Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25936 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 28th May.
Across
1a She might learn from her sister (7,5)
A cryptic definition of someone who is training to care for the sick
13a More like hot food cooler (8)
This is a word meaning cooler that sounds as if it could be more like a very hot spicy food
18a Oriental church dignitary still (4)
A nice little charade combines E(astern) and VEN(erable) instead of Oriental and church dignitary to give a word meaning still
20a Half of them fellows get story right about cheese (10)
The charade that leads to this type of Swiss cheese is reasonable straightforward
27a Welshman, one pro (4)
Making a very unwelcome return after a mere five weeks, this Welshman is another straightforward charade
Down
2d Disguise welcome during rescheduled tryst (8)
Here we have disguise in the context of a man disguised as a woman or vice versa, not the meaning usually associated with this word; just put a Latin greeting inside the anagram of TRYST that is signalled by rescheduled
4d Another rook, leaving egg behind, fluttered over the country (5,5)
Find an anagram, signalled by fluttered (an unusual anagram indicator), of ANOTHER RO(O)K without the O (leaving egg behind) is you have an allegedly Democratic People’s Republic in East Asia
5d Old record-player (6)
This used to be used for playing gramophone records
6d Way out in daily round (7)
A synonym for way is placed around IN to get a daily regular course of action or round
8d Nosh cooked in unfinished hut on island (6)
An anagram (cooked) of NOSH is followed by HU(T) (unfinished hut) to get the largest island in Japan
11d City named after a rock? (2,10)
A cryptic definition of the city that was, for a while, called Leningrad
17d Violent storm, it comes before last character goes to tourist centre (2,6)
Violent indicates that an anagram of STORM is followed by IT and the last character in the alphabet to give a tourist centre in Switzerland
If you need help with any clue, ask and I’ll see what I can do. Please don’t say things like “is xyz the answer” – just quote the clue.
I was waiting to hear what your response would be in the review regarding the unwarranted intrusion of foreign place names, however the compiler has left lesser known UK places alone in this one!However liked 23a.
Kram
It looks like another puzzle by the regular Saturday setter who paid a sneaky visit to the blog a few weeks back! Much of the puzzle is very enjoyable, and maybe the odd place name wouldn’t be too bad, but it would be so easy to make it much better by throwing the atlas away.
I found this very straightforward – 15a is a new word for me so it’s nice to increase my volcabulary by one! After a challenging DT week it’s nice to have a smoother ride.
Toooooo Easy!!!!
New to your site. Thanks for all the great tips! Any help with 18a would be really appreciated.
Joanne, Oriental is Eastern, whilst a church dignatory is normally known as Venerable.
I got all bar 1a (first word) , 2d ,12a & 18a . I think a claim of “toooooooo easy ” is somewhat demoralising to us lesser mortals.
Even with the hints I still can’t get 1a & 2d out and no hint was given fro 12a and 18a(the latter also defeating someone else) Best guess at 1a is budding. The hint for 2d doesn’t help me -I’d worked out it was an anagram for tryst with a word for welcome but can’t think of a Latin greeting. I thought Trans something might be the answer but I don’t think an is a Latin greeting.
Greenhorn
On 1a the word you want describes someone in full-time education. In 2d the latin greeting is AVE. On 12a the “check” is a synonym for examination. There’s a hint there for 18a now.
Ah! Well I never knew that a canopy was what the answer is. And I thought that a 2d was a complete outrage as in “of justice”. I’ll remember in future.
Greenhorn: unexpected word meanings and shades of meaning will still cause trouble years down the road – sometimes you just have to go with what the wordplay tells you. This puzzle was very easy for old hands, but old hands sometimes forget how much they’ve learned!