Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31385 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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A lovely sunny morning brings what I thought was a splendid Saturday Prize Puzzle which has to be the work of the NY Doorknob. Great fun throughout – I’ll even forgive him the unintentional ear worm. The only clue that held me up slightly was being ‘rattled’ by 1d which I suppose is quite appropriate in the circumstances. Lots to enjoy, my particular favourite was 10a and I did like the different way of cluing the plant regularly found in crosswords, cryptic or otherwise.
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
1a, 8d and 24a Our hopes dashed with Scaramouch 26 Across 22 Across (4,2,1,6,5)
An anagram (dashed) of OUR HOPES with SCARAMOUCH
10a Workers may make a meal for them? (9)
A splendid cryptic definition of some animals that eat some of crosswordland’s workers
13a Chinese way is used by every single Irish PM (9)
I have used this way of remembering how to spell the title of the Irish Prime Minister for a very long time and now our setter has turned it into a clue so everyone else can remember it too. A Chinese religious system (way) IS (from the clue) and an adverb meaning for every
20a Better score? Superb! (3-5)
Do better than and score with an indentation
26a/22a Penurious making call to secure cash (2,3,9)
A phrase relating to what you are if you are making a telephone call, into which is inserted a slang name for money (cash)
28a Amateur puzzling title Italian poet holds (10)
An anagram (puzzling) of TITLE inserted into (held by) an Italian poet often found in crosswords
29a Heard ass’s utterance in Bank of Scotland? (4)
A Scottish river bank sounds like a noise made by an ass
Down
1d Stage where rattle heard? (5)
This stage is a homophone (heard) of an alternative spelling for a verb meaning to rattle or perturb
2d Those refusing the truth of East German wealth (9)
The German word for east and some wealth
5d Food: duck and whiskey for absentee (2-4)
A slang word for food, the letter representing a duck in cricket scoring and the letter represented by Whiskey in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
9a/11a Options illustrated here for Congress? (4,5)
The illustrated guide to congress with a lower-case C 😉
14d Refined claret? (4,5)
A description of someone aristocratic, claret here is an old slang word for a fluid found in the body rather than a type of wine
18d County cricket season reportedly arranged (8)
A homophone (reportedly) of the season of the year when cricket is mainly played and a synonym of arranged
25d Supply with last run out (5)
Last or continue to exist without (out) the cricket abbreviation for Run
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT, or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment. If in doubt, leave it out
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The Quick Crossword pun: PEAT + SIR + REAR = PIZZERIA
Best Saturday puzzle in ages, not a duff clue anywhere, great entertainment.
Last one in was 21d, took ages but really shouldn’t have, we all know why…..
So many great clues today, but the clear winner for me was 14a, sheer brilliance!
An enjoyable cranial workout from NYDK which should be a good test for those hoping for The Mythical – 2.5*/3.5*
Candidates for favourite – 13a,2d, 14d, and 18d – and the winner is 2d.
Thanks to NYDK and CS.
An absolute cracker. So many great clues but the cheeky congressional contortionists in 9d/11a has to be cotd, but it was a close run thing. Thanks to NYDK and CS.
I found this to me relatively mild for an SPP. Slowish to start, but once I reached 26/22a and got it straight away, 1/8/24 became a shoo-in. It was then just a case of filling the gaps with 9d/11a being last in; (stop tittering in the back row). Lots of amusement on the way, with the three I have mentioned being worthy contenders for my podium.
Many thanks to NYDK if it be he, or whomsoever and crypticsue.
1*/4*
It made a fun change, but took me a long time to get going. I did end up doing some shameless cheating. It would have been quicker if I had started with the downs.
Found this jolly hard work. Clever clues but def for me in the Toughie class.
Thx to all
An enjoyable puzzle from Rood Bonk who was most certainly in a sprawling mood.
My LOI was 1d. I’m trying to see how the sentence works grammatically. Am I missing something?
The synonym for food in 5d is such a good word that I use as often as I can. It’s almost onomatopoeic.
17d is a top expression that I’ve never heard. I’m going to start using it.
4d is a nuts word that is probably worth noting.
My picks are 2d, 9d/11a and the splendid 14d.
MTTTA and she of the crypt.
3*/4*
1d was also my last one in. I am 60 years old and only very recently learned that the word has a different spelling when it is a verb. Then it pops up today. Spooky how crosswords do that. Any Halloween reference is not intentional.
….but we like it, though.
This the second crossword in a few days where the answer to 29a is defined as a Scottish bank. It is not; the word in question means “hill.”
Welcome to the blog
The BRB defines the word as both a sloping bank of a river or seashore and a hill-slope
What did you think of the crossword?
Lovely job. Some excellent clues with just enough stretch, although I felt a bit daunted by the linked clues on first sight.
LOI 14a but mostly as I couldn’t parse it. Took ages before the penny dropped.
Thanks to setter and to crypticsue.
A not too challenging puzzle but very enjoyable. Lots of grins and one outright smirk (9D), provoked throughout the solve. Of course I had to look up the spelling of 13A and I know the clue hands it to you on a plate but I had to make this comment to provoke a comment from a regular blogger that will allow me to rember the spelling on the numerous occasions I will use the word in the future. 2D, 5D, 21D all contenders for COTD but the prize has to go to 9D. Thanks for the hints which I needed for the parsing of 1A and to the setter for a well compiled puzzle. Thanks to CS for the hints and to the setter.
Thai corner.
In response to yesterday’s comment from Alfiepops, I thought he might appreciate this clipping from page 7 of today’s Bangkok Post featuring his much travelled favourite Geordie.
Hi Tykeingtons
I, of course, have a way to remember the spelling of 13a and its pronunciation but will tell you at a later date, lest I get banished to The Step to enjoy some naughty but nice stuff with Pat Coombs.
It is a brute to spell.
I would have thought that with all pub closings there is not so much choice these days
Best story about pubs and food. Potential customer walks into a pub and asks person behind the bar ‘Do you serve food?’ Said person responds ‘Yes, Cheese and Onion or Salt and Vinegar!’
The Telegraph’s Puzzlebox Newsletter arrived at 9.16 this morning, with another nice plug for this Blog
I am convinced that you are on a VIP Mailing List for the Newsletter! Last week mine didn’t arrive until Monday morning and I am expecting the same this week,
2.5*/4*. I thought this was a very enjoyable SPP. I struggled when starting in the NW as usual and moved on to the NE with almost nothing filled in. Thankfully the NE fell swiftly followed in very quick succession by the SE and SW, Yet the NW still failed to give up many of its secrets. So, I took a break and, when I returned, the scales fell from my eyes and the puzzle was complete.
I ended up with a lot of ticks from which 14a, 1d & 2d climbed onto the podium. A special mention too for 17d which I haven’t heard for donkeys’ years and was an expression often used by my second form Latin teacher.
Many thanks presumably to NYDK and to CS.
For me this was a bit of a battle but I eventually prevailed and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. I had to double check the spelling of a couple and still can’t parse my answer to 14a, hopefully it will come to me. Lots of great clues and very entertaining.
Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints
An enjoyable SPP with some clues stubbornly holding out for a while – 1d, 25d and 14a.
Had to check spellings for 4d and 13a.
10a and 14a favourites in a challenge perfect for today.
Thanks to Sue and NYDK
Well, I thought this NYDK puzzle was harder than his normal Saturday offering, but that did not put me off. In fact I worked harder at it to ensure I looked at all possible answers to the clues. I was eventually rewarded with a completed puzzle. For whatever reason 1a etc was my last in, but in the end my favourite clue.
Lots of other good clues within the grid, but as I said many required some head scratching.
Other favourites include 3a, 10a, 20a, 4d & 18d
Thanks to NYDK & CS