Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31391 (Hints)
The Saturday Crossword Club
(hosted by crypticsue)
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As I type these hints, I am looking out at very thick fog – which may or may not have had an effect on my solving brain, as I definitely found this Saturday Prize Puzzle much trickier than I was expecting – even the Quick Pun took an age to solve the three clues and work out the pun. I have a feeling the Puzzle will divide opinions, both as to who the setter is and what people thought of the crossword, and will await comments with interest
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 Book this shooting here? (10)
It isn’t often you start a crossword with an investigoogle, but after I solved this from the checking letters, an online search reveals that the clue refers to the place from which President Kennedy was shot in November 1963
12a One dies to make it pay? (4,9)
A cryptic definition of something paid to your heirs after you have died
17a Returning, see about 250 in town (6)
A reversal (returning) of SEE (from the clue) into which is inserted the Roman numerals for 250
19a Vegetable producer (8)
A type of vegetable or the surname of the producer of an American film producer who made many of his films, including some featuring James Bond, in the UK
24a Canals where fare goes down? (9)
Bodily canals where food (fare) goes down
25a Majority cycling round a capital (5)
Cycle the last letter of a mass or majority to the front of the word and insert A (from the clue)
27a Cinema she’d refurbished and given equipment? (10)
An anagram (refurbished) of CINEMA SHED
Down
1d Tedious experience for Yank (4)
A double definition – an informal tedious experience or an informal verb meaning to pull with a jerk – the capital Y in Yank being there to mislead
2d Man maybe overwhelmed by wages in Scottish town (7)
A geographical feature, of which Man is an example, inserted into (overwhelmed by) wages
3d Sign of resolution in row during meal – all is regularly quiet (5,5,3)
A slight quarrel (row) inserted into an evening meal followed by the even (regularly) letters of aLl Is and the musical abbreviation meaning quiet
11d Help coward escape youngster (6,7)
This could be a slang expression meaning to help someone escape from prison, in this case an informal faint-hearted person or coward
16d Unusual couple of cards I found in novel (8)
Abbreviations for Ace and King in a pack of cards and I (from the clue) inserted into new or recently added (novel)
22d Old cricketer’s elegance (5)
A cricketer who dominated the sport in the Victorian era or easy elegance in form or manner
23d Good boy, happy (4)
A lovely straightforward clue to finish with – the abbreviation for Good and a boy
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: WHEE + LEND + EEL = WHEEL AND DEAL
I was slow to get onto the setter’s wavelength but once I got a few it was all over before I realised. Plenty of likes with 21a, 11d and 13d being 3 of the best, but my COTD goes to the canals where fare goes down at 24a. I needed to see CS’s hints for 1a as it was the only one I couldn’t parse and I couldn’t see where the shooting comes in. I’m pleased that CS had the same problem.
Many thanks to the setter and CS
2*/4*
A very straightforward puzzle but compiled superbly and with lots of humour. I now have a means of remembering the spelling of 21A but I can’t imagine a situation that it would come in useful. There were so many clues that raised a grin, 11D, 12A, 20D, that choosing a COTD seems churlish but 3D has the honour both for the wit and the massive baht drop moment it inspired. The grit in the oyster for me was that if the definition for 17A was a radio comedy character it would have raised the puzzle to a higher level. I hope that comment does not put me on the naughty step as I know CS has been quite lenient of late.
Thanks to CS and the setter.
I, too, had a somewhat slow start but then raced through once I had cracked the setter’s code, as it were. I liked the clue mix, and there was some gentle humour to lighten the load. It took a while to see 1a, but that became a favourite along with 3d.
Many thanks to our Saturday setter for cheering up a dull day, and to Sue.
Like CD in 1 above, this took some time to get on the same page as the compiler, but once I did, it flowed quite nicely to a conclusion. My experience with 1a was the same as CS. I ended up with quite a few ticks on my page from which I’ve chosen a podium of 2d, 21a and 11d. Thanks to compiler and CS.
I found today’s puzzle quite a mixture of almost “Gimmie” clues and those that were rather convoluted. I don’t think it’s by one of the regular SPP contributors but I’m not good at sussing them out unless the obvious signs are present. Having said that, I did enjoy it with the offer to the slightly injured lion at 8d raising a smile. I also thought the final period at 4d to be quite clever but my COTD goes to helping the coward at 11d.
Thank you, setter for a slight different, for me, puzzle. Thank you, CeeSoo for your hints.
2*/4.5*. I thought this was excellent. Nicely challenging and fun to solve. Parsing the answer to 1a, which couldn’t have been anything else from the checking letters, took me almost as long as the rest of the puzzle put together. I had far too many ticks to try to settle on a podium selection.
Could this be the work of Chris Lancaster?
Many thanks to the setter (CL or ANO?) and to CS.
Chris Lancaster occurred to me, RD but I am not confident enough to stick my neck out.
Hi RD.
I’ve now read the article and watched the videos of “Clicky Ponting” in the Telegraph and can understand if you thought I was completely bonkers yesterday. I don’t follow cricket, but surely his teammates on the pitch must have known what he was doing. And why was such a lesser level game being videoed?
1a – the book xxxxxxxxxx in Dallas was infamous for many years after the event.
Hi Clicker
It’s become quite common now for club cricket games to be live streamed and recorded; and, yes, his team-mates must have been aware.
It’s interesting that three of the Australian test team were castigated for the sandpaper affair (“Sandpaper-gate” in 2018), while the rest of the team were exonerated. Now one of players has spoken out to say that, of course, the whole team were aware.
No longer the “gentleman’s game”!
I agree with those cruciverbalists who found it difficult to get a start, although there were some low hanging fruit to get some checkers. Like others I couldn’t see where the shooting fitted in. However, in the end, I enjoyed the challenge. I liked the two geographical clues at 2d and 25a, the well-misdirected canals at 24a ad the cryptilc definition at 12a. Thanks to the compiler and to fogbound CS FOR THE HINTS
I can’t say I really enjoyed this… it took a long time with a lot of reference looking up… 1a was last in and only now understand it from Sue’s hint. Sometime a puzzle is difficult but fun and you can have a wry smile with some clues but not this one.
Anyway – thanks as always to Sue and Setter
After a couple of days of real difficultly, I found today’s puzzle just about perfect for my level. I thought 1a was superb and was delighted to see the small town in 17 getting a mention. A couple of testing spellings on the canals (also a great clue) and 19a which I can never seem to get right. Many thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable and entertaining splash. Thanks also for the hint which, for once, I didn’t need.
Agreed – once I’d got the wavelength it flowed reasonably well. A masterpiece of minimalist clueing, with a bit of GK too (19a was a groan). 24a was fun, and I enjoyed 20d and 4d. 17a is also the name of a place where my apostrophised van does deliveries. I’ll associate it with the numerals now. Very satisfying to get it done in one extended session – many thanks to the setter, all of you, and CS.
For a Saturday puzzle this week I found it relatively straightforward with a couple of head scratchers that I never worked out the parsing for.
2.5*/3.5*
Favourites include 17a, 24a, 26a, 27a & 13d — with winner 24a
Thanks to setter & CS
This was a curate’s egg of easy-peasy and no can do but outside help came to my rescue and I made it in the end by fair means or foul but it was not a barrowload of fun. Suppose 7d is “protection” in high wind or are we referring to a spray? 11d rather iffy. Thank you setter and CS.
Left staring at I across like so many others. The checkers gave me a word but I could not see the connection until CS gave me the heads up. Today’s offering was as welcome as the sunshine and COTD goes to 24 across.
Thank you Senf for explaining 1a which I got but didn’t know why! Fun solve with 12a as a brilliant clue
This was a nice level for a Saturday with plenty to like.
1a is a brute of a clue. I’ll be extremely impressed if anyone got it with no checkers. I had all of them but biffed it as I didn’t know either of the definitions. Obviously, it was my LOI.
The word count was RayTesque with the average being a smidge over 5 (I still can’t believe smidge isn’t in Chumpers. Well, I can, actually)
15a is a classic misspell as the world and his dog repeats the final letter.
Am I right in thinking that ‘slightly’ is in 8d as it’s saying the anagram is a simple letter change? If so, that’s hilarious. I’m not sure I like it. I think I do. It’s the sort of thing that Mr T does and Mr Lancaster, come to think of it. But, I’ll go with the former for my guess.
My picks are 12a, 24a (love a CD, me) and 25a (there’s a lot going on for such a short clue).
MTTTA and she of the crypt.
2*/4*
Putting the letters into the grid was a doddle; working out what connection they had to the clues was something else. So thanks to CS for sorting that out and to the devious Setter.
I really liked this puzzle with LOI being 16d which I stared at for ages. Needed CS’s explanation to parse 1a.
Top picks for me were 11d, 24a, 19a, 3d and 2d.
Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter. I never usually try to guess the setter but did wonder if it was Chris Lancaster.
Completed unaided, which is always nice, and in not too great a time for me. Very few clues completed initially but perseverance saw more checkers falling into place and more completions. Probably a 2*/3* imho.
Some very enjoyable clues and amongst my favourites were: 1a, I thought wow when the answer came,19a and 24a. However, my COTD today was 17a, not because of any great difficulty but as a young lad I was a chorister at the parish church of St Mary the Virgin.
As ever, thank you to the setter and to CS for the hints.
I try to complete these without checking hints – it worked well with this one and I enjoyed the humorous tone EXCEPT that although the answer I had to 1a was likely to be right, I did have to check the hint for it as I had somehow missed (educationally) the link with the shooting. The first clue I answered in this CW was 12a, but I enjoyed many others, eg 3d, 8d, 21a, 24a .