ST 2660 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2660 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2660 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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Don’t forget our new Monthly Prize crossword – why not have a go?

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”.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

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

Across

1a Puts on radio in front of trendy craft (7)
A verb meaning broadcasts on the radio followed by an adjective meaning trendy

10a Piece of furniture — later rather than earlier Adam (7)
A cryptic definition of someone who, unlike the earlier Adam, wears clothes

11a Designer, initially unknown in catalogue (9)
A designer at the beginning (initially) and a mathematical unknown at the end

12a Wait around edge of altar to become this? (5)
A verb meaning to wait one’s time around the final letter (edhe) of altaR gives what a young lady might become after waiting at the altar

15a Daily supplier of fresh herb before middle of winter (9)
This supplier of a daily paper comes from an adjective meaning fresh, a herb and the inner two letters of wiNTer

17a Original flier revealing international conspiracy I must break up (4,5)
… the first man to fly a new type of aircraft

19a Stupid fool abridged French author (5)
Most of (abridged) an adjective meaning stupid followed by most of a fool

27a Final act of play — not Hamlet (7)
… the final act of play in a gamer where the scores are level

28a Half of whom may forgive the other half’s errant behaviour? (7)
A cryptic definition of a person who is partly divine and partly human

Down

1d A form of bad behaviour, grasping at riches, primarily (7)
This &Lit clue puts the A from the clue and a form of bad behaviour around (grasping) the initial letters (primarily) of At Riches

3d Where to find peace, as man, woman, and children finally do (5)
Split (4,1) this describes what the words man, woman, and children all possess at the end (finally)

4d Staff for each admiral partly switched (9)
A word meaning for each followed by a famous admiral with the first half of his name switched with the second half

5d Down person, perhaps, in rage (5)
… someone from County Down, perhaps?

8d Suffering concealed by one mentor after another (7)
Hidden inside (concealed by) mentor mentor

16d Crucial point in the war’s misread, editor concludes (9)
An anagram (misread) of THE WAR’S followed by (concludes) ED(itor)

20d Getting a lot out of American hero embracing one (7)
The initials and surname of an American hero around I (one)

23d Busybody finishing up her daily puzzle later (5)
The final letters (finishing) of five words in the clue

24d University put in shape for marketplace (5)
U(niversity) inside a shape

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 Toni Braxton (44) and Bishop Desmond Tutu (81)
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45 comments on “ST 2660 (Hints)”

  1. Quite a few of today’s clues took a bit of thinking about but it fell into place in about 2.5/3* time. The usual great entertainment throughout, 10a being my top top favourite. Thanks to Virgilius and BD too.

    1. Might agree with you if I could work out the answer! Top half is being a real struggle. Even with the hint I can’t see 1d and 5a is a blank. Help!
      PS what’s a &Lit clue?

      1. &Lit is another name for what we normally call all-in-one.

        5a Support the eccentric visionary (7)

        The definition is visionary. It’s a support (in a structure or possibly in a scrum) followed by an anagram of THE.

      2. Hi Brian for 1a you want A from the clue, a four letter word for ‘form of bad behaviour’ as in – smoking or drinking could be considered one of these, put this four letter word around the first letters of ‘at’ and ‘riches’ and this gives you your answer which is another form of bad behaviour!!

        5a, a four letter word for support followed by’eccentric’ the’ i.e. change ‘the’ around the whole gives you a visionary

        1. Thx Mary, your help was much appreciated. It has taken all day on and off to finish this one which I found very tough but enjoyable. Best clue for me was 19a which made me smile. You are now far better at this lark than me and are now long out of the Clueless Club where I am firmly fixed. Well done :-)

          1. If entry back into the CC was permitted Brian I would spend most of my time in there! However I think you are doing very well and shouldn’t put yourself down, keep perservating :-)

  2. Afternoon Dave, a tough one for me today, needing lots of help but got there in the end 3 to 4 star for me, fav cluse 5d & 8d, once again perservation needed in heaps :-) , didn’t use hints but thanks once again Dave

  4. This took me longer than usual for a Sunday to complete, and I would say that is by far the best Sunday puzzle from Virgilius for a while.
    3.5*/5* for me.

  5. Looking forward to a nice pleasant solve sitting in the sun with the seal and cormorants fishing around me…not to be.

    Found this far more difficult than the usual Sunday offering.

    However eventually cracked it without recourse to the hints.

    Still enjoyed it though, as always analysis shows it to be a fair puzzle.

    Thanks to BD and to Virgilius.

  7. I thought that this was quite difficult too. Ended up being unable to do 28a – and I still don’t really understand it. – oh dear – having yet ANOTHER dim day I think. I needed the hints to explain what I wanted to put in for 20d, and also 4d – just couldn’t find the admiral anywhere – obviously not just stupid today but as blind as a bat too! I know that 13a is in BRB as a tree or shrub but it always throws me as, to me, it’s a tree.
    All this makes it sound as if I didn’t enjoy today’s crossword which is certainly NOT the case.
    Just a few of the many clues that I liked are 19 and 27a and 6, 8 and 23d.
    I also really liked 21d but have now got the Lumberjack song on the brain and can only remember the hospital pantomime words to it – VERY rude!!
    With thanks to Virgilius and BD.

    1. Its all right for you – I have to explain 28a in the review. Luckily Chambers makes all clear.

        1. The answer ia half mortal Kath, so I suppose the second half can forgive the mortal part or is there more to it?

      2. Oh – is it the last three letters can forgive the bit that ISN’T the last three letters? Sorry – I said earlier that I really am dim today! :sad:

    2. I don’t understand 28A either – Only one word appears to fit the missing letters and I really can’t see how it works, even with BD’s hint.

      1. Don’t know which word you’re thinking of but there is definitely at least one other than the right one! I spent ages trying to justify the other one which was just NOT going to work.

        1. Thanks Kath, but I’ve got it now … I ended 21D with the wrong letter – having missed the past tense aspect of the clue.

  8. About ** difficulty for me based on the time. i finished in the NE corner. enjoyable as ever so thanks to BD and virgilius .

  9. We have been humming Marley & Marley all morning! Autumn arriving here in Massachusetts. Thx to all. One question, why Hamlet?

      1. Ah, I see it now and I thought it was just because it wasn’t the kind of ‘play’ Hamlet is!

  10. Another enjoyable puzzle from Virgilius.

    Faves : 15a, 19a, 27a (excellent), 6d, 8d & 16d.

    Weather still glorious!

  11. I’ve only just realised I don’t understand the last bit of 25a, the ‘when receiving Valentine, say’

  12. No 2 is celebrating his 26th birthday today. Interestingly he had heard of the Archbishop but not the singer (sorry Dave, what can you do with these young people these days?) :)

      1. He’s just gone out to watch the football and then meet some friends. I will show him tomorrow when he may have recovered!

  14. Finally finished after several attempts interspersed with seawatching on Norfolk coast. Needed BD hints to confirm some answers – particularly 28a. Quite a few where I had answers – but not sure why ! Thank you BD and Virgilius for another enjoyable puzzle.

  15. Thanks to Virgilius & to Big Dave for the hints. Usual great stuff from Virgilius, I thought it was 2*/4*. Finished this in a hurry, and had 7 that I couldn’t parse, thanks to Big Dave for the explanations. I had 28a wrong.Favourites were 15&19a and 5d. Reason for the hurry is Barca vs Real Madrid just about to start ! Beautiful morning in Central London, great for October :-)

    1. I enjoyed 19a as well when I got it. Are you down at Wapping on the 20th? I think that me and andy (and no doubt the usual suspects) wll be as well.

  17. I know that we are not meant to say how long it took to complete. Therefore I will not say that I have just finished it.
    Many thanks to Big Dave for his hints plus all the other hints I have managed to gleam from peoples posts.
    Have I broken any rules????……sorry :-(

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