Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28480 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
Hosted by Tilsit
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Morning all!
While the boss is off getting poked and prodded, I’m holding the fort to help you tackle this splendid Saturday puzzle from our Mysteron.
Lots of nice clues to admire here today and while it didn’t hold me up too much, it was a very pleasant solve. A few transport -based clues today.
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. Please remember not to give additional help or you will be sent to the naughty step.
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 European given ancient coin, gold, for teacher (8)
We start with a word for teacher. Take the abbreviation for European, add the name of an old coin and a short word for gold (it’s the French word for it!)
9a Former airline with a connection between North and South America? (6)
The name for a former US airline has A added to give somewhere in Central America.
11a Corporal joins with girlfriend in lively dance (8)
A name given to a girlfriend (a former one is an old one of these), and add the abbreviation for a corporal to give you a lively dance from the continent.
13a Unexpected victory that could make huge profit (5-7)
In sport, the name given to a surprise win by an underdog, comprises a word meaning huge and one for a profit.
16a Virgin need ’er to be working! (6-6)
Nice all in one clue An anagram (working) of the first two words gives something loosely described by the whole thing. Think transport!
19a Butcher giving male view (6)
The abbreviation for male and a word that means view gives you something meaning butcher or mess up.
21a Attribute of northern ’ealth resort (8)
The name of a spa town without it’s first letter gives an unusual word meaning to attribute.
26a Place for fan desiring wrestling (8)
Another nice clue that could be an all in one as well. The whole thing describes something that is an anagram (wrestling) of desiring,
Down
2d Such as can be achieved seeing sailor cutting benefit (6)
The abbreviation for sailor goes inside a type of statutory benefit to give something meaning it can be achieved.
4d Cost of travelling in coach a long way east (5,4)
A word meaning to coach take something that refers to a long way and the abbreviation for east to give what it costs (on something associated with 16!)
7d Lively person welcoming period as preacher (9)
An unusual word for someone who preaches is made up of someone who is lively with a word meaning a period of time inside.
8d Something of no significance in Spain, one ventures (3-5)
The answer meaning something of no importance is hidden inside!
13d What house coal will do for the usual price (5,4)
An expression meaning a usual price can be split up to give a phrase that means where coal can be in your home.
15d Small child on railway grunts (8)
The branch of the military that is nicknamed grunts can found by taking the name for a small child and adding the abbreviation for railway.
18d Time being encased in concrete, impassive (6)
The abbreviation for time goes inside a word meaning concrete to give an unusual word for impassive.
22d Is open-mouthed, needing oxygen, say, to take exercise (5)
Inside what oxygen is goes an abbreviation for exercise to give something that means is open-mouthed.
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The Quick Crossword pun: aid+dull+vice=edelweiss
A toss up today between 13a and 13d for my COTD, and incidently my final two clues to complete, in this very enjoyable romp through the Saturday puzzle. Just enough head-scratching to warrant a 2*/4* rating from me,
Thanks to the setter and to Tilsit.
Really enjoyed this.
15 d , a slur on an intelligent body of men, IMO.
Thanks for review and to setter.
I would have rated this 2*/4* except for 15d, which took the shine off this otherwise enjoyable puzzle, so 2*/3*.
Thanks to the setter and to Tilsit, and here’s hoping BD’s medical matters go well.
Saturday puzzles such as today’s are always more fun when they are not entirely R & W. Revolutionary in 6d certainly seems to make regular appearances. Didn’t know term for 15d but after Googling I agree with RD re this clue. Fav was 13d. Thank you Mysteron and Tilsit.
While the BRB does not support my opinion, I think that the term in 15d at least originated in the USA and, personally, I find it somewhat pejorative.
Collins on-line has grunt as US slang, especially during the Vietnam war.
21a was a new word for me – but I really enjoyed this and finished it before lights out last night.
Watching the Test Match this morning, the saturday morning session is always the most enjoyable – South Africa have already lost a couple of wickets cheaply.
21a was a new word for me too, Michael, and 15a had me reaching for Chambers. I’ve been listening to the TMS commentary and, although the late Bill Frindall was a friend, I’m really pleased that Henry Blofeld’s time is coming to an end. Now if only we could get rid of Boycott as well…
Henry Blofield seems to of been getting dressed in the dark lately – maybe he’s just demob happy!
Slow out of the starting gate but I managed to pick up speed to finish this very enjoyable puzzle at a gallop – */***.
Candidates for favourite – 10a, 13a, and 20d – and the winner is 20d (because it is where I went to grammar school).
Thanks to the setter and Tilsit (and thinking of BD).
Had to check the BRB for 13a, 21a and 15d.
All new terms for me.
Favourite 13d.
Thanks to the Saturday setter and to Tilsit for the hints.
Super puzzle, not easy but very clever. COTD for me was 10a.
Had to look up 21a, not a word I am familiar with. Showed my ignorance with 25a, never realised it was a place of learning, I associated it with something completely different.
For me ***/****
Thx to all
Just noticed that the NTSPP is set by Gazza. That will be our treat over a pre-prandial glass or two of vino collapso :yes:
16 across made me chuckle, given Hammonds gaff recently.
Great stuff today. Lots to like, but am I the only one who doesn’t see 21a as a synonym with “attribute”? Unless, of course, I’ve got the answer wrong, what else can it be?
My Fave is 9a, after 35 years with the airline, I couldn’t choose anything else. I think 13d deserves honourable mention.
Thanks to our Saturday setter and to Tilsit for sitting in for BD. I hope all is going well for BD.
Try BRB it’s there.
I don’t have a BRB, I’m not rich enough. My Collins thesaurus doesn’t have it. I’ll take your word for it, Thanks!
I have it as app which cost about £5 via Play Store
Thought I was going to meet my Waterloo with this, very slow off the mark. However, with a far amount of help from the supertoy I arrived. Hope BD’s check goes well and he gets date for second cataract soon. Thanks to Tilsit for helpful hints and to setter for a delightful way to spend Saturday afternoon. Favourite 21a once I had fathomed it out.
So did we – husband and I but chugged through – groaned that we missed a lurker first time round but 16a was favourite!
Thanks to the setter and to Tilsit for the hints. Good luck to BD. A super puzzle, most entertaining. 21a was a new word for me, managed to solve it by the wordplay. I didn’t find 15d offensive, as maybe I’m used to it, having read quite a few American novels with it in. Last in was 22a, my favourite was 13d. Was 2*/4* for me.
Oh dear, just when I thought I was getting better. Needed several forays into Chambers wordsearch for this one. I often see mention of the setter’s moniker on here – do the regulars know who they are just by the style of the clues??!
Have a look at Frequently Asked Question No 28 under the FAQ Tab at the top of the page
A belated thank you, crypticsue. V interesting.
I thought this was really tough going today. I still can’t see how I got 23a, I see the connection with 9a, but not the
rest of the clue.
Split your solution to 23a 4,4 and then read the clue again carefully, paying special attention to the possible meaning of the word ‘rejected’
Thanks. I would never have seen that. Very clever.
Read the first 4 letters backwards…
I thought this was going to be (too) hard (for me) as I only got a couple on first read through but it all teased out in the end.
**/***. Some clever clues and an enjoyable solve. Favourites were 21&26a and 8&13d. Thanks to Tilsit and the setter.
Two words fit this puzzle today for me. Hard and Work. Finished over lunch but not without a lot of research and head scratching. 13d was definite favourite. The QuickGK was pleasantly easy today though.
Many thanks for all your good wishes, but today was just an assessment to decide whether to go ahead and operate on the “other” eye. The good news is that yes, they will, the bad news is that it could be up to 12 weeks before it happens.
Oh dear, that is bad news! I only had two weeks between surgeries and I nearly went crazy. My biggest problem was depth perception, going up and down stairs was downright dangerous. I just hope you don’t have that problem, even so, I think 12 weeks is rather a long time. Good luck, we’re all rooting for you!
Not a problem – I live in a bungalow!
Do you have cataracts? I waited nine months between mine, but that was in 1987. Perhaps medical advice was different then. I have since acquired glaucoma, which is considerably less fun.
My cataract operations were nearly 10 years apart – only one eye initially affected. Now I, like you Robin, have glaucoma but so far thankfully it’s not too serious. Hope your op date will be brought forward for you BD.
Middling in terms of difficulty, with 10ac and 21ac demanding the most attention at the close.
:phew: All visitors now in bed including five year old and eighteen month old – clearing up finished.
I was really slow to get started on this but did, eventually, get there and enjoyed it/
A few things that were new to me – 13a and 21a and the ‘grunts’ bit of 15d – never heard of that one, honest guv.
I missed the finer points of 23a.
I liked 9 and 11a and 5d. My favourite was 13d.
Thanks to the setter and to Tilsit for doing a good impression of BD and glad to hear that the boss isn’t completely laid up.
Only just had time to notice that the NTSPP is a Gazza – :good: – but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.
I could do none of this, got 2 answers 6a a and 9a.
After finishing all the daily back-pagers all week. Strange.
Thanks BD for the hints, I do wonder if this is a Shamus back pager as I can usually only get two or three of his clues.
Now to go through the hints…
Is anybody still out there? I’ve managed most of this one before resorting to hints but I can’t work out 17d at all.
You’ve made your alias more formal so this needed moderation. Both aliases will work from now on.
17d Note player making a pile (7)
A note from tonic sol-fa followed by a stage player.
Thank you! Got it.
Forgot I should be putting my nom de plume, sorry.
I can start today’s now.
Can anyone tell us why the answer to 3D is what it is?
We think we have the answer correct ( last clue in) but don’t get the logic.
Very difficult to do so without going in the Naughty Corner, but if I tell you that the final letter in the solution is the abbreviation for motorway, you should be able to look the rest of the word up in the dictionary and see the connection with ‘leaves’