DT 26660 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26660 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26660 (Hints)

Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club

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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, and provide hints for them.

Feel free to let off steam about the continuing, non-lightning-strike related, problems on the site and the lack of recompense or honest explanations.

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           Fellow feeling ill initially on going beyond limit (10)
Here the definition, fellow feeling, must first be lifted and separated – then put the initial letter of ILL and ON, from the clue, after (going beyond) limit or scope

6a           Doctor gets a call to stop (4)
… it’s the Nemesis of the Daleks again!  Just add the A from the clue to get a call to stop a horse

11a         Odd characters in book turning page practising religion (9)
Take the odd characters from BOOK, reverse them (turning) and then add a page or attendant to get an adjective meaning practising religion

18a         Prima donnas perhaps from Grammar School restrained by child locks (12)
These prima donnas are created by putting the abbreviation of Grammar School inside a male child and locks of hair

27a         Steps with weapon could produce coward’s end (5,5)
This series of steps with a weapon in hand or on the floor is an anagram (could produce) of COWARD’S END

Down

1d           It may contain Rioja with no body in eatery (6)
This glass flask could contain wine – drop the inside letters (with no body) from R(IOJ)A and insert what’s left inside a cheap eatery

3d           Galaxy finally and stars his topic for working out (14)
The whole of the clue describes this scientist who studies the physical nature of stars and other celestial bodies – he’s an anagram () of the final letter of galaxY with STARS HIS TOPIC

4d           Wheels with speed, as one who’s fought duel might do (6,3)
These wheels are on a vehicle designed for performance at high speeds – split the answer (5,4) and you get what someone who has fought a duel might do for the rest of his life

15d         Muck up in more competent computer program (9)
Reverse (up) and then insert a four-letter word meaning muck inside an adjective meaning more competent to get a computer program that converts instructions written in low-level symbolic code into machine code

22d         To lose deliberately leads to totally horrific squabble (5)
A word meaning to lose deliberately is created from the initial letters of (leads to) Totally Horrific followed by a squabble or disagreement

The Crossword Club opens at 10.00am.  Feel free to leave comments.

Please don’t put whole or partial answers or alternative clues in your comment, else they may be censored!

The Quick crossword pun: {brickie} + {Braque} = {bric-a-brac}

59 comments on “DT 26660 (Hints)”

  1. Early on parade this morning BD. Didn’t find this to difficult, the anagrams helped. I get the paper version from early walk to Newsagents, so need to let of steam. Thanx to Compiler and BD as usual.

    1. I meant ‘no need to let off steam’. See no adverse comments so far so I guess people are getting on the site OK.

  2. Apart from the composer who I’ve never heard of, all quite straightforward.
    Thanks to setter, and to BD.

      1. Anorak time (or is it just my Russian degree of 30 odd years ago coming back to me) but FWIW Chekhov doesn’t have a “T” in English (nor does Chernobyl) and all three start with the same Russian consanant. Wonder why Pyotr Ilyich (same consonant again and no “T”) got his opening “T” in English??

        Rob

  6. Enjoyed this one. Made a meal of the top right hand corner.

    Liked 10a and 18a for their groan factor

    Thank you BD without whom l would still be struggling and the compiler for the challenge

  7. Finished at last I found parts of this really difficult today, not least 14a! the bottom left corner was the last to be completed for me, fav clues 2d and 10a, I wouldn’t have managed it without Daves hints, thanks Dave, and even then I struggled, needing my books and electronic friends and last but not least I had to get the composers name off my brother! At least 3 star difficulty for me today! Good luck everyone :-) sun shining here at the moment!!

      2. Impressive guitarwork by Mr Edmunds, Mary! A number of ’60s bands used to use ‘Sabre Dance’ to show off their lead guitar’s prowess and the composer, as BD well knows, was 14a. We came so close against South Africa but all credit to Ireland who’ve beaten Australia.

  8. THis was yet another of those puzzles where I took ages to get going, kept thinking this is hard for a Saturday, and then finished in approximately the same time as usual. Thanks to the Mysteron and BD. I knew the 14a composer but had obviously been mentally spelling it wrongly for years as Mr CS had to look it up for me while I got on with sorting out the rest of the clues.

    We have exceedingly heavy showers here today so its just housework for me and finding somewhere indoors to drape all the wet washing. :(

  9. I found this very difficult to get started and have taken quite a long time to finish it – would not have managed without three of the hints. I got held up by being unable to do 1a – SURELY I should have managed that one, but no!! I can’t quite explain what I have got for 8d – can’t see where the 4th and 5th letters come from – maybe I’ve got something wrong but everything else seems OK. Made things a bit tricky by getting 23a wrong to start with – I had it as “C……” – managed to explain it to myself by saying “chewing the c..” is gossiping etc etc – oh dear!! Have never heard of 15d but worked it out and asked husband. I liked 6 (for once remembered this particular doctor) and 27a and 2, 9 and 17d. With thanks to the setter and to Big Dave – without the hints I would still be struggling.

      2. Of course – thanks Jezza – why on earth didn’t I see that? :oops:
        I had the first three and last three letters being the Shakespearian character (did vaguely wonder about the “Athenian” bit) which left me with a couple of “extras” in the middle. Stupid!!

        1. I think you’re probably right but didn’t think of that at the time. I also think that Shakespeare has an “e’ at the end of his name!! :smile:

  10. PS That video clip really brought back childhood memories – can’t remember why but when we were little we used to call it the “piggy wig” music!!

  11. Apologies for this O/T message, which is for Pepsib.

    An odd thing has happened on the DIY COW forum which appears to have either removed you from it or reset your password – can you contact me and let me know if you’re able to log in? It may be that you need to re-register (hope not). Unfortunately I’m out for the rest of today but Axiom has admin status so should be able to help you.

    1. Thanks Anax and apologies Dave, yes it had logged me out and was not accepting me back in! Iasked for a new password and it has now let me in, I have reset my password so hopefully all is ok, thanks Anax :-) thanks Dave ;-)

  12. Very enjoyable puzzle this Saturday – a few amusing clues as 6a, 23a, 4d & 20d.
    Fave was 3d.
    14a is misspelt in Chambers’ Crossword Dictionary see post #4 above.

  13. I thought much more difficult than usual for a Saturday, thanks for hints, badly needed today..
    still can’t get 26a, have not yet discovered what occasional letters are ?
    also, don’t see why i have the answer that I do for 17d : member of C of E ?

    1. 26a is a reveral of a type of bet. The ‘answer’ occasionally blows its top.
      17d an adjective meaning behaving like a particularly type of heavenly being, with its middle letter removed (heartless) followed by an. You are right that it is a member of the Cof E

      1. Thanks, but am still confused about how you pick out the occasional letters ;is it just at random?

        1. I don’t think that it’s “occasional” letters in this case – the answer, as crypticsue put so well that I would not presume to better, is a volcano in southern Italy – the “occasional” bit means that it blows up “occasionally”. Not sure that this is terribly helpful!! :smile:

          1. It blew up two weeks before we were there in May and two weeks after we left, which was lucky for me because I was able to go on a trip to the top. Mr CS stayed down below as he said the trip was too much money but I wasn’t going to miss out and it was worth every penny.

  14. Been away for a week – managed to purchase 2 DT’s and finished both crosswords so feeling very smug. To-day’s????????????? What a HORROR. Have finally finished it, with soo MUCH help from electronic friend and BD, but still don’t understand the sticky ones If I have the answers right, I simply DO NOT understand 7 & 8d?? Some “hints” would be appreciated. Now – having had to google it – I finally have the answer to 14a – knew it was an anagram but don’t think I’ve ever heard of him – well, maybe I have but could never had spelt it! Oy oy oy – Saturday’s used to be easy!!!!!

  15. 7d split your answer 2, 3 and 3 and then look at the first four words of the clue – the 2 bit relates to the first 2, the three to the next one and the last three to the trendy bit.
    8d has been explained above – an chemical element is obtained by inserting one of Shakespeare’s characters into a three letter word meaning some.

    1. Thank you – I had them both wrong! No wonder they didn’t make sense. Trouble was I went dyslexic on 11a, which did not help one bit. Have now sorted and it all makes sense.

  16. It’s taken all day but I’m down to just two clues. 2D and 10A. Any hints welcome or I’ll be up all night!

    1. Hi Kathryn, for 10a think of a generic term for potatoes and the like, then reverse it to get a word meaning counter. Haven’t got 2d yet myself.

    2. Hi Kathryn, for 2d, put a two letter word for second, then a four letter word for vitriol. To give a type of movable telephone.

  18. Good morning everyone. I was at Lord’s yesterday so I had plenty of time to ponder this challenge and I frankly found it hard going. After a quick start I became stuck with 1a, 11a (DOH!), 13a, 18a, 7d and 8d. Have re-visited it AM today and finally finished it off. A tough Saturday challenge compared to the usual ones so thanks to Cephas if it is indeed his.

  19. As usual I’m only managing to sit down to the crossword on Sunday morning. I’ve found the clues more contrived and obscure than usual, therefore taking me longer. How anyone can think the name of that composer is easy without looking it up, I don’t know. Finding 9d and 15d hard. If anyone is still around, any ideas?

    2. 15d – This is a type of computer program constructed from a synonym for ‘Muck’ or a state of being untidy, and this is reversed (up) inside an adjective meaning ‘more competent’.

    1. Hi jinx (I expect you’re fed up with that greeting!) – welcome to the blog.

      It’s (Pierre) CARDIN.

  22. Thanks to the setter & Big Dave for the hints. So far so good, but can anyone spell 14a, because my spelling doesn’t fit with any of the down clues. Very nice puzzle so far, I started at the bottom and am working up. Favourite so far is 18a.

      1. Thanks Big Dave, I’ve already tried Google and got the spelling that didn’t work. I’ll have another look.

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