Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3312 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Senf
A very good Sunday morning from Winnipeg where my ‘heavy’ winter jacket is ‘on its way’ to the back of the wardrobe – tentatively – and the ‘lighter’ spring jacket got its first ‘outing’ on Thursday, but there is still a need for the Red Scarf and it is not being consigned to the back of the sock drawer yet. However, yesterday, going out for a Dim Sum lunch, my ‘extra light’ windbreaker jacket came out as the temperature climbed towards 17 degrees, but that may not last.
For me, and I stress for me, Dada quirkily friendly again, naturally with his own thesaurus at hand – two long ‘uns, six anagrams (three partials), one lurker, and two 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. And, remember, my electronic blue pencil is at the ready and the Naughty Step is OPEN!
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 12a, 26a, 2d, 4d, 9d, 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 Voice, one after a little music with it! (8)
ONE from the clue placed after all of the term for a little music and (with) IT from the clue.
10a I concede no oven used, fine to eat – this then? (11,4)
An anagram (used) of I CONCEDE NO OVEN contains (to eat) the single letter for Fine.
12a Form with jargon on, nothing less (7)
A synonym of jargon (used by a salesman?) and oN with the letter representing nothing removed (less).
18a Topmost vertebra finally shortened (5)
Straight out of the BRB and, presumably, medical text books – a (2,4) phrase equivalent to finally with the last letter deleted (shortened) – it makes a change from a clue about a Greek Titan.
25a Observe sheet for amount lost? (7)
A synonym of observe followed by a synonym of sheet (from a book?).
26a Russian music fan with melodious sounds impressed by beauty (10,5)
A nounal synonym (probably informal but there is no ‘qualification’ in the BRB) of beauty inserted (impressed) into a synonym of fan (as in a person with an interest in something or someone) and (with) a homophone (sounds) of a synonym of melodious.
28a Stop being admitted to general bank (8)
A three letter synonym of stop inserted (admitted) into a (US) General who was later President.
Down
1d Muscles in bodybuilder initially cooler, I must add (6)
The first letter (initially) of bodybuilder, a product that can act as a cooler, and the two letter abbreviation for something that I must add (to a letter?).
4d Trotter’s cry never heard? (5)
Nothing to do with a former fictional resident of Peckham – a homophone (heard) of a synonym of never.
8d Spanish man is in skirt enjoying life’s excesses! (8)
All of the honorific for an important(?) Spanish man and IS from the clue inserted into (in) a three letter synonym of skirt.
9d Game’s sexy photo (8)
A (children’s) card game including the apostrophic contraction of IS and a three letter synonym of sexy.
17d Crimson key (8)
A double definition – the second is adjectival.
21d Chuffed first of prisoners let out (7)
The first letter of Prisoners and a single word term for let out (as in rented).
24d A little twerp, a terrible dad (5)
The lurker (a little) found in three words in the clue.
25d Fruit under small piece of asparagus (5)
A four letter fruit placed under the single letter for Small.
Quick Crossword Pun:
MILL + WAR + QUAY = MILWAUKEE – a US city and/or a tool company.
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American train and bank robber Robert LeRoy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, was born an this day in 1866. Along with his partner Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid, their exploits were memorialised in the eponymous film released in 1969 which, if memory serves which it may not, accompanied by a young lady, I saw in The Odeon, Leicester Square. There was only one significant musical item in the film, the somewhat incongruous song Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and performed by B J Thomas:
2*/3.5*. This proved to be a pleasant Sunday diversion to start the day with nothing to frighten or excite the horses with 15a my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.
Pretty easy for a Sunday prize puzzle I thought, but maybe just a case of getting on the same wavelength today.
No real standout favourites as all the clues were very good.
Off up the library now, will the Sunday excitement ever stop?
A straightforward solve from Radio that didn’t stretch the grey jobbies.
18a has been duly noted.
My podium is 15a (love the expression), 8d and 19d.
Many thanks to him and Senfingtons.
2*/3*
I’m putting it down to antihistamine induced torpidity, but I found this a bit if a slog and not a lot to give a jolt to amuse the grey cells. I had to confirm 18a via Mr G but thought it a clever clue, so that with 19d and 8d make my podium. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
an approachable SPP, in which the bottom half went in more easily than thetop. I liked the long anagram at 10a and the long Lego clue at 26a but my favourkite clue was the 9d Lego clue, which made me laugh. Thanks to Dad for a most enjoyable guzzle and to Senf for the hints. A word of warninhg abouut discarding the Winter coat, Senf, “ne’er cast a clout until May be out” as my mother used to say!
But is it May the month or May the Hawthorn blossom?
That’s the problem isn’t. As a teenager, I used to mytter about old superstitions and suit myself 😏
Yes it is. May the month is ‘out’ – it’s June already! May the blossom is ‘out’ – but it’s still (perhaps) April!
A pleasurable puzzle – thanks to Dada and Senf.
I didn’t know the 18a vertebra but the wordplay was clear.
Top clues for me were 15a and 8d.
Thought our Sunday setter was being somewhat kinder than he can often be and the solve proceeded in good order with just a check on the vertebra.
Rosettes going to 12&15a plus 9&14d.
Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints and the music which took me back to a somewhat carefree time of life before all the responsibilities kicked in!
Good fun for a Sunny Sunday in Shropshire, with 26a my favourite, mainly because no one else has selected it.
My thanks to both Dada and Senf.
Well I was in a rush today, and that certainly cost me the pen! – I didn’t wait for Senf’s excellent hints and I bunged in an answer to 8d without parsing it properly – unfortunately the answer I gave was to an *individual* who enjoys life’s excesses, which I now know to be wrong. (Interestingly, I still got a shower of confetti and a cheery “Bravo” even though I have a (at least one) mistake!
Anyway – next time…
With many thanks to Senf and to Dada!
So easily done😢
I just don’t believe it. A Dada crossword that I finished and a very good Quickie pun. The world has been turned upside down. I will retire to a darkened room with a cold wet towel and lie on my back with the towel on my head until darkness falls. Thanks to Senf and Dada and please don’t have any shocks for me next week Dada.
A very enjoyable puzzle which i found very accessible. There were many clues which made me smile but 26a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the hints.
I too found Dada very friendly today . A nice gentle puzzle for a chilly Sunday. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
For me, I thought this was a friendly Dada for the most part with a little quirkiness and a some thumbing through his own thesaurus again this week.
2*/4* for me
Favourites 10a, 15a, 3d, 2d, 17d & 19d — with winner 2d
Smiles from 2d as well as 15a, 27a & 9d
Thanks to Dada & Senf
Like others we had to check 18a but fairly clued, the rest all pretty straightforward. No outstanding favourite but if pressed we’d go for 28a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
A fairly straightforward puzzle made harder by spelling 6d wrong and the incorrect last letter for 8d !
However a very enjoyable 2* / 4*
Liked 15a, 26a and 8d
Thanks to Senf and setter
The king has to be my favourite clue because it has such a neat anagram indicator, thank you Dada and Senf
A friendly puzzle with just 18a needing confirmation.
Top picks for me were 15a, 1a and 26a.
Thanks to Senf (the page formatting for the email worked) and Dada.
Happy to find a friendly Dada waiting for me when I got back from my pre breakfast walk, on a lovely cool South Florida morning , under blue skies. Can’t really pick out a COTD, too many good clues. Thanks to Dada and to Senf, especially for 12a where I was so on the uptake. A bit warmer here than your 17C, at 70F earlier, or 21C.
Definitely in the minority today as I found this fiendishly difficult!
4*/4*
15a and 8d favourites today.
Almost beaten by 26a, despite all checkers. Just seemed to tie myself in knots over this one!
Thanks to Dada and Senf
A day late but thought I’d swell the surprisingly small number of comments. Big smile at 26a & my clear fav in what was a pleasant & gentle puzzle.
Thanks to D&S – thanks for the film/music clip – a George Roy Hill masterpiece & far superior in my view to The Sting, which he won Best Director for.
3*/3* …..
liked 8D “Spanish man is in skirt enjoying life’s excesses !(8)”