DT 28582 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28582 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28582 (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

6a    Fruitful series triumph of one barely running (7,6)
This could be a triumph of someone running while naked

8a    Lines one very good soldier from Down Under cut (6)
Our usual good man (one very good) is followed by most of an antipodean soldier

9a    Item for storing leaves two things on course, we hear (3,5)
… any time you see leaves in a clue it should nudge you towards the kind of leaves that are infused to make a drink

12a    Metal barrel by gents removed (8)
A barrel followed by an anagram (removed) of GENTS

14a    Thoroughly fashionable wisdom (2,5)
a two-letter word meaning fashionable followed by some wisdom

16a    For audience shortly, host gives wave (7)
Sounds like a word meaning shortly or in a little while followed by a host or large number of people

23a    Bottled gas could offer a new energy to get behind yet (6)
The A from the clue, N(ew) and E(nergy) follow (to get behind) a word meaning yet

26a    Quite a strange one having fled European match (6)
An anagram (strange) of QU[I]TE A without (having fled) the I (one) followed by E(uropean)

27a    Going off celeb’s heavenly body that’s flared up (9,4)
A verb meaning going off followed by a celebrity

Down

1d    Soak fruit one sister’s put on (8)
A type of fruit is preceded by I (one) and a religious sister

3d    Disturb a person working in US military gallery (7)
The A from the clue followed by a person working in US military, i.e. a US soldier, and a famous London art gallery

5d    Where people go round night and day getting to the heart of problem answers (2,4)
Hidden at the centre (heart) of the last two words in the clue

7d    Hoaxer going to church in Worcs town (13)
A six-letter hoaxer followed by a large church gives a town not far from where I live

15d    Woman briefly turning chart over (3)
For those who know, it’s Mrs BD’s first name – for those who don’t it’s the reversal (turning … over) of a chart

17d    Coach comes up with ‘Join together or go under‘ (8)
The reversal (comes up) of a three-letter coach, of the kind that carries passengers, followed by a verb meaning to join together

19d    Live jumps during January Olympic event (7)
An anagram (jumps) of LIVE inside (during) the short form of JAN(uary)

22d    One runs daily or weekly perhaps (6)
This person could run a daily publication, or a weekly one – or even a monthly one!

The Crossword Club is now open.


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The Quick Crossword pun: stare+Welles=stairwells


66 comments on “DT 28582 (Hints)

  1. 1* / 2.5*. I found this pangram straightforward and fairly enjoyable apart from quite a lot of iffy surfaces. 6a was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

    1. A “pangram” (Greek. Pan ‘every’ + Gramma ‘letter’) is strictly defined as a holoalphabetic SENTENCE. Ref. Collins 2012 and many others.
      Extending the meaning to include a crossword grid may make sense to cruciverbalists, but not to everyone (unless you care to construct a sentence containing all 27 answers….).
      However, it seems that our “pangram” is simply a contraction of “pangrammatic crossword”

        1. I should keep my mouth shut, but I never learn.
          When someone reads the comments by this happy band of brothers/sisters, how do they come up with such snippy remarks that put a damper on our fun.
          Thanks for your refereeing, BD, we need to keep this a happy place.

          1. This is my happy place- pleased to have managed all but 2 clues. I’m not v expert but enjoy giving my brain a work out aided by all of you :)

        1. Don’t worry about it! A pangram is a crossword or a sentence or whatever that uses all the letters of the alphabet.
          I’m glad that it’s your happy place – it’s mine too. :smile:

  2. Well I am early on parade as a result of my husband leaving paper on my pillow as I slept! Very enjoyable. Interesting grid. Just trying to work out if it is a pangram (it is). Penultimate in was 8a followed by 1d but no hold ups or headscratching. Will now read BD’s early morning hints and look forward to reading other opinions. 7d favourite but no doubt an old chestnut.

  3. This was a most enjoyable puzzle and, as I put in the answers for 7d and 15d, the thought occurred to me that maybe the setter and Big Dave are acquainted with one another…

    1. BD and today’s setter did have a chat last weekend As did I, so that’s how I know who set today’s puzzle ;)

  4. Early today – this was a typical Saturday puzzle – plenty of anagrams, a few hidden words. When you see the ‘z’ you automatically think ‘pangram’ and I’ve just been through the alphabet and it qualifies – yippee – very enjoyable!

    It’s the dreaded International break this week – don’t they drive you mad – who cares about England – not me (dons tin hat!). Thank god there’s some Rugby – England v Argentina – the betting gives England a 20 point advantage – let’s hope so!

  5. This was a nice puzzle not to taxing on the old grey matter, 5D was my last one in & in my opinion is a well hidden lurker. Many thanks to the setter & to BD for the partial hints.

      1. 5d had me foxed and was the only one for which I had to resort to BD. I was way off the mark.

  6. Compared to last Saturday, this was a walk in the park, quite enjoyable, and completed at a fast gallop – **/***.

    Candidates for favourite – 6a and 7d – and the winner is 7d.

    Thanks to the setter and BD.

  7. No problems with this pangram at all. I liked 1a for its humour and 5d for its surface and the well hidden lurker.

  8. 6a my favourite in this relatively straightforward Saturday pangram. I also particularly liked the well-hidden lurker at 5d. A slowish start, but then off to the races. 2* /3* overall with many thanks to our setter and BD. An afternoon of televised international rugby awaits.

  9. A most enjoyable Saturday romp taking us from a Worcs town and a catastrophic weather condition to the desert, to France and up into the universe! 26a was neat and 6a raised a smile but 5d was my favourite.
    Many thanks to the setter and to BD.

  10. An enjoyable Saturday frolic despite, as RD commented, some eyebrow-raising surface reads.
    Found it hard with 23a to dispel thoughts of the bottled gas of caravanning days – I can still recall the smell from those gas mantles!

    Just to be different I’ll give top marks to the simple 11a – perfectly constructed.

    Thanks to Cephas (I understand) and to BD for the Saturday club.

  11. A fun crossword which was appreciated all the more for having been too busy for such things this week.
    Just for once I not only twigged that it was likely to be a pangram but remembered to check at the end.
    I had a spot of bother with the second word of 14a – don’t know why but having got the middle letters it had to be what it was.
    Also got in a muddle with 25a.
    I thought the four long answers round the outside were particularly good and my favourite was 5d even though it was a dreaded lurker – what a ghastly place to try to drive round or through.
    With thanks to the setter and to BD.

  12. Before dashing off to collect No 2 son from a train and taking him, via an extremely quick change of clothes at home, to a wedding in Whitstable, I’d like to recommend both today’s NTSPP and the ‘Special’ puzzle too

    1. Thanks – just spotted that we have an extra crossword this weekend – how lucky we are and thanks to Prolixic. :smile:

    2. Thanks for the recommendation to the NTSPP today, just finished it over lunch and really enjoyed, having completed with just help on 7a. Either I am on the same wavelength as Chalicea, or I had a brain transplant while I slept. I rarely complete the cryptics, and certainly not without hints, so having finished both the cryptic and the NTSSP I am very happy. Of course I thoroughly expect to get slapped back down into place tomorrow…

    1. Chambers thinks it is a synonym of something associated with sewing; it is not the first time it has been used.

      1. Thank you. But I’m still confused now how the first two letters fit in. An enjoyable puzzle though.

        1. xxxxxxxxxxxxx

          BD always says if you start with ‘Think…’ then you are probably giving too much away.

          I’d suggest saying that they are looking for a specific record – CS

  13. A really enjoyable Saturday morning puzzle. */**** with favourite clue a toss up between 1 and 5d. Many thanks to the setter and BD.

  14. Loved today’s crossword. Some r and w and some that really stretched the little grey cells. 5d the last to go in. I felt quite daft when the penny dropped! Thanks to BD and the setter

  15. An enjoyable puzzle, some head scratching but no hair tearing. My favourite was 16a. I have enjoyed reading the blog for some time but felt slightly guilty when I filled in your recent survey and realized that I am a typical reader. So thanks to BD and all concerned.

  16. Yes that was quite a pleasant task today. Struggled a bit in the NW as I had the wrong lines in 8a (I had lines in sedimentary rocks) so missed the fact it was a pangram. Not corrected until I got 1d in.
    11a was last one in (type of box wouldn’t come to mind)
    16a was a bung in without fully parsing the answer until I realised the significance of audience.
    19d my personal fave among a long list already mentioned by others.

  17. I think I just had my first R&W, jumping up and down day, and finished without help or hints before breakfast over 😊 I love this mystery setter as I am clearly on his wavelength. Several great clues, including 9a and 5d. Makes up for days when I am left feeling quite dim. Yes I am sure it was too easy for the bright sparks, but I found it a real delight. Congrats to Big Dave on reaching the golden club.
    Will tackle the NTSSP over lunch.

  18. Loved it all! I never did get 5d and needed the hint, but the rest was pure fun. I felt so chuffed that I spotted the pangram, getting dangerously smug here.
    I thought 25a was two words but apparently not.
    I can’t choose a fave, there’s too much good stuff here.
    Thanks to the setter, revisit us soon, and to BD for his hints. Hope your golden celebrations went well.

  19. Well I nearly gave up on this one having read almost all the across clues and many of the down ones with a growing sense of despair – then I spotted 24a, which gave me 18d which led straightaway to 20a -and all of a sudden I was off and running…

    I’m glad I persevered.

    5d made me smile (and very proud to have discovered it almost immediately) and is thus my favourite.

    With thanks to the setter and, as always, to BD.

  20. Enjoyable but needed a hint for 5d from the blog, could not see that one at all, yet probably one of the easier clues and last one in. Therefore also my clue of the day.

    **/****

    Thanks to BD and the setter.

  21. Enjoyed this a lot. At first some clues seemed to be abstruse and initially I thought unsolvable. Once the soft underbelly was attacked all fell into place. I particularly liked 8A and 9A. The hints today were not needed but I do so thank Big Dave for supplying them.

  22. Not too bad today – managed without any clues but very nearly needed one for 4d – not that there was one :D

    R.

    1. I’m really not being snippy here but the clues are what the clever people who set the crosswords give us in order to get an answer – what we need to help us solve the clues are the hints.

  23. Luckily I did the four long clues round the side at the start which made the whole thing much easier.
    Fav was 5d which I cracked even before realising it was a lurker.
    Many thanks to all.

  24. Enjoyable, not too difficult this Saturday. 27ac was new to me, but that’s what the cryptic said, so… Didn’t notice the pangram, but then again I didn’t need it to complete this week. One or two I chucked in without fully understanding the cryptic, but everything seems clear in retrospect.

  25. How nice it was to settle down with today’s Telegraph crossword puzzle and a glass of rhubarb gin after a day spent redecorating the kitchen. Nothing too taxing (in the crossword that is) but very enjoyable and ideal relaxation – for me anyway. Thanks to the setter and to DG. BTW it was nice to see a location contained in the puzzle that’s not a million miles from home.

  26. Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle with lots of good clues. I was beaten by 26a, and needed the hint. I liked 9a and 13a, but my favourite was 5d. Was 2 ✳ / 3 ✳ for me.

  27. Very slow off the mark and surprised myself by finishing on my Jack Jones apart from 5d which escaped me completely. South beat the North to the finishing-post. Liked 6a and 9a. Thank you Mysteron and BD.

  28. I was surprised at the numbers owning up (as I am now) to putting in 5d last! Usually I get these hidden ones easily, but was on the wrong wavelength. Did finish it during Sat a.m as I had to go to the pub to watch England toil against Argentina.Great defence, but were lacking ideas on the attack. However a win is a win….
    Enjoyed the puzzle, didn’t need hints but thanks to BD non the less! Glad to see you back in action!

  29. Oh dear, got so absorbed by this one, that Ron(Veronica) forgot to put the Sunday joint in! Having a fry up instead. Having roast on Monday instead.

    1. There’s just nothing like a fry-up on a Sunday and then a roast to look forward to on a Monday. How lovely!

  30. Takes me a while, but I did it and enjoyed enormously. Needed BD for 5d, thank you. Still do not understand ‘audience’.

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