Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25930 – Hints
Selected Hints by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Big Dave is taking a well-deserved weekend off, so I’ve been volunteered to provide selected hints for today’s and tomorrow’s prize puzzles. As usual a full review of today’s puzzle by Peter Biddlecombe will appear next Thursday afternoon. I enjoyed doing this one, especially the cryptic clues.
Across Clues
1a/5a Royal flier? (7,4)
You would not want this sort of flier lurking in your wardrobe!
9a Explosive beauty? (6,9)
This is a cryptic definition of a phrase used to describe a glamorous woman with fair hair. It was first used about the film star Jean Harlow in 1933.
10a Fighting military first who are ardent (4)
A word for armed conflict (fighting) is followed by the first letter of military to form an adjective meaning burning or ardent.
12a FBI agent is a good bloke (1-3)
The single letter is G (good) which stands for Government in a term which is the traditional nickname for an FBI agent.
15a He leaves here with Sidney bringing gold back, the parts left over (7)
The definition here is the parts left over. You need to remove the “he” from “here” then add a shortened form of Sidney and the chemical symbol for gold reversed (back).
16a It’s to do with cathedral dignitary coming from French waterway (7)
The French for “from” is DE – add an inland waterway (where you might find locks and barges) to get a word that means “relating to a dean”.
19a Be careful, hunter has sex appeal (5,2)
Hunter here is an imposing looking timepiece with a hinged cover, and sex appeal is IT.
27a A fellow in Newfoundland who is vulgar (4)
Newfoundland is NF – include A F(ellow) to get an adjective meaning lacking in taste.
Down Clues
1d Violent mob were to take shelter (7)
An anagram (violent) of “mob were” forms a verb meaning to take shelter.
2d Off-putting person whose theft is timely, so to speak (14)
Someone who is always putting things off until tomorrow, whose habit was described as being the “thief of time”.
4d Spy coming from cyberspace upset the lady (7)
Take the letters of “spy” away from cyberspace and make an anagram (upset) of the remainder to form a lady’s name which is the title of a novel by Daphne du Maurier.
5d Spoke indistinctly stopping short on Welsh headland with Penny once (7)
The Welsh headland which you want is this one.
7d Bogeyman (7)
This is an amusing cryptic clue which leads us to the rank of the army officer who features in a military march which was immortalised in the film “Bridge on the River Kwai”.
8d Dog European agricultural worker (6,8)
Double definition – the dog required is also known as an Alsatian.
18d Roué has disappointing share (4-3)
(specially for Kram) A synonym for roué is RAKE – add OFF (disappointing) to get a share (usually a disreputable one).
24d Overalls more than covered her (4)
The name of the woman we want is hidden in the clue.
25d A pass at bridge (4)
The answer is the name of a system of bidding at bridge – it’s made up of A and a synonym for a mountain pass like this famous one in the Himalayas.
My clue of the day is 7d. Feel free to leave a comment, but please do not divulge any answers. If there is any other clue which you are stuck on, ask and I’ll try to provide a hint for it (but not while the Guinness Premiership rugby final is on!).
I wish you had selected 18d amongst your selected hints as this is the only one in the crossword that for the life of me, I can’t see the reasoning behind its solution!
Hi Kram
Your wish is my command, since you are one of our regular supporters. I’ve added a hint for 18d.
Cheers Gazza, however me thinks I had better invest in a new set of reference books as Roue appears nowhere in my current ones!.
Oop’s found it!
Only one I can’t finish is 16a s – canal? dictionary doesn’t help! Can you?
Hi Maz/Marian
The reason your second message appeared before the first is that the first message from a new poster has to be moderated before it appears in the blog. Anyway, I hope you’ve got 16a now – 5d is in the past tense, “penny once” signalling D as the last letter.
Could you give me some insight into the answer for 16a? Would be very gateful…
Hi Marian
I’ve added a hint for 16a.
SNAP!
The answer is a fairly obscure churchy word. The fairly obvious waterway is probably your best way in. Then you can try vowels in turn for the second letter if necessary, to come up with something to look up and then understand. You may then remember that a closely related word was in one of the clues to last Saturday’s puzzle.
I’m stuck on 25d – wondering if I’m right about the second letter? Sorry to interrupt the rugby
Hi nanaglugglug
I’m recording the rugby, so I’m ok as long as nobody tells me the result!
I’ve added a hint for 25d.
Thanks Gazza – never heard of it!! I can watch Eurovision now (NOT!!!!))
I have got every clue , bar 2, out myself without using hints or aids. I am totally stuck on 10a w?r? and 12a ? m?n. It’s always the short ones that cause the problems! Incidentally I haev no interest in entering the competition-fountain pens are of little use to left handers.
Greenhorn
I’ve put in hints for 10a and 12a, although with the latter it’s difficult to give much help without supplying the answer!
By normal Saturday standards I found this tricky. 14d stumped me all day and I think it was the best clue in the whole puzzle. 16a was a new word on me too. Some interesting comments and again this site has enhanced my enjoyment of today’s challenge.
12a Now got it -it took a bit of googling to confirm.
10a I thought ardent meant a bit hotter.
17a is giving me trouble. One particular type of ‘cutter’ fits in nicely, but I can’t work out why it’s related to a ship. Anyone got it yet?
OK – got it now. Went for a cup of tea and it came to me!! Durr!
Hi Kezza
Welcome to the blog. It’s amazing what properties tea has!