Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27893 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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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.
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”. Where the hint describes a construct a “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.
Some hints follow.
Across
1a Note sum charged in unauthorised occupation of quantity of floor space (6,4)
The second note of the scale in sol-fa notation followed by the sum of money charged for services all inside an unauthorised occupation
12a The woman records trial wherein some get fleeced (5-8)
A charade of the female pronoun, some vinyl records, usually with two tracks on each side, and a judicial trial
14a In support, learner left with care of plumbing item (8)
Inside a four-letter verb meaning to support place L(earner), L(eft) and the abbreviation of Care Of
15a Artist has entry cut short (6)
The surname of this 19th century French artist is derived by dropping (cut) the final letter (short) from an entry
21a Where one’s tried to get round report of royals (5,8)
The place where one is tried followed by an adjective meaning round
25a Detective on public transport (5)
This fictional Edinburgh detective is derived from a two-letter word meaning on followed by a public transport vehicle
26a Rejected love that produces pain (4)
The reversal (rejected) of the Greek god of love
27a Estimate on repairing starter home? (10)
An anagram (repairing) of ESTIMATE ON
Down
1d Window frame made by son, with wood (4)
S(on) followed by a type of wood
2d Able to take a stretch briefly after university, one’s employed in the kitchen (7)
An adjective meaning capable of being stretched or drawn out without its final letter (briefly) preceded by U(niversity)
5d Make electrics safe in underground shelter (5)
Two definitions – a verb meaning to make an electrical device safe by grounding it and an underground shelter for an animal
7d Caught old tennis star pocketing one keyboard (7)
C(aught) and the surname of an old Australian tennis star around (pocketing) I (one)
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
8d Island bananas to be put on old Turkish officer’s vehicle (10)
11d Original ideas from hit issue (13)
A verb meaning to hit on the head followed by some issue or progeny
16d More masculine, given second look (8)
An adjective meaning more masculine followed by S(econd) – in common with most Cockney rhyming slang the second, rhyming, word “hook” is, as here, usually omitted
18d One has a row in kitchen mostly (7)
This rower is most of a word meaning a kitchen
23d Man perhaps that follows Carl in Northern city (4)
The mass of land of which Man is an example (perhaps) can be prefixed by Carl to get a city in Northern England – note that the necessary capitalisation of Man is concealed by placing it at the beginning of the clue
The Crossword Club is now open.
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The Quick Crossword pun: Grayson+favour=grace-and-favour
Yes, a very satisfying puzzle. Not too hard, not too easy.
2*/4* for my rating today.
As ever, thanks to setter and BD.
Nice easy puzzle to round off the week, many thanks to BD for the review & wishing all a good long weekend.?
Well that’s a result! Thank you BD for 23d clue and thank you setter…All done and dusted…
Not sure I would rate this easy, enjoyable with some witty clues and wordplay. Needed hints for some of the higher numbered clues.
3*/4*
Thanks to setter and BD
1*/2* for a dull puzzle with some clunky surfaces and too much Lego for my taste. 11d seems a slightly bizarre plural but it is in my BRB. Thanks to the setter and to BD.
I enjoyed today’s offering probably because it wasn’t too challenging ?
Never heard of the artist in 15a (thanks Google) and 11d was a rather odd but I suppose logical word.
Best clue was the last in 23d, very clever. Thought 10a was a subtle bit of misdirection, how many of us spent ages trying to get an anagram of directors!
Thx to all.
I confess I was one for a while.
Me too….
Ditto…
Yep
i quite enjoyed this puzzle which I found to be pretty much a write-in. Thanks to BD and setter */***
Most was quite straightforward and very enjoyable, but I’d still be doing it without BD’s helpful picture for 15a and even though it’s logical, I had to resort to the BRB to confirm an unfamiliar usage elsewhere. 13d made me chuckle and was my favourite. 2* difficulty (really 3* without the picture) and 4* for enjoyment. Thanks to the setter and to BD. La Vuelta on the telly this afternoon and off to Silverstone for the MotoGP tomorrow. Cheers
I thought that this was a delightful puzzle, particularly because my thinking seemed to be in accord with that of the compiler. I specifically liked 12a, 15a and 23d – in all probability because I saw the answers straight away… To comment today, I’m using a mobile phone and a data stylus and I don’t know whether it will work!
Wrapped this one up a bit too quickly before bed last night.
Everything went dandy.
Not going to say what I first put in 26a. Probably not the only one.
Thanks to the setter and to BD for the hints.
Hi JL – if you wrapped that one up so quickly you should be doing the Radler NTSPP!
Hi Jane.
Haven’t had time to go back home between lunch and dinner service.
However I printed the guardian prize by Maskarade. A little thought for you in 29d.
Radler will have to wait until later tonight.
29d – thank you, nice of you to remember.
Good luck with the Radler.
Nothing much to add to earlier comments. Very doable, very enjoyable, nothing clunky or forced. 2/3 for me with thanks all round. A satisfying end to an up and down week from a crossword perspective.
Nicely doable with some good surfaces. I particularly liked 17a (Austen novel to get from office), 13d (arranges a best focus), 18d (one has a row in kitchen) and most of all 23d (man perhaps that follows Carl)
Many thanks setter and BD
Apart from15a, which I had to Google, this was fairly straightforward today. Some excellent cluing, and particularly liked 8d and 23d. **/***
Thanks to setter and BD.
Feeling quite pleased to have finished this – had all the right letters for 13d, just not in the right order making 17a a bit tricky! Thanks to setter and BD. Although I didn’t need the hints today, I couldn’t have made it through the week without them.
What Brian said….
Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave
Lovely puzzle. Never heard of 11d used in the plural, but there you are. Thank you to the Saturday setter and to BD.
I think this was probably quite straightforward but for some reason I got a bit bogged down with several answers right at the end.
15a seems to be the composer of the month for crossword setters – I’d never heard of him until quite recently.
I didn’t know that 1d was the actual frame of a window – thought it was the way a window opens.
I liked 6 and 9a and 8 and 13d. My favourite was 23d.
With thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.
Ironing – then a go at the NTSPP although I can’t usually do Radler’s crosswords.
The Radler’s taken me all afternoon, Kath, but it was good fun. There is a theme which would probably have helped if I’d looked for it as I went along, instead of saying ‘oh yes’ when I finally got to the end!
By the way – have you looked at the post for the TV thing? Do you think we could nominate Gazza.
No, you couldn’t.
But you’d wipe the floor with the lot of them!
I think this was probably quite straightforward but for some reason I got a bit bogged down with several answers right at the end.
15a seems to be the composer of the month for crossword setters – I’d never heard of him until quite recently.
I didn’t know that 1d was the actual frame of a window – thought it was the way a window opens.
I’ve never heard of 11d as plural but I suppose it makes sense – one of my last answers.
I liked 6 and 9a and 8 and 13d. My favourite was 23d.
With thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.
Ironing – then a go at the NTSPP although I can’t usually do Radler’s crosswords.
That’s funny!
Hiccups??
Hiccups or hiccoughs?
Are they pronounced the same?
Interchangeable and pronounced the same according to the BRB
I think you mean painter, Kath, for 15a.
Yes – of course I did – whatever made me write composer? Having a dim day.
Nice easy one as per normal on a Saturday – I’ve submitted my entry in the Prize Crossword competition – every week for at least three years and still no coconut – I wonder what the chances of winning are?
I’ve been sending in the Saturday solution by email for several months and won a consolation prize a few weeks ago, so it can happen. Print off a sheet of small name & address labels, stick one on the paper, bung it in the scanner and Robert’s your father’s brother!
Must be me then I found some of this quite tough and needed at least two of Daves hints, thanks Dave, spelling 27a wrong didn’t help matters!!! my favourite clue was 16d and for some strange reason the last one in, off to practice my tooting now although our ‘gig’ tomorrow has been cancelled due to the weather … what a surprise
*/***
particularly liked 16D and 23D
A good regular type of Saturday crossword. Pretty much straightforward once I realised that 10a wasn’t what I first thought!
I liked 16d because it wasn’t what I was expecting and overall, 2/3*.
Thanks to the setter and BD for his hints.
Enjoyable and doable, just the right fare for Saturday! Needed help with 23d however so many thanks to BD for that. Did not know that one could use 11a expression in the plural… 6a made me smile, perhaps because I have two! As Kath said 15a is definitely in as he has been in several crosswords of late. 2*/3* with 16d as my favourite. Must not forget to thank the setter!
*/***. Very enjoyable but it always is when I can finish these. Favourite was 23d. Thanks to Bd and the setter for a pleasant stroll. Rain again today – wonderful!
12a made me chuckle. The east side resisted more than the west and 23d very clever ?
Thank as ever to BD for your hints, much appreciated, thanks to setter too
Now to do the boring stuff like laundry
Even though this was on the easy side, there were so many clever clues I found it very entertaining. Choosing a fave is very difficult, but I think 23d gets the gold, but 1a, 12a, 15a and 7d deserve a mention.
Thanks to setter and to BD for his review.
Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, not too tricky. Needed the hint for 15a, a bit obscure in my opinion. Last in was 7d. Favourite was 16d. Was 2*/3* for me. A bit rainy today in Central London.
A nice little canter in conjunction with the rugby and cricket (both less endearing than the puzzle) Many thanks, Dave, for the hints without which I wouldn’t have finished so it must be 2/3* for difficulty for me, unless I am improving, which is unlikely
Very pleasant day here made even nicer by a splendid Saturday crossword for which thanks to setter and to BD for his masterly review. 16d made me smile because despite my ancestry it is a phrase that occasionally gets bandied round here, several other delights but as I have left the paper in the lounge and I am too idle to walk though and fetch it I have forgotten. Off to try the GK and any other crosswords that take my fancy. Have a good weekend.
Quite gentle, but lots of fun: 1*/4*. As for my favourite clue, l’m torn between 1a, 16d and 27a (the latter in honour of our first marital home – a Married Quarter just outside fabled Helensburgh in Dunbartonshire). Thanks to the setter, and to Big Dave.
Gentle fare that I struggled with through the midsection but finished with a flourish. Favourite clue, 23d, by a country mile.
Moored up (illegally) in Paddington Basin. I hope the rain goes away by morning, as we’re off down the Regent’s Canal.
Thanks to BD and the mystery setter
Ps: Thanks to those who gave them for their kind thoughts yesterday. Much appreciated
Only just caught up with your post from yesterday, TS. I’ve been there so many times and every one is etched on my heart. Thinking of you.
Short and sweet.Thanks to the setter , very enjoyable.
Welcome to the blog DaiBach
Chambers gives it as a plural so someone must have used it! Google gives 71,200 results (you have to put the word in quotes otherwise you get the results for the singular version as well).
Thank you setter and BD. 23 d VG last one in for me. Working all weekend so pleasant distraction.