DT 26024 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26024

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26024

Hints and tips by Libellule

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** Enjoyment ***

Not a particularly difficult crossword today, but in general a nicely balanced one, with a number of different types of clues that will test your cryptic crossword abilities.

Across

1. Tie up, seeing low resistance (4)
{MOOR} – A word meaning to fasten a ship or a boat by cable or anchor, is made up of MOO (low – the sound a cow makes) and R (electrical resistance).

3. Supporting worker in arrears (10)
{BEHINDHAND} – BEHIND (supporting) and HAND (worker) can be used to mean “in arrears”.

8. Labourers needed to put beams on top of garage (8 )
{GRAFTERS} – Take the first (top) letter of G (arage), and place after it RAFTERS (beams) for another word used to describe people who work hard.

9. Upset at being drawn (6)
{GUTTED} – A word for extremely shocked, upset or disappointed, is also a word used to describe the second part of the process of being hung, drawn and quartered.

10. Divide group chasing sound purchase (6)
{BISECT} – You need a word that sounds like BUY (purchase ), and then follow that (chasing) with another word for group (SECT).

11. Affected manners include greeting frequencies (8 )
{AIRWAVES} – Affected manners are AIRS, with WAVE (greeting) inside (include) to give another word for channels for broadcasting.

13. Material that’s just on the money (8 )
{CASHMERE} – The definition for this clue is material. Take MERE (just) and place it after (on the) CASH (money).

14. When PM starts and makes changes (6)
{AMENDS} – I am sure I have seen a clue very similar to this a number of times before, but it’s still a good one. Literally, what happens when PM (post meridiem) starts? Yes that’s it – now you should have a word that means changes.

16. Rush into outwardly serious investments (6)
{SHARES} – Rush is HARE, now place this inside (into) the outside (outwardly) letters of S (eriou) S for a type of investment.

19. Shape of curve described by Moor in almost Arctic environment (8 )
{PARABOLA} – An arctic environment would be POLAR, a moor in this case is an ARAB (as in the Moor of Venice). Now place ARAB in almost POLA(r) and you have a type of a curve.

21. Elegant posh young lady broadcasting? (8 )
{DEBONAIR} – a posh young lady might be the informal term for a debutante, DEB and if she was broadcasting, she might be ON AIR this would result in another word for elegant.

22. Annual arts awards having backing of the stars (6)
{ASTRAL} – A word is hidden backwards in the clue that is an adjective that means belonging to the stars.

23. Inflexible person making charge stick (6)
{RAMROD} – A charade of RAM (charge) and ROD (stick) is also a stern, inflexible person.

24. Champion – the one who has the trophy having lost lead (8 )
{UPHOLDER} – One who has the trophy could be a CUPHOLDER, now remove the first letter (lost lead) and you have another word for a supporter or champion.

25. Fiddle cost, or even get some insurance papers (5,5)
{COVER NOTES} – An anagram (fiddle) of COST OR EVEN for temporary insurance papers.

26. Reserves making advances (4)
{SUBS} – A double definition of a shortened form of replacements in a football or rugby match for example, is also a verb that can mean to lend money.

Down

1. Loadsamoney for throwing game – and resists (9)
{MEGABUCKS} – An anagram of GAME (throwing), plus another word for opposes is another word for a large but unspecified amount of money.

2. Engineers need more recent track studies (9,6)
{REFRESHER COURSE} – RE (Royal Engineers) with FRESHER (more recent) COURSE (track).

3. Be protective of broken heart, and show a sign of life (7)
{BREATHE} – Take an anagram (broken) of HEART and place this inside (protective) BE is the mechanism of inhaling and exhaling air, and therefore a sign of life.

4. Presenter gets mature person captive to fortune (7)
{HOSTAGE} – HOST (presenter) plus AGE (mature).

5. Regain control across the heart of dairy country (7)
{NIGERIA} – You are looking for a western African country. Which is made up of an anagram (control) of REGAIN and the middle letter (heart) of da (I) ry.

6. In bed, they’re always full of trouble! (3,5,7)
{HOT WATER BOTTLES} – A cryptic definition that works (almost), of something that is used to warm up your bed.

7. Head of entertainment invested in clothes and fancy dressers (5)
{DUDES} – Take the first letter (head) of E (ntertainment) and place it inside (invested) DUDS (clothes) for A man who is very fancy or sharp in dress and behaviour.

12. Close friends have it (3)
{END} – Another word for close or finish can be found in friends.

15. Little heraldic symbols on weapons (5-4)
{SMALL ARMS} – Ho hum.

17. Chaucer regularly demonstrated such colour (3)
{HUE} – Take the 2nd, 4th and 6th letter (regularly) of Chaucer for a particular type of colour, shade or tint.

18. Status diminished by reserve (5-2)
{STAND IN} – Status is STANDING, now if you remove the last letter (diminished by) you have another word for a substitute.

19. Almost immaculate outfit for a hobby (7)
{PURSUIT} – Almost immaculate is PUR (e) and an outfit is SUIT is an activity engaged in regularly.

20. Arrives and delivers a sermon topless! (7)
{REACHES} – (p) REACHES.

21. Greek party trick uncovered (5)
{DORIC} – As is normal in crosswords, a party is often a DO, now remove (uncovered) the T and K from trick for an ancient Greek dialect or style of architecture.

22 comments on “DT 26024

  1. Bonjour Libellule, thank you once again for a super review, I have to pick 2d as my days favourite, but it could do with a bit of titivation, RE ( Royal Engineers ) more recent track ( FRESHER COURSE ) giving a form of studies

      1. Actually I think we are all wrong :-) The definition is studies… so I have corrected this to read:
        RE (Royal Engineers) with FRESHER (more recent) COURSE (track).

  2. Very enjoyable, loved 14a – really clever, never seen this one before. Not too sure about 23a as a person, straight as a ramrod perhaps, but a person hmmm? My personal favourite – 21a, love this sort of wordplay.

    1. Barrie,
      From Chambers:
      Ramrod – noun
      a rod for ramming down a charge into, or for cleaning, a gun-barrel
      a stern, inflexible person
      a strict disciplinarian

    1. Lizwhiz – I ageee with you – I found this an irritating puzzle. Only 2 clues I liked – 14a and 24a. Oh well – tomorrow is Friday and should be a good one.

  3. I agree with you Barrie – 14a is a very clever clue. I found yesterday’s much tougher than today’s though.

    HOOTUSLOUDPAW :)

    1. Don’t know if yesterdays was tougher or if I was just not getting it, whichever, I did not enjoy it!

  4. Enjoyable and fairly simple, once you got 2d and 6d the rest was fairly obvious, I liked 24a best.

  5. Afternoon all. How does 4d work? I understand presenter = host and mature = age. Why is the definition “person captive to fortune”? Should it not just be “person captive”. Whole clue = “Presenter gets mature person captive”

    Thanks in advance

    1. Alasdair, there is a phrase (which I thought was well known) which is “a hostage to fortune”…..

  6. very enjoyable xword today. think i maybe on a roll. a nice mixed bag. 6d doesn’t make sense to me. 22a my favourite, sometimes the last one in often is

    1. Edi,
      There is a phrase that can be used to describe getting into trouble – “getting into hot water”.
      Hope that helps.

  7. Absolutely hated today’s crossword, if i am honest it is rare that i finish one unaided these days as i have just got back into doing the telegraph crossword after a long break. However today is the first day i have struggled to such an extent. I just couldn’t get into it

    1. Welcome to the blog Emandan

      We all struggle some days. It’s a combination of biorhythms and not being on the wavelength of the setter,

    2. We found this an odd one – it took all day and four people. But on the other hand our two younger children got two answers each, which they have never managed before.

      Which goes to show, I suppose, just what a crossword with perfectly ordinary words but more-than-usually varied wordplay can do.

  8. Liked this today and thought there were some clever clues – particularly 14a. 24a also quite nice. I was more tuned in today!

  9. Oof! My forehead suffered a good few slaps today. Hobby and champion eluded me entirely…I ended up crow-barring in “perfect” and “exhalter” which kind of work if you squint your eyes hard and try not to justify them in any shape or form…Ah well. At least I enjoyed finding out the errors of my ways. Roll on Friday I say.

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