Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3352 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where on Friday, as my ‘subscription anniversary’ is at the end of the month, I had my customary annual long distance conversation with the DT Subscriptions Department to discuss this year’s proposal, notified in an e-mail earlier in the week, to increase my subscription by an eye-watering 325% more than I paid last year (no need to go to Specsavers, it really is three hundred and twenty-five per cent). However, after a friendly and polite conversation with a real person, my subscription for the next ‘subscription year’ will be 22% less than I paid a year ago! The mind boggles! I look forward to having a similar conversation this time next year 
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada less friendly than he was last week with one of his signature initial letter clues, eight anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and no homophones in a slightly asymmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should/might be able to get some of the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. I hope you have your Crimson Tomes at hand!
Remember that Reading the Hints before commenting can be beneficial!
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 – 21a, 27a, 1d, 3d, 7d, 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 Drained of colour, suddenly (3,2,3,4)
A phrase describing being drained of one particular colour is used to suggest a sudden occurrence.
11a Little worse for wear (6)
A double definition – the second suggests the early stages of over indulgence.
12a Neanderthal figure breaks leg (5-3)
A figure, as in number, inserted into (breaks) a synonym of leg (in a multi-day event?).
15a Fixed indeed, so probably a foregone conclusion? (3-5)
An anagram (fixed) of INDEED, SO.
21a Take time with two vehicles reversing (8)
The reversal of all of the single letter for Time and two vehicles – one for carrying goods and one for carrying people?
27a Try and see in when blurry, nursing a pain from looking? (9)
An anagram (when blurry) of TRY and SEE IN containing (nursing) A from the clue.
28a Ice skates not designed for series of passes (6,6)
An anagram (designed for) of ICE SKATES NOT.
Down
1d Test going round part – of the M25? (7)
One of our favourite tests (that does not require pen and paper) containing (going round) a synonym of part.
2d Evidently sore after hit on the bottom, one whacked (5)
The colour of a sore patch on one’s skin (evidently?) placed after all of the last letter (on the bottom) of hiT and the Roman numeral for one.
5d Singer, Scot for example, entertaining American individual (8)
The abbreviated or informal form of a term for a Scot (for example) containing the single letter for American followed by a synonym of individual.
7d Englishman abroad with queen, one’s scented (8)
An informal, perhaps derogatory, (antipodean) term for an Englishman abroad, a synonym of with, and the regnal cypher of two of our Queen’s.
14d Bone thrown in heap on the way out (8)
A bone (found in a chest) inserted into (thrown in) a type of heap.
17d Piper cares to play organ (8)
The Greek god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, rustic music and impromptus, and companion of the nymphs famous for his pipes and an anagram (to play) of CARES.
22d Roof blown off farmhouse, sweep (5)
A term for a farmhouse with its stables and other buildings with the first letter removed (roof blown off).
25d Embroidered, fake news (4)
Hands up all those who read the clue and immediately thought double definition. I have to admit that I did until I realised that it is an anagram (fake) of NEWS.
Quick Crossword Pun:
ALPHA + SENT + TORY = ALPHA CENTAURI
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Rock band Status Quo formed in London in 1962. They have had over 60 chart hits in the UK – more than any other band but only two of those reached number one. Here is the first of those Down Down which reached number one on this day in 1975 during which was known as The Frantic Four era. The video was recorded during The Frantic Four’s Final Fling at The O2 in Dublin in March 2014:
Dada being slightly tough on us today, I thought. I had solved just three on the first pass and they were in the lower righthand corner. Fortunately, the checkers they gave helped me gain slow progress into the rest of the grid. There are a couple I don’t understand, such as 4d, but I am probably missing something obvious. My COTD is the Neanderthal breaking a leg at 12a.
Thank you, Dada for mangling my little grey cells. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
Very drab a misty in The Marches today.
Carpet is a verb Steve.
Thank you! Couldn’t parse that one.
First three letters in 7d, wonder if anyone will get offended in the same way as last week when one of our bloggers used a slang term for a Scot?
An interesting point, TC. Let’s see.
Funnily enough, it was my LOI as I haven’t heard of it.
I originally had six letters for the Scot in 5d, and couldn’t parse the clue.
That’s not really linked to my comment Sloop.
Your right, I amended my post when I realised we were talking about different clues. I wasnt offended by the first three letters of 7d as I thought it was a four-letter acronym with a silent aitch.
This SPP was a game of two halvea. The bottom half went in rltively quickly after a slow start. The NW was particularly tricky. I liked the lego xlue at 14d and 7d and the anagram at 15a which was nicely misdirected. Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints
In response to tipcat’s comment I thought that, as I use a regional moniker in my screen name, I should check whether it could be causing offence to anyone. To my surprise it turns out that I should be the offended party as I am describing myself in old Norse as a female mongrel dog, which I was totally unaware of. Also my research revealed that my tag is a derogatory Australian term for a person of the Roman Catholic faith. One final nugget that, I was aware of, was that I am describing myself as a naughty child, which I think is apt. Further research revealed that the residents of God’s own county adopted the nickname in an ironic manner to reflect back to those using it in a negative manner onto themselves. My research wouldn’t have been completed without Googling the corresponding terms for the heathens across the Pennines but apparently there isn’t one. Describing someone who thinks it appropriate to put jam on a Yorkshire pudding as a, ”Lancastrian” is considered insult enough.
I currently live in a country where every non Asian person is spoken about openly as a ,”Faraeng”, (French/foreigner) in front of them and no insult is intended or taken.
I don’t mean to belittle the harm that the use of language can do but hopefully to give a slightly humorous and wider perspective.
Today’s crossword was first class after a major DNF from yesterday despite the hints.. COTD 21A, I thought 22D was weak on both synonyms.
We Brits are rarely offended, that’s why the villian in American films is quite often British (especially Engish).
Try it with some nationalities at your peril!
A friend and me once got changed in the wrong changing room for a Rugby match, and after the game we had to get changed with the ‘Reading West Indian 15’, we were called loads of names.
Were we offended? nope, we spent the rest of the afternoon drinking with them in their local pub.
This was a nice solve with Radio in fine form.
I love using 11a when someone has overindulged.
The etymology of 3d is a goodie: someone with the weapon would offer their services to anyone as a gun for hire, so to speak.
There must be a reason for the hyphen in 1d. Can anyone help?
Re 27a, I’m not a fan of a setter using clumsy grammar to make a clue work, i.e ‘try and’ not ‘try to’. I always say to people to replace ‘try’ with ‘attempt’ to get out of the habit. It happened in another crossie a few months ago.
My podium is 11a, 12a and 2d.
MT to Radio and the Manitoban mountie.
2*/4*
I assume you mean the hyphen in the clue of 1d. If that is the case:
Rule 1 – Ignore any punctuation in a clue.
Thanks S (I did mention 1d)
I’m just curious to why it was used as the surface works very nicely without it.
Isn’t it a dash, not a hyphen? Used to separate words/clauses for emphasis/an expansion, similar to a colon.
Hi J
Is it most certainly a dash. Most disappointing, TDS.
I don’t understand why it’s being used in this clue. It’s just a normal sentence that needs no emphasis.
Is there a professional writer amongst us solvers who could answer the question, maybe?
A good example can be found in Mander’s comment at #17 below.
5d was my last entry, Fortunately I got 1ac straightaway and then went round in an anticlockwise direction. from NW corner first. I seem to be doing that quite a lot lately.
Exceptional puzzle slightly more difficult than some SPPs in my view. I’d never heard of 7d (but my non crosswording wife had) also needed biffing help from her for 14d which I would add to Senf’s list of great clues. Re the beginning of 7d, context is everything with these kind of words and (speaking as one) surely you’d have to have a very thin skin to take offence? Thank you Dada and Senf.
What a great puzzle but still chewy in places. Lots of pennies dropping here.
Top picks for me were 7d, 21a, 25d, 14d and 17d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
A tad tougher than weeks past, methinks. Stared at 18a for an age until the obvious hit me between the eyes and thereafter felt a right alias. Podium places go to 25d, 17d and 7d kn top spot. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
* / ****
Must be a ‘wavelength’ day as against the general consensus I flew through this. I normally find Dada very tricky but not today. The speed of solve even had me questioning whether it really is Dada today. I particularly liked the 13a stranding of LA people in the People’s Republic. I’m not allowed in with my place of birth in my passport being God’s own City of Birmingham!!!! Also liked 23a’s Dread and 1d’s M25 – better than parking on it!!
Many thanks to Dada and Senf
I found this to be relatively straightforward and completed unaided with no recourse to the hints. 1a and 1d went straight in to set the ball rolling and then a steady fill working down then up. LOI was 4d after 9a.
It’s between 7d, 15a and 14d for my podium .
Thanks to Dada and the German mustard.
1*/3*
1a/d went straight in and filled me with confidence only for it to be somewhat dashed as the solve progressed and our setter reached for his personal thesaurus! Managed to finish without recourse to the ‘mild mannered’ that our blogger suggested and clues awarded ticks included 11&21a plus 7&14d.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints and head-banging music.
Just like to mention Beam’s Toughie, which is relatively approachable today. Well, I finished it although with some help admittedly.
Thank you, Senf, I would never finish without you. And thank you too to Dada.
I was interested in your email and customary annual call as I have just done the same this week. Eventually we agreed on £39 (last year it was £25) for the paper and £5 (50p last year) for the puzzles for the year. As you say, the mind boggles; but I wonder what the differences are across the blog.
2*/4*. Apart from a bit of struggle with 11a, which became my favourite, this was fairly straightforward but all good fun. Joining 11a on my podium were 21a & 7d.
Senf’s choice of music reminded me of an encounter with someone called John Rushden, whom I met in the mid-80s when playing squash. Chatting over a beer (or two) after the game, we discovered that we both played the guitar. In the early 60s he was in a band with some school chums called The Spectres. He decided some sort of trade would be a more reliable career than battling with the vicissitudes of the music world, and he became a carpet fitter. The other three band members morphed into Status Quo.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
Once again this week, I thought this Dada puzzle was quite friendly and at the easier end of his spectrum. Not really quirky nor any use of his personal thesaurus to my way of thinking.
Seemed to have a good sense of humour when he assembled this grid, methinks
2*/4* for me
Favourite candidates include 1a, 13a, 18a, 21a,1d & 20d — with winner on the “laugh out loud” clue/answer has to be 20d
Smiles from 1a, 21a, 28a, 1d … I could go on, but …
Thanks to Dada & Senf
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), I wish to complain about absolutely everything. The first three letters of 7 down, the M25, Dire Straits, the way Chelsea play sideways when they should be pushing forward, the beeping noise the microwave makes when you don’t take the food out as speedily as it wishes, being asked if I have any allergies when I’m ordering a Pepsi Max and a coffee, Victoria Coren MItchell’s ‘jokes’, potholes, packaging that says ‘vegan’ but further down says ‘may contain milk’, David Lammy, Robert Jenrick, having to buy a pack of fifty screws when I need one, people who say ‘haitch’, leaf blowers, electricity pylons – just everything.
Great guzzle – thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron, and the canny Man From Manitoba
Wow Terence, that’s quite some list of complaints and I agree with most of them especially Victoria CM’s jokes – absolutely dire! I shall now settle down with a glass of orange juice complete with ‘bits’.
You are a gitl after my own heart Manders. Bits make it.
I am feeling a little like Peter Gabriel’s Burgermeister…
Caught the chaos in the market square
I don’t know what
I don’t know why
But something’s wrong down there
Fortunately 1a came to mind and although the organ player and others in the SW held me up, I got there in the end, with a bit of help from Senf.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
It took time but I surprised myself by making the grade in the end. NW corner came last. Took a while to realise that 18a cleverly confuses two Haggards. It took Jaydubs’ comment in Comment 1 for me to parse 25d – these days embroidered might well be an a.i. Thank you Dada and Senf.
Although I found bits of this tricky, mostly the north west, I completed it with out help and thoroughly enjoyed it. I particularly liked 14d and 7d.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
Re Telegraph subscriptions I now annually call to ‘leave’ when they increase my payments by an excessive amount, on each occasion they revert to the previous years fees with a slight increase. It is definitely worth having the conversation.
Smooth solve today thank you Dada and Senf (and Quo were such a great unpretentious live band!). When the DT doubled my subscription I haggled successfully but concluded they simply do not value loyal subscribers. There must be a huge gulf between the writers/editors and the marketing department. What a shame
Some years ago I was accorded the ‘honorific’ of VIP Subscriber but that now seems to have fallen by the wayside.
Great guzzle today, no hold ups at all. Bought a litre of raw milk over Christmas in Aldeburgh – what heavenly bliss – tastes as milk used to taste and fortunately can buy it fairly locally so will never buy that awful pasteurised staff again. Many thanks to Dada (?) and to Senf, and to Terence for making me laugh. Great comment on Friday too.
Thanks to Senf and Dada (for the hints). For a prize puzzle we found this a straightforward and fairly quick solve. Hours of daylight left! COTD 1a. LOI 22d.
I used to drive around M25 to get to work. Retired to rural Devon.
Dada’s given us a surfeit of anagrams again this week – thanks to him and Senf.
The clues I liked best were 12a, 1d and 18d.
We didn’t find this particularly difficult. Favourite was 1a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Brain fog down in the SW. Couldn’t see the answers to 14&17d or 21a & kept looking at the clues in between starting golfers off on a busy tee sheet this morning before eventually conceding defeat & switching the phone off. Just switched on the iPad & all 3 answers leapt out from the screen.
23a was my fav though I thought the clue might have read better with hits rather than hit. Liked the surface at 27a & the thought of persons daft enough to leave Venice Beach for Ponte raised a wry smile.
Thanks to D&S
Scarbados, Cas Vegas or Ponte Carlo? an impossible choice.
Just done the Quick puzzle with a bedtime cuppa & see it’s another pangram – getting to be a regular thing on a Sunday.
This was very enjoyable but kept me busy for an hour or so . The last two in 7d , never heard of , and 11a which I sadly looked up having put xxxxxxx (redacted – please do not include wrong solutions)initially .I now consider 11 this to be in gold medal position on the podium followed by 5d and 21a . Thanks to all
Full of excellent clues- can’t decide between 14D and 17D as COTD. VMT to Dada & Senf.
An enjoyable puzzle. Definitely a bit more chewy than last week’s Dada. Last one in was much talked about 7d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
1* / 3.5* One of the more straightforward Sunday puzzles, but most enjoyable.
My top three are the 18a rider, unseen at 4d and 1d which came from nowhere!
Thanks to setter and Senf
If one threatens to cancel twice, you can renew for £5!
Late to the pass this evening. I got off to a slow start this afternoon and it was some time before I got 1a but then 1d went straight in! I did struggle with some of the answers and held back awhile. After numerous interruptions I almost gave up but was determined to finish. My COTD is 18a as almost my last one in. Enjoyed 1a and 1d. Many thanks to the setter and Senf whose hints helped me finish.
As for me, I wasn’t fooled by 25 down. I saw through it immediately 😁