Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3355 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where on Wednesday, after what seems to be the customary one hour delay for my flight from Heathrow to Calgary, my flight from Calgary to Winnipeg arrived 20 minutes early! However, definitely better than my ‘outbound’ journey two weeks earlier. The joys of air travel!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quite friendly with only, yes only, four anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and one homophone in a symmetric grid of 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 – 7a, 14a, 4d, 5d, 17d, and 22d.
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
7a Country artiste disappointing, by the sound of it? (9)
We start with the homophone (by the sound of it) of a (6,4) phrase equivalent to (a musical) artiste disappointing.
11a Flowering plant Victorian grew (8)
The upper-case ‘V’ might be misleading; an adjectival synonym of Victorian and a synonym of grew.
14a Wipe face on towel with difficulty (6)
The first letter of (face on) Towel and (with) a synonym of difficulty.
17a Future husband not in fluster (5)
A synonym of fluster with the single letter for Husband deleted (not in).
19a Smell bad minibeast in moonshine (6)
A slang synonym for smell bad and a type of minibeast.
26a Coarse cloth darling reversed (6)
The reversal (reversed) of all of a synonym of (scrap of) cloth and an informal synonym of darling.
28a Previous idea so far failing (9)
An anagram (failing) of IDEA SO FAR.
Down
1d Big gun, that thing in bronze (5)
A two letter synonym of that thing inserted into (in) a verbal synonym of bronze (on the beach?).
2d I doubt I can go wrong touring street (8)
An anagram (wrong) of I CAN GO containing (touring) the abbreviated form of street.
5d Suit that gentleman crafts (6)
A third person pronoun equivalent to that gentleman and a synonym of crafts.
6d High-pitched sound, call of small animal, runt (9)
A three letter high-pitched sound (used in radio signals?) and a term for the call of a small animal.
13d Furry pet in pool? (5)
A double definition – in the second, the pool is pecuniary.
20d Weaver of dream in bed (6)
A double definition – the first is a comedic character, the second is a generic term.
22d Corporate colours – as producer of bile? (6)
Another double definition – the second is adjectival.
25d Food originally consumed by vermin, considerable amount (4)
The first letter (originally) of Food contained (consumed) by a synonym of vermin.
Quick Crossword Pun:
FILLIP + BEAN + KNOW = FILIPINO
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This is what I had planned for last Sunday, and there are apparently no problems with it this week. On January 19, 1979, American new wave band Blondie released the single Heart of Glass. Ten days later, on February 1, 1979, the British Phonographic Industry declared it Platinum for sales of over 1 million! It also reached number one, for four weeks, on February 3, 1979:
I found Dada somewhat on the tricksy side today and there are one or two I don’t fully understand such as 20d. Still, it was an enjoyable tussle and I did like the disappointing artiste at 1a and 6d is a wonderful word. My COTD is the bolt at 24a.
Thank you, Dada for the Sunday challenge. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
The weaver in [redacted –it’s a prize puzzle] Dream
Thank you, Lynne and I’m sorry your help landed you on the naughty step. It did occur to me after immediately after I had posted!
I still don’t understand 20d. 🤔
As I wrote in the hint – 20d is a double definition requiring some knowledge of old Bill Shakes for the first and some word searching for the second.
I found this tricky as well – needed help on about 4 clues 😐
I thought that Dada had upped the difficulty level today and the N W was the last to fall. Smiles for the chicken and mustard in 21a and the moonshine in 19a. It was a lol moment when 7a was solved. Cotd for me is 11a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
This sort of grid, with four mini crosswords, always makes me nervous, especially on a Sunday. But, I made it through, reasonably unscathed.
I love 19a because it reminds me of the brilliant Albert Finney in Scrooge. But, I didn’t know the meaning of moonshine in this confext.
My podium is 1a (nice to get a namecheck), 17a and 28a that took me forever.
MT to Radio and the Manitoban mountie.
3*/3
20d was my final entry and 7a my favourite (we used to live and work there for a while back in the day). Overall I found this fairly straightforward but with enough gaps in the grid to push out my solving time. I reckon our setter dug pretty deep into his thesaurus for this one, as did I to complete it.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
3*/2*. As I often do, I agree with YS.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf.
An interesting challenge with 19a and 20d last to fall, thank you Senf for hinting both. Very entertaining and as ever with Dada significant lateral thinking to find the suitable synonyms was required.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
Wah! Wah! Wah! This was h-a-r-d. Thank goodness for my pal in Canada as his wise words enabled me to reboot, and complete this tricky fellow.
We set out for a lovely walk twice yesterday, and on each occasion we were thwarted by monsoons. Thus we had to spend three hours in a pub instead. No wonder I need to lose weight.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man Safely Back In Manitoba. Love to Jane
A bit of a marathon for me; slow to start, speeded up a bit and then the last 5 in the top half really dragged and kept me guessing for quite a while. 6d was last in with the hint. Overall I thought this very worthy of a SPP, with a nice balance between hard and easy.
Ticks for 1a, 19a, 28a, 6d and cotd goes to the dream weaver, which I remembered from a school play.
VMT to Dada and Senf
An enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Dada and Senf.
Ticks from me for 26a, 1d, 20d and 22d.
Trying straight to the point with two COTDs:
19a, because I just love that word for smell and 20d because I remember him from O-level 65 odd years ago.
Many thanks to Dada for the fun and to Senf for his blog.
Trying = Going in Lurkerland!
1* / 4* Found this surprisingly straightforward for a Sunday Dada puzzle, only needed to confirm 20d.
Lots of clever and witty clues to choose from including the 7a country, 21a chicken + mustard and 19a bah moonshine
Thanks to setter and Senf
Good guzzle and, like MissTFide 19A was my LOI, I was looking for some illicit alcohol. I liked the misdirection of 1a. I did yesterday’s Xword late last night and, although I completed it I found it unsettling for some reason. Today’s was less stressful – so many thanks to both Setter and Senf. I am l pleased that Terence has at least tried to have a nice little walk – I have been somewhat concerned that H has not been encouraging him to get any exercise recently. Perhaps when the better weather finally arrives she will get him out more.
Well, I tend to disagree here with Senf today as I thought this Dada puzzle was most definitely way off in quirky land as well as much use of his own personal thesaurus this week. Not really friendly at all to my way of thinking. However, as the words came to light slower than dawn at this time of year, I grew to like it as the words popped up.
3*/4.5*
Favourites include21a,24a, 26a, 5d 6d & 17d — with winner 6d as I just like the word.
So many smiles popped up too like 10a, 21a, 9d to name just three.
Thanks to Dada & Senf
Really enjoyed the first weekend of the M6N games. Too bad England didn’t make the half century in score … but they certainly played with gusto!!
Finished…eventually, having been fair cantering along with much enjoyment from Dada’s Sunday challenge until…20D!
Could be but one thing…but ‘Weaver’??
Thanks Senf and others for the assist – quite frustrating, but I should’ve also remembered my O Grade English..doh!
Apart from that one (over..) quirky clue, thought the puzzle was marvellous!
Thanks, as ever, to Senf for the blog ‘n (required) hints.
Cheers!
** / ****
Relative gentle for a Sunday I thought. Only hold ups were in the SW: 19a and 20d. Like Daisygirl, spent far too long trying to involve some illicit liquor! Ticks went to the high pitched 7d and the 17a unflustered husband. cOTD went to the coarse 26a. Many thanks to Dada and the safe back home Senf.
After 15hrs without power and therefore heat and hot water yesterday, I’m now off to try yesterday’s puzzle!!
I thought this was tough and I was defeated by 20d (only partly) because I had answered 27a in the wrong language and ignored the fact that it didn’t parse. 1d and 19a my favourites. Thank you Dada and Senf for explaining 20d.
I too got the language wrong at first for 27a…….
And me.
Thanks to Senf and Dada. LOI 19a. COTD 7a. The double definitions of 20d is tenuous to say the least! Resorted to a couple of hints but otherwise a fairly easy solve for a Sunday.
I don’t normally do the weekend prize crosswords because I think they’ll be difficult but I found this reasonably accessible. I did need to resort to Senf’s excellent hints for 11a, having seemingly forgotten the names of all flowering plants despite making use of a rare rain free day to potter on my balcony this morning. The country at 7a was my favourite, followed by 19a and 26a. Thanks very much to Dada and to Senf.
Lovely puzzle but SW corner the toughest. Any further hints on 20d. I didn’t do O levels so hint went over my head.
Nothing more than I wrote in Comment 1 above.
Just finished , a bit of a slog….Thank you Mr Senf, I really needed your help.
Quite difficult for me..needed Senf’s help with the Weaver and the moonshine…..should have got the Weaver myself, though. Seen him often enough.
Favourite has to be 6d.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for his excellent hints.
We actually saw the sun this morning for a short time! First time in weeks…or at least it feels like weeks.
7a provided my chuckle of the day, well my chuckle of the puzzle at least. Dada a tad more quirky this Sunday, but very accessible – and even with my scant knowledge of the Bard’s works, 20 down wasn’t overly difficult to work out. 19a was possibly my contender for favourite clue. All in all a very pleasant solve to sit down with after preparing our beef and Yorkie pud evening meal. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
The weaver got me as did moonshine. Thanks Dada for a good challenge and Senf for tips
I found this very tough and had tomkeep coming back to it time and again. Finally got the last two (19a & 20d) just now which probably makes it my longest back page solve since I started! I persevered but more out of stubbornness that enjoyment. Normal very much enjoy Sunday puzzles but this one wasn’t for me – thought it was all too tricksy and clever clever.
Sorry
This was nicely chewy but not inaccessible,with some nicely clever clues , such as 20d , which I got straight away with the checkers in place. I did not know the meaning of moonshine which I had to look up so that was a learning. Very enjoyable so thanks very much to Dada and Senf.
Great work by Dada – my vote goes to 26A. VMT also to Senf
A satisfying solve and unlike some others I found this relatively straightforward.Got held up by 21a , but once this fell , the whole of the centre was completed very quickly ang the last letter in 19 appeared.Problem solved . Last in 20d although it couldn’t have been anything else.Thanks to all . favourites 6d, 19a and 26.
I found this relatively straightforward, with just the right level of thinking required for my liking. I loved the Bolt clue at 24a.
Thanks to setter and to Senf.
This is definitely one of those crosswords, seems like many found it cruisey … I did not. Got most of the way there, SW was most troublesome, with late solves finally reaching my brain for 27A (was hung up on another language’s ’so long’) and 19A, though I didn’t know the ‘moonshine’ meaning. But I absolutely needed the hints for 8D’s runt and 20D – I need to read some more Shakespeare.
Pody placers – 27A, 15D and 2D.
Thanks to Dada and Senf ⭐️
Add me to those who bunged in so long in the wrong tongue without (tut-tut) parsing it which then made last in 20d unfathomable. Suspect it took me longer than others to twig the silly error. Otherwise straightforward with 7a my fav + what YS said.
Thanks to D&S.
The Quick puzzle no pushover I thought.
Think the Toughie can wait until tomorrow
Same here re the Quick puzzle!
Didn’t get very far with this in an a.m. session but fared better this p.m. with some delays for back-up from MrG. Not one of my favourites and even Quickie was a challenge. Thanks Dada and Senf.