DT 28402 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28402 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28402 (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    Not belonging to a couple agitated about fine (3,2,5)
An anagram (agitated) of TO A COUPLE around F(ine)

11a    Newly-wed rightly in prison (9)
A newly-wed followed by an adverb meaning rightly – although the original prison no longer exists, its name is still used generally for a prison

15a    Issue for year, full of info (7)
Issue here is a formal word for children – a three-letter word meaning for and Y(ear) around (full of) some info

17a    Knock tavern sign, unfortunately (7)
This knock is a period at the wicket in cricket! – a tavern is followed by an anagram (unfortunately) of SIGN

19a    Finished in the short grass off the fairway (7)
TH[e] without its final letter (short) followed by the short grass off the fairway on a golf course

21a    Training trick daughter studied (7)
A charade of some physical training, a trick and D(aughter)

24a    Sluggish, local inhabitant having caught cold on island (8)
A local inhabitant around (having caught) C(old) preceded by (on in an across clue) I(sland)

30a    Severe row within a hospital department (10)
A row or series inside the A from the clue and our usual hospital department

Down

1d    Wild gathering sees opera character blowing top (4)
A character from a folk opera without (blowing) his initial letter (top)

4d    On the shelf, Emma may be here? (7)
A loosely cryptic definition of where you might find a copy of Jane Austen’s Emma

No, I didn’t mean you, Miss Watson, get back to Hogwarts!

7d    Winning answer had to involve ultimate in knowledge (5)
A(nswer) and HAD around (to involve) the final letter (ultimate) in [knowledge]E

9d    Newcomer having drink outside good public house (8)
A four-letter alcoholic drink around G(ood) and a public house

14d    Respectable winning position (10)
A two-letter word meaning winning followed by position or status

18d    Kind of timber house, incomplete, in north-eastern music centre (9)
A three-letter kind of timber – when I went on a tour of the Morgan factory I found that they use a lot of this when building their cars – and most of (incomplete) a type of house inside the abbreviation for North-Eastern

25d    Out ultimately, a flagstick for undemanding putt? (3-2)
Our final sporting reference is another golfing term – the final letter (ultimately) of [ou]T followed by the A from the clue and a flagstick found on the golf course

26d    The old man on street’s gone by (4)
A colloquial word for the old man or father followed by ST(reet)

The Crossword Club is now open.


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The Quick Crossword pun: motes+heart=Mozart


63 comments on “DT 28402 (Hints)

  1. Reasonably straightforward, with a sprinkling of oldies but goodies and a couple of ‘golfy’ clues (which might raise some comments).

    Favourite – a toss-up between 11a and 18d, and the winner is 18d (which also might raise some comments given how the answer turns out).

    Thanks to the setter and BD.

  2. 1*/2.5*. Undemanding and reasonably pleasant but with a few iffy surfaces (e.g. 18d). Favourite 17a.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

  3. I ddn’t find this as easy as the early commenters, but it was far from difficult, and reasonably enjoyable, so 2*/3* from me overall. 19a my favourite, although 17a came a close second.

    Many thanks to our Saturday setter and of course to BD.

  4. Initially, I was pleased to find that the puzzle was on the back page of the paper until I noticed the seam running down the page – and through the grid. How is it that, in the year 2017, a newspaper which costs £2.00 is produced in a less than perfect state? I didn’t have any problem completing the puzzle but some of the clues were so clunky that I came to the conclusion that the compiler was wearing a suit of armour. And I’m still not sure how I arrived at the answer to 12 across…

    1. Maybe 12a was a bit too easy!

      12a Beef of new policeman drained of energy (8)
      Anagram (new) of POLIC[e]MAN without (drained of) E(nergy)

      1. Thank you, Dave. Yes, all is clear now. Having put in the answer, I spent some fifteen minutes trying to work out why – and gave up!

    2. I agree with everything you said, Aljanon. (Although my paper was seamless today! Unlike my solving of this puzzle)

  5. I’ve sporadically solved about half of this whilst working, but will have to go now to do other things. 18d: Although the surface is a bit iffy (which I don’t mind particularly), it’s a cracking clue and my favourite up to now. This one is slightly better than the usual Saturday Prize and I have found it quite enjoyable but tame(ish). So far, 2*/3*.

  6. Slow start but finished at a canter almost.
    Pleasant with 19a my COTD (change for golf not cricket). Though some might dispute that the grass off the fairway is short.
    Thanks to setter & BD for notes. Early memories of cars included numerous journeys in a Ford engined chain drive Morgan 3 wheeler, that my friend sold to an Australian who shipped it back home. Rot of the timber frame was a real headache,

  7. I’m afraid I struggled with this one…and when I got to the answers either from Big Dave’s hints or with electronic help, I did not think I would ever have worked them out. I think this says something about the crossword as well as about me.

    Can someone please elucidate 10a for me please? I am pretty sure that I have the answer, but I cannot see how the clue works.

    Thanks to Big Dave for his invaluable hints and parsings and to the setter.

    1. 10a – the definition is ‘monotonous labour’. The two letter abbreviation for Greek and the one letter for Duke around the usual little word meaning ‘home’.

    2. It’s strange how some folk found this a snip, and others like me struggled throughout – even resorting to BD’s hints today! Many thanks Dave!
      Last in was 18d believe it or not, and before that 21a.
      18a was a ‘Doh’ moment naturally…
      Many clues were a bit on the edge of obscurity I found but a sense of satisfaction on completion was palpable.
      I can now relax for the rest of Easter!

  8. I didn’t have much trouble with this one apart from my last couple of answers.
    Needless to say I didn’t know that ‘knock’ meant 17a – another one to add to my ‘crickety’ vocabulary but after Thursday I’ll leave it at that!
    For once the two ‘golfy’ clues didn’t cause trouble – I must be learning something.
    I remembered 11a from previous crosswords.
    My main problem was 18d and I admit to needing the hint for that.
    I liked 28a and 4d. My favourite was 27a.
    Thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

    1. I thought of you, Kath when I sorted that one out. Even as an ex-cricketer I went ‘ouch’ when the penny dropped on that one.

    2. Kath,
      To help with the vocabulary expansion (or add to the confusion) the term can also refer to a round of golf (“had a good knock today” “Going out for a knock”.

        1. Michael,
          I think I first picked the expression up from both sons who were on golf bursaries at Universities in the Midlands & Scotland over 20 years ago Also hear it from County players in our league. “Fancy a knock?” To them means fancy some holes of (non competitive) golf.
          As an aside I wonder if a BD Golf day might be another way of meeting up. I organise & run County Championships & I would be willing to organise a golf day at a course, say, near the motorways in the Midlands & we could enjoy a round of golf & show our appreciation to BD in respect of the meal etc. Just a thought.

          1. I’m afraid BD is in the Mark Twain camp when it comes to golf – he’d rather watch some paint dry, and he’s not very keen on that.

            1. BD ,
              The idea was not for you to sully your senses by watching people spoil a good walk:merely be the guest at the dinner / 19th hole “apres golf”.
              Whilst I appreciate watching a good player play the game well, watching the club golfer enjoy his round does not appeal to me either. ( although sometimes it can be amusing).
              I have not heard many say it is a good driink, or meal, spoiled, golfer or non-golfer.

  9. Very enjoyable and pleased to report that I coped with both the cricket and the golf references, although I tend to associate ‘knock’ more with lads having an impromptu game of football.
    I was slow to get 14d for no discernible reason and 18d caused a little head-scratching.
    Top three went to 15,21&27a.

    Thanks to Mr. Saturday Ron and to BD for being on hand if needed.

    1. In my youth, “hitting” before a game of tennis was called a knock – just to confuse the issue. It went into disuse as in Americanese it has rather rude connotations!

      1. I thought the ‘bashing around’ before a game of tennis was called a ‘knock up’ which certainly means something different to me. I think what it means to me is as a result of what ‘ knock’ means to Americans!

        1. We always had a ‘knock up’ before a game of tennis……with never a thought that it had any other meanings.

  10. A very pleasant solve and most welcome after my painful losing battle with yesterday’s toughie. I rather liked 8D and 11A. Thanks BD and the Saturday Setter. Now for the NTSPP.

  11. Once again I will blame my cold for making this crossword hard work! I almost ground to a halt working on the top section, so I abandoned that and started again from the bottom with immediate success. 15a was my fave. 2/3* overall, but that’s probably just me.
    Thanks to the Saturday Man, and to BD of course for his hints.

    1. I also ground to a halt with 4 answers to go. 17a proved difficult so I was thankful for the hint. I’m not a cricket fan which puts me in the minority. My favourite today was 4d. Thankyou to the setter and hinter !

  12. I got it into my head that 15a was ‘*******’ and spent ages trying to fit everything else around it (and failing badly – obviously!) before I cottoned on.

    It was interesting to read the blog and get to see how I solved the various clues without understanding the wordplay – I completely missed the anagram at 1a for example, and several others.

    A very enjoyable puzzle and a little harder than the normal Saturday fare!

    Leicester Tigers v Newcastle Falcons coming up, should be a good game – and Sunderland v West Ham on the radio – multitasking at it’s best!

  13. A R&W last night and a little lacklustre I thought although thanks to the setter anyway. And to BD.

    Happy Easter to all.

  14. Completely off topic – could I recommend any of you with time to spare this weekend to have a go at the NTSPP. One of our newly promoted Rookies has excelled himself.

      1. I’m rather hoping you intended to put a comma between ‘off’ and ‘Jane’……………..

        1. There is nothing in the world that would put me off the delightful Jane. I am not certain that Jane would reciprocate that comment though.

  15. Very much enjoyed this one today, nothing too hard or stretched, although did need a bit of Big Dave’s help to finish, thanks. Bunged in 17a and had it right although I didn’t know why until I read the hint. Went down the wrong road with 20d, and took a while to come up with the other type of succeed. Let’s hope tomorrow’s puzzle will be as much fun.

  16. Thoroughly enjoyed today’s crossword.
    Really liked 10a as it conjured up an image of prince Philip, the smoothness of 15a and the elegance of 19a which takes the top place.
    Thanks to the setter and to BD for the Saturday club.

  17. Odd puzzle, we found. The top half went straight in, fullly R&W. We then slowed but when we’d finished we couldn’t see why. 2*/3* overall, then.

    Favourites were 15a and 19a, same as J-LC. We do like clues such as 19a in which a common, innocuous word is playing a key part rather than simply being part of a smooth surface. It’s hard to force one’s brain to recognise that all words in a clue are potentially important.

    Thanks to BD and the setter.

  18. I did finish but found it pretty difficult, though very enjoyable.
    Lots of good stuff to choose a fave from, I think I’ll choose 11a. I didn’t know it no longer existed, but also that it’s in usage as a general term for prison.
    Thanks to the setter and to BD for the hints.

  19. I struggled with this far more than yesterday.
    I am surprised no one has mentioned 15a, does the answer really = the definition??? Stretched or what??
    My favorite was 11a.
    I am currently enjoying a couple of peaceful days in the beautiful town of Lewis in the beautiful rolling Sussex downs.
    Thanks to BD and Mr Ron.
    PS. I submitted a clue for Tilset for what I thought was going to be the bumper NTSPP, has that idea been shelved?
    PPS Anyone know how to get cut and paste to work on an Android tablet?

    1. Jane, your comment disappeared, not sure what’s going on? I checked Google and it’s a legal term, apologies, not heard it before.

      1. I put in a request for deletion – it occurred to me that I was probably contravening prize puzzle rules.

    2. The crossword is still work in progress, Dave T says he has been unwell but there are hopes for it shortly. I had email from him earlier today.

    3. 1) You are probably in Lewes

      2) It’s Tilsit

      3) Press and hold on the word until it changes colour; drag the pointers if you want more to be copied; press the copy icon which should have appeared at the top of the screen; choose the location for pasting; press until “paste” appears; select paste

  20. Struggled a bit with this but thanks to Bid Dave and the Setter. A little comedy for the Bank Holiday in memory of Ronnie Corbett …..

    1. Your comment went into moderation as you mistyped your e-mail address. Both should work now.

  21. couldn’t do it because I used the traditional French spelling for 2 down, so 15a was then impossible.

  22. Found this one quite tricky. Needed the hint to explain 24a which having now read it, it seems obvious DOH,
    My fav was def 11a.
    Thx to all

  23. Have been in North Berwick today and the rough is already 14d and anything but short. Didn’t see any 23d though.
    Luckily had a few 25d’s and finished with a nice bottle of 5d.
    Finished with today’s DT crossword – perfect day.

  24. An enjoyable solve today that I found to be pretty easy going.

    Thanks to BD and setter */***

    P.S. I had a go at the Times today (as I occasionally do on Saturday as there’s no toughie in the DT). I completed it in about 3* equivalent of a DT, but one thing I really like about the Times’ puzzle is the grid…we seem to have some very odd grids in the DT…(although today’s was pretty user-friendly).

  25. About ** for difficulty, with 11ac causing me some trouble at the end. I’m guessing I wasn’t the only person who didn’t expect to see 2d spelt like that.

  26. 1*/3* or so. My pick of the clues was 17a, but I enjoyed 18d as well. Thanks to the setter, and BD for the hints.

  27. I found it quite tough actually. Even 2d took ages ( which it really should not have done , especially at this time of year) and was my second last one in. Having a thick day , I suppose.
    Thanks to BD for the many hints and to the setter for something a little different.

  28. I tried a new café today and didn’t like it (stay with me). They short-changed me and nobody seemed to keep still for longer than 10 seconds. So, this meant that I concentrated harder on the clues to shut out the distractions! I did all but two in a pot of tea. Those two came to me walking back to the car. Moral of the story: if you want your children to do well in their exams, put them off when they’re revising.

    1. I did a good chunk of this puzzle on the bus into town and apart from the mispelling of 2d and a wrong answer in 29a.not too bad. A couple of clues evaded me and were a bit of a 10a but it was a noisy cafe ( NT Treasurer’s House) that allowed me the concentration to complete. It seems that we both need noisy distractions to concentrate, I won’t say great minds think alike as mine feels distinctly average and without BD and his gang of merry men(and women) I’d never have finished a crossword on my own. I do check out the blog most days but comments via the mobile site seem to disappear in the ether. I’ve only finished the toughie once and I am gonna have to work on that a bit. Thaks again to all who help here. I’ll comment when I can fire up the steam driven laptop but even if quiet I appreciate this place and all who make it work.

  29. Saturdays’ usual enjoyable fare. Many thanks to the setter and also to BD for some helpful hints

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