Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30683(Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
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A grey Saturday morning, but once again, no sign of the much needed rain, brings what I thought was a friendly Prize Puzzle, although I would be willing to bet that some will disagree with me and complain that I’ve hinted the ‘wrong’ clues
I would rather spend my day watching the Olympics than redacting comments so please take note of the Red Instructions, particularly the bit about mentioning incorrect answers, 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.
Across
9a Longer and shorter periods reversed in Greek letter (5)
Reverse a long period of time and an informal much shorter period of time
10a Signalling English plan to invade beach (9)
The abbreviation for English and a plan ‘invade’ or are inserted into the land bordering the sea (beach)
11a Energy in pop one among things that get us down? (7)
The symbol for energy inserted into a male parent (pop)
12a Like some cakes put before daughter (7)
A synonym for put, a literary or poetic word meaning before and the abbreviation for Daughter
14a Are we told put up a poster or flyer? (9)
A homophone (are we told) of a way of saying put up and an advertising poster
16a What may make CV an exact reference? (7,3,5)
Here C and V are abbreviations
28a Zero degrees – one seen at many a summit? (5)
The number zero and two university degrees
Down
1d Make mistake – almost get fired (4)
Almost all of a two-word phrase meaning to get fired or explode I did check in the BRB for obvious reasons and the blunder isn’t shown as being North American
3d Leader once exceptionally busy in launderette? (10)
If you split the first President of the USA 7,3 he could be taking an awful lot of dirty clothes to the launderette
8d Scots head meets the Spanish composer in city (10)
A Scottish word for the head, the Spanish definite article and a composer
13d Fish on seabed finds lowest possible level (4,6)
Other names for both the dogfish (used quite a lot in fish and chip shops, probably because it sounds more appetising) and the seabed
15d Surprising fact about Victor and Joy (10)
The usual two-letter about, on the subject of; the letter represented by Victor in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and some great joy
24d Ham he produced, but saved some animals (4)
A cryptic definition of a Biblical character, Ham being his second son
26d Hands over an item exchanged? (4)
A reversal (over) of some hands
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: CELL + PHRASING = SELF-RAISING
Enjoyed this one on a sunny Saturday morning.
Favourites include 10a and 11a.
My COTD has to be 8d which I am ashamed to say I had to write down to parse. The Scots head may flummox a few from other parts of the world.
Thanks to the setter and crypticsue.
I had it down as the same one in 25a until commonsense prevailed
Wow that was tough! However on the whole very fair (assuming you have heard of the composer in 8d which I haven’t)! Still unable to parse my answer to 7d.
Best clues for me were 28a and 3d. Took a while to get going not helped by a tricky grid but perseverance rewarded.
****/***
The to all
Brian, have you sussed the sugnificance of “my” in 7d?
No, still don’t get it. I think CS has a back door into my iPad as she always knows the ones I struggle with!
My as in xxx, then insert nato uniform.
Got it! Thx for your help, took ages for the penny to drop.
Not sure what to make of this one.
I got stuck with two remaining in the top left. I needed the hint from CS to get 11a; the surface reading was beyond me…
Once I put in 11a, 1d was obvious although I was looking for a 5 letter word for fired, not 2-3!
Thanks to the setter and to CS.
A pleasant enough stroll through crossyland that took a bit of work, esp the NW, though a few surfaces didn’t quite do if for me.
My podium is 10a, 14a and 23a.
Ta very much to the setter and CS.
3*/3*
A couple that didn’t quite work for me but still an enjoyable SPP.
Top three were 10,11&14a.
Thanks to our setter – anyone got an idea? – and to CS for the hints.
Smart and possibly slightly trickier than usual for a Saturday. 8d certainly made me sweat. 16a’s fun – that “what may make” made a simple clue much less obvious. I did think 28a’s definition was maybe a tad loose, but what else could it possibly be? 17d took me longer to crack than it should and 10A and 14a are both excellent. Mostly solid surfaces, though I do see what Tom means. I don’t really understand what 9a (good clue, mind) means and 11a is a tad clunky but it was very enjoyable throughout. Many thanks to our setter and CS.
I thought this was excellent. I had to guess a few but then was able to confirm my guess when I managed to parse the clue. I lost count of the number of clues that raised a smile and the penny drop moments were frequent. Thanks to the setter and CS.
I found this a tad tougher than many a SPP, particularly in the NE where the composer was new to me too
Thanks to Setter and Sue
I will reply to you rather than Brian, as you will probably reply back – the composer makes quite frequent appearances.
So I see, a bit of investigoogling and I realise I have heard him before, both his music and earlier crossword appearances
If your toonie remains “en poche” so will mine
My highly polished Toonie is staying in my pocket as I have no idea who the setter might be. I am in agreement with this being trickier than, at least, recent SPPs.
Candidates for favourite – 9a, 7d, 15d, and 18d – and the winner is 9a.
Thanks to whomsoever and CS.
A wonderful puzzle with some definite head-scratching and some great penny drop moments.
LOI was 2d.
Top picks for me were 28a, 14a, 26d, 17d and 13a.
Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.
One or two of these ones caused some head scratching even though most of it went in without problem. Wouldn’t argue with Jane’s top 3.
Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle & to Sue for the hints.
That was tricky and no mistake. I nearly went bald scratching my head over several. There are some that I find difficult to parse so the answers went in using the checkers once I had them. I did like the laboratory chemicals at 18d but my COTD is the woman deceived by a snake at 17d.
Thank you, Miss Tree Setter for the brain mangling. Thank you, CS for the hints.
I did send it in for The Mythical but having put the answer to 15d in 8d there is some over writing, which I doubt the AI used to check submissions will allow. Ah well!
I came to the guzzle late today because I had an appointment with the doctor. I have a blister on my foot that is not healing. The last time this happened I ended up having my big toe amputated!
Steve, fingers and toes crossed that you have a less drastic issue from your foot problem this time.
Thank you, Angelov. I have an emergency fast track referral because I’m on immunosuppressants.
Good grief, Steve. I had to read that twice as that final EM fooled me into thinking it was all a jolly jape. Far from it, clearly. Very best of luck, chief.
You are not in a good place with Mrs SC and a frozen shoulder if I’ve read you correctly. We hope for better news soon
My steroid injection has made no difference to my shoulder!
They are hit or miss. I’ve had several that helped, and a couple that didn’t.
My son has a friend who is losing teeth due to steroids. Now that I didn’t expect
I hope it all settles down quickly Steve and no surgery is needed.
Oh dear, good luck with the foot.
My best wishes Steve. Somehow it doesn’t seem quite fair, does it?
Thank you all for your good wishes. This blog really is wonderful.
The doc has put through an emergency referral to podiatry and prescribed antibiotics for me to take if the blister becomes infected, which it isn’t at the moment thank goodness. The concern is the blister appears to be going deeper into my foot. This is what happened when I lost my toe.
On the plus side, my shoulder is better and Mrs C, whilst still bedridden, is in good spirits. A lot of which is down to the news that our daughter is coming home for Christmas from Oz.
Only finished with help from the hints, but an enjoyable solve . Thanks to all
Some tricky spots in this Saturday puzzle again this week. Some parsing I just could not reverse engineer either, so will look at hints in the morning.
2.5*/3*
Favourites 10a, 11a, 21a, 5d & 18d — with winner 10a
Smiles from 9a, 19a, 27a, 26d
Thanks to setter & CS
Oh Steve you do get in the wars. You really ought to get a pen and maybe your luck will change. I have developed a stye, never had one before – chemist gave me some eye wash (?) I was expecting Golden Eye Ointment which seems to lurk in my memory. Anyway, lovely guzzle done in the garden with a delicious breeze caressing me. I agree, some great penny drop moments. I think 24d is favourite but daisies for 10,16,28a and 5,8,18d. 7d is a bung in as I cannot really parse it nor can I justify Victor but I shall certainly forward the pen to Steve to cheer him up. Waiting for DD2 to visit with the new puppy 😍 many thanks to Mr Setter and the lovely CeeEss.
I used to get styes. Best thing was a used tea bag,(cooled) over the eye. Hope it helps
I like the fact you state it should be cooled, Toni. Not straight out of the cup then? 🤭
Thank you, DG but the odds of my winning The Mythical are about the same as King Charles knocking on the door of Chez Cowling and dubbing me with the sword.
Like others a trickier Saturday offering, I thought it might be me as I am rather distracted by several things going on. Lots of fun clues, several needed a lot of thought to parse. My favourite was 10a but many others were close behind. Having got 8d I had to confirm with e help a couple of the synonyms.
Many thanks to the mystery setter and to CS for the hints.
I took a completely different view of 8d and ended up with Nesselwang which is a town in Germany – well, it was one way to parse the clue! No wonder I struggled with that side of the puzzle!
Took a while to find a way into this puzzle but great fun once I got going. Lots of very clever clues and penny-drop moments. Thanks to all and hope Steve’s blister gets sorted easily.
Lots to like, not entirely straightforward but no obscurities so a thumbs up from us. Favourite was 16a. Thanks to the setter and CS.
Still waiting for the weather to break
Needed DanWord for the NE corner so won’t be applying for the mythical
Once solved I enjoyed going down Memory Lane with 11a….can I mention ‘’Swallows and Amazons’ without upsetting our indomitable Sue? Apologies if I’ve overstepped the mark
Sorry.. 10a
As an old railwayman I naturally thought along those lines (sorry!)
Top half, ugh. Bottom half, not too bad. Will slog on for a bit but can’t say it was the highlight of my Saturday morning. Been to 8d, lovely city, but only dimly recalled the composer. If I could, I would give a thumbs down to 3d as a clue. Thanks to setter and CS, obviously so much brighter than me 🤔
Good afternoon
Well….they’re all filled in, but I have to hold my hand up to having had to look up the “cat” part of 23a; and CS’s hints have come in extremely useful in terms of parsing 1d and 3d; the parsing of 2d has eluded me, though.
I wasn’t familiar with the composer’s name in 8d, but I deduced it. Also, as a Northumbrian, (Morpeth, for the record), I must speak up for God’s Country when it comes to the term for “head”. Northumbrian and Lowland Scots are much the same. Ye knaa! (Also, if ye knaa some of wor lingo, you might be able to translate my alias…😉)
All in all, a good afternoon’s cruciverbalising. Many thanks to our compiler and to CS.
Haddaway and Sh…
Mama Bee is an Ashington lass but went to school in Morpeth
Remember the cat, that has appeared countless times in the past!
I agree, Merusa. I discovered said cat in the DT cryptic.
Very enjoyable solve for me with 10, 14, 16 & 27A, 3 (ho ho), 13, 17 & 24D the highlights. I might have to go with 16A as the Champ, but some very nicely-clued offerings here, especially the snake.
Many thanks CS, and setter.
Bit late today but worth the wait as this was top drawer. Only the NW held me up a while, but the usual trick of walking away and returning later stead that out. Favourite clue has to be 10a.
Thanks to our Saturday setter and Sue.
At last, a puzzle that I could solve and enjoy. It wasn’t easy, I did need to get a hint from our own Sue in the NW to get going again. It took ages to write in 1d, I didn’t think it would pass muster here, so thanks for your seal of approval Sue. Three stood out for me, 10a, 11a and 16a. I struggled with 10a in Girl Guides, never did master it, arms swinging like a windmill and confusing everyone.
Thank you setter for the fun, and to CS for chivvying (remember that?) me along.
I enjoyed this after a fashion but struggled in the NW mainly due to my bunging in New Zealand rather than USA solution for 3d hence giving rise to a spanner in the works but IMHO 3d is slightly dodgy clue anyway. Fav was 7d when my penny had dropped. Thank you Mysteryone and CS.
Well at least it’s much cooler, thank goodness for that!!
I’ve just spent three days with our Eldest Lamb and her family – their house is like a furnace and sleep isn’t anything to be had – I really can’t cope on lack of sleep.
Right – on to the crossword – I’m not sure at all what I think about it.
Quite a few tricky ones and a few others really not too difficult.
I liked 11 and 23a and 1 and 20d. My favourite was16a once I’d sorted out the wheat from the chaff.
With thanks to whoever was today’s setter for the crossword and to CS for the hints.
Well, that was a strange one! Got half way down the grid with nothing in, and then slowly got some answers and checkers, helping me get tuned to the setter’s wavelength and finished in pretty reasonable time.
Funnily enough needed CS to help me fully parse 3d, at which point 2240 pounds dropped! Just hadn’t read the answer properly!
Loved 14 and 16a, with 16a coming out on top as it was one of my first ones in.
V many thanks to the setter and to CD for taking a load off my mind!
‘
CD is crypticsue in Autocorrectland, where they don’t seem to proofread either. Sorry, CS, and thanks!
Good steady solve. Favorite 16a.
Rather enjoyed this today. Needed the hint for 28a but that didn’t lessen the enjoyment of what was a challenging solve.
I looked up the Scots bit of 8d as I thought surely not an actual word, but apparently it is.
Thanks to all.
Found that very tricky today – probably the hardest Saturday puzzle for a while. Smiles for 11a and 24d when they went in.
Great puzzle – 11A, 14A and 24D best for chuckles. Many thanks to Setter and Sue.
Got there in the end, but did need CS hints for the last couple. Not sure if we liked it or not tbh. Bit of a mixed bag. 16a helped open it up a bit.
Late to the puzzle party as I spent most of the day from 2am dealing with Mrs E’s chronic back pain, involving a call to 999, then 111, and then a clinician, followed by an ambulance ride to A&E (or ED as they now term it) before escaping with strong painkillers and a physio referral.
I must say that all A&E staff deserve medals after seeing the range of characters including 9 policemen who required their services.
Anyway, to the puzzle. Mostly enjoyable, although I spent ages trying to get 1D and 11A to come to an amicable arrangement. The said 1D gets my vote.
***/*** for me. Thanks to the setter and CS for the hints.
Gosh, Eeyore I hope your good lady is ok. I wish her and you well.
Thanks Steve, Jill is feeling better already and we have caught up on the lost sleep!
Had no problem with 8d but although I got the right answer for 7d I cant make sense of ‘my bank’. Is there a legit way to enlighten me?
My is an interjection of surprise
The bank is a row, level or layer
Thanks for hint. I was asked if I liked it… cant say that I did.
I found this very difficult and it took me much longer than usual, but there were some fantastic and satisfying clues, too many too mention.
On the flip side, I didn’t like 1d – not worthy of the quality of the others, and not just because it was the last one to go in!