Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3370 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, if the weather forecast for the next 7 days is accurate (ha-ha), we will have missed out Spring completely and gone straight to Summer with temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada still almost as quirky as last few Sundays – seven anagrams (six partials), one lurker, and one homophone, all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 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 – 9a, 13a, 30a, 2d, 16d, and 23d.
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 Keen on pattern of fine threads, looking back – lovely! (10)
A synonym of keen (as in eager for?) placed after (on) the reversal (looking back) of a single word for a pattern of fine threads (produced by a spider?).
10a Meat and drink kept, as pickled (4,5)
A drink (that was issued daily in the RN) and an anagram (pickled) of KEPT, AS.
13a Fault found with perfect mount (5)
A behavioural synonym of fault and (with) the combination of a letter and a number that can represent perfect.
15a Reportedly, where apples found for agent (7)
The homophone (reportedly) where apples can be found as a drink.
21a Dawn in short, except if dark (7)
A synonym of dawn with the ending removed (in short) and a synonym of except.
24a Finely shave old man gripping end of blade (7)
A (formal) synonym of old man containing (gripping) the last letter (end) of bladE.
27a Feast in celebration on a cake (9)
A synonym of celebration placed after (on) A from the clue and a type of cake.
30a Testing wheel? That’s too bad (4,6)
A double definition – the first is an adjectival synonym of testing and a type of dairy product that can be referred to as a wheel.
Down
1d Killer, a killing made? (4)
A double definition – the second might refer to a large sum of money.
2d State is onto criminals, land invaded (9)
A synonym of land (as in achieve?) containing (invaded by) all of IS from the clue and (onto) the abbreviated form of a synonym of criminals.
4d Runner, flier; and hunter (7)
A triple definition – the second is illustrated.
11d Mark has trapped American bear (7)
A mark (on cloth from spilled liquid?) containing (has trapped) the ‘standard’ two letters for American.
14d Where planks cut, right length, bet I’m wrong initially (6,4)
Firstly (initially), an anagram (wrong) of BET I’M, followed by the single letter for Right and a unit of length (more than a foot but less than a perch).
20d Princess at home with lover, much appreciated (7)
The usual two letters for at home, a synonym of lover, and two letter word equivalent to much appreciated.
25d Feeling nice, oddly, what about that? (5)
As an interjection, a three letter synonym of what containing (about that) the odd letters of NiCe.
26d Article on middle of shelf for you (4)
A definite article placed before (on) the middle letter of shElf.
Quick Crossword Pun:
IRK + ADDER + MIA + WARTS = ACADEMY AWARDS – Hmm – not one of Dada’s best.
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American singer-songwriter Robert Allen Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan was born on this day in 1941. His second studio album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, which reached number one in the album charts in the UK, featured Blowin’ in the Wind:
All I can say is impossible- needing help with about half the clues – I will get my coat – I often find I can’t get on the wavelength of the ST – thanks Senf
It must be the sun affecting my grey matter because I did not find this easy at all. Much of the parsing eluded me and I had a couple of bung-ins from checkers.
My favourite is the Quickie pun.
Thank you, Dada but you beat me today. Thank you, Colonel for the hints and making sense of some of it for me.
I don’t think I have ever submitted a Telegraph Prize Cryptic with so many clues that I am unsure of filled in with ‘educated’ guesses. I have much sympathy with Paul Goeans, I thought i would never finish this tricky crossword. I d like the geographical clue s at 19a and 1d, the cryptic definition at 30a and the clever lego clue at 10a. Thanks for the rough challenge, compiler. It doesn’t do you any harm to have your ideas shaken up, when you get to my age. Thanks to Senf for the hints.
So glad it wasn’t just me. You epitomised exactly what I was thinking.
I do enjoy Dada puzzles. No, really, i do. However, nowadays, when I see a question mark, I find myself saying “oh now what?”
Thanks for the clues Senf. Having read them, I see that I had missed some of the parsing here and there, as discussed above.
That was brutal. I needed a couple of hints, many trips to the thesaurus and sheer bloody mindedness to get a full grid. That said I’ve still got some dodgy parsings to check against the full review next week. Thanks to Dada for the mind mangling and Senf for the very necessary hints.
Dada’s given us a tricky challenge (as a Prize Puzzle should be) which I solved from the bottom up. Thanks to him and Senf.
Top clues for me were 30a, 5d and 25d.
A tricky mental workout for a Sunday morning!
23D can only be one thing – but I honestly have no idea why!
Like everyone else says, that was a tough one. I am most grateful for the hints. Although I struggled even with those. It took me a while to work out why the answer to 23D was correct too. The penny finally dropped; split the answer 2,3.
That was H-A-R-D. Had to rely on my pal from Winnipeg to get me going after coming to a screeching halt at about the half-way point.
The builders are due to start tomorrow. We have a microwave on the balcony, and an air frier in the garden (don’t ask). I’m beginning to think we should have simply decamped to California for a month and left them to it. I know. First world problems. No doubt it will all be worth it.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man From Manitoba (an unusual moment where we share similar weather)
To difficult for me. Bizarrely the 12 clues i did eventually get were mainly the one’s you hinted. Thank you Dada and Senf nonetheless.
Need to lie down in a darkened room after this (fill in your own descriptive term!).
Took me a while to get going with the south coming together rather more quickly than the north. I liked the homophone at 15a and the unfortunate 30a. Thanks very much to Dada and to Senf.
Hmm. It’s probably me but I didn’t enjoy this at all. I found the top half almost impenetrable and there were dodgy synonyms galore (plus an unindicated Americanism providing whatever the opposite of icing on the cake is.)
Thanks to Dada and Senf anyway.
Have to say, I completely agree with you
Just had a look at it & I’m sure I’ll agree with you if I get a decent foothold in the north – I’ve just 4 answers in & the crumpet is getting scratched.
Not too bad in the south but no breeze.
Phew. That was a tricky little rascal.
We have completed the grid but we can’t parse 3 clues (not blooged).
First time that’s happened to us in a long, long time.
5*/2*
That was tough. Only 2 across and 3 downs on first pass. Steady plod to fill from the bottom up using checkers and reverse parsing on most of them. Still don’t see parsing for 8d. Confirmed with Senf the ones he’s hinted, but I’ll have to sit down and think about favourites as it’s a while since I did them. I’ll go with 30a, 1a and COTD is the perfect mount at 13a.
Thanks to Dada and Senf
Not for me, I’m afraid. Far too convoluted and unfathomable. Managed about ⅓, with difficulty, and with little pleasure. Never mind, there’s more to life than crosswords!
6 still to get. Very tricky and a lot of educated guesswork. Some of the parsing seems shoddy to me ie. use of valet in 9A. 8D also baffling.Hardly an enjoyable Sunday!
Love the palindromic alias! 😊👍
Valet is definitely a valid synonym , but agree a tricky beast. I think the setters are just higher mortals than the rest of us .
Oh I agree. That and probably half a dozen others. With so many to choose from, setters can just be as obtuse as they like. I think I was just being grumpy 😁
Gave up after five clues I’m afraid. I like a challenge but this was just too much. A real disappointment after a run of unaided finishes over the previous week.
Well yet again this week we have a Dada puzzle in a quite unfriendly mood, with quirkiness as far as I can see and personal thesaurus applied to almost every clue …. not a nice way to end the weekend as far as I am concerned.
3.5*/2.5* at best for me.
Dada seems like he is pretty damn moody these days (!!)
Favourites 13a, 15a, 19a, 22a & 5d — with winner 5d as it is practically the only clue that makes any flippin’ sense to me.
Thanks to Dada for rounding out a tough weekend of prize puzzles and to Senf who I am sure has a headache
This was difficult to open up, only three in on the across clues at first go, slightly better on the downs. The southern half went in eventually but I struggled to finish the NW corner 1a being last in but only because of the check letters.
I nearly “1d ed out” on this offering.
Thanks to setter and Senf.
Well glad it wasn’t me to find this one hard going. I managed to get through it with my big brain hat on , except I am still thinking about 21a. I ve read the hint , and still thinking …. I always feel pleased to have finished one that on the outset I think I haven’t got a hope in hell , so guess I did enjoy it. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
In 21a ‘Dawn in’ means the start or first letter in…
Oh gosh thanks. I got the answer but totally couldn’t parse it ! Is the hint wrong then ?
21a Many thanks, Gazza!
I’ve been up since dawn trying to parse this one … maybe the “hint” should be amended? Sorry, Senf!
‘Dawn in short’ could be the first three letters of a seven letter word meaning ‘dawn’ – think about what ‘come(s) up’ (synonym) at dawn?
P.S. I tried to edit out the superfluous ‘f’ but my technical skills have ‘f’ailed me.
Oh, thank you! I’ve learned something new.
A complete wash-out as far as I am concerned. No saving grace in this horror with which I can’t be bothered. Thanks for being there Senf as per usual. 🥵
I am pleased to see that, once again, it wasn’t just me. Definitely another brain mangler.
The worst part is that, being a ‘dyed in the wool’ paper and pencil solver, one or two answers ‘leap’ off my laptop screen, 28a and 26d today, while I am waiting for my printer to cooperate suggesting that Dada might have been in a benevolent frame of mind when he set the puzzle but that suggestion often turns out to be very short lived. There’s always hope for next Sunday!
🙂
A DNF for me, and very nearly a DNS! Didn’t understand most of the clues, even with the wonderful hints.
Roll on tomorrow, which is hope will be more my speed.
Thanks (I think) to Dada, and of course to Senf.
This was hard with my LOI being 1a that took me an age.
The friendly grid kept me in the game…just.
I’ve never heard of dulse which has been duly noted.
8d – what a song!
My podium is 6a, 13a and 25d.
MTT Radio and Senf.
4*/3*
8D song – totally agree, it’s going on my July birthday party playlist.
Just finished this one … wonder if I’m missing something cryptic on 5D, seems literal to me?
I thought perhaps that the Madness concert last night along with the heat today had killed off my crossword solving abilities as I found this a real struggle. So pleased to come here and find it wasn’t just me. LOI was 1a.
Top picks for me were 20d, 30a and 29a.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
I wonder if Paul/Dada sent this one to the wrong crossword editor?
My thoughts exactly
An interesting ‘wonder’!
I just don’t think like Dada,
Perhaps I’m going gaga?
North was like pulling teeth – got there in the end after a bite to eat & a beer but the solve time entered toughie territory. 1a&d the last 2 to yield. 13&30a + my fav 2d the podium choices.
Thanks to D&S
5* / 4* Got there in the end and after reading most of the above comments I’m quite proud of myself.
Favourites today are the lovely 1a, the 2d state and the plank cutting 14d
Also loved the dodgy quickie pun
Thanks Setter and Senf
I thought this was very tough but kept plodding on and finished it and felt very pleased with myself, now I’ve read the comments I can see I was not alone in struggling. There were a few I was not sure about the parsing of so my filled grid may not be with correct answers!
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
Third go after a nights sleep got me to within one clue of a full solve with 1a holding out until Senf came to the rescue. Thank you Dada for the toughest Sunday challenge I can remember!
As Gazza said above, a tricky challenge, befitting a Prize Puzzle, and I too solved it from the bottom up, which I think took the sting out of the bite.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
With help from Big Dave I’ve completed this except for 12a. I don’t think there are any comments here about this clue, so I must be missing something. Will have to miss submitting this one unless I have a sudden flash of inspiration! 🤣
You’ve shortened your usual alias so this needed moderation. Both variants will work from now on.
I am also having trouble with 12a and it’s my only one left!
Some of this went very easily but the remaining 50% was hard work!
Finishing off this Monday afternoon I seem to have fallen way behind with the daily puzzles