Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2568 (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.
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A full review of this puzzle will be published on or after the closing date.
Across
1a Piano I put in club converted by jazz singer — chance for all to relax (6,7)
To get the first word start with P(iano) and then put I inside an anagram (converted) of CLUB, the second word is the surname of a famous jazz singer, portrayed on film by Diana Ross, and the whole is a chance for all to relax, like tomorrow and Tuesday
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
16a Get as reward leading part of Abenazar in theatre (4)
A verb meaning to get as a reward is created by putting the initial letter (leading part) of Abenazar inside the abbreviated form of a theatre with a range of plays and a permanent company of actors
17a Exited right? On the contrary (4)
A word meaning exited is not right, but the opposite side!
26a What happens in sales, for example, gets GNP prophesies revised (8,5)
It’s easy to go on one of these during the January Sales – it’s an anagram (revised) of GNP PROPHESIES
Down
1d Criticize big books I’m into for seasonal entertainments (10)
Start with a word meaning to criticize and follow it with some big books placed around I’M to get these seasonal entertainments
5d Smallest piggy allowed nothing within brood, mostly (6,3)
This smallest piggy went “Wee! Wee! Wee!” all the way home! – put a word meaning allowed and O (nothing) inside most of a brood (of pigs maybe)
11d Something put on tomb, say, to honour US patriot (4,6)
A charade of a word that sounds like (say) a cloth spread over a tomb and a verb meaning to honour gives a US patriot who rode from Boston to Lexington in 1775 to warn fellow American revolutionaries of the approach of British troops
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
22d Young hero (with start of 1 down) is safe (5)
The first three letters of 1 down are the second name of this eternally young hero – it’s also a name criminals use for a safe
23d What villains may get to drink, so to speak (4)
This is what the villains get in 1d – sounds like (so to speak) the kind of drinks that are the brought back to the UK after a “cruise” to Europe!
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 or alternative clues in your comment, else they may be censored!
Managed it without the hints in about 40 minutes, which I feel is about the correct level of difficulty for me. Nice to have things confirmed – cheers BD – so I can go and post it with confidence, if no great anticipation. A bracing day in Henfield, but Mrs D & I need some fresh air!
I spent as long on the last four answers as I did on the rest – including 3 pesky four letter words.
Lovely puzzle from Virgilius – Merry Christmas to him and thanks to BD for the hints.
Much fun!
That’s precisely why I put in hints for three of the four-letter words.
Those weren’t my problems but I appreciate the sentiment!
Maybe stopping up to watch the magnificent Ashes performance didn’t help!
Gnomey – I have to keep revisiting the scoreboard on the web to make sure that I didn’t dream it. Has there ever been a more one-sided day’s play in an Ashes match?
I stayed up last night to see Hussey go down before the rain break. I couldnt believe the scor when I woke up this morning!
Glorious stuff!
I listened to the test last night and thought that I was dreaming!
I definitely remember Geof Boycott saying to Aggers at the end of the third over – “I can’t see any way England are going to win this”
Aggers reply: “We’ve only had 12 minutes .. how can you say that?”
Boycott to Aggers : “I’m supposed to know what I’m talking about – that’s why I’m the expert and you’re commentating”
Sir Geoffrey is very rarely wrong! Hopefully he is , this time.
Franco,
Sir Geoffrey? He’s a fellow Y’man and I saw his 1st first class knock in Bradford in 19XX. But “Sir”? I VERY much doubt it!! Brucie has more chance!
Reet!
Arise, Sir Franco!
I managed to dredge the US patriot from the memory cells somewhere to get the last few answers in place. I agree with Gnome about the pesky four letter ones.
Thanks to Virgilius for the treat and to BD for recovering from the turkey and trimmings to write up the hints.
That was the 4th of my last four!
Nice gentle !there there! puzzle. Can I go back to sleep now ?
Thanks Dave and Virgilius.
As said gnomethang, my last 4 included “3 pesky four letter words”.
My first chance to look at a puzzle for a few days, and despite the over-indulgences of a liquid variety, I managed this without too much head scratching.
Thanks to Virgilius and to BD; time for another glass of fizz me thinks!
I did this puzzle quite early this morning before preparing for and enjoying a big family gathering. My problem wasn’t the pesky four letter ones but the “conclusions” in 21d which held me up slightly. Thanks to Virgilius for another lovely themed crossword and to BD for the hints. Not sure I need another glass of anything, well today I don’t anyway, so I am going for a nice cup of tea and then a zizzz in the chair.
Been out eating (but not drinking, making up for that now!) too much again. Started the puzzle this morning and now finished after a fair bit of head scratching and a bit of help here and there from that nice Mr Google. Plenty of fun, thanks to V & BD.
I steamed along really well for a while with this one and then got completely stuck on 23d. Really groaned when I read the hint!! Love the smallest piggy picture!
Very late comment from me – I tackled this puzzle yesterday (3 Jan) as I had archived it over Xmas!
Got stuck with 24a & 21d otherwise no problems.
I finally finished this puzzle – 24a was clearly obvious from the date – must have been in a daze!
Likewise 21d was in the clue!
I also altered 23d to the correct answer.