Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3358 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg on this first day of March.
For those who are minded to celebrate today, a Happy St David’s Day. I should like to mark the day with a wee dram of a single malt, which I discovered when I was in Somerset at the end of November last year, from the Aber Falls Distillery in Abergwyngregyn, North Wales, but I have yet to find it over here; however, I am sure that The Balvenie will be an acceptable substitute.
If meteorologists try to persuade you that today is the first day of Spring ignore them, they are delusional. Starting the seasons on the first of a month is a convenience they have invented for themselves and they should probably have their meteorological qualifications revoked. As any sane person knows, Spring begins with the Vernal Equinox which this year occurs at 2:46pm GMT on Friday, March 20th.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada somewhat quirky today but I did not detect any post-modern intellectual, cultural and artistic pseudo-meta-clues (see NYDK’s response to Paul Gowans – Comment 23 – in yesterday’s blog) – eight anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and no homophones in an asymmetric 29 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!
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Candidates for favourite – 10a, 19a, 5d, 17d, 20d, and 24d.
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 Notice argument lost (6)
The two letter abbreviated form of a type of notice and a synonym of argument.
5a Month before series seen on English writer (8)
Guess the short form of a month, the one that now incorrectly indicates that it is the ninth of the year, placed before a synonym of series which is itself placed after (on) the single letter for English.
9a Leading man, say, arresting female felon (10)
A (4,5) phrase that can (say) be equivalent to leading man containing (arresting) the single letter for Female.
13a Practice won’t start for an hour or so? (1,3)
A synonym of practice with the first letter deleted (won’t start) then split into (1,3) for a short indefinite period of time.
18a Miss during fight when the lights are off (8)
A synonym of miss inserted into (during) a synonym of fight (in a ‘formal’ contest).
19a Thug, I’m encouraging you! (4)
The concatenation of a brief (2,2) saying equivalent to the long-winded I’m encouraging you.
26a Rip off pop star, diva (5,5)
Oh dear, it wouldn’t be Dada without a three letter anagram (off) of RIP and a (female) pop star who has been ‘around’ for 40+ years.
28a Sun worshipper in sun, tide endlessly turning (6)
An anagram (turning) of SUN TIDe with the last letter removed (endlessly).
Down
2d Short, a theatrical work (5)
A synonym of short in relation to a measure of the golden nectar and A from the clue.
4d Drink container that’s half open tipped up into baby feeder (6)
Half of OPEN, I’ll let you decide which half, reversed (tipped up) and inserted into a device (baby feeder) attached to a bottle for a human or animal baby.
5d Less prestige, all the same (15)
Another concatenation – this time of a (3,4,8) phrase as a more convoluted and somewhat awkward way of saying less (minus?) prestige.
14d Talented player batting, a graceful performer (9)
I will save RD expressing outrage – a slang or informal unindicated US term for an athlete, often considered talented, who plays a sport that involves the use of a ball, the two letter term for crickety batting, and A from the clue.
16d Alakazam, please? (5,4)
A double definition(?) – the second is a descriptive term for ‘please’ (particularly when a child is asking for something?).
20d Mark secures lead on rare breed (6)
A type of mark (from spilt liquid?) contains (secures) the first letter of (lead on) Rare.
24d Failing American in hole (5)
A type of failing (of which there are seven deadly ones) and the two letter abbreviation for American.
Quick Crossword Pun:
HATCH + CHEW + LEA = ACTUALLY
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To mark St David’s Day, a young Charlotte Church with the London Welsh Male Voice Choir:
Thanks for the hints. You might like Penderyn Whisky if it’s available in Canada.
Good shout – not a bad drop (are there any?)
Apparently Penderyn Legend is available in Manitoba. I will have to try it out. If I don’t like it, it won’t be wasted, I will use it for fortifying coffee!
Thank you for the call out Senf / still ploughing my way through today’s offering
Thanks also to Dada
Btw – it’s definitely not spring in Edinburgh 😊
Thanks to Senf, who would have saved me from expressing an outrage regarding the unindicated Americanism in 14d, had it not been for the other unindicated Americanism in 27a. When I last checked, the Telegraph was a UK newspaper. I assume that hasn’t changed recently?
What a shame as this was an otherwise enjoyable puzzle.
Never heard of the 2 Americanism. So highlighting them would have made no difference to my ability to solve them. Very annoying nevertheless. They should be banned
I found this tricky but fair and very enjoyable once I’d parsed the answers. 27a was new to me and my LOI.
Top picks for me were 19a, 13a, 26a, 28a and 16d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
Slightly trickier than usual. My favourite was 16d
Thanks to Dada and Senf. Apart from all the daffodils and catkins, I wouldn’t say it was spring here either
Radio’s gone all American with three unindicated dooberries (9a*, 27a and 14d). But, as Jose says, setters don’t have to use them.
5d, this was a nice challenge on a very friendly grid with my LOI being 23a, a word I haven’t heard in yonks.
It’s about time we saw 8d again as it’s been a couple of months.
My podium is 1a, 13a (good fun) and 26a.
MTTTA and Senf.
3*/3*
* I appreciate it’s an old English word but it’s never used in Blighty.
PS I understand what you’re saying about the seasons, S. But, I’m in the ‘convenient’ camp as I can’t get my head around the week before Christmas being the autumn.
To my way of thinking, if June 21st is midsummer and December 21st is midwinter, then March 21st must be mid spring! That means February 1st is first day of spring and there’s evidence that it was celebrated as such by our ancestors. Just as May 1st was celebrated a beginning of summer.
This SPP was trickier than avaerage butabsorbing and entertaining. My COTD wS the clever double definition at 5d. There were some good Lego clues too, notably 4d, 6d, 26a and 17d. Thanks to Dada for another great guzzle and tSenf for the hints.
Tough but don’t you just love a Dada!
Great fun.
Thx to all
Are you Our Brian?
He is definitely Our Brian
Well I think I prefer the old Brian! A bit shouty.
Very happy to see you popping in Brian!
Nice to see you Brian
As Senf says Dada is pretty quirky but enjoyable today – thanks to both.
My podium selections were 13a, 19a and 16d.
Definitely a bit of a head scratcher today so thank you Senf for the hints and thank you setter for the head scratching.
As far as today being the first day of Spring -not in my book. Winter lasts for the period of heating being needed. For me that’s mid-October to at least the end ofApril!!
It took me ages to get going with this before the solutions started to steadily fall into place and I could no longer see why I’d spent some time staring at a blank grid. A good challenge and fun too with 13a, 19a, 5d (something of a saviour) and 16d among my favourites. Thanks very much to Dada and to Senf.
Other than a bit of a crumpet scratch twigging the context of the cause of RD’s frustration at 14d this was a brisk trouble free completion. A bit anagram heavy for my tastes but it was still an enjoyable solve with plenty of clues to like – 9,13,26&27a + 3,16,17&24d the picks for me.
Thanks to D&S – a fine rendition by a young Charlotte though I doubt she’d have displayed the same poise in front of spear wielding Zulus
But the 24th Regiment of Foot had somehow managed to recruit baritone Ivor Emmanuel 48 years before he was born
I’ve done Isandlwana & Rorke’s Drift a couple of times – wonderful experience
I better change my closing YT clip in t’other place
Definitely quirky and a tad chewy to boot, but very entertaining. 27a is an expression new to me. My cotd though is 16d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Par for the course of a SPP. Took a while to get going but then the pennies started to drop. I agree that the usage of Americanisms in 14d and 27a is an extra hurdle, but in the context of the clues and checkers both are gettable. LOI and my COTD is 18a.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
**** / ****
Probably a *** difficulty in general but I’m still working on 27a with my American vocab seemingly not working. 5d brought a smile reminding me as it did of the ‘irregardless’ debate 🤣. Ticks to the 9a female arrest, 13a hour or so and the aforementioned COTD prestige-less 5d!
Many thanks to Dada and Senf
Oh got 27a now but only with the help of Mr Google, I’ve visited the US and worked for US companies a lot(!) and I’ve not come across that one!!!!!
Nor me in spite of years working in US!
An enjoyable and reasonably swift warm-up exercise for other crosswords later, with main pause for thought being 27a, which I see some attribute to cricket, so possibly not American. One of those puzzles where “if in doubt, look for an anagram”.
COTD the wonderful 16d. Many thanks to the setter and Senf
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), O to the M to the G that was a workout and a half. At first glance I nearly wept into my gruel and orange juice with no bits as I could not get going. Thank heavens (you may insert your own deity) for the anagrams as they got me started.
Colonel Bagshot called as he wanted to convene the committee to discuss what he called ‘salacious language’ in today’s guzzle, but Miss Abinger used her veto. She said she did not wish to hear about body parts on a Sunday morning.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron. Pinch punch first of the month to The Man From Manitoba. Love to Jane.
I found this Dada puzzle at the easier end of his spectrum this week. A little leafing through his personal thesaurus was evident and a smattering of quirkiness throughout the grid.
1.5*/4* for me
Favourites 1a, 10a, 12a, 19a & 16d — with winners 19a & 16d
and all of these favourites gave me a smile too.
Thanks to Dada & Senf
Jolly good…thoroughly enjoyed!👍👍👍
COTD is 16D…oft used with the 2 ‘munchkins’ (grandkids..😉)
Good stuff Mr D, and of course thanks to Senf for another excellent blog ‘n hints.
Cheers!
I think my second word in 16d is wrong as it is not a synonym for please in any sense of the imagination. Nonetheless a very enjoyable puzzle today with no other holdups. It may be sunny but still pretty chilly in this neck of the woods. Thanks to all.
Not a synonym for 16d. Something that a parent or grandparent might say to a child asking for something – “and what’s the 16d?” – before the request is granted.
Thanks Senf, I think my answer is correct then.
The Americanisms aside, this was a really enjoyable challenge that was not too sticky and great fun to solve. 26a was my favourite this afternoon.
Many thanks to Dada and Sue.
27a is not a phrase we are familiar with (now we know why) and not one we will be using any time soon or ever come to that. Apart from that and the other unindicated Americanism ‘xxxxxx’ (horrible word) this was an enjoyable solve with a few head scratchers. Favourite was 17d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Another vote for 16D. I did enjoy this puzzle. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
My best effort for a couple of days… LOI was 24D’s hole, not helped by making hard work of 26A and 28A. Funny, I’m not familiar with 23A as a word, then realised I’ve been using one for about fifteen years 😸
Pody picks are 14A’s surface as I’m greatly enjoying the T20 World Cup, 18A’s definition, which took me a while to clock, and by contrast COTD is 16D, such lovely brevity and my ego was pleased to get this right away.
Thanks to Dada and Senf ⭐️
1.5* / 4* Very enjoyable steady solve with plenty of wit.
Favourites include the 14d performer, 26a diva and the excellent please at 16d
Thanks to setter and Senf
Last week we had two from Dada that were on a par difficulty wise. This week I found the two puzzles quite different. nothing to frighten the horses here and I have tried English and Japanese whiskey. I hope to sample some Welsh whiskey soon thanks for the tips.
16d 4d and 28a my fovourites today
Thanks to Dada and Senf enjoy your Balvenie🥃
Definitely a day when I was glad no one was looking over my shoulder to see how long it took me to fill in all the boxes. If I have 14d right, I don’t even see an Americanism in the answer. Not surprising as often so called Americanisms are words we have never heard in our 40 years in South Florida. And my sum total sports knowledge comes crosswords, so no surprise. But hey, it takes my mind off everything that is going on in the world right now so thanks to Dada and Senf. Especially liked the St. Patrick’s day picture. How I would love to go out and pick/buy some daffs right now. I can dream.
Due to limited time this was a bit tricky to get into and complete but I did so eventually. There were many entertaining clues. I liked 16d.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
A surprisingly swift start for a Sunday … then I needed Senf’s help (ta!) to get a full grid, for instance with the practice in 13a.
My top few included the 9a leading man, 10a number, and 17d cave. Thank you to Dada for the ingenuity and entertainmet.
Too many Americanisms for me which spoiled an otherwise decent puzzle. 23a, 14d and 27a are the ones I mean. Thanks to Senf for the hints.
Good fun and not too testing which was appreciated due to my coming late to today’s solve. Bunged in 14d due to unfamiliar US content. Yet more wretched aIs. 5d was Fav. Thank you Dada and Senf.