ST 2604 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2604 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2604 (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.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Across

1a    Intimidates daughter and other relatives (6)
This verb meaning intimidates is a charade of D(aughter) and some other female relatives

4a    Was tail outstanding on fish? (8)
A verb meaning tailed someone is derived by putting outstanding, as in a debt, after a fish related to the herring

11a    Man protecting little girl, in a manner of speaking (5)
The required capitalisation of “Man” is cleverly concealed by putting it at the beginning of the clue – put the abbreviation for Man that is found in the Irish Sea around the shortened version of a girl’s name to get a manner of speaking or mode of expression

14a    It accommodates follower of golf on radio (5)
… in the NATO phonetic alphabet

29a    China having plague ahead of time (3,3)
The china used for an evening meal is a charade of a verb meaning to plague or torment and T(ime)

Down

1d    Drunk joined him, emptied large bottle (8)
An anagram (drunk) of JOINED H(I)M without the middle letter of the second word (him emptied) gives a (very) large bottle with a short narrow neck and small handles at neck

2d    Nervous, having been raised on high (7)
For those who had never heard the term for high or drunk last Friday – here it is again!

5d    Goes crazy, as misbehaving fan does, perhaps (4,3,7)
A phrase meaning going crazy could describe what happens to a fan, the kind used to cool a room, that malfunctions

8d    Spotted man in game starting with a couple of sixes (6)
This spotted man is used in a pub game – Tilsit is an aficionado!

17d    Make clear space for fighters in boxing contest (5,3)
A phrasal verb meaning to make clear is created by putting a space for fighters (in a boxing contest) inside said boxing contest

24d    Purpose in stunning finish for Japanese fighting (5)
Put a purpose or aim inside a stunning finish to a boxing match to get this form of Japanese fighting using swords of split bamboo

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!

Today it’s Happy Birthday to Tom Watson (62) and Mitzi Gaynor (80)



47 comments on “ST 2604 (Hints)”

  1. This was yet another of those crosswords where I thought I was struggling but turned out to be solved in the same time as usual. Some tricky ones in there today, I thought. My favourite was 28a. Thanks to Virgilius for the brain stretching and BD for the hints and illustrations.

  2. I’ve only recently started attempting cryptic crosswords. Using BD hints, anagram solver and crossword solver I’ve got today’s crossword down to four unanswered clues. 22d, 19d, 26a, 28a. Any hints appreciated.
    I’d love to be able to finish it and maybe today I’ll be able to submit it too. Spent several hours finishing yesterday’s only to find the DT site wouldn’t let me submit it.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Kathryn – Your comment needed moderating as you are a first time poster, you should get in every time now if you use the same name and email address. I’ve given up attemtping to submit for the time being. In any case we hope to see you around the site regularly.

    2. Hi Kathryn, welcome to the friendliest chattiest most helpful blog around

      22d you need a 4 letter word for cut with the first letter of page for a word that gives you ostentious publicity

      19d you are looking for a word for a time of fasting in a certain religion, take a three letter word for travelled at speed (on foot) and inside it put amother 3 letter word for loco (as in not right in the head) preceded by ‘a’

      26a you are looking for a poet here, follow the clue a followed by one letter abbreviation for university followed by three letter word for study

      28a I have only just got myself Take a 7 letter city and insert the G from German to give you something you may experience if you drink too much

      Hope this helps a bit :-)

        1. Thanks Mary… got 19d straight away once I read your hint. I was on the right lines with 28a as I’d worked out I needed a G from German but didn’t quite know what to do then! Nearly done now :-)

          1. Good luck Kathryn – as Mary says, this is a very friendly, chatty and helpful place! Just when you think that you’re completely sunk someone always comes to the rescue!!
            :smile:

  3. I was about to post exactly the same comment regarding percived difficulty but a quick solving time. 10a and 28a were favourites among many fine clues. THanks to Virgilius and BD for the hints.

    1. 27a Petty detail in incomplete clue I point out (9)
      This is a petty procedural point. It’s an anagram.

            1. Told you I wasn’t with it today another mispelt word! Thanks once again Gazza, I found this quite difficult today and appreciated Daves clues, thank you Dave, however I did enjoy it , my fav clue today 21d, hope the weather is good for everyone, we do have a little sunshine today but I don’t think it will last, hope the day is good for you all :-)

  5. For me the most frustrating part of the so called lightning strike problem is the inability to SAVE, SUBMIT or EXIT. I am still struggling with Sat’s 21a, so I want to drop it and come back later. Can’t! I worked in the IT industry for over 30 years, and can’t believe this problem is anything more than very poor systems management. For those of us who live out of the country, the DT Puzzles site is a lifeline. At least DT should be gving us regular updates. As each day passes I get more angry. I would switch to the Times, except I can’t do it!

    1. I so agree with you!!! I am sitting here on my 4th attempt to get on the site….. never mind all the time one cannot save or submit:( I still keep sending compalin emails just for the sake of it!

    2. I just print it when it lets me on. Hopefully it will get sorted but I’m not desperate enough to line the pockets of that Murdoch fellow.

  7. Usual entertaining fare from Virgilius.
    Faves : 14a, 23a, 28a, 3d, 9d & 19d.

    Missed yesterday’s as the Uk papers never came in from Brussels!

  8. Nobody seems to have spotted the themette linking four down answers. I thought it was reasonably obvious. Obviously not!

      3. I looked for a theme but missed it (in fact, I’m still missing it!) – I was too busy looking for the “hidden” clues – didn’t find any today!

    4. Very clever, but far too hard for me to spot without the help.

      Am I right in thinking you’re the Setter?

      Thank you for today’s puzzle. I found it much harder than usual, but I am a big fan of your Sunday offerings.

      Favourite clue today was 8d which had me completely stumped but for which I enjoyed the answer enormously.

      Nick

      1. That’s Him! I always look for some sort of themed material prior to reviewing and stating “THERE IS NO THEME IN THIS CROSSWORD – See Guardian puzzles passim!) but this one eluded me/us/everyone else.

  9. Having another dim day! I thought that this was quite difficult and ended up with three that I just couldn’t do. BD’s hints have sorted me out on two of those three (8 and 17d) but still can’t do 20a. Didn’t know the word at 27a, only the adjective “………us”. Really liked 4a (although it took me ages) 14, 23 and 28a and 1, 5 (another one that took for ever) 9 and 21d. With thanks to Virgilius and Big Dave for the much needed hints. Any help with 20a would be very welcome – can only think of one word that would fit and that doesn’t really fit the clue at all – maybe have got something wrong.
    Going to have a bit of a hunt for the four linked answers now …..

    1. 20a Small statue given zero mark after fight (5)
      A small statuette (awarded in the US) is zero/mark after fight.

        1. And I’d like to thank Virgilius, BD,Gnomey, Gazza, CS, Mr Chambers, my Oxford electronic spellchecker, the postman, Jane and anyone who feels left out.

  10. Just found the four linked down answers – took me a while! As Gnomethang says “fab”! Would definitely not have noticed without someone pointing it out. Oh dear – yet another thing to look out for – first it’s a pangram, last week it was a nina and this week it’s links – where will it all end?!!
    :grin:

    2. Kath, any hints for the “fab four” would be much appreciated! (surely not the Beatles). I’ve given in on this one! :sad:

      1. You are right Franco, I think I’m allowed to say that four of the answers contain the names of the Beatles :-)

        2. Mary, Many thanks to you ! And to Gnomey & Virgilius! Finally, understand the themette! The gnome’s comment about 7d & 19d (#8 above) made me go in search of religion!

          Sunday is always my favourite! But, a bit disappointed today that there were no trademark “hidden” clues – unless I’ve missed it / them.

  11. Very good puzzle today. Like most people it looked daunting at first but came together very well. Best clues for me were 21d and 25a. Never heard of 27a before but got it from the anagram. Thx to Virgilius for the puzzle and to BD for the hints which I needed twice.

  12. Haha @ Dave’s comment for 2d – I did get that one this time… ;)
    Yeah, very enjoyable and solid stuff from Virgilius as always! I’d not heard of 27a, but the combination of checking letters and realising it was an anagram didn’t hold me up for long.
    Last in was 18a – not sure why it took me so long to see that, but there ya go!
    Fave clues were 3d and 5d…

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