Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27199 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Crossword Club
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There’s still time to enter our June Prize puzzle.
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 and the FAQ 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.
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Across
1a Upper-class power that’s surprising! (6)
P(ower) followed by an informal word expressing surprise
4a Gummy bears finally located by second year (6)
The final letter of bearS followed by a four-letter word for a second or short period of time and Y(ear)
10a Complain about Menace initially in Beano comic (6)
The initial letter of Menace inside an anagram (comic) of Beano – Dennis the Menace was a character in the Beano comic
12a Fur keeps friend out of cold (10)
The Cockney rhyming slang for a friend or mate around a word meaning cold
16a Reserves extra food with group consuming tons (6,6)
An extra helping of food followed by a group around (consuming) T(ons)
20a Mole takes holiday by lake perhaps (10)
This mole is a large solid structure on a seashore – a short holiday is followed by, for example, a lake, especially one in the Lake District
21a Meat upsets carnivore’s insides (4)
Start with a carnivore and reverse the middle two letters (upsets … insides)
25a Run through the limit after one mile (6)
A verb meaning to run through with a sharp stake, in a way favoured by Vlad, is derived from a limit beyond which it is not acceptable to pass preceded by I (one) and M(ile)
Down
1d Ropes in wandering king one’s captured (8)
An anagram (wandering) of ROPES IN followed by the Latin abbreviation for king
5d Commodity American explorer brought back to company (7)
Reverse(brought back) the name of an Italian explorer who was the first European to land on the mainland of North America and then add CO(mpany)
6d Soviet official finds person of merit with girl in vehicle (9)
Put a two-letter abbreviation for a person given an award for merit and an unmarried girl inside a vehicle
7d You formerly could get a railway annual (6)
An old-fashioned word for you followed by the three-letter abbreviation of RaiLwaY
9d One who famously thrived on turning wicket scoring century (11)
A person who famously turned and turned again on his way to London comes from W(icket) followed by two words (7,3) that mean scoring a century in cricket
14d One keeps dry — beats rain storms (9)
This person keeps dry by not consuming alcohol – he’s an anagram (beats rain storms) of BEATS RAIN
15d Go round space with enchanting woman, about fifty (8)
A space used in printing, named after the letter which occupies the same amount of space, followed by an enchanting woman from Greek mythology around the Roman numeral for fifty
17d Neat supervisor cooked chowder (7)
… this person supervises neat or cattle
21d American inhabitant putting up a shopping complex (5)
A South American animal is derived by reversing (putting up in a down clue) the A from the clue and a shopping complex
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: (gnasher} + {null} + {truss} = {National Trust}
Lovely morning sitting in the sun with the puzzle and coffee ! Thank you setter – some double meanings that I had forgotten. Thanks BD for your hints – have a lovely day everyone !
19d was a new word for me, but that’s because I didn’t go to Cambridge, I suppose!
Ah Paul Smith – this is one I’m stuck on and BD hasn’t hinted it. Can you help? (Without being illegal, of course!)
It is a ‘Cambridge course’ Insert the first letter of Oxford (first in Oxford) into a word meaning blunders, stumbles – the dictionary will then explain what its all about.
Slightly harder than normal this week I thought, but very enjoyable and with a few smiles to boot, 9d, 14d, 23a and 10a for example.
I enjoyed this and thought it was a good crossword with some clever and devious clues.
If there was a trap to fall into I fell into it today!
16a and 9d took ages – and then I spent even longer trying to work out why they were both right – or even IF they were.
I always forget about the 20a kind of mole – all I can think of are the kind that dig up our garden or spies.
I missed the 23a hidden answer for far too long – again.
I liked 13, 21 and 22a and 3, 14, 15 and 19d.
With thanks to Mr Ron and BD.
Chilly wind but sunny – off to the garden.
Me, too, about mole. I had quite forgotten that meaning.
If you lived here the ONLY meaning that you would ever think of are the little beasts that wreck the garden!
**/*** rating for me today. NW corner held me up a bit, with 1a last one in.
I’m puzzled by the wordplay for 19d. Where does the “first” come in? It looks to me as if the answer is “blunders” around “o” and not around “i” [for first].
Many thanks to the setter and to BD.
D’oh – got it! First in Oxford!
Please be careful not to provide too much information when asking questions like this.
19d Blunders may secure first in Oxford and Cambridge course (6)
Some blunders around the initial letter (first) of Oxford.
By the way, the use of an ordinal number (first) to indicate a cardinal number like 1 is contentious. Some say that it is justified by GRI for George the First, but it only has this meaning in this context. By the same token you could justify Air for A as in Royal Air Force.
I don’t think you have given much away, it was just a gentle nudge for the future.
Nudge taken!
I thought Daves hint gave more away than rabbits. I work in Cambridge and know about this course but only got the answer after daves supplimentry hint
It wasn’t so much what Rabbit Dave wrote, but what might have been written in the future. Some lines of discussion can lead inadvertently to giving away too much information. On some sites you are not even allowed to recommend a current Prize puzzle let alone discuss it in detail.
I never look at another crossword site – why would I when this one is so brilliant? From what I have heard you’re not allowed to say anything much on the other sites. Thanks again.
Lions 16 Australian Reds 7
It’s raining here
I found this trickier than normal too. If this is the same Mysteron who set DT 27103 back on 16 February, he appears to have recycled half of the clue he had then for the same solution in 5d today.
Thanks to him for the puzzle and BD for the hints. Just in case I get caught up in the major clean of the bathroom instituted by Mr CS when the NTSPP appears shortly , I will take this chance to recommend it now.
Thank you for the hints, Dave, because I have to admit that I’ve really struggled with this puzzle. I fell into the trap of thinking that the beginning of 9d related to Laker or Underwood and wasted an awful lot of time by doing so…
As you now know, it’s all in at which point the definition is to be lifted and separated from the wordplay! The eye is drawn to “turning wicket” but that is an illusion.
9d – excellent clue – I spent quite a lot of time thumbing through an old edition of Wisden! But I was looking for a batsman not a bowler!
Admit it, you were ‘stumped’! Five star puzzle today, and thanks for this helper as I would never have got it!
First one I’ve looked at this week and I’m glad to say it all went together nicely, though I needed to consult my friend Mr Chambers on a few. What a nice combination of wit and misdirection. I particularly liked 22a and had a giggle with 1a and 13a. Thanks to Mr Ron and BD for erudite explanations…. just one definition I’m not clear about: I know 17d is right but I can’t quite see why.
Neat is an old word for cattle, so the definition is “neat supervisor”
Ah yes… as in neat’s-foot oil. I’m obliged.
**/3.5* for me. Thought 9d was an excellent clue. Hope that next week’s offerings will not be too taxing – otherwise CS will be out of Tippex. (Ever thought of using a pencil? – you can even get them with erasers attached!)
That was the main difference between my father and me: he always used a pencil and rarely, if ever, had to rub one out. Me, I’m a black gel pen and Tipp-Ex man and some of my puzzles look a right mess afterwards! Glad to say I didn’t use any today
I enjoyed this quite a bit, particularly 1A, 12A, 13A and 9D. Best of all, I learned two new definitions in the answer to 20A and the clue for 17D, and a new word in 19D (last in but not too difficult to work out). Thanks to the setter and to BD for the review.
Finally seen the end of two days of rain but the garden’s too soaked to work in, so it looks like the NTSPP will be on the agenda.
I am glad you’re fine. I think you got the worst of it.
And I’m glad that you and Merusa are both OK.
13a: I recall an amusing anagram from a while back: “*************” (6,1,5)
Sorry, but this is an alternative clue. By all means post it on Fridays full review of this puzzle.
Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A super puzzle that made me think from start to finish. Started with 1d, finished with 15d. Favourites were 12,13,22a. Was 3*/4* for me. Heading to Portsmouth for a day out. Weather fine.
This was a nice romp for a Saturday. I only needed hint for the “why” of the first two letters of 15d. Thanks to all
Another delight! A little harder than the average Saturday, I thought, but none the worse for that.
For me the stand-out clue has to be 15D, where the misdirection had me convinced that I must use a generic term for an enchanting woman. How pleased was I to recall that lady for whom all men are swine
I really enjoyed last Saturday’s puzzle and this one more so .
Thanks for explaining 15d ,the answer was fairly obvious but if I was ever familiar with enchantress the memory of the experience eluded me .
Off to do nothing in the garden .
Thanks to Mr Ron and BD
A very enjoyable Saturday puzzle which was a pleasure to complete.
Faves : 13a, 20a, 9d & 15d.
For once I didn’t need help with this, so feeling quite cheery about that. And liked too many to list, with either 20a or 17d as favourite. Enjoyed reading the hints too, so thanks to BD and the setter for a pleasant occupation.
SO glad that you’re sticking to the rules and only having ONE favourite!
How do you do italics in a comment? You’re clearly far cleverer than I am at this game.
OK – thank you – will have a look.
Now I will have to learn, and practice what I’ve learnt, so please expect some comments with LOTS of italics in inappropriate places.
inappropriate places ???
Clever clogs!
Very enjoyable puzzle. Many thanks to Mr. Ron and to BD
Very enjoyable, very cryptic! Thanks to setter and BD for hints several of which I needed as I did not know the definition of that particular mole nor the first two letters of 15d. I though 1a was amusing and liked 12a and 13a. Late doing this today as open garden day in the local village. A lovely wander in the sunshine through some beautiful gardens.
Last one in 19d, which I had to think about for a bit. Apart from that no other problems. 2*/3* for me.
Thanks to setter; a few nice surfaces, and thanks to BD.
Took a long while but finally completed apart from two – 8a and 19d. Still can’t get 19d even with the extra hints above! And the only word I canfindfor 8a doesn’t make sense to me – oh, hang on, having just written it down- YET AGAIN! – I have seen a different meaning so perhaps it is right? Is that what drives the plane? (not the pilot?) I thought 1a was a perfectly dreadful clue!
I can’t think how to hint at 19d any other way than I just did, and there isn’t any cake in the tin so I’m not even going to attempt it.
Look up your solution to 8a in the dictionary and all should become clear.
Mary appears to be absent without completion of the appropriate paperwork again. I can only assume she is somewhere where the sky isn’t grey and a cold wind isn’t blowing
Yes – I wondered about Mary’s paperwork again too. Very cold wind and a bit grey with intermittent sun here. It was the kind of day when the minute the sun came out it was hot so off came sweater – two minutes later sun went in and sweater went back on again – you end up spending more time taking clothes off and putting them back on again than doing anything useful!
Finally finished but could not have completed 19d without CS reply much further up the page…even Dad struggles with this so I shall do the honours and explain to him.
Grateful thanks as ever to BD for the hints without which I would have got nowhere today.
It made a change for me to explain to Dad 9d
I found this quite tricky and harder than a usual Saturday clallenge.
Dear Big Dave,
I recently reached seventy and having been looking at the Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword for years with little progress. My first break through was recognising anagrams but since then I never seemed to improve despite buying all the “How to solve Cryptic Crossword Books”. It is only since I have discovered your blog have I made true progress and what a pleasure and satisfaction it has given me. Thank you. From your Link tab I found Ben’s Den which is most help full for solving long phrases and my Chambers Crossword Dictionary 3rd edition I find indispensable. I also use Chambers on my iPhone.
I enjoy the fun of prizing out the answer and laughing out loud at the ingenuity of some clues when the answer leaps out. Thank you again for your excellent blog and the pleasure it brings.
Regards,
Andrew.
Welcome to the blog Andrew
Comments like yours make it all worthwhile.
Dear Andrew
Well said, I started back after 25 years (work), and this site eased me back into solving. Hope you get as much pleasure from the puzzles as I do.
Very late in to bat following a week of visitors, and the subsequent clean-up. I found the puzzle a little harder this week, and if it were not for BD, I would still be at the crease (9D has influenced me more than I thought, obviously!). Some new words for me this time. Did not like 1A at all. 14D was a d’oh moment. Off to hit the lounger before the threatened rain.
a little tricky but i liked it!its opened my thinking capacity today….
Welcome to the blog Ian.