DT 28192 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28192 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28192 (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.

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 as “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    That chap, youngster, accompanying a legendary queen (6)
The male pronoun followed by the young of certain carnivorous animals and the A from the clue

4a    Did turn in vehicle traversing ice (8)
The hardest part of this clue is sorting the definition from the wordplay, which is a verb meaning to turn inside a vehicle used for traversing the ice

10a    Sustaining motion in meeting I later disrupted (8)
IN followed by (meeting) an anagram (disrupted) of I LATER

14a    Saving meatier cooking — or rejecting it (13)
This anagram (cooking) of SAVING MEATIER gives the act of rejecting “meatier cooking”

21a    Potato, say King Edward, put on ship (5)
The regnal cipher for King Edward preceded by (put on in an across clue) a colloquial word for a small ship

24a    Kudos attached to Devon town (8)
Some kudos followed by a two-letter preposition meaning attached to

25a    Tests a learner wearing swimming aids (6)
The A from the clue and L(earner) inside (wearing) aids which help fish (or people) to swim

26a    Bolt maybe second office machine needed (8)
… a very topical clue!

27a    Carbon fibre that’s used for colouring (6)
The cryptic definition of carbon followed by a type of fibre

Down

1d    Australian city requires sound of laughter cut by half on part of The Simpsons (6)
Start with either half of a four-letter sound of laughter and follow it with one of the characters (part) in The Simpsons

2d    Accountant’s balance is variable in vehicle, former make (5-4)
Put a mathematical variable inside a vehicle followed by a former make of car

5d    The appropriate way to fasten 11? (7,4)
This is an appropriate way for the answer to 11 Across, when split (5,4), to be fastened

6d    Vehicle in rain crashed — fine state (7)
A commercial vehicle inside an anagram (crashed) of RAIN

12d    See TV heroine go wild with it (2,3,6)
Once again the key is to isolate the definition – the rest is an anagram (wild) of TV HEROINE GO, although I’m not sure what purpose, other than for the surface reading, is served by the “see”

15d    Fancied one girl drinking a short (9)
I (one) and a girl’s name around (drinking) the A from the clue and an alcoholic short

16d    Good times, good marks? Get away! (2,6)
Some good times (3) followed by some good marks (5)

18d    Helping Shakespearean heroine cut down working (7)
Most of (cut down) a Shakespearean heroine followed by a two-letter adverb meaning working

22d    Watery lake in Paddington perhaps (5)
L(ake) inside the type of animal that was discovered by Mr and Mrs Brown at Paddington Station

The Crossword Club is now open.


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The Quick Crossword pun: musky+tears=musketeers


60 comments on “DT 28192 (Hints)

  1. It looked quite forbidding at the outset but I gradually got on top of it only needing help from BD to fathom 12d (ignoring an anagram of wild) – d’oh. 1a obvious but I was not previously aware of said queen. Not too sure about the ‘good times’ in 16d. Fav 5d/11a combined and with 3d as runner-up. Thank you Mr. Ron and BD. ***/***.

  2. Fairly straightforward today with the exception of 19d which currently eludes me! I shall take another look after the dog has been walked.
    I particularly liked 2d, amongst several others.

    1. Update! The answer was really simple once I looked at 19d again.
      Must have been the fresh air from walking the dog!

  3. Really enjoyable for me. NE corner my last to go in after the sack load of pennies dropped for 5d. That gets COTD for me, with 10a next.
    Thanks to setter for making up for our early weather and BD for the hints managed 5d without but the picture is worth two words.
    Is the mathematical variable in the right place in the hint for 2d though?

    1. Yes, it is in the right place – you need to run the other two parts together before inserting it. The hint is given as per the order of words in the clue.

      1. Thank you, I thought there may be a reason I hadn’t appreciated. I interpreted the hint slightly differently sorry.

  4. Like those who’ve gone before me, I enjoyed the 5d/11a combination – the former being a personal favourite of mine as far as sartorial elegance is concerned. After thinking that the legendary queen in 1a was the one whose face launched a thousand ships plus the indefinite article, and trying to force it to work, I stopped wasting my time when I realised there was another option…

  5. Maybe it’s just me but I found some of this quite difficult – don’t know why – just did.
    I took ages to see 4a and dithered about 10a for a while too.
    I also got into a terrible pickle with 12d having picked the wrong anagram fodder which made the last bit impossible.
    8d foxed me – missed the lurker – thought it was an anagram (dilapidated) which meant I couldn’t see where the last letter came from – oh dear! :roll:
    Spent too long faffing around with 6d trying to make it a geographical state.
    I enjoyed this one and thought there were some clever clues.
    I liked both the long across anagrams and 24a and 3 and 16d.
    With thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

      1. And me – learning all the time. Now I know what a ‘lurker’ is! But who is the thanked ‘Mr Ron’?

        1. We often refer to anonymous setters as the Mysteron (as in Captain Scarlet and the M…). This has, over time, been shortened to Mr Ron.

    1. Could have written your exact words, Kath. Found this really tricky. Still don’t get 13a even though I have finished it. Thank you to Mr Ron, and BD without whom I would never finish.

  6. Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle, but quite tricky. Needed the hint for 25a, couldn’t think of the swimming aid. Favourite was 11a&5d. 8d was also worth a mention. Was 3*/4* for me.

  7. I know you are all busy either enjoying the weather or the coverage of the Olympics, but do find time for today’s NTSPP.

        1. The last one I looked at about three months ago was Toughie standard x 3, once bitten etc.
          On your say so, I’ll give it another look, if I can stay awake. Midsomer Murders has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous this evening!!!

  8. 12 down my last one in, mainly because I spent too much time obsessing about the word ‘see’ in the clue, which doesn’t seem to add much to it.That aside, this was an enjoyable and thoughtful puzzle with 24 across my favourite just pipping the sartorially elegant 5 down.

    3*/3.5* overall, with many thanks to the Saturday Mysteron and BD.

  9. Tricky to start with but got there after a second sitting. Favourites were 11a and 16d. 5d also brought a smile once the penny dropped. Thanks to all.

  10. Very enjoyable. Lots of pondering over what is the definition and what is the cryptic bit in many clues, which took me into 2* time. The 11/5 combo takes the gold. 2*/4* Thanks to the setter and, of course, BD

  11. I did enjoy this, especially the 11A/5D combo and 26A. I had to go looking on Google for 24A, though. Thanks to the setter and to BD. All my puzzles are now done, so I suppose I’ll have to think about moving out of this chair.

  12. Took a little while longer than usual for a Saturday, but most enjoyable.
    Always have to think hard about the spelling of 17a!

    The 11a/5d combo takes the crown but I also ticked 4a plus 16&18d.
    Many thanks to Mr. Ron and to BD for the Saturday Club hints.

  13. What a good crossword for a Saturday! Certainly no stroll in the park for a change. Some lovely clues with the 5/11 combination excelling, but my favourite was 21a.
    3/4* overall…. on a Saturday!
    Thanks to Mr Ron, and to BD as ever for his hints.

  14. Great puzzle, but I really had to use my thinking cap, as it was decidedly tricky.
    For some unknown reason, I thought the queen in 1a was spelt with a “k”, so, as per Kath, I faffed around with that for far too long.
    I loved the 11a/5d combination, so that’s my fave, but I must mention 26a.
    Thanks to setter and to BD for the hints.

  15. Husband had to buy two papers today, one for me, one for my mother-in-law who is nearly 90. I was helped enormously by her shouting out that 17a was easy, and she gave me the answer. It then became a race to the finish. Lots of fun and banter across the room. We managed to finish together with 4a last one in. Thank you BD and setter for the entertainment. She goes on BD when she is stuck on a clue (not very often) and may well be the oldest fan.

  16. You’ve heard of bad hair days but have you met bad brain days? Definitely me today struggled for longer than I care to admit to just to get it started. Got there in the end but needed BD to confirm 4a. Thanks to him and setter off to do GK from the Weekend.

  17. Struggled with this one and did not particularly enjoy it.

    Does 22d really mean watery?
    Wasn’t sure of the accuracy of the definition of 10a either.
    Hadn’t heard of the Devon town.
    Moan, moan, moan.

    Thought the Queen was xxxxxx for some reason which definitely held things up for quite a time.

    Thanks to Big Dave as I certainly would never have completed this without the hints.

    1. I initially thought the same about the queen too but we can’t say as it counts as ‘giving an incorrect answer’

        1. Sorry about putting in the name of the Queen.

          I’ll take you word for 22d as I don’t have a BRB. (It’s on the wish list and I am hopeful.)

  18. Started early and, by my standards, fairly motored through the LHS. Perhaps listening to Mr Matthew on Radio 2 at the same time helped inspire me for 12d. Domesticity then intervened and when I resumed it was like wading through treacle for the RHS. Got there eventually however. I agree that the 5d/11a combination was very clever – one that will be remembered for some time. Thanks to the setter for a good challenge and BD for his usual clarification of a couple of solutions.

  19. This felt difficult in places, though perhaps that was just some of the, to me, unknowns – 1ac and down for example. Lots of nice clues, and an enjoyable tussle. ***/**** then.

  20. Great fun. Not too difficult (2*), but lots of smiles (4*). I too enjoyed the 11a/5d combo, but my pick for top clue is 16d. Thanks to Mr Ron and BD.

  21. Certainly tested my grey cells! But worked at it. Completely missed the lurker for 8d – oops! – but managed to solve this clue, a fluke? Thought 5d/11d was very clever. Like many of us was trying to get a geographical state for 6d but… Enjoyed this puzzle immensely. 16d made me laugh. Have not been very present on the blog of late. Will do better when back in Hyères at the end of the month. Hope everyone is having a great summer, ours is good. Hello Jean Luc, back in Hyères at the end of August…

  22. I am in pain , having rejoined the gym after a break of 10 months, and I can tell you , pain really gets in the way of crossword solving, so I used lots of hints.
    One thing I did learn today is that ” equipment ” needs a third “r”.Have I been mispronouncing it all these years or is it silent , I wonder , rhetorically.
    An interesting puzzle , thanks for all the help , BD.

  23. Very late with this! As in a day late, but had to record that I finished it without hints!
    Hardly a peep yesterday but this morning at 6am, it all started to emerge and with a little bit of googlage it was there. Some enjoyable challenges.
    Shall now peruse the blog and will thank BD and the setter in advance.

  24. I have been twice blest…(thank you for the Merch of Venice quote BD.) I enjoyed the crossword and then the blog. This blog is so life enhancing!

  25. Belated thanks to the setter – for this one and the quickie, which I’ve only just done. :)

    From what I remember of the cryptic, I enjoyed it, but the (non-British) Mr K had trouble with the place names; he also pointed out to me the trio of vehicles in the top half.

    Thanks also to BD as always.

  26. A warm ‘hello’ from North Devon.
    A day at ‘The Big Sheep’ has completely wiped me out, but in spite of that, I was able to complete this.
    I needed a couple of Big Dave’s excellent hints, mostly due to brain fatigue.
    Funnily enough, I found this easier than the usual Saturday puzzle, so thanks to all concerned. 5d great clue and my favourite.
    Shame the England cricket team capitulated so tamely today.

      1. Thanks, finally got the five-year-old to bed, where do they get all this energy from??????

  27. It took me ages to get going on this as domestic duties etc after family staying intervened. Never thought I would complete without consulting BD. Suddenly it all fell into place -loved 3 down & 12a, but some really crafty ones. WAs going to watch Channel 5 Cricket recorded but Hoofit told me the result…what a shambles after being 2-1 up….Will watch the Gerschwin instead Thx BD & Mr Ron now I know who he is…

    1. Oops, sorry about that!! England Cricket – Hero to zero in 7 days, still unlike the footballers, at least there is the occasional ‘hero’!!

  28. This was slightly above average for a Saturday Prize but only average compared to weekday offerings. Very enjoyable though – 2.5*/3*

  29. Just finished in quiet time while grandchildren having bath. Liked quite a few, namely 10a 17a 12d and 16d. Thanks all. Got to go and read a story now.

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