ST 3202 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3202 (Hints)

by Senf  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3202 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Senf

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where, as elsewhere, meteorologists would have us believe that Spring started on Wednesday.  Personally, I go along with the idea that (true, astronomical) Spring begins on the day of the Vernal Equinox, in two weeks and one day time, when it is more likely that Winter will be over.

Perhaps I was having an ‘off day’ when I solved this on my Saturday evening but for me, and I stress for me, this was shades of November 18th, 2018 and Dada with his personal thesaurus at hand – with six anagrams (one partial), two lurkers (one reversed), and no homophones, all in a slightly asymmetric 30 clues; with 15 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues.

Candidates for favourite – 11a, 12a, 14d, and 16d.

As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, a number of the more difficult clues have been selected and hints provided for them.

Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!

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 Unusual phenomenon, part of service soon to be fragmented? (6,6)
A part of the illustrated service which could soon be in pieces (to be fragmented) if it was airborne as suggested by the definition.

11a Could boy be touring Northern Ireland, say? (6)
A (2,3) phrase equivalent to could boy be containing (touring) the single letter for Northern (which is not part of the definition).

12a Relative currency thus invested in outskirts of Gabon (8)
A currency (monetary) from an African country and a two letter synonym of thus all inserted into (invested in) the outer letters (outskirts) of GaboN.

18a A little music with it, number for singer (8)
A small amount (little) of music as one would see on ‘sheet music’ and (with) IT from the clue and a (the first) cardinal number.

23a Build box into which last of merchandise put (6)
The last letter of merchandise inserted into (into which . . . put) a type of box (often quite large and made from wood) – a not very well written clue.

27a Disappear, as might me and my best friend? (2,7)
What Steve Cowling might do with one of his (four legged) best friends.

28a Block of flats, for example? (3,9)
An example of what can be seen at the beginning of a line of sheet music including a ‘block of flats.’

Down

1d Popular count bitten by shark, say (7)
A three letter verbal synonym of count contained (bitten) by what shark is a type of (say).

3d Possible plea chap originally entered in midday trial (2,7)
The first letter (originally) of Chap inserted (entered) into an alternative for midday followed by a synonym of trial – I will save RD the bother – this is an Americanism, the possible plea is not allowed in the UK or Canada and other Commonwealth countries.

7d Jazzy, so bluesy, I’m so grateful (5,3)
An anagram (jazzy) of SO BLUESY.

8d Clean parasite (6)
A double definition – the second usually refers to a person.

14d Slap hurt: something ugly about that (3,5)
Something ugly (on the skin) containing (about that) a nounal synonym of hurt.

16d Two thirds of everyone in country — this one has six states (9)
Two thirds of a synonym of everyone inserted into (in) a (European) country to make another country (that has six states).

24d I’m off in a Roller, posh! (5)
A from the clue, one of the singular forms of something rolled (in a game of chance?), and the single letter used for posh.

25d Loot, some thief’s wages (4)
We finish, thank goodness, with a simple lurker (some) found in two words in the clue.

Quick Crossword Pun:

FRANKING + SENSE = FRANKINCENSE

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English singer and actress, Elaine Paige OBE, best known for her work in musical theatre, is 75 years young today. In 1984, she was one of the singers on the Concept Album for the musical Chess; this included singing a duet of I Know Him So Well with Barbara Dickson which was released as a single and reached number one in the charts in February 1985. She also starred in the original production of Chess when it premiered in London in 1986:

66 comments on “ST 3202 (Hints)”

  1. Dada’s Sunday offerings are always a delightful accompaniment to a Sunday morning cup of tea, though this one lasted well into the second. Excellent throughout.
    Of course 27a raised a big smile and it’s joined on the podium by 18a plus 3&24d but I think the brilliant 20d pips them all
    Great stuff.
    Many thanks to our esteemed setter and Senf.

  2. I thought this one was very good. I did not find it too tricky, although at one point I had most of the right hand side filled in, with very little on the opposite side. My only real pause for thought was parsing 19a.
    27a made me smile, and so that gets my vote.

    Many thanks to Dada, and to Senf.

  3. 2.5*/4.5*. I thought this was excellent apart from the unnecessary appalling grammar in the surface of 27a. Tsk, tsk!

    My crowded podium comprises 1a, 28a, 2d, 14d & 20d.

    This looks like the Plumb grid, but it’s not for his exclusive use, so I assume this puzzle was set by Dada. Many thanks to him and to Senf.

  4. Really enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Dada and Senf.
    I found it a bit trickier than usual (especially on the LH side) but’s that how it should be for a ‘prize’ puzzle (IMO).
    For my podium I’ve selected 27a, 14d and 20d.

    The Sunday Toughie by Robyn is a thing of beauty – do give it a go!

    1. Thanks for the plug, I agree. It starts with a belter at 1a and stays at a top level throughout.
      You may be called on as I am going out with Mama Bee but the blog is set to publish at 13:30

  5. Like Senf, I was convinced that Dada must have been using his own personal thesaurus for some of the clues.14d, 1a and 28a were very odd. I did finish the puzzle in the end but, unusually for me, on a Sunday, didn’t find it hugely enjoyable as I usually do. Thanks to Senf for the hints, much needed to parse some of the more oblique clues and to Dada for a puzzle which certainly stretched my boundaries

  6. Got there in the end – rather in the manner of Chelsea struggling to victory yesterday.

    Dashing off out to early-ish luncheon with H.
    Edge of The Chilterns; we hope we don’t see further HS2 desecration en route.

    Thanks to the setter and The Man (for me, and I stress for me) From Manitoba.

    1. At least I had a good book to read while waiting for the less than 90 seconds of action in the 90 minutes playing time.

      I am hoping that tomorrow’s SW6/TW8 local derby will be more entertaining.

          1. Just had a look on Amazon and it is available on Audible (my preferred reading platform these days). It looks good so I have used my last credit on it on your recommendation. I’ll let you know what I think but it does look promising.
            Thanks for the heads up. 👍

  7. Well this was a pleasantly tricky diversion for a uniformly grey Sunday morning in Shropshire. Definitely tougher than a regular Prize Puzzle but all the more rewarding for it. From several outstanding and misdirected clues, I have selected 14d as my favourite.

    Thanks to Dada (and I picked out the Plumb grid too), and to Senf.

  8. For me Dada at his most fiendish. Very very tricky. Had to make extensive use of the hints (who is Steve Cowling and what has he to do with the answer to 27a). Very little fun, far too tricky for that. This was a real slog.
    *****/*
    Thx for most of the hints (27a excepted).

    1. Brian, do you live under a rock? Steve Cowling is one of our company and a very frequent commenter so I am sure that we will ‘hear’ from him and at least one of his four legged friends later.

      In the meantime, look at Comment 25 in the blog for DT 30236.

      1. Yes, Brian, in fact I thought about Steve Cowling and another former commenter, LROK, asthat clue fell into place.

          1. I have just sent an email to Peter (LROK) but I have not heard from him for a while. I will, of course, let everyone know if I have news but I have no wish to bother his family.

  9. Didn’t enjoy this much ; a number of poor clues in my view , starting with 1A and 1D to name but two . Looking forward to the Toughie !

  10. Quite a demanding exercise to accompany Sunday morning breakfast and more. East was less testing than the West. Not sure 11a could fits the bill. 24d unparsed as I tend to use plural roller form. Took a while for 14d to dawn on me. Several crafty clues which were satisfying to work on. No particular Fav. Thank you Dada and Senf.

  11. 14 on first pass; slowed down after that. Needed the hint to see 28a, and even if the first word had come to mind I doubt I would have caught the link. ?e? Seems a bit unfair on a cryptic Def….

  12. A feast of excellent clues & enough of a challenge to keep me out of the gardening chores for a while!

    2*/4*

    Fav 27a despite iffy grammar LOI 28a.

    Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  13. Thank you, Senf. My best friend is now convinced it is time to go and is pestering me! :smile:

    I found Dada somewhat quirky today and I admit I needed Mr. G. and Senf’s helpful hints. I have an answer to 21a but cannot for the life of me parse it so I think the pen will remain mythical. Once I had sussed it out, I thought 1a was a cracking clue and would have been my COTD but that has to go to 27a despite the rather dubious grammar.

    Thank you, Dada for the fun. Thank you, Senf for the hints, which were most helpful. I had now better 27a.

    Not quite “spoons” but almost. They now play together happily.

    1. Oh yes, definitely an improvement in relations. Hudson must be a very accommodating dog. Who is Brian, by the way?

  14. I am pleased to have finished this one as for a long time I had completed only a few clues then the usual happened, I went away and when I came back the right hand side fell into place. I peeped at a hint or two to help get the left started and finally completed.

    27a was definitely my favourite!

    Bitterly cold here in the chilterns, and cloudy. Have been for a walk and now feel it’s an afternoon for more puzzles!

    Possibly an afternoon to be more cat. You can see that they have decided to occupy the sofa rather than their beds so we will be expected to share.

    Many thanks to Senf for the hints and Dada

      1. Thank you.
        They might not look like it but they are brother and sister, nearly 16 years old and incredibly friendly.

      1. Usually in the middle which puts hubby on the floor! You can tell who is in charge here.

          1. Hudson hasn’t quite got the hang of that yet, Senf but Perks has his plans! 🐈

  15. Another fine Dada puzzle today with a little of his quirkiness showing up throughout the grid, at least for me. Overall 2*/4* for me.

    Favourites today include 1a, 21a, 27a, 1d, 8d & 24d with winner by a country mile 27a.
    Runner up would have to be 1a

    Lots to like in here and nothing obscure or out in left field to cause issues in solving.

    Thanks to Dada and Senf for hints and blog

  16. East was fine but west was very difficult and the sprinkling of clues was very one sided to boot.

    Thanks to Senf and Dada.

  17. Printed off both of today’s puzzles and then mistakenly commenced with the Toughie, an error I’ve made on at least one previous occasion.
    There are plenty of words I could use to describe it but Gazza’s idea of it being a ‘thing of beauty’ was certainly not what I had in mind!
    I came to this one somewhat battered and bruised only to discover that Dada wasn’t in gentle mode either…… Fortunately he had included a few that really appealed, the best of which for me was 12a. The other podium places were allocated to 13&27a (despite the grammar) plus 14d.

    Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints & music – that duet was one of the best things about Chess, the storyline was very weak to say the least.

  18. I’m in agreement with comment @15 that was Dada at his most quirky with some quite odd surfaces: 23a, 27a and 18d for example. I could not, and don’t think I ever would have, got 28a, even though I had the second word as a bung-in. My favourite was 14d, which reminded me of the Brook Brothers classic. **/***

    Thanks to Dada and Senf

    1. I had to delete your video as it displayed the 14d answer – and it’s a Prize Puzzle.

  19. I can only echo the seven words that Senf uses when he says, “for me, and I stress for me”, because I found todays’d puzzle an absolute doddle – a very enjoyable doddle at that though I must add. I settled down to the task only a short while ago with an afternoon malt after preparing tonight’s dinner (stir fried chichen with plums and ginger) and proceded to solve pretty much unhindered. I marked 1a, 27a and 14d as my favourites. My thanks to Dada and to Senf – I have to admit to checking your comments in order to help my parsing of 24d though. P.S. Still wiping the tears from my eyes after laughing at both Brian’s comment and Senf’s reply to him.

    1. Hi Shropshirebloke,
      Do you have a problem with your email? I have been trying to contact you and consistently get the error: Requested mail action aborted, mailbox not found.

      1. Oh, sorry Gazza – I wasn’t aware of a problem. I’ll have a check.

      2. No problem that is apparent to me Gazza – I don’t use that address for a lot of stuff, but emails are reaching me ok. I can provide another email address, but I don’t know how to without telling it to the world, as it were.

  20. Hmm. Made me work hard. 28a was a real sticker, or even stinker! I am resigned to spending most of the day writing reports for the monthly magazine on WI, Cinema Night, plans for the Coronation, Safari Supper etc. It takes me ages and people get very sniffy if I skip a month. I wouldn’t mind so much if the radiator in the study was working – I am so bundled up with clothes I look like Mother Russia. Another week starts tomorrow- where on earth does the time go? Many thanks to the setter and Senf.

  21. Mrs. TWLC didn’t like the grammar in 27a either. A little on the quirky side but not too many hold-ups. Favourite was 1a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

  22. The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky, 80+F, and I’m off to the pool for some fun!

  23. Oh dear not good for this newbie! I couldn’t even get a few of the clues with the hints. Given up 3/4 of the way through, might have another look later after a glass of wine! When are the answers revealed?

  24. Excellent brain teaser.
    Many ingenious clues eg 21a and 20d.
    A joy to complete unaided.
    Big smile at 27a and 14d.
    So, 2.5*/5*.
    Many thanks Dada and Senf, especially for Elaine.

  25. No it wasn’t just you Senf. As tricky as I can recall a Sunday puzzle for quite some time. Very enjoyable indeed.
    COTD – 27a grammar notwithstanding.
    Comment/Reply OTD – Senf to Brian.
    Got there eventually but boy the pennies didn’t drop easily & particularly so with last in 28a despite the checkers leaving little doubt as to what the second word had to be.
    Thanks both.

  26. Not doing well today, rather under the weather. Struggled a bit with Dada but finished with a bit of online help. Did much better with the Toughie last night. Hope tomorrow is a better day. Thanks to all.

    1. Sorry to hear you’re a bit low, Robert. As my Scottish Mum-in-Law used to say “Hae yeself a boiled egg.”

      No idea why she thought a boiled egg would work.

      Unless it was the dram of malt that she advised should accompany it. 🥃

  27. I really struggled with this one, which isn’t like me with a Dada on a Sunday (unlike, say, when John Halpern is being Paul in The Guardian, which I always struggle with!). It took loads of Senf’s hints — thank you — plus leaving it overnight and some brute-force dictionary grepping to fill the grid.

    Putting in the wrong first letter for 9a (a very similar word, which kind-of fits the clue) prevented me from getting 1d for ages.

    I particularly liked 2d (“Sing in Grenoble”) and 28a (“Block of flats”), with 14d (“Slap hurt”) being my favourite. Thank you to Dada for the challenge and the fun.

  28. Saved this for a really wet Wednesday morning in Cornwall. So pleased I did because it took ages. The only contribution on the LHS was the rather fine reversed lurker to start with.
    RHS was enjoyable though, particularly 10a, 28a and 24d.
    When the penny dropped, 1a is brilliant and that then got the left going. I should have looked at the hints before I finished and saved the best part of an hour!
    Thanks to Senf, who presumably treated me to the music!

  29. Nice one, Dada ! A good challenge, but manageable with enough thought.

    ***/****

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