ST 2570 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2570 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2570 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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.

Could new readers please read the Welcome post before asking questions about the site.

A full review of this puzzle will be published on or after the closing date.

Across

1a    Bent over by fish that one plays – the biggest of its type (6,4)
A charade of being bent over and a fish gives the biggest musical instrument of its type

12a    English author swallowing mixture of gin and tasteless liquid (8,5)
Put an English author around an anagram (mixture) of GIN to get this tasteless liquid

17a    Person willing to get runs to finish off match at Oval (8)
This person who leaves a will is constructed from R(uns) preceded by an international cricket match, AT and O(val)

27a    Observer is in English, yet news is somehow different (10)
This observer, who sees a something as it actually happens, is an anagram (somehow different) of E(nglish) YET NEWS IS

Down

1d    Setting up base on time is an obligation (4)
Take a word meaning a base or foundation, reverse it (setting up) and add T(ime) to get an obligation

4d    Poet’s right out of place in competition for novelists (6)
To get this poet, a particular favourite of mine,  take a well-known competition for novelists and move the R (Right out of place)

The Pink and Lily

Never came there to the Pink
Two such men as we, I think.
Never came there to the Lily
Two men quite so richly silly;
So broad, so supple, and so tall,
So modest and so brave withal,
With hearts so clear, such noble eyes,
Filled with such sage philosophies,
Thirsty for Good, secure of Truth,
Fired by a purer flame than youth,
Serene as age, but not so dirty,
Old, young, mature, being under thirty.
Were ever two so fierce and strong,
Who drank so deep, and laughed so long,
So proudly meek, so humbly proud,
Who walked so far, and sang so loud ?

8d    Behaviour of the kind that’s wasted energy, so restricting it (10)
My favourite clue in today’s puzzle – lift and separate the definition “behaviour of the kind” from the wordplay, an anagram (wasted) of ENERGY SO around (restricting) IT

18d    Main courses? (7)
… or starters like prawn cocktail!

23d    Positive starts from politicians leading us somewhere (4)
This word meaning positive comes from the initial letters (starts) of the last four words in the clue

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!

38 comments on “ST 2570 (Hints)”

  1. Typical Sunday puzzle, nothing to go hyper about but enough to make one get the thinking cap on.
    Thanks to Dave for the tips and the Setter.
    25a I got but can’t justify the ‘pushing back the border’ bit. I know for a fact as soon as I press post comment it will hit me in the face but nevertheless here goes for another Gnomethang moment.

    1. Nubian

      Put a word meaning state inside a word meaning border and reverse (pushing back) the lot to get the answer.

  2. Very enjoyable crossword with a good variety of clues and some to get you thinking. Many thanks to Virgilius and to BD for the hints. Lots of top clues from which to pick a favourite but 15a and 13d are tops for me today.

  3. As Prolixic says, a very good ‘thinking’ crossword which didn’t take as long to solve as it seemed to when I was doing it – mainly because it takes me a good few clues to get into Virgilius’s mindset. 13d was my favourite. Thanks to Virgilius and BD.

  4. An excellent puzzle as always from Virgilius, although I was a bit surprised at 15a, since I was always taught that things are hung but humans are hanged. Favourite clues: 9a and 8d.

  6. Lovely puzzle today, thanks Virgilius and BD for the clues which I didn’t need to use, Gazza , humans can be hung………..well can’t they? Liked 12a best.

  7. I am completely at a loss to see 13d and 6a, despite having all intersecting words in. Am I being a complete nit-wit? Help!!

    1. Nora,

      Think of the era in which Gladstone lived and the state of Australia where someone living in Melbourne is for 13d

      For 6a you need a simple word sum of an abbreviation for small followed by a three letter word for a record (written in a book).

  8. Thank you, Prolixic. Geography and history went right out of my head for 13, and I have no excuse at all for 6.

  9. Lovely puzzle from Virgilius. I have just fathomed the wordplay for 14a and corrected 13d. Favourite was 11d.
    Thanks to Mr Greer and BD for the hints.

  10. Sorry folks but it seems I’m easy to please. This crossword + others this week I have found extremely enjoyable. 13d had me stuck for a while. 1a, 27a and 3d were my favourites of an enjoyable crossword. Thanx to compiler and BD as usual although I’ve not needed to [25a] of the hints.

    1. Whoops !!!!! Sorry BD, didn’t associate my comment with 25a ‘honest’. Wasn’t a good choice of words anyway.

  11. Another nice Sunday job from Virgilius.
    Best clues for me were: 1a, 10a, 12a, 22a, 3d, 11d, 13d & 21d.

  13. I think that this is a bit easier than usual for a Sunday.
    The second word of 1a took me a long time as I had managed to convince myself that it must begin with a ‘D’ and be followed by a three letter ‘fish’ because the clue said ‘bent’ over rather than ‘bend’. Am I being dim or did anyone else get caught like that? Explaining 14a also took me longer than it should have done – still can’t quite work out where the ‘spell’ fits in.
    Favourite clues – 9 and 10a and 7, 8 and 13d.
    Thanks to Mr Setter and Big Dave.

    1. 14a – I am also still puzzled by the wordplay – I could explain it if “spell” wasn’t there.

      1a – Didn’t have a problem with this until you pointed out “bend” and “bent”.

      Favourite clue today – 13d – a reminder of the MCG and the Barmy Army!!

      1. 14a During end of cold spell I turn blue (6)
        The definition is blue. It’s a charade of a synonym for during, the final (end) letter in the spelling of cold, I and a turn (in a board game, for example).

        1. Could manage all this, apart from the ‘spell’ – I sort of see it – but only just …
          What do you think about the tense of ‘bent’ as opposed to ‘bend’? (1a) I neither want to be dim nor difficult but it really screwed up the second word of 1a and 4d – in fact it was only when 4d came to me that I got 1a.
          Sorry folks – it’s the little things that niggle me …
          About to have supper and go to bed early – still suffering from your ‘mild girly sniffle’! :sad:

            1. Bent means folded over, as does the word required. Together they form the first two words of Wilfred Owen’s anti-war poem “Dulce et Decorum est”:

              “Bent ******, like old beggars under sacks,
              Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,”

              1. Thank you, Gazza! I think I now understand!

                I’ve just read the poem in full – it puts missing the wordplay of 1a into perspective – not so important! Pro patria mori

    2. Hello Kath, I have already posted that I do not understand the wordplay for 14a, and still don’t.
      Re: 1a, I thought was a bit “iffy” but agree that the second word seemed to start with “d”. I only got it because I enjoy my fishing and used to play the ‘big violin’
      Regards.

  14. Re: 13d: lets change the last three letters to ‘ous’ and applaud our boys in Australia !!! Well “earnt” if you’ll excuse the homophone!!

    1. 5d House not, as some say, the place to teach ministers lessons (8)
      This is a place where people study for the priesthood. It’s a type of house (not detached) followed by a dialect word meaning not or never.

    2. 15a They were often hung or framed by eccentric artist (8)
      “or” is surrounded (framed) by an anagram (eccentric) of artist.

  16. Thanks Gazza, another couple of ‘doh’ moments then, as with 11 / 21d!

    All done then, assuming they are right! Nice puzzle, enjoyed it, thanks to Setter and BD too.

  17. late on blog today, been successfully buying caravan in Nottingham and towed it home!
    amazingly I managed all but one in the car on the way up, the one I couldn’t get was to do with Gladstone & Melbourne? I put ********* because I can’t think of any thing else to fit! but I know its wrong :( ‘see’ you all tomorrow

  18. Can someone tell me the address that I need to post this crossword in please. Having abandoned the paper version and doing the puzzle using the online site I can’t find the address! Any help welcome ta!

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