Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31259 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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A Saturday Prize Puzzle which was the perfect antidote to a very grey and damp Saturday morning. I know we need the rainwater here in Kent but a little bit of sunshine would be nice too!
No indication on the Puzzles Site today as to the name of the setter so I expect the inclusion of Django’s name yesterday was a one-off. I have a fair idea who provided us with a nice mix of clues – it did seem as though there were a lot of anagrams but that is because they are close together in the Across clues. I would also suggest that this is one of those days where solvers should bear in mind that, if in doubt, they should look for a lurker!
Please ask for help if you are stuck on clues I haven’t hinted, but before doing so, please read the comments that appear before yours, so that you are not duplicating questions, and make sure you obey both THE INSTRUCTIONS IN RED at the end of the Hints and the blog’s Comment Etiquette – Big Dave’s Crossword Blog)
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.
Across
3a Andi Peters renovated flat (10)
An anagram (renovated) of ANDI PETERS
13a Go with a b-business? (9)
A (from the clue) and a business where the first letter is repeated in the same way as business appears in the clue
16a Right numpties rolling drunk (6)
A reversal (rolling) of an interjection of agreement (right) and some informal idiots (numpties)
22a/1a Short book is good to adapt, about right for a film (9,4)
Truncate (short) a verb meaning to book and follow with an anagram (to adapt) of IS GOOD into which is inserted (about) the abbreviation for Right
24a Son caring for insect population (5)
The abbreviation for Son and an adjective meaning kind-hearted (caring)
28a Historical region spread to preserve a language (10)
A historical region of Germany – a spread made of blended meat, herbs etc, into which is inserted (to preserve) A (from the clue) and a language
29a Carbon-free load in mythical ship (4)
Goods carried by a ship or plane (load) without the chemical symbol for Carbon
Down
1d Search for water – amount round wicket (5)
An amount administered at one time goes ‘round’ the cricket abbreviation for Wicket
4d Established a title that’s raised issues (8)
A reversal (that’s raised in a Down solution) of a simple way of saying established, A (from the clue) and a title
8d Butter from children’s nurse the best ever? (5,4)
A children’s nurse and an acronym describing someone who is the best in their field
14d Daily trim? That keeps things tidy (5,4)
A daily publication and a verb meaning to trim
15d Dutiful man supporting old bishop (9)
A male attendant (man) goes after (supporting in a Down solution) the abbreviation for Old and the chess abbreviation for Bishop
24d Fix some pot-au-feu for instance? (4)
An informal word for a troublesome situation (fix) is also the name of a dish the French would call a pot-au-feu
25d Temperature in Rome disrupted rail system (5)
The abbreviation for Temperature inserted into an anagram (disrupted) of ROME
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The Quick Crossword pun: MORGAN + EWE + KHAN + HANDEL = MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE
Great crossword.
Great entertainment for a soggy Saturday here in South London. We are just relieved we went to the test match yesterday and not today. As to the puzzle, it all went in very smoothly with the 22/1 combo coming out on top for my favourite.
Many thanks to whomsoever and Sue.
How typical of the cruciverbalist’s world, asay ofdisappointment yeesterday followed by areally enjoyable guzzle today. I particularly enjoyed the geographical clues at28a, 26a and 7d and the anagrams. Thanks to CS for the hints and to the compiler.
10a was first in and everything flowed from the resulting checkers and so it continued; a bit like snakes and ladders. More workmanlike than thought provoking with my pick of the bunch being the monstrous female 21a, the drunk 16a and the gold star goes to 9d.
My thanks to NYDK if it be he and CS. 1.5*/3*
Nice puzzle today.
Favourite was the cheeseless Frenchman…..do they exist?
Thanks to the setter and to crypticsue
Soggy up here in Angus too…..
1.5*/4*. This was a light and very entertaining SPP with 22a/1a, 6d & 21d making up my podium selection.
A hmm from me for the Quickie pun.
Many thanks to NYDK (?) and to CS.
Nice puzzle perfectly pitched for me. My favourite was the very witty 13a b-business. Thank you setter and CS as always.
For me and I stressWrong day.I wonder how many priests and vicars begin their sermons thus, “You know, I often think that life is like a crossword puzzle. We all have to bring all the clues together to make sense of everything; and I think it was Matthew in his letter to the Corinthians….” blah blah blah etc.
Plenty, I wager.
For heaven’s sake get on with it
OK…ok… great guzzle, quite the challenge, I felt.
Thanks to the setter (New York Bloke?) and PC Security (anag)
It’s a PP so I expected a challenge but I found the SW corner a trifle tricky, I’ll be interested to see how others fared.
When all else failed I looked for the lurker, as advised by CS but, having spotted a suspect thanks to the checkers, I had to use Mr G to confirm it! Following on from that I tried to assemble the component parts of 28a into a solution and needed Mr G’s help for a second time.
I was not familiar with 16a but managed to solve it by finding it as a synonym in the BRB and working backwards from that.
All that remains is for me to parse 27a – I am OK with the biscuit and the fan but I can’t see the drink. Perhaps I am being a numpty!
Many thanks to the setter for the challenge and the cryptic issue for the hints and tips.
I won’t comment whether you are a numpty but try splitting the first word of 27a in half
Thank you….it’s beyond obvious, I’m going for a lie down.
Lots and lots to like starting with the airborne knight, the German fan and the whisky layman, but podium places go to the linked 22/1a, the historical region at 28a and the excellent 21d in top spot. Great entertainment. Thanks to NYDK and CS.
I thought this was a fairly easy solve. The clues were nicely crafted and fair but nothing really stood out. 16A is not a word I’ve encountered previously but it was gettable from the clue. My general knowledge fortunately stretched to 29A. 12A gets my COTD vote. Thanks to CS for the hints and to the setter.
Thai corner. Some more words where the Thais don’t bother with separate words in general conversation which may amuse/confuse you.
Nuts and bolts are both ‘nots’ in Thai. Wrist watches, clocks etc. are all, ‘nalikar’. There is usually no distinction between leg and foot, e.g. I have a pain in my, ‘kha’, doesn’t distinguish how far down the appendage the pain is. Toes and fingers share the same word. Plugs and sockets share the same word, if you want to distinguisgh between them then add a gender.
A gentle solve for a Saturday prize, I thought, with no stand out clues. I liked 8D, though I don’t know why.
Very enjoyable with lots of entertaining clues. I needed to confirm with google that my answers to 16a and 28a were correct as I was not certain whether ai had just invented them.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints.
Fairly gentle for a SPP today. NYDK in a benign mood if it is indeed he.
As yesterday, I believe the back page setters should be honoured in the same way as the toughie authors.
16a a new word. 24d barely cryptic and 13a doesn’t work for me personally.
However lots to like with 12a favourite today
2*/4*
Thanks to Sue for the hints.
Yesterday was probably an aberration on the part of Telegraph Towers so don’t hold your breath
A pleasantly enjoyable SPP – ***/****
Candidates for favourite – 11a, 13a, 5d, 17d, 23d, and 24d – and the winner is 5d.
Thanks to (presumably) NYDK and CS.
After a very busy week, and some relatively easy puzzles, I was pleasantly surprised to get through PP without any difficulty. 11a, 28a and 8d are my top picks. 20a is very good as well, and there are several others worthy of mention but I can’t list them all.
Many thanks to the setter and hinter
An enjoyable puzzle. I had to check on 16a and 28a as they were new to me but gettable from the cluing.
Top picks for me were 6d, 23d, 24d and 14d.
Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.
This was a 3a start for me, then I got into a bit of 24d thinking the whole puzzle was a 16a. I nearly gave up. However, after becoming 15d it became a 17d!
Never heard of 28a and for me no need for the German in 27a, as the in my part of the word the first word (6 letters) is a drink on its own, equating to “pop” or “soda”.
No cotd just 19a’d to finish
Thanks to setter and CS for the hints.
Looks like NYDK is around again for this Saturday puzzle along with one multi-word clue. I thought the puzzle was a little trickier than normal today, but overall a nice solve. Two words I was not familiar with in the SW.
2.5*/4* for me
Favourites include 10a, 27a, 5d, 8d, 17d & 18d — with winners 17d & 18d
Lots of smiles around the grid.
Thanks to NYDK & CS
Plenty to enjoy with this one with Rood Bonk in fine form. I’m a big fan of general, sometimes obscure, knowledge like 16a. What a great word! I also guessed that pot-au-feu was a 24d.
I’m extremely happy with his choice of adjective beginning with a in 26a. Very funny.
I didn’t know the term b-business for B2B. I just thought he was having a laugh along the lines of p-p-pick up a Penguin.
Many people won’t know Andi Peters but it’s a very neat anagram.
My picks are 10a, 16a and 14d (tidy is such a good word)
MTTTA and PC security (a top anagram that I assume El Tel spotted?)
3*/4*
Thanks to the Setter and CS. LOI 16a. COTD 18d. Blowing a gale high up here in North Devon. Wasn’t too tough for a prize puzzle, surprisingly as we had taken a break from doing the crossword for a while.
Almost got off to a bad start as I had the wrong animal, never having seen the film but it is well known so I soon fell in. Enjoyed the anagrams (or marganas as someone suggested), liked the high city wall and the historical region but had not heard of 26a, being a young lady of model behaviour. Many thanks to the Setter, if it is indeed NYDJ I am at the moment wearing ‘Marilyn’ in white, and to the patient CeeSue. I finished yesterday’s guzzle this morning in bed – it has been that sort of week!