DT 30365 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30365 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30365 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)

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It may help those people who are finding this Saturday Prize Puzzle on the tricky side of friendly to know that it is a pangram, and that, if you are using the ‘old’ Telegraph Puzzles Site, the clue for 3d was originally wrongly enumerated. It is definitely one of those weeks when it is hard to choose which clues to hint – several of the ones I didn’t hint are anagrams,  lurkers or ‘alternate letter’ clues.

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

8a    Empty beer over uniform then laugh, creating commotion (8)
The outside (empty) letters of BeeR, the cricket abbreviation for Over, the letter represented by Uniform in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and an interjection representing a laugh

9a    Robin perhaps loves bad luck (6)
The surname of a famous  outlaw (Robin, perhaps) and two of the letter representing love

12a    Track going round a river — it’s something unusual (6)
An abbreviated railway (track) going round A (from the clue), the abbreviation for river and IT (from the clue)

15a    Magistrate completely frozen (7)
If water, for example, was completely frozen it would be xxxx xxx

18a    Eccentric females stopping union’s penultimate strike (7)
Two abbreviations for Female ‘stopping’ or going between the penultimate letter of uniOn and a verb meaning to strike

24a    Religious school hit new peak (6)
A branch of Buddhism and an anagram (new) of HIT

28a    Making notes about end of blaze burning slightly (8)
Making vocal notes ‘about’ the letter at the end of blazE

Down

1d    Painful experience in gold trade (6)
The heraldic term for gold and a business transaction (trade)

3d    What nudists might do with jumble? (4-3,8) [The ‘old’ Puzzles Site originally had the enumeration as 8,8 but this has now been amended]
What nudists might do or a description of jumble

4d    Cry though hugging partner (5-2)
A poetic (or American) way of writing though ‘hugging’ a partner

5d    Anglican building flying flag with no end (6,2,7)
A building used by Anglicans and other religions and an anagram (flying) of FLAG with NO END

16d    Roughly at odds? (8)
Something with just odds could be described using the same synonym as an adverb meaning roughly

23d    Leave the stage once tune changes? (6)
The prefix meaning former (once) and an anagram (changes) of TUNE combine to give an instruction to leave the stage


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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: TURNER +SIGHED = TURN ASIDE

83 comments on “DT 30365 (Hints)

  1. For me, and I stress for me, a friendly SPP pangram which can only mean one thing – two half-crowns on Cephas as today’s setter – **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 15a, 24a, 3d, and 6d – and the winner is 15a.

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

  2. This SPP was a game of two halves. It started off pretty straightforward in the top half (apart from the enumeration error mentioned by CS in 3d) and got harder as I moved to the bottom half . I thought it might be a pangram but realised too late for it to be of any use. There were some good anagrams and lego clues. The best of the clues, for me were 15a, 13a and 21a. Thanks to the compiler for an enjoyable SPP and to
    CS for the hints.

  3. A great puzzle although I did find it tough going in places. However, 8a went straight in and that is always a good sign for me. When I saw the Z I thought we had a pangram but W did not appear. My COTD is the insect at 13a closely followed by the nudists at 3d.

    My thanks to the setter for the guzzle and thank you, CS for the hints.

    Now to climb the rickety stairs to the attic. I see that CS has said it is a pangram so, as I haven’t got a W one of my answers must be wrong. Therefore, I will put the rite off for the moment.

    Found it!

  4. Enjoyed this SPP.
    Perhaps a tad harder than
    Is usual.
    Smiles at 15a and 4 and
    6d.
    COTD 24a.
    Gratitudes setter and CS.

  5. Got there in the end, not helped by the fact that my version had 3d as 8,8, not bad for a space 15 letters long! So didn’t know if it was 7,8, or 8,7 or any other combination.
    Also some pretty unusual words today, 8a, 9a, 23d to name a few.
    Can’t honestly say I really enjoyed it, maybe just narked at the error in 3d from the outset. Oh well, off for the morning walk now that the sun has just peeped out in Sandhurst.

  6. After a week of mixed feelings about Chris Lancaster’s bailiwick today’s offering was a pleasure to complete beginning with 8a (lovely word) and then the rest of N followed with S presenting slightly more challenge. 10a is rather poor – perhaps RD agrees on that and also far-fetching 27a woman. Fav was 3d. Thank you Mysteron and CS.

    1. Angelov, I don’t object to men’s and women’s names as answers because the wordplay and definition lead you to the solution. My concern is when you need to guess a male/female name as part of the wordplay.

  7. 2*/4.5*. This all came together nicely and I enjoyed this pangram a lot with 3d my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

  8. If, unlike me, you have time to spare this afternoon (NTSPP blog, deliver the Parish Magazine for a start), and you are a fan of Hudson’s crosswords, his alter ego Julius is in splendid form over at the FT

    1. This is supposed to be a separate comment not a reply to RD but I’m off down the road with the magazines now and I don’t suppose it matters anyway

      I’d recommend the NTSPP too

      1. It’s not a reply to me, CS. The system doesn’t assign a comment number to any posts made by the originator.

  9. No issues to report beyond the fact that I had to think carefully about the spelling of 8a, silly girl!
    Going with the flow, I’ll nominate 13&15a for prizes along with the delicious 8a which is, as Angelov said, a lovely word.

    Thanks to Cephas and to CS for the hints – you might need to tweak the hint for 18a when you have the chance.

  10. Never noticed it was a pangram. Managed just 7 in bed this morning then a shortish walk on the Norfolk Coastal Path and the rest followed quite nicely. Had to read the hints to parse a couple so thanks CS. Disgraceful that The Ashes is not on the Beeb – what is the point of paying the licence?

  11. Not much of an 1d for me. I 25a this one without the 17d bit of help, getting the 22ds straight away. 4d!!

  12. A lovely puzzle for me today.
    Nothing obscure , no candidates for The List.
    Missed the pangram (nothing new there).

    Thanks to crypticsue and to the setter.

    Please come out of the attic, SC….it isn’t working. Have you thought of bribery ?

  13. Having struggled with the weekday puzzles, or maybe because of them, this one I managed to complete without assistance for once.

  14. So rare for me to find a ‘write ’em in without a care’ crossword, please forgive me for bragging that I was still sipping my orange juice without bits when I bunged the last one in. This only happens about once every five years so, no doubt, I’ll be back to a-whingeing and a-whining tomorrow.
    It’s always a joy to complete a crossword without needing knowledge of the Hanseatic League, Archimandrites, or loosestrife.

    Thanks to the setter and dear PC Security (anag)

    1. I have a sneaking suspicion ,Terence, that the letter in today’s DT concerning the correct way to eat a boiled egg was in fact written by you under a pseudonym. Am I correct? (Notice I am not commenting on the bits)

  15. I managed to complete this unaided with full parsing. Although there’s the luck of having heard all of the words before, this must indicate a widely accessible crossword. As there’s no Toughie today I was expecting quite a few remarks from the cognoscenti about the level of difficulty, but I detect only a modest level of disappointment at present. I hope they don’t feel too put out, as the week has contained a lot of tough puzzles. Having said that, I didn’t think this crossword was a pushover, and I liked it. Thanks to the setter for an entertaining crossword, and one where I would actually deserve the mythical if I was to win it! Although, I would understand if Steve were to side eye Lady Luck if I were to win it, given my few attempts and no incantations.

      1. That’s less than I was expecting! I have read that the DT’s weekend puzzles are only supposed to be at a mid-week level. So this one hit the right note. I see a recommendation for today’s Listener crossword, which is said to be on the easier side. That could be just as well, if what I was reading about the Listener crossword more generally last night is true! Apparently it is normally quite difficult, and one very hard Listener puzzle by Enigmatist took the author of an article I was reading, who seemed to be experienced, two and a half weeks to solve. He commented, “… I solved late into successive nights (others have told me they simply neglected their day jobs for days), working off intuition and fumes … “. That’s not for me!

  16. A fine PP for a Saturday, I spotted the pangram and assumed Cephas but 6d may give me pause before chucking money at the bookies runner again.
    The mythical is beyond me today as no amount of incantations can remove the spelling mistake when I submitted this.
    Interesting discovery about Orange juice is I tend to leave the carton unshook and the bottom half becomes so full of bits you could stand a spoon in it, curiously enough the smooth OJ that Mama Bee bought in error last week has done the same and is now so thick it crawls rather than pours

    1. I buy an OJ which comes in a plastic bottle with a green top indicating bits. You could see if they were settling at the bottom and be reminded to give it a shake. The OJ bottle shimmy is part of my exercise regime.

      1. I would love to get it with bits, but I have to have the low acid version, and it’s not offered in a pulpy version.

    2. I believe that juice vesicles are the small packets of juice that are in citrus fruit segments. You get the pure juice from the contents of the vesicule, and the empty vesicule packet is what we in England call the ‘bits’. I think the Americans call juice with bits (i.e. both together) ‘pulp’. So in England we have, say, cartons of ‘orange juice’ and ‘orange juice with bits’ and the Americans have ‘orange juice’ and ‘orange pulp’ (I think). I say all that because I think the stodge in the juice without bits you are encountering, might be ‘pulped’ (in the sense of pulverised) bits?

      1. All this talk of bits may well be triggering Terence, but I just like it the thicker the better

  17. Just the right level for Saturday. Favourites 13 and 15a and 2, 3, 7 and 23d. Thanks Cephas and CS

      1. Thank you, Cephas for a great puzzle. It might just get me The Mythical! Thank you for popping in.

  18. Yes, we spotted the pangram and decided it had to be Cephas. For those short of a puzzle to fill a wet weekend, I can strongly recommend this week’s Listener – by a new setter with fine clues and much easier than the usual Listener difficulty level.

    1. Thanks Chalicea. Do wish we could see more of your puzzles on here, any day of the week would be fine by me.

  19. Didn’t seem like our normal Saturday setter today, but I am still going to venture this is a Cephas and considering it is a pangram, I’ll throw in my 5/-
    2*/3.5*

    Favourites include 8a, 9a, 11a, 15a & 6d — with winner 6d

    Thanks to Cephas and CS for blog/hints
    Off to read the blog now.

  20. I agree that entering the first across clue straight away gives you confidence. The grid was filled in at a steady pace with Sir George staying awake long enough to make several useful contributions and one oily fingermark. I messed up by starting to enter 3d in the 4d slot. I have stuck a couple of squares of white sticky label over the offending letters and am wondering if the Adjudicators, Keepers of the Mythical, discard spoilt offerings with a curl of the lip? Anyway, many thanks to CephaS and CS (see that serendipity) and although I like 8a and 9a reminds me of a silly rhyme I am nominating 13a
    as the favourite.

    1. Nobody, not even The Guardians of The Mythical, would dare to throw away anything of yours in such a derisory manner, DG!

  21. 4/4. After the last couple of days where I got less than half the puzzle done this was a delight. My only real delay was 3d due to the 8,8 definition which eventually became clear was 4-3,8. My favourite was 15a. Thanks to Cephas and CS.

  22. Thoroughly enjoyed. Nice steady solve over the morning, started over a coffee break dodging the rain on a walk and finished over lunch. Loved 8a, 3d, 4d and13a. Favourite 8a as just such a good word.
    Many thanks Cephas and CS.

  23. Excellent Saturday afternoon puzzle. Faves 3d and 13a. Will be adding 8a to my vocabulary this week … great word. Thanks all

  24. Like others I only discovered it was a pangram on completion and coming onto the site. That’s what happens when you solve the puzzle while listening to the cricket commentary at the same time. And what a terrific puzzle, with 8a and 3d emerging as co-favourites.

    My thanks to Cephas and CS.

  25. Got so engrossed in this one my coffee went cold 😭 15a my favourite. Relaxed Saturday thank yous to setter!

  26. Top half was much easier than the bottom, which required quite a bit more head scratching. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 28a written out before, so I had to check my spelling first. Relieved I got 5d on my own, or I might be accused of low solving aptitude again 😊. Thanks to Cephas and CrypticSue for a good start to my Saturday.

    1. I’ve been worrying about Brian too. Do you think this atrocious week,(until today) has finished him off. 🤔

    2. Me too, and Corky! I wish they’d pop in just to say they’re all right but just away/busy.

    3. I too am missing him. I like doing a guzzle and wondering what he will say. I hope he is ok.

  27. An enjoyable solve which for me was slow and steady rather the pace of some other commenters. I got three of the for long clues on the first pass which nodded me in the right direction and spotting the pangram helped me with my LOI, 24a. The topical 6d, filled in whilst I watched the 5th test, was the clear clue of the day! **/****

    Thanks to Cephas and CS

  28. A very good crossword today and even just about “doable” too – what a relief after the last couple of days!
    Not that I’m calling it a walkover though.
    When I got 6d I thought I’d found the “signature” then Cephas turned up – that really foxed me – oh dear!
    So many possibilities as favourite – don’t quite even know where to start – maybe there isn’t one today
    Thanks to Cephas for the crossword and to the overworked CS for the hints and everything else that she’s done today!

  29. Needed a couple of hints to help with the parsing of 12a and 5d
    8a was my first one in and my COTD

  30. Thanks Cephas for a great puzzle with plenty of joy.
    My problem is that I have to complete every puzzle I start, 10 years and counting
    Therefore it’s been a bad week.
    Once took 3 days over a Sunday Dada.
    ***/***

  31. Wotta lotta fun! I loved this, even though it took some thought. A lovely word at 8a, solved right away, almost my fave. I didn’t know 2d and had to google, also had to check the spelling of 28a … all right, I know I can’t spell, so what! When I noticed the pangram I solved 24a, great help. There was so much to like, but I think 13a and 3d are leaders of the pack.
    Thanks Cephas for a puzzle I could solve without help, and much appreciation to CS for unravelling a couple.

  32. Really enjoyed this except 23d.

    An awful looking word that I have no idea how to pronounce. Obviously I am on my own in not having heard of this word before. Do I need to hang around back stage somewhere to hear this being used?

    Thanks to all.

    1. Hang around the bar like the rest of us, someone there will know, and if not there is 🍻🍷 Emphasis is both on the first two letters and last three letters, long Yorkshire-style vowel on the middle

  33. A lovely pre lights out solve after a long day at the course working then playing. Liked all the ones involving the 22ds that indicated a probable pangram (15&24a plus 2&23d) but my fav was the lovely word at 8a. All parsed without too much difficulty though the first word at 3 down even with the benefit of 2 checkers was a bit of a head scratch
    Thanks to Cephas & to CS
    Ps – re the pic for 23d I seem to vaguely recall Judith Keppel getting that stage direction question & having to phone a friend en route to bagging the first million on WWTBAM

  34. Finally got time to look at this. Some lovely clues with 8a my favourite. A couple of words eg 23d and 9a were new to me.

    Many thanks to CS for the hints which I needed to clarify a couple and to Cepheus

  35. One of the best Saturday puzzles for quite a while IMVHO.Took me 2 sittings to finish , lots of candidates for COTD but 1d just nicked it.
    Thanks to the Setter and CS .

  36. I was pleased that I finished this with minimal e-help. A very enjoyable guzzle with some clever and amusing clues. The 4 long ones were helpful, of which 3d had to be COTD. While I realise that some commentors, myself included, have made slightly jokey
    remarks about Brian, I do trust that his absence is not caused by ill health. We do miss you. I know this is not the case, but 6d could be a clue for a certain setter. Many thanks to the setter and to CS whose hints I will now read.

  37. Was quite a test, but a fun one.
    Liked the first across ones: 8 and 9a lovely words.
    Fave of the day goes to 23d. A reminder of Eng Lit of old and of a profession I nearly took up, albeit backstage (lights).

    1. Oops! Forgot to thank Cephas for the fun, and for looking in, and to CS for working overtime again!

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