ST 2547 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2547 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2547 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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It may have been me, but I found this a little more difficult than usual!  Perhaps it was because I was watching the Hungarian Grand Prix at the same time.

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.

Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 6th August.

Across

1a    Primate giving bishop a blessing (6)
This primate is built up from B(ishop) A and a blessing or godsend

13a    Cut off one part of rising scale (7)
My favourite today, by a long way – a word meaning to cut off is built up from I (one) and three consecutive notes of the diatonic scale

14a    Make enlargement of early photograph that’s not unappreciated, for instance (6,8)
… not unappreciated is an example of this linguistic construct

27a    Obsequious NCO standing in front of troops (6)
A word meaning obsequious comes from a senior NCO in front of a large body of troops

Down

1d    Status of issue raised by those in unholy alliance? (8)
A cryptic definition of the status of children born to an unmarried couple

6d    Soundly understand wine, such as Bordeaux (7)
Combine a word that sounds like a synonym of to understand with a type of wine to get a town or city with a harbour for ships, like Bordeaux

22d    With key, locks a piece of furniture (5)
Combine a musical key and locks, as in tresses, to get a common piece of furniture

Sorry the hints are a bit late (again), I rebuilt my laptop last night and had forgotten how much software you need to reload.

If you need further help then please ask and I will see what I can do.

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

38 comments on “ST 2547 (Hints)

  1. For 13a, I had part of risING plus a word meaning to scale or assess giving a cut off person (or one) but your solution is obviously the correct one!

    1. Hi Cross toon Rick – welcome to the blog.
      Sorry for the delay in getting your first comment moderated.

  2. I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself – this is only the second time that I have ever finished the Sunday cryptic. The first time was last week so I MUST be learning lots from this blog, all the hints and explanations, and all the comments. I say that I have finished this one – I have an answer for 9d but am not entirely happy with it as I can’t quite see what the last three words of the clue have got to do with it. Any help would be much appreciated. Favourite clues – 4, 14 and 17a and 6 and 19d.

    1. Kath,
      9d Revealing lots, since strain significant (7-7)
      To see the relevance of the last three words split the answer as 3,4,7.

      1. Oh – thanks. Just after I posted the question I went to take our dog for a walk and, in the middle of the walk I thought I had come up with the relevance of the last three words (I think that would be what Crypticsue would say was allowing the brain to cogitate!) – it’s totally different to yours, although I do see what you mean. My reasoning was that in ‘……. …….’ (the answer to 9d, or mine at least) a hot beverage would need to be strained first. What do you think? Suspect yours is right although I was originally quite pleased with mine!!

        1. Kath,
          Good thinking! I suspect it’s not what the setter intended, but it could be. It’s a bit of a jump to get from strain to revealing things using the particular method you have in mind.

  3. 14a, 13a and especially 1d were my favourites in this splendid puzzle. The excellent surface readings gave very little away which made this a good one to finish.
    Many thanks to BD and Particularly BG!

  4. With a bit of help from dictionaries and the blog (thanks Big Davie) I have completed all but five. I have two possibles for 18d, but need 24a to be sure which is the correct solution. Any hints gratefully received.
    PS My favourite so far is 14a too.

    1. 18d is a word meaning change course and is made up of a word for failing around crossword abbreviarion for learner.

    2. 24a – one switch made in train carrying old theatrical type (9).
      A switch of the end letters of train are placed around a word for old to get a theatrical type.

  5. That one took me longer than normal but was an excellent puzzle. I did it in quarters – SE first NW second and then split between the other two with my last one going in as 8d (kept putting an “r” as the final letter – stupid). My favourites were 13a and 20d.

  6. Can anyone explain the “shot for host” part of 19d. I get the couple of animals, but am lost by the rest of the clue

  7. It wasn’t just you who found this a little more difficult than usual. The men of the house did suggest that perhaps I had been overstretching my cryptic brain cells lately! I liked 1a, 14a and 20d.

  8. My cryptic brain cells weren’t working too well today either, and I found this a struggle. Thanks to Big Dave and all of you for helping me finally to finish it. The clues were all very good and fair, and my favourites were 13 and 14a and 15 and 20d.

  9. Struggled to do this today and with 2 left to go, I left it for the afternoon cos i couldn’t ask anyone for help the comment page seemed to be playing up, I still have those 2 to go so anyone please 10a AND 2d they are probably so obvious i will kick myself but am brain dead from looking at caravans and motorhomes all afternoon :)

        1. OK I missed you all this am and you’ve obviously all gone on to other things, but yeeeeeees I have finished it all by myself (with my books etc. of course) job well done :)

    1. 10a Promoted one internally in firm (5)
      The definition is firm or stable. Put the letter for one inside (internally) inside a verb meaning promoted (in the sense of gave publicity to a product in order to increase its take-up)

      1. thanks Gazza I was beginning to feel deserted but Gnomeys law worked again once I posted I could see the answers thanks anyway :)

    2. 2d In last part of winter months, class beset with difficulties (9)
      Take the last three letters of the names of three months around the end of the year and inside that put a category or quality of excellence ( e.g. she was in a ______ of her own) to make a verb meaning to beset with difficulties or put in a difficult situation.

  10. Looks beyond me today. Have done SW corner and a few more. I’ll wait for more comments but might to cogitate for a few days!

    1. Hi Geoff I thought that too but it is doable depends on how much time you want to spend on it i suppose, i was really thrilled to finish this one at last :)

  11. I am keeping this, together with Sat’s puzzle and tomorrows one for when I am away this week, to save carrying a book of DT puzzles!

  12. I didn’t like 5d at all. The answer isn’t a financial business. Whilst HCs are used in finance, they aren’t exclusively. And by their very nature, they are not ‘businesses’ as they don’t trade.

    Did like 6d though….

  13. I really surprised myself today by flying through this in one sitting – that’s very rare. With the help of the Blog, I’ve improved so much and clues I used to gaze at endlessly are now making much more sense.

  14. Catching up on the weekend puzzles, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Not a quick solve, but once I got the long anagram across the middle, the rest fell into place. Favourite clue 13a. Many thanks to setter (Virgilius?)

  15. Have revisited this several times and, as of this afternoon, just have the NE corner a blank, apart from 11a. If someone could give a really big hint for 4a, please, I might actually get there. And 7d, think it’s what the Israelites ate in the wilderness and if so what has it got to do with ‘married woman’?

  16. Geoff,
    4a, the answer is hidden between duchess and mendaciously – definition, the type of castles you might see on a game board.
    7d. m is an abbreviation for married – now add a womans name and you have the answer you originally thought of :-)

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