Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2490 – Hints
Selected hints by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
After last week’s fiasco, today we have one of the best Sunday puzzles in a long time. Please Sir, can we have some more like this?
A full analysis of this puzzle will be available at 12.00 next Friday, 3rd July.
Across
1a Its selections are bound to finish up in literary posts (4,4)
A delightful cryptic definition of a society that sends its monthly selections by post
5a City hospital is minister’s responsibility (6)
Just add H(ospital) to this romantic French city to get this minister’s flock
12a Prize captured by Christian (6)
Not the Pilgrim of John Bunyan’s novel, but Fletcher, the mutineer
27a Dry area surrounded by sea in part of Europe (8)
… in North West France to be more precise
Down
1d Swearword disturbed old boy (6)
Hardly regarded as a swearword these days, but disturbed tells us that it is an anagram of OLD BOY
2d With nothing originally, a Scottish inventor raised capital (6)
This Scottish inventor, after whom the SI unit of power is named (you know, the one that is volts x amps), is reversed (raised – yet another of those down-clue only constructs) between nothing and A for the capital of Canada
3d Leader of crazy expedition, pure and simple (6)
A charade of the first letter (leader) of Crazy and a synonym for expedition, in the sense of with due expedition, leads to a word meaning pure (and simple)
16d Number ten’s position in deadlock (5-3)
This number ten plays Rugby, and can also be called a fly-half (or outside half, out half, five-eighth, first five-eighth, first five, fly or pivot to name but a few)
17d Directions I needed to get into a computer lacking memory (8)
The directions are North East and South and the computer is not an IBM PC, it’s the other one!
A few minor quibbles with the corner-dominated grid and a couple of place names, but the clue construction is first-class. Don’t worry if it takes you a while, there are no poor clues in this puzzle and all can be solved with a little persistence.
Feel free to ask for more, but please don’t give away any answers.
I would argue the best crossword of the week.
I thought 27a was “familiar”, have a look at Toughie 150.
Excellent Sunday crossword, couldn’t agree more with you Dave and its rating.The only weak clue being 1d, too many excellent clues to pick the best of the bunch.I think the reappearance of 27a can be forgiven Libellule compared to last Sunday’s fiasco!
27a Wasn’t quite the same :-). Best clue for me was 10a – Has anybody actually tried to read Proust?
‘Read Proust’ Oop’s thought it was a German beer drinkers cry Libellule!, but it produces sometimes the same outcome!
Great crossword its the first time I have tried sundays. am a little puzzled over a couple of questions 6d and 23a any hints would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
r
6d Is hidden in the clue, and is another word for however.
23a Is another word for right, and has the chemical symbol for copper, plus typically a wooden container.
thank you your assistance has been invaluable. My Proust answer was wrong! back to the drawing board on that one! doh its just come to me i hang my head in shame at missing such an obvious clue! oh well I am off to the post box.
Thanks again!
r