Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3266 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where it has certainly been ‘ark weather’ – the forecast was for 50-60mm but I haven’t seen a measured total yet.
For me, and I stress for me, Dada still quite friendly, with a sprinkling of quirkiness, with six anagrams (two partials), no lurkers, and no homophones all in a symmetric 28 clues; with 14 hints ‘sprinkled’ throughout the grid, you should be able to get the checkers to enable the solving of the unhinted clues. And, remember, the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 18a, 24a/9d, 17d, and 21d.
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 the 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 Grant given by God and His Majesty? Sweet! (11)
A synonym of grant placed after (given by) all of a Roman god (so the capitalisation in the clue is there to be misleading) and the two letter abbreviation for His Majesty.
10a Circumnavigator, male seen crossing the Pond, perhaps? (5)
A double definition – the first circumnavigated the globe from 1577 to 1580.
13a Wine: a couple cut right back (5)
The reversal (back) of all of A from the clue, a verbal synonym of couple (together) with the last letter removed (cut), and the single letter for Right.
16a Blue coin on end I spun (8)
The smallest value coin (in many countries) placed after (on) an anagram (spun) of END I.
18a Case of fruit out of one’s tree, terrible (8)
A single four letter word equivalent to out of one’s tree and synonym of terrible.
24a Somewhere to lay one’s hand? (4-5)
A surface where items used in certain games are laid down.
28a Fuss over number in place (11)
The single letter for a crickety over followed by a two digit number inserted into (in) a synonym of place.
Down
2d Stone a crowd (5)
A from the clue and synonym of crowd (as in attendance at a sporting event)..
5d Girl drops in collected facts (8)
Not guess a girl – a term for drops of water (that most of us have been experiencing recently) inserted into (in) a term for collected facts (that may be passed down from generation to generation).
7d Caine, not entirely with gratitude, performs in film (9,4)
An anagram (performs) of CAINe with the last letter deleted (not entirely) and (with) GRATITUDE – very appropriate selection of the first four letters to be used in the anagram.
9d Tidy the 24 Across and prepare for action? (5,3,5)
A double definition(?) – the first is to tidy up the items that can be laid on 24 Across.
17d Facial wound has servant confined to bed, briefly (5,3)
A six letter synonym of servant contained by (confined to) BEd from the clue with the last letter deleted (briefly).
22d Bottoms up for canine command? (6)
The Latin based synonym of for and one of the commands that can be given to a dog (canine) to stay in place.
25d Prime cuts of beef rare as veal, or well done! (5)
One of Dada’s favourite clue constructions, you just have to look for the indicator – the initial letters (prime cuts) of five words in the clue.
Quick Crossword Pun:
PITT + BOLT + HAIRIER = PIT BULL TERRIER
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The Rolling Stones’ sixth Number One which achieved that honour for one week starting on this day in 1966:
For some reason I found today’s oeuvre really tough to start, but once it was complete I could not for the life of me explain why! Plenty of anagrams to help get going and clear logical parsing, though IMHO the overall puzzle was definitely challenging. 1A great clue to start, my personal COTD. Thanks to Dada for the challenge and Senf for the blog.
An enjoyable Sunday prize puzzle. My particular favourite was 7d closely followed by the male crossing the pond in 10a
Thanks to Dada and Senf
Found this quite quirky in places. The parsing of 1a was a mystery until the obvious was pointed out in Senf’s hint. Doh. Very much liked the double in 24a and 9d, but in a toss up for cotd between 7d and 10a, the former takes the prize. Thanks to Dada and Senf
Like Chris R I found this tough to get going, but then it came together nicely.
1a held out the longest and that gets my COTD, followed closely by 7d.
Thanks to Dada and Senf
Finished OK but may have the wrong answer for 5d because it makes no sense! Otherwise an enjoyable puzzle so thanks to all. Still cold, wet and miserable – even put the heating on last night, in May for goodness sake.
Surely it’s just a girl’s name?
I’ve got a girl’s name but it doesn’t make sense of the rest of the clue.
Some drops we’ve had a lot of lately inserted into some collected facts
Thanks CS, doh!
Just how I hinted it
Oops, sorry Senf, missed the hint!
I agree, the answer fitted but thats all
Very entertaining – thanks to Dada and Senf.
Highlights for me were 13a, 7d and 17d with my favourite being 10a.
good Sunday fun much enjoyed.
Thanks to Dada and Senf
PS minor point 28a Senf I think you mean 3 digit number.
No, a two digit number that’s made up of three letters!
My apologies you are of course correct!!
2*/4*. I enjoyed this a lot with 7d my favourite.
I expect I have got something wrong, but the synonym of “few” needed for the wordplay for 8d seems a bit odd to me.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
Straight out of Dada’s thesaurus although I did eventually find an on-line source, not sure that I would call it a thesaurus (wordhippo.com), that converted what was required for the answer into few.
Hmm…
I concur with your 8d ‘Hmm’ RD
I too hmmm….
Found this a bit trickier than recent Sundays – not sure why, it just was. Runaway favourite was 7d with a smile for 1a. With luck, I won’t forget how to spell 22a again!
Thanks to Dada and to Senf – can’t say I’m surprised that old rubber lips only lasted for one week at No.1 with that particular ‘song’.
Yes Dada still friendly and very doable except I found 22d very arsey and had to seek help for it even with 3 checkers.10a stood out for me as soon as I got it with others earning getting a small upturn of the corners of my mouth.
Thanks to Dada for the crossword and to Senf for his blog but not for that dud from the (in)famous five.
As I have said before, my aim is to entertain and annoy in equal measure. I commented to my delightful video ‘checker’ that ‘someone will like it’ – perhaps they will be too ashamed to admit it?
I admit it! I really like the Rolling Stones, and this is one of my favourites because of it not being a ‘usual’ Stones song in the traditional blues style.
The use of the F Dorian mode is unusual in modern music and was very different at the time (which was before I was born).
That is my favourite Rolling Stones song!
A pleasant solve for a pleasant day. Here in Devon the forecast bad weather has yet to arrive.
COTD has to be 1a
Very tricky but strangely enjoyable. Some very stretched synonyms (13a) but also some really clever clues such as 24a. Dada at his best.
Thx to all
****/****
Lots of good stuff here. 1a provided a cracking opener – didn’t love the surface but the construction is fabulous. And 10a’s very tight. Interesting to see a very similar clue in today’s Observer, but Dada’s has the edge. 4d’s fun, 22d too. 13a reads brilliantly and, hopefully, I will never forget how to spell it again! Thanks to Dada and Senf.
I am very much in the club that found this hard to get into, but once I did, it flowed nicely. It certainly wasn’t a piece of cake, but very enjoyable and well worth the effort. 7d was also my COTD.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Loved this puzzle today. Had to check 22d was a real word as it was new to me.
Lots of ticks all over the place. Top picks for me were 1a, 10a, 5d and 15d.
Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Dada again this week at the easier end of his spectrum, although with a couple of quirky clues included as well as a glance at his personal thesaurus this week.
2*/4* for me
Favourites 10a, 16a, 4d, 24a//9d &17d — with winner 10a
Smiles from 1a, 4d, 24a/9d & 17d
Thanks to Dada & Senf for blog/hints
I agree with most of the comments so far but am surprised no one has voted for 11a which I thought was outstanding.i had to get George to approve 15d, 1a was fun but I too thought 13a was a big ask and it was last one in. It rained all night and all the morning we have had April showers – funny weather but my runner beans like it. Many thanks to Senf and Dada for the help and entertainment.
We are in the midst of a torrential cloudburst and water is pouring in through our letterbox and conservatory roof! Never seen rain like it even in the tropics
Seeing Ed Davey live in South Cambs and you are in bright sunshine DG!
Is that the Ed Davey who is a children’s entertainer?
No the Lib Dem chappie. Predictive text changed chappie to Charlie, how perceptive. Maybe he’s Davy with no e. Reckon Rishi has taken a job in America starting 5 July.
I was seeing him on the TV, not in person. But DG is only about 70 miles from us and she was in sunshine as we were in our cloudburst which is finally over but looks like more to come
Classic Dada puzzle…at first read through I was in some despair…but slowly and surely the grey matter kicked in and I managed to get on his quirky wavelength. A fair few smiles and a couple of groans when the penny dropped, but all in all highly enjoyable stuff👍 7D was superb!
Thanks, as always, to Dada for the challenge, and to Senf for the usual brilliant blog ‘n hints.
Cheers!
Found this trickier than usual but given the time it took to twig last in 28a (with 5 checkers & a pretty well nailed on 4 letter ending) I suspect it was a case of a brain not in gear solve. All very enjoyable. Ticks against 1&10a plus 7&15d
Thanks to D&S
We spent a fair bit of this coming up with the answer then working out why it was right, sometimes it just works like that, it didn’t take away from the enjoyment though. Favourite was 18a, there were other contenders. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Decidedly tricky for me, nothing until 24a on first run through, then I did a bit better with the downs. Gradually I filled in the little squares, having to resort to ehelp towards the end, even so, I bunged in an incorrect answer to 16a that had no relation to the clue. I guess I’m a technical DNF. Lots of good stuff, 18a and 22d stood out, but fave has to be the circumnavigator.
Thank you Dada for the fun, and Senf for help sorting out my errors!
I thought this was a fantastic puzzle, even though I only had one clue on first parse. A new word in 22d but it was gettable with the clue. 10a was my favourite and 28a my last in.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints ( minor point but I think there is a homophone – not sure if I can say more)
Of course there is! Note to self – less of the vino collapso when solving and blogging!
That would be no fun!
Heavy going to start with but surprised myself by eventually making the grade. 13a had to be but I was working on a couple. Wonder how many non-Brits will have sussed 15d – I am a Brit but needed help with it. Podium candidates 11a, 17d and 22d. Lovely sunshine after welcome rain overnight here in West Sussex – perfect for good growing and no required hand watering. Thank you to both Dada and Senf.
I had trouble at first, but by the time I revisited it, I had all the checking letters and just needed to fit in the missing ones.
Same here
For me, and I stress for me (™ Senf) this was Tricky McTricky. I abandoned the guzzle this morning in order to take The Youngster and her pal to the railway station, as they are attending the ‘Cross The Tracks’ festival in London. The headliner Erykah Badu pulled out just now due to illness so they will be very disappointed. I hope the intermittent heavy showers we are having are not hovering over Brockwell Park.
I returned to the guzzle just now and found it a friendlier challenge. There’s still a couple where I’m unsure of the parsing.
Thanks to Da-doo-ron-ron and The Man From Manitoba.
1a and 24a, I loved them…
Like others, nothing on the first pass but then everything fell into place. Good puzzle.