ST 2667 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 2667 (Hints)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2667 (Hints)

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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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.

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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

7a           Fascinating quality in the writer’s style, initially quite varied (8)
The first person possessive pronoun (the writer’s) followed by the initial letter of Style and an anagram (quite varied) of QUITE

10a         Monstrous female made us mad — or possibly amused (6)
Take your pick from two anagrams (mad) one of MADE US, the other of AMUSED

12a         Scientific analysis of the causes of consumption (6,8)
A cryptic definition of the analysis of consumers’ opinions about a product or service

20a         Exploit a Conservative’s expression of praise about call for peace (14)
A and C(onservative) followed by an expression of praise around an exhortation for peace or quiet

23a         Attacked as directed at sea, a ship wasn’t in good shape (8)
Once again we have two clues in one – the AS from the clue followed by a verb meaning directed a yacht at sea or the A from the clue followed by Crosswordland’s usual steamship and a verb meaning wasn’t in good shape

28a         Head in the direction of antelope (8)
This head or promontory is derived from a charade of a preposition meaning “in the direction of” and an antelope

Down

1d           Part-time doctor in philosophy department (4)
The evil alter ego of a fictional doctor is hidden inside the clue

2d           Small vehicle stopped working (6)
S(mall) followed by a commercial vehicle gives a verb meaning stopped working or withdrew one’s labour

6d           Adjusted change around available capital (10)
An anagram (adjusted) of CHANGE around an adjective meaning available

13d         Informing about a judgmental activity (10)
A verb meaning informing around the A from the clue

22d         Like a brave chap protecting one, for the most part (6)
An adjective meaning like a brave chap around (protecting) I (one)

26d         Something with digital parts that a digital watch doesn’t have (4)
Something that an analogue watch has and a digital watch doesn’t

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 Thea Gilmore (33) and Imran Khan (60)
ARVE Error: need id and provider

28 comments on “ST 2667 (Hints)

  1. Morning Dave, I thought this was a nice uncomplicated crossword which at first I thought was going to be difficult, there were a few with double definitions maybe even one with a triple 23a? in 24a the answer is twice in the clue as “one section or another” clever, last one in for me was 14d, can’t believe that I didn’t spot it, several clues I like but no real favourite, a two to three star for me today :-)

  2. Very enjoyable ,too many favourites to list ,last one in 3d and one or two other delays not helped by an unspotted typo .(again!) 3*\4* for me
    Finally stopped raining here after about 16 hours .
    Thanks

  3. Nice to be back on the road after yesterday’s car crash ! Thank you Virgilius and BD. Having put the answers in for 20a and 16d had to do a bit of thinking to understand the wordplay – particularly 16d. Very enjoyable !

  4. The usual great start to a Sunday morning thank you Virgilius. I particularly liked the ‘double’ clues. Thanks to BD too.

  5. I initially made the mistake of putting ‘eating disorder’ in for 12A – which certainly slowed my progress through this puzzle. I would never have got 3D without the connecting letters and even then, struggled to find an acceptable answer. I think this must be the most cryptic, or possibly the most brilliant clue I’ve ever come across (assuming I’ve got it right!)

    1. Hi Mike the definition here is ‘information’ the answer comes from taking two partners in a game of bridge and putting them outside the opposing two

      1. Yes – that’s what I worked out, but from compass points and not the game of bridge – which I know virtually nothing about; although I figured that there was an indicator to the game, in the clue.

  6. Thanks to BD and the crew for the help. We have ice on the pond here in the Commonwealth but should thaw in the bright sun. Oh how we wish these winters were just like today (and not 20 below and 8 feet of snow for 3 months).

  7. I thought this was going to be difficult but it was all possible in the end.
    Lots of clues with different parts to them – that’s not expressed very well but I can’t think of any other way of putting it – examples being 10a, 23a and 24d.
    The ones that held me up were 20 and 25a and 5, 6 and 24d. Last one in was 28a which looked such an unlikely word that I was beginning to think I’d got something wrong.
    I liked 7, 10 and 25a and 1d (but NOT the picture – enough to give anyone nightmares!) 8, and 24d.
    With thanks to Virgilius and BD.

  8. Thanks to Virgilius & to Big Dave for the hints. Enjoyed it, but was too tough for me, needed 4 hints, and still can’t get 13d or 25a, any further help would be much appreciated. Lovely morning in Central London after a wild and windy night.

    1. 25a Get off or suddenly go out like this (6)
      If split as (1,6) it’s what you suddenly go out like (in bed).

    2. Hi Heno,
      13d is a word meaning informing with an ‘a’ (from the clue) in the middle of it. the definition is the kind of judgemental activity that someone might get at work.
      25a The definition is get off – one word. The other bit is split 1,5, and describes how someone might go to sleep (or die, I suppose,) very quickly.

      1. ,Thanks Kath & Gazza, and got, 25a now, nice hint. Still stuck on 13d. I can only think of one word that fits the checkers, but it doesn’t fit the definition.

        1. 13d describes the activity of a manager making a regular judgment about the performance of each member of his/her staff.

        2. Heno, The definition is “… judgmental activity”? BD and Kath have given much help above.

          Maybe, your checkers are wrong. Surely not!

  9. Thanks to Gazza, Kath & Franco. Sorry didn’t see Kath’s comment above. I was being a bit dim, I’ve got it at last. My difficulty was that I thought the answer meant the informing word, so the a confused me. I’ve learnt something there, many thanks.:-)

  10. PS I’ve just realised that the clue for 17a in yesterday’s NTSPP describes this blog perfectly – hopefully not many of us need the answer to it too often. :smile:

  11. Ooh..found this one a bit tricky. Enjoyable, certainly, but a few holes helped with the hints, thanks. Had advocating for 13d which didn’t help matters!

  12. Solved this late this evening after departure of my daughter and family who came for dinner – we had fondue bourgignonne made as I learnt it at a restaurant in Geneva years ago – said restaurant closed down several years afterwards.

    A pleasant puzzle.

    Faves :12a, 20a, 28a, 1d (first in), 6d & 16d.
    Thought 6d rather wonderful!!

  13. Virgillius really is just the master, isn’t he?
    Hugely enjoyable stuff with 2 clues that made me laugh (12a & 1d), and I also really enjoyed the ‘double’ clues – very clever, especially the double charade, and all the more so as none had a ‘laboured’ surface reading.
    How does he do it? :)

  14. A bit of a Jekyll and hyde puzzle for me, just finished it and I also found it enjoyable. Could not parse 11a, think I got the answer though. Anyone care to enlighten me?

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