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DT 30341 (Hints)

by crypticsue  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30341 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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A dark and cloudy Saturday morning here in East Kent, although blue sky is now peeping through; whether there is enough blue to ‘make a sailor’s pair of trousers’ which is an expression Enid Blyton used to indicate that the weather might improve, is anyone’s guess.

Always nice to have the crossword on the back page of the paper – this one took me a little longer than usual to solve but I think I will blame the heavily double-unched grid, as my last one in was one of several such solutions

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    Convenient for the audience, cover what a golfer might have (8)
A homophone (for the audience) of a synonym for convenient, followed by a cover

9a    Way out from wind tunnel (8)
A verb meaning to wind and a tunnel

12a    A bishop features amount owing (7)
A (from the clue), the abbreviation for bishop and some features on your head

16a    Cried as the compiler got married (5)
How the compiler would refer to himself and a simple way of saying got married

17a    Unpleasant, like some bowlers? (5)
The latest trend in clue writing seems to be to suggest making an adjective out of a way of describing, in this case, a particular type of cricket bowler – the adjective to be found in the dictionary refers to something unpleasant

22a    Scottish author with the ultimate in writer’s block? (7)
A well-known Scottish author and the ‘ultimate’ in writeR

29a    Murray perhaps may finally play great (8)
Not the tennis player, but the name of the comedian Mr Murray followed by part of a verb meaning may and the final letter of play

Down

2d    Beneficiary delivered broadcast in flight (8)
Homophones (broadcast) of a beneficiary and a synonym for carried

6d    Poorest journalist’s material (7)
The poorest example of something and the usual abbreviated journalist. If you’ve ever visiting the ‘weaving’ villages in Norfolk you’ll know where this material originated

8d    Question about garden tool that divides the land? (8)
An example of a question goes about a garden tool

15d    Early rock music? (6-4)
The earliest music you might heard as a baby being rocked to sleep

19d    One will not agree to have one (8)
Something that often arises when people disagree

23d    Engineers are unable to withdraw (6)
The abbreviation for the Royal Engineers and a simple way of saying ‘are unable to’

25d    Spanish aunt on river with a headdress (5)
The Spanish word for aunt, the abbreviation for river and A (from the clue)

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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: HEART + HILLARY = ARTILLERY

84 comments on “DT 30341 (Hints)”

  1. 2*/4*. This made a light but very enjoyable start to the weekend.

    I don’t understand the point of “containing” in 10a except to provide a smooth surface.

    My podium choices are 9a, 18a & 15d.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

    1. Hi Dave, I think ‘containing’ is there to provide the misdirection but can also read as ‘…containing the letters of…’

  2. Not the hardest Prize Crossword ever but entertaining enough.
    29a kept me going ’til I expunged tennis from my mind.
    Favourite I think is 21a

  3. I found this one rather bizarre, lots of ‘guess the answer, and then work backwards to make it fit’ a case of got there, but don’t quite know how.
    That being said, I did enjoy some of them, 29a and 20d being the best of the bunch for me.

  4. Tough to start but once into it I thought this a brilliant puzzle. Best clues for me were 21a and my absolute fav 17a.
    Well clued but accessible unlike some of this weeks puzzles. This IMHO is how a back pager should be.
    Thx to the setter and for the hints
    ***/*****

  5. A pretty straightforward guzzle with just a bit of head-scratching in the NW. I enjoyed it, particularly the cryptic definition in my COTD. 6d was one I’ve seen cbefore but I always have to think about it and the wordplay in 2d and 12a was good too but COTD was 15d. Thanks to the compiler and to CS for the hints. After a downpour yesterday evening, we had a couple of squally showers about 8.30 until10 .00 am today. It’s now overcast and much cooler.

  6. A perfect start to Saturday morning with just the right level of difficulty.

    Favourites include the clever 9a, 12a and 2d. Misdirection in several clues slowed the solving process nicely.

    After going round the garden putting extra stakes for the sunflowers, etc, the strong winds in yesterday’s forecast for NE Scotland seem not to be happening any more. Good.

    Thanks to the setter and crypticsue.

  7. Enjoyable straightforward puzzle to brighten a damp and gloomy Saturday.
    CS, For 2d I think the clue is two homophones, a beneficiary and a birth, as ‘broadcast’ appears after both…?

    1. I thought there were two homophones as well, Philbert Glad it wasn’t just me.

      2. Am sure I’m probably being a bit dense here but since 2d was my last in & the main head scratch I just want to be clear. Is the 2nd part not a homophone of a synonym for giving birth rather than for carried unless the carrying is a child rather than arms for example ?

  8. Haven’t looked at the guzzle yet but am excited to be able to access the blog from a different Wi-Fi in the port of Geiranger in Norway in the SUN! Have quickly caught up with all the comments over last few days when this ships Wi-Fi is rubbish! Also nice to confirm some of my bung ins so thanks to all the hinters (and setters). In another port tomorrow so will see you all again, hopefully.

    1. There are a couple of webcams on YouTube for Geiranger. There is cruise ship in at the moment with a yellow funnel. Is this the one you are on?

      1. Spirit of Adventure. There is a large QR code on the dock where the tourist boat berths which links to the webcam. If you scan the code you can see yourself waving with the cruise ship behind.

        1. Yes, that’s us!! 700 passengers but little Minerva had 300,but now having quite a good time.

  10. I cant decide whether the last letter of 27A is a D or an R. I can parse either but I am not really happy with either.

        2. Did you hear the thud clear across the pond? I’ve just got it, clever that.

    2. I still can’t parse the teenager part of the clue. In terms of which sense to use (‘r’ or ‘d’) I just went with the tense in the clue!

        1. Not quite sure how to avoid breaking the rules, [redacted – in the good old days I’d have checked with BD about this, especially as he had strong views whenever one of these teenagers was, in his opinion, wrongly defined]

    3. Glad to see I was not the only one not keen on this synonym. However Sue and Steve C are correct. I should have checked the BRB, which does give ‘adolescent’ as part of the definition.

      My alternative parsing of the clue had ‘took part’ to mean ‘remove letters from’ but is messy as part also has to serve double duty as part of the definition.

        1. Teenagers have had various names over the years, this was a popular term for some of them in the 60s in England

  11. I found this to be slightly tougher than recent SPPs but enjoyable, nevertheless. I did not care much for the clue involving a certain clergyman but I never do. However, there was plenty to like such as teenage revelry and the early rocker. My favourite and COTD is 21d.

    Many thanks to the setter for the guzzle and CS for the hints.

    I will now perform a complicated ritual involving bells, books and candles in order to summon The Mythical. :grin:

      1. Yep! Jonners, whenever I see his name in a clue my heart receives a blushing crow.

  12. Couple of definitions that fooled me for a while but overall an enjoyable SPP.
    Particularly liked 18&29a plus 15d.

    Thanks to our setter – tempted to place my bet on Chalicea – and to CS for the hints and lovely illustrations as always.

  13. I found this difficult to parse, and needed numerous trips to the English dictionary and in one case to a Spanish dictionary. Finished it thanks to Cryptic Sue’s hints (one of which is supplemented by the ‘usual suspects’ section of BD’s blog). I’m not technically convinced by the definition of 17a, but I guess it’s right considering it broadly and a side definition in my dictionary. I have an answer, but I still don’t feel comfortable about 20d. Not sure if it’s the same in crosswordland, but I understand a Spoonerism to be the transposition of two sounds at the start of two or more words. To me, 19d is awkward.

    Thanks again to Cryptic Sue for the crucial hints. The app invites me to submit the puzzle for a prize, doing which would seem to make me a bit of a fraud and perhaps more naturally fitting the definition of 17a! Also thanks to the setter (even if we aren’t on the same wavelength!).

    1. For 20d (redacted – please note the instructions at the bottom of the hints)

      1. Thanks for taking the time out to make a suggestion Philbert, although I didn’t catch it before it was redacted. But I think I have parsed 20d now and am comfortable that I have the right answer.

      2. Although, I would have thought that the clue would have some sort of homophone indicator. But what do I know!

        1. The dreaded Reverend transposed the initial sounds of spoken words so they aren’t homophones which are words pronounced the same way as another word but with different spelling and meaning

          1. Thanks Sue. The first explanation of Spoonerism that I came across was simply changing the initial letters of words in a phrase. I now see that that is an over-simplification. Having looked into it a bit more, I have seen that a regularly given example of a Spoonerism is ‘he hissed the mystery lectures’. That fits with what you are saying – ‘history’ is not spelt ‘hystery’. I suspect I am going to be in a lot of trouble with clues using words from Mrs Malaprop.

  14. Hmm – plenty of double unches but that could be misleading as far as guess the setter is concerned. So, I will cautiously place only one half-crown on this being a very enjoyable Cephas production – 2.5*/4*

    Candidates for favourite – 16a, 18a, 2d, and 23d – and the winner is 2d.

    Thanks to Cephas, or whomsoever if my two and six goes down the drain, and thanks to CS.

  15. Good Saturday PP, and as Sue notes, the double unches lift the difficulty notch a fraction. Some lovely clueing going on there and a few old friends making a reappearance. I ended with a whole host of ticks – 17a, 29a, 1d, 6d, 20d and COTD 18a.

    2* / 4*

    I’ll put the whole fiver on Chalicea today, though I’d not object to the egg on face moment were Cephas to claim it later on – thank you whoever it is! Thanks also to CS for the blog.

  16. 15d, 27 and 29a held me up for a while but otherwise this was enjoyable plain sailing, with the first of those tricky little blighters becoming my favourite. Great fun.

    My thanks to our Saturday setter and of course to CS.

  17. Found this one quite slow going. Blaming it on not getting my usual 8 hrs last night as up at 5am taking my cousin to the airport.

    Couldn’t complete much of NW corner on my own but managed it with the help of the hints for 12a and 2d. I’ve realised I find homophones hard to identify, as 1a took me ages too, though did get that one on my own. The rest went in once I had those clues.

    Thanks to the setter and CS for the hints!

  18. Didn’t get chance to complete yesterdays offering until this morning, which made this prize puzzle appear a lot easier in comparison but with a few harder clues which needed unpicking. I have to admit I biffed 21d incorrectly, which held me up until I realised my mistake. So far this week we have been treated to some outstanding crosswords, so hats off to all the setters involved!

    2*/4*

    Fav 22a LOI 27a (opted for the singular teenager solution).

    Thanks to setter & CS.

  19. Quite hard for a SPP.
    Mental block with second
    Part of 2d, needed help.
    Stand out clues, certainly
    27 and 29a.
    Thanks to the setter and for CS’ colourfully
    Illustrated review.

  20. Is it me or is today’s quite difficult – it seems much harder than the average Saturday crossword?
    I liked 20 and 27a and 3 and 8d. My favourite was 15d which took me ages and was dim!
    Thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to CS for the hints and pics.

    5. You don’t know how relieved I was to see your comment Kath. After reading comments of “light”, “not the hardest”, and “straight forward”, I was feeling quite despondent. You have cheered me up immensely. Perhaps it will all make sense later, but right now I am off to console myself with Wordle and Spelling Bee.

      1. “Not the hardest” was me – just for context , I’ve been doing these since 1974 (that’s a year for the readers who don’t understand lol) guessing you have not. The experience helps considerably :)

  21. Mostly straightforward with just enough head scratching to add to the enjoyment. Lots of contenders for cotd but we’ll go with 2d. Thanks to the setter and CS.

  22. I found this one quite difficult. Certainly harder than the usual SPP.
    I did Ok on the LHS but struggled with a few on the RHS.
    Eventually had to give in and look at CS’s excellent hints for 29a (would never have thought of the comedian) and, to my shame 15d…..how on earth did I not see that ?

    Thanks to the setter and to CS
    Mostly sunny day here with a blustery wind and the threat of showers. Nice temperature for me…19C. I have bravely put out a washing which usually guarantees rain and Mr Meringue has added to that probability by starting to do a bit of (much needed) gardening. But that’s Scotland for you.

  23. 5 bob says it’s a Cephas production. I too thought it a good bit trickier than usual for a SPP. The context of delivered/the 2nd homophone at 2d together with a tardy penny drop at 9a once I realised two synonyms were required the head scratchers. Nice guzzle.
    Thanks to the setter & to CS

    1. Well done, sir! I’m trying to decide whether saying that I was tempted to put my money on Chalicea actually counts as having placed a bet. Knowing my luck, it probably does…………

  24. I did enjoy this even though I thought it a bit tricky. Trying to parse my answers gave the most trouble, eg 21d, presume I’ve got it right but have no idea why. Loved 15d, one of my first in, 29a and 2d earn honourable mention, but I did like lots of others.
    Thank you setter for the fun, and, of course, CS for unravelling a couple; still with furrowed brow over 27a.

    1. One of my few answers, (redacted because you included the solution in your comment)

      1. Oops, my supposed answer was wrong, and I inadvertently included the actual answer 😢.

    2. Look at the last two words of the clue? What do you need to turn one into the other?

      1. Thanks so much – man, I have struggled with this one for some reason – maybe just a wavelength thing!

  27. An enjoyable Saturday puzzle that seems to me like a Cephas offering this week.
    Will put my 5/- on the line this week on it being him.

    2*.4* for me

    Favourites include 10a, 16a, 24a, 15d & 19d — with winner 15d

    Thanks to Cephas and CS for hints/blog

  28. Only half of the guzzle completed on the way to Henley – so far so good. For the information of my Lady Friends I did not wear The Dress after all that work. I decided I looked like Barbara Cartland. Settled for something more age appropriate ! It is our 70th Henley!

    1. What a pity after obviously a great deal of work with The Dress in the making. Hope there wiil be another occasion for which you can wear it.

  29. I didn’t find this too difficult except for 20d. Oh, how I wish Dr Spooner had never exited! Nasty little man,
    COTD 15d

  31. A second cappuccino did the trick, and after help with just two more answers, everything began to make sense. I had just made hard work in places, took the wrong fork in the road, or fell down a pothole. Thank you to the setter and CrypticSue.

  32. This has taken me multiple short visits over the whole day and I have finally got there, but I did not find it as easy as many recent Saturday offerings. I think it was a wavelength thing as suddenly things kept falling into place. 15d was my favourite and one of the ones that then helped me get the rhs done. 21d was clever.

    Many thanks to Cephas for keeping me occupied! and to CS for the hints

  33. That took quite some tenacity but I pulled through in the end having enjoyed the exercise. NE last in. Not being familiar with the other with that surname Sir A was my first thought for 29a. Can’t believe it took a while for the 21d penny to drop. My Fav was the cute 15a. Thank you Cephas and CS.

  34. After my first read through the clues I thought this was going to be a spectacular dnf.

    However, I persevered and managed to complete unaided. A difficult solve but enjoyable.

    Thanks to all.

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