ST 2499 – Hints

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2499 – Hints

Selected hints by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

This is the latest in a long run of excellent Sunday puzzles.  Excellent surface reading and an underlying humour are two of this setter’s trademarks.  Make sure that you don’t miss the allusion to Virgil’s Latin epic poem The Aeneid in 13 down that led to the popular saying “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” among others.

Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.

As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.

Starting this week, Peter Biddlecombe is going to be reviewing the Sunday puzzles instead of the Saturday ones.  His full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 4th September.

Across
1a Marsupial primarily found in island, a native running wild (9,5)
The answer to this wonderful all-in-one clue is found by putting the first letter (primarily) of Marsupial inside an anagram (running wild) of ISLAND A NATIVE

19a European pest could be annoying (3,3)
This pest is found throughout Europe, not just in the UK – and it’s cryptically defined as “could be annoying”

Down
1d Knowing what others have in mind, yet putting one’s foot down (7-7)
This is how charades should really be done! – combine a synonym for yet with a word meaning putting one’s foot down and you have the process of knowing what others have in mind

If that’s not enough to help you finish, just ask and I will see what I can do. But don’t expect much of a response until the Belgian Grand Prix has finished!

Please don’t put whole or partial answers in your comment, else they may be censored!