Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30563 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
A beautifully warm and sunny morning brings a Saturday Prize Puzzle with a good mix of clues. While you are all playing ‘guess the setter’ I am going outside n to try and persuade two dozy moorhens that the large ‘lake’ at the end of our garden won’t be there long enough for them to build a nest and raise a family and that they should go back to the stream on the other side of the road
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.
Across
1a So pale, I’m wasted outside hotel in city (11)
An anagram (wasted) of SO PALE IM goes outside a small place to stay (hotel)
11a Confined prior to Green Street Festival (9)
A synonym for confined goes before (prior to) a combining form denoting related to the environment and the abbreviation for street to produce a religious festival
12a Bore on the Tube? (7)
The diameter of a tube
18a Funny at first, prank involves a zealot (7)
The first letter of Funny and a prank, into which is inserted (involves) A (from the clue)
20a With Indian dish, case for ordering cold water? (6,3)
An Indian dish and an anagram (for ordering) of CASE
24a Riverside communities want deanery demolished (4,3,4)
A county named after two rivers is an anagram (demolished) of WANT DEANERY
Down
1d Fog with beginnings of rain and light wind (7)
Some light fog and the ‘beginnings’ of Rain And Light
4d Country under Portugal has endless fish! (7)
The IVR Code for Portugal, a country and the first two letters (endless) of HAs
9d Start making jokes — or omelettes? (3,8)
Start making jokes or making omelettes
16d Ancient Briton embracing student is in bower? (7)
An Ancient Briton ‘embracing’ the abbreviation for student and IS (from the clue)
19d Two-wheeled cart seen behind tower? (7)
A two-wheeled cart often towed behind a farm vehicle
21d Make good your sins an hour after midday? (5)
An hour after midday could be written as xx xxx
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: STEAK + ACCLAIM = STAKE A CLAIM
A bit tougher than some SPP’s recently I liked the Indian and the Spooner but a good exercise for the Grey matter today before a few National Trust visits with Mama Bee
Thanks to Sue and setter (maybe Cephas but my setter radar is erratic)
2*/2.5*. A mixed bag today.
I don’t think 12a works (even with the ?) as “on” makes no sense in terms of the definition. Also, I can’t see anything at all cryptic about either 6d or 19d.
Thanks to the setter and to CS.
Hi RD
I hope you’ve recovered from Thursday’s toxophily chaos.
Re 6d, to shop is to inform on someone which can mean the answer.
19d is a tiny bit cryptic as it wants you to think that the cart is hiding behind a tall building, like the one at Pisa.
Thanks, Tom and Banksie. I stupidly put the past tense for 6d. The clue is fine using the present tense!
It’s still a hmm from me regarding 19d.
Rats! I did the same thing for 6d, no wonder I have ??? beside it.
Grrr! I have just submitted it as well. Never mind, I’ll just imagine I didn’t read the blog and sleep peacefully tonight.
I think I have seen 7a before. I liked 9d and 10a and was grateful that the parsing helped me to spell 4d.
Thanks to the setter for the puzzle and to crypticsue (no caps?) for the hints.
isn’t 6d a double definition?
I’d be interested to know how you get on with the moorhens CS.
Many thanks for the hints btw
A solid Saturday solve with oodles of clever constructions and smooth surfaces. Perfect for all-comers.
My LOI was 21a as I was trying to think
of a four letter word for dramatisation starting and ending with a vowel. Then it hit me like an Acme oversized mallet from Roadrunner. Beep beep!
I loved the Wild Coyote.
Not easy to choose the podium as there are a few but I’ll go with 1a, 3d and the neat 21d.
Many thanks to the setter and CS.
2*/4*
I bit of a struggle for me today but I managed to get there. I have never heard of 21a. Putting the wrong answer into 21d messed up the SE corner for a while. For once, I got the Spoonerism but it took a while for me to see “green” in 11a. My COTD is 9d.
Many thanks to the setter – not your fault I found it awkward. Thank you CS for the hints and I hope you manage to persuade the moorhens to move.
12A I’d suggest ‘applied to’ as one definition for ON that could help RD. That said, there are quite a few definitions for on in Chambers, and I haven’t even begun to consult Collins in the matter! I thought the CD an amusing one.
Nice Spoonerism, loved the Indian dish ruse, 24A and especially 5D, which seems a great anag spot in relation to the required word. In all a fine puzzle. All fine puzzles contain, or should contain, an egg joke.
Thanks Mr Police (anag) for an enjoyable Saturday solve and PC security (anag) for the always useful hints.
Yes, you are right, Jeanne, “on” can mean almost anything! “Applied to” or “concerning” would both work for 12a.
Hmm, I am not sure what to make of this SPP offering. Presumably it is a NYDK or a Cephas production but when I tossed my Toonie to help me make a decision I tossed it so high that it hasn’t come down yet. It is probably in Low Earth Orbit.
Smiles for 12a, 18a, 16d, and 21d.
Thanks to whomsoever and to CS – can moorhens make a nest on dry land and then move to water when the offspring have appeared?
P.S. It would be nice to think that the England Senior Team were watching the U20s yesterday to see how it can be done!
Tedious, long winded and unnecessarily complicated. Difficult to understand some of the clues even when you get the answer ie 7d.
No favourites, just a real trudge.
****/*
Thx for the hints
I’m with you today almost verbatim.
Thank you to the setter but I’m sorry to say I didn’t enjoy this one.
Thanks to CS for the hints.
I prefer trombones to violins. Thanks to today’s setter and CS.
At first I thought this was really hard , but once I got 1a early on they started to fall into place. A few GK clues – good misdirection in 21a I thought as I spent ages trying to think of a word for dramatisation ! My last one in was 12a where I could only see one word that would fit, which turned out to be right . I did look at the hint for that one. 23a was a groan once I got it. Felt quite satisfied to have finished it have to say. Thanks to setter and CS.
Not as difficult as some recent Saturdays but not enhanced by some strange / complex clueing. Still pleased to finish it with 15a, 23a and 16d competing for the podium. Many thanks to CS for the good job done on the blog as usual and to the mystery setter. Only a mystery because if Ray T wasn’t on a Thursday every other week and Dada on Sunday every week I would have no idea who they were until they declare themselves.
Found this a trickier than normal Saturday puzzle and required some lateral thinking in some clues and really worked on the parsing.
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites include 7a, 8a, 24a, 4d, 9d & 13d — with winner 9d
Smiles came from not only 9d but 7a, 8a, & 2d
Thanks to setter & CS for hints/blog
9 and 21d were my co-favourites from this comfortable solve this afternoon. Like others, 19d had me foxed for a while as I was perhaps looking for something that wasn’t there. That aside, good fun.
Thanks to our Saturday setter and Sue.
I took a while to get going on this one but got there in the end. Several smiles along the way with top picks for me being 16d, 4d and 11a.
Hope you manage to cajole the moorhens CS and thanks to you and the setter.
Some lovely clues – some less so but enjoyable overall. Thanks to the setter and for the hints.
I would give up trying to move the moor hens. We have had them nesting in our garden – at least 50 yards from the nearest standing or running water though they do try paddling in our very small bird bath- for several years now. They have nested in a very dry corner under a rose bush, on top a wall also under a rosebush and then several late attempts in the middle of the grass but have successfully hatched several broods. They do not make good parents (well, ours don’t) and leave their chicks in the middle of the open grass- presumably to tell them if the sparrow hawk is coming – which it frequently does.
I quite enjoyed this but still don’t ‘get’ the Spoonerism. I think at 24 clues it is a smidge small for a SPP. Thanks to the setter and CS. Good luck with the moorhens!
See my reply @17 below
Would have made a nice breakfast guzzle had I not made a pig’s ear of some of it. E.g. looking for two letters to go with the Hotel in 1a; penny dropped when all the checkers were in. Similar thing in 16d, poking for leafy shelters and grottos.
Had to check the violin makers in 21a as Strad obviously wasn’t it! Also wondered why 19d asked for a two-wheeler. Apparently they are unless more (axles/wheels) are specified.
Equal faves are 20a, 23a and 4d, in no particular order.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS, (hope the floodwater subsides soon).
Should also add 22a, such a lovely word – and activity, sadly long forgotten!
9d my favorite. The top half was more straightforward than the bottom. I didn’t get the relevance of spooner though in that clue.
The first part of the clue refers to the fact that the Rev Spooner would have muddled up the starts of a way of saying escaped torment in order for you to match the solution to the definition
Curious mix today but with plenty of geography to keep Chriscross happy!
Ticks here went to 11&25a plus 6&9d.
Thanks to our setter (NYDK?) and to CS for the hints.
Half of us found this quite difficult and half of us not so much so we have a foot in each camp, although we did enjoy it. I too queried the two wheels in 19d. I spent some years in the 19d industry and some have three axles with four wheels on each. Favourite was 9d. Thanks to the setter and CS.
Phew! I found that really heavy-going and in fact thought I was never going to get underway however by fair means or foul I did eventually manage to complete. SE corner was stickiest patch. Stupidly initially wirked around wrong tower in 19d. Liked straightforward 21d parsing when penny dropped. Thank you Setter and CS.
Sorry should be ‘worked around’.
Imagine, a Saturday offering far more difficult than Friday! Well, some of it, some was straightforward and provided useful checkers. I did finish with ehelp, mainly in the SW. I cannot fathom what a 16d … forget that, just figured out the “bower”. I had to look up the Merseyside port at 23a. Some good stuff, I think 9d is fave.
Thank you setter; yesterday’s setter never did take ownership. Thank you CS for unravelling so much. When I moved here, we had moorhens in the canals, but those dastardly iguanas have eaten the lot. The babies looked like black ping pong balls bobbing along. Of course, those responsible for introducing nonnative species probably don’t care. A pox on their houses!
As always I strive to be helpful, and my team of assistants have sought advice from the RSPB. The RSPB state that Sue has a legal obligation to construct a lake of ‘suitable dimensions’ in her garden and provide twenty-four hour care until the family of moorhens are established. We experts refer to them as ‘genus Gallinula’ of course. Following this, Sue must provide access for interested members of the public, including a hide, and the provision of refreshments and ‘facilities’. I hope this is useful and will not cause too much incovenience. The RSPB say they will arrange for an inspection ‘within three days’ to ensure these measures have been taken.
Tricky crossword. Used up a lot of brain-power.
Thanks to the setter and SuperSue
As usual, Terence, you’ve provided my laugh of the day!
A tad trickier than recent Saturday offerings, I thought. Struggled with the parsing of 11a (but it couldn’t have been anything else) until clarity was provided by CS. Needed e help in confirming the violin maker. Thankfully my daughter took up the flute. Thanks to compiler and CS for the hints.
Hello. Rumbled again I see. Not me yesterday though, in case anyone’s wondering. Thanks for your comments, as ever, and thanks to Spruce City for the hintage.
Perhaps synchronistically (what is he talking about? (ed)), per 20A, there was today an FB topic where a friend posted that he’d ordered a curry, but that it was a real disappointment because it wasn’t hot or spicy enough. (3,8) and have an omelette my son, was my thought.
Cheers all
NYDK
Hi, NYDK! Thanks for dropping by. Nice puzzle. Non weekend!
I made very heavy weather of this and now it’s finished I am not sure exactly why. I think I was too distracted and busy with other things to do it justice and maybe should have waited. I got impatient and employed some e help to clarify a couple. There were some great clues and I even managed the Spooner so that makes up for the struggles!
Many thanks to NYDK and to CS for the hints
I found this trickier than Saturdays have been for a while, but it does always puzzle me why the Prize Puzzle is almost always easier than Fridays? Not today of course. I was on the point of putting this aside when I had a light bulb moment for one of the holdouts, and bingo, I solved four more from that. No idea what 21a is all about, but very happy that I actually managed to solve a Spooner clue. COTD to 16d. LI was 7d as I persisted in trying to make it begin incorrectly. Thanks to setter and CS. Absolutely love moorhens, we watch them from our living room and patio on the lake behind our house. Merusa is right, their little black balls of fluff chicks are adorable, but I think the Greater White Egret around here likes them also, sadly. In the evenings the moorhens invade our lawn pecking for grubs, and when they have their chicks, their disappear almost completely in the grass. Hope you have luck in guiding them home CS.
When we lived in Lordship Farm we had a moat with moorhens and ducks. We hated the moorhens because when the ducklings hatched the moorhens used to
gang up on the baby ducklings and kill them. When first hatched the ducklings had down which was not waterproof and they could easily drown, strangely enough,. It was horrid to see. So I have no sympathy for them!
Quite a slog – especially in the SE but got there in the end. Favorite 9d
Late to this today. Really enjoyed it despite having more than half an eye on the golf coverage at Sawgrass. Donny is a great addition to SPP roster & his puzzles never disappoint. ✅s for 1,11,20&23a + 3,9&16d with 9d my pick of ‘em.
Thanks to Donny & Sue.
Ps huge congratulations to the Sky Blues for their never say die spirit in prevailing over Wolves – memories of 1987 beginning to stir.
Right, got you.
This SPP was Friday’s
Revenge.
Just finished.
Very clever clueing.
Thanks all.
Only done it this morning. I liked it more than some people. Needed a lot of checkers for some and then padded as an afterthought . If I have 2d right I would never dare mistake a governess for one of these.
I have only just finished this after a busy weekend.
Never heard of 21a and have no idea how to parse this. I have an idea, but don’t want to end up on the naughty step.
Another enjoyable and non toughie Saturday solve. Happy days!
Thanks to all.
21a. When in doubt, look for a lurker
Thanks for confirming my suspicion! 😀
A definite step up in difficulty for me, but nothing to complain about.
Believe it or not, the answer to 21A was familiar to me from a Monty Python sketch from the 70s!