Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26518
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
For once I know who the Tuesday setter is because Shamus told us last week that this would be one of his. Thanks to him for an entertaining puzzle.
If you want to see an answer just highlight the space between the curly brackets under the relevant clue.
Across Clues
1a Battle walker devised to get flan (8,4)
{BAKEWELL TART} – for a long time I thought that this was going to be the name of a battle. In fact it’s an anagram (devised) of BATTLE WALKER which gives us a flan named after a town in the Peak District.
9a Distinctive garb shown by two educational bodies? (7)
{UNIFORM} – this distinctive garb is a charade of the abbreviation for an institution of higher learning and a body of pupils in a school. Here are two examples so that I won’t be accused of sexism:
10a Players keeping article introducing a card game (7)
{CANASTA} – put an indefinite article inside theatrical players and add (introducing) A to make a card game.
11a Part of animal later in ground (7)
{ENTRAIL} – an anagram (ground) of LATER IN.
12a Reserve select item for very wintry weather? (3,4)
{ICE PICK} – an item that may be used in wintry weather or on a high mountain (but, especially in the days before household refrigerators, could also be used in the preparation of cold drinks) is a charade of a synonym for reserve and a verb meaning to select. Presumably the question mark is present because a different term is used for the mountaineering tool in the US.
13a Bulge shown by bigwig (5)
{SWELL} – double definition.
14a Wrong lead taken by fool initially hopelessly attended to (5,4)
{DEALT WITH} – we want the past tense of a phrasal verb meaning to attend to. Start with an anagram (wrong) of LEAD and add a fool and the first letter (initially) of H(opelessly).
16a Number with spell in state in the small hours? (9)
{NOCTURNAL} – this is an adjective meaning active or occurring at night (in the small hours). Start with the abbreviation for number and then put a synonym for a spell (at the wheel, perhaps) inside an abbreviated West Coast state.
19a Band of singers in some papers reportedly (5)
{CHOIR} – this band of singers sounds like (reportedly) twenty five sheets of paper.
21a Nuts at one in curtailed meal (7)
{LUNATIC} – put AT and I (one) inside a meal without its final H (curtailed).
23a Fail to pick originally knitted garment (4,3)
{TANK TOP} – an informal verb to fail, normally at great financial cost, is followed by TO and the first letter (originally) of P(ick) to make a sleeveless pullover (knitted garment).
24a Run without being noticed? (7)
{SMUGGLE} – cryptic definition. The things being run may be firearms or drugs, for example.
25a Train due for renovation caught at start of evening (7)
{EDUCATE} – the definition is to train. It’s an anagram (for renovation) of DUE followed by the abbreviation (at cricket) of caught, AT and the first letter (start) of E(vening).
26a Live with a group of volunteers by convent and avoid unpleasantness? (4,1,7)
{BEAT A RETREAT} – this is a phrase meaning to withdraw, thereby avoiding a confrontation. Start with a verb to live or exist, than add A, a group of volunteer soldiers and a place of seclusion (convent).
Down Clues
1d Show anger in English city after expulsion of old English (7)
{BRISTLE} – this is a verb meaning to react angrily. It’s the name of an English city and port without its O (after expulsion of old) followed by E(nglish).
2d Smart Alec close to desk describing open-plan office? (4-3)
{KNOW-ALL} – another term for a smart Alec is the final letter (close) of (des)K followed by a cryptic description of an open-plan office (2,4).
3d Doctor taken in by trick put on in London suburb (9)
{WIMBLEDON} – to make this famous London suburb put one of the abbreviations for a medical doctor inside a trick or devious stratagem, then finish with a verb meaning to put on (clothes).
4d Fruit I found overlooking church among couple of limes (5)
{LICHI} – one of the many possible spellings of this fruit is I followed by (overlooking, in a down clue) the abbreviation for church, all inside the first couple of letters of LI(mes).
5d Line in brown followed by fellow (7)
{TANGENT} – this line touching a curve is a lightish brown colour followed by a synonym of fellow.
6d Composer with diva in Italy (7)
{ROSSINI} – follow a Supreme diva with IN and I(taly) to get this composer.
7d Club, perhaps, with national language correctly used (6,7)
{QUEEN’S ENGLISH} – the definition is language correctly used. A club where a pre-3d tournament is held each year is followed by an adjective meaning belonging to part of the UK (national).
8d Notorious criminal? Raise person travelling to protect ambassador (4,3,6)
{JACK THE RIPPER} – the nickname given to a notorious (and never caught) serial killer in Victorian London is made from a verb to raise (a car for example) followed by a person travelling for pleasure around (to protect) the abbreviation of the title given to an ambassador.
15d A huge amount designed reportedly in urban growth area? (9)
{ALLOTMENT} – I like urban growth area as the definition. It’s a homophone (reportedly) of a significant number (huge amount) followed by what sounds like a past participle signifying designed or intended.
17d Use up whole amount pocketed by cold individual (7)
{CONSUME} – the definition is use up. A total (whole amount) goes inside (pocketed by) C(old) and a single person (individual).
18d Tense point with one interrupting rampaging thug (7)
{UPTIGHT} – the abbreviation of point and I (one) are contained (interrupting) inside an anagram (rampaging) of THUG.
19d Anglican name bound to get criticism (7)
{CENSURE} – the abbreviations for Anglican and name are followed by a synonym for bound or certain.
20d One shunned in published group, we hear (7)
{OUTCAST} – the definition is one shunned. It’s a charade of a word meaning published or not concealed and a sound-alike (we hear) of a group or social class (especially in India).
22d King supporting college? That’s evident (5)
{CLEAR} – put a Shakespearean king after (supporting, in a down clue) the abbreviation of college.
I liked 23a and 24a today but my favourite clue was 15d. Let us know what you liked in a comment!
Today’s Quickie pun is {LAY} + {BURP} + {ARTY} = {LABOUR PARTY}
A nice puzzle today, a pleasure to fill in. Favs 1a,11a,26a.
Thanks to Gazza and Shamus
Thanks Gazza and Shamus, a workout and a half, need to go and lie down now, loved 26a and the pic in 23
Agree fully. Thanks for pic, Gazza.
Another good puzzle done without much difficulty. I did not like 11 but I suppose it was a body part, although a gory one. Best were 1a 8 14 16 and 26. No cricket – what a pity! Thanks to Shamus for a most enjoyable morning.
Good puzzle today – a little harder than yesterday’s. Liked 26a – an example of ‘lift and separate’? Knew 13a must be right, but wasn’t sure about ‘swell’ for ‘bigwig’. When arriving at the answer for 23a, I pictured an old Fairisle version, perhaps worn by a geography teacher. Gazza’s image was a bit of an improvement! Have a good day all.
Excellent puzzle today – not too difficult, but then not too easy either.
I was a bit worried about 1D as for a second I didn’t think it was cryptic and that the ‘old English’ part was superfluous but then I remembered that not everyone lives near me (there’s thems as would spell un Brizzle anyways).
Enjoyed 14A, 1A, 1D (obviously), 3D 8D and today’s favourite had to be 26A.
BTW – what’s happened to all the cricket references? Don’t the setters realise the season is upon us?
Incidentally, I like the way you’re hedging your bets with the photos for 9A Gazza.
I for one thought that this was a real challenge – the SW went in last (not helped by me sticking a letter C in and forgetting that it was only a tentative location for C(al). 15d possibly favourite for me as well.
Thanks to gazza and to Shamus for the workout.
Morning Gazza, thanks for the pic at 9a, still it is not quite equal with 23a not looking much like a knitted tank top to me
, quite enjoyed this today and thought the top easier than the bottom with the SE corner being last to go in, surely nocturnal means night time and not ‘small hours’ which usually refers to early morning hours? other than that no quibbles today, thank goodness the cricket seems to have finished along with the world cup!
“Small hours”, I think, refers to the hours immediately following midnight, so “in the small hours” is a pretty good definition of the answer.
However, being after midnight and before noon, they are also early morning.
I meant, of course, “definition by example” (as indicated by the “?”) rather than definition, since “in the small hours” is a subset of the answer.
Thank you Qix, I do see that just being a bit pedantic
Surely small hours refers to midnight to 6am as then they become large hours ie 7 – 12.
Tank tops have definitley changed since my days!!
Chambers defines tank top as “a sleeveless pullover, usually with a low round neckline”. I thought it necessary to emphasize the second bit in the illustration
I’m with you Mary – tank tops for me were bright colours and knitted. Not a skimpy VEST top.
However, Gazza thanks for the hunk in 9a – nice to see one for the ladies occasionally. Although I prefer the Sean Connery type myself!
Good solid fun from Shamus this morning. Many thanks to him for a good challenge and to Gazza for the review. 15d was a top clue for me too.
Gazza, I think you meant to refer to 23a and 24a (not down) as your favourite clues.
Thanks, Prolixic – fixed now.
Gazza, I presume you meant your favourites were 23a and 24a( not 23d and 24d)?? I did finish this but had to look at your explanations to understand the answers!! Many thanks!
I had forgotten it was to be Shamus today but it explains the slightly more challenging nature of this cryptic. Lots of good clues but no special favourites. Thanks to Shamus and Gazza – that’s the skimpiest 23a I ever saw
The Toughie is suprisingly challenging for a Tuesday too – my advice would be to give it a go, start at the bottom and be prepared to struggle with the top left.
Enjoyable puzzle and not too difficult.
The friendly anagram at 1A is a great encouragement to try the rest of the puzzle, and it’s well worth it.
Phew, I was wondering if it was just me having an off day, and indeed most of the blanks i have still are in top left
Ideal puzzle for me. Thanks Shamus. Not too easy or too hard. Got the composer without twigging the diva so thanks for the hint Gazza and the knitwear illustration. Favourites 12a, 26a 15d
Thanks to Shamus for the enjoyable puzzle, and to gazza for the notes.
Very good today. All fair enough clues but second word of 7d seems a bit vague. Thanks to Shamus and Gazza.
Lost the battle with Dentist yesterday too. Front tooth a gonner. Temp repair is “just an ornament to stop you frightening the public”. Don’t you love a dentist with a sense of humour.
Thanks v much, beangrinder – I have an appointment at 3:15 this afternoon!
Spooky…mine was 3.15 yesterday. I fear for you…..
He should be fairly safe – his emails indicate a preference for toast for breakfast not porridge in impenetrable packets
Good luck to both!
Thanks – second visit so I kinda know what I’m in for!
Hope your treatment is cheaper than mine!!
The pain was worse in the wallet – £120 for the two fillings. He is a very good dentist but apparently I am a model patient with a huge pain threshold and good bones.
Somebody has had all day to say 2.30 (Two Thirty). Boom Boom, so I’ve had to do it now………
That took me a while – worthy of a quickie pun!
Tooth-hurty! Thought about it, but decided to wait for someone else!
It WAS hanging out a bit but I wasn’t gonna do it. I actually asked today and the practitioner deliberately avoids the time.
Can’t say that I blame them!
Beangrinder,
I don’t see a great problem with the second part of 7d. National = English, as in “The national team”.
National = Scottish to me and Welsh to Mary I guess etc. Could be Polish, Irish? That’s why I felt it was vague. Eg English National Opera :- English doesn’t equal National. I’m just being picky, or devolved!, I suppose.
I see your point beangrinder, national to where?? that is the question
althought he answer was obvious once you got the first word
Not dentist for me but optician. Mine says that I have a choice for my next prescription. Apparantly the white stick is mandatory but I can choose between a golden or black labrador!
Pommers, reach out your hand and select the one that
A) Doesn’t bite your fingers off and,
B) Has a shiny wet nose
Hope the dentist was kind to you.
The last guide dog I met (called Sindy) was a nutter when not in harness. When the owner arrived at my house it would get out of the car and It used to launch itself over a rose bed and hit me from about 20 feet away. Back legs hit my hips and forelegs wrapped round the neck and face licked to death! I think it was pleased to see me! Difficult to keep one’s feet when hit by 20kg of flying dog!!!!!!
I think 20kg is on the conservative side for a lab – our not very big collie is about that weight. I once heard labradors described as “life support systems for stomachs” – they do seem to eat everything in sight! Apologies to all lab owners!
Know 2 guide dogs who do exactly the same off harness. Talking of weights though, I have two boxers and a Rhodesian Ridgeback, combined weight @130 kb. My weight @ 78 kg. Makes for interesting walks I can tell you!! And even more fun when I let them in to the main part of the house from their room – open door and stand well well back is the safest option.
Great puzzle which took longer than usual and needed much thought from me.
Thanks to Shamus and Gazza for his always entertaining hints.
Sounds like some people need to change their dentists.!! Personally I have yet to have a problem with
little packets of porridge, I find them very useful especially the fact that the packets double up as milk measures.
My problem was with a 1kg plastic bag – We Scots can’t get enough of it (not a single day’s supply – just to clarify!!).
Had you thought of investing in a pair of kitchen scissors?
Thanks Shamus for a most enjoyable puzzle and Gazza for the lovely pictures and a great review. Favourite clue (and picture) was 23a.
Funny old game innit? Having struggled all last week with puzzles most of you found none too difficult, I fairly whizzed through this over lunch and it seems some of you found it tricky! Held up for a mo because I put in ‘take’ not ‘beat’ a retreat until penny dropped. Liked 19d for its simplicity and surface reading.
Thanks to all as usual.
An entertaining little number. Managed within the time available and with some slick clues eg 24a. Thanks to setter and Gazza for the illustrative hints that are often as enjoyable as the clues.
Took me a while to get going with this – got 1a straight away, but then couldn’t get any of the down clues from it! Got a few scattered clues and was considering giving up and going for the hints when it suddenly started to fall into place. Still needed the hints for some explanations – I was convinced I had the right fruit for 4d, but had never seen it spelt like that and, even after checking the dictionary, couldn’t work out where the final ‘i’ came from as I was sure ‘couple of limes’ meant 2 Ls… Also, missed the diva in 6d and when I read the hint my initial response was ‘Jonathan’? Then noticed the capital on Supreme!
Favourite clue was definitely 15d, once I eventually saw it. Thanks to Shamus for a good workout and Gazza for the explanations (not going to comment on the pictures…).
For some reason I found this quite difficult – having finished it finally I now can’t see why I had problems. Got in a real pickle with 14a and needed the hint to do it. Also have never heard of the first word of 23a with that meaning although it had to be what it was – finally sorted that out by looking it up – should have thought of that sooner! With 7d I had the ‘club’ as a card (the queen) and the language as English but that left me with a spare “S” – this would not seem to be my week for crosswords! Oh well – never mind.
Clues that I liked today include 12 and 26a and 2, 8 and 15d – best of all 24a. The one that I didn’t like was 4d, especially the illustration Gazza – they always look like eye balls to me!
Thanks to Shamus and Gazza.
Bad day for me – seriously began to wonder if they’d printed the Toughie on the wrong page! Finally got going at second attempt but still needed hints to finish – and for explanations of some I’d got right but couldn’t see why. Also never seen 4d spelt that way either – nor knew the expression for first word of 23a, though I had put it in as couldn’t see what else it could be. Very obscure cluing from Shamus I thought – must definitely air my brain before his next offering – do we know when that will be? It’s interesting how different compilers can catch out different solvers but then I guess that’s the fun for crosswordland devotees?
23a. Tank = Fail ????? Not seen that description before, would be interested to know the source please. Re: 2d, got the answer but needed the hint to tell me why, thanx.
Usual thanx to compiler and Gazza for the review.
I’ve heard it in terms of a film ‘tanking’ at the box office.
I believe it is a sports term. In tennis if a player is badly behind in a set they will sometimes deliberately lose it rather than expend the energy required to get back into it thus saving themselves for subsequent sets. This is known as “tanking”. I don’t know if it happens in any other sports.
Thanks Don, I think that was where I heard it.
From Chambers:
To drink heavily (with up; slang)
To refuel (often with up; informal)
To travel (esp to drive) at great speed or relentlessly
To fail, esp at great cost (US inf)
To lose or drop points, games, etc deliberately (tennis sl)
Thank you folks.
The last few Tuesdays have lulled me into a false sense of security, and this certainly woke me up. Lots of scribbling over the top of things that had already gone in. It looks like I’ve showed my working out as I was taught to do at school! Thanks to the setter, and especially Gazza for the much needed hints and tips. I shall be on my guard next week!
A late sign in just to thank Shamus & Gazza for the fun. I had some struggle but got there in the end. The Toughie was easier, at least for me.
Got about halfway with this – the top half, so agree with Mary here – before needing some hints and some explanations to answers obtained as well. Good puzzle, but still don’t quite understand Shamus’s constructs.
Thanks for puzzle and review.
Geoff – personally I found this in the ‘hard but worth it’ category. If you can learn from this then the aparent turmoil is worthwhile. Keep going fellah.
I would just like to put a shout out for all the people who solved this puzzle in under 5 minutes. Posting at 9 p.m. there are only a couple of sub 10 times on the Telegraph website that are of that ability (which is beyond me!)
You must be very proud….
Hi Gnomey
It would take me more than 5 minutes just to type the answers into the website!
Indeed, particularly as the ‘next letter’ selection seems entirely random. The Times crossword engine is more robust in this regard but does not allow you to check for typos (my initially average on the Times is going Waaay downhill as a result)
There is a formula that decides the next letter, but you need a PhD to understand it!
If you press space it does two things a) it clears the square b) it reverses the direction if you are on a checked square
Blimus! – SpaceBar to give you the ‘down’ as opposed to the ‘across’?. That will help. The next problem is when you have to scroll down the side to see the remainder of the clues then suddenly your cursor on the grid is not active.
I feel a help file coming on!
That is still good to know!
It is, as you say, amazing, that some people can solve crosswords so quickly.
Especially after this blog has appeared.
I’ll try it next time I get a ‘Paper’ DT. I’ll do the xword and then get pommette to read me the answers and see how fast a time I can post. Bet it’s more than 5 minutes with the state of my typing!
I always print the puzzle off and solve it on paper, then key in the answers. I reckon that the last phase takes at least 5 minutes by the time I’ve corrected all the errors caused by a) two finger typing and b) the cursor regularly shooting off in an unexpected direction.
The “pen-and-paper” method usually takes me about half the time that I take on the website. After finishing a light, the focus jumps to another clue seemingly at random. You can’t see all the clues at once, and…
Well, that’s enough ranting.
Yeah, try it on a 10 inch netbook!
Err Qix – tell me if I’m wrong someone, but I think you might find it goes through them in ROW order. So it will give you all the clues across the top line so 1a, 2d, 3d, 4a,4d (say if they start on the same square) etc then the second, then the 3rd etc.
Not for me! Per BD’s previous reply I cannot understand teh sequence (No PHD!)
I will look again when I do Wednesday’s puzzles. There may be some logic to it that has escaped me so far.
The Guardian’s site is much better in that respect, although it is very irritating in the way it handles letters that have already been entered.
I prefer doing crosswords with pen and paper, but my wallet and the environment prefer the online version.
Looks like you’re right Pommette. I didn’t study it in detail, but it seems to behave as you describe. I’d rather it didn’t, but there you go.
No great terrors in Wednesday’s puzzles.
I’m a paper reader. How does the Clued Up work. Surely, buy the paper, solve the puzzle then type like mad, or is it more complicated than that?
Interesting score tonight – Inter Milan 2-5 Schalke. How did Tottenham get on?
Franco, One loads the grid up and then works around it in a very similar fashion to the paper version (although one cannot put ‘pencil lightly’ letters in as one can on the Times). The problem is that having solved one clue the cursor places it in a conmpletely different location to your logical next target.
In this regard I salute people who can enter a correct solution with (presumably their wife or significant other standing behind them calling out the answers) in in less than 5 minutes.
I left the pub whilst Spurs were not doing so well.
Spurs failed meserably!
Agree about where the cursor goes but Pommette and I are in the UK in a couple of weeks and will get a paper so we’ll give it a go!
Sorry, I forgot to say “Rant Over”.
Always do the paper version of the crossword hence I really don’t have a clue what any of these comments mean – is it time that I learnt?
NO!, Kath. It is the overwhelming desire of some people to accumulate points in the Telegraph Puzzle site by effectively solving prior to logging on and posting hte results. It makes them look good n’ fancy and erudite an’ that even though they have missed the point. Over here we all admit to our failings – I know I do!
Apologies! I did post on the Toughie thread earlier but completely forgot to thank Shamus for an excellent puzzle – consider it done – it made lunchtime a lot more enjoyable than the food!
Also thanks for a great review to Gazza – like the piccies!
Well – I must be getting to like Shamus as I actually really enjoyed today’s xword. In fact, pommers hang your head in shame, I got about 5 answers before he did. I didn’t find this as tough as some others seem to have. Weird are the ways ones mind works!
So thanks Shamus for a really good puzzle and to Gazza for the hints. Can we have a photo of a sexy Sean Connery next time please?
Sean Connery? or Shame Spawned (old Quickie Pun).
well,
i’ve been a visitor to this site a couple of days now, i only ever get online about midnight onwards, and by then i have done all the daily puzzles, i regularly (but not every day, i must admit) get the telegraph, as i enjoy the challenges of the crosswords, and generally start off with the quickie, normally finished in about the time it takes me to smoke my first cigarette of the morning, then afterwards, move on to the cryptic, and later make a start on the toughie, mostly finding enough spare time here and there to complete all three ordinarily before about noon.
todays quickie, i really enjoyed, and the punline was just brilliant, the cryptic i had done over half of before i started finding it a bit tricky, until i got 25a which enabled me to complete the SE corner which had been tantalisingly eluding me as a complete blank corner for a little while.
my favourite clue of the day, was probably 15d, but the one with which i found discontent was 11a as the answer is more commonly used as a verb meaning to interweave, rather than as its secondary etymology as a noun (which has a more common pluralised usage) to describe things contained internal or inward.
overall, i was pleased with all three today, and very pleased to get them all done fully, i love this site, by the way, and find the clarification of some of the clues – the fruit mentioned in 4d to be incredibly helpful.
many thanks to all concerned
john
Welcome to the blog jonboy
Very late input from me – I was in The Hague last evening with daughter and granddaughter to see
Giselle performed by The St-Petersburg Ballet – excellent performance – so solved this puzzle this AM.
1a, 12a, 16a, 26a, 3d, 7d & 8d were my favourites.
Enjoyable puzzle Shamus and usual sexy pics from Gazza!
Belated thanks to Gazza for his review (and highly colourful illustrations) and everyone for their comments. My image of tank tops has certainly been changed for the better!