Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3388 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
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A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where Mother Nature has been giving us some welcome gentle rain.
For me, and I stress for me,© Dada very friendly once I had cracked two or three clues. Six anagrams (two partials), one lurker (not hinted, you are on your own), and one homophone, all in a symmetric 32 clues; with 16 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! You might even need your favourite e-search ‘assistant’!
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 – 9a, 13a, 15a, 3d, 11d, 14d, 20d, 23d, 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 Boy, patient should the need arise (4,2,4)
Guess a boy, the youngish looking individual below may, or may not, help, he’ll be 55 on Christmas Day, then split the name (4,2) and add a nounal synonym of patient.
10a Burn: react differently in nature (9)
A synonym of burn (as in scorch?) and an anagram (differently) of REACT.
12a Asian country in Iran almost rebuilt European country (7)
Guess an Asian country, one on the Southern side of a stretch of water very much in the news at the moment, which has to be inserted into (in) an anagram (rebuilt – oh dear three letters) of IRAn with the last letter deleted (almost).
17a Muscle I nearly forgot seen after blink of an eye (7)
Two letters for a last minute addition, which was nearly forgotten, to a letter placed (seen) after a single word term equivalent to a blink of an eye – it will be interesting to see if Rahmat Ali covers the etymology of this word in the full review, anyone attempting to explain the etymology of this word today will probably be sent to the naughty step.
21a Fantasy fruit satisfied, guzzling unspecified number (7)
A fruit (from a palm tree) and a three letter synonym of satisfied (terms and conditions?) containing (guzzling) the letter that represents an unspecified Number.
24a Curious piece, cheesy fare (7)
The concatenation of a (4,3) phrase equivalent to curious piece.
27a Finished work of crossword writer, painful (9)
A two letter synonym of finished and a single word that describes the work of crossword writer (the one that begins with S not C).
30a Great job, beneficial (4,3,3)
A double definition – the second might be what your mother said when she was trying to persuade you to eat your vegetables.
Down
1d Lift sailor (4)
Another double definition – the second is one of the nicknames for a sailor.
3d Expression I had attributed to Douglas’s isle (5)
The contracted form of I had placed before (attributed to) the abbreviated form of the island of which Douglas is the capital city.
4d Heavy fruit clown dropped on head (7)
A famous circus clown, when circuses were ‘acceptable,’ placed before (dropped on) an informal synonym of head.
8d Bonus for each is brought in fairly (10)
The Latin based term equivalent to for each followed by IS from the clue contained by (brought in) a synonym of fairly – the answer is often reduced to a four letter term presumably because some/a lot of people cannot spell the full length word.
14d Nobility high-bred, by the sound of it? (5,5)
A synonym of high and a synonym of a homophone (by the sound of it) of bred.
16d Hates leading pair in romantic novel in Audible range (7)
An anagram (novel) of HATES and the first two letters (leading pair in) of ROmantic.
21d Got angry after 50 per cent reduction in food, and sought edibles (7)
A single word synonym of got angry placed after what remains after 50% of the letters of food have been deleted (reduction) – I’ll let you decide which letters ‘go’ and which ‘remain.’
26d List of options from e.g. Queens University (4)
The perhaps incongruous term for Queens on a board of 64 squares and the single letter for University.
Quick Crossword Pun:
AWRY + EARNS + PELT = ORION’S BELT
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Rock singer and stage actor Bernard William Jewry, initially known professionally as Shane Fenton and later as Alvin Stardust, was born on this day in 1942. As Alvin Stardust he had one number one success with Jealous Mind in 1974:
Thanks for explaining how I got 16d and 26d! Otherwise no problems, thanks all.
A very gentle Dada today. My only delay came by an incorrect and unparsed second word in 14d. Schoolboy error which became clear as the answers in the SW corner were solved. Overall grand fun. Thanks to Dada and Senf
I also put the wrong second word in 14d to start with!
Where is everyone on this site!!!!
Off on 19as and munching 24as?
I do like a 24A, yum.
PS Many thanks to Dada and Senf!
I’m at The Oval watching cricket, as I believe is Silvanus.
Hopefully looking at the weather forecast we won’t see Duckworth-Lewis!
I have only just woken up and it is still dark so I have no idea what the weather might be doing. I need coffee!
An early solve ‘n’ post today before other tasks take over the day. An enjoyable challenge, mostly straightforward, found myself getting the answer of several then working backwards. My final trio were 8D, 18D and 17A.
17A – absolutely could not parse this – missed the ‘I forgot’ intention but the blink of an eye word is one I didn’t know. Also couldn’t explain the Queens of 26D, so thank you for covering both in these hints!
Pody picks – another unfamiliar word in 8D, 13A’s definition and the crossworder’s plight in 27A.
Thanks to Dada and Senf ⭐️
I enjoyed this. LOI was 8d which was a new word for me and one I had to check.
Top picks for me were 9a, 17a, 21a, 13a and 14d.
Thanks to Senf and Dada.
This took a bit more work than usual but didn’t cause too many headaches.
My pangram antenna bleeped early on but it ended up being a faulty connection.
I tried my darnedest to get an anagram out of 10a until I got the second and third checkers.
It’s a shame that the plural of 8d has been shortened as it’s a great word. People get lazy, I suppose. As people know, I shorten words all the time. So, I’m as guilty as anyone.
Talking of great words…7d is part of an excellent expression I try to use as much as possible, occasionally replacing it with ‘caboodle’. Another top word.
I didn’t see that 25d was an anagram for yonks which is amazing due to its brevity. A very good clue.
I haven’t heard of Audible which is a tad ironic and ‘I nearly forgot’ is superb.
My picks are 9a, 27a and 4d.
MTT Radio and Senf.
3*/3*
I needed that clue for 25d. Didn’t spot that at all!
Your comment went into moderation as you used only your first name compared to your full name previously. Both should work from now on.
Not too tricky and enjoyable – thanks to Dada and Senf.
I particularly liked 9a, 17a, 21d and 26d.
A terrific puzzle from Dada, which took a little longer than usual. Like others, I had the wrong second word at 14d but it did fit the checkers. As for 24a, I love the fare and get mine from F & M. Like Tom, I thought 25d was a great clue because the AI was very well hidden. My COTD is the fantasy fruit at 21a and, as fate would have it, Tight Fit are singing “Fantasy Island” on the radio. That happens a lot – I’ll be entering a word such as, “Waterfall” say and someone on the radio says it as I type it. It’s a weird world.
I liked the Quickie pun.
Thank you, Dada for a great Sunday challenge. Thank you, Colonel for the hints.
Weird indeed, Thanks to Twm and Smylers I have wordled in 1 today🥇🎯
Excellent!!!!!
A very satisfying fill without too much crumpet scratching. I looked at 1a and then 1d which I got straight away, this in turn enabled 1a after which it was fairly plain sailing. However, my last in was 10a which I was convinced had to be an ******* of the first 2 words. In the event I was only proven wrong when I had all the checkers in place. My podium selection is 1a, 8d, a lovely word, and 20d.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
PS I see TDS had the same issue with 10a , but he has used the word I avoided for fear of the naughty step.
For me this was a much more approachable Dada puzzle with no hold ups, I did have to check the answer to 8d as it was not one I use in that form.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints
**(*) / ****
A very enjoyable offering from Dada today. I’ll join those who tried to work a full anagram at 10a. I’ll have to make up a tie today as I’ve got 4 for the podium: the gold plated cube at 13a, the feline trap at 22a, the finished work at 27a and my COTD the so well disguised 25d.
Needed the hint and research to get 8d though. Pretty sure I have the right answer but still can’t adequately parse it even after the hint. Will have to wait for RA for that one. That’s the extra * in the rating.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf
We ploughed the fields and scattered in church this morning, good old school assembly hymns. Then home to a glass of Madeira in the garden with the guzzle. I am such a siberite! What a lovely workout, a perfect mixture of lightbulb moments and head scratching. I didn’t quite understand why 9a was what it was but it cannot be anything else and when I saw the ‘q’ and another rare letter which I had better not mention in case CeeSue is still lurking, I went on pangram alert but it didn’t happen. 8d was my last one in and the trickiest I thought. Now for the Toughie. Many thanks to Dada as I am told it is Dada, and to Senf enjoying some gentle rain. Send some our way, please!
Not sure that I can send rain from Manitoba but you might get the remnants of a Nor’easter that has been travelling up the Eastern side of the USA and Canada this weekend.
P.S. I would like to think that if, and when, sibarite appears in a crossword it is correctly spelt as Sybarite
Ouch. I should say it was a slip of the finger.
What a great word it is, Day Zee. A new one on me. The origin of which I have delved in to.
I’m amazed I’ve never chanced upon it.
Never heard of the word at 8d, so had to resort to my ancient Franklin Crossword Solver machine which is still going strong after nearly 40 years, best thing I ever bought.
100%agree. I’m gutted they no longer make them.
Welcome to the blog. Now, please tell us what you thought of the puzzle.
If you visit amazon.co.uk, where else, and search for ‘franklin crossword solver’ you might be surprised!
I did and I was surprised. 😊
This week Dada at the friendly end of his puzzle setting spectrum. However he still showed some quirkiness as well as some thumbing through his personal thesaurus.
2.5*/3.5* for me
Favourites include 1a, 6a, 10a, 13a, 2d & 3d — with winner 10a
Smiles from 22a, 28a, 5d & 18d
Thanks to Dada & Senf for blog
This took me me little longer than expected as I did it having just driven back from a few days in Devon celebrating our nth wedding anniversary and while keeping an eye on the match at the Oval. Great fun as always on a Sunday, with 26d my favourite.
Many thanks to both Dada and Senf.
For me, and I stress for me (© Senf), Oh! Easy was it? Oh I’m so pleased for you all up there ^.
This guzzle was H-A-R-D (for me, and I stress etc).
8d is one of those jolly words that not only rolls orf the tongue but, equally, is delicious to see strolling across the page.
I understand that we are going for a lovely walk somehere in the Surrey Hills. This, despite the weather forecast and the ominous clouds hovering above. This could all end in dampness.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man From Manitoba, singing in the rain.
There have been some very entertaining puzzles this week, but today has to be my personal favourite. 1a set the tone for me – first in and it created a huge chuckle. Not overtaxing, but lovely entertainment after a morning preparing a lamb curry and Bombay potatoes. Earlier this morning, my wife who had already done today’s Wordle in 5, said she couldn’t get rid of a brain-worm as the word appeared in an old song – after two attempts I had an S, O and P in the wrong places, so with her comment in mind, one answer seemed obvious – and it so proved to be – and I guess that one of our number will also like it if he is a wordler too
Thanks to Dada and to Senf also, but no hints required today though 
I don’t normally, but after comments from Twm and Smylers I wordled in 1🥇
Good afternoon from the lakes. Have just finished Sundays prize puzzle but still have Saturday to do. We were being blown off the top of Grasmoor yesterday and I was frankly too exhausted later on to do anything but raise a glass of wine to my lips and have a ridiculously early night. Apparently winds on the tops were up to 50mph over 600m altitude.
Anyway I am waffling here. Very enjoyable puzzle 8d and 17a needed the hint for but the rest went in nicely. I too had the wrong second word in 14d and it was only on solving 27a I realised my mistake.
Thanks for explaining 26d as the answer was obvious the reason less so. I still don’t know why 9a is what it is though??
25d is my COTD so simple and yet took ages to see a real 25d moment when I worked it out!!
Thanks all
Good afternoon
Started off this morning and managed to get a few early entries in, although I did myself no favours by marking out 1a as 4, 3, 3 instead of 4, 2, 4….
One or two in the bottom half caused a little bit of grief: 21a was a surprisingly late revealer; 17a similar (but a tremendous clue and therefore COTD); but what really flummoxed me until right at the very end was my last to fall, 18d. I just couldn’t see it! Got it now, though, but.
Many thanks to Dada and Senf.
As no-one has come close to being sent to the Naughty Step and as I am feeling generous, a bonus hint for 9a which appears to have caused a little head scratching for some:
A synonym of top (as in the uppermost part of anything) and bRIt with the outer letters removed (stripped off) gives an Italian island.
one of the 9a confused, thank you for this as I get it now !!
12a Senf … just asking … what is your problem with 3-letter anagrams?
I like my anagrams to be a little more challenging; five letters minimum! Usually, moving only one letter is required and sometimes a reversal will work just as well if not better. I could give an example of the latter but it is too ‘close’ to today’s 12a. If I can remember I will include it in the preamble for the blog in two weeks time.
At the more straightforward end of the Sunday spectrum today with plenty of chances to get a foothold. Favourite was 14d. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
This is the first puzzle I have managed to finish since moving house four weeks ago! What an upset it is especially after 33 years in the old house . A physical and mental test of character . Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the work out today and greatly appreciate the hints , thank you setter and Senf.
I’m late on parade as I have hhad my family visiting so i cooked a rast beef dinner with allthe trimmings to thank my son for all his help cutting back my overgrown srubs and ahowing me how to use a firestick to tune into the BBC iplayer on my elderly TV. I do the Dada SPP before geetting up and found it surprisingly gentle. I liked the lego clue at 5d (:lovely word), the geographical clue at 1w and the cryptic homophone clue atc14d. Thank1s to Dada and to Senf for the hints
1.5*/4* Took a while to get a good foothold, but things fell into place nicely after that. A couple of parsings needed checking (thanks Senf) and a new word for me at 8d.
Favourites today include the Quickie pun, the patient boy at 1a, I’m leaving at 12a and nobility at 14d
Thanks to Senf and compiler