ST 2574 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2574 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2574 (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.

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    Problem about English becoming advanced in electronics (2-4)
Put a problem or snag around E(nglish) to get advanced electronics

4a    Traveller’s to use more accurate scales, we hear (8)
This traveller, when split as (3,5) sounds like (we hear) an instruction to use more accurate scales (5,6)

27a    Drink that’s the opposite of 5, on paper (9)
An alcoholic drink is derived by putting the opposite of 5d after a daily newspaper

29a    Impassive team-leader in firm (6)
A word meaning impassive or showing little emotion is created by putting T (Team-leader) inside a synonym for firm or hard

Down

1d    Important people host put out repeatedly (8)
These important people are an anagram (put out) of HOST + HOST (host repeatedly)

5d    Frantically disperse insect above and below – that should make you feel better (14)
Start with an anagram (frantically) of DISPERSE and then put a worker insect above and below to get a drug that should make you feel better

7d    Reading or writing European poetry? Just the opposite (7)
Reading and writing, along with arithmetic, are collectively regarded as starting with this letter – add E(uropean) and poetry to get a word meaning opposite

19d    Disappear, going around part of Orient east of capital? Japan, perhaps (7)
Put a word meaning to disappear around R (part of Orient east, or to the right, of the capital O) to get something of which Japan is an example – my initial thought was that this was an across-clue construct, but the expression “east of” refers to the clue not the answer

24d    However, discover disc this composer repeatedly contributes to (5)
Hidden, not once but twice (repeatedly), inside the clue is the name of a composer

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!

58 comments on “ST 2574 (Hints)”

  1. A very nice start to Sunday morning. Relatively easy but with some very nice wordplay. No particular favourite clue yet – I will see how I feel when I have finished the review. Thanks to Virgilius and BD.

  2. Thanks to Virgilius and BD for the hints, needed 1d hint, worked out it was an anagram of host but too stupid to add another one. Liked 5d and so 27a, 28a and an old chestnut at 9d

    2. 26a – think of someone who does a particular winter sport, look it up in the dictionary and you should find it also means a ball that goes high in the air. 22d is the name of one old European country with its initial letter removed to give you another.

    3. Not sure about 22d, can see it once had an empire ruled by a Tsar but what it’s got to do with the rest of the clue is a bit of a mystery!

    4. Thank you Sue and Barrie, so stupid, finished now, lots of football to watch this afternoon, Swansea v Cardiff 1pm, Liverpool v Chelsea @ 4pm

  4. This was a quality crossword in every sense. Good clues and answers which appear to me as being new and fresh. Not a chestnut in sight, old or new apart from 9d maybe but that did not detract from the overall enjoyment.
    Thanks to Virgilius and B Dave

  5. Forgot to say – Happy 50th Birthday to the Sunday Telegraph – but if there was a cryptic in the first edition, why isn’t it reprinted in the souvenir supplement?

  6. Hard one today, taken me all morning to complete. Stupidly I just couldn’t see 1a until almost the very end DOH! Best clue by far for me was 9d clever and it made me smile! Oddest clue 25a, can see why but didn’t like it. I really enjoyed 4a (very tricky), 27a and 29a but still really can’t get to the bottom of 3d – teacher?

      1. Ah easy when you know how!! I had the answer right from the last part of the clue and now I understand why. Thanks. Have you got 26a now?

  7. I found this much easier than usual for a Sunday puzzle. I normally look forward to a stiffer challenge from Virgilius but I still enjoyed it

    Thanks to him and to BD

  8. Found this quite tough today, so thanks for the help above, I don’t understand 14a, though? Fav clues 24d & 4a, I was convinced it was going to be a pangram and was desperately trying to put the Q in 22d! good luck all, pretty tough IMHO :)

    1. 14a – as well as helping you see in the dark, carrying this item can also mean having an unrequited love for someone.

  9. A bit easier than some Sunday crosswords? I thought so anyway.
    For a long time I didn’t understand 23a.
    I absolutely couldn’t see a word that fitted the letters that I already had in 17d, let alone fitted the clue – husband (who doesn’t do crosswords) looked at the word (but not the clue) and said “It’s ……..” Don’t know how I couldn’t do that!
    I enjoyed this very much and now, having finished it, have no excuse not to go out to do some tidying up in the garden to try to deal with some of the damage done by the winds of the last couple of days.
    Best clues, for me, today – 4, 23 and 28a and 5, 9 (old or otherwise) and 19d.
    Thanks to Virgilius and Big Dave.

  10. I thought it was going to be easier too getting about three-quarters done quite quickly and then having to revert to BD and other help. I loved 23a once I had the solution (took a while) and really enjoyed the other clues too. Thanks to Virgilus and BD

    1. You are looking for a word for recount, take the first letter of Republican with a five letter word for cheer

    2. Abbreviation for Republican followed by a word meaning cheer in the sense of make exceedingly happy.

      1. 13a, you are looking for a word for ‘fault’ think of a five letter word for lacking energy with ‘me’ inside it and reverse it all

  12. This was quite hard but very enjoyable for me. Got the words for 26a and 14a but couldn’t get the word play until I read above. Can’t see the word play in 8d.
    Liked 23a and 11a nice puzzle for a Sunday thanks BD and Virgilus

  13. Done and dusted with help from Mary and CT, Liked 24d as favourite today, also 4a which had me puzzled for a while.
    Thanks to all as usual.

  14. Getting there, gradually. Cannot see 9d and a hint here might help me with two others, please.

    2. Hi Geoff, if you drink too much you might get p*****! think of two composers the 2nd rhymes with this, apparently the whole thing if rhyming slang as Sue says for p*****!

  15. More good fare from Brian.
    Clues that I liked : 1a, 11a, 14a, 27a, 28a, 5d, 7d, 17d, 18d & 22d.
    9d is an old chestnut.

    Missed solving for the last few days doe to annual pantomime visit in The Hague with the family – this year we saw Robin Hood (John Hall). Bit of a change from the usual favourites!

  16. Finished in about 1 hour – unheard of for a Sunday!!! But now looking at BD’s hints, think I have 24d wrong but not being musical can’t think of anything else – and it fits! But is it correct? A few more pointers on this one would be greatly appreciated – could be I also have 23a wrong, of course – another blankety-blank composer! Aaaargh!! Pride cometh, etc. etc.

  17. Just seen your message Geoff – most of the others think 9d is an old chestnut but I’d never seen it before – think Cockney rhyming slang for getting ever so ever so merry with too much alcohol intake!

      1. DT 26375 – October 19, 2010 – 9d Composers getting out of it (6,3,5)
        ST 2554 – September 24, 2010 – 9d Canned music producers (6,3,5)
        For example.

        1. Another recent addition to the list:-

          Everyman 3348 (28 November 2010) – Two pianists, drunk(6,3,5).

  18. All done, although I cheated with 28a :oops: So much good stuff today with 17d raising a chuckle. Can’t see the relevance of union in 12a.

    Thanks to Virgilius, BD and a few other hinters.

    1. I think the union refers to the fact that you have to join together (or unite) the two wordsyou get from the clue.

  19. Despite searching this and the Telegraph website I could get find out if this is actually a prize crossword anymore? The Telegraph Crossword Club FAQ gives no address to which to send the completed crossword.

  20. Many thanks to Virgilius for an enjoyable, and not too taxing puzzle.
    Last one in was 8d, as I kept thinking of recount as in a secound count, or to recalculate.

    1. Hi Dingo!
      I don’t usually tip people off re prize xwords. However, 25a : think of a collection and a verb for support; 17d : a word for bust plus a colour!

  22. Thank you Cryptcisue – things like visiting elderly friend with near-dementia and cooking supper, sort of got in the way. I did have the right answer, just couldn’t see it at first from BD’ s hints- STUPID, or what?

  23. We loved this puzzle. Managed all but 25a so Derek, thanks for the help – much appreciated. Favourites – all of them apart from 25a. PS – blog has been first class the last few days having lapsed to lurking due to tardinesss of solving.

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