DT 26362 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26362

by Libellule  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26362

Hints and tips by Libellule

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Once again I don’t expect many of you to need the blog, but for some reason I found it a bit harder to write the blog than normal. Some of the silky smooth readings cleverly hide some of the word play, and I needed Gazza to dig all of it out properly. (I hope).

The full answer can be found hidden between the curly brackets

Across

1. Action in open court is disturbed (11)
{PROSECUTION} – An anagram (disturbed) of OPEN COURT IS for legal proceedings against a person

9. Look-out, it may have a high tar content (5,4)
{CROWS NEST} – A cryptic definition, and the first smile of the day. No it’s not a pack of cigarettes, but a structure at the top of the mast used as a lookout point.

10. Swindle quietly put together by a rogue (5)
{SCAMP} – Put another word for a confidence trick next to P (quietly) and you end up with a word commonly associated with a mischievous youngster.

11. Prompt to set off (6)
{INDUCE} – Another word for to cause or bring about or to move to act. Is this a double definition?

12. Traditional drinks are a sell out (4,4)
{REAL ALES} – An anagram (out) of ARE A SELL for the sort of beer CAMRA would approve of.

13. Does it matter to spread a capital investment? (2,4)
{SO WHAT} – The definition here is “does it matter”, take a three letter word for spread, as in spreading seed, and then remember that capital can mean head.

15. Tom comes by and whistles (8)
{CATCALLS} – Tom is a CAT.

18. Could mean coming in last, everything considered (5,3)
{AFTER ALL} – if you had followed everybody else, you might also have a phrase that meant “everything else having been considered”.

19. Describing an unborn baby of late development (6)
{FOETAL} – An anagram (development) OF LATE.

21. How delightful – tea with best china (8)
{CHARMING} – A slang word for tea is followed by a famous Chinese dynasty famous for its porcelain.

23. When companies provide capital (6)
{ASSETS} – Items owned by a company for example. A charade of AS (when) and SETS (companies).

26. Elevating objective of the trainee pilot (5)
{WINGS} – A pair of objects used to generate lift, is also the name of a badge worn by qualified R.A.F. pilots.

27. Sailor navigating yacht, say, or coming down rope (9)
{ABSEILING} – Another word for descending down a rope is AB (able-bodied seaman) followed by a word that sounds like (say) navigating a yacht.

28. Too mindful of others to create wanton desecration (11)
{CONSIDERATE} – An anagram (wanton) of DESECRATION for a word that means being thoughtful towards other people.

Down

1.Meals to take out (7)
{PICNICS} – Nope – not pizza’s but the normal word for meals eaten outdoors usually on a trip somewhere.

2. Egg-shaped or round hole (5)
{OVOID} – O (round) followed by a word for a vacuum or empty space.

3. Comfortable situation for a professor (4,5)
{EASY CHAIR} – Is also a large, comfortable, well-upholstered seat.

4. Takes advantage gaining three points on centre court (4)
{USES} – Take the central letter of court and then add three compass points (not all different) for a word that can mean exploits.

5. Sacked, no doubt (2,3,3)
{IN THE BAG} – Think of sacked in this sense as containing, and you should end up with a phrase that means “as good as done or complete”.

6. Alan’s unusual manner of speaking? (5)
{NASAL} – An anagram (unusual) of ALANS for a type of speech that sounds as if the nose were pinched.

7. Strongly disapproves of what a model does after work (7)
{OPPOSES} – The usual musical reference to a work, is then followed by what a model does.

8. Happen to be on the level but produce no response (4,4)
{FALL FLAT} – FALL (happen, as in Easter falls in April this year) plus another word meaning on the level produces a phrase meaning to have no effect.

14. Sign for coat only just put on? (3,5)
{WET PAINT} – Emulsion or gloss?

16. There’s lots of shooting from various forces, sir (9)
{CROSSFIRE} – An anagram (various) of FORCES SIR is converging bullets (for example) received from multiple positions.

17. Worker in the prairie producing fruit (8)
{PLANTAIN} – Put ANT (worker) inside a word for a large treeless area of land for a fruit that resembles a banana.

18. Roguish manner to make an entrance (7)
{ARCHWAY} – Another word for mischievous, followed by another word meaning “a method of doing something”, end result “a passageway under a curved masonry construction”.

20. Pasta cooked the country way – to sink in the middle (7)
{LASAGNE} – Put SAG (to sink) in the middle of another word for a narrow country road to give a type a pasta dish made from layers of pasta and meat, cheese etc.

22. Love food! (5)
{MUSIC} – Twelfth Night, Act 1 Scene 1, line 1.

24. Girl from the U.S. taking the morning off (5)
{ERICA} – Remove AM from another word for the United States to leave a girls name.

25. Drink it up as a starter (4)
{ASTI} – A sparkling wine from Italy, AS followed by IT reversed (up).

43 comments on “DT 26362”

  1. I do see what you mean about being hard to work out the whys and wherefores. A very enjoyable Monday morning puzzle – a very quick solve with some nice clues 9a being my special favourite. Thanks to Rufus and Libellule for the entertainment/enlightenment.

  2. I would agree as well, Libellule and crypticsue; a race through solve but the working out is a bit tricky in places. Favourite was definitely 9a as well as 27a and 13a.
    Thanks to Libellule nd to Rufus.

  3. I nice easy start to the week. 9a got a big tick as my favourite clue today. Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule.

  4. Morning Libelulle, this was a bit trickier than the usual Rufus puzzles I thought, some clues didn’t seem like Rufus at all! I didn’t help myself by being too clever or maybe too stupid and putting ‘gorge’ for 2d!! well it does fit doesn’t it? even after reading the hints I’m sorry but I don’t understand the ‘tar’ bit in 9a?? Favourite clues today, 28a, 20d, 24d (I know its obvious but I like it), 15a and maybe 5d, I think a three * for me today, we’ll see how the rest of the Clueless Club get on, thanks for blog Libelulle and Rufus, who makes cryptic puzzles fun :)

      2. But not known as such in the main! – it appears in the chorus of ‘Heart of Oak’:
        ‘Heart of oak are our ships, jolly tars are our men,
        we always are ready; Steady, boys, steady!
        We’ll fight and we’ll conquer again and again.’
        The music was by Dr William Boyce (Master of the King’s Music) which was adopted by the RN as its official march – the lyrics were written later by the actor/theatre owner David Garrick as part of an opera but was first performed in the first pantomime Harlequin’s Invasion on New Year’s Eve 1759 to celebrate the series of major victories against the French that year (Minden/Quiberon Bay/Quebec) in the Seven Years War.

  5. Lovely start to the week over my breakfast coffee. With it out of the way and the sun shining I will go out for the day – must make the most of it after the atrocious weekend weather.
    Enjoyed the nautical stuff, 9a and 27a, the latter my favourite.
    Thanks to setter and Libellule.

  6. A lovely way to start the week. Many thanks to Rufus for the entertainment. Like many, 9a was tops. Thanks to Libellule for the review.

  7. Rufus showing his Naval colours again. And I should point out – before he does – that it isn’t just the RAF that awards wings. The Fleet Air Arm was doing so long before the RAF had been invented, and still does. I’m very proud of mine.

  8. Nice gentle start to the week. Made a mistake on 19a – because I spelt it ‘eo’ instead of ‘oe’ but all became clear when I filled in 16d. Thanks for an enjoyable coffee break to Rufus and to Libellule

  9. This is the kind of Monday puzzle I like — one which makes us CCers feel not quite so clueless after all. Many thanks to Rufus and to Libellule for his explanations, happily not needed, at least by me.
    There were plenty of enjoyable clues. I liked 22a for its literary allusion, and also smiled at 21a and 14d, but the best for me –I agree with Jezza — was 9a. :-)

  10. A good start to the week after having been away – for once I did not need help from the blog. Thank you Libellule – by the way I have just come back from a long weekend in Annecy where I was most entertained to find a cruise boat on the lake named after you :-)

  12. A nice start to the week. 9a and 14d were my favourites. Although I’m also quite partial to some 12a in a 3d. :-)

  13. A very nice puzzle today – quite quick to do to begin with and then got stuck on the last four or five. I managed to get 26a wrong – for no real reason I put ‘winds’! I didn’t need the hints (apart from putting me right on 26a) but, as always, enjoyed reading them. Had to check the spelling of 27a (i before e except after c didn’t seem to work!) and I had a complete mental block about the ‘high tar content’ in 9a for a little while. Favourite clues today 9a and 14d.

  14. A straight forward but enjoyable puzzle, ideal for a Monday to get your brain in to crossword mode for the week. Great surface readings and too many good clues to select a favourite though I particularly like 12a!

  15. Late start today. Fairly straightforward and most enjoyable so far, but a bit stuck on the SW corner and the afternoon is to good to let it slip away. Off for a walk and will come back to this!

    2. I agree, it is too nice a day today to spend indoors, beautiful warm sunshine, what a difference to the weekend :)

  17. A nice start to the week not too hard and not too easy just the right mix, favourite 27a a nice play on words. :D

  20. Enjoyable start to the week Fav clue was 9a as you would expect
    . Down in a little village in Somerset (Wiveliscombe) for a few days and the weather brilliant after driving down in torrential rain yesterday. It was like being back at sea!.
    Thanks to Rufus and Libellule.

  21. Finally, after a walk, a think, cutting the grass, another think, I had two left, 18d and 26a and checked the hint for 26a. Then 18d was an, oh, of course moment! Jolly fine puzzle, really enjoyed it, especially 9a of course.

    Thanks to Rufus and Libellule.

  22. The usual gentle start to the week. Thanks Rufus.

    Best for me was 9a.

    Re 22d : we all know that The Bard said it – I could not find reference to it in many books such as Brewers, Chambers Idioms or any of the stock titles. Any suggestions?.

      1. BD thank you – I already knew that the phrase came from Shakespeare’s 12th Night but I cannot find any reference to it as an idiom or whatever you would like to call it anywhere else.
        Derek

  24. Last in 18d which was my favourite. Very pleasant distraction from the chaos caused by Bob Crowe and his band of merry men.

  25. Very excited to have finished this without recourse to any ‘aids’!! It is a very long time since that has happened…….. Just needed the hints to help us understand the ‘why’ of 3 of them – thanks Libellule, and thanks Rufus for making my day! 9a, 27a & 18d favourites today.

  26. Well I managed to finish this in record time for me (50 mins!) and though it was full of very funny clues. i liked 9, 13 and 14 – my favourite ? …..9. No 14. No 9!

    1. Agree with you on this Rufus clue – especially considering his naval background. (See Comment #24 in DT 26374).
      Presumably, you’ll get DT 26374 in a few weeks time – a bit like back the the future!

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