Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2548 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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, 13th August.
Across
1a Complaint coming from one woman after another (6)
Difficult to get without checking letters – an illness is a charade of a possibly titled woman following a mother
12a Being abroad without money leads to self-denial (10)
Take a word meaning being away and insert a slang word for money to get self-denial
25a Final portion used in sample, either hot or cool (6)
Put the final portion inside a word meaning to sample and you get an adjective meaning hot or cool in the fashion sense
Down
1d Patient of mine getting better cosmetic treatment (8)
Split this as (3,1,4) and it could read as a patient of mine is getting better, but the full definition is a cosmetic treatment
6d Local employee’s counter-proposal (9)
Someone who works in your local pub is a charade of a long flat-topped fitment across which business is conducted in a shop or bank or refreshments are served in a cafeteria (counter) and a proposal
7d Start believing in different cause for flaw (6)
… not an insertion clue but a double definition!
15d Labour’s end, in a manner of speaking (8)
A double definition – the first part being the product of a task
21d Noble piece of music being broadcast (5)
This nobleman is a charade of a short piece of music and a word meaning being broadcast
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!
I did this first thing this morning and enjoyed it – in particular the clues I liked were 1d ,14d and 21d.
Strangely my first answer to go in wss 1a – without checking letters – it just made sense. Last one to go in was 25a and had to wait until I had the checking letters for it as couldn’t think of what would be hot or cool.
Thanks for a good puzzle and good hints – even though I didn’r need them. Glad t hear you enjoyed your day yesterday Dave.
1a was also the first clue in for me Lea!
Back from my hols. Managed to get my hands on a few of the puzzles from last week, including Friday’s corker from Giovanni. This was a good return to the fold. I thought it was a bit trickier than some of Virgilius’s puzzles but it was a joy to solve. Many thanks to Virgilius for the crossword and to BD for the notes.
I found today quite a strain. 19d I don’t get, although Clueup says it is correct.
19d Short letter from Paul received by young relative (6)
The definition is relative and it’s the abbreviation of the title of one of St Paul’s letters inside (received by) a synonym for young.
Thanks for that Gazza. Looks like I will have to start Theology classes as a hobby.
Gazza – I really liked your clue for balance on COW – thought it was a winner. However the winning was was excellent as well. Didn’t Mary do well getting up there with the elite….
Thanks Lea. I’m really happy to be mentioned in dispatches but winning involves hard work, so I’m also pleased not to win. I thought that there were some excellent clues this week, and Mary is obviously a star. Why don’t we see any entries from you? – or do you compete under another name?
Nope = brain not been on the right trrend for submission lately but have enjoyed reading the submissions. May give it a try again if the brain starts working.
Thanks Lea and Gazza, but like you Gazza, I am more than happy to come in the ‘shortlisted’ having won and done the judging on one occasion, found it really hard work, wouldn’t like to have to do it too often, Lea, people like Gazza are well quaified to judge others, not so myself!!
15d made me laugh. 24a was the last to go in, and as soon as it did I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get it ages ago.
I solved this in relatively good time but didn’t think it was anything particularly special. Have just reread my answers and think it must have been my mood at the time. Liked 14d and 21d.
Finished this in fits and starts today but wouldn’t have completed the bottom right hand corner without Daves help, thanks Dave, two fav clues are 1d and 15d
After running through twice I was left with four in the South East corner.
They succumbed upon the second pint.
I hope that Virgilius hasn’t entered the Times clue writing competition because 6d is a winner in my book! Great clue.
Thanks to BD and Virgilius.
Hmm. haven’t got very far with this at all. If I go back to it, then ‘those who know’ had better watch out for cries for help during the week! Ohhh, 13a just dawned on me. Yes I know, sad isn’t it??
I couldn’t do this at all, at all even with the hints
chadwick ong’ara (kenya) on 26289:way too easy for me.My tyro pal who i train in fact got 7 answers.Looking forward to some Ray T fare.Is a word like EVENTIDE still in use in modern English?
Chadwick
It helps if you add comments to the appropriate post. The reference to eventide makes more sense there.
Also, please leave the website field blank – it is intended for you to link to your own website, if you have one – if you click on your name it gives an error (I’ve deleted it from this comment).
Eventide is usually seen in poetry rather than in everyday usage.