Sunday Toughie No 209
by Samuel
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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I was very pleasantly surprised to find Samuel here today, but my happiness waned when the theme of today’s puzzle became apparent. A valedictory performance indeed. 7a 16a 26a 6d 7d and 12d brought a 4d to my eye. I don’t think we can expect more from Samuel, who has given us so much already.
Lots of double definitions and anagrams, but I can’t hint at them all. I think the valedictory nature of today’s puzzle will allow me to forego the red pencil. 23d up Samuel, you’ve given us a belter today.
Here We Go…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am not so new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
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. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely
Across
1a Luke possibly seen with Mike penning American hymns (6,5)
Luke is the third of four, Mike is an abbreviated recording device, he contains one of our usual Americans.
7a Tired, ran away (7)
A double definition.
11a Fearsome type of bream regularly seen in port (6)
Regular letters of bream go into a port in North-Western Spain.
14a Knives Out politician welcomes partner back on shift (3,1,4,2)
A politician who tried to reduce knife crime, welcomes a partner reversed (back) and on from the clue
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16a Identify brave person shouting when out of the news – ultimately, he should be better (10)
We need three four-letter words to start with. To identify, a brave hearted person, and to shout, they all lose an N for news, and finish with the ultimate letter of he.
21a Group of three taking air around centre of Zürich (6)
A musical air contains the central letters of Zürich. Being three in one; used especially of the Christian Trinity.
25a Frenchman’s really chucking out very old clothes (7)
A French word for really loses V for very, leaving an archaic (old) term for clothes
Down
2d Spooner’s demand for payment, perhaps, when this puzzle appears? (6)
To persistently demand payment and a synonym of perhaps are given the Spooner treatment.
3d Blunder in foreign articles by Bush (10)
Grammatical articles from Spanish and German, and by from the clue, contain to blunder.
My dad’s wine, made from the fruit of this bush, was even more deadly than that made from the flowers!
5d Voters upset about Independent newspaper’s back page that’s outdated? (8)
Another archaic or outdated term for a page or attendant, from an anagram of voters, an Independent abbreviation and the back of newspaper.
6d Bends stick broken by Roman here (7)
A stick contains a Latin term for here. Hic Jacet Samuel?
9d Excuse warmth, we hear one might be in a tent (11)
Information or material that provides a basis for an excuse and a homophone (we hear) of warmth.
15d Every two years, good American seen to be in love (8)
A French good and a synonym of love as a tennis score, contain one of our usual Americans.
20d Spoke with artist apparently confined to bed? (6)
An artist who has displayed at the Royal Academy, and a phrase for confined to bed. It is reversed because the indicator is the second part of the phrase **** UP.
Compiler
Samuel
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The Frenchman’s old clothes sent me here, I remember seeing this performed at Monsters of Rock in Donnington 1984. I was the designated driver so I avoided the overpriced refreshments between various sets with the Telegraph Crossword!
That’s All Folks…
I don’t often attempt the Toughie but it was mentioned on the cryptic blog so I thought I would give it a go as it’s by Samuel.
I struggled with it as I fully expected but have got there in the end. I’m still unsure of a couple of them but will wait for the full review. 21a and 5d were new words for me.
As SJB says, the theme of the puzzle isn’t uplifting but then we can all understand why in the circumstances and commiserate.
I particularly liked 17d, 1a and 1d.
Thanks to SJB and Samuel/Mr Lancaster.
21a and 5d new to me too,but fairly clued. The parsing of a couple were late to arrive. 16a and 15d came to me just before I hit publish. Apologies if some of the formatting seems awry, I am debuting a new laptop.
I was concerned that I was running out of clues before I was able to write my first answer in. It was then a slow task to complete.
A most enjoyable tussle with my favourite 20d – now that SJB has explained the parsing!
Thanks to SJB and Chris. I hope that this is not a farewell appearance. ☹️
I looked for the reversal indicator for 20d for quite some time too.
My hopes and wishes are for Chris as well.
I think 7d may be the saddest clue I have ever seen. That got me good and proper. But what a fabulous, smart puzzle. 25a, 20d, etc. HUGE thanks to Chris, and Sloop.
7d got me too, I sat at a blank keyboard for a while wondering how to start on the blog.
A bittersweet experience today but Chris has announced before that we wouldn’t be seeing any more of his puzzles only for a couple more to turn up so let’s hope that this isn’t Samuel’s 12d.
This is a brilliant puzzle – thanks to our setter and SJB.
I thought that the 14a politician was best known for getting his knives out in order to stab them in his colleagues’ backs.
Top clues for me were 14a, 16a, 18a, 3d, 15d and 20d but I could have ticked another half-dozen.
In the spirit of not knocking 14a when he is down I went for one of his other policies. I agree another by Samuel would be most welcome.
On the centenary puzzle, Chris commented it was “almost certainly my last cryptic (and quick)” — I think ‘cryptic’ there specifically means backpagers (as in, what is labelled as a ‘cryptic’ on the Puzzles website), and that we haven’t had one of those from him since. It was a lovely surprise to encounter this Samuel Toughie today, but I don’t think it contradicts any previous announcement.
I needed help but I had to do this puzzle given it is by Chris and what a testament to his spirit. A great puzzle with some fantastic clues but my COTT is the English butter at 17d.
Very many thanks, Chris and my thoughts and everyone’s are with you and your family.
Thank you, Sloops for the hints.
Hear, Hear
Although we always do all the prize puzzles, we decided a long time ago that we would not comment on them. However we could not let this one go by without acknowledging how much we appreciated and were moved by it.
Many, many thanks Chris for the pleasure you have brought to us over the years.
I’m not sure what to say about this puzzle….it’s brilliant, of course, but as others have said, tinged with sadness. What a brilliant setter our esteemed editor is.
Thanks, thoughts and best wishes to Chris. Thanks to SJB too.
I don’t solve most of the Sunday Toughies but had to solve this one. brilliant and moving at the same time
Thank you Chris – my thoughts are with you and the family
I am looking forward to see what Chris has to say in the puzzles newsletter due out soon.
So well conceived and constructed and so sad.
Thanks to Chris for communicating some measure of his ordeal.
None can conceive the reality.
Also to SJB of course.
A difficult puzzle to complete for several reasons, in particular my youngest asking me why my eyes were watery.
Great puzzle; thank you to Chris and to SJB.
I was delighted to see who our setter was today, and I really enjoyed the challenge of solving this rather tricky puzzle. There is indeed a moving theme to be found in the surface readings and the answers, but what I note above all else is the work of a setter with a wonderful talent for his cryptic art. My Across podium places today were awarded to 13, 16 & 26; with the Down podium places going to 5, 12 & 19. 5d was new to me, but the wordplay led me to the answer and thereby the excellent definition within the misleading surface. 9d was my biggest hurdle to overcome.
My thanks to SJB for the hints etc., but a huge thank you goes to Samuel / Chris L. – not just for this puzzle, but for all that he has done to deliver such splendid entertainment and keep our minds engaged for so many years.
My introduction to a Samuel puzzle so thanks Chris for a Toughie, which with the hints, I found to be perfectly manageable.
5d and 21a are new words for me but readily parsable. No real favourites, they were all clever and witty with just enough thought provocation. Having said that 16a is my COTD.
My thanks to CL and SJB
I expect you will have “met” his crosswords before. According to my records, Samuel has compiled 45 Toughies in addition to this Sunday Toughie, but many more anonymous puzzles for the back-page cryptic.
Privileged to partake in this puzzle from a master.
Thanks all round.
Thank you to those who drew attention to this crossword, to Sloop for enabling me to complete it, and most of all to Samuel for … well, for everything, so much pleasure over the years, including in today’s sad 12d.
7d is so poignant and memorable, but it doesn’t feel right to pick it as a ‘favourite’. Highlights for me were the 22a lead track, 24a oil devotee, 25a Frenchman (really), 9d excusing warmth, and 20d artist in bed.
👍
I really enjoyed this.I don’t know who Samuel is but clearly he is well regarded and loved by many of you .I thank him for this wonderful puzzle Thanks also to Sloop John bee I did need hints to finish . It’s late I need some shut eye . Favourite 3d
Hi, Fran. Samuel is the alias of Chris Lancaster, who has been the Telegraph Puzzles editor since 2018. He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease just over 2 years ago, aged 52, and is sadly now near the end of his life. He gave this update in November in the newspaper, as part of their Christmas appeal (still open till Saturday!), and his health has got worse since then.
Thank you for commenting, because there will be others here who didn’t know either.
Thanks Smylers, I should have remembered to link to that myself.
Hi Smylers. Many thanks for this link which I have only just seen.
If this page is still open. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Chris Lancaster for all be has done to enhance our crossword enjoyment over the years. He is a national treasure to the crosswording world.
Thanks for your thanks, they are much appreciated both here at BigDave’s and at the Telegraph.
If you want to see The Telegraph’s own tribute to CL check puzzle 31097 from 29th November.
Click to access prize-cryptic-76752.pdf
Blogged here;
Started this too late last night & couldn’t get much of a foothold. Completed this morning but not unaided – needed the hints to fill in both 16&21a (never heard of the latter) & my lack of basic French let me down in understanding the why at the excellent 25a.
Found the puzzle quite an emotional solve(7d&26a especially poignant) & very challenging with lots of very clever wordplay. Let’s hope it is not the Toughie 12d from Chris but if it is it was a cracker to bow out on.
Thanks to Samuel & to Chris.
No-one will see this and few would probably agree with me anyway, but…
I am an acquaintance of 14a – he is one of the kindest, most intelligent, and likeable of fellows.
Whatever Department he has worked in, he has always left with staff regretting his departure.
He made a couple of strategic errors along the way, but he should not be defined by them.
Hear, Hear
I could not agree more, Terence – I knew him slightly from the Oxford Union in undergraduate days, and he was (possibly still is) a good friend of one of my closest acquaintances from those days.
A remarkably erudite man, a great listener, compassionate and, I understand, respected in all the departments he was sent to.
As you rightly say he should not be defined by his (in my view very few but headline) errors, but sadly that will likely be his destiny.
Well I’ve just seen it T & though I don’t know the man what you say chimes with what I hear is the high regard many have for him.
Super puzzle, a cracking but very poignant solve. I have nothing but admiration and sympathy for Chris/Samuel, and for his family. If this was your last Toughie for us, you’ve given us a marvellous swansong.
Many thanks to SJB and CL/S