DT 29174 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29174 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29174 (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    They boost growth of young theatre audiences (11)
An adjective meaning young or inexperienced followed by some theatre audiences

7a    Barnet’s gone flat? You should ‘ave this emergency action (7)
Start with what Cockneys refer to in rhyming slang as Barnet, drop the initial letter (as the “h” has been dropped from have in the clue) and add what needs to be done if it has gone flat

10a    Heard grower identify drug dealer? (8)
Sounds like (heard) a grower of crops followed by a word meaning to identify

14a    One reckons copper should cut appeal and roll over (10)
Put the chemical symbol for copper inside (should cut) an appeal and end with the reversal of a roll or register

18a    Animal pound holds up to twelve in the day (4)
The abbreviation for a weight of a pound around the period of the day that precedes twelve noon

22a    One saves offshore if able to, getting conversion (8)
An anagram (getting conversion) of IF ABLE TO

24a    Record’s verse part (7)
An Extended Play record followed by the expanded version of ‘s and a verse

26a    More than one follower in family and sect ends badly (11)
An anagram (badly) of AND SECT ENDS

Down

1d    Scraps clothes used before maturity (7)
A four-letter word for clothes followed by maturity or elderliness

3d    Pronounced absence of frozen stuff used in eating place (10)
A two-letter word meaning absence of followed by some frozen stuff inside an item of furniture on which food is served

6d    To get a rise,  Foreign Office’s exam is least difficult (7)
The reversal of the abbreviation for the Foreign Office together with the S from ‘S followed by an exam

12d    Familiar sweet filling maestro put on starter for dinner (10)
An adjective meaning sweet or charming inside (filling) a maestro and followed by the initial letter of (starter for) D[inner]

15d    When they meet, something usually gets nicked (8)
Something can get “nicked” when this implement’s blades meet

17d    Came to worship from north and south (7)
A palindromic (from north and south) verb meaning came to worship

19d    Numbers getting answer peak, with small following (7)
A charade of A(nswer), a peak or summit and S(mall)

23d    Sounds like the inevitable event for charity (4)
Sounds like a word meaning the inevitable

The Crossword Club is now open.


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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: grisly+bare=grizzly bear


54 comments on “DT 29174 (Hints)

  1. Very slow start with the across clues but once started steady finish .

    10A my favourite once realised and 13A last entry .

    IMHO at a level suitable for a prize crossword.

    Thanks to everyone

  2. Tricky little devil but very satisfying to not be beaten by the setter!
    Thought 21a was a bit of a dirty trick given that is could be an alternative word with almost the same meaning.
    Bit if everything with this one, anagrams, lurkers and even a palindrome.
    Thx to all
    ***/***

  3. This was an uphill struggle (****)and I was tempted to give up halfway through. However, it was worth it in the end so **** for enjoyment. There were lots of really clever clues so it is difficult to pick favourites. I liked 8a,14a, 21a, 7d and 17d. I wasn’t too sure about one of the synonyms in 12d. Thank you to BD for the hints and to the setter for a real challenge.

    1. Very satisfying and a pleasant mental stretch – perfect. ***/****

      Another zero result last Saturday, and screen freezing/ slipping, slow typing response on all puzzles the last few days following the IOS 13.1.2 software update ( coincidence?). Have written to the Telegraph techies about both issues and will post the outcome if it will help others.

      1. Slow response time – It may still be doing update tasks in the background. Try just turning it on and leaving it for an hour
        The right-handed 15d pic brings back some painful memories – I’m left-handed

  4. Riding 1st class on cross country today so this a nice bit of distraction from the people trying to hunt me down. They’ll never track me on here the Internet is so poor, must be run by the dems. INCOMPETENT. Can’t even get a line to the Ukraine but did manage a download.

    13a I’ve never had any free love. Always had to pay for it. Still I put an answer in there but I can’t see why it’s right. I JUST KNOW IT IS. Still, help from the great state of UK, England, would be much appreciated.

    It will pay you to be good to me, as not long now until you will be like my 18a to your shambles. Get ready to man the 22a you LOSERS

    As you were

    TH

    1. If you don’t want me to moderate all of your comments, please stop using aggressive language and capital letters – it becomes very boring very quickly.

      1. Please don’t moderate TH too much.
        I like his posts. They cheer me up when I am struggling on a Saturday.

        1. Except that he seems to think that Ukraine should have The in front of it. A common yet erroneous mistake.

          1. Welcome to the blog Brian

            Humorous as his contributions may be to some, as far as I am concerned they are not suitable for this site and he needs to find a different platform. The last straw was when, on a now deleted comment, he criticised my policy with regard to the use of capital letters, indicating that it was his right to use them.

    2. First letter = Love
      The rest = A synonym for dash as in scribbling off a note
      Hope this is ok

          1. Nouns

            a paid position of regular employment.

            a task or piece of work, especially one that is paid

            A responsibility or duty.

            A difficult task

            Go for it Hoofit but only two of the above apply.

          2. Mr Dave did add a smile to his comment . . . so I’d reckon that a nod is as good as a wink . . . . as they say.

  5. Ouch! That took some brain cells, but persevered to a successful conclusion.
    The bottom half was much trickier than the top half, 17d was a great clue, took ages before the penny dropped on the parsing.
    Looking forward to confirming everything via BD’s hints.
    Great challenge, thanks to the setter.

  6. After a fairly straightforward set of back page cryptic puzzles so far this week I came to a stumbling halt today with very few clues solved after my first read through. Slowly, very slowly the solutions dawned and I finally had my grid filled. Many favourites, but I particularly enjoyed 7 across, 11 across, 22 across & 15 down. Unlike Brian, I can’t fault 21 across. 17 down is my clue of the day though. A most entertaining and absorbing prize puzzle – thanks to the setter and to BD of course.

  7. Sorry, found Trumps Hairpiece rant rather offensive and quite unnecessary. Great puzzle, loved it. Loads to like, 19d last to go in after that doh moment. Thanks to all.

  8. Found this one tough but got there in the end.
    Thought 17d was very good.

    Thanks to Big Dave and to the setter.

  9. Nice steady solve, with just 21A holding out. 10A is my top pick today. Thanks BD and the Saturday setter.

  10. 3*/3*. Medium difficulty overall and enjoyable in spite of a few strange surfaces.
    On my podium were 10a, 21a & 17d.
    Many thanks to the setter and to BD.

  11. Reasonably straightforward compared to some recent SPPs which was just as well as I had a late start on this one because of an evening function – completed at a gallop – **/***.
    Candidates for favourite – 7a, 8a, and 14a – and the winner is 7a.
    Thanks to the setter and BD.

  12. A complicated puzzle today but managed it with more use of the hints than is usual for me. Can’t say it was an enjoyable solve but it did have its moments such as 1a, 8a and 10a.

    I got the record part of 24a but not the rest of it. Not sure how the clue works.

    Many thanks to all concerned especially BD for the hints.

      1. The penny has dropped! Obvious, really, but I did not split the final part so it seemed meaningless.
        Thanks, Crypticsue. :good:

        1. It’s always a good idea to read both the hints and the previous commets before posting your own as quite often, especially at the weekends, the question(s) may have been raised earlier in the day

  13. Not many that immediately leapt off the page but worked through it in reasonable time and enjoyed the solve.
    There were, as RD commented, some rather strange surface reads.

    Several worthy of mention but my favourite was 23d. I’ve been involved in staging so many over the years and they’re definitely ‘inevitable events’ where fund-raising is concerned!

    Thanks to our setter and to BD for the club.
    Now then – back to wrestling with the Radler fiend or try the NTSPP?

  14. I have to go with 21a as my favourite today. It was my last one in and I just could not see the answer even though it was staring me in the face. I had an alternative answer which worked but created havoc with the other clues. Overall this was a tricky but worthwhile and enjoyable exercise for a Saturday Prize Puzzle.

    Thanks setter and of course BD for the Club. Well done England on reaching the quarters.

  15. I found this a real graft but I do forgive myself as, like RD, I found several clues to be somewhat dubious including 7a, 19d, 24a and 17d. Hope for more fun tomorrow. Thank you setter and BD.

  16. That was a tricky blighter that woke me up from a Saturday torpor,,,, but was a very enjoyable solve.
    I gained access via the down clues & worked from there,,, I’m sure I’m not the only one to be caught out by 21ac, so it gets my clue of the day.
    3*/4*
    Thanks to setter for the workout & BD for review

  17. I quite enjoyed this one – it was tricky enough, for me anyway.
    I came to a sticky end in the bottom left corner – a self-inflicted one – oh dear!
    Couldn’t see 15d for ages, not helped by the 21a boob, but even after sorting that out it still took too long.
    I thought there were some good clues – 1 and 7a and 4d. My favourite was the 10a ‘drug dealer’ – a homophone that no-one has quibbled with, yet.
    Thanks to the setter and to BD.
    Think I might leave the MPP a miss until I feel brave enough to have a look – will have a go at the NTSPP.

  18. An update from pommers yesterday.
    As we already know he was in the UK when the floods happened (not quite his words but that’s what he meant!) so pommette was on her own. She managed to save the important bits – his computer, the three cats, the car, the hi-fi including some irreplaceable speakers, and most of their clothes. Their house is pretty much trashed but is now empty and needs to dry out a bit more before replastering, redecorating and refurnishing can begin. They are living in a borrowed apartment.
    That’s the gist of it – he says that blogging isn’t really on at the moment but maybe in a few weeks.

    1. Thank you for updating us, Kath. I’m sure all our thoughts and best wishes go out to pommers and pommette in their distressing predicament. Let’s hope the reparations progress steadily for them.

  19. I believe your reproduction of the clue for 6D is incomplete.
    Thank you for your assistance today. What a stinker!

    1. So it is – as BD doesn’t seem to be around this afternoon, I’ll add the missing parts

  20. Long struggle. Thanks for excellent hints, only wish there’d been more. Drew a complete bank on 4d and 21a. Just can’t see them. Anyway thanks for hints and to setter.

    1. 4d remove the abbreviation for street from some little beasts to get a type of food
      There has been discussion about 21a earlier – I’ll just say that the third word is an anagram indicator

      1. Sue -See below 24 – thanks, I suddenly realised I took the abbreviation from the wrong end -doh….Also 12d slipped in so all done now..

  21. Phew! That was a battle for a Saturday Prize Crossword! Actually I really enjoyed the challenge, lengthy as it was.
    I thought both 14 and 18a were good clues; I’ll put the latter on top of the podium.
    Thanks to the setter, and to BD for the hints.
    PS. Do we really need the contribution at No.4?

    1. No 4 is very odd. Do we know the nationality of the contributor? A little irony goes a long way.

      Enjoyed the puzzle. Difficult but a tad easier than Friday’s offering.

  22. I found that tougher going than some Saturdays but satisfying once completed 8a took me ages, 17d I had to check. 14a favourite.

    R.

  23. No change…still not finished by Sunday evening with 4d -yes 4d – and 12d! Waiting for the penny to drop. Too many things to do to concentrate.
    It should waiting for apples to drop as it has been a bumper year.
    Thanks for the hints but not the ones I wanted!

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