Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31085 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by Gazza)
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I thought that this was a tiny bit trickier than we normally get on a Saturday but it is full of fun. Thanks to the setter.
I’m providing hints for what I consider to be some of the harder clues. If you’re really stuck on one of the clues I haven’t hinted I may provide a bit more help.
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.
Please ensure that you do not run foul of the instructions in red below and also take care to abide by the comment etiquette.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.
Across
1a Making a comeback, Paul Weller perhaps denounces fame (7)
Stick together the 1960s culture that Paul Weller helped to revive (earning him the title The ***father) and an informal verb meaning denounces or informs against then reverse it all (making a comeback).
10a Celebs whacking rugs (7)
An adjective meaning whacking or enormous followed by what rugs are slang terms for.
11a Music coming from a place where detectives live? (4,5)
This style of music if split 1,3,5 could possibly be a place where police detectives live.
13a Saw things visiting remote Ethiopia (5)
Things that are found on a workman’s saw (and in the clue).
23a Fix opponents then contract agent (5,4)
Weld together a synonym of a fix or predicament, two abbreviations for opponents at a game of bridge and a word meaning a contract or legal agreement.
28a Refuse to be moved? Hopefully he’ll come! (7)
The setter wants to make you think that ‘refuse’ here is a verb whereas it’s actually a noun and we need someone who’s employed to deal with it.
Down
2d Was I square to lose weight? That’s silly (7)
Start with ‘WAS I’ (from the clue) and add a number that’s a square. Finally remove the abbreviation for weight.
6d Track by Nick’s spiritual band (3,6)
A verb to track or follow closely and an informal verb meaning to nick or arrest someone.
16d Somewhere nice to visit when out? (9)
Out here means asleep.
18d Part of ship‘s weapon used on massive beast, we hear (7)
A firearm followed by what sounds like (we hear) a massive marine mammal.
20d Prosper with two sons, or without? (7)
A verb meaning to prosper which would mean the same thing if you removed the two genealogical abbreviations for a son.
23d First to join card game, first to discard card (5)
The first letter of join then a card game with its first letter discarded.
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The Quick Crossword pun: HANDEL + PALMA + STASH = HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHE
A very enjoyable Saturday solve to go with the morning coffee. The celebrities whacking rugs at 10a raised a smile as did the unimportant game at 17a. For a while I had the wrong first letter for 23d but 23a soon put me right. I don’t understand 13a so I hope that is hinted. My C OTD is 11a with its musical detectives.
An amusing Quickie pun today.
Thank you, setter for the fun. I’m not sure it’s NYDK. Thank you , Gazza for the hints.
I now understand 13a – obvious really. Thanks for hinting it, Gazza.
Took ages to get a foothold, but once a couple were in it just flowed like quicksilver, and was surprised to see how quickly the end came, must have just been on the same wavelength for once.
Took a while to see how 23a across worked, but got there in the end.
Very clever puzzle, can’t wait to see who it was today.
2*/5*. This was a very enjoyable SPP with some lovely surfaces along the way.
Although I twigged the answer to 9a very quickly, I spent far too long trying to parse it until the PDM accompanied by an ear-shattering D’OH!
I have too many ticks to list them all but I’ll nominate 1a as my favourite.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza.
At first glance I thought that this was going to be tricky, but once a foothold was gained, the rest flowed nicely with my only temporary hold up coming in the NE. So many ticks on my page that it’s difficult to pick a podium, so at random, I’ll plump for 21d, 18d and 11a although with regards to the latter, I couldn’t define the genre if pushed. Thanks to compiler and Gazza.
Fairly straightforward with some very neat clueing, particularly the agent in 23a and the card in 23d.
Thanks to our setter and Gazza.
This was perfect for a Saturday that should please all-comers, helped by a friendly grid that has many ways into each quadrant.
It was satisfying to recall 21d from a couple of years ago and I didn’t know that denounce can mean inform against. I knew it as condemning or criticizing in public.
My podium is 10a which was nicely done, 28a that got me for a while and 16d as we love a cryptic.
MT to the super Saturday setter and The Big G.
2*/5*
This was twisty turny fun with lots of clues where I thought I was looking for one thing and then suddenly it was quite the opposite. All very enjoyable.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the hints.
NW and SE had me puzzled for a while, but once I got 21d it fell into place. Hadn’t heard of the music at 11a, but with the checkers it couldn’t be anything else.
23a is my COTD.
Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable Saturday workout.
***/****
Two half crowns on this being the work of the same Mysteron who gave us DT 31073 two weeks ago which rules out this being an NYDK production. An enjoyable SPP challenge, with a small amount of head scratching – 2.5*/4*
Candidates for favourite – 5s, 22a, 2d, and 5d – and the winner is 5d.
Thanks to whomsoever and Gazza.
Did we ever find out who penned Mr owl ate my metal worm?
Few problems to report beyond the fact that I obviously needed to know more about Mr Weller than I actually do!
Top three stood out head and shoulders above the rest and are duly awarded the prizes – step forward 11&15a plus 6d.
Thanks to our setter and to Gazza for the hints and extras – there may only have been a couple of opportunities for cartoons this morning but you ensured that they were both really good ones.
I agree with Gazza’s assessment of a slightly trickier SPP today. 6d and 17a were my favourites today, but they were all in all a great puzzle.
Thanks to Gazza and Setter.
I send good wishes to Crypticsue as she recovers from her knee surgery. I will clone Gazza’s blog as I will be trying to provide the hints next Saturday. I hope it isn’t as tricky as this, as I found the quickie pun impenetrable today.
Thanks the Setter and Gazza for the hints. Started off ok but stumbled towards the end. Resorted to a few hints to finish. Enjoyable and brains not too mangled! COTD toss up between 13a and 28a. LOI 21d.
I found it almost impossible to select a winner from this highly entertaining Prize Puzzle this morning. There were so many amusing and tidy surfaces, with a modicum of head-scratching to maintain interest throughout the solve. However, I think my choice has to be 11a.
Many thanks to our Saturday setter and Gazza.
*** / ****
Very enjoyable prize puzzle today. Got 1a but had no idea about Paul Weller so thanks for the hint to explain. Ticks went to 2d silly, 13a because I too didn’t see the parsing for a while and the 23a agent. COTD went to the 11a police location. That brought a big smile. I’ll join those who think this isn’t NYDK but I’ve no idea really.
Many thanks to the setter and Gazza
I thought this was very entertaining.
I finished up in the SE part of the puzzle, which was where all my ticks were awarded; namely 26a, 28a, 16d, 20d, and 21d.
Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza.
5* enjoyment.
Good morning. This was very enjoyable. 1a brought me back to my youth; “that’s entertainment” for you right from the outset! 5a, 11a, that old chestnut of 12a, 6d, 17d and 20d are all worthy contenders for CoTD. Thank you to setter and reviewer for the entertainment!
The angry Woking lad at his finest!
A slow steady solve for me, until the wrong first letter to 23d threw me completely. I was blocked in the SE, but hints corrected my error in 23d and I was able to finish. Many thanks to the setter and for the hints.
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Can I put in a plug for today’s NTSPP? Gazza is the setter and the puzzle is absolutely top-notch. You won’t be disappointed!
I’ll second that – be a shame to miss it.
I’m no expert but I don’t think this is a NYDK puzzle. Overall it was pretty straightforward, but my last in was the NW.
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites 13a, 28a, 1d, 3d, 6d & 7d — with winner 6d
Smiles from all the favourites especially 25a, 28a & 3d
Thanks to setter & Gazza
Excellent puzzle – challenging (but not ridiculously so) and very entertaining. Quite a few clues were tricky to parse (thank you to Gazza for explaining 23a). Although I have the answers I can completely unravel 24d or 28a (even with the hint). Thank you to the setter too.
24d This surfing doesn’t take place in the sea.
28a Who comes to deal with your refuse?
Nobody in Birmingham apparently
Thank you 24d I now understand. For 28a I understand the definition but not how ‘to be moved’ relates to the last three letters. Oh well..
Must have just clicked with this one & sailed through with barely a head scratch. I only knew the word at 18d however from the title of a Gregg Allman song without being entirely sure what bit of the vessel it was. Thought this a really top notch SPP that was fun to solve from start to finish. I’ll nominate a top 10 of 1,10,15,23&28a + 2,6,14,16&23d with the last ‘em in at No1.
Thanks to the setter & to the ever busy Gazza & with continued best wishes for our recuperating regular reviewer.
My first go at on line version as our shop didn’t have all the supplements so I signed up. I missed having someplace to write out the letters for the anagrams! Enjoyed the puzzle and done in time to watch 🏴 play Lichtenstein😀
At first I thought this was going to be a washout, but managed to solve unaided. A very enjoyable solve to boot!
Not heard of either meaning for 17a, so had to Google to be able to parse.
Thanks to all.
Difficult but doable and a welcome respite after yesterday’s dnf. Plenty of good clues but we’ll go with 20d as favourite. Thanks to the setter and Gazza.
Very enjoyable today – a rapid start (including COTD 11a) followed by taking an age to unlock the SE. Grateful for the parsing of 23a, as I’ve never played that card game. Even into my seventh decade I had to dredge up the type of domestic appliance in 7d! What a lovely word 9a is.
Thanks to Gazza and our setter, and best wishes to Sue too
My head just wasn’t in this today. Zoomed in the top left corner and then ground to a halt for the rest of the day. Managed the clued hints but that still didnt help me with the rest. Not my day!
This was a day when I employed the advice of an earlier blogger, when the clues lead nowhere just ignore them and work from the checkers. No clue who Paul Weller was, got the game but cannot justify, etc. Congrats to all who finished this unaided. Thanks to setter and Gazza. Hope CS is recovering steadily and doing well.
Didn’t realise how good some of these clues and answers were until I saw the hints . Sometimes I see the answer, bung it in and move on eg 1a . 5d, 28a and 23 my picks today . Thanks to all .
I too am guilty of the occasional lazy bung-in. I am sure I would be a better cruciverbalist (and blogger!) If I parsed as I went along.
Me too & it isn’t just occasionally either. I have however now got into the habit of reading back through post completion to satisfy myself I could hint the clue. Reckon I solve considerably less than 50% principally via the wordplay though it’s often apparent once the def is twigged. Guess that’s not how you’re supposed to do it
I had a clue from Light a couple of weeks ago where I am sure I parsed proceedings as suit at the end of a late night solve, but it had completely escaped my brain in the morning and Gazza had to help.
I agree entirely. I learned to do x words from my parents. A completed grid meant nothing if the clues weren’t parsed.
1* / 4* A thoroughly enjoyable Saturday treat, with loads of cracking clues. Top three (the same as Jane), spiritual band at 6d, music genre at 11a and permanent 19a
Also liked the silly quickie pun, the more tenuous the better for me!
Many thanks to Setter and Gazza
Lovely Saturday puzzle. My vote’s for 15A and its ‘fast food’. VMT Mystery Setter & Gazza.
Completed without help in reasonable time.LoI was 23 across which I got right but didn’t fully understand until I read the hints. Very enjoyable.
Bit slow to start but pushed on through as the gin kicked in! Needed a hint for 2 down notwithstanding…So agree re space for anagrams!