DT 26702 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26702 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26702 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club

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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided 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           Float starts to wobble about — festival thrills! (4)
This word meaning to float or drift comes from the initial letters of (start to) the last four words of the clue

10a         Appearance of mental condition I will take on (10)
This word meaning appearance or look is a charade of a mental condition, like those associated with Electra and Oedipus, with I and ON from the clue

21a         Feature said Parisian commando (7)
A charade of a facial feature and the French for “said” gives this commando who operated in Burma (now Myanmar) during World War II

26a         Advanced fast (4)
A double definition – advanced money as a loan or a period of religious fasting

Down

1d           Dicky wore drab clothes (8)
An anagram (dicky) of WORE DRAB gives a word for one’s stock of clothes

5d           More voluminous? (9)
… i.e. with the volume increased

6d           It may reveal a change of heart (11)
A cryptic definition of instrument with which to listen to the sounds produced by the heart

15d         Flippant and likely to disagree about a point (9)
This word meaning flippant or frivolous is created by putting an adjective meaning likely to disagree or quarrelsome  around a compass point

22d         Stick top of oar inside boat (5)
Take a stick and put the initial letter (top) of Oar inside to get a light, narrow, flat-bottomed boat, propelled by one or more paddles

Look out for a special celebration next Saturday!

The Crossword Club is now open.  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: {mellow} + {dramatic}  = {melodramatic}

105 comments on “DT 26702 (Hints)”

  2. What a lovely Saturday puzzle, an excellent mix of clue types and lots to make me smile. My particular favourites were 10a 21a 6d and the splendid 25a. Thanks to Cephas and to BD too.

  3. Enjoyed today’s puzzle, nice mix of straightforward and tricky clues. All done now EXCEPT for 8d. Even with the checking letters I can only make the word for the security that an academic receives and what that has to do with Protestant is beyond me. I do so dislike religious clues! However. My thx to the setter for a pleasant start to the weekend.

      1. I feel suitably humbled :-( thx I can now get on with my day. Still not sure about the first part of 23a. Surely it is many a burst of many beams of energy not a single ray. However, it seems the only weak clue in an otherwise excellent xword. Best clue for me was def 14a which made me smile (my thanks to Mrs B for the answer!).

              1. Yes I had problems with safari on my iPad which lost all my cookies and I couldn’t remember which email address I used.

      2. Re 8d – thanks CS – it was my only remaining blank so I was trawling the blog for some help – and found it!

      1. Absolutely NOTHING would surprise me about Sting – I am a huge fan of his and lots of my favourite songs are by him. I do think that he is amazingly good looking. However, have absolutely no idea what …..ic s.x is!! Perhaps we should leave it there … ! :smile:

  4. Does anyone know where i can get a copy of the saturday cryptic to download ?
    I live in Belgium and it is impossible to get hold off a copy out off the tourist season.
    Thank You all.

  5. Solved 1a then 1d in quick succession & thought this is going to be a breeze, put the puzzle down to make some breakfast only to return to find it had turned a tad harder than I thought. Got there in the end though with favorite clue 25a which took a lot of head scratching. Thanks to the setter & to BD for the hints which I haven’t needed today!

      1. Now that it seems to be fixed??? Not in my part of the world it hasn’t. I’m lucky if I can get on more than three times a week.

        1. Don’t worry Domus there is a freshly baked lemon drizzle cake waiting and home made lemonade in the naughty corner today :-)

      1. Thanks – I was assuming the whole answer was the ‘river’. Time to do a quick google search …

  9. Now this is a great Saturday puzzle, just two to do and plenty of time for outdoor activities on another perfect autumn day. I will mull over 5d and 10a while gardening and return in the pm. Thought 25a was a great clue.

  10. What a delightful puzzle, I always enjoy the Saturday one. I particularly enjoyed 21a but also 25a

  11. A most enjoyable start to a Saturday morning once I’d got over the irritation of finding the crossword on the inside of the back page… Have you any photographs of last Saturday’s gathering to post on your Facebook page, Dave?

  12. After the difficulties I had with yesterdays Xword I found this a welcome relief. 8d and 21a were new words to me but easily solvable from the clues. Favourites were 14a and 25a (which took some time to justify my answer).
    Thanks to Compiler and to BD.
    Off to the allotment now as the weather is dull, overcast, but dry. Perfect digging weather.

    1. 21a They were Ord Wingates’ [** answer deleted **] who fought behind Japanese lines in WW2

        1. Once the lunch is out of the oven, I am going to make lemon drizzle cake. Shall I make two and send one over to the corner? :D

          1. You only have to stay for half an hour today collywobs it’s too sunny to stay inside, enjoy your cake (baked by Sue) and lemonade :-)

  13. Morning all, have been doing this in fits and starts having had to go buy the ingredients to make cawl for tonights firework invite to one of sons houses, now must go and make it! I thought this was tough in parts, I had never heard of 21a or 25a and had to look them up, hopefully I’ll remember them, probably not! last ones in for me were 16d, are letters 2-4 really used for worker? and 22a, just didn’t ‘see’ it! fav clues 1a and 1d, lovely sunny warm day so far, it can’t possibly last, thanks for hints Dave, a 2 to 3* for me today :-)

  14. If you have time to spare (and even if you haven’t) on this horrid drizzly day, you should find time to do the splendid Gazza NTSPP. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

    1. sorry sue dont think I have time today between making the cawl for firework party and sitting in the sun! :-)

        2. Not a cawl collywobs, just cawl, pronounced cowl, it’s a traditional welsh dish, made of diced lamb, onions, leeks, carrots, swedes, potatos etc. basically like a stew all cooked in a saucepan and eaten with fresh crusty bread rolls and cheese, at least it is in our house :-)

          3. Tks BD and Mary, Il’ stick to ribs and wings because it’s Saturday and the French have not heard of Guy Fawkes

            1. Simple really Brian, I don’t measure anything, I’ve made it so many times, just dice your meat, ( lamb, if you want it to be ‘real’ cawl, boil it up then rinse off, put back in saucepan with onions, carrots & swedes, sliced or chopped bring to boil and simmer until cooked, add the potatos, cut into small pieces and cook for a further 20 -30 mins add the sliced leek about ten minutes from ennd, to me cawl always tastes nicer the next day, when we were children we would drink all the liquid and theb mash the veg up in our dishes with butter, mmmm, (well yes, ok, I still do sometimes :-) , salt can be added to taste or stock cubes added in the cooking all down to taste, of course traditional cawl would not use these, (have to admit I do), the more veg you use the thicker it is, all down to taste, nothing nicer than having crusty bread and caerphilly cheese to dip in :-)

                    1. In our family it has also always been made for someone who is unwell, ‘Oh lets take so and so a saucepan of cawl’ :-)

                    2. But you do boil things up Mary so I agree with Collywobs that it sounds like Lancashire Hot Pot – my late wife was from the red rose county and was a magnificent cook. We all are in my family!!!

              2. Mary – that sounds lovelymay have to give it a try next time I have some Welsh friends come for dinner. Wouldn’t they be surprised…..

          5. Different from a CAUL – which is the term for the amniotic sac (in humans), and is also the word used for the thin, fatty membrane that lines the abdominal cavity (usually from pigs and sheep) and resembling a lacy net. It is used to wrap loose forcemeats and such-like, and melts during cooking.

  15. BD your hint for 5d is making me think I have got 3a incorrect. I have the format of the DT as my answer and it does check with 4d. Should I be reconsidering?

    1. No – it sounds like you have the right answer for 3a. For 5d think about what you need to do to increase the volume electronically (and I don’t mean turn the knob up!).

  16. Thanks so much. Very obvious now I have been told, just 10a to go but refrain from hinting that or I will miss my moment of enlightenment.

  17. I thought this was very enjoyable but very difficult. I’ve finished it now but taken quite a while to do so. Perhaps not concentrating too well – eldest daughter’s birthday so everyone coming home for weekend! :grin: Lovely, but combining cooking, making beds, getting a fire ready etc etc with trying to do a crossword clearly doesn’t work!! I took ages to get quite a lot of the long answers which held everything else up. Two new words – 21 and 25a. Too many great clues to write them all down – my favourite today is probably 14a. With thanks to the setter and Big Dave. Have a great weekend everyone and be careful of the beastly fireworks!!

    1. Try to let some of the others do the work over the weekend Kath, not easy I know, particularly here, where it’s all men and boys! Enjoy :-)

      1. Trust me, Mary, it’s not easy with girls either!! In fairness to them they have quite demanding jobs and work pretty long hours so when they come home they want to loaf around and be waited on – I REALLY don’t mind and don’t feel remotely like a martyr – if I did I wouldn’t do it!! I just love them being here. :smile:

  18. Did this very early this morning before anyone else was awake and enjoyed it. Went off to do various bits and pieces and now reading the comments. Mary your cawl sounds good and so does your drizzle cake CS

    Hope everyone has a dry and safe bonfire night. Our local cricket club had their firework display last night and it was excellent – was able to sit in the lounge and watch it through the french windows – nice and comfy!!

  19. Liverpool v Swansea today, now I am a definite Liverpool supporter but well, Swansea, just 20 odd miles away, the only Welsh team in the Prem? must confess to being a little torn :-).

    2. Hi Miles,
      No, never thought of cardi*******! As an ex-cardiac nurse I’m not sure that there is any such word – if there is I’m sure that I will be corrected!! I can certainly see how it would have completely screwed up the rest of that corner!! :smile:

      1. Thanks Prolixic, good to meet y’all. Just found the site, looking for what the devil 8d could be. Groan! Sweet and sour, eh? Great site.

    2. 25a – “They’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith tonight”. …

      Must admit that I thought it was a river!

      1. I liked 21a a lot. Two things I liked about it: I got it straight away, and Kate my companion solver had never heard of them. A roseate glow twice over.

  22. Many thanks to Cephas for an enjoyable puzzle. A big d’oh moment when 6d finally dawned on me.

  23. Please can I have help with 17d and an explanation for 16d. I’ve put an answer in for 16d but have no idea why. Thanks Eileen

    1. 17d is an anagram (being shaken) of ITS NERVE and its what you do with your money and stocks and shares. Split your answer for 16d 4, 4 and then see if what you have fits the clue.

  24. I found a lot of this quick & easy and then took a bit of time for the last few words like 25a and 15d. 8d and 21a were new words to me. No really favoutite clues this time.

  25. Thanks to the setter & Big Dave for the hints, which I didn’t need for once. Favourites were 12 down, 21 across & 25 across, which I’d never heard of, but got it from the wordplay, and was the last one in.

    1. Typical, my original comment posted on my phone has reappeared from the ether after I typed it all out again:-)

    1. Thanks to the setter & Big Dave for the hints, which for once I didn’t need.My last comment disappeared into the ether, so I’m now on my Mac. I found this one very enjoyable, favourites were 12down,21 & 25across, which was last in. I’d never heard of it, but was able to get it from the wordplay then check the answer. A very nice puzzle.

  27. I found this to be avery jolly puzzle this evening and had a few laughs while solving it.
    Faves : 3a,14a, 21a, 23a, 25a, 5d, 8d, 16d & 22d.

  28. Good job we are all different. Did not like 25a and 1a. Liked 14 and 18a and 5,12 and 16d. Nice enjoyable puzzle. Bit like an exam looked hard at first apart from a few giveaways but gradually all fitted into place. It was a good one to leave for a while and then find the answers filled themselves in! Was it Cephas?

  29. Hello – in the hope that someone might still look at this on Sunday I’d value an explanation for 19d. I have the answer, but cannot understand the relevance of “Finishes” in the clue.

    Otherwise – really enjoyed this. Thanks to the setter and Big Dave.

    1. 19d Finishes off mocks (6)
      It’s a double definition, the first being “finishes off” (a meal, for example).

  30. As usual got to Sunday before I could do yesterday’s puzzle. Al, I think there must be quite a few of us who are too busy on Saturdays. Only needed help from the blog with 8d. 14a was definitely my favourite
    even though ‘food’ was a bit of a broad clue.

  31. Enjoyed this in between de-mossing the driveway. Does anyone know a good osteopath for backs! Nice to get in the fresh air. Crossword was the usual Saturday standard – the easiest of the week but nevertheless good fun.

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