ST 3290 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3290 (Hints)

by Senf  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3290 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, oh dear, Santa’s elves have already built a grotto in one of the malls in the city.  Thankfully, for the time being, it is being hidden behind temporary curtains but, oh dear again, he is taking up residence in four days time!

For me, and I stress for me, Dada a lot trickier and quirkier than he has been for quite a while – four longish ‘uns, seven anagrams (one partial), two lurkers (one reversed), and no homophones all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 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 – 13a, 26a, 28a, 4d, and 22d.

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 Arrangement for meal in home location (5,7)
Synonyms of home and location.

10a Potential for improvement finally, wearing glasses (9)
The Latin based synonym of for, and the last letter (finally) of improvemenT contained by (wearing) the abbreviated form of a synonym of (eye) glasses.

12a Stop in popular Australian city (6)
A synonym of stop (as in prevent) inserted into (in) a three letter synonym of popular.

15a Meat product all adore, flanks of meat cooked (10)
An anagram (cooked) of ALL ADORE and the outside letters (flanks) of MeaT.

20a Liquid went, lost in area with clusters of stars? (10)
An anagram (liquid) of WENT, LOST IN.

26a Emotionally fragile type – a drifter? (9)
A double definition – the illustration should help for the second (which is the fundamental element of a drift).

28a Firebrand, Russian businessman perhaps on trial, originally (12)
A (6,5) phrase that can describe a Russian businessman (in terms of income generation) placed after (on) the first letter (originally) of Trial.

Down

2d African ending in Portugal, describing that area? (8)
The last letter (ending in) of PortugaL and an adjectival description of the area that Portugal is part of.

4d Southern European punched by weed gets shiner (4,6)
The single letter for Southern and the adjectival description of some of our favourite Europeans containing (punched by) a verbal synonym of weed (using a particular garden tool).

7d Succeed – as might gala? (2,10)
A adverbial phrase equivalent to succeed based on a sport for which a competitive event can be called a gala.

11d Rioting met with hysterics, reaction sought from that? (9,3)
An anagram (rioting) of MET and (with) HYSTERICS.

14d Just one friend has run off earlier (10)
A (3,2) slang phrase equivalent to run off placed before (has . . . earlier) the Roman numeral for one and a synonym of friend.

17d Meadows viewed in utter joy (8)
A four letter synonym of meadows (note the plural) inserted into (viewed in) a synonym of utter.

25d Cheese served in buffet, appealing (4)
The ‘regular’ lurker (served in) found in two words in the clue.

Quick Crossword Pun:

MAUDLIN + COAL + LEDGE = MAGDALEN COLLEGE

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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 OR HINTS in your comment.

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For Remembrance Day:

66 comments on “ST 3290 (Hints)”

  1. For me, Dada as benign as he’s ever been.
    1*/4*
    I always seem to find the opposite to Senf.
    Thanks to he and Dada.
    14d my favourite today

    1. I’m in agreement with you almost entirely, SL8, with the sole exception of 16a where I was wrong by two letters d’oh. With similar thank yous 😀

  2. I found the opposite to SL8 in that I thought Dada was on the tougher side of his spectrum today. I always thought 22d contained “L” and I have not heard of 15a. I did like the European being punched by weed at 4d and that is my COTD.

    Thank you, Dada for the challenge. Thank you, Senf for the hints.

    2. Apparently the extra letter is an American invention messing around with a word that has its origins in Latin.

      1. Now we know.

        “The origin of [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] pointing to its roots in conversation and dialogue. [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle], lacking a distinct etymological pathway [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle]. Despite their slight differences in usage and frequency, both terms encapsulate the essence [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle].

          2. Reading the [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] comments made us laugh so [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] and reminded us of the [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] when CS put [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] on the naughty step.

            Mr & Mrs T

      2. Does the absence of the L not indicate a casual chat as opposed to an informal word for a discussion?

  3. What a great puzzle. Like Steve Cowling, I also thought 22d had an extra letter and 15a was new to me.

    My top picks were 20a, 26a, 4d and 28a.

    Thanks to Senf and Dada.

    1. Welcome to the blog.

      The stars are ‘earthbound’ on the West coast of the USA and the answer is a nickname for their location.

      What did you think of the rest of the puzzle?

      1. Should you not redact yourself? It is after all a [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] prize puzzle?

  5. 3*/3*. This was good fun. Although I found most of it fairly straightforward, there were a few clues which took quite some teasing out.

    My podium comprises 28a, 4d & 14d.

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.

  6. Dada pleasingly quirky as usual, but IMHO not as challenging as he has sometimes been in the past, possibly due to the generous number of anagrams today. Several nice clues;14d raised a smile, but I thought that trickiest was LI 13a so I will make that my COTD.
    Thanks to Dada and Senf

  7. It took me some time to get going today, not helped by putting the wrong first word in 1A until I realised my error. Like SC and many others, I expected an L in 22D. I’ve heard of 15A but have never tried it and looking on Google, I don’t think I’d like it. 😝.

    I enjoyed the Lego today and 4D was my favourite.

    Thanks to Dada and Senf

    1. Is a photograph not also redacted in a prize puzzle? There must be some goodies on the naughty step today of which everyone wants a bite!

      1. With those green bits in it or on it DG, it looks like something that’s at least 2 months past it’s sell by date. I for one couldn’t name it from that picture alone. Looks quite yucky 🤮 So Eeyore is safe for the time being, in my view 🤣

          1. When I first saw the photo cookie I thought it was a cookie — with the green bits being pistachio!

  8. Phew, what a slog. Got there
    I liked the Russian businessman, but Oh, my financial friend took issue with the spelling

  9. As our reviewer, I thought our setter was in tricky and quirky mode today and it took me a while to get into this one. Didn’t help that, like Eeyore, I started off with an incorrect first word in 1a.
    A welcome rush of blood to the head at the halfway point steered me through to the finish line with ticks along the way to 28a plus 7&14d.

    Thanks to Dada for the wake-up call and to Senf for the hints and the emotive tribute to Remembrance Day.

  10. There’s quite divergence of opinion on the trickiness or otherwise of this today. I’m in the ‘quite tricky’ camp (it was certainly trickier than the setter’s Toughie last Tuesday, and for me, trickier than today’s Toughie). Having said that, this is a prize puzzle and I welcome a challenging one. I did enjoy it. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
    My ticks went to 13a, 28a, 4d and 14d.

  11. I am firmly in the camp that found this quite challenging as befits a Prize Puzzle. Having completed it, there was nothing that couldn’t be teased out, it just took a while to get to the bottom of a few stickier clues. As for a favourite, I will select 14d.

    Thanks to Dada for the enjoyable workout, and to Senf.

  12. I’m also in the tricky camp. It was the four longuns on the edges that caused me the most problem, 7d being particularly obdurate. I really liked 15a and 14d which comprise my podium with 26a taking top spot. Thanks to Dada and Senf for the occasional nudge and confirmatory parsing.

  13. Just popped in to the blog to sense the vibe as I’m finding this trickier than any I have done in a long while. Glad to see that others have felt the same. Have jobs to do now so maybe a break will help me progress I hope. Meanwhile thanks Dada and Senf although I haven’t yet peeked at the hints …….

    1. So got there in the end without hints , doing it in a few sittings and got some answers musing on dog walk. Very quirky as others have said. Interested to discover the dual spelling of 22d ! Enjoyed the challenge . Thanks to all again.

  14. I’m in the not so tricky, more or less as most Sundays, camp. The clue I liked the best was 13a

  15. Mixed bag for me today, most went in relatively easily with a few head scratchers. Never heard of 15a despite several visits to it’s country of origin but looking at the image I’m sure I’ve eaten it! Last in was 13a and I could have kicked myself when the penny eventually dropped. Cotd 28a and I’d never dream of spelling 22d with an L .. !!!!! Thanks to setter and Senf.

  16. Like Gazza, I thought this was slightly chewier than Dada’s last Toughie but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The anagrams were generous, yet welcome. 13a tickled me. 28a was great fun too. Many thanks to Dada and Senf.

  18. Happy to swell the numbers in the tricky camp. Slow out of the stalls, one-paced in the middle & pretty pedestrian in the final furlong – a slightly chilly & dreich 1st tee clearly not conducive to quickness of mind. For me top drawer Dada with ticks aplenty – 26&28a plus 4d would be my podium picks.
    Thanks to D&S

  20. Challenging. I found many clues with no definite answer and I was repeatedly erasing. 22d an example, Xmas version, no l. 5d.

  21. Well I must say I agree with Senf … this Sunday’s Dada offering is definitely at the more difficult end of his spectrum in my opinion. A real struggle to get it started and gain a foothold. Definitely quirkiness in this one as well as extensive use of his own personal thesaurus.
    Once I got some momentum going I enjoyed it. Definitely a head scratcher to finish up the weekend.

    3*/4*

    Favourites include 13a, 4d, 6d, 8d, 11d & 14d — with winner 8d

    Thanks to Dada for the brain strain today & to Senf for his blog/hints

  22. I also enjoyed it. I liked the rector smuggling hydrogen and the stars – we have a nice show of shooting stars coming if the weather plays ball. We had a moving service on The Cross this morning although the timing was a bit out with the church clock! I wore my father’s medals and the Skull and Crossbones which always draws comments. The 17th/21st Lancers, Death or Glory boys. There was a huge turn out of young Brownies, Cubs and Rainbows and Army Cadets, lots of parents with cameras filming the wreathes being laid – all good village stuff just as potent as The Cenotaph. Now Christmas really will be upon us in a flash. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Senf. P S those crafty elks were well spotted yesterday!

  23. Phew, that was quite a struggle but got there in the end!
    Thanks to Dada for the tricky challenge and, of course, to Senf for another excellent blog ‘n hints.
    Cheers!

  24. Thank you Senf for your much needed hints .
    I too found this puzzle very tricky indeed.
    28a is my favourite , and I never heard of that meat product before.
    Thanks again.

  25. I’ll go with Senf’s assessment of a lot trickier, I definitely did not find anything about today’s offering benign. This was more the Dada of five years ago, a real struggle to get a foothold, and one I would have tossed aside without Senf’s hints. Didn’t enjoy it sadly. But at least I can let Merusa know that she is not missing much, being still in the hospital. Thanks for Dada and especially to Senf.

  26. It seems opinion is divided on the difficulty rating and we found this on the tricky side. We hadn’t heard of 15a and we struggled initially to get a start so we were on a loser from the beginning. Favourite was 7d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  27. I am also with the trickier than usual crew. I am sure it is obvious, but I still can’t parse 16a….

  28. For me very tricky and I needed help from Senf and some e help to check an answer or two. I had not heard of 15a. I even found the anagrams hard today. Now it’s finished it all seems pretty obvious!

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.

      1. Indeed it does, it’s the sort of thing that if you don’t know you can’t really guess easily. I’ve added it to my memory …..for 5 minutes at least!

  29. I enjoyed this teaser of a puzzle and it did have me scratching my grey cells! Last one in was 13a despite having the checking letters. Looking back at it I wondered why I didn’t get it much sooner! Many thanks to Dada(?) and Senf. Never mind about Christmas, Senf. We are still being subjected to loud fireworks (10+ days). Last night, I lost the plot and went out at 10pm and screamed my head-off reminding everyone that we were past the 5th of November by 4 nights and to grow up and stop behaving like kids. Within 5 mins everything went quiet!

  30. Well I found both cryptics today quite tough but enjoyed the tussle, like others I started with a wrong first word of 1a and sorting that out held up the rest
    Thanks to Dada and Senf – the first tranche of mince pies have just been consumed here and Christmas tins of Quality Street have been in supermarkets for at least a month😲

    1. When I moved across the Pond 32 years ago it was generally accepted that Christmas season began, even in Canada, on the weekend after Thanksgiving down South – by law, their Thanksgiving is on the fourth Thursday of November. But in the intervening 32 years the start of Christmas season has moved slowly to the left. And, yes, we have had Christmas confectionery, etc in the Supermarkets since Hallowe’en was ‘put away’ for another year. Bah Humbug!

        2. In September I was babysitting for our curate’s children. In their kitchen were open packets of both hot cross buns and mince pies!

          1. Our village shop seems to have hot cross buns all year round. Whatever happened to tradition?

  31. A brilliant puzzle but I needed help thank you Senf and setter. Just finished a pre Christmas bicker with my beloved. We have 12 for Christmas day, 3 children, 3 vegetarians, 1 pescetarian and the majority will be staying for 4 days or more. Argh. Last Christmas I got the how to do the telegraph crossword book. A great gift.

  32. Disagreeing with almost every other commenter above, I found this pretty much in the middle for difficulty! There were too many anagrams for me to find it straightforward (and thank you to Senf for hinting me out of a bare patch in the top-right corner), but overall it didn’t seem particularly tricky either.

    Lots of fun clues — thank you, Dada — with my top few being 10a wearing glasses, 13a’s cub reporter, and 14d’s just one friend.

    I hadn’t heard of the 15a meat product either, and I couldn’t spell 9d — I blame the band!

  34. I very much enjoyed today’s offering finding it amusing with lots of penny dropping moments. Top marks for 20a 13a and 20a the latter winning COTD for me.
    Thanks for the hints and to the setter.
    Christmas has already started in Thailand with a slight deviation to the normal colour for the tree.

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