DT 30215 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30215 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30215 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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A grey and gloomy East Kent morning brings a Saturday Prize Puzzle which didn’t take me that long to solve. I think I spent more time muttering the Quick Pun before the penny dropped

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

4a    One’s entering procession in state of great happiness (8)
The letter representing one and an S (one’s) ‘entering’ a procession

9a    Framework torn apart, it’s an exorbitant amount to pay (4-4)
A framework and part of a verb meaning torn apart combine to give an exorbitant amount to pay to live in someone else’s property

10a    Poor, very much out of form (5,3)
Poorly provided, especially with money – an adverb meaning very much and a simple way of saying out of form

12a    Ancient convict? (3-5)
Someone who has been where he or she is for a very long time (eg a convict servicing a long sentence)

19a    Party song about America (8)
A song of joy or praise goes ‘about’ an abbreviation for America

23a    Where one finds oneself at end of flight? (8)
A cryptic definition of where you’d be at the end of a flight of steps

26a    Arrange time for exhibition of horsemanship (8)
Arrange or set in order followed by a period of time


Down

1d    Message about father being competent (7)
A type of message goes ‘about’ an informal name for father

2d    Thousand still confused before somebody has burdensome responsibility (9)
The Roman numeral for 1,000, an anagram (confused) of STILL and an individual person (somebody)

3d    Advise Mike to support hip vocal quartet? (6)
The letter represented by Mike in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet goes after (to support) the ‘usual’ fashionable (hip) and  a homophone (vocal) of a quartet

5d    Is it hardly edible? (4,4)
A cryptic definition of something that sounds like it might be too hard to eat

7d    Punch, having belted out tune the wrong way (7)
Part of a verb meaning produced musical sounds with great enthusiasm (belted out) and a reversal (the wrong way) of a tune

18d    Occasionally, best Scottish island turned up in report (7)
A reversal (turned up) of the occasional letters of bEsT and a Scottish island

22d    Sign of the times (5)
The sign used in multiplication sums to mean ‘times’

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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. If in doubt, leave it out!

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The Quick Crossword pun: GNASH + ANNALIST = NATIONALIST

84 comments on “DT 30215 (Hints)

  1. Phew! I did it but not without a bit of head-scratching. SW slowest to yield. Vocal quartet in 3d gave me a pause for thought as stupidly did 22d. Altogether this turned out to be rather less of a struggle than initially anticipated. Thank you Mysteron and CS.

  2. Fleet, fair, and fun. Having stayed up all night to finish a real page-turner of a book, Shelley Burchfield’s The Earth Remains, I needed something soothing and enjoyable like this to bring me back to earth. The top clues for me were 19a, 2d, & 22d. Thanks to CS for the hints which I happily didn’t need and to today’s setter (Cephas probably but it felt like Chalicea). **/****

  3. What a relief after yesterdays fiend! Just my cup of tea. My favourite was 13a. 26a brought to memory my attempts at this during my time in horse trials. Difficult to do and like watching paint dry to watch.
    Thx to all
    **/*****

  4. Quite light for a Saturday Prize Puzzle I thought, but very entertaining. I have no particular stand out favourites, however 2d, 14d & 19a raised a chuckle and 9a was a fresh term to me. Thanks to todays’s setter – might it just be our Floughie Lady? Thanks also to CS, whose hints I still need to check out.

  5. 1.5*/3*. This made a pleasant diversion to start the weekend.

    I’ve never heard of 9a but it couldn’t have been anything else from the wordplay and checkers. If I’ve understood 17d correctly, I am not convinced that the starter word needed is a builder.

    My podium comprises 19a, 2d & 22d.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

    1. Hi Rabbit Dave

      I think a synonym that works well for 17d is a wright that is a builder or ******* of things e.g wainwright and playwright.

      1. Thanks, Tom. It’s difficult to have a sensible discussion on a Prize Puzzle day without being sent to the naughty step.

        I’ve now realised that I had made a complete horlicks of this. I have just worked out what the source word should have been but I think that must be different from your word (wisely concealed by the asterisks).

        If you take your word, remove the first letter (“not initially”) and insert an a (“shielding a”) into what you are left with, that doesn’t give you the answer. :unsure:

        I hope this isn’t too confusing …

        1. Yep, the clue makes complete sense.

          It looks like we have both boo-booed. Being a golf fan, hopefully you will allow me a mulligan.

          That’ll teach me to delurk. Fret not, I will lurk no more because it’s a wonderful blog that deserves many posts.

  6. A cheery crossword; very enjoyable to solve. Although I haven’t heard of 9a it doesn’t suffer the ignominy of an appearance on THE LIST as I feel it is certainly my ignorance rather than it being an obscure phrase.

    Like Brian I enjoyed 26a in my younger days, but one time my horse got spooked and threw me off. My bonce missed a railing by about six inches and I felt that was a sign to retire from my 26a activities.

    Yesterday I mentioned we were attending Stamford Bridge to see our mighty Chelsea swipe aside our little neighbours, Fulham. How wrong I was! It turned out Chelsea are still the woeful underperformers, and Fulham are a very well-organised team with a proper centre-forward in the excellent Mitrovic. Another rather dismal evening for Chelsea supporters.

    Thanks to the setter and PC Security (anag)

    1. I have to agree, but then I am biased, those wearing the white shirts were definitely the better SW6 team last night. Money can buy lots of things but instant winning of a local derby does not appear to be one of them.

      1. I am a season ticket holder at Craven Cottage and the recent home win against Chelsea was a great night, including a rather bizarre light show before the match which seemed to consist of someone behind the scenes rapidly switching the floodlights on and off. May the new found superiority over our blue neighbours last a little bit longer – COYW!

        1. We had exactly the same ‘light show’ last night which was the subject of similar jokes all around – rather feeble! In addition we had some weak flames dribbling out of four boxes wheeled on to the pitch.
          I suppose the powers that be think it will create ‘atmosphere’!

    2. Very magnanimous Terence after the bravado of yesterday 👍. Happy days for us Fulham supporters, can’t think when we last took 4 points from Chelsea in a season.

      1. I should stress I was just being silly yesterday, GJR. Fulham are a terrific side, with an excellent manager. They deserve their place in the table and I wish them, and you, well.

      2. My first ever attending a Football League match was a trip to Craven Cottage in the days of Haynes, Mullery, Macedo, Cohen, and more. I have always had a ‘soft spot’ for them with the almost annual ‘Houdini’ escape from relegation in the 1960s and, more recently, the promotion relegation repeat cycle.

        1. That’s when my Dad used to go Senf, and thus his love of The Cottage and all things Fulham was passed to me. My first game was when we were in the third tier and Gordon “Ivor” Davies scored the winner against Chesterfield (I can still picture it).

    3. Unlike Brian, I love watching 26a, not at all like watching paint dry. I have a huge respect for those who can master it.

  7. It took longer to download my voucher in Waitrose than to solve. Enjoyable nontheless. Thanks to today’s setter and CS.

  8. Mostly light by Saturday’s usual standards but I was totally undone by 9a and needed a hint to finish. I’d never heard of the term and wasn’t thinking on the right lines at all. Not a classic for me – with 2d sneaking in for my COTD **/**

    Thanks to the setter and CS

  9. I found today’s crossword reasonably straightforward but got held up by the first part of 10a. Sorted it out with help.

  10. Nice, light diversion for a Saturday morning with a fair amount of chestnuts and one unknown for me in the shape of 9a.
    No outstanding favourite but 5d reminded me of the delicious ones my mum used to make – happy days.

    Thanks to our setter and to CS for another of her excellent hints-n-tips.

  11. A great puzzle for a Saturday morning and finished unaided (well I did have to use Mr. G. to check 9a, which I have never heard of. I liked 22d but suspect it’s an old chestnut – an oldie but goodie maybe. The COTD for me was 3d because of the huge grin it gave after the penny had dropped.

    Many thanks to the setter and CS.

  12. Enjoyable crossword which only required electronic assistance to confirm 9a.
    Favourites 14d and 18d after I had discounted several other Scottish islands.

  13. It would have been a sub *time finish had it not been for inability to see the first word at 9a (despite the fairly obvious wordplay) for an irritatingly long time – never heard of it either. Favourite for me has to be 4d – not the remotest chance of me achieving it nett on this trip. Pleasant if all over a bit too quickly.
    Thanks to the setter & CS.

    1. Have you ever played at Sotogrande? My brother has a house very close to the (I suppose I mustn’t say the word) and I understand it is highly rated.

  14. Hmm, only two double unches but I am putting my five bob on this being a Cephas production.

    Like RD, I had doubts about the synonym of builder in 17d but, in the end and after consulting the BRB, I decided that it was close enough.

    Candidates for favourite – 23a, 4d, 7d, and 18d – and the winner is 4d.

    Thanks to Cephas, or whomsoever if it is not he, and thanks as always to CS.

  15. Hurrah!
    Back on form after yesterday’s Toughie posing as a back page cryptic puzzle.
    Nice variety of clues, food, drink and geography.
    Many thanks to the setter and to CS, pleasantly illustrated review.

  16. A couple in the NW corner held me up for some inexplicable reason, otherwise this was fairly plain sailing and very entertaining to solve. 3d was my favourite for the name check, ahead of 19a.

    Thanks to either Cephas or Chalicea, and of course to CS. All set for an afternoon of rugby now.

  17. Once I’d got on wavelength, this puzzle was quickly completed, including 9a, a new one on me but discernible in the clue. I liked 25a,c2d and 7d. Thanks to the compiler for a gently enjoyable puzzle and many thanks to CS for the hints. Happy guzzling. I shall have tput the cough mixture away as my Covid cough is abating so I have no excuse.

    1. Glad your cough is abating, I still have a problem Covid cough and I had it at the beginning of June!

  18. Fairly straightforward for a Saturday prize puzzle.

    **/***

    Fav 3d LOI 9a new expression for me but gettable from the checkers.

    Thanks to setter & CS.

  19. At first pass I thought I was going to struggle with this one, but then I got a toehold in the SW and once the lengthy 4d was solved the rest of the grid fell reasonably nicely. COTD for me was 14d. Thanks setter, thanks CS.

    1. Good evening.

      Long haul today, needed help with 9a (unfamiliar expression) and 18d (last one to solve) – got there in the end, though, but!

  20. Like Putney Boy, at first glance I thought this was going to be tough, but turned out to be light and enjoyable, with a new term learnt in 9a.
    Thanks to all

  21. Probably my fastest solve ever. What a relief after the last couple of days. I got 4d straightaway and then solved (for me) methodically. NE then SE so whole RHS was in followed by SW and NW. LOI was 3d as last I reached. Looking at hints afterwards CS I think you have left hip out of the explanation before the homophone. Favourites 23a and 2 7 17 and 22d. I did know 9a so that didn’t trouble me. Needed the checkers for the first word of 10a. I don’t think I have heard a builder being called the fodder for 17d without first letter but it works. Thanks Setter and Cryptic Sue.

  22. Put me in the never heard of 9a camp. I am also unfamiliar with the ‘inedible’ British delicacy. However, I managed to correctly guess both although in the latter case an oriental foodstuff that’s akin to eating cardboard did also come to mind. Thanks to the setter and crypticsue.

    P.S. Sue, I believe you overlooked “hip” in your explanation of 3d.

    1. I remembered it when I prepared the draft full review and I’ve added to the hint

      5d are one of those ‘delicacies’ which I’ve never quite managed to get to taste as good as those my mother made :(

      1. Some years ago we travelled all round Ethiopia and we were served something called injera on which was piled the meat and veg. It looked and tasted exactly like carpet underlay and was rather horrid. Apologies to any Ethiopians on this blog, the cuisine may not have been great but the country was wonderful. The source of the Blue Nile rivalled Victoria Falls without the tourists, just the 12 of us.

        1. I went to Ethiopia 26 years ago and just hearing the word injera makes me feel sick!! It’s odd because the little morsels they put on it were delicious. But injera (yes a giant pancake like thing) is an acquired taste where the more I ate of it the less I acquired it.

            1. It’s made from a fermented grain called T’eff. So it’s slightly related to sourdough.

  23. Found this on par with the usual Saturday puzzles.
    My 5/- is on Cephas for this week.

    1.5*/4*

    Very enjoyable and do-able with no obscurities.

    Favourites include 12a, 13a, 23a, 2d, 4d & 7d with the winner a toss-up between 13a & 23a … both were super!

    Lots of chuckles and smiles were evoked in this puzzle for me.

    Thanks to Cephas for the great puzzle and CS for this hints not used as I breezed through this on Friday night. Saturday I will be recording & watching the 2 Six Nation Games for Saturday.

  24. Thoroughly enjoyable today. Include me in not knowing 9a – it is very similar to a more familiar phrase that hotels use. Thanks to the setter and CS – at least 9a hasn’t gone on to the dreaded LIST.

  25. I am also one who has not come up against 9a, it was a guess. Stupidly held up by 7 d where I was really on the wrong track but CS helped, I was lucky it was one of her chosen clues and I only had to look at the photo. The long 4d was a great help and was my first in – please note I am graciously not moaning about sporty clues. Very pleasant guzzle done on my own as George has gone to watch Hertford play and will no doubt come back and immediately want to watch Six Nations on catch-up. What fun. Many thanks to our setter and Lady Hinter.

  26. What a delightful amble after yesterday. A good start with all of 1 through to 7d, particularly liked 4d.
    Not raining yet in North Cornwall, so that’s an improvement as well.

  27. Enjoyable solve, for once without needing any hints (though thanks anyway, crypticsue for the comfort blanket!). Thanks to the setter for restoring my confidence after yesterday.

    And thanks again to GJR and Sloop John Bee for your recommendation of the Chambers Thesaurus – don’t know how I lived without it!

  28. Some light relief after yesterday’s car crash of a crossword. We also had to check 9a but it was fairly clued. 4d was the best of the bunch. Thanks to the setter and CS.

  29. What an enjoyable stroll through crosswordland.

    9a was a new one but, as has been said, it couldn’t have been anything else.

    2*/3.5

  30. Like everyone else I’ve never heard of the first part of 9a – I’m now wondering Manders says is similar but used by hotels – not a clue??
    I was dim and slow with 19a and not sure I’d have got anywhere at all without the long 5d.
    I think my favourite was probably 3d – took me ages – just can’t see it.
    Thanks to whoever set this one and thanks to CS for the hints.
    Back to endless slicing oranges (and a few lemons too) for marmalade . . . .

    1. Yes Manders is right. Similar but no connection so far as the meaning is concerned. 3d was my last one in too but I didn’t have much trouble with 19d with the checkers. Having America there helped.

  31. Hello from a lurker who has decided to creep out from behind the sofa.
    I have visited this wonderful blog whilst trying to learn the cryptic art and have decided it’s time to speak up. I had felt that I really had little to contribute to the comments as you are all clearly much more experienced and knowledgeable than I. However I wanted to send some encouragement to other lurkers learning like me. This is a wonderful friendly forum to learn from. I have gone from rarely managing more than a few clues to having completed a few crosswords in the last few weeks (today being one, with 9a being a new phrase to me). The blog can be used in so many different ways to help learn. I set my bar low – be pleased to do a few clues, very pleased with more than half and ecstatic with a finished puzzle. Every new word or technique learnt is enlightenment rather than frustrating. I have to admit that there are several setters whose wavelength is clearly very different to mine (yesterday being a good example) but I hope I will get there one day!
    Thank you to all the setters for the challenges, and to Big Dave, the solvers and bloggers on here who have helped me so far.
    I promise to return.

    1. Hello, and welcome from me,
      I do remember how difficult it was to feel brave enough to say something – well done!
      Do keep commenting – if there’s something you don’t “get” all you need to do is ask and someone will reply – usually quite quickly although a Saturday afternoon isn’t the best time to try – most of the others are looking at something “sporty”! :roll:

      1. Thank you, I will be much more likely to be asking a daft question than enlightening anybody, but maybe that will help others.

    2. Welcome to the blog MissTFide and I agree with everything you have said. This is a marvellous site and one becomes part of a lovely, large family. I recognise kindred spirits and admire those who are definitely far more knowledgeable than myself. The latter have helped me along regularly. I love the little stories that pop up. I would never have imagined Brian doing ********! One learns something everyday.

    3. Welcome, MissTFide (love your nom de plum) and for your comments. They reflect my experience of Big Dave and, I am sure, those of many on this wonderful blog. You say that we on the blog are much more experienced and knowledgeable than yourself. Not true. There are, of course, those who have gained the high citadel of cruciverbalism and it is those good folk who give the most encouragement. The rest of us muddle along and get better at solving the longer we stay with the blog.

      We all look forward to more comments from you. The more the merrier on here! 👍

      1. Thanks, I have enjoyed hearing about Perks and the many other cat tales and pics as we have 2 of our own.

  32. For those wondering about 9a this may illuminate. There was a notorious landlord in the 50’s? who used to get rid of tenants with big dogs and threats. Those were the days of fixed tenures and charges. The first part of his name sounded the same but had a homophone in the middle. An altogether nasty guy.
    Thanks to all.

    1. 9a – I remembered the word from my A level history days…. Many years ago. Who knew it would be beneficial 40 years later

    2. I was about to say his name but stopped myself in time. I was on the Naughty Step a week or so back and it was cold and unfriendly. 🥶

  33. Oh, bliss, I loved this. Like everyone else, well almost everyone, I hadn’t heard of 9a but word search had, a quick google confirmed it. This puzzle was exactly right for me, I had to use what brains I’ve got left, but I could solve it. I did need CS’s hint to know the “why” of 3d, I should have got that myself. I think my fave is 13a, but 4d and 22d were close behind.
    Thank you Chalicea or Cephas, and your hints ‘n tips much appreciated CS.

      1. Tis yourself, Cephas! Many thanks for the fun. I never know whether it’s you or Chalicea but I think it was Senf who said you favour double unches. So, if I think it’s Chalicea I will look for them and put my five Bob on you. If there are none, I’ll go with Chalicea.

        Well, it’s a theory. 😄

  34. What a great outpouring of comments today. Wonderful to see and read. I didn’t comment on 9a earlier, but I assumed (wrongly, as it turns out) that it was an old Americanism–perhaps a Southern expression. I remember hearing my grandfather complaining about an old 9a landlord; in fact, it was one of his pejorative terms for extortionate people in general. (“That old 9a so-and-so!”). Anyway, we do live and learn, don’t we?

    1. Although I was unfamiliar with the 9a term, it is found in US as well as British dictionaries which show it to have originated early in the 17th century (in fact, prior to 1610). So obviously brought to North America by early settlers.

  35. A late Saturday afternoon spent on this. Fave 22a certainly made us smile 😃 – was on the wrong track of flight for ages. Thanks

  36. Well, I am sometimes made to feel profoundly unintelligent by those who breeze through these cryptics…..
    …yesterday I couldn’t get into the wavelength at all but a cup of tea and piece of Tesco’s rather good tiger loaf toasted must have awoken the little grey cells and I finished. Thanks to Cephas for an enjoyable challenge and to our super clever blogger! The lurker at 8a was well hidden, great misdirection at 23a and a term at 9a which took me back to schooldays! Thanks to all

  37. Enjoyable crossword. Would probably have done it in record time if it wasn’t for 18d! Not sure if that makes it my favourite or least favourite clue. I was amongst those who had never heard of 9a but after a spot of googling found I had guessed it correctly. 23a probably my favourite clue.
    Cheers

  38. For all the slower lurkers and puzzlers, you are not alone – just completed this one with my last one in 18d. Penny drop moment when my husband pointed out that I’d made the same mistake as him with 19 across. Once the checker was corrected, the Scottish island finally emerged. Doh!

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