Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2672 (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.
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 Unfair actions about rental amended — that produces warm feeling all round (7,7)
Some unfair actions or dishonesty around an anagram (amended) of RENTAL
10a Excelled, being blooming accomplished (7)
A three-letter word meaning blooming or in flower followed by a verb meaning accomplished
11a Where one can drive famous US model, we hear (3)
The place from where one can drive a golf ball sounds like a famous US model of car
15a Titleholder provided with sword — that’s side-splitting (4,4)
The holder of a title that gives someone the right to sit in the House of Lords is derived by putting a preposition meaning provided and a sword used in fencing between (spitting) the abbreviations for the two sides
17a European runs on mountains carrying fifty letters (8)
E(uropean) followed by skiing runs on mountains around (carrying) the Roman numeral for fifty
26a Sleigh driver recently moving North — endless ice is diabolical (7)
Start with someone who drove a sleigh on Christmas Day, move the N(orth) and add IC(E) without its final letter (endless)
27a Misused clerical time on one form of communication (10,4)
An anagram (misused) of CLERICAL TIME ON
Down
1d Noble monarch supported by me over a certain retaliatory action (14)
A charade of a nobleman, the Queen’s regnal cypher, ME and A from the clue and a word meaning certain
3d Left-wing Italian author, judged, changed paper, perhaps (11)
A three-letter word for Left-wing followed by an Italian author and a verb meaning judged gives a verb that could (perhaps) mean changed the wallpaper
4d Letting out the clutch? (6)
… of eggs
7d Recently delivered gas consumed (7)
An inert gaseous element followed by a verb meaning consumed food
8d Strangely remote old soldier seen in pub — it’s to do with the weather (14)
An anagram (strangely) of REMOTE followed by O(ld) and finally a US soldier inside a pub near you
13d Article on apt cure I adapted for healing (11)
The definite article followed by an anagram (adapted) of APT CURE I
16d Sailor from a distant place taken in by prophet (8)
an adverb meaning from a distant place inside (taken in by) a prophet
25d What makes one twitch oddly? (3)
The odd letters of a word in the clue give an action defined by the whole clue
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 Ellie Goulding (26) and Jeff Lynne (65) | ||||
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
ARVE Error: need id and provider |
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Thank you Virgilius, an enjoyable end to the year in which I have learnt to enjoy and solve your puzzles. Liked 15a – put the answer in and it took me a while to get the wordplay. Thank you BD for the hints – managed to survive without today.
Usual Sunday pleasure, favs 3d ,6d and 17a which was the last in and an amusing clue .
3* / 4* for me .
Thanks once again .
I thought this was a brilliant crossword.
I ended up with just 15a which I really couldn’t do so needed the hint to sort that one out – thanks BD.
There were, for me anyway, some quite complicated clues which took me a while to untangle after I’d got the answer – 1, 3 and 8d all come into that category.
Needless to say 2d took me ages – when will I learn to spot these, particularly on Sundays when they really are hidden!
I liked all the long ones round the outside and 10, 14, 19, 23 and 26a and 4 and 7d.
With thanks to Virgilius and BD.
Couldn’t work out the floral connection in 10a, even with he checking letters. Made the wrong guess as I was going for a a personal best…….WRONG!!!
Thanks to Virgilius for a super crossword full of good clues, too numerous to list individually and to BD for the hints, fortunately not needed today and a special big, big thankyou to all who contribute to this site, bloggers and solvers — there wouldn’t be anything to read without you! But I do mean “thank you” for all the time BD and the others put in to help us understand and enjoy solving cryptic crosswords. A very happy New Year to everybody
Rather desultory.
But, there again, the weather’s rather desultory.
Perhaps the New Year will be rather desultory.
Thanks setter and BD.
As always a very enjoyable Sunday crossword from Virgilius – Favourite: 2d.
But all over far too quickly today! I had always thought that the week-end prize puzzles should be the most difficult of the week.
(Thanks to BD for the clip – George Harrison has always been much underrated IMHO)
Although I consult this site on an almost daily basis, this is the first time I have made a comment (mainly because I rarely do the crossword on the right day). I thoroughly enjoyed this one, though I needed some electronic help with a couple of the long anagrams. I had the right answers for 15a and 4d but needed your hints to realise why!
Thank you to BD and the team for the invaluable help :)
Welcome to the blog Amanda
Don’t let this be your last comment!
Yes I find myself in the same situations on. As an insomniac I am usually doing the crossword around 4 am. Really appreciate the site. Liked today’s puzzle ESP 4d and 7d
Oh dear! Having started Friday’s DT crossword by putting in three plausible but wrong answers, I started today with Pan for 23a, which I came across as slang for Face for the first time in this blog a few days ago! Fortunately I soon saw the error of my ways when I solved 8d.
Apart from the hiccup (or should it be hiccough?) with 23a, everything else fell into place without needing any hints except for 10a for which I am very embarrassed to say I still can’t see the answer even looking at BD’s hint and knowing five of the seven letters! Any help please for the second syllable?!
Thanks very much to BD and to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle for a Sunday morning.
The last four letters are another word for accomplished.
You aren’t the only one to stare at 10a – took me longer to see the ‘why’ than it did to solve the whole puzzle. The first three letters describe a flower when it is blooming and the final four mean accomplished or finished.
(I definitely clicked on reply so I don’t know why this has arrived as a separate comment!)
Sorry CS – didn’t see that you’d already said that – or that BD had said so too.
CS – Where have all the flowers gone? They’re back on your comment … but not in the right-hand panel? Strange!
Not so strange if you know what is going on! I temporarily “uprated” the site from G to PG, and hey presto! the flowers appear. There seems to be a problem with gravatar.com in that when a new email address is added the G and R rated avatars do not get picked up. I’ve tried deleting and re-adding an avatar, but all to no avail.
I thought that this was an excellent Sunday puzzle as it is accessible to a wider range of solvers than many. The four long answers around the sides are not particularly difficult and give the first or last letters of every answer in the puzzle. The less confident solver then has an encouraging start on the more challenging clues inside. The clues themselves are good examples of a wide range of cryptic basics, and the vocabulary doesn’t require the help of a large dictionary. The whole is neither laughably easy or so difficult that it is beyond all but the most experienced solvers.
I imagine that many potential cryptic crossword solvers start with an attempt on a weekend puzzle when there may be more time, and I hope that this relatively undemanding (but nevertheless very rewarding when finished) puzzle may have encouraged some new solvers to join our hobby.
Otherwise where do beginners start? As well as the Toughie is there not a place for a more basic cryptic puzzle? After all the Sudoku puzzles are offered on three difficulty levels.
I have a degree in Double-Dutch, and am well versed in gobble-de-gook.
I will begin translating your comment soon.
Thanks to Virgilius & to Big Dave for the hints. Found this very enjoyable, managed to get the long clues round the outside, which helped. Was 1*/3* for me. Nice day in Central London, batten down the hatches for tomorrow.
Let me wish you a Happy New Year, from surprisingly cold Kolkata (Calcutta as was). Thanks once more to BD, CrypticSue and all the team of commentators for their hard work.
Happy New Year from me and all at the blog.
Happy New Year from me too!.
Like many others here I needed the ‘sides’ explaining for 15 a even though I had the answer. Wasn’t going to bother today but glad I did, very enjoyable. Regds to all.
same here Nigel wasn’t going to bother either but equallyglad I did :-)
Really enjoyed today’s, bit of a challenge but some nice clues.
Hi Dave really enjoyed todays lots of clues I liked, a two to three star once again for me, I have perservated with this on and off all day and finally got there without the hints, my other half decided we weren’t going on our New Years break (we go every year) as one of the dogs had an eye removed a few weeks ago but she is absolutely fine better than before!) so I am on a major pout and strike as far as cooking is concerned this weekend :-D
I still have one more portion of turkey to go, its going to be hard thinking of what to cook for ‘normal’ meals after tomorrow. The vegetarians in the house are still wading their way through the East Kent cheese mountain, so if you want to pop down for something cheese-related you will be very welcome.
Don’t tempt me! I still have enough turkey for either turkey curry or turkey with home made chips and pickled onions ( If I was of a mind to cook that is :-( )
Made turkey cawl yesterday :-) yummy, loads of leeks in it
I made the best turkey pie ever on Friday and have put lots of one portion size pies n the freezer ready for the family to feed me when I am recovering from my eye operation next month. Well that’s the plan anyway…
If you are surrounded by veggies does that mean that you’ve eaten a whole turkey all on your own?
I love turkey and wasn’t going to miss out so got a very small Taste the Difference Bronze Turkey from Sainsburys. The cat has helped me out and no 1 son is now back from N Ireland so I have very kindly let him have some turkey.
No 2 son returned from his globe trotting as a vegetarian. He’s off to South America in March – perhaps he will revert to being an omnivore when he gets back from those travels.
I’m not sure about being on strike about cooking this weekend – I think I might be on strike for the foreseeable future!
Loved this puzzle but not at all sure I got 14a right! I wrote something in but can’t figure out why. Enjoyed 17a particularly.
Hi Merusa, 14a is a double definition, it can mean yield as in profit or to hit back
Aa ah! I had it wrong, but that makes much more sense. Ta for the help
Despite feeling very tired today after waving half the family off at 9am on their way to Ripon after a late night when I got round to the crossword I was amazed to find that I could do each clue in order and finished in less than ** mins which only happens about once in three months!
Some clever word play and very enjoyable
Thanks to the setters and the hint providers who are frequently needed for the other days in the quarter!
If you have the Sunday paper rather than doing the on line version have a look at what Wogan has to say on post-Christmas!
He must have been round to our area recently. As usual, very funny, thanks for the suggestion.
Just found Monday and Wednesday puzzles that there was neither the time nor opportunity to do – they’ll keep me quiet for a while! :smile:
A lovely puzzle from Virgilius. Thanks to him and to BD.
That Prince can play guitar can’t he!
The usual excellence from Virgilius. Thanks to him, and best wishes for 2013, and thanks to BD for the hints.
My last in was 17a. 2*/4* for me.
15a was the last in, even though I’d entered the four letter sword. My brain had just disengaged completely! It’s still intermittently off-line. I blame the left-over brandy sauce.
After 25 years of absence from the cryptics, BD’s site got me back on track. Tend to solve them and then lurk later in the day. Many thanks to the setters and all the contributors, it has been great fun. Still got to come to terms with Elgar’s puzzles, sleepless nights and an angry wife. By the way, I love RayT’s crosswords, all they need is bit of work . Blessed 2013 to all.
BD’s site is wonderful, isn’t it? The other thing that is wonderful is that yet another Ray T fan is on board! :smile:
Elgar’s puzzles bring me out in a cold sweat! :sad: Maybe one day I will get to grips with them, although I really have my doubts.
Another cracker of a puzzle from Virgilius – many thanks!
Apart from the four 14-letter edge and the four 3-letter clues, I liked : 15a, 17a, 19a, 4d, 7d & 18d.
Did Monday’s puzzle from Rufus and Friday’s from Giovanni but was unable to blog!! This was because I was exceptionally busy ordering a mixed dozen from the top wine merchant in Boston MA for my son’s birthday (tomorrow). The order had to be done by fax and telephone as the email order programme wouldn’t work! He got it OK – I called him on my android.
Had a very good Christmas chez my daughter’s and will head back chez eux tomorrow with my collection of rockets and jumbo sparklers for the jaarwisseling celebration. Plus a load of champagne – we always have a big gathering there.
No lump of coal nor malt whisky this time – my GP ordered me to keep off the hard stuff.
I still have a few bottles of malt left in case of severe colds – mostly Islay.
A very guid New Year to ane and a’.
happy new year Derek and happy birthday to your son. Glad you said Islay, new years eve tipple in Glasgow awaits
Uneventful drive back from Devon to E.Midlands, so late in with this. Fairly straightforward, and an ejoyable end to the 2012 Sunday puzzles. Thanks one and all.
May i take this opportunity thank BD, Gazza, CS, Deep Threat, Libellule, Proloxic, Scchha, Pommers and Tilsit (apologies if i have missed somebody) for all the reviews in the past year. With all your help, i have moved on from the position of a novice cryptic solver. It is my hope that this trend will continue.
I wish you all a happy New Year.
Fabulous crossword with some brilliant clues. Favourites are 15,17,1,3,4 and 7. A gem.