Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31091 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club (hosted by Cryptic-Sloop)
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I am standing in for Crypticsue today. I hope she recovers soon as I found this quite tricky for a SPP. I am hopeless at setter spotting, but with a couple of nice linked clues, I suspect this may be the work of Donnybrook.
A generous 16a and 16d clues and I have hinted half.
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. However, I have to take Mama Bee out shopping/coffee drinking so beware of the naughty step as no cake is available.
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.
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A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.
Across
1a Ancient individual breaking leg (5-3)
A leg of a bicycle race, perhaps, contains an individual. So ancient that he didn’t have any metal tools.
10a Docks’ new deliveries reported (6)
A homophone (reported) of the delivery of a new baby.
14a and 22d Gay genius, ace film director taking in Piedmont city (4,6)
The ace in a pack of cards and the film director of Metropolis and The Big Heat, containing the capital of the Piedmont region of Italy. The first person to send me a fifty-pound note may get an extra hint.
16a United within limits thrashing Spurs? (7)
The shorter abbreviation of united within an anagram (thrashing) of LIMITS. I think Big Dave would have been mildly irritated by the surface of his beloved Spurs being thrashed by any of the Uniteds.
Hardly a thrashing but I remember it well.
19a Deeply respectful gesture an advantage at 25 Across (7)
The weapon that won 25a, would be a deeply respectful gesture when split 4,3.
25a Scot’s anti-royalist battle (9)
How a Scot would describe himself as an anti and the palace of a sovereign.
28a Very good cryptanalyst doing this (8)
What Simon Anthony, Mark Goodliffe and 14a22d do.
29a New growth had changed spiritual leader (6)
New growth on a plant and an anagram (changed) of HAD.
Down
1d Smashing up some Balkan fences? (6)
A member of a now independent Balkan Republic, contains (fences) UP from the clue.
7d Private scheme to arouse curiosity (8)
A double definition (My curiosity is aroused as to whether you agree)
8d City still over the moon (8)
The postal district of The City of London and a synonym of still.
11d Punters here in catastrophe, credit denied (4)
A synonym of a catastrophe, without an abbreviation of credit is a place where punters may be found.
17d Crowd suddenly assembled in Belgium after two seconds? (5,3)
The IVR code for Belgium follows two synonyms of seconds as short periods of time.
Too obvious to not be spoilered.
18d Owing recognition for sure but empty inside (8)
A synonym of for sure contains what remains of but when emptied.
21d Firebrand, senior cleric, English, imprisoned? (7)
An informal term for prison contains an abbreviated senior cleric and E for English.
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The Quick Crossword pun: SUE PAR FISH SHELL is SUPERFICIAL
I was going to finish with Yngwie Malmsteen’s “30a’s from Hell” but he really is a witless axe fiend. This is a little more subdued…
A fitting puzzle for a prize Saturday that was not all that easy but enjoyable, nevertheless. I had pennies dropping all over the kitchen but, fortunately, they missed the coffee. I loved the anti-royalist Scot at 25a and the sermon delivery at 6d was neat. The old woman praying at 27a raised a smile but my COTD goes to the comfortable underwear at 9a. How many ways can this be clued?
Thank you, New York door furniture for a fun solve and a bash at The Mythical. Thank you, Gazza? for the hints. Good wishes to Cryptic Sue for a speedy recovery.
Or thanks to SJB. 😊
Is the car fixed yet? Or is it still an excuse to go to the pub.
The car is now fixed, SJB but as I was at the pub…… 😊
Actually, the car isn’t fixed. It got me home but, despite a new battery at £189, I now won’t start. Back to the AA but at least the car is in the drive.
Sounds like an earthing problem, but I’m no mechanic. I hope the AA get you fixed soon.
I think it’s more to do with the fuel feed but, like you, I am no mechanic.
Very nice puzzle with some excellent clues as noted above. I was defeated by the very clever double definition and the homophone in the NE corner, both hinted above. Very enjoyable nevertheless. Thank you setter and blogger.
This one took me ages, with 14a being the last one in.
Haven’t got the foggiest how 1d, 7d or 21d work, so hope they’re included in the hints (if indeed I bunged the right answers in in the first place).
Some clues seemed altogether too complex for their own good, but others I really liked, so a bit of a mixed bag for me today, of well, roll on tomorrow……
I have hinted all 3 so 👍
Ta Sloop, obvious now I’ve seen your hints, still don’t like 7d though….
An enjoyable solve from NYPD Blue that took a bit more work than usual.
There were plenty of excellent surfaces with some neat constructions and a couple of great scenarios on the continent: 1d and 17d.
It was nice to see the word learner rather than student, rookie or novice.
My podium is 16a, 25a (nicely done) and 8d (I like the relevance of the classic football saying).
MT to Rood Bonk and Stand-in Sloops.
3*/4*
2.5*/2.5*. A bit of a curate’s egg today, but pleasant enough to while away the time hoping the drizzle will stop.
Thanks to the setter and to stand-in Sloop.
A bit more of an edge to this SPP than many of late. Not many bung-ins, but nothing too unfathomable either.
I liked the smashing up in 1d, the credit denied in 11d, how the crowd was assembled in 17d and the way the English cleric was imprisoned in 21d.
Thanks to our setter and SJB.
A rare DNF for me – even with all the checkers, defeated by 28a and 21d. So, thanks to SJB for including them in the hints.
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 8d, and 17d – and the winner is 1a.
Thanks to NYDK and SJB.
I reckon smarty pants in the clip at 28a may well have taken a shade longer than 5mins to polish this one off. I’m with our stand in hinter & found bits of this a tad tricky & like Steve there were one or two reluctant penny drops. Very much enjoyed the puzzle but did have an issue with the wordplay at last in 21d – surely in prison would have been more accurate, as unless I’m mistaken that’s not the same as imprisoned. I’m not sure I’d have bothered with gay either in 14a/22d but any wordplay involving that filmmaker gets the 👍 from me.
Ticks for 16a,19/25combo &27a plus 1,6&17d.
Thanks to the setter (Donny methinks) & to SJB
I had similar doubts about imprison / in prison and a tad disappointed that 14a gayness is still relevant, but not as disappointed as I was by the cricket news this morning.
I have decided I am OK with imprisoned as it combines the containment indicator and the informal prison in one.
If you say so.
As Manuel said – I know nothing.
I think gay is perfectly okay to use.
It helps us narrow the search because, without it, the clue is a lot harder.
Admittedly, another adjective could have been used but most setters try to keep their clues reasonably short and you can’t get a shorter word than gay. If the expression for it was, say, two words of usual length it probably wouldn’t get used.
It’s like describing someone as bespectacled, tall, blonde or bald.
I’d have picked numbers or maths
Maybe even crossword, as the Telegraph was used as a recruiting tool (according to the recent centenary puzzles anyway)
Yep, they are two other options. But, I can’t see what’s wrong with using it.
Thanks to the Setter and SJB. Took a while but crept over the line eventually. COTD 25a. LOI 8d. Grey gloomy day. Our usual view obscured by murky low clouds. Wood burner is chucking out heat in the corner!
A splendid SPP much enjoyed.
14 22, 16, 28 A, plus 1, 4, 11 & 23D among the favourites, but I’ll have to plump for 25A as winner.
Great stuff. Thanks to Sloop, and GWS CS.
A tricky little blighter that brought some cheer to a miserably damp morning. The 16a anagram indicator took me too long to see in hindsight, and 11d was my favourite. A nod, too, to the Quickie pun.
Thanks to, presumably, Donny and SJB.
Found this quite hard-going in several places and still not overly convinced by my answer for 7d but it can’t be much else. Favourite by a country mile was the deeply respectful gesture at 19a.
Thanks to NYDK and to SJB for the hints – love those crowd assemblies but never actually witnessed one.
I caught the tail end of one in The Trinity Centre in Leeds – Something from English National Opera North I think.
I had a friend who alerted me that she was taking part in one at a shopping mall and we went to watch!
Flitted hither and thither, but then I saw the light, but then came to an abrupt halt in the NE. Slowly continued until just 10a and 7d needed the assistance of SJB.
Very enjoyable with several aha moments, with the respectful gesture getting my COTD
***/****
Much the same flitting here and NE was last to fall too. I do wonder if the pressure of a blog to compose made this seem harder, but most agree that this was a bit tricky.
Undone by the SW and resorted to the hints to get me over the line. I found this quite a struggle even for a SPP, and at times I questioned whether this was a NYDK production. Somehow the humour didn’t quite gel. Anyhow I was well and truly beat so hats off to whomever and thanks to S
habboloop for the very necessary hints. Along with others I thought the linked 19a/25a was excellent and my cotd.Edited not because of the mis-identification but just for the practice – Everyone has been very respectful of the naughty step
Mea culpa
If they’d have been looking for a triple shift HE WOULD have been looking for a pay rise 😀
Can I expect double-time and a day in lieu for tomorrow then?
This Saturday puzzle appears to be a NYDK production, based on the two worded clue, but it seemed a tad harder than the norm overall.
Lots of good clues and lots to like. Found the two worded clue a little difficult to figure out in parts, based on the apparent answer. Still scratching my head, but part of it made complete sense.
2.5*/4*
Favourites 1a, 10a, 15a, 28a, 29a & 15d — with winner 15d
Thanks to NYDK & SJB
Addendum: I did some early morning research and bow to NYDK for a very clever, well constructed clue at 14a/22d, where if broken down correctly there were for me 3 hints as to the answer … it makes complete sense.
Winner is now 14a/22d.
I too thought that 25a was brilliant. I had it in in pencil but couldn’t justify it until the penny dropped with a clang. Jolly good diversion, I was a bit miffed by your clip inferring that DT guzzles were easier than most – that ruffled my feathers. Although actually my feathers are so wet today I doubt if I could raise a ruffle. Many thanks to NYDJ and Mr Bee.
It was Simon/Mark who said that not me!
Not sure why you went into moderation – everything seems ok now.
This is a disaster. Couldn`t find a way in. Will try again later this evening
That was a slow grind for me and I DNF the West before seeking help. There were however some nicely straightforward clues including 19a, 25a and 29a. Thanks to setter and CS Mark Two.
I have just noticed that the puzzle selected by SA shares a solution with this puzzle, on the whole I think the one today (8d) is my favourite of the two
A few head scratching moments and bunging in ****** as a spiritual leader did not help the cause.
25a/19a combo was excellent
2*/4*
Thanks to NYDK and Sloop for the hints
Bit of an alternative answer there – sorry
Oops – my mistake
Have been slow all week. Perhaps it is this dreary weather. Finally hit the finishing line but not easy. My favourites are generally the ones I struggle with and finally hit upon. This means the vote goes to 28 across. For the gay genius the first thought was **** ****** but there was no Italian city to be found. Must give a mention to 11 down as it is part of our family history. Thanks all round.
Bit of an alternative answer there – sorry.
I have fond memories of The Head of the River pub where I “won” a bucket of beer by scaling the crane over the river, that is in in the beer garden.
We made pretty heavy weather of this but got there in the end. On the plus side we managed to parse everything. Didn’t we have an almost identical clue for 26d the other day? Favourite was 18d. Thanks to NYD and SJB.
**** / ****
I’ll have to go with a DNF for the first time with this setter I think. I have a perfectly good answer for 7d but it’d mean I have 13a and 16a wrong and having read the hints I don’t have them wrong. Many ticks but the crowd in Belgium got COTD. Pretty sure this is NYDK. Many thanks for a great workout and thanks also to CS (cryptic sloop) for standing in.
Oh the penny just dropped. Won’t make my favourite clue of the year list but got there in the end!!!!
Got there in the end but required the hints for the final three or four entries. Noticed amongst the clues and answers something of a theme referring to a former Fellow of King’s College Cambridge, will say no more. I was wondering if in 8d that was a Blue Moon?
Like others, 25a was my COTD but others were 16a, 19a and 6d.
Thank you to the setter and to SJB for the hints.
Parts of 28a and 15d could have possibly be linked with the fellow but as the setter didn’t neither will I.
Hello. Thanks Sloop et al.
Cheers
NYDK
Thanks for popping in. As i said at The George, I am pleased to have finally blogged one of your puzzles, I hope to do so again sometime.
Thanks for an excellent Saturday puzzle
2* / 4* Strange, I really struggled yesterday when everyone else seemed to sail through, then today I found it an enjoyable stroll and others struggled!
Lots of favourites including 25a battle (very clever), 8d over the moon and the attention seekers at 17d
Many thanks to NYDK and SJB
As many have said this was a tricky beast , and I was amazed that some of the definitions popped into my head , given that there were so many clever clues. Guess I was on the right wavelength. I had to check the hints for 10a – I had the wrong type of docks , and of course the hints gave me a good steer. Thanks so much to NYDK and SJB.
Having struggled all week, particularly on Thursday, I managed this in two halves with a snooze in between. 11 Down took me back to my student days! I even submitted it by email, more in hope than expectation.
Thanks all for making my first turn in the Saturday Crossword Club 💺 such a pleasant experience. I hope to have another go but equally hope that Crypticsue returns to the💺 soon.
I have just realised that tomorrow is Sunday Toughie 200. If it a real stinker I may be using a “phone a friend” (or friends )
Finally got round to this after a busy day and found it tougher than many. I got there in the end and thought 25a was a brilliant clue with several others close behind.
Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints.
Awesome puzzle from NYDK. Standout clues 25A and 14A/22D, but also great laughs at 10A and 29A. VMT also to Sloop m
Not the usual Saturday morning breeze in the park. The NE pennies only dropped this morning, although 7d “ solved” by a process of elimination
Gave it a second stab this morning getting 2/3s of it done. However, I was not on the setter’s wavelength at all. Struggled to detect the anagrams and run-ins, aka lurkers which I usually solve easily. Even with the clues above. I cannot complete it. Thanks to the setter and Cryptic Sloop.
Just have to post this even though it’s two days late. A brilliant xword that so needed Sloops’ hints. Thank you NYDK for hours of enjoyable head scratching!