Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3285 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg, where Autumn has taken full control and words like fr*st and sn*w are already ‘creeping’ into weather forecasts.
For me, and I stress for me, Dada about as friendly as he has ever been – seven anagrams (two partials), no lurkers, and one homophone all in a value for money symmetric 32 clues; with 16 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, 12a, 25a, 30a, 8d, and 17d.
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 I lean on dog, boxer (8)
I from the clue and a (nautical?) synonym of lean all placed after (on) a breed of dog.
10a Expert built road with that stuff (6)
An anagram (built) of ROAD with a two letter term for that stuff.
13a Supercilious old rider? (8)
A double definition – the illustration should help with the second.
16a Succeed in exam? I don’t know the answer! (4)
Another double definition – the illustrated gentleman is probably responsible for the second.
25a A fish heads west around little island nation (8)
A from the clue and a fish (that ‘wars’ were fought over?) all reversed (heads west) contain (around) a synonym of little (car or dress?).
26a Bank without capital maintains a charm (6)
What one of the functions of a (high street) bank might be with the first letter deleted (capital removed) contains (maintains) A from the clue.
28a Amorous heart holds it back (6)
The reversal of all of a synonym of heart (of an object) which contains (holds) IT from the clue.
31a Dock, where crate and tun shifted (8)
An anagram (where . . . shifted) of CRATE and TUN.
Down
1d Relish predicament (6)
Yet another double definition – the first is a nounal food enhancer?
2d Music genre in fashion south of Georgia (6)
A single word for in fashion ( as in ‘all the . . . ‘) placed after (south of) the abbreviation for Georgia the US State, not Georgia the former Soviet Republic – I was going to attempt to explain the music genre in a few words, just about impossible, so I suggest an e-search if you really want to know. If anyone else wants to try, remember it is a Prize Puzzle!
6d Difficult process if not with agreement (6)
A two letter synonym of if not and (with) a synonym of agreement.
8d Second is engaged by wrong driver (8)
The two letters that can represent (a) second followed by IS from the clue contained (engaged) by a (legal) wrong.
17d US city, really entertaining also, I say (3,5)
A two letter synonym of really containing (entertaining) all of a synonym of also, I from the clue, and the two letter Latin abbreviation equivalent to say.
19d Sister is working under leader of investigation, together (2,6)
A religious sister, IS from the clue, and the two letter synonym of working all placed after (under) the first letter (leader) of Investigation.
22d Object in my hands is salad plant (6)
A synonym of object (as in goal?) and a (1’2) contraction equivalent to in my hands (indicating ownership?).
27d Fly spotted by one’s ear? (4)
And, we finish with the homophone (by one’s ear) of a synonym of spotted.
Quick Crossword Pun:
BELOW + EEYORE + MINED = BLOW YOUR MIND
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Something to dance around the kitchen to while preparing Sunday lunch. Jamaican singer Millicent ‘Millie’ Small CD was born on this day in 1947 and is best known for her 1964 international hit My Boy Lollipop. The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It was also the first major hit for Island Records and helped the label to achieve its mainstream success. She was the Caribbean’s first international recording star and its most successful female performer. This is from a performance in 1973:
Dada being kind to us all today although one or two curve balls were thrown. It took me an age to work out the coffee at 29a and I don’t understand 27d. I also spent a long time trying to start the answer to 17d with a different first word. The rest was a steady solve with plenty of dropping pennies and I ended up with two favourites. These were the fish at 25a and the wrong driver at 8d. However, knowing Kath’s thoughts on the matter I will award COTD to 8d.
Thank you, Dada for the fun challenge. Thank you, Senf for the hints and explaining 27d. Simple really!
How funny, 29a was almost my first one in. However, I also don’t understand 29d. 13a took me too long to parse (very frustrating when that happens).
Lovely puzzle overall. Thanks to the setter and Senf for the clues.
I don’t understand 29d either, mainly because my puzzle doesn’t have one.
Oh – I didn’t know I had any thoughts on the matter – maybe my 8d is wrong!!
I think he’s referring to the fact that he originally had two favourites rather than anything to do with 8d
OK – thanks Sue – that’s sorted that out!
Of course! I would never suggest your are anything but a good 8d, Kath. 😊
Joint first place goes to the four 4-letter words;
Plans drawn up
Magnus’ favourite
Light ray
Fly spotted
Thanks to all
And not forgetting the plans drawn up…
2*/3.5*. I did enjoy this. Three quarters flew into place on my page but, for reasons which are inexplicable with hindsight, the NE took me ages to complete.
1d gets a special mention as an exemplary double definition, but 8d was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
My draft review says almost exactly the same thing about the NE corner
Can’t get going on this one at all. It’s Dada at his most tricky. Perhaps a revisit later may throw some light on it.
As I suspected a break for the little grey cells and all fell nicely into place. Best clue out of many good ones was 5a because it made me smile. The brickbat goes to 17d which really should have been Las Vegas!
Thx to all esp for the hints
****/***
I was sifting through all the Las something or other.
And, ‘entertaining’ in the clue was cleverly and deliberately misleading!
27d is a reappearance of the unwritten Estuary English phantom ‘r’
Gave up when I got 27d.
Dreadful
It’s only a homophone in some dialects.
In mine soar and saw are pronounced very differently.
Luckily I have an RP speaker in residence who pronounces or, oar and awe exactly the same
Welcome to the blog, Jay.
27d works for me, in an accent (Yorkshire-based mongrel Northern) which is nothing like Estuary English. I think that I don’t say the /r/ sound in either word (unless the following word starts with a vowel) — but it’s surprisingly difficult to hear quirks in ones own accent, and after a few minutes of saying these words out loud in various ways, I’m doubting my ability to remember how I normally speak!
Anyway, 27d was one of my favourites!
Morning All, Completely flummoxed! Had a quick look at the clues and couldn’t make head nor tail. Turns out I have done a completely different guzzle on my Kindle which I completed with difficulty. Turns out I’ve done the Toughie so now I have the pleasure of tackling this prize puzzle which I hope doesn’t take so long. Back later.
I hope you enjoyed the toughie – I did
Zandio was quite friendly today
I did enjoy it and found it far easier than this one!
I think I did too – well certainly no harder
Strange puzzle, somewhat spoilt by 10a and the dreadful 27d, I can think of a far better word than ‘spotted’ for this clue, can’t say it here though as it’s a prize day.
Enjoyable (except for the horrible 27d) – thanks to Dada and Senf.
Top clues for me were 5a, 8d and 22d.
27d works perfectly if you come from East London, (like wot I do)!
Huge thanks for keeping me company. God’s own country!
‘ailing from ‘acne perhaps😉
Ha! That turned up in the Observer too today, but Zandio wins. Unsurprisingly. I trust you’ve got some banging tunes for us in t’other place?
Found this rather more difficult than our reviewer seems to have done but I guess that’s just the way it goes sometimes.
Nothing really shouted out for favouritism so I’ll give the nod to 17d where both my cousins live and 11d just because I like the sound of the word.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the review and the day’s music clip – found it hard to equate that childish voice with such a curvaceous woman’s body!
She died far too young. She was discovered by Chris Blackwell and adopted by him. I remember My Boy Lollipop, 1960s I think, not sure, but I was very young. Aaaah, those were my salad days!
I found this too much of a 6d to be enjoyable. I was certainly well off Dada’s wavelength today. 1a and 1d made me smile whereas 27d is still a mystery, even with the hint. The juxtaposition of 28a and 29a gets my c(s)otd. Thanks to Dada and Senf
Homophone for 27d.
Tricky for me today – I have the answer to 9a but don’t understand the word play – any guidance would be appreciated
One of quite a large number of double definitions today.
Thanks
Well, I rather liked 27d – it reads beautifully – but I’m clearly on my tod! Thanks to Dada and Senf.
You’re not alone. I liked it too!
I liked it too although it was my last one in.
I quite liked it too.
Please explain it to those of us tiny brains! I think (not sure) I have the right answer meaning “fly”, but the rest escapes me … wait a minnit! Maybe I do have it!
It goes to show that this is clearly a wavelength thing as I had a right battle with this one. The LHS went well but the RHS was a different story and I needed a couple of hints to get me going. Unusually for me on a Sunday it was not the synonyms that got me but the word play. I got there in the end but do feel I had to work hard so I must deserve a treat!
Many thanks to Dada for the workout and to Senf for the hints.
Add me to those who found the NE the trickiest of the quadrants, not that I waltzed through the rest of it. The old rider was the biggest head scratch & the knockout coffee was a reluctant penny drop too. 8d was my pick of the clues.
Apologies- thanks to D&S
Have you got an update? Feeling any better? I hope so.
I too struggled with the NE corner with 6d my LOI.
Top picks for me were 30a, 14d and 18d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
I’ve just written a comment and it’s disappeared – must be having a party together!
Try again. . .
I didn’t think that Dada was friendly at all today – in fact I thought the crossword was a tricky little piglet!
There were lots of clues that I really enjoyed but also quite a few difficult ones that took ages.
I liked 1 and 5a and 1 and 7d. I think my favourite was the simple 12a.
With thanks to Dad for the crossword and to Senf for the hints.
Oops!
Not Dad – Dada!
For me, this Sunday puzzle still seemed at the more difficult end of Dada’s spectrum, with personal thesaurus use and a little quirkiness as well.
2.5*/4* for me
Favourites include 1a, 5a, 20a, 28a, 18d & 23d — with winner 5a and 20a a close runner up.
Thanks to Dada & Senf for blog/hints
All ok except for the salad plant …. and 13a simply took ages yet it’s so simple! Thanks Dada and Senf
No, the S W was my stumbling block as I could not get 17d or 30 an and then the overture suddenly started! I cannot think why it took me so long. Perfick. I could go with 8d as favourite and join the gang but I shall nominate 25a. I shall have a look at the toughie later. Many thanks to Mr Setter & Mr Senf.
I found this trickier than our esteemed blogger, not helped by putting a different type of music in for 2d, having had the1st and 5th letters solved.
25a my stand out clue.
3*/3*
Quite enjoyed these four crosswords, but the grid they were using, less so.
Harder than usual I thought.
Yes, a very friendly Dada … until I got to the NE! I couldn’t get any further so had to go in for a hint from Senf for 13a, but now I have the answer, I ask myself “why”? I already had 5a, so it opened up that corner nicely. Is 28a really amorous? My picks are 1a, first one in and I just like the word; 5a, natch, two cats, double the fun; and 18d, another lovely word.
Thank you Dada for being kind to us, and to Senf for jogging me along when I was stuck.
Couldn’t write them in fast enough for a start but then slowed down in the NE and SW. With a little application conquered the SW then a bit more head scratching and the NE fell. In retrospect couldn’t see why we struggled. Still all done and parsed. Favourite was 17d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Wow! I didn’t find that at all friendly nor particularly entertaining. It has taken me ages to complete with the final hold-up being in the NE due mainly to having drawn a blank on 10a. 22d is always a problem for me as I confuse/reverse the French and English versions. I think a recuperative cup that cheers is now called for (oh dear preposition ending!). Nothing to call a Fav. Anyway thank you Dada for the cerebral exercise and Senf without whom I did just manage.
Late on parade today. Finished the puzzle at 7.30 Greek time, but by the time the review was up, I was in the middle of a tour of our favourite Kefalonian places.
Trickier than recent Dada offerings, but no big hold-ups for me. The fishy skirt at 25A was my favourite. Not so keen on a couple of homophones, 28A seems dubious to me, and 27D is plain excruciating!
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
But you did get ‘mentioned’ in the Quickie Pun – if you haven’t seen it, the clue was – Pessimistic donkey? (6)
Yes, I saw that. I shall be putting in a claim for royalties. 🫏💰
I made harder work of this than it deserved as I was trying to multitask, watching the rugby at the same time as solving the puzzle. Like others, the NE corner was my main delay, with 8d my top clue.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Relieved to find a friendly Dada to enjoy over a late breakfast. A steady solve, with a few curveballs (thanks Steve), but nothing too difficult. COTD to 18d despite being one of my last few answers. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I liked that a lot, but got a bit stuck so thank you Senf and Dada. I did remark to a (fitness) class once that that song was probably one of the naughtiest played by radio 2, they all looked at me blankly except for one, who was even older than me…
Another brilliant and entertaining Dada puzzle – the US city was my last one in, but I can’t see why now I’ve got it as the parsing is spot on…
All been said – easier in the west a bit tougher in the East.
I didn’t like 27d either
But I did like my boy lollipop as it was in the soundtrack of Stand by Me one of my favourite Stephen King adaptations
Thanks to Dada and Senf
Woah, that was tough! The toughest Dada — and possibly the toughest backpager — I can remember. Spouse was away for the weekend, and once the children were in bed I thought I’d look in here and see how Dada had been. Encouraged by the introduction and early comments, I decided this would be a nice way to wind down. I wish I’d read my book instead.
On my first pass of acrosses, I only had 2 answers. It’s an unfriendly grid, with only one link from each corner’s ‘triangle’ into the centre, so completing a corner doesn’t help much with the rest. I ended up resorting to electronic assistance to get unstuck after just a few more answers (including with a 4-letter anagram), then needed many of Senf’s hints, more electronic assistance, a night’s sleep, and yet more electronic assistance to eventually get a full grid this morning, including a few words I didn’t know the meaning of.
Overall that took about one-and-a-half times as long as Zandio’s Toughie did, which had a more joined-up grid, used words I was familiar with, and for which I didn’t require any hints. I’m so impressed with all of you that found this one straightforward.
My top few were 21a (“Something”), the apparently-controversial 27d, and 30a (“Overture key”). Thank you to Dada for the challenge, and Senf for getting me through it.
3*/1* ….
No favourites in the cryptic, but I did like 13D in the quickie “middle of-the-road chap ? (9)”