homophone (by the sound of it) of a synonym of overcome (as in defeat) – I suppose it is a seed.

5d A paper’s ending with fully-developed framework (8)
A from the clue, the last letter (‘s ending) of papeR, and (with) a single word for fully-developed (gives a device used by sculptors).

7d Crick, say, tedious person (4,2,3,4)
A double definition – the first relates to a cramp or spasm in a particular part of the body.

9d The new stadium freshened up one side of London (4,3,6)
An anagram (freshened up) of THE NEW STADIUM.

15d Insect has swallowed a tailless rodent, as everybody knows (8)
A common insect containing (has swallowed) a (small) rodent with the last letter removed (tailless).

19d Horse briefly ahead of bovine for a day in September, say? (7)
An alternative term for a horse with the last letter removed (briefly) placed before (ahead of) a two letter bovine.

25d A kick, bottom first, not allowed (5)
A from the clue and a synonym of kick with the last letter (bottom) moved to the top (first).

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Andy Fairweather Low, founder member and lead singer of Amen Corner, is 72 today.  This is Bend Me Shape Me from 1968:

 

62 comments on “ST 3067 (Hints)”

  1. All complete in *** time, except for 3d which I hadn’t heard of. I’ll try not to moan about the use of foreign words. Damn, I just have.

    Many thanks to Dada and Senf.

    (And well done to Altrincham for their promotion yesterday).

    2. Just to bring us down to earth, it can’t be all that ‘foreign’ as I buy mine in Aldi – I’m not too proud to admit, lol.
      I found this puzzle far more difficult than yesterday’s prize puzzle – both greatly enjoyed toward the end of two busy days though.

      1. SL, Wasn’t implying we shop at Waitrose, nearest is almost a day trip away.
        “Supermarkets” here are so small we shop at Tesco, Asda, Lidl or the Co-op depending who stocks what we are looking for.

        1. My one and only convenient supermarket just happens to be a Waitrose – thank you, Will & Kate, for making your home here at just the right time!
          Plenty of 3d in stock as you would expect.

        2. Lol, I was only having a laugh – mainly at myself, plus attempting to point out just how normal and everyday that particular sauce is LOK :-)

          1. SL
            I realised that, so was I. I didn’t want anyone to think we had ideas above our station. Important decisions like who has a BOGOF on dog food I leave to Mrs LrOK.
            About the sauce, it must not be uncommon, even a fish chip & mushy peas man like me has heard of it.
            😷

          1. It is, one snag Inverness is 90 mile round trip Merusa. Our local Tesco is in Tain & doesn’t even stock life’s basics like Flahavan’s porridge

  2. 3*/4*. Very enjoyable and nicely challenging Sunday fare with 1a my favourite.

    A little while ago I’d never heard of 26a and now it keeps appearing regularly. I didn’t know that specific meaning of 5d so it needed a BRB check to confirm.

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.

  3. A really enjoyable crossword with just the right level of challenge (**/****). It is difficult to pick favourites when there are so many good clues. I liked 1a, 12a, 18a and of course 9d to remind me of my youth. Thanks to Senf and Dada.

  4. A couple of stints required to get to the bottom of this one today. and a couple of hints appreciated. 17d almost defeated me but with a full set of checkers and a last minute inspiration, I found an answer.
    Thanks to Dada and Senf and Thank you for the music too.

  5. A sparkling Dada today, his best in weeks for me. Crafty misdirections (esp. 8d), memorable surfaces, and amusing anagrams. Hard to pick the top three, but here goes: 19, 9, and 15d (the downs take the prizes today). Most enjoyable. Thanks to Senf and to Dada. ** / ****

    We await the storm here in Charleston, hoping for the best.

      1. Aren’t you forecast to get some of it too? Please stay safe.
        How are you doing now? I hope well.

    3. Good luck Robert. It was much ado about nothing for us down here. But good practice for the next time. Hopefully you will experience the same.

        1. Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. I hope we fare as well as BusyLizzie.

      2. Ditto Lizzie, we did get lots of rain but no wind. My WiFi keeps going in and out but I think that’s a problem wit AT&T, not with the storm. I breathe again and hope this is our storm of the year!

  6. This would have been a **/*** for me but 3d and 1a took as long as the rest of the puzzle so more like a ****/*** I too had to check the meaning of 5d. I had some vague idea it had something to do with electric motors. Hard to pick a favourite but I’ll nominate 12a. Thanks to all.

  7. Our setter in very benign mood today – just as well given the challenge we’ve been set in the MPP!
    Like RD, I had to check on the required definition of 5d but no other hold ups to report.
    Favourite was 1a with a mention for 28a.

    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the Sunday hints – have been duly ‘bending’ in the kitchen with Amen Corner!

  8. Up rather early today to feed Lola as the lovely neighbours have gone away for a few days. If Lola isn’t fed before 8am, she lets one know that her breakfast is overdue by, firstly, gentle reminders; secondly, heart rending and rather amplified MEOWS. Happily, I filled her bowl before either of her techniques were required.
    Completing the crossword immediately after breakfast is not my usual routine, but a clear head certainly helped with the unravelling. We’ve had the new stadium before but its cleverness bears repeating.
    Thanks to Senf, and as Sting once sang, ‘de do do do de da da da’ to the setter.

    1. You’re very lucky with the 8am. Our two cats thought 3:00am was the time when I should get up, one sitting on my chest inches from my face and watching my eyes intently, while the other paced round and round my head. In the end, when I started falling asleep at traffic lights on the way to work, I decided for safety reasons, they had to spent nights on the other side of the house, shut in the guest bedroom.

  10. Terrific – loved every minute of today’s solve – one of the best ever. South came first with delay in North mainly due to needing help in identifying he who named an oath. Too many goodies to select Fav(s). Huge thanks to Dada (who usually stymies me) and Senf. 👍.

  11. No issues in the south where I found benevolence in abundance but considerably less so in the north. 1a took a while for the penny to drop & needed Mr G to confirm 5d. Last 3 to fall were 10a/3d & 4d. Was far from confident that I had the right answer for 4d but Senf’s review confirms. Plenty of worthy podium contenders to choose from but I’ll opt for 1,12&18a.
    Many thanks Dada & Senf

  12. What a wonderful offering from Dada, today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did need to check my parsing for a couple and, fortunately, they’re included in the hints by Senf. The north-east corner held out the longest. Too many good clues to be able to pick a COTD but I will mention 1a, 12a, 24a and 19d as being notable.

    Thank you, Dada for an enjoyable Sunday morning. Also, many thanks, Senf for the hints.

  13. I couldn’t parse 25d but got the answer. On looking at the hint I understand the parsing. Thanks Senf but I think you meant to put a synonym of kick.

    1. So I did, thank you, now corrected and you get this week’s Gold Star for finding my mistake!

  14. This very enjoyable puzzle was just what was needed after a morning spent removing stones from plums and slicing runner beans in preparation for freezing. So many excellent clues to choose from but I liked 1a, 12a, 4d and 19d. Missed the lurker in 14a (as usual!) but Senf enlightened me so grateful thanks to him and to Dada who never fails to provide lunchtime entertainment for me.
    PS I found a beautiful black and creamy white butterfly/moth(?) on the plum tree this morning. Google seems to suggest that it might be a Jersey Tiger moth. A reminder to do the Big Butterfly Count this afternoon.

  15. Very satisfying thank you Dada and also to Senf although completed save for parsing one. A few at the top held me up but I’m glad I persevered. I kicked myself when I finally got 1a a great clue. I was banking on an anagram for a time and did not know whether I was looking for a doctor or an animal. There were quite a few blind alleys to follow. This then helped me to get 3d. I knew what I was looking for but got bogged down with more obscure types of the answer from a list! 10a resisted for too long also. 11a is another favourite which I had forgotten. Too many favourite down clues to mention so I’ll plump for the two long ones down each side.

  16. Doable but certainly *** and a bit for difficulty.
    Some extremely clever clueing eg 20a.
    Thoroughly enjoyable.
    Many thanks Dada and to Senf for the review.

  17. It is with some astonishment that I find I have solved this one alone and unaided…and can understand the answers.
    So, a double hurrah for me as it is Sunday.

    May have to have a lie down now to get over the shock.

    Thanks to Dada and to Senf.

  18. I was slow to get going with this one and the answers to the bottom half appeared first. Unfortunately I’d got a name in my head for 1a which I couldn’t shake off for ages but eventually with almost all the checkers I landed on the right answer. I got an answer for 17d in the end with half the letters in place, the question is: is it the right one? I liked 13a but choose 4d as my favourite seeing as it was the last one to go in. I enjoyed the crossword very much and thank the compiler and Senf. Just watching a robin in the garden feeding its offspring – they put in so much hard work! Hope the juvenile doesn’t finish up as Sylvester’s lunch/snack.

  19. A benevolent Dada to Senf is a 3 * doable for me. Meaning of 5d new & my mind never associated 4d with a seed – limited knowledge again.
    COTD was 1a.
    Had to check 23a. In view of our current weight “crisis”interesting that in 2007 92.5% of that island’s population was classed as obese! Obviously on the Biggles See Food diet
    Thanks to Dada and Senf enjoy the break. Getting 18 holes in I hope.

  21. Very enjoyable puzzle today so thank you. I have a 4d tree in the garden but never get any of the so called seeds which is a shame. I suppose it is a seed as if you plant it you get another tree.

  22. For some reason I made heavy work of this but as always when t it was finished I wondered why, 3 down was new to me and 12 across was my PDM but as always it was time well spent. Thank you to the setter and Senf

  23. 3/4. Two weeks in a row a benevolent Dada. 9d makes a quick return but I do like this anagram. 7d got me off to a quick start as did 1a. However slowed down by 3d and the cunning lurker in 14a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  24. I made heavy work of this but as always when t it was finished I wondered why, 3 down was new to me and 12 across was my PDM but as always it was time well spent. Thank you to the setter and Senf

  25. Today’s puzzle a little harder than yesterday’s but still not too quirky for a Dada offering. Got hung up in the lower SE for quite a while though and sent me to ***/****. Liked 1a, 14a, 4d, 7d, & 19d with winner being 4d (just ahead of 7d). Reminds me of the many school playground challenges for the best and most durable “seed” !!

    Thanks to Dada and Senf for the hints

  26. These days we never assume that we will complete a Sunday crossword but we managed this one. Our favourites were 1 a and 4 d as we had never seen either in a crossword before ( admittedly we don’t get out much). As usual on Sunday the occasional synonym stretched credibility, but we enjoyed this one. Thanks to Dada and Senf, who must be ever so clever to take on blogging the Sunday crossword before he’s even seen it … respect! 🙂

    1. Hi R&G,
      How are you faring in your new home? Would love to get some news of your progress when you have the time.

  27. Now that I enjoyed, so much better for me than the horror that was yesterdays complete mystery.
    Best clue for me was 12a.
    ***/****
    Thx to all

  28. Sundays are never straightforward but this was probably about as close to it as they ever are.
    Spent a silly amount of time trying to make 1a an anagram and I missed the lurker.
    I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of 5d or the 23a island and, needless to say, 9d caused trouble.
    Far too many good clues to pick them all out but 7d made me laugh.
    Thanks to Dada and to Senf.

  29. Finally finished. Once 1a popped into my brain, I finished this. A good level of difficulty for me.

  30. I found this harder than I should, making heavy weather of some of the clues. Didn’t know the island in 23a, thought 15d a bit of a stretch, and never heard of 3d. On the other hand I loved 12a. Now going to spend afternoon quietly catching up on filing to save strength for putting all my potted plants and patio furniture back outside. But not complaining, just glad Isaias hardly made its presence known here in South Florida. Driven in worse weather. It’s the unpredictability of these storms that is the real problem. Prepare for the worse and hope for the best.

    1. So pleased to hear that you escaped the worst, Lizzie. As you say, it’s easier to cope with putting things back into place rather than having to deal with devastation. Hope that Merusa and Robert have also been spared this time.

  31. I solved the three long ones, west, north and south, in a jiffy, but 9d held out, not surprised. In any case, it gave lots of helping letters. I found Dada quite friendly, though with my dodgy WiFi I had no thesaurus and I really need that with Dada, Senf to the rescue.
    I enjoyed this, lots of good stuff, I feel quite pleased with myself. Fave has got to be either 1a or 7d, toss a coin.
    Thanks to Dada for the fun and to Senf for unravelling a few.

  32. Really enjoyed this one, as always with Dada some crafty clues which challenged the imagination….

  33. Another enjoyable Dada crossword. There seems to be a pattern of the south being easier than the north for me at the moment. 1a was my clue of the day but it took me a while to work it out! 4d was fun too but about a month too early, probably!
    Thanks to Dada and Senf

  34. I’m in the “straightforward until it wasn’t” camp this evening, the last 3or 4 taking three times as long as the rest of the puzzle, so benign flew out of the window for me. Maybe my particularly late start and tiredness had something to do with it, I’m trying to be kind here. I suppose I’m going to have to nominate a favourite which will be 1a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  36. That was fun; thanks, Dada. I thought I wouldn’t manage the top-right corner, with two across and two intersecting down answers stumping me for ages. But after Senf’s hint for 1a (thank you), in a second session I eventually managed to work them out without any further hints or needing to reveal any letters.

    My solving was interspersed with chiding from the now-6-year-old: I was paying insufficient attention to helping with their birthday Lego set, where my rôle was spotting and separating the pieces still connected together by their previous owner — mainly the fiddly little ones that are a pain to separate — the beach house set having been acquired second-hand, as no longer sold new.

    My favourites are 12a (man from South Africa), 18a (current unit), and 19d (horse and bovine).

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