DT 26385 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 26385 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26379 (Hints)

Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club

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

I’ll be in London all day at the White Horse (see previous post), but I’m sure others will be around to help.

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 Thursday, 4th November.

Across

1a           Series of actions for engineer attached to steamship (7)
This series of actions is a charade of a word meaning for, a Chartered Engineer and a SteamShip

10a         Run and put the boot in (3-4)
Run fast and put the boot in gives a move made by the foot while running

21a         The elector’s cross (4)
… made during an election

29a         Penny entering an Indian city theatre (7)
Put a P(enny) inside A and the Indian capital city to get this London theatre

Down

2d           Pertinent about part of Middle East (8)
A word meaning pertinent is a charade of about and the eastern part of the Mediterranean

8d           Pardon lady going round home (7)
A pardon is constructed by putting a lady’s name around a bird’s home

18d         Might be the alcohol content (8)
A double definition – might or power and a measure of the content of alcohol

26d         Eight sounded cocky (4)
A double definition – a rowing eight or the sound a cockerel made

The Saturday Crossword Club opens at 10.00am. Membership is free and open to all. Feel free to leave comments.

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

59 comments on “DT 26385 (Hints)”

  1. Easiest of the week, glad I didn’t spend a pound buying the paper or I would have felt ripped off. Still an enjoyable exercise. A nice long bike ride harkens…fire up the Ridgeback.
    Have a nice day Dave and have one for me. Thanks also to the Setter.

  2. I found there were a few tougher nuts to crack in this one although having gone round again with checking letters they turned out OK. Thans to Cephas and BD – will probably see you both later!

  3. Having struggled rather with this week’s puzzles, not to mention a houseful of guests, I found this morning’s offering a welcome relief. Plenty of solvable anagrams and only one strange word for me, 11d, and one football reference. Favourite clues were 22a and 20d. So many thanks to Cephas and BD. :-)

    One question (censor if improper): in 9a, is ‘choice’ always that particular fruit?

  4. Morning all,

    About half an hour the wrong side of being a 3d for me :)
    My favourite was probably 28a.

    Hope ‘the meet’ goes well.

  5. Finished I think! got a bit stuck at first but then all seemed to be going well and I got completely stuck on bottom left corner, all done now, hopefully correct, no real favourite clue today, just a ‘well that’s finished then’ moment :) Hope you all have a great time in London today, wish I was living nearer :(

      1. 19d A word for dance step and another name for a wise man give a hall way
        28a This is another word for criminal perhaps US 1920! made from a Scottish phrase for 19d and bird with a letter short.

  6. Great puzzle, really enjoyed it with some ‘smile’ clues esp 12a and 7d :-).
    Although I have finished it, I wonder if someone could explain the logic behind 10a (what has it to do with an aerial insect?), 28a (where does N of the border and the short bird come in) and most of all 20d (totally mystified by this clue apart from the obvious anagram of IS INANE).

    1. Barrie, re: 10a
      There is no reference to a flying insect per se. The first part of the charade is a verb meaning to run or hurry. The second is a synonym for ‘put the boot in’
      The clue as a whole is an example of doing this while running.

        1. Hi Steph I can’t think of another hint to give you other than those already given as we’re not allowed to give alternative clues any more, the second part of the word is a four letter word for ‘put the boot in’ i.e. hit someone with your foot and the first part 3 letters is another word for run i.e. go fast, as time does sometimes, the whole word is an action with the foot whilst running, sorry I can’t think of another way to say it :)

    2. 28a: the first part of the charade is a Scottish word meaning ‘goes’ (North of the Border), the second is all but the last letter (short) of a seabird.
      20a: if something is ‘Mickey Mouse’ it is rubbish, poor or wrong. It works here as an anagram indicator and also ties in to the definition – Goofy.

      1. Thx for that, it was really bugging me!! Didn’t mean there was a ref to a flying insect as such, just didn’t want to give the answer away. Never heard of that bit of Scottish slang before despite serving in a Scottish regt for 5 years, will remember that. What a clever anagram indicator, not seen that used before in the DT, is it a known one?

        1. Yes it is clever isn’t it, I didn’t realise it was the indicator depite knowing the answer!!

        2. Barrie, have you never heard the quotation ” The best laid schemes o’ mice and men gang aft agley” Rabbie Burns telling us that even the best devised plans of humans or animals can often go awry.

          1. And perhaps I could gently point out that ‘gang’ is Scottish dialect, not Scottish slang. (My grandmother was from Leith, and liked to think, wishfully, that she was kin to Burns.)

            1. Point taken and suitably chastened, still never heard it before. Burns doesn’t makes it much to the average squaddies reading list, Scottish or not!!

      2. I’m glad someone explained 28 and 20 too -I also got them but could no understand why so a big thank you!

  7. Like Mary, I got stuck in the bottom left corner after a racing start, but, having finished this puzzle eventually, I didn’t feel any sense of achievement and there certainly weren’t any ‘Eureka!’ moments. As Nubian suggests, have one for me too, Dave…

  8. A bit late starting this one as had visitors early this morning so the day feels like it is more thank half gone already.

    Enjoyed this – was quite nice and smooth with few hesitations – four letter word at 15 tripped me up for a while until I remembered Ulster could also mean NI.

    Thanks to Cephas for the puzzle and to BD for the review.

    Hope all have a lovely time in London – weather is good so it should keep you going nicely when you come out of the pub.

  9. Looks like there are a lot of people making their way to the White Horse ! Spent quite a lot of my life commuting to London but wild horses (not even white ones !) wouldn’t get me near the place now.
    Anyway, all done and dusted before lunch must be some indication of the difficulty factor this week, although BD’s hints eased the process as always and your comments confirmed a few answers.
    Have to go and paint the garage doors before it rains now – sigh !!

    1. Me too DP .. was in The Smoke from 85 to 2000. Now in Lancashire, and reckon my next move will be further north. Sitting behind a red bus for 40 mins in order to travel 3 miles is no fun!

  10. Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle. I also took a long time over 10a. I’m sure I have the answer for 19d, but if the wise man is the usual ‘herb’, where does the ‘step’ come into it?? Have a pint of Pride for me, BD.

      1. Thanks Libellule. Got that now. Just a thought – the two things which have held me up this morning relate to rugby and ballet .. says something about the good old ‘Torygraph’ don’t we think?

  11. Sorry I won’t be at the White Horse today.

    You have given the answer to 29 across in the picture!

  12. I enjoyed today’s puzzle – no real problems apart from the first part of 10a which I just couldn’t see for a long time. I think we might have had something like 26d fairly recently – didn’t terribly like it then and still don’t – think that I would make “sounded cocky” “….ed” rather than what it is. Oh dear – not expressed very well but I can’t think of another way of putting it without spelling it out! No particular favourite clues today. Off for dog walk now then home to make a couple of curries – doing a shared meal with lots of friends this evening. Have a good weekend everyone.

  13. This has got to be one of the easiest puzzles for many a long day. I think my brain is still in overdrive having wrestled with Friday’s Toughie til about noon today. Enjoyable but nothing to knot the brows over.

  14. Pleasant enough puzzle, but no ‘oh that’s a good one’ moments for me. But, I like puzzles I can do, so I liked it well enough!

    Thanks for puzzle and for hints and comments to help me along.

  15. Where did that one go? I was sat in the car doing it and by the time we’d got to M&S I’d finished. Yesterday’s effort was always going to be a hard act to follow and there were one or two nice clues, but nothing above average.
    Enjoy your beer!

  16. Some hints please. Stuck on last two and brain seems to have switched off. 19a and 28a.
    Thanks

      1. Chris,19d The word is made up of a type of step in balet followed by another name for a wise man28a you want a scottish word for going followed by a name for a bird that is shortened to give you another word for a criminal

      2. 19d – the definition is “hall”. First 3 letters are a step in dancing (mainly ballet) – last 4 letters – a synonym of “wise man”.

        1. Franco thanks – now I can sleep easily without thinking of the two clues.
          19d was, after the event, pretty obvious. Without the checking letters it would have been next Hallowen before I had got 28a.
          Cheers
          Chris

          1. sorry Chris didn’t see your cry for help, but as you see there’s always plenty of help available :)

  18. Just back today – strolled along Bournemouth sea front early today with paper and pen in hand in glorious sunshine as my two boys pedalled off into the blue yonder. Found this strangely tough – SW corner especially but got it done. 26d rather weak? Last in 19d – DOH! Two great crosswords in the preceding two days and nice to get this one done too.

    Ta to Cephas. Back home now.

  20. Quite enjoyed today’s puzzle, thanks Cephas and BD a nice steady relaxer after dinner tonight, thanks to Cephas and BD. :D

    Hope you all enjoyed today’s outing would have liked to be there but work got in the way. :(

  21. South West corner was def the most diff. The Mickey Mouse indicator is not one I’ve ever seen but its original all right!

  22. My usual early/late input – spent too much time last evening wandering around the flat readjusting the clocks and electronic timepieces to winter time. Have two radio-controlled clocks on the eastern wall – the signals come from Stuttgart. Have never seen them change – do they stop an hour or go forward 11 hours for this particular time change?

    Enjoyable puzzle – not very taxing.
    Best for me were : 9a, 15a, 25a, 3d, 5d, 7d, 18d & 20d.

    Will finish off the time change job this AM – still have to reset TVs and telephones! Didn’t forget the CH thermostats (central heating) this time!

  23. I sat on a bench at Exeter St Davids station on Satuday morning and completed this one before my train arrived. No words to check in the dictionary this week . I quite liked 9a and 24 a.

  24. Sorry me again.
    Stuck on 11a and 6d but rather worrying no one else has had problems with these.
    Got a few ideas but not sure where the clue is leading to.
    Again too late to post for prize but a little clue would be a great help.
    Thanks in anticipation.
    Bob

    1. 11a Not to mention hindrance by solitary amateur included (3,5)

      It’s one of those phrases that are used a lot but difficult to describe. The definition is “not to mention” or “much less” and it’s a hindrance (a tennis service that clips the net has this hindrance) and a word meaning solitary, separated by A, the abbreviation for amateur

      6d Reach a remarkable Titan (6)

      A word meaning to reach is A followed by an anagram, indicated by remarkable, of TITAN

Comments are closed.