Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3379 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg. Recall that four weeks ago I introduced the concept of ‘a ‘run’ of three ‘close together’ blogging milestones for me’; well, today is the second of those milestones my 400th Dada Sunday blog. However, only 99.5% perfect as, including today, there have been 402 Dada Sunday puzzles altogether, starting with the horror of ST 2978 on November 18th, 2018, with Crypticsue and Shabbo subbing for me once each,.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada very friendly with two long ‘uns, four anagrams (one partial), one lurker, and two(?) homophones, all in a very asymmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, all BRB verified where necessary, 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 – 10a, 12a, 13a, 16a, 21a, 7d, 15d, 18d, and an HM for the Pun.
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 Head in old coin (5)
A double definition to start – I often refer to 50% of the second!
10a Many staff and I go out of business (8)
A verbal synonym of staff, I from the clue, and a single word term for go out of business.
12a Maestro, foremost of composers, I’ll give you a lift! (6)
Not guess a maestro! The first letter (foremost) of Composers and a (3,2) phrase one might use when giving a person a lift (in one’s car).
16a How medicine may be given, failing that partner (6)
A two letter conjunction that can mean failing that and a synonym of partner.
17a Glossy trap – something attractive (6)
An abbreviated synonym of the something that is often informally referred to as glossy and a synonym of trap.
21a Lead in pencil I gather wrong – it’s a form of carbon (8)
Pronunciation matters! An anagram (wrong) of the first letter (lead) in Pencil and I GATHER – this needed a Eureka moment during a zero dark thirty visit to the smallest room in the house!
25a Maxim, a little saying, no meaning (5)
The lurker (a little) found in three words in the clue.
26a Reportedly big jar (5)
A homophone (reportedly) of a synonym of big.
Down
2d Selfish driver who may sound like a bore? (4,3)
A term for a selfish driver where the second word is a synonym of a homophone (may sound like) of bore.
3d Person flogging fish is an impudent type (14)
A single word term for a person carrying out flogging (not the selling variety) and guess a fish (related to a bass).
8d Living ingredients in a pudding? (5-3-6)
Written as (5,3,6) the ingredients in a pudding can give a (5-3-6) term for living (or livelihood).
18d Old clothes on – yes! (6)
A synonym of old contains (clothes) the Latin based preposition equivalent to on.
20d Recognise when ready for mining work? (4,3)
A way of describing being ready for mining work in relation to holding an appropriate tool.
22d Judicial punishment swift, say (4)
Av double definition to finish – the first is a slang term and the second is a definition by example (say).
Quick Crossword Pun:
MAUDLIN + CALL + LEDGE = MAGDALEN COLLEGE – pronunciation matters!
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Odyssey is a vocal trio, formed in 1977, and originally from New York, who are best known for their disco hits. Now based in the UK, the band is led and fronted by Steven Collazo, although there has been quite a ‘revolving door’ for female members, and continues to perform and record. The trio has enjoyed only one number one in the UK, Use It Up and Wear It Out, which reached that position for two weeks on this day in 1980:
This was very much a game of two halves for me, with the RHS going straight in and the LHS taking a tad longer. I had a couple of chewy ones, most notably 3d, a terrific word. My favourite this morning was 21a, another problematic clue for me.
My thanks to Dada and Senf.
It was lovely to finally meet some of you yesterday in Birmingham, and I trust you all made it home safely.
I, too, had a few pauses for thought in the west but once 23a fell, all came together. Had to confirm the use of 25a but in retrospect it should have been obvious. 22a gets cotd for the chuckle factor. Thanks to Dada and Senf and congratulations on the blogging milestone. Awesome.
12a, not 22a even if the latter is a good clue.
What a fabulous puzzle, so many smiles forthcoming. I’ve got ticks all over the page.
Top picks for me were 3d (great word), 5d, 12a, 19a, 22a, 8d and 6d.
Thanks and congratulations to Senf on another milestone and of course to Dada.
One of the most enjoyable puzzles in ages. Took a while to get onto the server’s wavelength though. Favourites include 3d and 12a.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Initially I feared the worst, but a cuppa and a bacon sarnie seemed to do the trick and steady progress followed.
4a was new to me but fairly clear when I took it step by step. The impudent 3d and Living 8d were both on the podium with 24a being awarded today’s prize for optimism but my COTD was 12a…I thought this was a masterpiece. I do admire all of our setters skill level.
Many thanks to Dada for being slightly gentler than usual and Senf for the hints – congratulations on the milestone.
We were promised a few raindrops this morning but if any have fallen they evaporated before reaching the ground.
A terrific puzzle from Dada that was, for me, by no means straightforward. I needed the hint to confirm my answer at 21a so my thanks to Senf for the explanation. It also took a time for me to get the Asian at 23a. I have two contenders for the top spot. The first is where the devil lives at 13a and the second is the Maestro at 12a. The devil was winning but then came the maestro and that became my COTD. A lovely clue.
Thank you, Dada for a fun puzzle. Thank you, Colonel for the hints, which were needed more to check my answers than to help with the solutions. Many congratulations on your 400th Dada blog.
Good to meet up yesterday and, as YS says in 1#, put faces to names. I was going to post a picture of Alfiepops who has something to show TDS65 but it seems the picture upload feature has gone.
Here we go.
An excellent shout from A-Pop
We aim to please!
2.5*/4*. I enjoyed this a lot and was on course for under my 2* time after completing three quarters but the SW proved to be much more challenging.
12a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf. Many congratulations too to Senf on another terrific milestone.
Gentle fare from Dada today but very entertaining – many thanks to Dada and Senf (and congratulations on another milestone ticked off).
I have too many ticks to list them all – I’ll just mention 10a, 12a, 3d and 20d.
What a smashing puzzle from Dada. Slow to start and it seemed like I was only getting every third or fourth. Then it was on a roll with the E filling rapidly. 3d was key to closing out the W. I had to check that 25a is indeed synonymous with maxim.
My picks of the day are 10a, 12a and 20d which raised a smile.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf
2*/4*
Sorry I wasn’t able to meet up yesterday, but a train cancellation and another being delayed left me on Basingstoke station for 2 hrs so I decided to abort the mission.
Sorry you missed it, CD. See you at Little Venice in January?
I have not been looking at the blog for about a week, so I missed your post last Tuesday about your recent health issue.
I wish you all the very best and agree with the others that your positive attitude will go a very long way in helping you through what might be a difficult time.
You are in my thoughts .
Keep forret! As we say up here. (Keep going forward).
Hugs.
Ora
Thank you, Ora. I appreciate that.
Really enjoyed this 100% completion. Last in were 18d and 23a. Favourite today has to be 3d took a while to get that one and it then gave up 23a.
Completed and submitted within target. Thanks for the explanations I needed them to understand 17a I had the right answer but couldn’t parse it.
Thanks all
Good Sunday offering – 20d made me smile. Reassuring to read others struggle here and there too.
I was so looking forward to it, but hey ho. At least they won’t cancel the train to London.
A fairly straightforward solve from Radio that all went in fairly smoothly with my LOI being our Asian chum.
3d is indeed a splendid word and 13a reminds me of that highly entertaining cartoon character.
My picks are 12a, 3d and 18d that was excellent.
MTTTA and Senf (600 to go which you’ll easily get to as you are the Joe Root of blogs)
I forgot to rate it
2*/3*
I don’t know Tom, another 600 is a little over 11.5 years; my brain might well give up long before then.
Nonsense. You’re a machine!
A lovely puzzle, I needed help with the parsing of 21a and had to check my answer to 28a as I did not know that synonym. My favourite was 13a.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints, many congratulations on your milestone, may there be many more!
Apart from a couple of rather obscure words and phrases, the Toughie by silvanus is approachable.
Well today I must say I don’t agree with Senf’s take on the this Dada puzzle. For me I thought this was a rather unfriendly puzzle this week with plenty of his personal thesaurus use as well as being extremely quirky, especially in the south. Definitely at the tough end of his spectrum.
3*/3* for me
Favourites 11a, 12a, 2d, 3d, 6d & 9d — with winner 3d
Smiles for the winner as well as 12a, 2d & 6d
Thanks to Dada for the head mangling & Senf for hints & blog
I dont know why but everything fell into place for my fastest ever Dada SPP. I must have been on wavelength as I could tell that it wasn’t a doddle. I loved the cleverly worded musical Lego clue at 12a and the geographical anagram at13a. The impudent chap at 3d was good fun, though not new to me and only 25a mystified me, though Mr Google helped there. Congratulations to Dada and Senf and thanks to the former for an entertaining puzzle and to the latter for the hints
A pleasant and enjoyable Sunday saunter, I was on the brink of asking for help on parsing 24A then, as often happens, it clicked.
Pody picks go to 12A’s punny lift, 6D’s lofty tale and 18D’s clothing success. I’ll bung in a bonus bronze for 24A too.
Thanks to Dada and Senf ⭐️
I thought Dada was friendly today. Only held up by a couple in the SW, and I did get a little help on 18d. 25a was a new one for me . Enjoyable solve. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I agree that this was first class. Anyone who can produce a clue like 3d definitely has a sideways mind. It was all quirky from the Maestro to the staff going out of business via the devil’s home and the anxious major. The only one I worried about was 23 as my geography is not as good as that of CrissCross. Congratulations and thanks to Senf, big thankyou to Dada. I am still trying to face unpacking my suitcase !
I liked it ! Lots of penny drop moments.: 12a, 19a, 5d.
Thanks to all concerned.
Lots of fun but had to work for it. Just as it should be. 3d and 12a most chuckle inducing.
Thanks to the setter and to Senf who’s blogging thoughts i shall now.enjoy.
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), I am rather late today due to attending a feast that combines the first meal of the day with that usually taken around the middle of the day. I cannot name it.
Enzo’s in Weybridge was the place, and jolly good it was too, thank you very much. Then around the corner to Waitrose (air conditioning! Hooray!).
Pleased to hear George is on the mend but sorry that Divine Daisy’s plans were thwarted.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Chap Of Many Anniversaries, The Man From Manitoba.
I thought this was a walk in the park today .. all went painlessly.
My last in was 18d. My cotd was 24a, I thought the word play was rather amusing.
Re 13a .. been there and seen the devil … vicious!
Thanks to setter and Senf.
I took two sittings to finish this….but happily got there in the end, only having to check the meaning of 25a. I will try to remember it but ……brain becoming more sieve-like every day.
And to prove that, I’ve just had to correct my spelling of sieve…..
Thanks to the setter and to Senf…..and many congratulations on your various anniversaries.
We have finally had some rain here! Hurrah! Not a lot but a start. 2 heavy-ish showers so far and it is still overcast. Fingers crossed. I need some rhubarb!
Straightforward for the most part but a few sticking points. A number of synonyms that weren’t the first to spring to mind and we didn’t know the maxim so had to look that up. Favourite was 3d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
1* / 3.5* A nice gentle and very enjoyable Sunday offering.
Favourites today, the maestro at 12a, carbon at 21a and 26a was great !
Thanks to compiler and Senf
Reasonably straightforward though I also thought the RHS easier than t’other. 12a was my fav & also particularly liked 3,6,8&20d. Nobody else has brought it up so I’m probably just being dense but I can’t think of an example of how the required conjunction at 16a = ‘failing that’ unless it merely precede those two words.
Thanks to D&S – congrats on your 400th Dada blog. I’ve just read Sue’s full review of that initial puzzle + your hints & the comments that followed. Golly it was a stinker – Paul on steroids & then some
Perhaps incorrectly, I got the impression that, back in November 2018, Brian Greer’s (Virgilius) departure was at short notice and, as a result, John Halpern’s (Dada) first Sunday puzzle was from his Toughie folder. But, ‘things’ settled down from week 2 onwards.
Reading the comments from contributors back then (long before I discovered the blog) it occurred to me that we haven’t had any recent news about Jane or have I missed it?
I was slow to get started, but a few hints from Senf and I was off and running. One of the friendliest Dada puzzles for ages. Very much enjoyed, with 8d being my COTD. Plus a big groan, when I finally solved 13a. Thanks to Dada and the man from Winnipeg.
As for Young Salopian and Hintsman RHS was smoother ride than other half. Needed help with 25a and 18d and 8d was a bung-in. Thank you Dada and Senf.