Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30878
Hints and tips by Senf
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***/****
A very good Wednesday morning from Winnipeg on the last full day of Winter with Spring beginning at 0901Z tomorrow.
For me, etc (I have to say that for Terence), this was quite enjoyable with some head scratching as befits a mid-week challenge. Now that I have quite a few mid-week blogs under my belt I might even venture to put two half-crowns on this being a Twmbarlwm production.
Candidates for favourite – 15a, 27a, 3d, 6d, and 17d.
In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the Click here! buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Stuffy clubs fail to win (5)
CLOSE: The single letter for Clubs (in a pack of cards) and a single word term for fail to win.
4a Meeting René, retired nobleman in residence (9)
ENCOUNTER: A European nobleman equal in rank to an Earl inserted into (in residence) the reversal (retired) of RENÉ.
9a Goods delivered by post Liam sent back direct (4,5)
MAIL ORDER: LIAM reversed (sent back) and a synonym of direct.
10a Iron the newspapers (5)
PRESS: A double definition – I don’t think I need to add any more.
11a More sultry island circled by criminal (7)
MUGGIER: The single letter for Island contained (circled) by a criminal who is likely to attack suddenly with the intention of robbing.
12a I write back at play occasionally, in a cack-handed way (7)
INEPTLY: I from the clue, a three letter synonym of write reversed (back), and alternate letters (occasionally) from at play – I will let you decide whether it is odds or evens.
13a Merry Santa, completely naked, wandering in search of adventure (6)
ERRANT: mERRy and sANTa with their outer letters removed (completely naked).
15a Attractive periodical – 1 cent on Web (8)
MAGNETIC: A periodical that Wikipedia says is a music magazine that generally focuses on alternative, independent, or out-of-the-mainstream bands, the numeral 1 from the clue, and the single letter for Cent.
18a Tubby friar’s bound to get his sweets here! (4,4)
TUCK SHOP: An associate of Robin Hood who is usually illustrated as being tubby including the contraction ‘S and a synonym of bound.
20a That’s part of the West Country sorted out! (6)
DORSET: An anagram (out) of SORTED.
23a Running, loudly making a noise like a cow (7)
FLOWING: The single letter for musically loudly and a term for making a noise like a cow.
24a Artist pal orbiting space station (7)
MATISSE: A synonym of pal containing (orbiting) the three letter abbreviation of the name of the space station.
26a In the morning, exercise exhausted king, a ruler in the Middle East (5)
AMEER: The two letter abbreviated form of the Latin term for in the morning, ExercisE with the interior letters removed (exhausted), and the single letter for King (used in a regnal cypher).
27a British kit commercial that is beginning to rile army bod (9)
BRIGADIER: Plenty of Lego® – the single letter for British, a synonym of kit, the two letter abbreviated form of a synonym of commercial, the two letter abbreviated form of the Latin term equivalent to that is, and the first letter of (beginning to) Rile.
28a Politician introduced to fresh ganache, a French speciality (9)
CHAMPAGNE: Two letters for an elected politician inserted into (introduced to) an anagram (fresh) of GANACHE.
29a Kick out former partner, sport student (5)
EXPEL: Our favourite two letters for former partner, two letters for sport (at school?), and the single letter that can represent student.
Down
1d Big cheese from France arrived right on time to accept honour (9)
CAMEMBERT: A synonym of arrived, the single letters for Right and Time contain (accept) the abbreviated form of an honour awarded awarded for outstanding achievements or service to the community.
2d Outstanding victory, blocking defensive blunder (5)
OWING: A synonym of victory inserted into (blocking) the two letters for a defensive blunder (in the round ball game?).
3d Feeling cold, having abandoned Smiley? (7)
EMOTION: The single letter for Cold deleted from (having abandoned) what Smiley is a type of (in text messages and so on) 😊
4d Last bear (6)
ENDURE: A double definition – as in cope with?
5d Rum, cigar and some sensible knitwear (8)
CARDIGAN: An anagram (rum) of CIGAR AND.
6d Several upper-class chaps keeping pet cuckoo (7)
UMPTEEN: The single letter used to indicate upper class and a (plural) synonym of chaps containing (keeping) an anagram (cuckoo), oh dear, of PET.
7d Shabby stuff found in dissertations in America (3,6)
THE STATES: A three letter term for shabby stuff inserted into (found in) a synonym of dissertations.
8d Major US tycoon admits lacking practice (5)
RUSTY: A lurker (admits) found in three words in the clue.
14d Maybe Tommy playing poker with Cora (4,5)
ROCK OPERA: An anagram (playing) of POKER and (with) CORA.
16d See throne here? (9)
CATHEDRAL: The building in which one might find a throne when See is used as a noun.
17d Perform good joke about Yankee bishop – his best friend might get it after dinner (5-3)
DOGGY-BAG: A two letter synonym of perform, the single letter for Good, and a type of joke containing (about) the letter represented by Yankee in the phonetic alphabet and the single letter for chess(?) Bishop.
19d Agitate to kettle Resistance – put one’s foot in it! (7)
STIRRUP: A (4,2) phrase equivalent to agitate containing (to kettle) the single letter for electrical Resistance.
21d To argue violently is an atrocious act (7)
OUTRAGE: An anagram (violently) of TO ARGUE.
22d Stump Ireland’s official ensuring fair play (6)
UMPIRE: A lurker without an indicator(?), or am I missing something, found in two words of the clue.
23d Sounds like free money for Federer! (5)
FRANC: A homophone (sounds like) of a synonym of free.
25d To save money, do winter sport when the afternoon is over (5)
SKIMP: A three letter term for do winter sport and the two letter Latin based abbreviation afternoon reversed (when the . . . is over).
Quick Crossword Pun:
CHILLY + CONK + ARNIE = CHILLI CON CARNE
This was a gentle midweeker that flowed from the off.
I love the 1a/4a comby. It is indeed a fine film.
Check this out, it’s superb..
https://youtu.be/ZspOEa1CP4A?si=wVMJBpQYe45TX48E
I wonder if an 18a still exists in school? I reckon not. I ran the one in my sixth form with a mate and we had such a blast as we had so much power. People had to be nice to us or we wouldn’t serve them.
I love the word ‘sensible’ in 5d as it sums it up perfectly and I biffed 26a.
6d is such a great word (military slang) and the Lego in 17d is outstanding.
My podium is the amusing 13a and 18a along with 1d.
Many thanks to the setter and Senf.
2*/4*
PS I agree about the lack of indicator in 22d
22d is fine. The possessive apostrophe is in effect the indicator.
(Not one of my puzzles btw. Sorry, Senf!)
Ah, gotcha.
Thanks, Tumbles.
So, I presume it’s okay for an apostrophe to play two roles: a possessive one for the surface and a contraction for the lurker indicator.
I didn’t know that was allowed.
Duly noted.
In this case, the possessive apostrophe is equivalent to “of” as a hidden indicator* (and not, I think, a contraction of “has” as RD is saying).
* As in e.g. Ray Terrell’s excellent hidden clue Ring of wires on a telephone (8)
That’s what I was trying to say, has in the possessive sense, but I wrote it in clumsy shorthand. 😥
Gosh! That’s pretty advanced stuff. A beginner has got no chance.
If the word ‘of’ was in the clue, like RT’s one above, then they may be able to work it out.
Thanks for clearing it up.
I interpreted 22d exactly as RD did. While I can understand the argument for interpreting the ‘s as a possession indicator, I believe that interpreting it as “has” (in the sense of “holds”) is equally valid and, to my mind at least, easier to spot and explain.
I’ll buy that one more, F, because knowing that ‘s is a lurker indicator is, to me, impossible to work out. Not anymore, I suppose.
If that is what the setter meant then I have learnt that an apostrophe can play two roles in a clue.
Yes, it is not uncommon for the ‘s to have one meaning in the surface reading and a different meaning in the parsing, just as a word can be a verb in the surface reading and a noun in the parsing (or vice versa).
I obviously don’t know what the setter intended, but my guess is still that it isn’t a contraction of has.
We do see ‘s to mean has in some crosswords elsewhere – e.g. Jazz fan’s small drink as wordplay for CATNIP – where it links two words, but you won’t (or shouldn’t) see that in a DT crossword now. I think this is because it’s unnatural, and you wouldn’t actually use “Jazz fan’s small drink” instead of “Jazz fan has small drink” in speech.
Being more specific to your example of ‘has’ being the same as ‘holds’ in this case, I don’t think e.g. Chap’s energy would be acceptable wordplay for MEAN (chap has energy/chap holds energy).
Oh, hoo nose.
But, it’s all good fun.
Thank you gents and sweet dreams, if you’re still out there.
Thanks Twm; so my two half crowns have gone down the drain.
For a number of reasons the MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) Factor was quite high when I was solving and blogging later than usual – that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it!
Unless I am missing something (again), I didn’t ‘see’ a connection between 1a and 4a. Two films, Brief Encounter – singular or Close Encounters (of the Third Kind) – plural.
Maybe the setter was just putting an expression together that reminded me of the film, once I added an s, of course.
Maybe he was in quickie mode and just joined up the first two clues? For surely it is Close Encounters in the movie.
But a most enjoyable straightforward solve 1.5/4. I could hear see touch and feel my COTD.
Thanks to all.
I was also surprised by apostrophe-S being a lurker indicator … when Django used it last week†. Nobody else said anything then, so I presumed it was fine. And fortunately today was sufficiently soon afterwards for it not tot catch me out twice.
Our children’s primary school had a 18a until about 5 years ago, when it got simplified (presumably for social-distancing reasons) to “snack”: rather than children bringing coins into school and choosing something from a price list, parents bulk-pay a standard amount in advance and the children get given whatever that day’s snack is. Overall, not having money in school has had the advantage that children can’t lose it, swindle each other, etc, which feels like an improvement to me.
† In “Anthea Turner’s lunch (3)”
I was going to comment on this one being very hard for a Wednesday, but I’ve just realised I’ve done the Toughie by mistake.
The fact that I didn’t look up to the top of the page to check must mean today’s toughie is rather mild, oh well, there’s always this afternoon for the normal one…
My rating is 1.5*/3.5* for a gentle but fun mid-week back-pager.
Senf, I think the lurker indicator in 22d is the subtle ‘s (= has).
Thanks to the setter and to Senf.
For me, quite a gentle mid-week puzzle, with slightly more head scratching in the north than the south.I couldn’t parse 3d even though I knew what was required and now I’ve looked at the hint I’m not surprised! I loved the misdirection in 19d, so that is favourite today. Podium places for 1d and 6d with a nod to the quickie pun. Thanks to our setter and Senf.
As others have said, a pleasing but not to tricky challenge for a Wednesday. I hadn’t spotted the 1a/4a link. Thanks very much to the setter and to Senf for explaining the parsing of a couple I couldn’t quite get my head around.
Me too with the link, straight over me head!
Whoever set it, I thought it was the friendliest crossword I’ve solved for quite a while.
After spotting the 1a 4a link, did anyone else look to see if there were any more?
Thanks to both the setter and Senf
I really enjoyed today’s puzzle. I had to check 26a.
Lots of ticks all over the place but I’ll plump for my top picks being 17d, 2d, 15a and 19d.
Thanks to Senf and the setter.
An excellent and fairly gentle puzzle producing smiles galore – thanks to our setter and Senf.
The periodical in 15a is not a specific one and we need a synonym for the Web in the answer.
From a host of ticked clues I’ll just mention 18a, 3d, 17d and 19d.
First three for the periodical, and following three for the Web. Thanks to the setter and the hinter 😊
This was relatively easy for me **/**** It’s so gratifying when the clues just seem to make sense almost immediately! I wondered about the lurker for 22d but reread the clue and thought that the answer couldn’t be anything else. The only other clue that held me up was 26a – I didn’t realise there was an alternative spelling. Top clues for me were 18a, 20a, 24a, 28a, 7d and 14d. Many thanks to Senf for the hints and to the setter for making me very happy! (No idea who you are!)
An utterly charming romp. Can’t disagree with Gazza’s choices. Delightfully playful. Many thanks to our setter and Senf.
Warm and sunny for a Wednesday, just like the weather here in NW Surrey. The N took a tad more teasing out than the S, but all fairly clued. Picking a podium was difficult from all the contenders, but I’ll plump for 4a, 13a and 24a in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Senf.
Agree with a few others that this one was a gentle solve dispatched swiftly with no real holdups. I always like these swifties as I do worry about mental decline , so to be reassured it’s not yet is always welcome. Thanks to the setter and to Senf
A delightful crossword to match the weather here today (I’m painting fences!). Just the right mix of clues and a few head scratchers in the north which were satisfying to solve. I liked 27a but there were many possible favourites.
Many thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints.
13a. Can anyone explain the function of “completely ” in this clue?
Hi Vince – I took it to mean that the instruction to strip the outer layers referred to both words, not just the second, which could be the case were it to read “Merry Santa, naked …” – which might also be taken as a direction to find an anagram of Santa.
A beautiful morning here today. I am sitting outside trying to read the laptop screen but being dazzled by the sunshine. I’m not complaining!
Very light and great fun. It will no doubt be trickier for my blog tomorrow.
Ticks for 13a, 28a, 1d and 7d (of course).
Many thanks to our mystery setter and to Senf.
As gentle as they come, surprisingly so for a Wednesday, but certainly not a detriment to the puzzle which was very enjoyable and a good wake-up for the LGCs earlier this morning. Honours to 13a for the lovely surface, 18a likewise, and 19d.
Many thanks to the setter and Senf.
A shout-out for today’s Toughie from Light – a charming and very approachable puzzle with lots of smiles both as pennies dropped and at the general cleverness and above all fairness of it all. Do give it a go if you don’t usually go near the Toughie!
Just be aware that the DT’s inept IT team have yet again and for a second successive day failed in their basic duty to fit a crossword on to a single page.
Hey, IT staff are people too! This site’s etiquette guide should still apply when discussing them. We don’t know their circumstances, but that a particular aspect of the Puzzles website is not as we’d wish it doesn’t mean that anybody is inept.
For all we know, there are members of the IT team who’d be really keen to work on this [or any other issue of the disgruntled solver’s choice], but there are business managers insisting they devote their time to doing things related to adverts or tracking users or something else.
Also, it’s highly unlikely anybody in IT separately typesets each day’s puzzles. They will have created a template which uses a particular font, and which looked fine in testing. But a few puzzles have clues with slightly more words than those that were used for testing, meaning that when the clues are fed into the template, a line sneaks on to the next page. That doesn’t make it the setter’s fault, either: the software they use to create crosswords won’t format clues in the same way, so they’ll be unaware they’ve just gone past the threshold for fitting on one page.
Sometimes things can turn out to be irksome even when everybody involved was entirely ept.
Smylers, “some of my best friends etc etc” – indeed my Best Man – have been IT staff, and highly competent & professional at it, too. Decent people. Very.
However I have emails from the DT’s puzzles & crossword team nearly a year ago noting they had been giving feedback to the website developers (at whom, alone, my rants and ire are directed) and hoping even then for a swift resolution. It all dates from the (appalling) redesigned puzzles page, the result of which clearly showed the developers as having neglected entirely the basics of what is required when the DT’s puzzles are printed – and not just the crosswords. Their attention clearly was focused on the online delivery and online solvers.
That a year later the website team have evidently failed to find a solution, either temporary or permanent, to the inadequacies of a template they themselves designed, despite requests from their “client” (the puzzles team) is inexcusable.
Over the last 5 years or so I have also printed puzzles near daily from the The Times, and occasionally from the FT, Indy & Guardian. I cannot recall ever having had a crossword from those sites printing on two pages. And yet with the DT over the last year it has happened with monotonous regularity.
The solution appears clear, no? Either reduce slightly the size of the printed grid so that all clues can always be fitted on the single page (easiest option, I imagine), or make the whole page scalable so that the user can tailor the combined grid and clues list to a single printed page should they so wish.
That the website developers (a) did not think about that when they designed the new site, and (b) have not found a solution nearly 12 months later, despite being asked to do so by their “client”, suggests to me that they lack(ed) the requisite competence.
I would also add, how is it The Times black squares are ‘grey this using a lot less ink. Why can’t the DT do that , it can’t be rocket science?
S. Is “ept” a real word? I’ve heard inept many times but never “ept”.
As real as shevelled being the opposite of dishevelled!
Is a ‘Sheveller’ then a smart and tidy duck?
No, it isn’t. I just thought I’d add a little silliness at the end to liven up a fairly serious (and probably dull) comment.
Susie Dent included it in a list of “lost positives” recently — along with ‘reckful’, ‘feckful’, ‘gormful’, ‘kempt’, ‘couth’, and ‘consolate’.
Ooh I like those – must try & work them into conversation
Hi Mustafa, I believe that many of the teething problems on what is a very good site may be put down to the large number of browsers, devices (PCs, MACs, iPads, Tablets, smart phones, printer drivers, software tools … you name it.
It’s a lot to test! I think they have done a good job. Just needs a little perfecting.
Oh and incidentally, I always check the pages before printing and today’s for me was 1 Page.
Hi SW – yes, the back pager went on 1-page this morning, but this time again it was the turn of the Toughie to go onto 2 pages. Fortunately I noticed in time and made sure to print it on a single page.
I do take your point about multiple devices, but (a) I understand that’s far less of an issue these days with there being so much standardisation and (b) were that a genuine problem in the mid 2020s I’d expect to see it occur in the other main newspapers too.
1.5* / 4* Just right for a midweek puzzle, very enjoyable with plenty of excellent clues.
Favourites 15a, 27a, 6d and also the witty quickie pun.
Thanks to Senf and setter
Found this midweek puzzle about the norm for this day.
2*/3.5*
Favourites 9a, 18a, 23a, 14d & 19d — with winner 18a
Smiles for 10a, 20a & 25d
Thanks to setter & Senf
Really enjoyed this one. Lots of clues brought a smile as the answers fell – which was quite quickly. It’s amazing how modern words get into common knowledge, e.g. what a “Smiley” is an example of. I can only see one comment above regarding that parsing, I’d expected there to be more. Favourites today were 18a, 27a, 7d and top spot for the excellent 17d!
Thanks to setter and Senf and Twmbarlwm for explaining this use of an apostrophe, which I did not know and would not have learnt today as the answer revealed itself easily and I wouldn’t have noticed the apparent lack of an indication.
Fairly gentle yet good fun and absorbing seem to be the views of the earlier commentators, and I would agree. From a wide selection I liked 1d as a favourite.
Many thanks to our setter for a fun puzzle and to Senf.
Oh why am I always late? Doesn’t anyone else have to put the washing on the line, answer the phone, water the pots, walk in the garden with my coffee etc. I moan only because everyone has already said what I wanted to say. I love this man, the guzzle just does what it says on the label. Daisies and stars all over. And thanks as always to the man in the red scarf( when do you stop wearing it ? May?) for confirming 23d. I could only think of Roger. I do like the way my auto spell has accepted the word guzzle. We shall change the Big Red Book!
Possibly for one day in August! 😉
I’m always later than you Daisy, despite solving over breakfast, the usual 5 hour difference means it will always be thus.
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), oh come on nobody spells it that way (26a). Yes, yes, I see you have your big red book open at the ready, but come on…
As usual, when everyone else says, “Oh this was such a breeze, I let the cat finish it off for me”, then I struggle a little. Apart from the grave sin at 26a, I dilly-dallied with 15a and 23d.
I was up so early this morning as H has a Very Important Meeting and there was no car parking arranged. Thus I dropped her orf and now I am on stand-by waiting for the call to go back; thus my afternoon snooze is a non-runner. This is most aggravating as, in reality, the universe should be run for my benefit.
I thought this was great fun with the tubby friar my favourite clue today. Do schools even have these anymore?
2*/4*
Thanks to Senf and setter
My only query would be the use of big at 1d as it forms part of the definition but does not necessarily apply to the answer?
Hi Slate
My guess is that it’s big, in stature, as it’s touted as one of France’s ‘Big Five’.
A very enjoyable romp through CrosswordLand with many smiles generated. My somewhat puerile sense of humour particularly appreciated 17d.
With regard to 15a I took the first three letters of the answer to be the periodical and the next three the synonym of the Web. Am I wrong or am I wrong?
Thank you very much to our mysterious setter and the hard working Senf
See comment 8
Oops, sorry – I had read the comments but before 2.19pm. Mea culpa and all that 🫢
I parsed it the same way
Again I am also a bit late today, currently visiting our daughter and her family in Aberystwyth. Gorgeous spring weather today. I also found it just a bit trickier than yesterday and Monday. Many of the clues were solved from the definition and then parsed. I don’t mind, just glad to solve them anyway possible without “cheating”. 13a is my COTD. Many thanks to the setter, and for hints, but how do you know the setter is Twmbarlwm?
Senf was guessing. The reply to comment 1 confirms that it isn’t
Oops, sorry had not seen that.
I’m even later than you Daisy. Like thers, I found rhis guzzle a gentle and enjoyable challenge. I liked the 1d Lego clue cheese, the 24 a Lego ckue artist and the crptic definition 16d. Rhanks to Senf and Twmbarlwm.
16d just did not make sense. One of the worst clues I have seen in a long time.
Welcome to the blog.
16d depends on the interpretation of See and as I said in the hint it is being used as a noun (in ecclesiastical usage).
My goodness, the crossword gods are smiling on us again. Yet another lovely puzzle, enjoyed from beginning to finish. Too many great clues to pick a favorite. Did need the hint for 15a as I have never in my life read a music magazine, and for 26a as I have only seen it with the more usual spelling of emir. Thanks to setter and to Senf. Thanks also for the MEGO reference – that is me when I see a spoonerism 😊.
As Gazza has pointed out (Comment 8), the music magazine is not a factor. The parsing is actually far simpler.
I’m late too but I have been to the gym and then watched for a while two men cutting down several trees in the church gardens next door. I know how to live! Another great guzzle today with many appealing glues.16d was my pick of the day.
Many thanks to Senf and the setter.
I’m late on parade. I did get in earlier but there was nothing up on the site at that point. Aquarobics knocked me out and had to organise for the Stitch show at Islington’s tomorrow. Thank goodness today’s offering was not too challenging. Seemed to favour the down clues going for 7, 17 and 19. A heartfelt thank you to today’s setter and Senf for explaining my bung in answers to 2 and 3 down.
The first time I have finished the crossword without help! Hope it isn’t the last.
Welcome to the blog and I hope that you will continue to comment!
A great Monday-ish xword. Enjoyed immensely, in particular the canine carrier. No 1st world problems either!
Thanks to both Se(nf/tter). 😊
I’m definitely still below par as I threw in the towel on this one and resorted to electronic assistance.
Your comment went into moderation – typo in your email address ‘.vom’ instead of ‘.com’ which I have corrected.
TVM Senf. I really am still cranially challenged at present but dare to hope for better times ahead.🤞.
Thoroughly enjoyed completing this without help. Like Terence and having lived in the Emirates for many years I have never seen 26a spelt or pronounced like that.
Thanks to setter and Senf.
Senf have a nice summer starting at 0201A I am guessing
An enjoyable solve although I did require a couple of hints in the upper half. COTD for me, 14d, reminded me of BelleVue, Manchester, October 1975 – my first live concert.
Lovely puzzle…I dont get Franc though…sounds like Free.. ?
What am i missing..?
Typical of all homophones, the ‘instruction’ is sounds like a synonym of a word in the clue. So, in this case, sounds like a synonym of free and the synonym is frank.
I feel the need to speak frankly, A free and Frank study of the synonyms of free and Frank should reveal that the currency of Mr Federer is the homophone
I really enjoyed that today, Thanks to Senf and setter. Time to see if the toughie is as floughie as yesterday. With no light on the Backpage setter I don’t expect any Light to be shed on who Light is
After going to bed far too early Tues evening ended up tackling this one at 2am with a cuppa. Fortunately it didn’t take long & was successfully back in the land of nod soon afterwards. Lovely puzzle. Didn’t register indicatorgate at 22d – just bunged in the obvious & moved on. Like ALP wouldn’t disagree with Gazza’s 4 picks & loved the Quickie pun too.
Thanks to Senf & the setter.
Ps great to play golf in the warm sunshine today & same again tomorrow.
Mercifully straightforward for a Wednesday which I always appreciate. I have an app on my phone which tells me when the ISS is coming over my location and the direction of travel. It can be seen with the naked eye even during the day. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to the setter and Senf.
Must have been right on the setter’s wavelength tonight. Quickly solved but very enjoyable. Thanks to the unknown setter and to Senf.
2*/5* ….
liked 13A “Merry Santa, completely naked, wandering in search of adventure (6)”