Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26619
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Happy mondays! (You’re twistin’ my melon man).
If the hint doesn’t guide you to the answer, you can reveal the answer directly by highlighting the area between the curly brackets.
Across
1. Feel bias of some sort? It’s possible (8)
{FEASIBLE} – An anagram (of some sort) of FEEL BIAS produces a word that means able to be done.
6. Some card games that may be supplied by a stationer (6)
{RUBBER} – An eraser or a match of three games of Whist or Bridge.
9. Brood about one’s ill-treatment (6)
{MISUSE} –Place a word that means to be absorbed in one’s thoughts around IS (ones) for a word that means to mistreat or abuse.
10. Double-crosser, jailed more than once? (3-5)
{TWO-TIMER} – A very gentle double/cryptic definition, someone who is unfaithful could have more than one stretch in prison.
11. Hide from the kids (8)
{GOATSKIN} – Is also the pelt from the Capra genus.
12. Go away to see a relative about five (6)
{AVAUNT} – An old word for depart or hence (as in get thee hence!) is constructed by placing V (five) inside the sister of your father or mother.
13. Supporters groan — it stops play (12)
{PROTAGONISTS} – An anagram (play) of GROAN IT STOPS are important supporters of a cause or political party for example.
16. Key man in the penal system (6,6)
{PRISON WARDER} – A cryptic definition of an officer in charge of prisoners in a jail.
19. Emotion shown by love in little ways (6)
{PATHOS} – Put O inside a word for narrow trodden tracks to get a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow.
21. Fondness for a swan-song (8)
{PENCHANT} – A female swan followed by another word for a simple song or melody produces a word that is a definite liking or strong inclination for something.
23. He has one pound, about to invest in foreign capital (8)
{HELSINKI} – HE then LI (one pound) (about) around a word that can mean to invest typically without any return, is also the capital of Finland.
24. Head girl is mace-bearer (6)
{NUTMEG} – NUT (head) and a girls name (typically a shortened form for Margaret) is a hard, aromatic seed of that is used as a spice when grated or ground. Note: Mace is a spice made from the dried, covering that partly encloses the kernel of the afore mentioned spice.
25. Going from Ringway to finish in Belgian port (6)
{OSTEND} – O (ring), the abbreviation for street (way) and finally a word that means to cease or finish.
26. Hastened out to see mountains (3,5)
{THE ANDES} – An anagram of (out) HASTENED is a mountain range found in South America.
Down
2. His leader expresses his opinion (6)
{EDITOR} – The leader writer of a newspaper.
3. Side-track to avoid the start of trouble (5)
{SHUNT} – A word that means to turn or move aside or onto another course as on a railway for example is constructed from a word that means to deliberately avoid, plus the first (start of) letter of trouble.
4. Crack up, strangely enough (5,4)
{BREAK DOWN} – A phrase that describes something ceasing to function or becoming ineffective would be a synonym of crack and the opposite of up.
5. Land on a site needing development (7)
{ESTONIA} – An anagram (needing development) of ON A SITE is a Baltic state.
6. Wine jar I recycled when empty (5)
{RIOJA} – An anagram (recycled) of JAR I with O (empty – nothing) in it.
7. Officer getting a rough ride on ship (9)
{BRIGADIER} – A and an anagram (rough) of RIDE is placed after a two masted sailing ship. The rank retained by Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who for example.
8. Time in its entirety? (8)
{ETERNITY} – A semi all-in-one. An anagram (in its) of ENTIRETY.
13. He stops at break promptly! (9)
{POSTHASTE} – A word that means with great speed is an anagram (break) of HE STOPS AT.
14. Command one to go into the artillery (9)
{ORDINANCE} – Put I (one) inside another word for military supplies to get an authoritative command or order.
15. Develops way through mountain peaks (8)
{BROADENS} – A word that can be used to describe developing in scope or range is constructed by putting ROAD (way) inside a Scottish or Irish word for mountain peaks.
17. Select a quiet spot (7)
{APPOINT} – A P (quiet) plus a localised position or place is the sort of select that is associated with filling an office or a position.
18. A kiss, say, indicates an attachment (6)
{ANNEXE} – A word that sounds like (say) an X produces an extension to a main building.
20. Church council in controversy, no doubt (5)
{SYNOD} – Hidden inside “controversy no doubt” is a council or an assembly of church officials.
22. Unexpectedly met with greeting — not returned (3,2)
{HIT ON} – A phrase that can mean to cause to come into contact with is HI (greeting) and NOT reversed.
The Quick crossword pun: {factor} + {react} = {Factory Act}
Pleasant start to the week, at least when I had stopped trying to fit skirt into 3d!
Loved 21a and 24a although I Mrs B for knowing that Mace is a spice!
Thx to the setter for an enjoyable start to the week and to Libellule for the hints which for once I didn’t need.
A friendly and entertaining start to the week. Fav. clues 21 and 24 a. Thanks setter and Libellule.
A gentle start to the week (for those whose week starts on Mondays). I too thought SKIRT for 3d, and it took a while to shake that (bespite not writing it in) … even when the checking letters wouldn’t have fitted. 21a was my favourite. 24a had me scratching my head … but only because a weird association kicked off linking ‘head’ with a rhyme for ‘spice’. Yeah, I know. :{
Something about Monday mornings probably associated with the extra large glass of Scotch on Sunday night! I started to make much better progress and things began to fit once I’d taken the answer for 10a out of the 11a boxes. It’s a little worrying that this has happened on previous occasions. Enjoyed 21a, didn’t like 6a and last one in was 15d
Enjoyable Monday fare again today. Had a little trouble with 18D, but spotted the answer after my second cup of coffee (very unusual for a Monday).
Couple of hours work today then listening to the Test for several hours I hope.
A good start to the week – thanks to Rufus and to Libellule.
Got delayed on 7d since I put in an “n” instead of “r” for the second word of 16a. Needed hint for verification of 15d – thank you. I liked 3d as my clue of the day.
Gorgeous weather – bit muggy but warm (or even hot!!) here in west London.
Thanks to Libellule and the setter for an enjoyable puzzle. I was defeated by 2 down, but got the rest. A nice start to the week. Favourites were 21a and 23a
Very nice start to the cryptic week, thanks to Rufus and to Libellule too.
Gorgeous here in East Kent too.
I needed the hints for two today – 3d – rather stupidly read my ‘S’ as a ‘D’ – very faint pen being my excuse – and 15d. I spent a long time trying to make something inside the word ‘crests’ for mountain peaks and it just wouldn’t work!! Never heard of 12a but worked it out from the clue. Loved 11, 21 and 24a and 7 and 18d. Thanks to Rufus and Libellule. Very hot here – sunny but humid. Everything in the garden has gone a bit “flopsy bunny”!
Good afternoon Libelulle and thank you for the hints I must admit I would not have got 15d without them, I also wanted to put skirt in at 3d! my fav clues today are 11a and 21a simple, fun, love them
Late today have been getting caravan ready to take son and grandsons down to Tenby for a week, ( leaving them to it and coming home!) hope the weather improves, it is not forecast good here this week! very warm but drizzly 
23a is an excellent clue – very clever
and 25a
Nice enough start to the week. Best were 11 and 24, which both made me chuckle, and also enjoyed the rest.
Greetings from sunny Marseille!
Thanks to Rufus for a nice puzzle to keep me company on Eurostar this morning, and to Libellule for the notes.
Off to Carrefour to stock up on liquid provisions!
Thank you to the Setter and Libellule.
Nice to see 15d being a ‘full’ version of ‘way’ rather than the usual ‘rd’ or ‘st’ …
I’ll take 21a as a favourite, although there were some good runners-up.
N
Thanks for the hints; please could you explain the twistin’ melon man.
Did anyone else struggle and fail like me yesterday with the Sunday Times crossword; several clues without clues, just a list of meanings in a random order.
Anncantab,
All is revealed via this link
Thanks, I’m afraid I hadn’t heard of them !
One of my fav groups fostered by Tony Wilson
I’ve been looking for an anagram of ‘My melon man’ as in you’re twistin’. Do I need to get out more?
Moose – probably
A pleasant puzzle, as is the Rufus offering in today’s Grauniad. The pair of them made a nice interlude over lunch so a double thanks to Rufus.
Favourite in this one has to 8d – very clever indeed and with a good surface reading.
Thanks also to Libellule.
I really enjoyed this – particularly the swansong. THanks to Libellule and to Rufus for the good start to the week.
Evening all. Very enjoyable today. Struggled a little with 15d – think mostly because of the full version of way. Favorite clue was 4d. I do like a nice pun.
Welcome to the blog Mark
Gosh what a thin blog today….. possibly because everyone’s on holiday?
Nice crossword with 24 being my fav clue.
Could someone please explain 2d? It’s the only one I was stuck on and, even knowing the answer, I still don’t get the clue.
Welcome to the blog Chris
The leader or leading article in a newspaper is usually written by the editor.
Thanks, I didn’t know that, but I’m afraid I’m still troubled by the clue. Why ‘His’? If the answer is ‘editor’, surely ‘His leader’ is the editor’s boss? Or is the word ‘His’ irrelevant to the clue?
Sorry, I’m obviously being thick today!
For “his leader” read “his leading article”.
Oh, yes. I knew I was being thick!
Late input from me as was at the AGM of the owners association of our hameau yesterday.
Faves were : 11a, 21a, 24a, 6d & 18d.
Can’t make sense of the foreign capital one… Help?
He has one pound, about to invest in foreign capital (8)
HE (he) L1 (one pound) about (around) SINK (invest in) = HELSINKI