ST 2555 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

ST 2555 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2555 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

A reminder that Brian Greer, today’s setter, will be joining myself and Peter Biddlecombe in the Bree Louise, Euston next Sunday from 2.00pm onwards.   If you are able to meet us there, you are more than welcome.

If you are interested, there is an excellent video of an interview with Brian here:

Brian Greer (aka Virgilius) – Clues to Social Justice, May 16, 2010

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.

A full review of this puzzle will be published on Friday, 1st October.

Across

1a    Ominous statements from doctors outside hospital (7)
These ominous statements come from a verb meaning doctors outside H(ospital)

10a    Small cars assembled by competitors in drive (7)
A double definition – small German cars and insects that are drawn gradually, or assembled, in a progressive series of games called a “drive”, a similar event to a Whist Drive

12a    At start of term, four tropical fish (5)
A word that means four when placed at the start of terms like gram and hedron is also a species of tropical fish

28a    Characteristic of no subject that’s rewarding for author (7)
A double definition – people who are rulers not subjects and payments made to authors

Down

1d    Initial switch for celebrity in Russia a century ago (7)
Switch the first two letters of the state of being well known to get an attribute of the Russia of a hundred years ago

3d    A second chance to speak in trial (5)
Combine A with S(econd) and to speak to get a trial

16d    Firmness of purpose is going to go very quickly (9)
A word meaning firmness of purpose could, if split (4,5) mean going to go very quickly

24d    Dough prepared for bread (5)
A word that means both dough or bread, in the sense of money, and prepared

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

As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put whole or partial answers in your comment, else they may be censored!

63 comments on “ST 2555 (Hints)”

  1. Is 24d a triple definition then?? Have got that one, Hi Dave, thanks for hints, still can’t finish it though! Stillcan’t do 1d or 1a, along with several others!! will perservate though and be back later :(

  2. The puuzle overall was enjoyable but let down by just one or two clues.24d and 15a.
    Sunny here in Newcastle, looks like a walk along Whitley Bay beach is in order. I wonder if we get more than 10 or 15 comments today, being Sunday. Maybe todays theme could be what I ate last night. I had mozzarell,tomato and basil to start then Sirloin at a local restaurant,very enjoyable although the cheese course was pitiful.

          1. Yes tomatoes and basil from the gardeh, more of which have been used with chillies from the greenhouse to make tomato soup for today and for the freezer. Good job we didn’t need to pick tomatoes today as we would have drowned in the torrential rain.

  3. Another good puzzle from Virgilius. The left side went in much quicker than the right, with the top right the last to finish. Many thanks to setter, and to BD.

    1. Welcome to the blog Sally

      1d the domain of a king is a king***, so a Russian ruler from 100 years ago ruled a *******

      23a this is staring you in the face: RAF against army and navy (and air force)

    1. Another word for host (as in a large number of people) reversed (returned) + help gives you a lady who works on a farm sitting on a stool.

      1. Thank You Tilly I was just about to give up, I would not have got it without your help, partly because 1d was spelt wrongly :)

    2. Defeated, I give up on 11a, too much time spent on this and I can’t even say I enjoyed it, pretty tough I thought worthy of a toughie! the one clue I did really like was 23d, the one among others that i disliked was 28a, having said all that, I appreciate the talent and wit of the compiler :)

  8. Really enjoyed this one, more so than yesterday. I’m sure there’s a correlation between solving power and the number of glasses of white wine consumed !! Didn’t need your help today thanks BD, solved it before you posted the hints. Great gardening weather up here in Bolton, putting everything to bed for the winter :-( where was the summer?

    1. apart from my petunias which finally gave up, everything is still in full bloom here and not ready for bed yet, we may yet have summer in October, my first ever tomatos, the cherry variety are thriving and have been outside all summer, I now have a small greenhouse and have put the plant in there hoping for more tomatos still :)

  9. I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle (and I am not just saying that because I hope to get up to London next Sunday!). Lots of good clues but I did especially like 15a. 10a reminded me of childhood in the church hall Is anyone else fed up with the recurrence of that dratted cat yet again (17d)? Thanks to Virgilius and BD.

  10. Lovely puzzle as usual.
    11a was a fantastic spot from the setter and yes, Mary, I put HAND in at the end originally.
    Thanks to Virgilius, I hope to see you next Sunday, and also to BD.

      1. I bet lots of people, including me, put HAND originally as its the first word you think of when you see ‘worker’ in a clue. Then you put in the downs and realise it doesn’t work!

            1. It fits with the down clues Mary so you are fine. Would you like your rain back now, I am sure you are missing it and I think we have had quite enough today!

              1. Not being a selfish person Sue, having had generous helpings of the stuff within the last few weeks whilst you basked in sunshine I have decided magnaminously to leave it with you for a few weeks at least, now excuse me whilst I go outside to read my book (in the sunshine) :)

        2. So did I, but I must have gone wrong somewhere, because ‘hand’ does fit with the downs I’ve got.

          But … can’t do this puzzle. Read the hints and didn’t understand two of them, read the blog, exchanged several emails with Mary and my grid still has lots of spaces ;oops;

      2. I must disagree with your epithet, Mary. Reading yesterday’s blog you probably solved the puzzle faster than I did!

        1. Sorry to have been a while replying Gnomey but I had to look up ‘epithet’ :)
          However, weren’t you involved in ‘apres golf bibulation’ and still solved it, however sadly there is no comparison because I am almost positive you didn’t need to use the books and machines I did!

  11. As soon as I finished my brother’s dog got hold of the crossword and shredded it so I can’t remember the clue that I enjoyed so much, but reading the comments above I think it was probably 11a.

    2. Damn that pesky dog, Mr Tub!
      Are you anywhere near the Eastbourne Beer Festival Friday/Saturday 8/9th October?

      1. Sadly no… The next fixture on the social calendar is Falmouth Beer Festival at the end of next month. I can’t remember the exact date, but I know it’s perilously close to my wedding anniversary…

  13. dont know where to begin today. having read the hints still have no clue. i thought yesterdays was tricky but this is evil. is it the same setter as usual?

  15. Bit late to the party today. Very enjoyable puzzle. One that you have to unwrap layer by layer to find the treats within. Many thanks to Virgilius and to BD for the notes.

    1. 13a The writer permanently damages back in US city (5)
      When read backwards as (1,4) this US city spells out “the writer permanently damages”, the writer being the setter talking about himself i.e. first person singular

Comments are closed.