DT 27259 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 27259 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27259 (Hints)

Big Dave’s Crossword Club

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Today is your last chance to have a go at our August Monthly 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.

Across

1a           Miss flying west in Romania, crashing (8)
This young lady who flies an aeroplane is derived by putting W(est) inside an anagram (crashing) of ROMANIA

9a           One giving financial support to London arts centre gets decoration (8)
Someone who gives financial support to a theatrical production followed by the three-letter abbreviation for a London arts centre gives a decoration for cakes

11a         Boiler getting detached makes a mess (6,2,4)
A kitchen appliance used for boiling water followed by an adjective meaning detached or aloof

13a         Royal person included in newspapers (8)
.. the abbreviation of included is INC

17a         The Queen entering American university gets high mark (5)
The regnal cipher of our Queen inside an American university – this university was recently clues as “Cambridge college” in a recent Toughie

18a         Record and intercept communication (electronic) (4)
This verb meaning to record is still used even though the original medium has largely been superseded – a verb meaning to, often illegally, intercept a communication followed by E(lectronic)

21a         Wizard journalist made erratic progress (8)
JK Rowling’s boy wizard is followed by the usual journalist

27a         A warrior going round is flipping rough (8)
The A from the clue and a Native American warrior around the reversal (flipping) of IS

28a         Take up a case set down by one departure point (8)
A three-letter word meaning set down from a vehicle followed by I (one) and a departure point at, for example, an airport

Down

2d           Complete transformation of triangle (8)
An anagram (transformation) of TRIANGLE that regular solvers will have seen a few times before

3d           Apply oneself at school acquiring good C or D (7-5)
A phrase meaning to apply oneself at school (4,2,5) around (acquiring) G(ood) gives an adjective meaning belonging to socio-economic classes C or D

Marianne Faithfull at her very best!

ARVE Error: need id and provider

6d           I allow small number inside without knowledge (8)
I followed by a five-letter verb meaning to allow or permit around the two-letter abbreviation of number

7d           One peccadillo’s overturned condition of divorce (4)
I followed by a peccadillo or transgression all reversed (overturned)

8d           In variety show, rare song often performed (8)
An anagram (variety) of SHOW RARE

14d         Upstart harbours display of petulance (5)
Reverse (up-start) some harbours

16d         Horse-drawn coach makes bishop rather unwell by morning (8)
B(ishop) followed by an adjective meaning rather unwell, presumably the morning after a good night out, followed by the two-letter abbreviation of morning

17d         Chap handin’ out instrument (8)
A chap followed by a verb meaning handing out without, as per handin’ in the clue, its final G

22d         Make false turn at bunker (6)
An anagram (make false) of TURN AT gives someone who bunks from school

25d         Lecherously eye up for a dance (4)
Reverse (up in a down clue) a verb meaning to eye lecherously

Looks like I’ve been more generous than usual today!

The Crossword Club is now open.  Feel free to leave comments.

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!

The Quick crossword pun: (fall} + {tit} + {ours} = {Fawlty Towers}

66 comments on “DT 27259 (Hints)”

  1. Thank you setter – a little bit easier than the mid week offerings I thought, but good fun nonetheless. The American university sent me rushing to the BRB and I couldn’t believe my luck ! Thanks BD for the hints as always.

      1. Many apologies again Caravaggio ! Whilst you were distracted chatting to that pretty girl I was hiding behind the newspaper stand and seized my chance and barged my way to the front again ! BD the usual brown envelope appropriately filled is on its way !

  2. It remains to be seen whether I’m actually the first person to make a comment this week! I thought that this was a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle but I was grateful for the explanation for 10a, Dave, because I couldn’t see why exactly I’d got that answer. Does 22d give a clue to the age of the setter?

  4. Anyone else spend nearly as long on one clue (and I am not saying which one) than they did solving the rest of the crossword?

    3. Not necessarily for this puzzle, although 6d did take some time, but very often I have to “stare one or two down” to solve them. And, please, tell us which one – as it may not be the same one for everyone.

  5. Hi Dave, what a load of hints today, I remember when I started on this site we maybe had maximum of 6 hints on a weekend puzzle and I relied totally on the help of yourself and others to get through one, I found the bottom half quite tough today but didn’t need to resort to the hints, perservation and help from my electronic friends needed in abundance though, three favourites today, 13a,23a and favourite of all 20a, thanks for hints Dave, good luck all and keeeeep perservating ;-)

    1. My only ‘gripe’ is that ‘upstart’ doesn’t indicate turning a word around?? It really doesn’t and I’ve looked in both my ‘Chambers’ the BRB and the Crossword dictionary

      2. Compiler’s licence maybe, and, perhaps, we now have a new word for word reversal to add to the list. At first, I wasn’t sure if upstart was indicating word reversal, but with the checking letters it just had to be.

  6. I quite enjoyed this and there were a few clues to cause trouble. I thought that ‘bunker’ was a great definition. Thanks to the setter and to BD.

      1. hiya! – Been V busy but now have a couple of weeks off (apart from the fact I have to work the Sun/ BH Monday!

  7. I enjoyed this puzzle. 16d needed the dictionary (before the clues appeared above). I spent more time tthan usual thinking through 27a. I concur with Mary that Dave has been busy with lots of help today.Thanks have a good day all.

  8. This was very enjoyable and one of my fastest solves ever, completed well before lights out last night with electronic and BRB assistance, and no grammatical contentions. For example, I got the anagram in 8d but I needed Google assistance to confirm it, not sure I had ever heard the use of the answer in that context before. Favourites 6d and 11a.

  9. Nice relaxing weekend exercise. **/***. Liked 11a. Last in were 14d and 21a (“wizard” fooled me!)
    Thanks everyone. Doubtless back to more serious stuff next week!

  10. That’s the first crossword for about a week that I haven’t had serious trouble with – huge relief – thought I was losing marbles at a rate of knots!
    I enjoyed this and not just because I could do it.
    The only two that held me up were 20 and 27a. The wizard one took a while too – don’t know why – maybe wizards should be yet another thing to add to my increasingly long list of ‘things that Kath knows nothing about’!
    I agree with others who have said that ‘upstart’ seemed a slightly unusual way of telling us to turn something upside down.
    I liked 10 and 23a and 16 and 17d. One of those is my favourite but I haven’t quite made up mind which one!
    With thanks to Mr Ron and BD.
    Going to do some weeding until it rains, which is looking pretty likely, and then do (or try to do) the NTSPP.

    1. 27a still holding me up too! I read your comment as you were going to a wedding until it rains! I thought that was a it uncommitted of you and felt sorry for the bride and groom, until I read your comment properly!

      1. :grin: Should have gone to specsavers!
        27a – The definition is rough. The first three and last two letters are ‘a’ from the clue and a warrior, probably of an indian kind, going round ‘si’ (is flipping). Hope that helps.

  11. At first, this looked much harder than it actually was. Solved it without hints, but could not see how bunker described the solution until BD clarified. **/**** for me.
    Thanks to BD & compiler.

      1. A good start for Liverpool :-)
        Big game later Swans v Man U , other half supports Man U, come on The Swans

        1. Hi Mary – have Swansea still got that fat ball-boy who lies on the ball to stop the opposition playing ? Son of a director I think ! They might need him today !

    2. You MUST be joking! :smile:
      Been doing good works in the garden – off to France on Wednesday (request permission for week off!) so lots to do outside. Feels a bit like autumn clearing which is terribly early.

  13. Very enjoyable but can someone within the constraints of the competition explain the answer to 8d. The only anagram I can get gives a ****, a **** and a **** set in *** but what has it to do with a song often performed? It’s a mystery!

    1. You’ll have to get a dictionary, Brian! The BRB gives the following for the answer ‘any standard, familiar, reliable, much-performed piece of music, play, etc.’.

    2. 8d – Chambers says – “any standard, familiar, reliable, much-performed piece of music, play etc”.

      I’ve never heard of it either!

      1. Thx, should have looked it up myself but couldn’t really believe it. Thought I must have made a mistake. I think it must be the hobby of some setters to find cruel and unusual meanings and words just to torture us poor readers :-)

        1. They are probably trying to encourage you to embrace the fascinating world of dictionary-reading.

    3. Sorry, Gazza … I was a bit too late!

      Nearly said “Great Minds think alike” … but I am still struggling with your NTSPP! Your mind is definitely greater than mine! :grin:

      1. I’m sure that gazza posted a comment in similar vein to mine in response to Brian!

        It has now disappeared!

        Or am I going mad?

      2. That happened to me once some time ago. I didn’t ask if I was going mad – I just assumed that I was! :sad:

  14. As others have said, it’s been a hard week for solving crosswords for some of us, but this one restores sanity by being easier to solve and relatively interesting although 8d down was a puzzle until StanXYZ provided the solution. Thanks to BD for the hints which were only marginally used and to Mr. Ron (I assume) for a good crossword

  15. I found this one very easy, and a bit of a relief after not finishing a couple earlier in the week.

    One comment not made yet is the amazing similarity between one of today’s clues and one of yesterday’s. Won’t say more for fear of wrath of BD :) but I’m sure you all noticed.

    I’m not a football fan, but am in California at the moment, so found it slightly odd to go down to breakfast in the hotel and see Arsenal vs Aston Villa on the TV…

    1. I don’t think that you need to fear BD’s wrath – I’m sure that even his might doesn’t stretch as far as California! :smile: There again, you never know!

  16. My confidence has been restored! Good puzzle, and I really had no trouble. Had no idea why the reference to “bunker” in 22d, nor the song often performed, but I was so sure they were right. I loved 11a and 16d, oh! and also 17d. Initially I wanted to put bottle in 4d and wasted far too much time trying to find BOT in connection to police, but getting 1a straightened me out. Thanks to setter and BD, dead on wavelength today, thank goodness, was really beginning to doubt my abilities.

  17. Needed a few hints today .. out of touch! Have been reading ‘the I’ for a couple of years, but got a free Telegraph at the supermarket this morning.

  19. Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, some really nice clues. Started with 5d, finished with 16d. Favourites were 11a & 17&22d. Was 2*/3* for me. Disasterous start for the Gooners compounded by RVP’s brilliant brace.

    2. Unless I am mistaken 25a Man 26a Well

      The episode in which Basil and Sybil have had a row and she pretends to be ill. . .
      Manuel comments Syb ill . . .Man well. . .
      I work with a guy who can recite most of the 12 episodes.
      As for the Prize crossword I have one left , as usual, I have a feeling it is a word with
      which I am not familiar

      Richard

      1. :oops: Well spotted, señor!

        Also:

        Miss Tibbs’ friend is a certain Miss Gatsby (9a)

        Terry (4d) was the drunken Cockney chef?

  22. Caravaggio says he “was grateful for the explanation for 10a” but I can’t see one! I think I’ve got an answer but don’t understand the “sings with backing” bit. Can anyone help? Finished apart from that and very much enjoyed it.

    2. Sarah – you are right on the fact that there wasn’t a hint to 10a but here goes:
      The synonym of a verb to sing (it is plural!) is reversed (with backing).
      Why you oughta remember that some doity people sing like canaries accoiding to James Cagney….

      1. I’m sorry for the confusion, Sarah, because it was 13a not 10a to which I was referring.

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