DT 28785 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28785 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28785 (Hints)

The 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    Place to hang hospital garment? (8)
I read this as a semi all-in-one, where a part of a hospital is combined with a garment

9a    Bar runner from club with pain needing treatment (8)
An anagram (needing treatment) of CLUB with PAIN

12a    … hence, having no beginning or end, poem causes scramble (6)
The first word in the clue without its first and last letters (having no beginning or end) is followed by a poem

14a    Severe forecast — ring entrepreneurs for clothing (10)
Hidden (clothing) inside the clue

18a    One relays creepy messages of courses in Paris and Berlin by management (5,5)
… you don’t see one of these devices for ages and then two come along inside two days!

22a    Drive home’s ending? (6)
Another one that I don’t know if my analysis is correct – the final letter (ending) of [hom]E symbolically represents the answer

24a    Bothered to take time for seconds, resulting in round figure (6)
Start with an adjective meaning bothered or annoyed and change the S(econds) for a T(ime) to get an integer (round figure/number)

25a    Villain receiving old-fashioned look after page’s introduction (8)
A villain goes around an archaic (old-fashioned) word for look (as an interjection) and is preceded by P(age)

27a    Risky material, ‘First Love’ penned by idiot (8)
This material, that used to be ubiquitous, is now regarded as a serious health risk – a four-letter word meaning first or optimal and O (love) inside an idiot

Down

2d    After hesitation, turned up nude, getting slap in the face (6)
The reversal (turned up in a down clue) of a word of hesitation is followed by another word for nude or naked which is usually part of a three-word phrase

4d    Fine meadow or riverside, perhaps, for Mole! (6,4)
A fine meadow or a riverside could be described thus (as a definition-by-example) – ignore the false capitalisation which is intended to misdirect you towards The Wind in the Willows!

This mole

not this one

 

7d    Staffing that’s opposed by feminists? (8)
… could be the opposite of the feminist slogan promoted by The Spice Girls

8d    Light meal the French originally shelled out for (8)
I’m not sure what to make of this – the best I can do is that it is a word from the French and the creation of this dish involves shelling one of the ingredients

15d    Row of homes? (8)
Two definitions – the first being a colloquial word for a row or argument

17d    Butcher cutting son causes hysterics? (8)
Start with a verb meaning to butcher or slay and drop (cutting) the S(on)

19d    Club’s number one in part of India — tall story! (6)
Jordan Pickford wears this number when playing for England! – Part of India is followed by a tall story or fib

20d    Man whose limit may be one across and two down? (6)
A chess piece (man) one of whose moves (may be) is described by the clue

21d    Present that bloke goes on about (4)
The male third person singular pronoun is followed by a word meaning about or concerning

The Crossword Club is now open.

Could new readers please read the Welcome post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.

As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT, or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment. If in doubt, leave it out!

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The Quick Crossword pun: canter+berry+tails=Canterbury Tales

54 comments on “DT 28785 (Hints)”

  1. Re 8d – apparently the French were the first to give this name to this particular ‘shelled’ dish – amazing the things you learn when you are drafting a crossword review

  2. Struggled through this one and needed several hints. Some answers I could get but not work out why so thanks for sorting those out. 20d a favourite.

  3. Another week of a few Hmms after solving some of the clues, such as 8d – I am not convinced that the answer matches the definition. Some electronic assistance was required to finish at a canter – ***/**.

    Joint favourites – 25a and 4d.

    Nice pic at 19d, not so sure about 9a.

    Thanks to the setter and BD

  4. Tougher than yesterday’s Toughie … but I liked it.

    My favourite was 9a for the cleverly hidden definition.

    Ps. BD, the clue to 9a has been truncated in your hints.

      1. I never realised that “dragging and dropping” was necessary to provide the hints and tips. Perhaps you could explain what process you and your team of bloggers have to do to provide us with such a helpful service.

        I’ve always thought it was done by magic!

        1. In simple terms:

          1. Solve the crossword, preferably online as when submitted you know that all the answers are correct (or at least agree with those uploaded by The Telegraph)

          2. Display the pdf version of the puzzle

          3. Copy the clues to the “clipboard”

          4. Run a Word macro that I have developed, which gives the outline structure of the post

          5. Add the hints, which often involves copying or “dragging and dropping” from the clues

          6. Add pictures and videos to illustrate some of the answers

          7. Upload to the blog, using the “Post to blog” option of Word

          8. Add the finishing touches to the blog, including the spoilers, categories, tags and the Quick crossword pun.

          9. Publish

          10. Sit back and wait for brickbats to be thrown!

          1. Unless of course it is a Thursday or Friday in which case you just sit and wait and wait in vain for comments on weekend puzzle reviews!

            1. Hi Sue. I’m happy to comment on the full reviews if you wish – it just means remembering to make a note straight after solving. Would you like me to do that?

              1. I’ve started making the effort to keep the completed weekend puzzles until the reviews come up but usually find that everything’s already been covered and I can’t think of much more to add.
                Must try harder………

            2. Sue, I’ll definitely be visiting when your review comes out for this one! I missed so many, and I don’t think I can blame it on eyes again.

          2. BD, many thanks for your reply!

            Simples!

            Now back to the MPP by Phibs which is not as simple as I first thought.

  5. Well I managed to finish before the hints appeared but it was an enjoyable struggle . SW corner held me up especially as I had 24a vice verse originally .Lots of favourites but 18a brought the biggest smile so gets my vote as COTD . Score ****/**** .
    Thanks to everyone

  7. Tricky! Needed some e-help to get through this, and BD’s reassurance that 8d was correct – thank you.

    9a was also my favourite.

  8. I found this quite tricky/challenging and required a fair amount of head-scratching. Which is good! 4d: Why is this the answer if female, but the definition if male? Favs: 23a and 27a. 3.5* / 4*

  9. ‘Enjoyable struggle’ is about right. Took a long time to get on the wavelength for a number of clues today. Have a good weekend all.

  10. There is another French dish that fits 8d, but only if you have one of them.

    My complaint wiith its bigger cousin, the Lobster, is that chefs charge a high price then make the diner do all the work getting the meat out!

  11. Has anyone got an explanation for 22a ? – other than that , a splendid puzzle
    Ta to setter and big Dave

  12. Not my finest hour . Needed a lot of electronic help as well as several hints.

    Still, what do I care, I’m off to the matinee of Kiss Me Kate …It’s too darn hot to do anything else!

    Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave

  13. No difficulties here, enjoyable all the same.

    I’m sure I know that bloke illustrated at 9a from somewhere… as well as one or two others :smile:

    Thanks to setter & BD

  14. The club’s number one was only worked out from the wordplay – you can probably guess what I won’t be doing this afternoon! – and I thought I might have missed some nuance in both 22a & 8d but it would appear not.

    1a made me smile and my favourite was 4d.

    Thanks to Mr Ron and to BD for the club.

    Just finished the battle with Mr Radler, might need a rest before tackling the MPP!

  15. Tough SE corner, i needed the hints for 19 & 20d, & 27a. The top half seemed unusually easy. A good puzzle. Thanks to BD & Setter

  16. I’m still perplexed as to why I have the correct answer for 8d – and intrigued by Attila the Hun’s comment – so I’ll have to come back to it later in the afternoon. I particularly liked 18a and 4d and thought that this was a most enjoyable puzzle.

    1. re 8d – does it help if you read my comment @ 1 Atilla’s comment is really in alternative answer/hint territory but it depends if you know what he’s talking about!

      1. It’s good of you to take the trouble to reply, Sue. I had previously read your comment at ‘1’ – and the play on words hadn’t escaped me. [Part redacted – please don’t discuss wrong answers.] I’m just wondering how long it will be before Dave makes the observation that another Spurs’ player has got on to the England score sheet…

  17. For reasons that I cannot explain I found many of the hints at least as baffling as the clues they were attempting to simplify. First time ever. Maybe the extreme heat has addled my brain. Love The Blog – it has helped me to understand how to attack the cryptically.

    1. You’ve used your full name when commenting this time

      The heat definitely isn’t helping with crossword solving today

  18. That really was a game of two halves. The top went in fairly easily but the bottom was a real struggle. Just stuck on one of those pesky 4 letter clues, 26a. Think I have got 15d right but not totally convinced. But 26a is really puzzling me.

    1. 26a all I’m going to say is double definition – you know what I’d say next so…

  19. Mmm… Not sure what to make of this. A lot of it went in quite quickly and other parts particularly the SW corner put up a heck of a fight. Similarly I enjoyed most of it but there were a couple of clues (22a & 8d) which I found rather unsatisfying.

    18a was my favourite.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

  20. Loved it today. ***/**** . NW corner dropped straight in, then struggled a bit, with 20d last to fall – what a brilliant clue. I spent a puzzled ten minutes trying to think of a word for a cupboard for the Emporer’s new clothes! Where do nudists store theirs? Was so pleased with myself I then sent in the solution before noticing my weekly typo in one of my answers, so no chance of a prize yet again! I do wish they would give us a tick when we have it all right, like during the week.

  21. A good workout in the mental gym which is all one needs on another 30+ degrees scorcher.

  22. I found this fairly tough for a Saturday prize puzzle, which is fair enough although a couple of the clues left me feeling perplexed, particularly 22a and 8d. I did like 18a. I don’t mind a struggle if it is fair, but some of the wordplay I really didn’t like.

    Thanks for the considerable challenge to our setter, and to BD.

  23. Managed this while watching the footie with considerable help from the blog and Mr google.Thanks to BD and setter.
    I wasn’t helped by a completely wrong answer for 15d which as I live in one of these I blithely continued until checkers and BD put me right.
    At least the footie team didn’t put us through the wringer as much as the setter today.

  24. Ooh – I thought that was jolly difficult.
    Lots in the bottom left corner held me up and I was slow to get 8d and 19d.
    Thought that ‘one across’ and ‘two down’ in 20d was something to do with the clues. :roll:
    I missed the lurker and the anagram indicator in 9a.
    Pretty dim all round today – I’m blaming the heat.
    I liked 1a and 2 and 17d and my favourite was 18a.
    With thanks to the setter and to BD.

  25. This was very, very tricky, even with the hints I’m lost on some. For the life of me, I can’t get 8d, maybe I don’t get out enough, but I’m lost there. Have written a heads up in my calendar to check Sue’s review.
    Thank you BD for the pic of our favourite 9a.
    My fave of the ones I could solve was 20d, but I liked 18a as well.
    Thanks to setter and to BD for his hints.

    1. I’ve got it now. All this chitchat about lobster confused me, and made my mouth water!

      1. I was definitely similarly confused. Nobody else’s fault – I had a plateau de fruits de mer in my head from the beginning and could not get it out of my head or taste buds.

  26. I’ve sat here all day staring at 8d and only just got it. And once you’ve got it it’s so obvious!
    18a was probably my favourite. I do enjoy reading everyone’s comments, thanks to Big Dave and the setter, I’m off to see what’s cold and Belgian in the fridge.

    1. Hope Hazard or Lukaku are “cold” and Belgian if England meet them later in the Final.

  27. I found this a slog from beginning to end and had to seek a great deal of help so no satisfaction in completing. Not sure about bothered in 24a or abbreviation in 19d. Nevertheless there were several clues which appealed e.g. 1a, 18a, 4d and 20d. Thank you Mysteron and BD.

  28. Some outstanding clues. I was left with 14a. Got the word that fitted but could not parse until I realised it was a lurker. This left me only with the troubling 8d. I have an answer but not sure it’s right. The answer I have I think of as an ingredient rather than a meal so perhaps I am wrong. 18 and 22a and 4 and 17d are my favourites

  29. Quite difficult this week, with one or two bits I’m really not sure about, notably 8d. Those, together with one of my least favourite grids, meant less than top marks from this corner, I’m afraid.

  30. Well I started with a rush but slowed almost to a standstill the further down the grid I got. Took ages for the ‘creepy’ one to reveal its answer and I could have kicked myself when the penny finally dropped.
    Oh well. 18a is favourite as it happens.
    A good challenge regardless.
    Thanks to the setter and to BD for the hints.

  31. Well I could kick myself. I was wrong and now I have got it I can’t see how I could have missed it. Not a bad clue after all. The raw ingredient I had in mind was something different and it may be that others went down the same route.(referring to 8d of course)

  32. Goodness, now I really appreciate how complicated giving the clues are for those of us like me who rely on them to solve the crosswords. Thanks so much BD and team of bloggers. I very rarely finish a crossword on the day but I enjoy reading everyone’s comments- such fun.

  33. I found this week’s pretty tough, not helped by an acceptable alternative for 6d in terms of meaning and letter length but not matching clue and 14a needing a ‘Doh!’ moment.

    Favourites 9a and 18a – 8d took way too long – kept thinking of the wrong thing to shell

    Thanks BD and team! – didn’t realise the lengths you go to to bring us these clues!

    R.

  34. I seem to be one of those who has found recent puzzles less than satisfying. I was introduced to the Telegraph almost 60 years ago and have submitted solutions to the prize puzzle for many decades, being lucky enough to win on several occasions. It may be a question of ‘wavelength’ and personal preference but I find too many clues over-long and complex. There are nuggets but I liken the overall experience to extracting a deep splinter and being unsure if I have got it all!
    LickeyBanker

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