Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3377 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, like most of the UK (or is it only England?), we are extremely hot and humid but only for three days with the ‘feels like’ somewhere in the high-40s/low 50s. Then, on Tuesday, we are forecast to return to pleasantly warm and humid with the ‘feels like’ in the low 30s.
Then yesterday, there was the ‘oddity’ of watching the England oval ballers playing an ‘away’ game (yes, I do know why) in Everton FC’s magnificent new stadium. But, I suppose ‘going North’ to play in Liverpool counts as an away game for the 15-a-side national team!
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada quirkily friendly with perhaps some lateral thinking required with one long ‘un, six anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and no homophones, all in a very asymmetric 31 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 – 16a, 20a, 21a, 23a, 1d, 4d, 20d, and 21d.
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 My time has gone – end of the road, is it? (7)
The concatenation of a (1’1,5) phrase indicates the end of the road perhaps?
12a Horrifying wizard, twisted expression (7)
Synonyms of horrifying and wizard.
16a Sudden workplace exit where bolt has come down? (9,6)
A double definition the first is an instantaneous withdrawal of labour.
21a Jerk banking on note (5)
An involuntary twitching of facial(?) muscles containing (banking) ON from the clue.
25a Unknown contraption, reason to close bonnets (7)
A three letter synonym of reason contains (to close) a synonym of bonnets.
28a Balearic island‘s whirlwind romance (7)
An anagram (whirlwind) of ROMANCE.
Down
1d One loves staying up close to wolf, periodically (5,3)
A poetic synonym of close (careful on the pronunciation), TO from the clue, and alternate letters (periodically) of wolf – I’ll let you decide if it is odds or evens!
4d Possibly canvas cover arriving, no roof (6)
A synonym of arriving (as in new beginning?) with the first letter deleted (no roof).
5d Pasta: knock up a huge serving, spaghetti ultimately (8)
Lego® at the ready – A three letter synonym of knock up, A from the clue, a three letter term equivalent to huge serving, and the last letter (ultimately) of spaghetti.
9d Smart new panties (7)
An anagram (new) of PANTIES.
17d Criminal merged with an officer of the law (8)
An anagram (criminal) of MERGED and (with) AN.
19d Screw up the thing, though not hard to get wrong (7)
An anagram (to get wrong) of THE ThING with a single letter for Hard removed (though not).
21d Cold capital in Kathmandu, over which what winds blow! (6)
The single letter for Cold and the first letter of (capital in) Kathmandu placed after an anagram (winds) of WHAT.
23d Spread is complete after start of banquet (6)
A synonym of complete placed after the first letter (start) of Banquet.
26d Performance of music is merry enough, first of all (4)
The initial letters (first of all) of four words in the clue.
Quick Crossword Pun:
CURRY + OAK + KEY = KARAOKE
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In 1980, Olivia Newton-John was one of the stars in a fantasy film musical Xanadu which was a critical and box-office disappointment, and along with Can’t Stop the Music, inspired the creation of The Golden Raspberry Awards to recognize the worst films of the year. Nevertheless, with the ELO, O N-J had a number one, for two weeks, starting on this day in 1980 for the titular song from the film:
2*/4*. I’m glad this was not too challenging after spending 30 minutes more than planned watching football and biting my nails on into the early hours.
My podium picks are 12a, 16a & 20d.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
I had to bite my nails too, and then Zandio awaited before bedtime
A puzzle of two halves for me where the east was relatively straightforward but the west caused me quite a bit of trouble. A dnf unaided as I needed a couple of hints to get me finished. Overall not high on the enjoyment factor for me today. Cotd though goes to 17d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I’m not always on the same wavelength as Dada and it took a while to figure out parts of today’s offering.
I don’t want to be on a step but I saw 7a as a truncated 1’1 6 2, but perhaps that’s because of too many late nights! 21d held me up with, for me, an obscure indicator, which it turn meant that 25a was the LOI.
Prize Puzzles are meant to be tricky and this fitted the bill, very enjoyable once I got into the swing of it.
I liked 1d and 4d, where I was totally misdirected.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf for the hints
Fairly gentle and enjoyable – thanks to Dada and Senf.
I liked 23a, 26a and 6d with my favourite being 7a.
This took a fair bit of teasing out, especially Devon and Cornwall: parsing 21a, 25a and 21d took forever. Not easy.
I can see where 7a is coming from but, having read S’s tip, I still can’t quite parse it. Maybe it’s me.
Doesn’t 17d need a reference to where this officer can be found as they’re aren’t from these shores or is that not how it works?
My picks are 23a, 28a and the clever 19d.
Many thanks to Radio and Senf.
4*/4*
In a perfect cruciverbal world the 5 letter word in my (1’1,5) 7a phrase would end in ‘é’.
On 17d, do you really expect Dada to follow conventions on indicating ‘foreign’ terms?
Thanks S.
I now get 7a.
Re 17d, I didn’t realize that, as whacky as he is, Dada was like that. What’s stopping him having officers from far-flung countries as an answer with no indicator?
This is a black mark against him as, for me, it’s just wrong.
Perhaps distance from the UK is a factor. Cap Gris-Nez can be seen from the White Cliffs of Dover whereas Cape Cà Mau in Vietnam cannot be seen.
Good shout.
He should have put ‘Gallic streetwalker’ or something.
Anyway, I don’t want to detract from what was an enjoyable puzzle.
Onwards!
Not too tough today which is just as well as the old brainbox has been frying for the last few days. This was our Sunday setter on top form, with the clever 7a my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
Another vote for 7a as pick of the clues. Can’t say it was my favourite Sunday puzzle but enjoyable enough,
Thanks to D&S – explanation needed for the why at 25a’s bung in & move on.
I agree with Tom that the SW corner was pretty tough going and I had to resort to Senf’s helpful hints to get me over the finish line….
Thanks to Senf and Dada
What a strange grid but a fun, if quirky in places, puzzle with a few curveballs thrown in. Unlike Tom. I didn’t think 17d needed a a reference to where the said officer can be found. The answer was gettable without it. The sudden workplace exit at 16a raised a smile as did the plea to stay at 23a.Difficult to pick a favourite but I’m going for the end of the road at 7a.
Thank you, Dada for a fun workout. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
The guy who helps me in the garden was trimming a shrub and came across this. They all swarmed out and I’ve never seen him run so fast.
What were they? If wasps then ok, but if yellow legged Asian hornets it needs reporting to Defra.
https://www.bbka.org.uk/identify-report-asian-hornet?srsltid=AfmBOop0JsR7gIA-OWcNJ9JnoEDaZ9s_r8iGC96w4-wHv6z6Rgg4R8LN
Hi, CD. They are wasps so I’ll leave them alone. I have an Asian Hornet app on my phone so I can report them immediately if I see one. Even if I’m not sure I still report it – better to be safe than sorry. 🦟
That’s good news Steve. Your photo reminded me of one of the first AH nests found on Jersey.
Fortunately, there have been no sightings in Shropshire as yet. Worth keeping an eye out though.
Did not know that – thanks for the heads up !
Got there in the finish with 21a being the last (still don’t really get it) but that’s probably just me.
At my wits end with England last night, when will they realise there are no prizes for having the most possession, and if they think they can beat the Argies by passing the ball continuously left to right across the halfway line, they’re in for a bloody great shock. Just start to play aggressive attacking football and don’ t be scared to take the occasional shot.
At the risk of the Naughty Step, TC if you have used the first three words as the fodder, the answer is a musical note. I now expect to see crosses all over this post. 😳
Ta for that, I got the answer okay, but couldn’t see the why of it, probably because my knowledge of all things musical is on a par with my understanding cat’s logic.
It took a while to get into this but once I got a foothold it proved to be relatively straightforward. My picks of the bunch are 7a, 16a and 21d.
My thanks to Dada and Senf.
2*/3*
A most enjoyable puzzle that thankfully didn’t require too much effort to solve.
7a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf
Question for the group: if I have to use some of the hints, can I still pat myself on the back for finishing the puzzle?
Of course, it is our raison d’être, I wonder how officer Crabtree would butcher that
“Raisin deter”?
Absolutely you can ! I always resist looking at the hints as much as I can though , and also using the BRB, so I know what you mean . It’s daft though as it’s the best way of improving.
Absolutely, Brad. It’s how we learn the ins and outs of cryptics.
I think that completing the grid is the best lesson and an unfinished grid is a lost opportunity! Throw everything at it. When you’ve done as much as you can, use anagram solvers, crossword solvers,( putting the letters in you know). Then look at just the across hints and see if anything breaks free. If all else fails use Danword on the internet. Job done. Good luck
Almost a friendly Dada puzzle this week compared to last week and just mildly quirky in spots. A generally pleasant solve for me
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites include 7a, 12a, 16a, 23a, 6d & 24d — with winner 15a
Thanks to Dada & Senf
Slow and steady ( very slow!) but got there in the end and only needed one hint to finish. Lots of “doh” moments. Clue of the day is 25a – a word I used more and more with my advancing years. Thanks to Dada and Senf
1.5* / 4* Quite a light but very enjoyable Sunday challenge.
Favourites today the 11a fliers home, 31d blow(nice word), the simple but effective fellow player at 22d and the end of the road at 7a
Thanks to compiler and Senf
Good afternoon
Definitely a case of fits and starts this afty, however I got there in the end. Mind you, the last two to fall, 25a and 21d, took some pen-chewing (that’s not easy when the top half is made of steel! )
and are therefore joint COTD, if only for the sense of relief gained from my Lucky Green Pen finally inking them in.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
I thought Dada was friendly today , but then I got stuck in the SW ,as a couple of the clues were quite cunning. Needed BRB help to get me on my way. An enjoyable solve . Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Unlike most others, I found this very chewy. Got there in the end but my brain is now well and truly mangled.
Top picks for me were 7a, 11a, 18d, 21d and 22d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
A testy puzzle from Dada. I still don’t get 6dn, but surely cannot be anything else.
Solved this while watching a Canadair dipping into the sea and then swooping over into the next valley from us to quell a wildfire which has what has been described on FB as a huge fire (pine). Now joined by a helicopter scooping up water.
It is of course hot and a Sunday so many beachgoers from the cities will have passed down the main road that is somehere near the fire – but we will probably never know what caused it.
I have many friends who will be there fighting it. Hope they are safe.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Hi SW
My thinking with 6d is to put a river inside the total you get were you to add six more.
The question mark is Dada asking us to go with it.
I understand if you don’t but I’m cool with it.
Thanks. Those were my thoughts, but doesn’t seem very concrete to me.
Agreed but I liked his thinking.
Add six more to what though? A river? I think Dada’s question mark is doing a lot of heavy lifting there!
It’s adding to the river itself.
I agree though. It is pushing it.
It must be me but I just took as runs going into more than six. I must be wired differently.😳
Hi SC
It means add six to one river. ‘More than six’ could be any number greater than six.
NE last in for us, just how you see them I suppose. Some issues parsing but got them in the end. The most enjoyable SPP for some time. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to to Dada and Senf.
NW last in for me due to assuming wrong metal (xxxx) for 2d, never mind good puzzle thank you Dada and Senf
I approached this one with some trepidation as Dada has been rather chewy lately, but happily he must have been in a benevolent mood when he composed this one as it was right up my alley. Makes for a great weekend after England winning yesterday. Only covered over here by one TV station (requiring a sports subscription) and we don’t pay for it as they are mostly known for their fake news. But once the game was over we were happy to find the result announced widely. Even happier after the recent appalling interference by a certain person regarding the US team. Thanks for Dada for this Sunday treat, and to Senf for explaining a couple that put a fight.
A fine puzzle at the friendlier and quirkier end of Dada’s spectrum I thought. 25A and 4D were my favourites. 6D seems a bit clunky to my mind, but maybe I’m just not seeing it the way it should be.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I found this tricky especially in the South, and as I had a busy day and little time I needed the hints to finish. Now of course it all seems more obvious.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints
Mixed bag for me. Most of it flew in but I got stuck in the NE corner. Specifically the 10a/4d combo.
And as a camper van owner I am so disappointed in myself to not get 4d a proper doh moment when I worked it out.
I think my COTD was 9d even though it had a touch of the carry ons about it 🙃
Thanks all