Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3274 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where a typical Prairie summer continues.
For me, and I stress for me, I seemed to be right on Dada’s wavelength, not surprising I suppose as this is the 296th of his 297 Sunday puzzles that I have solved and blogged – six anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and one homophone all in a slightly asymmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 15a, 27a, 2d, 3d, and 21d.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.
Don’t forget to follow the instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
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 Get lost, as will firefighters? (2,2,6)
An ‘instruction’ for someone who might be very annoying to go away.
9a Individual, hard to please (10)
A double definition – the second is a descriptive term for someone who is hard to please.
12a Cash: make and save it! (4)
Revised per CS’s comment – A two letter synonym of make and a two letter interjection for save it (as in an ‘aggressive’ be quiet).
13a European politician aboard the ship – rides here? (5,4)
The abbreviation for European politician contained by (aboard) THE from the clue and a type of ship (made famous for transporting pairs of animals).
15a Nothing but boundaries for every member? (3,5)
A double definition – the first is crickety and the second describes how someone might manage to get through a narrow opening.
23a Religious book, this came out after fourth of March (9)
An anagram (out) of THIS CAME placed after the fourth letter of marCh.
27a Savage welcome at table in wood (10)
A two letter familiar synonym of welcome and (at) a synonym of table (as in itemisation) inserted into (in) a type of wood.
29a Noisy plane excited inhabitant of Samoa? (10)
An anagram (excited) of NOISY PLANE.
Down
1d Hole opening in effect for stare (4)
A three letter hole and the first letter (opening in) of Effect.
3d Reportedly add more sparkle to diamond novel (8,4)
This seems to be Dada’s favourite novel – a homophone (reportedly) of a term for add more sparkle and an informal term for diamond (as in gemstone).
8d Old player caught winger on home side? (5,5)
The single letter for Caught, a tuneful passerine winger, and an elevated feature on the side of a home.
11d Artist in the marines is at sea (5,7)
An anagram (at sea) of THE MARINES IS.
14d Floral creation made in a day is adorning church (5,5)
An anagram (made) of IN A DAY IS containing (adorning) one of the two letter abbreviations for church.
21d School time in India ends (7)
School time of which there are three in UK schools, IN from the clue, and India in the phonetic alphabet.
25d Almost microscopic youth (4)
A informal synonym of microscopic with the last letter deleted (almost).
Quick Crossword Pun:
JAY + KERB + MALI = JACOB MARLEY
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Originally the backing band for rock and roll singer Billy Fury, 1960s British group Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames had a repertoire that spanned R&B, pop, rock and jazz. This is the second of three number ones for the group which reached that position for one week on this day in 1966:
I parsed 12a as make (2) and an informal instruction to be quiet (2), (save it)
Me too.
Yup, thirded.
I unfortunately was with Senf and was horrified. Much prefer your reasoning.
Fourthed!
Me too!
Both parsings are very plausible. As vulgarity is not a usual Dada characteristic. I’m with the 2,2 version
However, 22d’s descent into the vernacular makes me wonder….
Thanks CS, hint updated as I am sure that was Dada’s thought process.
After several pleasant hours safe in the arms of Morpheus I do have a vague recollection of the term but I don’t recall coming across it in regular usage. Perhaps in US ‘cops and robbers’ programmes?
Very common in UK in my teens to twenties.
I also rattled pretty well through it. At the risk of the naughty step I parced 12a in a less risqué way 2/2 make and be quiet?
My answer to 12A seems to be as yours but I was at a loss to parse .
Otherwise all good .
Thanks to you and Dada
A gentle but very enjoyable puzzle. The only one I needed to confirm with google was how my answer to 20a fitted the definition of the clue.
Many thanks to Dada. Off to the tv now for cricket and F1!
Steady and solid Sunday fare, straightforward and unremarkable. Old friends abounded, nothing esoteric.
Thank you to setter and Senf.
Yup, Dada very friendly today, I thought, though I did spend a while trying to shoehorn a character font name into 20a. 1a, 15a and 2d all typically quirky and ‘Dada-esque’, but my personal COTD is 8d – I had forgotten the actor so it took me a while for the proverbial penny. Thanks to Dada for the challenge and Senf for the blog.
Ditto for us on 20a
I found this more accessible than yesterday although I had to Google my answer to 20a to check it was relevant.
I liked 8d once I read the clue correctly as winger and not wringer.
Top picks for me were 15a, 8d, 2d and 19d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
2*/3.5*. Good fun on the whole but I couldn’t parse 12a and, for me, “failure” in 4d is yet another in the ever increasing list of non-anagram indicators.
I’ve never heard of 20a but it couldn’t have been anything else and was confirmed with a quick BRB check.
17d was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
RD, as I have said here on previous occasions, we do seem to be getting ever more “non-anagram indicators” – too clever by half!
Mostly straightforward with a couple of trickier ones thrown in to keep us on our toes – thanks to Dada and Senf.
My ticks were awarded to 9a, 2d and 17d.
Thanks Senf and Sue for explaining 12a, otherwise plain sailing. Enjoyed the mini theme in the quick crossword. All good fun Dada 😁
Dada in a benevolent mood today but very enjoyable nevertheless. COTD for me was 15a, very clever, just about how Ben Duckett bats!
Thx to all
**/*****
What a curious puzzle. Maybe I’m still muzzy headed from the stinker of a cold I picked up on a plane going on holiday but half went in swiftly the other half was a struggle. That’s my excuse anyway. Intrigued by the debate on parsing 12a. Senf’s parsing was new to me, must have been my sheltered upbringing. I admit to bunging in the answer as it fit. I’m going for an oldie but goodie in 7d as cotd. Thanks to Dada and Senf
I struggled today but got to the finish line eventually. I always stumble on real names and book/film titles even though I know them.
I was tickled by 1A and hated 12A and 22D – can’t please everyone.
****/** for me, thanks to Dada and Senf for their efforts.
Unlike others, I found Dada a bit of a struggle today. I can see no real reason why because all clues were fair. Maybe the humid heat yesterday affected my brain. I didn’t know that 23a was a book having always thought of it as a part of a service so something learned there. My COTD is the amusing 1a.
Thank you, Dada for the challenge – not your fault my brain was out of gear. Thank you, Senf for the hints.
If humid heat affects the brain Steve, there’s not much hope for Merusa and me 😢.
Pretty straight forward for us – Dada in gentle mode. Only missed 4 across clues – 2 of which were 12a and 20a. Never heard that phrase so had to do a lookup.
So 2* / 3* here. Cod = 15a for me.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
PS weather here yesterday was crazy hot. 39.4°C – it was 44.1 just down the road.
I love Spain – but there are times when I could do without summer.
Yep, like most others today, I got 12a, (my last in) but hadn’t got the foggiest as to the ‘why’ of it.
The usual high quality from Dada and it’s a sh… from me for 12a. Thank you Senf for all your sustained Sunday work!
A real struggle for me today. Not on the wavelength at all.
Got there with a big struggle….but sadly I had figured out most of the ones Senf hinted, hence the big struggle.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf.
A Dada puzzle this week at the easier end of his spectrum and it seems his personal thesaurus was not opened today.
1.5*/4*
Favourites include 1a, 13a, 18a, 3d & 17d — with winner 1a
Smiles from several of the favs. as well as 15a, 14d, 22d & 25d
Going with the CS version of 12a (2,2)
Thanks to Dada & Senf for blog/hints
I didn’t find Dada very friendly today at all – in fact really quite tricky – must be me!
I’d never met 20a before and didn’t see why 9a was what it was.
24a seems to be the answer of the week.
I liked 13 and 24a and 14 and 25d. My favourite was 22d.
Thanks to Dada for the. crossword and thanks to Senf for the hints.
Tricky for me too Kath.
I wouldn’t say hugely friendly but fun and very doable. I used ehelp to get 27a but needed your help Senf to know why. I didn’t know 3d was a novel, only the other thing, but google knew. Fave was 1a, runners up 2d, 8d and 11d.
Thank you Dada for my Sunday entertainment and Senf for unravelling a few.
This was mostly straightforward Dada guzzle with the West easier to get into than rhe East. I liked the 1a double definition, the 11d anagram andd the geographical lego cllue at 7d. Thanks to Dada for an enjoyable guzzle and to Senf for the hints .
A bit of a struggle although of course I did like 14d. Thanks to Messrs Setter & Senf
We didn’t find this that straightforward although on completion, apart from a couple, it was hard to see why. 12a was a bung in. Favourite was 1a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I found this more tricky than others appear to but got there in the end. I’m with the majority with 12a, never occurred to me to parse it the other way – we are talking about the Telegraph here! Went to Cley bird Reserve yesterday for a sarnie at lunchtime. Beautiful day but very few people there. Had a small bottle of Elderflower/Pear juice made by Breckland Orchard near Cambridge. It was awful, couldn’t drink it. In this tiny bottle there was 28g of sugar – I thought sugar was supposed to be reduced in drinks. Moan over. Thanks to setter and Senf
Even allowing for the fact that the puzzle didn’t get my undivided attention (a busy tee sheet today) it was a struggle. 8d&13a were the stubborn hold-outs until I realised the former was 5/5 & not a 10 letter word. 23&27a my top 2. Rather liked 12a too.
Thanks to D&S
V straightforward for Dada. Favorite 15a.
Lots of good clues, of which 8D best of all in my view. Not so keen on 12A or 22D. Many thanks Dada and Senf.
A mixed bag for me, with a good handful putting up a fight, including 15a and 8d. Got 20a but no understanding of how it fits. And 12a, least said … Obviously I found it more difficult than most, but did at least finish over lunch. Cheered by the breaking news that the Democrats will have someone a bit younger on the ticket now. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I am another who found this tricky, there were several I could not parse and one or two I needed hints and e help for. I had what I thought was a correct answer for 12a which held me up, I would not have got the real answer without help. Now it’s finished I can see all the answers were fair, my cryptic brain seems to have gone wandering at the moment, hopefully it will return soon.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
Didn’t enjoy this much and ended up bunging in several obscure solutions e.g. 20a which meant nothing to me. North rather more workable than the bottom half. Fav 2d. Quickie similarly abrasive. Thank you Dada and Senf.
I didn’t find this as easy as some, and left it overnight partially completed. Finishing it this morning involved some electronic assistance and a couple of Senf’s hints. Thank you, Senf — and to CrypticSue for explaining 12a.
My top few are 5d’s hard stuff and 15a’s boundaries, with my favourite being 17d’s classmate. 10a was my last in, as I took ages to recall the Ottoman.
Dada lives in [one of the words in 3d], so that may explain Senf’s observation that 3d crops up often.
Hello to anybody still reading these comments a day late!