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DT 30167 (Hints)

by crypticsue  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30167 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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Good morning from a beautifully sunny frosty morning here in East Kent. It is very cold – as I type, the temperature has reached the dizzy heights of -1oC, it was -4 oC when I set off for Sainsburys at 8 o’clock.

I think the number of anagrams gives us a fair idea as to who set this Saturday’s Prize Puzzle. If I haven’t hinted the clue(s) you are really stuck on, just ask and I’ll see what I can do

As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, 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

1a    See following summary exactly (9)
Crosswordland’s favourite diocese (see) following a summary

11a    Only one vehicle in heavy traffic? (5)
A cryptic definition of a heavily-built motor vehicle for transporting heavy loads

17a    He’s possibly including rower who’s husky (6)
I presume the word possibly means that we are to make an anagram of HES – although really we are just transposing the last two letters – and then inserting (including) a rower

19a    Captain needs to be in control here in game (6)
Where a sea captain needs to be in control or a card game

27a    The last things one takes off (13)
The last things one takes off before going to bed, or, perhaps, in the bath

28a    Chemical dispersed pets later (9)
An anagram (dispersed) of PETS LATER

Down

2d    Irritable teetotaller Raymond outside (5)
The diminutive form of Raymond goes outside the letters used to indicate a teetotaller

3d    Clot Charlie ruled out (6)
The letter represented by Charlie in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and an anagram (out) of RULED

6d    Parting making petty distinctions (4-9)
What you might be doing if you are making a parting on the top of your head

7d    Characters evident in document (7,6)
Some characters and an adjective meaning evident

10d    Balance area near foundry? (9)
A type of weighing machine which works by balancing the item to be measured with a weight, could if split 5,4 be an area near a foundry

26d    Drug dealer not starting as escort (5)
A drug dealer without the first letter (not starting)

Could new readers please read the Welcome post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.

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

Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.

If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself (and me) a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment.


The Quick Crossword pun: STYE + LIST + TICK = STYLISTIC

64 comments on “DT 30167 (Hints)”

  1. Brr! Our window cleaner arrived at 8 am this morning, stupidly started, and then stopped almost immediately when all he achieved was added a sheet of ice to the panes of the first window. I’ve suggested he comes back in the spring.

    Apart from the very weak 11a, this was an enjoyable SPP. I didn’t help myself in the SE corner by entering a plausible alternative for 27a with the same first five letters which held me up until I got 23d & 26d.

    6d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

    1. Perhaps (make that probably) I’m missing something at 27a. I couldn’t see anything particularly cryptic about it – bit like Zandio’s boiler suit yesterday.
      Ps what a bizarre comment/reply you got this morning. How much encouragement from multiple sources does someone need.

      1. I am not sure why that correspondent chose to reply to RD with that comment other than he considers RD to be the archetypal elitist of our group as his last ‘comment of substance’ in DT 30164 was:

        “Glad to see that everyone is still finding the solutions such a piece of cake. An elitist forum for sure. No riff raff allowed.”

        Definitely a lost cause.

          2. Do you think Hicken could be an alias of one of the group recently gone from this site ? I’m guessing they could use a different email ?

        2. William Blair Hicken’s (full name revealed in DT 302164) rather contrived indignation seems to have originated at comment 17 in DT 30159, when RD gave a perfectly reasonable/innocuous answer to his question. I’ve been reading his comments with interest since then. Very strange …

    2. I think that you must have had the same plausible answer to 27a as me RD. it really scuppered my SE corner for a while.

  2. I agree with RD that 11a is quite weak as a cryptic clue. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing in this enjoyable SPP. I particularly liked 6d, 10d, & 1a. Solving all of those 5-letter clues in the midsection set me off and running, and the rest just fell in naturally. Thanks to CS and today’s settter. **/***

    Go, England! Beat France!

  3. Well, I am cautiously going to put half-a-crown on this very enjoyable and not too challenging puzzle being by our erstwhile SPP pangrammer turned double uncher.

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 12a, 18a, and 17d – and the winner is 12a.

    Thanks to Cephas, or whoever if not he, and to CS.

  4. Thought I was really going to enjoy this one until I hit 10d which was a new term to me, then I put the wrong 4 letter ending in 9d for the camera accessory and my last in was that pesky priest. Also although the answer to 11a seemed obvious I could not reconcile it with the wordplay and despite the hint still can’t!
    Nearly a great crossword.
    Thx to all
    ***/***

    2. 11a. The last two words would usually imply many vehicles. However here we are told there is only one, which must make it a heavy vehicle.

    3. Agree- having got all the intersecting clues there was only one answer possible for 11 across but still don’t understand the clue ! Favourite clue 4d which you used to be able to get in virtually every pub lunch but you never see it now !!!

    4. Agree- having got all the intersecting clues there was only one answer possible for 11 across but still don’t understand the clue ! Favourite clue 4d _ very nostalgic !

  5. I, too, was somewhat disappointed by 11a, as there must be better cryptic definitions available. That aside, as usual I enjoyed this Saturday puzzle that was fun and not overly difficult. 6d was the outstanding clue for me.

    Thanks to our setter and CS.

  6. Nice and easy does it.
    No real problems apart from taking too long over 9d.
    And luckily using the checking letters to guess correctly 10d, a new word for me.
    Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the nicely illustrated review.

    3. A c*ck-up at Telegraph Towers also appearing in the ‘new’ puzzles web site version, 15d should read:

      Possibly shoplifting paper? (5)

  8. Must be the cold & a somewhat grouchy humour but I wasn’t overly taken with this one. It all went in pretty smoothly though 11a was a can’t be anything else bung in & having read CS’s explanation agree it’s not the best clue. 6,9&15d my picks. Now back to an unequal fight with Paul’s prize puzzle in the Graun.
    Thanks to the setter & to CS.

  9. Thank goodness we covered the windscreen of the car last night. We had to pick someone up from Heathrow at 6.45 this morning. Very frosty out here in The Chilterns.
    It was good to come back to the warmth, put the fire on and settle down with The DT and a cup of tea.
    Nothing to worry about with this one this morning except my own error with 27a. Thank you setter and CS. I’m heading off to the kitchen. It’s definitely a homemade soup day.

  10. Another enjoyable Saturday PP that required just the right amount of lateral thinking. Agree with others that 27a is not all that cryptic but I’m crossword setter. It took me a while to sort out 11a and I did not know the document in 7d not the object at 10d. Other than those, it was very entertaining. I haven’t counted but are there more anagrams than usual? My favourite and COTD is 6d.

    Many thanks to the setter for the fun. Huge thank yous to CS for the hints.

    A beautiful and bright, frosty day here in The Marches. It will be cold as I perform my scarecrow duties!

      1. I don’t wear a carrot, Manders but I stand with my arms sticking out and my head, with a stupid grin, tilting to one side.

  12. All went fairly smoothly with just a slight hold-up for a couple in the far West. Agree with RD that 11a is weak so much so that I still can’t cryptically parse it and 27a is barely cryptic. 6d definitely Fav. The hunt for new terms for anagram seems to be getting ever more far-fetched (fear of naughty corner prevents me from being more specific). Thank you setter and CS.

  13. Not too tricksy for a SPP — apart from one or two parsing exceptions. Thanks Sue and Cephas if it be you.

  14. Beaten by this one today, never heard of 7d, but really should have got 10d as my Dad’s still got one in his garden from his dealing days!
    Agree with all about 11a, very weak. Roll on tomorrow with us (hopefully) in the semi-final.

  15. An enjoyable crossword. Some handy ‘chuck ’em ins’ to get the party started. I remember seeing some dreadful comedian back in the 70s who made a tawdry joke about The Pope, a bath, and 27a. Even as a teenage lapsed Catholic I found it rather impertinent. But then I am convinced that given a chance I shall ‘regain’ my faith on my deathbed, largely through fear. I’m so glad to have added such a cheery tone today.

    Come on, England!

    Thanks to the setter and PC Security (anag)

    1. Let’s hope England have no fear and lots of faith to help them win.
      Enjoyed the puzzle today. Thankyou all.

  16. Thanks for your kind comments. 15 down was not my original clue as my treatment of the word was too similar to recent clues by others.

  17. Not quite sure what to make of this Saturday puzzle. Doesn’t feel like a Cephas but I am no expert.
    Found it very much r&w and thus my rating is 1*/4.5*
    Some clues did not seem quite as cryptic as I have come to expect, but then again …

    Could have picked many, but the top five favourites include 12a, 19a, 20a, 4d & 9d with winner 12a and 19a runner-up

    Thanks to setter and to CS

  18. Nice SPP, I too didn’t get 11a but answer was evident enough. 23d had a wrong ending at first which meant I got my knickers in a twist over 27a. I always feel a bit robbed when we get clues with no unches (13a and d -15d 21a) but I suppose the double unches make up for it. Thanks to Cephas and CS.
    Boiler on the fritz. I am sat here with no hot water or heating. Mama Bee and I are huddled round the fire for warmth but we will survive.

  19. 3/3. I found this more difficult than for many. Helped by a generous smattering of anagrams I got there eventually with help from CS hints – many thanks. Thanks also to the setter.

  21. Same question marks as others but generally an ok crossword. We’ll go with 6d as favourite. Thanks to Cephas and CS.

  23. I’m such a happy bunny, all done and sorted without help, except to look up 10d having never heard of the balance bit. I also bunged in 11a, what else could it be? Fave was 6d, isn’t that clever.
    Sorry about the cold, I hope you warm up soon. Dare I say it’s in the 80Fs here with no rain in the forecast. I’m such a hothouse flower, I’d never be able to survive your cold.
    Thanks Cephas, what a pleasure that was, and CS for her help with the understanding of a couple.

  24. Very late in today, I had to keep a chair warm in the orthopaedic dept! Anyway, I did manage to get the crossword done and found it something of a mixed bag with the clues already mentioned by others not seeming to be particularly cryptic. Not to worry, there was some good stuff as well and I really enjoyed 1&12a plus 6&15d.

    Thanks to Cephas for his company in the waiting room and thanks to CS for the hints & tips. Off to do battle with the NTSPP now.

  25. This felt a bit of a odd crossword today – don’t know why but it just did.
    I couldn’t believe that 11a was what it was – but it obviously was (or is!)
    I haven’t heard of 7d and 28a took ages.
    I really liked 6d and 19a.
    Thanks to Cephas for the crossword and to CS for the hints.
    Still jolly cold – I’d much prefer this when it was in the summer – if you’re cold you can always get warm by go for a walk, put on an extra sweater, light the fire etc etc but if you’re too hot there’s just nothing that helps – horrible!!!

  26. All done and dusted after an ennervating walk to our local farm shop and cafe. Seemed fairly straightforward for me. I was able to dig from the depths of my memory the document and the weighing machine.
    An enjoyable crossword. No help required but hinters remarks appreciated.

  27. Fell into the same trap as RD on 27a I think, which caused some head-scratching and eventual unravelling!

  28. Not sure who set this but worryingly he/she must think like me as I rushed through it for a change. Usually struggle. Thank you

    1. If you read through the comments, you’ll see that Cephas thanked everyone for their kind comments on his crossword

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