DT 26954 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26954 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26954 (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”.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.

Across

7a           Wear diamonds suspended (3,2,3)
A phrase that could mean to wear some diamonds

12a         End argument for as opposed to against (4,10)
An end or object followed by an argument gives what can separate teams in a league

20a        Fixed pole in ground 23 years ago (14)
An adjective meaning fixed is followed by an anagram (ground) of POLE IN gives the former name of 23 across

25a         Chitty put in by English leader of team (6)
To put a ship into a berth followed by E(nglish) and the initial letter (leader) of Team

28a         A clash between boxers, a scrap that’s up in the air? (8)
… the boxers are the canine variety

Down

1d           Express disapproval over usherette’s top and skirt (4)
A word that expresses disapproval followed by (over in a down clue) the Usherette’s initial (top) letter

6d           Novelist from East Sussex town, bowled over breaking record (4,6)
An East Sussex town is reversed (bowled over) inside (breaking) a record of the events of one year

18d         Knees-up after part of leg is found on excavating expedition (7)
Part of the leg followed by an excavating expedition

26d         Italian novelist taking in hard copy (4)
The surname of the Italian novelist best known for his novel Il nome della rosa (The Name of the Rose),around (taking in) H(ard)

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: {ghost} + {rate} = {go straight}

If you were looking for the Giant GK Puzzle on Telegraph Puzzles, it is now available.  Phil McNeill has asked me to to pass his apologies to anyone who was affected.

101 comments on “DT 26954 (Hints)”

  1. I had to resort to BD’s hints today (thank-you), unfortunately I ad solved all of them with the exception of the former city’s name so it’s back to Seiko & the BRB!

  2. Aaaah, that’s how I got 6d, It fitted, but I didn’t have a clue as to why. Must go to East Sussex one day.

  3. Can I have a hint for 27a, please? Don’t think I have got any of the checking letters wrong but I am stumped.

  4. Morning everyone, just a brief call, I enjoyed todays crossword and thought that 20a was really clever, my favs today were 8d, 21d and 7a, I thought 12a was really difficult although I got the second word straight away, didn’t need the blog, thanks Dave, but about half way through had to resort to books and machines!! sun trying to come out, thanks for all the kind messages, good to be back though not full time yet!! :-D

      1. Hi Dave, thanks, good to be back, I just couldn’t see the first word in 12a for ages but I agree about 20a, though as I said earlier there were a few others I liked, 21d just made me smile :-)

    3. Welcome back Mary. Glad to see that you are improving enough to comment. We have missed you lots and hope you continue to improve and return full time.

      1. Thanks sue, I’ve really missed your cooking but I am inundated with lovely cakes people keep bringing me at the moment and am fast gaining the wieght I lost, unfortunately!!!

    6. Mary

      It is so nice to have you back and to read your comments. They always lift my day. Hope your recovery is speedy

      Lea

    7. Hello Mary. I’m writing rather late in the afternoon but wanted to add my wishes for your continuing recovery and say how good it is to be reading you again. I wish I could bring you a cake, or perhaps some lemon chicken. Were I in Wales, I would! :-)

  5. I started off writing all the solutions in as I went along thinking I was in for a record time even for me and then I got stuck with three linked clues. After much muttering, I staggered to the end, the final three clues having taken so long that I would have to award them 4* difficulty on their own.

    Just time for a little bit of domesticity and a lie down before I see what the NTSPP has to offer.

    Thanks to BD and the setter (Cephas? it should be his turn).

      1. or the anagrams. It definitely doesnt seem like him at all. I will have to see if it grows on me a bit as I type the review.

      2. There were three clues I was stuck on because they were all in the same corner and so there weren’t enough checking letters to help me out. Looking at it now, I really can’t see why I was so dense, perhaps all the drizzle this morning made the cryptic grey matter soggy

  6. When I print the crossword off now there are several clues with word/words in blue and underlined, eg today, 9a, ‘clubs’, 17a, ‘teeth cleaner’, 27a, ‘game’, anyone know what this is about??

    1. Morning Mary and welcome back from metoo. Glad to see you’re getting better. Can’t help here, my print has no colour or underlinings!

    2. It was a suggestion from Scchua to indicate the definition of the clue and most folk seemed to agree that it improved the site along with some other suggestions that Schuua made

        1. Collywobbles has missed the point. You were saying that your printer had printed off certain bits of todays puzzle with blue and underlinings and Collywobbles thinks you are talking about last Wednesday’s blog. We bloggers are using the underlining the definition but not the rest of the scchua system of hint giving.

  7. Got the right answer to 20a from the checking letters, but couldn’t see why till now. D’ohhh!
    A pleasant challenge to make up for a rained-off tennis match.
    Thanks to the Saturday team.

    1. 4d it would be more than my job’s worth to tell you more….an explanation as to why 14d is what it is would be appreciated

      2. * **** ** **** *** [an animal that belongs to a pack] backwards and the last letter of – oh, I’m probably not allowed to say on a Saturday [spot on, but you could say last letter (finally) of partitioN as that’s in the clue!]

        Did not understand your remark about it being more than your job’s worth

  9. Stuck on the last three of this tricky little beggar. 4d, 9a and 19a (got answer here but what it has to do with swim is a mystery to me). It’s 4d that’s really got me stuck as I can’t unpick the clue at all. Any guidance would be much appreciated.

    1. If only you had a copy of Chambers, or if you had a copy you had looked in it you would see what 19a had to do with swim. There is a sort of hint about 4d above. Again looking in the dictionary might help light dawn.

      1. Either I’ve got the answer wrong or my copy of Chambers (2010) is out of date but there is no mention of this word at all. I assume it’s the usual abbreviation for river and a slippery fish but the answer then is a Scottish dance. Swim??

  10. Just off to the local to sit in the aircon, have a ‘hair of the dog’ and have a go at this puzzle. I think today is going to be the hottest day of the year so far, phew it’s F’hot :grin:

    Anyone with a bit of spare time should have a go at Gazza’s NTSPP – very good fun!

  12. I apologise for being late on parade but I’ll confess my guilt – I got stuck in the NE corner… That cake sounds good, Mary! It’s a pleasure to see you back and I hope that you’ll get better very quickly.

  13. many thanks all for the lovely welcome back, hopefully I’ll be in and out a bit more often now :-D

    2. Good to have you back on board Mary. Hope that you recovery continues apace and you are soon back to full health.

  14. Thank you to BD for the hints, some of which most gratefully received although I had at least half done before I looked here.

    Lovely to see you back Mary.

    I rather liked 10a and 28a.

    1. Weren’t we all Carrie, weren’t we all! It is a synonym for end or aim. There is a hint above which might help the penny drop.

      2. Got it and as usual another duh! moment for me :-)

        Thanks all l can’t believe l missed the Hint.

        I can’t magine ever graduating from the CC

        Carrie

  17. Welcome back Mary and hurry back to full fire-power. I am always late on parade because, in retirement, I try and do a decent day’s work before tackling the xword. Good puzzle today, thanks BD and setter.

  18. Very pleasant afternoon in the coolth watching La Vuelta a Espana. Now back to normal after last night’s excesses but still sweating like a pig! 39C but fairly low humidity so I can live it.

    Puzzle didn’t put up much of a fight (due mainly to pommette) but was very enjoyable so many thanks to the setter!

  20. I’ve got 5d but I can’t see why. Can anybody help. Nearly there now after a long puzzling day in the NE corner

    1. Put the abbreviation for check (used in chess notation) inside (on board) a word meaning earlier to give the name of a type of ship.

    2. 5d – The chess notation for Check (2) inside (on board) a synonym for earlier ===> Ship.

    3. Hi Collies. Maybe what’s misleading you is that the setter has used the American spelling for cheque. Any help?

        1. BD. You are perfectly correct, of course but since I don’t play Chess, my thinking went in the banking direction and I arrived at the correct answer via that route. Thank you anyway.

      2. I’ve got it thanks Buffles. I don’t think it doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you do. Can you help with my last one which is 15a. If 16d is T******a, what is 15a. If it isn’t, what is it?

        1. Hi Collywobs

          First of all 16d does not begin with a T – can’t imagine what you might have for that! It’s an African country with a difficult situation inserted to give Disraeli, and others.

          15a – double definition, groom a horse perhaps and/or tease out sonething.

  21. I am thoroughly stuck on this today — too many things on my mind (such as it is) and interruptions, so I may have to try again later. I’m not enjoying it much.

  22. Now, having sat down and thought a little I’ve finished it. Last in was 12A, which I believe is correct but don’t understand at all. I think it’s the weather making me cross and stupid.

    1. Franny, That was quick – only 10 minutes between being “thoroughly stuck” (5:54) and having “finished” (6:04). Mind you, that was one of the easiest DT puzzles for ages!

      12a – BD has left a hint above – far be it from me to even try to improve upon his explanation!

    2. Well done Franny that was quick. The first part of the answer is to do with football. In fact, it’s all to do with football

  23. Right, final clue after a harrowing day, particularly as Chris Froome lost time in the Huelta. If 16d is T******a, what is 15a. If it isn’t, what is 16d? Can anybocy help?

    2. I would have thought by now that you would have read the bit about not publishing partial answers. The only reason I have left it is that it is laughably incorrect.

      2. It’s not laughably incorrect, it’s just incorrect. Where does laughably come from?

  24. My problem was could not get the two long ones across. Other oddity was I could fill the NE corner(accurately as it turns out) without understanding why until I read the hints and comments. I do not think this was Cephas. I do not recognise the style. Do not think it is good to solve via general knowledge and guesswork (eg 6d with one checking letter) rather than skill and knowing the type of ur eg anagram of which there were too few. Thanks all – both the benign and the waspish. Glad to see Mary. Did not spot Kath. I often find I’m on her wavelength.

  25. Welcome back Mary!

    I’ve only just got the chance to look at yesterday’s puzzle whilst watching the rerun of MOTD!

    With thanks to BD to help complete the NE corner I have now managed to put it to bed. Although I have the answer, I can’t for the life of me see`the reasoning for 6D.

    D’oh – just seen it – it’s not all a reversal – maybe I just needed to shout it out for the penny to drop!

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