ST 3306 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3306 (Hints)

by Senf  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3306 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where Mother Nature has given us a short, sharp reminder that, while Meteorological Spring may have started yesterday, there are just under three weeks of Astronomical Winter to go.

For me, and I stress for me, Dada quite friendly with a couple of tea tray sized PDMs – for the parsing of 3 Down in particular.  Five anagrams (two partials), one lurker, and one homophone, all in a symmetric not much value for money 26 clues; with 13 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 – 14a, 15a, 20a, 3d, 5d, 17d, 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 and the blog’s  Comment Etiquette – Big Dave’s Crossword Blog!

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

7a Difficult to get best type of car (7)
A single word equivalent to difficult to get and a three letter synonym of best.

10a Fortunate hand dealt, prince for example doing very nicely (5,5)
Something for the poker players – a descriptive term for a prince, for example, and a single word equivalent to doing very nicely (as in well off?).

14a Town in Brittany offering protection to a bit of a chicken, perhaps? (6)
In Brittany, an important harbour town and the second largest French military port containing (offering protection to) A from the clue.

15a On strike, old party not working (3,2,6)
A three letter term for on strike, the single letter for Old, and a type of (dissenting?) party.

20a Ruin feathers on trip (8)
A term for feathers (when used to fill a duvet?) placed before (on) a synonym of trip (as in stumble?).

23a Long fibre wound around opening of wine vessel on dinner table (10)
An anagram (wound) of LONG FIBRE containing (around) the first letter (opening) of wine.

26a Catching cold, a matter for story (7)
A from the clue and a synonym of matter (as in to be significant) containing (catching) the single letter for Cold.

Down

1d Waterproof prison: horrible inside without roof (7)
A synonym of horrible without its first letter (without roof) inserted into (inside) a synonym of prison.

3d Sweet thing on holiday: place for driving about (6)
The three letter term for place for driving (when testing the aerodynamic qualities of small, usually white, spherical objects) containing (about) a three letter term for on holiday (from work?).

5d Fed up – after tanning session? (7,3)
A descriptive term for the desired effect of a tanning session?

9d Superior left to pay (11)
A double definition – the second may represent the amount remaining after a partial payment.

17d Garment near accessory (7)
A poetic synonym of near and an accessory (mostly worn by men with a jacket of some description?).

24d Short life that’s great imbued with love (4)
The letter that represents a score of love in a racquet ball game inserted into (imbued by) a synonym of great (as in size) – a not so common 4 letter abbreviation for a description of a life but, of course, it’s in the BRB.

Quick Crossword Pun:

MORN + GOLF + EAR = MONTGOLFIER

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American singer and musician, and one half of the famous brother and sister duo, Karen Carpenter was born on this day in 1950.  Sadly, a very troubled life that led to an early passing in 1983.  Here is one of their successes from 1973:

59 comments on “ST 3306 (Hints)”

  2. 2*/3*. This was a pleasant and fairly brief diversion for a sunny morning here in London. I didn’t much like the ugly answer to 24a but, as Senf says, it is in the BRB.

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.

  3. Fairly straightforward today with a few Dada synonyms thrown in to test the grey matter.
    2*/3*
    24d LOI and joint favourite with the second rate celebs.
    Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  4. A very benign Dada, but great fun as well. I agree with Senf that the parsing of 3d was a real pdm and was high on my clue smile index. 10a brought to mind the recent theft of a gold toilet. Hope that doesn’t get me on the naughty step, but it makes my podium along with 24d and 12a in top spot. It may be an oldie, but it still raised a smile. Thanks to Dada and Senf

    1. Love the ‘gold loo’ comment. Very funny.

      (We can’t be saying the word ‘toilet’, Prawnus. You’ll be saying ‘lounge’ or ‘front room’, next!)

    2. Living in a country where a lavatory is actually a sink, one has to be careful with the use of words 😊.

      1. U betcha, BL! 😄

        It makes sense that it’s a sink as lavatory derives from the Latin for wash.

        Gotta luv the English language.

  5. Last one in was 24a, which spoilt a very clever puzzle, surely our setter could’ve come up with something better given the other two letters that were already in it?

  6. This was a pleasant enough solve for what has been a stonking weekend, weatherwise.

    Why am I typing weatherwise? I should hang my head. People bung wise on the end of words all the time which irks me. The only ones I’ll accept are: clockwise, anticlockwise, streetwise, otherwise, leastwise and likewise. There may be one more.

    I understand that, if you’re not a silver surfer, then 24d may be an issue but it’s been around for 10 to 15 years. I see it everywhere. So, it more than passes muster for me.

    My podium is 19a, 4d and 18d.

    Many thanks to Dada and Senf

    2*/3*

  7. Fairly gentle and pleasant – thanks to Dada and Senf.
    My ticks went to 10a, 15a, 3d and 18d.

  8. Slow but steady for me. The hints were a boon for 24d, but despite getting the answer to 8a, I failed to completely parse the clue. Thank you for an enjoyable solve.

  9. An enjoyable puzzle with Dada in benign mood indeed. I like the lego clues at 8a and 12a, plus the cryptic definition at5d, which was a favourite expression of my late dad. Thanks to Senf, no snow here but it’s cold and frosty here. Rhanks to Dada for a fine SPP

  10. Found this on the more difficult scale of Dadas puzzles. Lots of nice anagrams but personally I found 11a and 24d very weak clues. Best imho was 14d. For me not one of his best.
    Thx to all
    ****/**

  11. Our Sunday setter being fairly gentle with us today, just the odd flash of his quirkiness cropping up in the likes of 3d. Rosettes handed out here to 1&15a plus the afore-mentioned 3d.

    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints – nice to see Ms Carpenter and hear her mellifluous tones again, such a sad waste of a talent.

  12. I thought 24d was a bit odd, but the rest of it most enjoyable. 23a favourite, 24d LOI. Thanks

  13. I wasn’t keen on 24d, my LOI but some cracking clues otherwise (which I’m relieved to see is acceptable to Tom above).

    Top picks for me were 4d, 17d and 12a.

    Thanks to Senf and Dada.

    1. I didn’t get the Quickie pun so thanks Senf for that. It went straight over my head.

  14. A gentle Dada for me today . I quite liked 24d having parsed and dismissed the answer initially then revisiting it as one of the last in. An enjoyable solve. Thanks Dada and Senf.

  15. Dada being kind today with just a soupçon of quirkiness to make things interesting. Do folk use 23a these days? 15a raised a smile once I had sorted out the parsing. My COTD is the sweet thing on holiday at 3d, which I thought very clever.

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

    2. 23a only in oriental restaurants methinks. We found some when we cleared out father’s house some years ago, in a box marked [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle], in my grandfather’s handwriting. He was in Calcutta from 1910 til 46!

  16. For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), this was a great guzzle with some delicious wordplay in the glues. I even called in The Youngster to share the beauty of 4d with her. “Oh yeah; I get it; great; I’m going for a run.”

    Me, five years ago, “Look we don’t need to bother with a gardener. I can do it all myself…”
    Me today – scrolling Google for local gardeners.

    Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man From Manitoba.

    R.I.P. Angie Stone

    1. Your comment went into moderation as you ‘modified’ your alias – no space before the ‘N’

      A PDM is a Penny Drop Moment when after some (serious?) thought a clue, or answer, gives up its secret.

    2. Penny Drop Moment. 😊

      Sorry, Senf – we must have posted at the same time.

      1. Unlike the PDF which always reminds me of the doggerel seen on a toilet wall;
        Here I sit broken hearted,
        Paid a penny and only f…

  18. Seems to me Dada at the easier end of his spectrum this week, but with some definite quirkiness and limited use of his personal thesaurus this week.

    2*/4*

    Favourites 7a, 12a, 23a, 1d, 4d & 5d — with top two being 4d & 5d

    Thanks to Dada & Senf

  19. Great guzzle and Steve is right in his use of ‘quirky’. There were some unusual associations. By the way I am delighted that my auto correct recognises ‘guzzle’ and does not make me have a ‘p’. (And you Boys can behave yourselves – you know who you are). This is written sitting in my Salon surrounded by 25a, with a 23a on the escritoire in case I need it and not a 24d in sight. Many thanks to Mr Setter and my Man from Winnipeg.

    2. Just read your comment yesterday DG. So close and yet so far apart! Tried to book the Tickell Arms but they were soooo snooty and also expected me to pay £60 in advance. If we missed our 12.00 slot by 20 mins would lose the table and we could only have the table for 2 hours. Tried the John Barleycorn but that was full so booked the Plough in Duxford – a real old fashioned pub with lovely pub grub at extremely reasonable prices and we were there for over 3 hours and no-one minded.

    3. Is that for rinsing the ink off your fingers, either Quink or Waterman’s probably, from your (mythical) fountain pen DG?

  20. Hi all. Found this easier than some other guzzles (thankfully). Very enjoyable. I think I have the answer for 8a, but I can’t seem to get the parsing to work – I feel like the words “across free” should be the other way around. But I’m 99.9% sure it’s me being slow. Anyway. Happy Sunday, everyone! Vic

    1. I consider that ‘across free’ is correct. If I had decided that 8a deserved a hint it would have been along the lines of drift endlessly containing (across) free. However, I am reasonably certain that I have not seen ‘across’ as a containment indicator before and it does not quite work for me. But that’s Dada!

  21. Another Sunday Dada cracker – not overly challenging, but quirky enough with a few ‘Doh!’ moments (or PDMs as I now understand…) to enjoy!
    24D was not a favourite either, otherwise enjoyed several others including the second rate stars, the ‘golden loo’ and Mrs H’s contribution by immediately solving the long 23A anagram👍
    In sum, thoroughly enjoyable!
    Thanks to Mr D and, as ever, to Senf for another excellent blog ‘n hints.
    Cheers!

  22. Slow and steady, but I got there in the end. Just need the hint for the rather odd 24d. Thanks to Dada and Senf

  23. Resisted putting 24d in before checking it was a real word, didn’t like it though, wasn’t keen on 11a either. The rest were ok if not 9d. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  24. A somewhat friendly Dada, indeed I didn’t think it was his at first. But, for me, a few clues spoilt it, particularly 11a, 26a and 24d. I’m still trying to parse the second half of 8a despite living there. Never heard of a 1d, but discovered it is a British term which was not around years ago. A couple of “really?” moments elsewhere. Smiles for 5d for nostalgic reasons, I don’t think I’ve heard that since we crossed the pond. Thanks for Dada and Senf.

    1. Hi BusyLizzie – see my comment number 20 above, and Senf’s response. Hopefully that helps?…

  25. Enjoyable if quite short run through today. I’ll join the not enthralled with 24d crew but big ticks to 10a and 5d really tickled me for some reason. Thanks to dada and thanks to Senf for hinting 1d, where I just couldn’t find the horrible synonym.

  26. Good challenge with the garment being the most elusive, 24d is a terrific clue. Thank you Dada and Senf

  27. Mostly straightforward and very enjoyable with 2 or 3 which held out to the end, the garment and 24d being the most stubborn.

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.

  28. Must admit I found this trickier than most people seemed to, didn’t help by putting what a certain king had that turned everything to gold at 10a !
    3* / 4*
    Thanks for the help Senf and to Dada

  29. It’s all been said. Gentle in the extreme but very enjoyable nonetheless – spot on for a Quiptic in my view.
    Thanks to D&S

  30. Apart from the cornery grid which I hate I found this to be a pleasant solve with several nice clues like 10a and 9d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

    2. Welcome from me too. We hope to ‘see’ you often.

      11a – Definition – some time
      A homophone (by the sound of it) of a word equivalent to unsteady on one’s feet

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