DT 26762 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26762 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26762 (Hints)

Big Dave’s 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           On-line delivery service (7-5)
A cryptic definition of a delivery service that runs on lines

This was my very first musical link, way back in the hints for Toughie 89, nearly three years ago!

ARVE Error: need id and provider

10a         Piece of ground where tap is situated in front of church (5)
This piece of ground is a charade of a verb meaning to tap followed by CH(urch)

19a         Dog trapping naughty lad’s bird (4,5)
Put a breed of dog around an anagram (naughty) of lad to get the National bird of the USA

22a         Dishonest stocktaker (7)
A cryptic definition of the criminal act of stealing stock or cattle – well worth remembering as it pops up from time to time

27a         Arranged for gold casket getting evaluated (12)
A verb meaning arranged a piece of music is derived from a charade of the heraldic term for gold, a casket and a verb meaning evaluated

Down

1d           Loud, not just where the roundabouts are (7)
A charade of the musical notation for loud and an adjective meaning not just gives a place where roundabouts may be seen

2d           Wise to be navigating initially in lake? (5)
The first name of the comedian with short fat hairy legs is created by putting the initial letter of Navigating inside one of the Great Lakes

7d           Posh fellows in crime, packing (8)
Put the single-letter abbreviation for posh and a couple of F(ellow)s inside the crime of obtaining a substantial sum of money through deception to get a verb meaning packing or filling

17d         In poor shape but not when on course (5,3)
Two definitions – in poor shape physically and having a good score on a golf course

24d         King has a set not working (5)
Start with K(ing) and add A from the clue and a verb meaning to set to get an adjective meaning not working or broken

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: {quay} + {Anne} + {tea} = {Chianti}

89 comments on “DT 26762 (Hints)”

  1. Enjoyable start to a Saturday. I though it was slightly trickier than usual but I cannot think why in looking back at the answers. Thanks to our setter and to BD for the notes.

      1. Morning Mary. I thought that you had forgotten about it. I would like to withdraw it and humbly and unreservedly say that the Welsh are amongst the finest in the land and I sincerely trust that they do not seek independence

        1. Now you are being sarcastic! but being the nice Welsh person I am I forgive you but others might not so easily :-)

  3. Brilliant puzzle today, tricky in parts with some unusual words (9a, 11a) and a super clue in 17d, wish I could get my golf score like this! Didn’t need the hints today but thx byway and much thx to the setter.

  4. Hi Dave didn’t need the hints today but how obscure is 11a! and12a! didn’t help myself spelling 24d with a C and wondering where the king had gone!! fav clue 18a, would you believe this was the last one in for me! good luck all a two to three star for me possibly today :-)

  5. I’ve learned 2 new words in 11a & 12a & a new fact in 23d (got the answer then had to google the name to see if I was right).
    Thanks to the setter & to BD for the hints albeit I did not need them.
    Bitterly cold this morning here in West Bridgford with the first real frost of winter still on the ground.

  6. OK – I admit defeat – can anyone help me with 21d – I cannot see it and I am giving up on it.

    I enjoyed this – even though I am stuck on this one. My favourite was 15a

    Thanks to setter and to BD for the hints – didn’t need them though.

    1. Sorry – should give the clue –

      21d Sportsman, amateur, coming into the fold with hesitant expression (6)

    2. Put the abbreviation for amateur into a word meaning fold and add the normal expression for hesitant to give a general word for a sportsman

      1. Thanks I realised I had put the wrong ending to 25a and the brain clicked in – it’s Gnomey’s law working again!!!

  7. Enjoyed this one. Nice to hear Nancy Whisky again so 1a has to be favourite. Goes well with Jim Reeves and Gene Vincent. Also liked 9 12 17 19 and 23. Bit fed up with 8 though. All in all a nice start to the day.

  9. Progress has been slow this morning but I’ve got there in the end. I’d have been disappointed if BD hadn’t included the visual hint for 1a because, when I put in the answer, that’s what immediately sprang to mind. As an aside, there were a number of us who were wallowing in nostalgia with Ed Stewart on Christmas Day morning…

  10. Good start to the day. Smiled at 18a. Many thanks to setter and BD.

    Off to bake 1st birthday cake for grandson – er – granddaughter (for those of you who were around this time last year!) Funnily enough, my son now wear glasses instead of contact lenses …

      1. Apart from her birth and a couple of other things, I am really happy to be in 2012 and leave 2011 well behind. Nuff said …

    2. I remember it too – it really made me laugh! Sounds as if you’ve had a tricky year – hope that things are OK now and that first birthday party goes well.

  11. A very enjoyable Saturday puzzle – the unusual word at 11a was clued well enough to be able to put the answer in without referencing a dictionary – as it should be!. Solving time suggests about the usual Saturday level. Thanks to the setter and to BD

  12. If you read what Prolixic said way back at the start of today’s comments, it will save me the trouble of saying any more. Very enjoyable. I always like the chance to learn a new word or two.

    If you want a fun diversion over lunchtime, I highly highly recommend the NTSPP. It is by Gazza and is splendid.

  14. I’ve enjoyed this one very much and have finally finished it without needing any hints. I thought that it was really quite difficult in places – not so much the unknown (to me anyway) words, 11 and 12a, but most of the bottom right hand corner which stubbornly remained empty for ages. I managed to convince myself that the second letter of 20d had to be “X” and then couldn’t make any sense of it for a while. I liked 9, 18, 23 and 27a and 1, 14, 15 and 24d. Thanks to the setter and BD.
    VERY cold here – still only up to 2C but lovely blue sky and sun. Have a good weekend everyone.

    1. Think of one half of a VERY famous pair of comedians – the other half was Eric Morecombe – hope a) that I’ve spelt his surname correctly and b) that I’m not going to be in the naughty corner! :smile:

    1. Need to look up a biblical reference for St Paul for 23 d
      Like many others some quite obscure words today kept me puzzling over the last few for quite a while

    2. 23a – The definition is a collection of instruments – not musical ones but the kind that could be used for drilling holes etc. You want a four letter word for rifle (not the gun kind) and then reverse it followed by a fairly unusual shortening of “Christopher”.

    3. 23d a small bird (3 letters) followed by the usual abbreviation for America, must admit I didn’t know this
      23a a word for rifle as in ‘to rifle’ backwards followed by a short nickname for Christopher gives you a set of instruments as in hammer, saw, etc. have to say not a very good indicator for reversing the first word??

    5. Got them, got them, got them!!! Thank you all for the hints – now for the Saturday shopping :-)

  20. At the top end of difficulty for recent Staurdays, but no less enjoyable for all that. Am I perhaps having a thick day? I can only see one word that fits in 4d that has anything to do with clothing, but if it’s correct i don’t see how the other half of the clue works. Cheers as ever to setter and hinter.

    1. 11a Declare sun’s over infernal regions (7)
      Defined by Chambers as “The (entrance to the) infernal regions (Roman myth)” the wordplay is very straightforward – a verb meaning to declare followed by SUN reversed (over).

  22. Hi all,
    Could anyone help with 7d please? I think I have the correct answer, but not sure how it fits the clue. Thanks in advance.
    PS Bitterly cold here in Pangbourne!

  23. Beautifully gin clear sky here! Crossword done but I suspected it was going to be a challenge as I glanced at it watching my son play football. Once I got going it was fine although I did have to check both 9a and 11a (like others it seems). Now off to exercise………….

  24. Nearly finished on the Nottingham to London train this morning together with avfull English and completed on the tibe to Earl’s Court for the France Show. Free Daily Telegraphs here. May take one as mine breakfast stained. Quite unusual I thought but quick to solve. Favourites 19 23 and 27a and 1 14 15 and 17d. Do we know the setter??

      1. Even if, like me and Gnomey, you couldn’t remember whether it was Cephas this week, it is clear from the variety of anagram indicators that it couldn’t be anyone else!

  27. I have already left a brag on Crypticsue’s Review of 2620. Look out for my name. I have won the pen for the second time in twelve months !
    Thanks to Big Dave, Virgilius et al. best wishes to all for 2012.

    Regards,

    Denis

      1. Thank you Crypyicsue,

        It’s clearly a fluke. Like a hole in one. I sent my entry in late, maybe it was on top of the pile. I enjoyed today’s. I am just starting on the NTSSPC 101.

        My PC is running slowly, I suspect the grandchildren have been at it. I find it usefull to blame them for most things. Mind you they are usually the guilty party
        Regards,

        D. D.

    2. What’s your secret Denis? I’ve been sending in the Saturday (and recently Sunday) puzzles on and off for 30 years, and won but a crappy consolation prize. I must have “bought” the pen several times over. Do you use an A3 reinforced envelope so it is easy to find in the bag?

      1. Double sided sticky tape on the outside of the envelope. ( seems to work) + putting your tongue in the side of your mouth whilst solving ( less sure about that one)

        I have scored twice in 12 months, thats one way of lookig at it. However it is also true to say I have scored twice in thirty years.

        Regards,

        D. D.

  28. Walloped this one off in record time so quite chuffed after yesterday’s disappointment!
    Faves : 11a, 12a, 19a, 26a, 27a, 2d, 7d, 14d, 17d & 23d.

    Waiting for family and friends to arrive then off round the corner to the local top retaurant to celebreate my upcoming birthday anniversary (actually next Wednesday but grandchildren are in middle of exams at school during week).

    1. 20d Was no longer an outsider (7)
      Weakish cryptic definition – was no longer out in the open.

  31. Colleywobbles, greetings.
    You now have it but if I were to be offering hints for this one, I would be tempted to say “it’s the thing that makes a lad’s eyes water when his foot slips off his bike pedal”. I know, it often happened! Thanks to setter and BD, very enjoyable today. Freezing up here in West Cumbria but, being so clear, the Fells look magnificent.

  32. Can anybody please give me some hints re 20d?

    I’ve been staring at this for too long – and it’s simply staring back at me:(

    Any/all hints will be gratefully received.

    1. Hi KDINNY – welcome to the blog.
      If you were outside and are now no longer outside, what have you done?

      1. You were not alone KDINNY – thanks gazza
        Really enjoyed 1d – once I re-read the word “just”

  33. I really loved this one! I can’t remember the last time I got to use 9A and 12A, and 11A made me think of Turner’s wonderful paintings of that lake. :-)

  34. Evening all. Out on trains again today. completed this one on the 07.55 from York before Peterborough so average. I liked27a and agree with others above that there are some strange words in the solution

  35. Thanks to the setter & to Big Dave for the hints. Went straight through this in one sitting without the hints, a minor miracle :-) Most enjoyable, favourites were 11,19 & 25a and 2d.

  36. Thanks so much gazza – for the hint and the welcome – it finally dawned on me that it wasn’t a case of ‘ex’…..

  37. Zipped through this today, but had to check meanings of 11a and 12a. Also got confused in 21d where I originally used a three letter word for ‘amateur’ then couldn’t see the relevance of ‘fold’. Thanks to setter + BD for the review.

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