Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2610 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Today’s puzzle can be downloaded from the previous post.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the more difficult 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 Adapt our city hall to a body that works there (5,9)
An anagram (adapt) of OUR CITY HALL TO A gives a body that works in the city hall
11a As it happens, returned as bad (4)
A word meaning being shown, on TV for example, as it happens when reversed means bad
12a Vegetables head served in small party (5,5)
To get these vegetables put a slang word for the head inside a political party whose single MP represents Brighton Pavilion
26a Crazy lass interfered, kept under control without help from others (4-10)
Put an anagram (crazy) of LASS INTERFERED gives a hyphenated word meaning kept under control without help from others
Down
1d See what someone is saying? (3-4)
A cryptic definition of the visual interpretation of speech
6d Harrison Ford includes a couple of top people for this party (10)
Benjamin Harrison and Gerald Ford are two former US presidents (couple of top people) who represented this party
8d Deny any changes, for example (6)
This verb meaning to deny is created from an anagram (changes) of ANY followed by a word meaning for example or perhaps
23d Priest taking part in ritual, a mass (4)
This priest is hidden inside the last three words of the clue
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 Angela Lansbury (86)
A relatively gentle mental work-out after a rather more physical session on the tennis court. Getting some of the longer clues early certainly helped. TVM to setter & BD.
Well as it is such a lovely day it was nice to have the crossword under control so as to be free to get outside and enjoy the weather. Luckily I don’t feel compelled to spend any time watching rugby.
Not sure about 20d – I assume that the answer is a large cup, but don’t see how the first part of the clue works.
Remove one of the middle letters of a term for eating your food too fast!
Take the first five letters of your answer and double the middle letter!
Great minds moving in opposite directions??
… at the same time too – maybe on a 2d!
I solved this before my 3 mile walk (perhaps I should have done a Digby and saved it for post exercise) but I found this slightly trickier than last week’s Virgilius. Excellent all round entertainment to start a lovely sunny day. Thank you to Virgilius – my favourite so far is 15a but I am sure that others will join that list as I draft the review.
Thanks to BD for the hints too – doubly so for 6d, although I should have remembered Virgilius’s previously confusing Newcastle Brown. He really is the master of sending me off on entirely the wrong direction.
Gosh…bit of a tricky one today. No answers sprang to mind until right towards the bottom. Then gradually clawed my way back and now just two left…and I think I know the answer to one BDKW (but don’t know why). 21 is my favourite.
No, it wasn’t 6D, BD!
Had a quiet morning after the GP so finished it early today. Ta for the explanation of 6d – more a GK question which I’m not that good at. I don’t really get the cryptic bit to 18a. Favourite was 2d; took a while to get it but I’d drawn the seperator on the wrong place! Now, on with the housework.
18a – “….inspiring fear long ago?” – The last 5 letters of the solution provide an archaic word meaning “causing dread”. I’m not quite sure why the question mark is there.
Thanks Franco. I should have looked it up. I think I was getting confused with the spelling of the modern word ending in “some”.
Thought for a moment that you’d been to see your doctor very early on Sunday morning – Aaghhh – F1.
Thought this was a bit trickier than the last few Sundays have been – ended up with a few that I couldn’t explain but they have all been sorted out either by the hints or the answers to questions that other people have asked. I had not heard of the slang term for head in 12a. I got 6d but couldn’t see what the hell it had to do with Indiana Jones!! Also didn’t understand 20d. I liked 9, 14, 21 and 24a and 1 and 7d. Best of all 15a – what a fabulous clue! With thanks to Virgilius and BD.
After struggling with last Sunday’s puzzle, by comparison, I found this one a walk in the park.
Many thanks to Virgilius for producing an enjoyable accompaniment to my lunchtime pint, and to BD for the hints.
Just completed this after 6 hours of some severe gardenage – why can’t all trees retain their leaves? I guessed at 6d and was proved correct by BD (thank you) but could not for the life of me work out why until I read the hint & felt a right berk!
Thanks to V & once more to BD for the hints.
My 6d experience was just the same as yours, spindrift. Lots of fun today, thanks to BD and congrats to the setter for such a lovely puzzle.
Tough to start with I stared at it for ages before getting the first answer, then getting the long ones helped and I wouldn’t say I was exactly on a roll but I managed to finish it without the hints but still needing my inverted comma friends
another lovely day here but not quite so sunny
Just to make you jealous, I have just been sitting in the sunny garden for over two hours reading my library book. Bliss. Still to cheer you up, I think we are due for rain tomorrow.
Thanks to Virgilius for a lovely Sunday puzzle. I solved all but three quickly and emailed Crypticsue to invoke the law for the last two. It worked!
Thanks to BD for the hints.
I was just wondering what I did before I knew you existed and could send you emails at times of cryptic stress
Which were your last two? I struggled to understand 6d and 20d. Finally, worked out 20d but, needed help for 6d – not a good clue IMHO.
My last one in was 3d, I still don’t like it!
Seems ok to me – drop B(ishop) from a chess player, one has to need to have it.
One was the same as one of yours and one was a different one! I will leave it for Gnomey to say which
Mind you the law worked very quickly after his first email to me, so he can’t have been that far away from getting them sorted.
Done! It took a while
although l did not start until this afternoon. 8d was my last answer, another new word for me. Enjoyed it, liked 1d and 12a. Didn’t like/understand 20d
20 down was explained in comment #3. See you in a couple of week’s time!
Solved this one from Virgilius very quickly this evening after seeing parts of NL with my son that I haven’t seen in years since stopped driving. He goes home tomorrow. Jammer! (Pity!).
Faves : 12a, 15a, 25a, 5d, 6d, 7d & 17d.
Weather in NL still magnificent but we are promised heavy rain from Tuesday.
My face appears to have chaged – next to my email!
No it hasn’t!
I thought this one was rather good – not too tricky and I managed to finish it all with the exception of 15a (the dandy one). Any hints appreciated as I notice that clue is getting some rave reviews!
15a Dandy’s invitation to flier to make a brief visit? (8)
This is a vain person who dresses extravagantly. If you split it as (3,2,3) it could be an invitation to a bird to pay a brief visit.
Thanks Gazza – from the 4 checking letters I have, that makes the answer very clear.
I’ve never heard of the word, though…which is good in a way as I don’t feel so bad about not getting it.
Is it only me that cannot get “half-heartedly consume tea,say, …..etc. I managed all the rest with no problem, and without recourse to this blog. I hate to leave things unfinished and have just had another look and still cant see the answer. Any help appreciated.
Welcome to the blog Dave
A full review of this puzzle was published yesterday, I hope it answers your question:
Thanks very much. I was competely on the wrong tack. All clear now— why didn’t I see that???