DT 29180 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 29180 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29180 (Hints)

The Saturday Crossword Club

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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    French journalist with courtesy title’s feat of endurance (8)
The most notable thing about this French political theorist, physician, and scientist who was a journalist and politician during the French Revolution, was that he was assassinated while taking a medicinal bath, allegedly on the orders of the Marquis de Sade – add a courtesy title to get a feat of endurance first performed by the Greek soldier Pheidippides

5a    American with old Bob grieves audibly in trial (6)
A(merican) followed by the symbol that represents the old coin known as a Bob and what sounds like (audibly) a verb meaning grieves

11a    Isn’t allowed to include electronic sheet of paper (7)
Three-letter words meaning Isn’t and allowed around (to include) E(lectronic)

13a    Before alleged, that’s taken for granted (11)
A charade of a three-letter prefix meaning before and a word meaning alleged

16a    Nimble comedian Edward having an alert mind (5-6)
An adjective meaning nimble followed by a comedian and the three-letter affectionate version of Edward

21a    Chocolate therefore left in pressurised container (7)
… the chocolate is a proprietary product

22a    Feline coming to an unexpectedly abrupt end (4,3)
A not-very-cryptiv definition of a feline with only a rudimentary tail

23a    Cheat thanks Romeo with daughter who’s a feeble-minded person (6)
Crossword Lego® – a two-letter verb meaning to cheat someone followed by a brief word of thanks, the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO Phonetic alphabet and D(aughter)

26a    Delivery of porcelain figure? (8)
Split as (5,3) this ball bowled by a left-arm bowler that spins in the opposite direction to the bowler’s usual delivery could be a porcelain figure

 

Down

1d    Doctor goes round country for some wool (6)
One of the two-letter abbreviations for a doctor around the poetic name for Ireland

2d    Stands topless and bolts (6)
Start with some stands hot food containers and drop (topless) its initial letter

3d    Fixture that might prove gripping for Windsor? (3,4)

6d    Work hastily about first half of July to make ramp (3,4)
A verb meaning to work hastily or carelessly around the first half of JU[ly]

8d    Still having fancy diet before bed? (8)
An adverb meaning still followed by an anagram (fancy) of DIET

12d    Pitched battle that’s first-class perhaps (6,5)
… this pitch is a cricket pitch

14d    Blue is smoother, without question (8)
To get this verb meaning blue or to misspend put a tool used to make wood smoother around QU(estion)

15d    Thrilled lout was in contention outside (8)
Apparently the answer can mean thrilled – put a four-letter lout inside a verb meaning was in contention

17d    Bird finding trees bending in Malaysian city (7)
An anagram (bending) of TREES inside the abbreviation for a Malaysian city

20d    Quite a bit of restraint or tension (6)
Hidden (quite a bit of) inside the clue

Don’t blame me – I’m only the messenger! If I really enjoyed puzzles like this one then I’d take out a subscription to the Daily Mail.

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!

Some of the pictures may reveal the answer when hovered – these gimmes are deliberate and are present to help less able solvers to get started.  Comments pointing this out will be deleted.

Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.

If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself (and me) a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment.


The Quick Crossword pun: knew+Marr+Kitt=Newmarket


91 comments on “DT 29180 (Hints)

  1. A relatively gentle puzzle (**/****) though the SE corner was trickier, due to a couple of clues about a subject of which I lack knowledge. I likes 14d, 16a and 22a. Thanks for the hints and to the setter.

  2. Re 14D . Should xxxx [redacted as it is Saturday – def 2 of this word in the BRB is the one you require]
    Enjoyed the challenge , a few favourites , 5A, 22A & 26A .
    Latest iPad update is causing annoying problems such as slow input and the clue columns moving up or down .
    Thanks to everyone .

    1. Thank you. 14d was also troubling me.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
      I had joined the 00/28 etc. club and I kept losing my partially completed grids so I deleted and reinstalled the DT app on my iPad. All seemed fine until I tried to submit my solutions this morning and it wouldn’t let me….! I guess it’s the taking part that’s important 😂
      Thank you to all involved as usual

        1. Thank you. I had checked the BRB – I just hadn’t scrolled down far enough! One lives and one learns…

      1. I cannot submit either of the weekend’s Prize Cryptic Crosswords. Most frustrating.

    2. Thanks and sorry ?

      Yes , confirm iPad submissions not possible . Also , the downloading the DT’s TV Schedule ? It seems DT is having general technical issues .

  3. This crossword being what it is, it did help in getting 5a and the two all in ones.
    Thanks to the setter and to BD for the club.

  4. Did this in two halves. Had a break in the middle. Only real problems were in SW. Did not know
    that meaning of 14d so did not parse and could only think of a politically incorrect word for 23 a. Favourites 11 22 and 24a and 6 and 18d. Thanks setter. Did not share BD’s distaste but thank you for making sense of my final answers.

  5. Methinks today’s setter is a cricket aficionado and I wonder just how many would have been left scratching their heads about the answer to 26a without Dave’s generous hint. I’m pleased to say that I didn’t experience any problems with this puzzle and I can now watch the Ireland-Samoa game without any distractions.

    1. I did not know the cricketing meaning but once I had the checkers I had the answer from the other part of the clue and got the answer. Realised that in this context delivery is also a cricket term.

  6. Surprisingly for a weekend puzzle I completed without BD’s hints which confirmed my hesitant infilling of some clues. Liked quite a few clues including 16a, 21a, 22a, 26a, and 12d. My favourite was 26a.

  7. I take my hat off to anyone who can set a cryptic crossword (I know I couldn’t) and so always try to write something positive about a puzzle when posting on this fine site… but unfortunately I found today’s offering to be a turgid slog, with clunky cluing, questionable synonyms (14d, 15d) and bereft of sparkle and humour. This seems to have become the trend on Saturdays in recent weeks – perhaps I should follow LBR’s advice and give Saturday’s a miss? Had the England vs France game not been cancelled I doubt I’d have persisted with this one.

    Thanks to the setter and to BD for the hints.

    1. Agree 100%. I guessed 14d from the letters I had but had to look it up as it was a new one for me. Same with 26a but then I have never played cricket :D Didn’t much like 15d either.

      So – yes – a bit of a slog but thanks to BD for the hints

      R.

  8. A bit tricky in parts but very enjoyable. I did like 22a and 26a. Not sure about 15d meaning thrilled but hey ho.
    The electronic version limps from problem to problem following the recent iPad upgrade. Not only is it now going slow but it refuses to submit the crossword for the competition. Come on DT IT dept, get your act together.
    Thx to all
    ***/****

    1. No problems on Microsoft platforms, perhaps you should address your iPad complaints to the ghost of Steve Jobs.

  9. Can’t say I’ve ever heard this definition of 15d. All the rest fine but I have two answers for 10a. Anyone else with this problem? Thanks to all.

    1. Found this difficult to get due to the checkers being vowels. However I only have one answer which means “end” e.g. of a show. It ticks all the boxes once I got the correct synonym for “dry”

  10. As blue and xxxx have similar etymologies – then this may give a suggestion as to how this word (14D) was derived. Without giving anything away (Saturday) – I would have felt more comfortable with xxxx.

    A good puzzle, my favourite ‘Clue of the Clue’ (there should be a word for this – epi-clue?) was 1A

  11. Completed without any outside assistance, but it did take two bites at the cherry. I had question marks at 1a and 14d, and although I got the cricketing clues, there will be many who don’t.

    I only got 15d (my last in) by realising that it was a pangram and I was a letter missing.

    But, it is a prize crossword after all.

    Many thanks to the setter and BD.

    1. Me too! I often wonder what’s the use of a pangram but in this instance it did alert me to the missing letter!

    2. Bah, this keeps up my 100% record of failing to spot a pangram (and of all the times when I’m tracking letters to check for a pangram turning out not to be!).

      More irritatingly, today I did actually start tracking letters after a few early answers … then when I returned to the crossword later, I completely forgot about it!

      Thank you for enlightening me, Malcom.

    3. I could never understand how a pan gram can relate to a crossword eg 15d as it doesn’t contain all the letters of the alphabet! Can anyone explain as the hint indicates that ‘thrilled’ is a tricky way to describe the answer. Any further hints?
      It’s my last one….!

      1. Went to FAQ as advised -thanks BD! And went through the Alphabet – and got it! The last letters in the crossword.
        I agree though that the answer is very removed from the suggested answer in the clue.

  12. Not one of my favourite puzzles but I appreciate the work involved in setting it, particularly creating a pangram. No particular stand out favourite but I did like the cricketing clues.

    Thanks setter and BD.

  13. Completed at a gallop in an randomly erratic manner – one across, two downs, two acrosses and so on – **/***.
    Candidates for favourite – 25a, 26a, and 14d – and the winner is 26a.
    And, wonder of wonders, I even saw it was a pangram just before I completed the solving!
    Thanks to the setter and BD.
    P.S. – As yesterday’s puzzle was number 29,179, should this really have been number 29,180, rather than 29,810 as shown on the DT puzzle web site?

        1. I’ve changed the number to the correct one, not least because if someone is searching for today’s hints using the correct number they wouldn’t have been able to find them!

    1. Ha, well spotted, Senf.

      Maybe this actually is puzzle 29,810, in an early stage of development, intended for publication in … [starts up calculator app] … 2 year’s time?

      Anybody want to remember to check back on Saturday 16th October 2021 to see how it compares to the finished 29,810?

  14. 2*/1.5*. Not for the first time I find myself in agreement with Young Salopian. Thank goodness we have a Silvanus NTSPP to brighten a dull wet day.

    11a doesn’t work because “isn’t” doesn’t quite mean what it is required to mean. Isn’t “unexpectedly” in 22a unnecessary? I expected 24a to be enumerated (2,6) but on checking found both options in the BRB. When I had the first letter of 12d I wrote in the obvious (to me at least) answer only to find I had one letter too many for my first word.

    Thanks to the setter and to BD.

    1. 11a – but surely “isn’t allowed”means the same ( 3-3 ) with the single letter suggested in the clue in the middle.

      1. I think the “is” is just padding. I can’t make a sentence where you can replace “isn’t allowed” with (3-3).

        1. An archaic use of the second three-letter word (sometimes with a doubled third letter) was to mean an absence of restraint: “He is xxx xxx to marry her”.

  15. Ugh! Not a favourite. I found it quite a struggle to solve and did not like some of the clues. It would give too much away if I explained why I did not like them. I began to suspect a pangram after I found the letters Q, Y and X appear. No particular favourites and I did not understand 18d.

    Grateful thanks to all.

      1. Because you sometimes have a space between Phil and G, you went into moderation because this time you didn’t.

        What I would suggest to you and Steve is that you split your solution 4,3 and then read the clue again

        1. Ok but still found it a bit clunky possibly because I never use the first part as a meaning for waste.

  16. Did not enjoy this one much and needed some electronic and hinty help.

    Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave (and to Weekend Wanda).

  17. Morning all, I haven’t finished this one yet but for some reason I did not particularly like this one. 23a I had the last 4 letters and thought ‘Surely not!’ until I realised what the proper answer is.
    I am reasonably OK with cricketing terms but there were rather too many for me.
    Clearly the setter put a lot of work into it and I admire that.
    Cheers everyone, Thanks as always Big Dave.

  18. 10 across eludes me even when I looked up the alternate letter dictionary. Reminds me I am ‘dry’.

  19. ***/*. A little bit clunky for my taste with some stretched synonyms e.g. 18d waste. Got 5a purely because I was missing a letter. My favourite was 21a, the first part taking me back to my youth. Thanks to the setter and BD.

  20. Quite enjoyed this Saturday challenge, but 3 clues spoilt it for me, namely, 26a, 12d, and 15d, particularly the latter. Felt the setter lost interest on those. Well to be fair, 12a is probably due to my aversion to all things cricket. But even better half, a lefty himself, had never heard the 26a term. But better than a lot of recent Saturdays, so thanks to setter and Big Dave.

  21. Also stuck on 10a I have an answer but can’t see why it might be right. Hints much appreciated.

    1. Welcome

      Since you posted your comment this afternoon, there’s been more discussion on 10a in the comments which you may find helpful

  22. That was totally beyond me, I felt as if I were wallowing in quicksand. I couldn’t come to grips with what the setter was trying to tell me to do! Not to worry, it was good for a laugh, there could be worse ways of starting a Saturday.
    Thanks for the fun setter, and thanks for your hints and tips BD.

  23. Like many others today there were a number of clues I felt didn’t work smoothly but hey, kept us amused over lunch so thanks to all as usual.

  24. Quite straightforward- favorite 22a.

    We’ve been troubled all week with slow response etc on the iPad. Shutting the app down and restarting seems to cure it (for a while..).

  25. I quite enjoyed this – I even managed all the ‘crickety thingies’ which I usually have trouble with.
    Early on I spotted that it was likely to be a pangram but then, as usual, forgot to check at the end.
    14d caused a spot of bother until I remembered the less common meaning of ‘blue’.
    I liked 16a and 2 and 4d and my favourite was 14d.
    Thank you, setter, and BD.
    Going to watch the dancing and save the NTSPP for tomorrow.
    Getting a beastly cold – :sad: – been with snotty two year old grandson all week.

  26. 14d was a very clever, seemingly simple, clue with a built in misdirection.
    Many thanks to all.

  27. No real problems (at least, not from the crossword) but it wasn’t a comfortable solve. No real favourites.
    Thanks to the setter, and to BD for the hints.

  28. I had two bites at the cherry here with the morning session yielding very little but after being out all day returned to the task in hand this evening and ploughed my way through eventually completing the East followed by the West. All that without noticing it was a pangram. I am reassured to discover that I was far from alone in not enjoying today’s puzzle at all for a variety of reasons. Enough said. Thank you Mysteron (new setter?) and BD.

    1. Have just completed the Quickie which I didn’t enjoy either apart from the pun because I lived very happily within a stone’s throw of there for many years. Amongst other quibbles I’m not sure the solution to 4a would be very flattered to be referred to as a “reporter”!

  29. No “galloping to completion ” for me. If I had horses they would be terrified. I completed this but it was an all afternoon and evening job, very tricky for the most part. Some hints required to confirm my couple of doubtful efforts. Still, keeps the old brain in gear !

    *****/*.

  30. Yellow flag on 15d clue….. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe answer doesn’t match the word “blue”

    1. You’ve changed your alias – both this one and the previous one should work in future

      There was a lot of discussion on this yesterday, but as I said then, if you check the dictionary, you’ll find that the solution does in fact mean ‘blue’

  31. Thanks, Big Dave — I couldn’t’ve done this without you.

    I was particularly unimpressed with the lurker; the words are cognate, so it’s hardly surprising to find them using the same letters.

    I was surprised at both 26a and so many commenters admiring it: respected authorities on the game and journalists have ceased using it, as it’s found racially offensive. (I can’t link without giving the answer away. I’ll try to remember to do so on Friday.)

    2d was my favourite (Big Dave, is your hint missing “for”?).

      1. Hear , hear, Wanda – I thought it a brilliant clue and I must be from the Netherlands, too, if anybody could possibly call the term
        racialy offensive

      2. Different people find different things offensive. 26a is a term about which there has been a campaign not to use, with success in significant places.

        Again, I can post relevant links on Friday’s full review.

        1. Hi, I don’t want to add fuel to any contentious fire here because I love this online community and I believe we all care and mean well. Yes, when I first figured out that clue I thought ‘Ooooh that’s a bit politically incorrect!’ but then I researched the cricket background and it made sense in that context. I have relatives who fit that description and I asked and they just laughed and said ‘Huh! Who knew!’

          I do sometimes fear that we are getting into such a politically correct muddle that we are losing ourselves along the way. I spent 3 years of my childhood in Amstelveen, Nederland (Holland) and have fond memories of Sinterklaas coming into our classrooms along with his sidekick whom I won’t name. Also watching Sinterklaas arrive in Amstelveen in…..not sure which year but early 1960’s he was in a white open top sports car instead of on a horse and said sidekicks were on big motorcycles. It was lots of fun.

          I lived in the Caribbean where people of all colours would dress as dead people on the Day of the Dead. That involved white pancake makeup and black around the eyes and teeth etc. Not exactly sensitive really either.

          I could name so many more examples but would just like to end with: words, terms, older words, are interesting if not meant as a weapon. Read Chaucer, or Shakespeare or Pinter or any number of authors, enjoy the history of the word or term, acknowledge it. Enjoy how much we have moved on.
          As some of you know I have been somewhat unwell. I am anaemic. Someone at a recent get together said ‘Goodness Carolyn! You look very white!’ I replied “Erm! Excuse me! I believe the politically correct term is Caucasian and we come in various shades of pasty!” It got a laugh from friends and family of all hues.

          Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all for tomorrow.

      3. … and I’m a banana (unless that’s ‘fruitist’?)
        BD is big and his name is Dave – what’s the problem?

        Some other examples, all good friends of mine who like a laugh:
        Pid – he’s not very bright and his first name is Stuart
        Trunky – has a rather large nose and he’s also nosy (Trunky want a bun?)
        Chalkie – a person of coloured skin whose last name happens to be White
        Slim – James who is anything but slim, due to a fondness for rum and Coca Cola…. (in a Slim Jim glass)
        The Vosticle – talks a lot of b******s and his last name is Voss
        Flaps/Wingnut – would win a largest organ competition versus Noddy’s friend anyday

        I’ll stop there so BD has less to redact, but the point is, I don’t like sterilised language

        1. Exactly! Please let us never lose our sense of humour in this PC world. You actually have me laughing out loud and I need a lot of laughs after my summer. Though I am heading to the big bad city next weekend to have lunch. I am going on the train. ViaRail is very different to what I remember of British Rail. No standing in the aisles. Though the sandwiches are about of the same kilter.

  32. I have been a lurker for many years whilst trying to learn how to do cryptic crosswords. I have really enjoyed and appreciated your blog and have learnt a lot. I would still classify myself as not very good. Thank you to the people giving hints and even to those just commenting. I fell I know some of you well. I thought this crossword was a bit clumsy and was glad that I am a cricket fanatic.

    1. Welcome to the blog

      I hope that now you’ve de-lurked, you will return and comment regularly

    2. Welcome. You should come to Big Dave’s birthday bash in January and meet the faces behind the nom de plumes and probably some setters in addition to the man himself and bloggers. It’s fun!

  33. 9a and 10a – am sure I have the correct answers but can’t parse ’em – please help ! Thanks

    1. 10a was the most commented on clue of the day yesterday – have a read through the comments above and see if that helps

      9a the regular letters of irked and a spectator

      1. thanks , Crypticsue – 9a now understood, I was looking for something much more obscure !!
        10a – although mentioned in despatches, as you say, I must be having a senior moments day, and still don’t get it !!

  34. Some were a bit of a stretch and strangely devoid of anagrams.
    Better than last Saturdays horror!

  35. Help! What is a panagram and how does work on 15 down (without giving the answer away which i have got)

    1. Welcome to the blog Jules

      It’s a pangram, and as you might guess it’s a Frequently Asked Question!

      It helps if, for example, you have solved all of the clues bar one and you have 25 of the 26 letters of the alphabet then there is a good chance, although not a guarantee, that the final answer contains the 26th letter.

  36. I quite enjoyed this puzzle, although it did take quite a time and eventually I had to look at the hints. Once I’ve got the answer I can usually work it out, ( or is it parse ?) but I’m struggling to understand 25a, perhaps I’m being a bit thick !
    My favourite was 18d , made me giggle !
    Thanks to all.

  37. I enjoyed the puzzle, with BD’s hints of course, as a former mental health worker I object to the answer to 23 across. That language was rendered obsolete in the MH Act of 1959 and after 60 years it should not be used.

    1. Welcome to the blog Brian

      First, we have a regular commenter who has posted as Brian for many years, so please change or qualify the name you use next time.

      Second, please don’t subject crosswords to political correctness – the word is in Chambers which makes it fair to use (unacceptable words are classified as offensive and/or taboo).

    2. Are you sure that you got the correct answer for 23a. There are two words with the last four letters. As I recall one of them is mentioned in the act to which you refer but not the other. I may be wrong.

  38. 3.5/4.0
    liked 26A “delivery of porcelain figure? (8)”…and not just because slow left arm bowling was my forte at school !

Comments are closed.