Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30779 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by crypticsue)
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Storm Bert is definitely starting to make itself felt – the tops of our neighbour’s poplar trees are bending over in the wind and rain – so it is definitely a good day to stay indoors, solve crosswords and make mince pies for the upcoming Church Christmas Fair (well that’s what I’m going to do)
I will be interested to see what people think of this themed Saturday Prize Puzzle and whether we are unanimous in our thoughts as to who set this crossword
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 Capable Conservative means to apply pressure (6)
The abbreviation for Conservative and something used to apply pressure
5a Observe law coming into force (8)
A synonym for law inserted into a verb meaning to force (probably with the thing used to apply pressure in 1a)
11a Tory lord, grand, protesting angrily do we hear? (8)
A former Secretary of State for Justice who is now a lord – the abbreviation for Grant and a homophone (do we hear?) of protesting angrily
15a Mingle in Session Nine? (8)
IN (from the clue) a session and the Roman numerals for nine
21a Put pole in punt for renowned cycle-maker (6)
One of the Earth’s poles inserted into a bet (punt)
26a The early leader whatever the compiler says? (4-6)
Expressing disagreement discourteously (whatever) and the compiler
28a Number of Premier League teams score? (6)
I wasn’t aware of the first definition, but the second was obvious
Down
2d Dead right, but not right now? (5)
Deceased (dead) and the abbreviation for Right
4d Was plain-clothes police supremo bad? (6)
If one was the supremo of the plain-clothes police, one might be said to have xxx xxx
6d Reject ruling? (8)
A cryptic definition of what you do if you wish to reject the opportunity to rule
14d Rescue from Tank One found in drawing room (9)
A tank and the Roman numeral for one found inserted into a drawing room
16d/3d Poor folk in adversity here denied name in 21 song (4,2,3,9)
An anagram (poor) of FOLK In ADVERSITY HERE (denied name telling you to omit the N) – one of those anagrams where you can see what the solution has to be but leave it to the blogger to check it works!
17d Fiat lacking finish? Mine’s falling apart! (8)
An order from someone in authority without the last letter (lacking finish) and a mine
24d Ambassador seen in group in paper (5)
The abbreviated title for an Ambassador inserted into (seen in) a group
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!
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The Quick Crossword pun: ADDLE + ESSENCE = ADOLESCENCE
Enjoyed this one – especially 4d and the clever 6d.
Weather foul here as I suspect it is over much of the UK.
Thanks to setter and crypticsue.
Great fun! Also can’t believe I’m the first to comment!!
You are not! 😉
Gentle but very enjoyable. 4d, 5d and, just to make the set, 6d on the podium. Thanks CS and setter.
A typo in your email address sent you into moderation
I must admit I did not know the song, and despite all the checkers, it was my last one (not) in!
The other problem I had was reading the first word of 17d as FLAT, not FIAT…
Anyway – I enjoyed it; my favourite was the very simple 25a (for its surface read).
Many thanks to the setter, and to CS.
Same here with 17d, Jezza.
Me too!
2.5*/2.5*. I found this a mixed bag in terms of difficulty with some clues very straightforward and others distinctly chewy.
In my book, “fraternity residence” in 23a is a US expression, which slightly took the gloss off my enjoyment.
My top picks were 26a, 2d & 17d.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS.
But they did take their “brotherhood” from the Latin
Very enjoyable and a gentle wake-up exercise for the day ahead. COTD 26a, with podium places to 4d and 27a – COYG!
Many thanks presumably to Donny, and also of course to CS. Incidentally, when you write “unanimous in our thoughts on the setter”, did you mean their identity? 😇
I did reply to your question but you deleted the duplicate post to which I’d replied
I have amended the relevant sentence in the prologue
Sorry for being such a nuisance, CS, and thank you for deleting the duplicate post, even if doing so did then remove your own!
I am not sure I fully understand 26a
I certainly don’t, but what else can it be?
Exactly
Xxxx – legal Latin for with due reference to / whatever someone says.
Of course I did. I’ll amend the sentence to make that clear after I’ve seen how general the knowledge is in the GK crossword
Not the most difficult Prize but very enjoyable. Best clues for me 27a and 19a. However, I thought 18a was a very poor clue. I thought I might struggle with the opera (which together with rap is my least favourite ‘music’) but it was one I had vaguely heard of but had to resort to Google for the hero. As was said in DTDD, fat lady comes on, fat lady sings, fat lady dies, sums it all up for me.
Thx to all
I misparsed 11a as an anagram but thanks to Sue I see it is a homophone now. I wonder how often the “sounds like” is the fodder for the anagram.
A couple of wrong bung ins (5 & 25a) slowed me down a bit but I did enjoy the tussle before the fat lady warmed up her tonsils
(I believe the lady on the app who waves a flag when you finish is called Sue Doku)
May your hint for 26a need redaction?
Easily done but now amended
As a busy lady, I’m sure your attention is needed all over the place
I give thanks silently for every set of hints you produce as well as the reviews and wouldn’t dream of being critical so please don’t think that
I think I’d have liked to see the unredacted hint to 26c. I still trying to fathom how the first word of the andwet works.
However, never mind, all done and Sunday to look forward to.
Re above opera comments .. sometimes it’s a fat man too .. see Tosca! Btw … you’ve never shelled out a couple of hundred for a seat at the ROH … don’t knock it!
26a In the BRB app I had to scroll down past the noun and the hyphenated words to the preposition
A certain amount of grid-twiddling points to a certain setter, I’m fairly sure, with three related entries, not to mention the characteristically tight clueing. I liked all of that, and several of the others, though laurels for today I’m handing to 5D. Some ‘birdie’!
With 26A I think we have a bit of Latin in the wordplay there. Put with the second element, it can mean ‘whatever the compiler says’.
Yes, that’s certainly how I saw 26a. I’m with you re 5d too.
Well if it’s Latin no wonder I can’t make head nor tail of it & still can’t. Any chance of further elucidation (re the first word) with fear of redaction?
Forget that – Mr G has just enlightened me.
As always, I enjoy the challenge of linked clues, and these were especially good, but not good enough to take my top spot, which goes to the clever 6d. Overall an enjoyable solve to cheer up a miserable morning here in Worcester while we wait to go to a concert in the cathedral this evening. I think a programme of choral music from Mozart and Faure should cheer us up.
Many thanks to our Saturday setter and Sue.
Brillant crossword with lots of great clues. The only parsing problem for me was 14d. Took me a while to see. There is a queue for the podium, but 4d wins, with 21a and 5d in hot pursuit. Many thanks to the setter (I have no idea), and to crypticsue for the hints.
I thought this was great fun with some clever linked clues. 21ac, 4d and 6d my favourites today, with 21ac on the top step. Was unaware of the first word in 26a in that context but it couldn’t be anything else!
2*/4*
Thanks to Sue and NYDK?
Good SPP fun which has to be the work of NYDK – **/****
I narrowly avoided having to check the spelling of 8d but I did have to e-verify the Tory lord as, to my knowledge, he was ‘not around’ before I left the country.
Candidates for favourite – 11a, 18a, 27a, 28a, and 6d – and the winner is 28a.
Thanks to NYDK and CS.
Quite a mixed bag here but an enjoyable enough puzzle from our overseas door knocker, I presume.
4d is fun but has rather been done to death so I gave the top placings to 18a which raised a smile plus 2,5&6d.
Thanks to NYDK and to CS for the hints.
Back now to writing the Christmas cards, a perfect occupation for a thoroughly miserable day!
For me this was a bit like the curate’s egg today – some straightforward clues amongst a few much tougher. I cannot say I am a fan of the themed subject but it was easy to spot. Overall a pleasant challenge and rather preferable to venturing outside! I couldn’t properly parse 26a but then I only did one school year of Latin and hated every minute of it! I liked 27&28a, 6d and 17d but my personal COTD is 14d for the ‘doh’ moment.
Thanks to the setter and Sue.
Muchly enjoyed, thank you setter. And thanks to crypticsue for the hints. I’m not a serious fan of 21a but enjoy it in small doses.
I’ve refrained from commenting until now because everyone has found this puzzle enjoyable. I’m afraid I didn’t because some clues I found impenetrable and, not being a huge fan of opera, those were lost to me. I have never heard of the establishment in the clue of 23a and 5d is more than a “birdie”. Of those I could manage, I did like 15a and this is my COTD.
Thank you, setter for the thrashing. Thank you, CS for making sense of some of it for me. I see Chalicea is on duty for the NTSPP so I’ll try my look there.
“look”?
Ditto to everything you’ve said, except I don’t really have a COTD.
A great puzzle for a horribly wet and windy day.
Top picks for me were 21a, 4d and 5d.
Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.
A pleasant & pretty straightforward solve other than parsing 26a fully. Can’t say 11a would have been anywhere near the top of the list when it came to thinking of the first 2 words of the 1a wordplay. Enjoyed the linked clues (particularly 21a) & love the music at 16/3d but can’t listen to it without picturing a swarm of helicopters & ensuing carnage.
Thanks to Donny & to Sue
I didn’t find this as straightforward as some commentators. That said I did enjoy the challenge. Given the weather, I swapped bread making for clay shooting today. Didn’t fancy 90mph clays in the wet. My podium comprises the opera linked clues. Very clever. Thanks to NYDK (?) and CS.
I am with those who enjoyed the guzzle, Someone thought 18a was a poor clue but it made me laugh and I agree we have seen 4d before. I would not have guessed 23a but George knew it and, as usual, I enjoyed the anagrams – my forte! Nasty blowy day finding all the draughts and the window alarms which the policeman stuck on all the windows a few days ago are falling off one by one and creating a hell of a row. At least we know they work. Many thanks to the Setter and to SeeSoo.
Well, I thought this a harder Saturday puzzle this week than some other recent ones. Struggled with 16/3d for a while. Some parsing hard to fathom too.
2.5*/3*
Favourites 13a, 15a, 19a, 25a & 2d— with co-winners 19a/2d
Smiles from 12a, 19a, 25a & 7d
Thanks to NYDK(?) & CS
Really struggled today after a long cross country journey back to wales from Cambridge, but on reading the hints it all now makes sense! Thank you compiler and CS
Do hope you enjoyed your visit to Cambridge!
Two separate typos in your email address sent you into moderation
Sorry Sue to give you extra work. All fingers and thumbs today!
Not entirely straightforward but not as difficult as it first appeared to be. An enjoyable diversion on a rotten day. Favourite was 27a. Thanks to the setter and CS.
Took a while to sort out the cycle maker but everything rapidly fell into place there after. Favorite19a.
With copious ehelp I finished all except two! 1a and 4d. Thank you for your help with those, CS, now I have the answer for 4d, that’s my fave, with 18a as runner up. Once I got 8d, the 16d/3d fell into place, giving lots of checkers.
Thank you setter, I enjoyed that, and CS for your help, as always.
Glad to see you back!
That was fairly straightforward, but a lot of fun.
18a probably my favourite – not sure why anyone would think it’s a poor clue.
That took some eking out but softly softly catchee monkey and to my surprise – voilà. I didn’t know the cycle-maker however 16/3d combination gave me that. 4d may be a chestnut but I chose it as my joint Fav together with 2d. Thank you Mysteryone and CS as ever.
All most enjoyable because it did require some work. Have always loved opera so that was OK and set me on my way. Went on the back stage tour of the Royal Opera House and it was evident just why the costing are so high. It is such a shame. Most European capitals seem to provide great music at more affordable rates. Enjoyed 18 a and last in was 26 a. Final answer was not helped by looking for a 6 -4 rather than a 4-6. Many thanks to setter and Sue.
Just managed to complete this, for me a bit tricky in places but I finally got there. It took a while to sort the interconnected clues but once cracked that helped a lot.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints.
Thanks Sue, thanks all for comments. Yes, 26a has a Latin thing going on. If you look up the first four letters of that answer in the BRB, under ****2, it gives you the gen.
Sorry I didn’t get in yesterday, but a mob gathered in SE1 for the birthday of a Mr Crampton, who has recently become the Times Crossword Editor-elect. It was a blast, especially with one helluva gale blowing outside in the style of The Day After Tomorrow.
Thank you for taking ownership. It seems the elements decided to join in the celebrations!
Too clever by half.
Couldn’t settle in yesterday, but had a lovely time in front of the fire today; enjoyed this one.
Came to this very late due to being abroad.
I feel like I was doing a different crossword to everyone else. Only solved a few clues before throwing in the towel.
I’m not a fan of clues relating to others. Not getting 21a meant 8d and 16/3d were impossible for me.
It seems I struggle with every other Saturday so should have left this offering well alone.