DT 29222 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29222 (Hints)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29222 (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 New York borough substitutes top judges (6,5)
A New York borough followed by where one will find a team’s substitutes

8a False rumours an eccentric’s spreading around (7)
Insert (spreading around) AN into an eccentric and the S from ‘S

11a Assistant welcoming a deity in temple (6)
An assistant to an executive around (welcoming) the A from the clue and a deity

13a Dido? Singer producing high notes (4)
Two definitions – an antic or caper and a high-flying bird

18a Worry about breaking foot (4)
A word meaning about inside F(oo)T

21a Divine being with weapon cut down chest (6)
A Scandinavian god followed by most of (cut down) a weapon

24a Means to communicate urgently what’s selling out (7)
Split as (3,4) this could be something that is selling out quickly

26a Bleeper acts to disguise something that’s not so? (11)
if something is not the result of this anagram (to disguise) of BLEEPER ACTS then a bleeper could be used

Down

1d Coin made with craft having queen on both sides (7)
A three-letter word meaning craft surrounded by QU(een) and our queen’s regnal cipher

2d A sports car in Spain raised problem (6)
The A from the clue, an iconic sports car, IN from the clue and the the IVR code for Spain, all reversed (raised)

4d Composer‘s Welsh address (4)
An affectionate term of address used in Wales after a person’s name

5d Midland town with a lot on its plate by the sound of it (8)
Sounds like (by the sound of it) a phrase meaning with a lot left on one;s plate (4,5)

6d Talk show hostess upset about threat to whales (7)
The first name of a US talk show hostess (fortunately seldom seen on UK television) reversed (upset) followed by a two-letter word meaning about

9d Lincoln beat these East European cars (5,6)
Split these parts of the US as (4,7) and they could be some East European cars

17d Lookout that could follow train? (7)
Put this lookout after train to get an anorak!

23d Nothing more than a lake (4)
Two definitions

Feel free to ask about any other clues – I was only able to provide hints for a few in this puzzle that was nowhere near being one of my favourites

The Crossword Club is now open.


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The Quick Crossword pun: sole+annoyed=solenoid


78 comments on “DT 29222 (Hints)

  1. This was rather difficult and time-consuming without being particularly enjoyable (****/**). There were 5 clues, which I bunged in. Even with Big Dave’s excellent clues, I’m still a bit mystified by the rationale behind 2 of them. So thanks to BD. To the setter, I’m sure, from previous experience that some others will enjoy this but, apart from 7d, it wasn’t my cup of tea.

  2. After yesterday, this was a relaxing pleasure of a puzzle. 5d made me chuckle.
    Thank you setter for the breakfast entertainment and to BD for this website.
    1*/4*

  3. I’m sorry Chriscross, but I did quite enjoy this one. Any day that I can finish it without help is a good day for me. I did have to check my understanding of the word at 8d, and will admit I had to check a map for 5d, but I really don’t know that part of the East Midlands very well.

    I have two that I still can’t parse fully, being 13a and 26a, even with the hints.

    Many thanks to BD and the setter.

    1. 13a takes advantage of an obscure definition of dido (more usually a mythological queen of Carthage or a pop singer). 26a is a dreadful clue – something could be bleeped out if it was not this – some may enjoy this type of clue but to me it is exceedingly poor.

      If i were rating the enjoyment level of this puzzle it would be negative as instead of entertaining I found it an annoying waste of the time taken up by a few sips of tea (Assam this morning!)

        1. If the Saturday puzzles carry on like this then I might take a day off and publish the Saturday Crossword Club without hints – you can all squabble amongst yourselves.

      1. Thanks BD. It was the clever capitalisation of the dido that must have thrown me. And I can but agree about 26a.

      2. I so agree. I’d saved the puzzle for an afternoon treat but I knew when the first clue went in that it was awful. Not at all my cup of assam

  4. I lucked in with 1A and 7D which gave me 12 starters. 5D and 9D were clever. A **\*** for me. Thanks to all, I needed this after a late night watching the England cricketers crumbling in Hamilton, NZ, I am praying for rain to prevent a whitewash :-(

  5. Before posting this comment, I’ve checked a definition in Chambers – because most cruciverbalists use this particular dictionary – and I dispute that the answer to 2d is a ‘problem’. Otherwise, I found this puzzle to be straightforward and I’m glad to get it out of the way because there are a lot of matches, both football and rugby, being televised today which are demanding of my attention.

      1. I’ve just checked an online thesaurus, Dave, and that one does too so I stand corrected but I’ve always associated the answer as being a six-letter word – and you can probably guess what that is!

  6. A bit of a curate’s egg for me. I rather enjoyed 9d and 25a both of which made me smile. My online clue for 17d is totally different to that hinted by BD and I was bemused by it. I think the paper version is much more straightforward.
    Apparently last week I scored 30/30 for my Saturday solution but I’m far from convinced that when I hit the “Submit your crossword” button it goes anywhere. If I am correct in this assumption, why not?
    Thank you as always to all involved

    1. No I’m afraid it doesn’t. According to the DT IT dept they are aware of the problem and are working on it (!!). Not sure how hard they are working as it has been like this for weeks. Apparently you have to take a screenshot of the completed puzzle and send it to the prize puzzle email address. If anyone wants the details, respond and I will publish their email instructions.

      1. I refuse to play the screenshot game as I rather take the view that it’s “the taking part etc” that’s most important. I just feel that paying a monthly subscription for an incomplete service is rather unsatisfactory. Also why can’t I access the Toughie through my subscription? Rant over 😂

        1. I couldn’t agree more! Independence Day in Barbados today – I might switch my allegiance to that newspaper if the DT can’t be bothered to sort out this issue sometime soon.
          I enjoyed today, except for 26a which I agree wasn’t clever, amusing or anything else.

      2. Hi, I too am frustrated by the inability to submit my crossword online. I’ve emailed customer service but heard nothing for weeks. Also I used to enjoy the toughie until I moved on line and it disappeared!!!!! The email instructions of the screenshot would be appreciated please. Although I’ve been submitting completed crosswords for decades and never even been a runner up….

        1. Here is what I got from the DT:
          prize.puzzles@telegraph.co.uk

          Please note, you MUST enter the correct wording in the email subject field, otherwise your entry may not reach the appropriate puzzle inbox. The subject wording should state the puzzle name and puzzle number (e.g. DT 26,999 or Sunday GK 1111, for example) as per the entry instructions of the puzzle you are entering, and nothing else. Please make sure there is a space between the puzzle name and number.

          If you are entering more than one competition, please do not group your attachments within a single email. Please send through separate emails with the relevant puzzle details in the subject field and the entry attached.

          One entry allowed per competition. (If you inadvertently enter more than once, your later entries will be disqualified.)

          If you enter more than one Telegraph competition in a four-day period, our email server will send an acknowledgement response to the first entry only. However, once you have received a response to one entry, all subsequent entries should be delivered successfully. Even if you do not receive an acknowledgement email at all, your entry should still be delivered.

          This mailbox is for prize puzzle entries only. Please do not use this email address for general queries.

          If you have an enquiry regarding any Telegraph puzzles, please contact our Customer Services team by:

          Email:
          telegraphenquiries@telegraph.co.uk

          Post:
          Telegraph Enquiries
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          Please note that phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. (All incoming and outgoing calls are recorded for training, quality control and for confirming orders and information.)
          Kind regards,
          The Puzzles team

      3. Do you mean that all my slaving over a hot iPad sending in my completed puzzles are a waste of time? I was beginning to wonder, as, having won three times in the past, I haven’t had so much as a nibble for months now. So are they saying that a screenshot emailed in will be seen? I have always had an online acknowledgement but I suppose that is automatic.
        Ray

  7. 2*/2*. This US flavoured (or should I say flavored?) puzzle was a bit of a curate’s egg. My BRB attributes the specific meaning of Dido in 13a to the US, and I particularly disliked 26a & 19d. I did however quite like 25a, 7d & 9d.

    Thanks to the setter and to BD.

  8. I agree that the puzzle was not as difficult as some, but nevertheless enjoyable and surely not a waste of time. Thank you setter and blogger.

  9. Tough but very enjoyable. Some excellent clues inc 9d, 25a and 16a, all very clever. I have huge admiration for setters who can come up with clues like these. It took a bit of starting for which I thank the anagrams but then it flowed well. Don’t mind them this tough if well clued and not requiring huge leaps of faith. A bit of a relief after yesterdays disappointment.
    ***/*****
    Thx to all

  10. Woke early and started this on the puzzles website. I bet I am not the only one who xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I too questioned the reverse logic of 26a and hummed a bit. 25a xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    6d caused a furrow too xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Not a waste of time tho as I had a pleasant time solving over a chocolate 20d and a pot of Yorkshire Gold (with a hig proportion of Assam too)

    1. 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!

  11. Something of a mixed bag this morning and I did need to check the first definition of 13a.
    Those I liked included 16&25a along with 7d.

    Thanks to our setter and to BD for the club.

    1. Happy St Andrew’s Day to everyone .

      Yes , some very good clues , 7D & 9D , and some not as good !

      Thanks BD and to the Setter .

  12. Some good, some not so good, but an enjoyable diversion from the virus that’s playing merry hell with my bird’s nest.
    The cricket is depressing, hopefully some good news from St.Andrews this afternoon to cheer me up.
    Thanks setter and BD for the hints and the amusing diatribe.

  13. Definitely a curate’s egg; several Hmms, led by 26a, thankfully counterbalanced by a sprinkling of oldies but goodies such as 8a and 4d.
    Favourite – 7d.
    Thanks to the setter and BD.

  14. Not my cup of tea today but after a slow start made it in the end. Not keen on several – particularly 11a and 22a and I also agree with MalcolmR/BD re 13a and 26a however there were some goodies – 1a, 5d, 7d, 9d, 12d and 20d. Thank you Mysteron and BD.

  15. No, I did not enjoy this one much but I acknowledge that if a puzzle is not solved at a steady flow then it tends not to be liked by the solver. It was probably me being way off out of step with the setter. There was one clue I really liked and that was 15d, which amused me. However, like others, I did not like a number of clues and 26a was the main one of these.

    Thank you to the setter and Big Dave for the hints.

  16. This one has certainly polarised opinions thus far. I feel the gooduns outdid the badduns, so I won’t be hypercritical, although if memory serves me correctly the quality and overall standard of Saturday puzzles has definitely dropped off. That said, I enjoyed it enough to finish it and had 9d as my COTD. I would like to squeeze myself into the room containing those who hated 26a. It must be in the running for the Worst Clue of the Year award.

    Thanks to our setter and BD.

  17. Although I ended up with the correct answer to 17d, I am still quite confused about the online clue and I can understand why it was changed/amended in other versions. I’d have to join the underwhelmed ranks in terms of overall enjoyment, but it was clearly appreciated by others, so thanks to setter and BD.

  18. I liked a couple, 5d and 7d but I found it a bit of a slog. Agree about 26a and I didn’t like 9d. But hey it keeps me off the streets :-)

    Thanks BigDave I certainly could not have managed several at all without your clues.

  19. Well it was a relief to sail through this easily after my recent miserable failure. Last in was the Dido clue and I had to look in Chambers and have learnt something. Interesting to read everyone comments, all getting so het up. It’s a crossword!

    1. As the great Bill Shankly, who managed Liverpool FC in the 60s & early 70s, said, “some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that.”

      I think the same applies to crosswords. :wink:

  20. Found this fairly straightforward Don’t understand 9d at all, have the second word but not the first. The clue doesn’t help at all. My new hip total agony at the moment. Now had it a week, how long before the pain starts to subside? Swallowing pain killers like sweets. The other one was done 18 months ago and don’t remember it being at all as bad as this.

    1. Hope you feel better soon. My brother had his done a while back and it was painful for a lot longer than he expected Know what you mean about pills, I swear I rattle, different illness but not fun.
      Funny health thing though, I have been diagnosed with glaucoma and have started drops and apparently blue pale blue eyes are going to turn brown which will be interesting. Or they may just partly change which will be even more interesting!
      I really didn’t like 9d either.

      1. Have been using drops for glaucoma for several years with side effects being that eyelashes have lengthened but skin around eyes has darkened giving a slight sunken look. Good news however is that IOP seems under control.

        1. I have it too – got the drops some years ago with the normal side effects of long lashes and dark under the eyes. I found it uncomfortable, so I decided to abandon them and just go for the operation

          1. No real discomfort for me apart from the bore of having to remember two sorts of drops – one once a day and the other twice. Will the outcome of the operation last indefinitely?

    2. Same here, last clue to be answered, but as I cannot submit anyway I will wait for the answers.

    3. Had my hip done 6 weeks ago and you have my sympathy Manders! Sleeping was difficult and I piled on the painkillers through the night. Used many pillows! I was able to cut down on pills quite rapidly beyond two weeks and was going for walks by then, although still on crutches. Walking fairly normally now. Good luck and hang in there!

  21. Really enjoyable and agree about frustration with being unable to submit simply. Thanks BD.

  22. I didn’t have any problems with this crossword. Yep! Probably a bit of a curate’s egg but so what? It’s different, that’s all. And variety etc……
    Enough!
    9d was my top clue.
    Thanks to the setter, and to BD for the hints.

  23. Found this one tough. Although was very pleased with myself when I finished it. Liked 7d and 25a. Solved 26a but don’t really understand it. Thanks setter and BD.

  24. I’m not sure why everyone dislikes 26a so much: the word disguise points out the anagram and is part of the definition – must admit it was a bit of a slog today though

  25. I found the SE a little tricky, mainly because I had an incorrect answer for one, but there was a lot to like. One of my first in and fave was 7d, closely followed by 8a and 12d. I’m glad I spent so much time in Wales, there seem to be quite a few Welsh clues these days.
    Poor setter, I hope he/she doesn’t read this review. Thanks for your efforts to entertain some of us, and thanks to BD for your help in finishing this puzzle.

  26. ***/****. Needed two sittings to solve this puzzle. Had to look up 8a to check its meaning which was new to me. Same with 13a. Nevertheless I enjoyed the challenge and thought some commentary was unusually OTT for this normally temperate site.

  27. I enjoy every crossword I ever do – I enjoy some more than others – not sure why everyone seems to have taken against today’s so much.
    I didn’t know the meaning of the first word of the clue for 13a but the BRB did.
    As far as I’m concerned the only thing wrong with 26a is that you have to get the answer to understand it.
    The first word of 9d caused huge problems – I’m having a dim day – sometimes I wonder if I’m fit to be a ‘hinty person’ at all.
    I particularly liked 1 and 25a and 5 and 7d.
    With thanks to the setter and to BD.

  28. Thank you to the setter and Big Dave, for this somewhat tricky but enjoyable puzzle. I only got 3 answers at the first pass, then got going again. Ran out to do some weekend grocery shopping, and then finished over a cup of Horlicks, sitting outside enjoying our Florida winter sunshine. Thought 5d was a real gem, made us both laugh. Also chuckled at BD’s comment re 6d, I am not a fan either. Made the mistake once of reading one of the books on her recommended reading list. It was awful. Almost as awful as when it was suggested she was thinking of running for President…

    8a and 22a were last in, as I never use or think of those words. But overall a good Saturday puzzle IMHO.

    1. I agree with you re the 6d lady, bit brassy, but she does do an awful lot of good for her community and people in general. I’d say she uses her money a lot better than a lot of other millionaires, no names mentioned! That is, if he really is a millionaire.

  29. Hmmm… smiled when I got 7d – bit of a mixed bag though but managed without clues – for a change! 26a a bit clunky 21a I liked. Thanks to BD and Setter

    R.

  30. I’m with the “although I finished it I found it hard work” and “curates egg” camps. Perhaps getting stuck in a quagmire over the fields and having to be towed out yesterday didn’t help my demeanour. I didn’t like 13a, 22a, 26a,15d or 20d. However I did like 1a, 8a, 14a,9d and 17d so perhaps I’m about even. Many thanks to the setter and BD.

  31. I managed to get through this one, but not a lot to smile about. Whether easy or difficult, there needs to be an element of fun and enjoyment. A sense of satisfaction when it’s completed. A sparkle. A few penny drop moments. This was a frustrating crossword. Still, I wouldn’t want to compile one myself, so thank you setter for your effort, and thanks too BD for the Saturday club.

  32. 6d made me laugh as I thought about Maureen Lipmann and her : Save the Whales… and the herrings!
    Sure that 14a is in Friday’s toughie but can’t really say as I haven’t finished it and still a bit stuck in that corner.
    Liked the charade in 10a. I like charades.
    Thanks to the Saturday setter for producing a pleasant crossword specifically for that day as hinted in 15d.
    Thanks to BD for all his devotion to his blog.

  33. Completed during boring Saturday evening tv. Very disappointing some clues made no sense, perhaps it was the merlot that solved it in the end!

  34. How different we all are. I’m one of those in the ‘didn’t like’ camp over this one. And for me clues like 25A which quite a number of you liked was not to my liking at all: this smacked far too much of the sort of thing one would find in a GK puzzle: surely a better, biblical, clue could have been devised?

  35. Just to say I sailed through Friday!s and loved it. Started Saturday’s only this afternoon with poor results so thing I will move in to todays. Did rather like 20d but only got it from John Bee’s comment.

  36. Only got round to this today and yes, ‘not my favourite’ is an accurate description here too, but I still enjoyed it
    The style of various setters keeps me interested, whether it’s to my personal taste or not (only two setters make me mutter ‘Oh well, here we go again…’)
    A few testy comments and extra work for moderators today – your unerring attention is sterling work
    Many thanks to Setter, BD and all the contributors

  37. Very late this time and found the bottom half tricky until It clicked in. However 26a was an excellent anagram but still didn ‘t get the connection. 9d was very clever – once I worked it out. 7d the best. BD’s hints seemed to cover the clues I had already worked out so I knew I had to go away and come back!
    Thanks to setter and BD as always.

  38. I have to agree that this was well below par, a rather plodding and heavy going solve lacking even a single eureka moment. I do the times and the daily mail as well, usually the telegraph is somewhere in between but i would rate this well below the usual daily mail offering, most disappointing.

  39. Even later to the party… It just goes to show how we are not all the same. Contrary to many, I thought that 26a was a really smooth and clever clue…

  40. Sadly given up on 9 down – only one missing and have nearly all the letters – very frustrating. Presumably some sort of e state

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