Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3343 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg. Even living in Canada, I used to be comfortable with the idea that the Christmas season ‘started’ the day after the US Thanksgiving Holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, which is usually ‘close’ to the start of Advent, but the curmudgeon in me considers the fact that the season now starts within a few days of, or the day after, Halloween is just plain nuts.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada friendly with two long ‘un, six anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and one homophone in a very asymmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.
If it is some time since you read, or if you have never read the instructions in RED below the hints then please consider doing so before commenting today as my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 14a, 23a, 26a, 3d, and 8d.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the what I very subjectively perceive to be the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.
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 A fight in the vicinity? (5)
A from the clue and a synonym of fight in an ‘organised’ event.
10a Bug, tick thus circling desert (8)
A two letter synonym of tick (as in time), a synonym of thus containing a verbal synonym of desert (nothing to do with endless tracts of sand).
12a Documents in case, most inactive (6)
Our usual two letter documents and a single word equivalent to in case (that we probably heard a lot of in a three word phrase last Sunday and Tuesday).
16a Piglets, say, dropped waste (6)
A double definition – the first is a collective noun.
21a California city where a low ebb returns, unhappy visiting (8)
A synonym of unhappy contained by (visiting) the reversal (returns) of all of A from the clue and a term for a low ebb (tide).
22a Guillotine, drop stopped by what? (6)
A nounal synonym of drop (of water?) containing (stopped by) a two letter synonym of what (as an interjection).
24a Case shows verdict in conclusion (3,5)
A synonym of shows (in a classroom) and the last letter (in conclusion) of verdicT.
26a Tool fixed, we hear? (5)
The homophone (we hear) of a synonym of fixed (when a female cat or dog is turned into an ‘it’.)
Down
2d Expand beard on appearing bohemian? (7)
An anagram (appearing bohemian) of BEARD ON – at least that is what sort of makes sense to me.
3d Buffet in banquet lousy, without doubt (14)
An anagram (buffet) of IN BANQUET LOUSY.
6d Such oddly in drawer, a tiny bit (9)
As far as I am aware, we have not seen this delightful word for a while – the odd letters of SuCh, IN from the clue, a type a drawer (that usually contains cash), and A from the clue.
8d Ambushed – as arrested bunny might have been? (6,2,3,3)
A synonym of arrested and a three word phrase that might describe how a bunny (rabbit) moves.
19d Floor number below condominium (7)
A number which is the base of the decimal number system placed after (below) a synonym of condominium obtained by translating from American English into English!
22d Smile in broadcast? (4)
A double definition – the second relates to transmitting electronically through the ether.
Quick Crossword Pun:
THIN + HER + MAY + JIG = THINGUMMYJIG
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Gonna Make You a Star started three weeks at number one for David Essex on this day in 1974. This is a ‘more recent’ performance, with enthusiastic audience participation. Perhaps, ideal for dancing round the kitchen while preparing the Sunday roast:
Dada being benign in the main but with a few curve balls thrown in as well. The Californian city at 21a was an example – for me anyway. Very neat but took some working out. I managed 24a from the checkers but the parsing eludes me. My COTD is the bit at 6d, which is a lovely word.
Thank you, Dada for a most enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
2*/3*. This was a pleasant SPP with 14a my favourite.
Why use an American word in 19d when several alternative British options would also work? And how on earth is “bohemian” an anagram indicator?
Thanks to Dada and to Senf.
P.S. Senf, I can’t see any hints in your review.
Ha! I hadn’t noticed the lack of hints – I read Senf’s intro and moved on to the comments without pausing to notice the absence!
I am sure Senf will be along soon. (he already is – see below) In the meantime, can I recommend the Toughie today, I think Zandio has been quite benign.
Hi SJB
I agree about the benign Toughie and I second your recommendation.
See you on the other channel later this afternoon.
RD – I am in total agreement with you on 19d and my comment about translation in the hint is what I wrote when composing the hints originally last evening (my time).
I didn’t realise bohemian could be an anagram indicator either.
Enjoyable and gentle for a slow-start Sunday after an exhausting Saturday. Many thanks to Dada (in RayT brevity mode) and Senf.
Quite agree re Christmas period which I don’t think should start before 1st December at the very earliest, preferably the 21st!
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!
The hints are now available. Apologies for a total brain failure on my part – like Mustafa G I had an exhausting Saturday. I will chastise myself severely and stand in the corner for the rest of the day.
The hints won’t load!
Welcome to the blog – at least my error got you to ‘delurk.’ The hints are now available, see my comment above yours.
Please tell us what you thought of the puzzle and comment often in the future.
Welcome, Joy. As Senf said, please do comment again.
Help! Where are the hints please? Hoping for something to explain 24a! I have an answer but have no idea why!
Just about the right level of difficulty for a Sunday Prize Puzzle.
The bug in 10a and the guillotine in 22a were cleverly constructed as was the case in 24a, so they make up my podium.
My thanks to our setter and Senf.
Regarding early Christmas decorations, a neighbour drew our attention to a house in a nearby village who put them up in early October last year.
I thought this to be ridiculously early until I got caught up in traffic one day on my way to the gym a while ago.
I looked sideways at a bungalow which is usually hidden by a wall and noticed all four of the front windows had cotton wool snowflakes, baubles and other adornments. The middle two also had Christmas trees.
In disbelief, I checked the date on my watch. It was the third of September. A day I’ll always remember…
September 3rd memorable for another more significant reason.
Battle of Naulochus? 😊
As my Latin Master ‘Moses’ Mulholland would have said ‘droll, very droll.’
I was thinking more of The Temptations’ ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’.
‘Cause that was the day my daddy died…
This all fell into place fairly smoothly with my LOI being 9d (nice clue).
Radio’s word count of a smidge (?) over 5 is unbelievably low for him. A fine effort.
Bohemian is definitely pushing it as an AI. The dictionary has ‘alternative/unconventional’ as the third definition.
Pronouncing 13a is a goodie as people can’t decide.
My podium is 22a, 5d and 9d.
MT to Dada and Senf.
2*/3*
13a – an element of two nations divided by a common language?
You’ve got to love quirks of the English language as the noun and adjective are pronounced differently.
Caribbean is another excellent example of division on pronunciation 😊.
Dada has cut down on his anagrams this week which is to be welcomed. Thanks to him for a fairly gentle puzzle with a few quirky bits and to Senf for the hints.
All my top clues come together – 24a, 25a and 26a.
Just a couple of sticky parsings to slow up what was otherwise a very comfortable solve for a Sunday PP. 24a was very neat, but my favourite was 8d.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I would have finished this gentle Dada much sooner if I hadn’t biffed in an answer to 8d. Not properly parsing my answer delayed completion of the SE until sense returned. 6d gets my vote for cotd. A great word from a cleverly constructed clue. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Thought Dada made good use of his personal thesaurus today – I’ve often wondered whether he gave a copy to the DT team when he first joined their ranks.
Think my favourite was the fund set aside for sailing, I’m told by friends who indulge that it’s quite an expensive hobby, and I also liked 6d – not for the wording of the clue, just for the actual answer.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints and ‘music’ clip – can’t be a bad life when you can get the appearance money and leave the audience to do the singing!
Thanks to Dada and Senf. Needed a couple of brainwaves to get over the line. Enjoyable with most clues well structured and falling into place on the first pass. COTD 6d. LOI 12a.
This took some eking out and was not helped by some rather stretched synononyms e.g. 5d but I did in fact make it in the end solving the West first. Bunged in wrong solution to 8d ignoring bunny which made the SE overall a problem. Anyway just not my cup of tea! Thanks Zandio and Senf.
Sorry I’m getting my crosswords mixed up. I realise it is Dada here today, as usual, and Zandio for the Toughie.
1* / 4* A nice mix of clues and managed to parse them all, which isn’t always the case. Plenty to choose from to go go on my podium, including 22d smile, cheeky 14a, and arrested rabbits at 8d
Thanks to setter and Senf
Ps I liked bohemian as an anagram indicator
For me, this Dada puzzle was mostly at the easier end of his spectrum this week, but the SE wasn’t! Not sure why I stumbled all over it. Not really quirky nor any personal thesaurus use either this week.
2*/4* for me
Favourites 1a, 17a, 15d, 18d, 19d & 22d — with top two being 18d & 19d
Thanks to Dada & Senf
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), I must ask the question: ‘Oh is he more, too much more than a pretty face?’
In both cases, Dada and Senf, they undoubtedly are very much more.
Great guzzle; stretched my brain a bit, which perhaps it needed. It generally does.
I have spent much of my lifetime being grumpy about Christmas being ‘celebrated’ too early. Trash in the shops, ludicrous commercials on the TV, Christmas hits on the radio in November… but recently I have changed tack…
Particularly in volatile times (increasingly, it feels, here in the UK), and when austerity is hitting many people – if some wish to bring cheer, with lights, decorations, and songs, why not? Driving through the Surrey Hills yesterday, we saw a sizeable number of houses with Christmas lights aglow and my reaction is – good luck them. If it sparks joy or comfort, carry on.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man From Manitoba (It’s so strange the way he talk, it’s a disgrace)
Another enjoyable challenge from Mr D – I rattled through this with only a couple of minor pauses – 6D & 24A – before completing with a flourish on 26A (brought back a sad memory of the dog lying there just tearfully staring “Why?”)
Thanks, as ever, to Senf for another fine blog (with or without hints) 😉
Cheers!
Benign? Gentle? not in my book chum, I found this fard (that’s one level up from blard).
Took me ages to get past only 6 answers but eventually got all but 9d, which I stared at for a full 20 minutes, and eventually showed it to Mrs TC (a non-crossword person) who promptly got it immediately!
Off to sulk in the spare room now with the cats…..
An enjoyable Sunday puzzle that slowly came together with 3d and 8d providing useful checking letters.
Was unaware of the low ebb and not sure about the use of bohemian at 2d.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Perfect pitch from Dada today, chewy enough to make me really think, but not too much, enabling me to finish almost unaided. 2d was a bung in as I didn’t recognise the anagram indicator. COTD for me is 8d, very clever. And of course all too familiar with 10a here in South Florida. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Senf, totally agree about Christmas in the shops way too early. Halloween candy etc. started showing up in our grocery stores in August this year!