DT 26714 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26714 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26714 (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           Vote against holding old runner in battle site (6)
Put what you might say when voting against a motion around the shortened first name of old runner Lord Coe to get the site of a key battle of the English Civil Wars

11a         Character created by Robert Louis S pants (4,5)
Take this pirate from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and format his name using just the initial letter of his surname, as in Robert Louis S, you get some pants or winter underwear

14a         Girl in lobby, one making flying visit (4,2,7)
This phrase that could describe a girl in a lobby is actually a migratory creature that makes a flying visit

17a         Sulk about a top man who gets English having fun (6,7)
Put a verb meaning to sulk around A from the clue, the top man in a monarchy and WHO, also from the clue, and then add E(nglish) to the end to get a phrase meaning having fun

ARVE Error: need id and provider

27a         Strange child most likely to come up (4-2)
A charade of a word meaning strange and a male child gives a description of an event that is most likely to come up, like Shergar winning the 1981 Epsom Derby

Down

1d           Get annoyed dropping a couple of grand in river (6)
A verb meaning to get annoyed, or more likely to annoy someone else, is created by putting GG (couple of Grand) inside an African river

3d           Cover that’s seen through England batsman’s clash (4,3)
This glass cover is placed over apparatus to confine gases in laboratories, or used to protect ornaments or flower arrangements – it’s a charade of the surname of an England batsman and a verb meaning to clash or disagree

16d         Some debs settled in relief (8)
An anagram (settled) of SOME DEBS gives an adjective meaning raised or standing out in relief

22d         Rogue mentioned in middle of church (5)
This rogue sounds like the central part of a church

More hints coming up soon.  For which clue would you like a hint?

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: {boos} + {crews}  = {booze cruise}

79 comments on “DT 26714 (Hints)”

      1. Many thx, got the anagram just after asking but many many thx for putting out of my misery over 3d. Just 9a to go and that’s looks like a film star that I don’t know. Must be an anagram of role and something else but exactly what has got me stumped. Took quite a bit of work to get this far but best clue for me was 11a and 26a, an event that comes just in front of watching grass grow and paint dry which I hated when I was eventing. Only slight 1d was Chambers doesn’t give sulk as an alternative for the word used in 17a but it is fairly obvious.

        1. 9a you need the first letter of role inside the surname of a famous old film actor to give a word meaning make a mess of.

          1. Thx for that, that really was an old movie star!

            My version of Chambers lists:
            To move aimlessly and listlessly
            To be listless or depressed
            A listless or depressed person
            (esp in pl) ***ing, low spirits
            Low spirits
            A minor or imagined violation of the law
            Dull, spiritless, listless
            That is the full entry for the four letter word in the answer.

            1. Most dictionaries don’t list all synonyms – try Chambers Thesaurus as suggested by Prolixic.

              For the word in the answer that gives:

              verb

              brood, fret, sulk, pine, languish, droop, despair, be miserable, grieve

    2. 16d – anagram of SOME DEBS to give a word meaning relief (in its architectural or crafting sense)

  4. Very enjoyable due to the many witty clues. Possibly liked 15d best because of the surface reading. 3d and 21a were new to me. Thanks to the setter and BD.

  5. A most enjoyable crossword with product placement contained within 15d! Admittedly, Theakstons spell the name of their beer as Old Peculier but I do find it rather amusing that Theakstons have two advertisements on the back page…

  6. I was going to say that I had expected a video clip for 17a – I presume that is why the space has been left?

      1. Thanks Dave – I am on a computer which only works in ‘safe’ mode (and which has a few other problems) at present.

          1. Got it. I have never really listened to the lyrics before – very funny, and surprisingly cynical for an ‘oldie’!

  7. I suppose that I am the only one who has not heard of the South African sportsman with the unpronouncable name, presumably a golfer, and I don’t see how anybody can help me without giving me the answer but if anybody can figure out how to I would appreciate it

      1. Thanks Dave, I should have got it having played Rugby until I was 45 but I thought 1a was spelt with a Z – silly me

  8. Very nice straightforward Saturday solve – if the mention of Old Peculiar in 15d didn’t make you want a pint, the adverts beside and below the puzzle certainly do the trick. Thanks to the setter and Big Dave too.

    Superb day here in East Kent today, lovely sunshine (the washing is even drying).

  9. Please help with 4a – I have the second half of the clue but can’t think of a TV quiz with a name that fits.

  10. Afternoon al, have had several interruptions today but am still stuck on 15d and 25a any help gratefully recieved :-) lovely day here too sue

  11. A slow start but once I got going it started to fall into place. I really struggled with 8d but then had my eureka moment for the day. An enjoyable start to my Saturday. Now off shopping with my better half, I’m so thrilled.

  12. 4A & 24A please, Mrs T is convinced that 14A is lame – not a recognized phrase in Boston, Pangbourne or Attenboroughland?

    1. 24a a five letter word for encloses followed by the usual 3 letter word for family gives you a type of fur

      1. 4a you are looking for a tv quiz on BBC2 most nights at 6pm made up of a three letter word for encourage followed by the top teachers

  13. All done. Not sure about this one . Mixture of the almost too easy with the obscure. I love those answers which just have to be right! Nearly came unstuck with 3d as I don’t know my cricketers from my footballers. Also until I managed to work through the clue had a spelling error with 17a. Liked 8d. Held up with 9a as I had a femme fatale in mind rather than a leading man. SE corner last to go in but liked the answers when I got them.

  14. Again a slow start with a steady middle section followed by a spurt down the final furlong. Enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks to the setter and to BD as usual. Now bring on the NTSPP!

  15. Enjoyed solving this one while sun still shining here in NL!
    Faves : 11a, 14a, 17a, 25a, 3d, 7d, 12d & 16d.

    Re 8d – couldn’t see why Italian at first but remembered that we used to buy such tomatoes in Boston MA at an Italian greengrocer – my son lives there in the now Italian quarter.

  16. Good one today. Very enjoyable. Got a bit waylaid on the right hand side but once 5d was done it fell into place. Thanks to all – setter and BD.

  18. Completely stalled in NW corner (apart from 2d) so had to revert to hints, and indeed actual answers for 1a and 3d – would never have got either of those (I hate cricket clues!!) Anyway, now finished. I would query the definition of 9a as to “make a mess”, but no doubt someone will direct me to Chambers?! And I could protest that the first word of 14a is a tad on the sexist side!! Am quite chuffed with myself for finally finishing it as, on first read through, I couldn’t solve one – thought I’d got 10a but then couldn’t justify “tortoise”. Thanks to setter and BD for all the necessary help.

  19. I thought this was the hardest of the week! Hadn’t heard of 14a before. Still not sure why a simple goal in 10a is the first and last four letters of this animal. Thanks to BD.

    1. Split them 3, 2 and see if that makes sense – it did to me and I am not even remotely interested in football.

  20. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I was a bit stuck in three of the four corners for some time, but it all came right in the end, despite there being rather more sport than I like. I even got the England batsman without consulting Señor Nora. I’d have got there faster had the clue had something to do with Sylvia Plath

  21. I liked this one a lot! But, one quibble – 1d – surely the solution is in the wrong tense – if the definition is “Get annoyed”?

    However, a few pints of Theakston’s Old Peculier might take my mind off it!

      1. Hmm – I actually agree with Franco, Gazza – if it’s what you’re saying, then shouldn’t that “somebody” be in the clue??? Some of these clues are difficult enough without having to conjure up non-existent words to make sense of them? IMHO.

        1. Reading the Chambers definitions – it would seem to me to mean to busy oneself with, or get annoyed by, minor or trifling detail.

          1. 1d – But, can you think of a sentence where the solution “******” can directly replace “Get annoyed…..”?

            Off for another pint! Who says that advertising doesn’t pay?

          2. I still think it makes more sense as a transitive verb, for which Chambers has “to worry, irritate or nag”.

              1. Personally I would have preferred “get annoyed BY dropping”… which would have helped the solver’s construction but in general I agree with gazza.

  22. First time through I only got three words: two down and one across — but then, bit by bit … I enjoyed it very much, so bravo and thanks to the setter. I didn’t know about Lord Coe but worked it out from the vote against, and for 9a I was grateful for the explanation as I’d been thinking of the solitary Swede rather than Rhett Butler and could figure out how it worked. I liked 8d best. So thanks to the setter and Big Dave.
    :-)

  23. Good challenge today. I thought 1a was hard even with 2d and 3d solved! I agree with some of the others on 8d as it took a bit of thinking. Thanks BD and setter.

  24. Initially thought this was going to be a lot harder but soon started to flow especially with the help of BD’s hints. Really enjoyable, very witty and fun too. Should have got 4a a lot quicker as it’s one of my favourite programmes. 14a was new to me. Liked 11a 17a and 23a.

    Thank you as always BD and setter

    1. Prisoners in the bad old days were set to picking rope to pieces, and the fibres were called by the name of a tree plus a sound one makes when hesitating. I hope this helps.

  26. Thanks to the setter to Big Dave for the hints, which I didn’t need this time. Enjoyed this one a lot. Favourites were 10a & 15d.

  27. VERY late getting here – up in B’ham all day helping daughter unpack from house move. We got home at 6.30 – rushed around lighting fire (chilly here this evening) getting supper and then watched dancing. THEN looked at crossword – I managed about half of it and then a few more. Dr K did quite a few more (he often manages to get the answers but then needs the “why bit” explained to him) – we have finally finished it and enjoyed it very much. Not even any need of hints – just goes to show what can be done with a combined effort. With thanks to the setter and to BD and to all for the comments.
    Off to bed now – totally knackered. Sleep well all – “see” you tomorrow. :smile:

  28. Good evening folks. Does anyone agree that 11a was a very clumsy clue? I finished it off watching the mighty West Brom!

  29. Don’t suppose there’s anyone around still to pick this up but I just can’t believe I’m stuck on 9a, even after Wanda’s comments. No-one else seems to have struggled with it – maybe I’m just not sufficiently au fait with Hollywood..

  30. Failed again and despite all the help i am still stuck on 25a. Perhaps another hint may help. Thanks in anticipation.

    1. 25a – Person who’s let the French understand (6)
      The definition is “Person who’s let (a room or house). You need a charade of one of the definite articles (the) in French and then a verb meaning understand or spot.
      Hope that helps but if not Crypticsues full review will be up on Friday morning.

    2. Bob – 25a – Definition = “someone granted the use of property by lease”.

      Break it up into (3,3). First 3 = The French plural definite article; Second 3 = a synonym of “understand”.

      Hope this helps! (Hope I’ve got the right Crossword!)

  31. Ah now it all makes sense. Had 19d wrong but must confess have never heard of the word but it is in the Dictionary. Many thanks

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