Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26050 – Hints
Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
After last week’s major surprise, today’s puzzle was bound to be an anticlimax for me. I found this one easy, even though I hated the grid.
Don’t forget that you can give your assessment of the puzzle. Five stars if you thought it was great, one if you hated it, four, three or two if it was somewhere in between.
As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them. A full review of this puzzle by Tilsit will be published at 12.00 on Thursday, 8th October.
Across
1a Issue period return (4)
A word meaning to issue is obtained by reversing a period – regulars will have seen this a few times before!
3a Sculptures that over the Channel are possessing formal dignity (10)
A charade of some sculptures and the French for that (that over the Channel) results in a word meaning possessing formal dignity
9a Start what I did in restaurant (8)
My favourite in today’s puzzle – a word meaning to start can be divided up as (2,2,1,3) to give what I did in a restaurant
23a Lorry began transporting fruit (10)
Take a LORRY and insert an anagram (transporting) of BEGAN and the result is a fruit
Down
1d Previous European member Edward granted immunity (8)
String together a previous partner, a E(uropean), a Member of Parliament, and an affectionate form of Edward – result a word meaning granted immunity
5d Muse of terrible repute, fifth-rate (7)
If you don’t know the Muse of music and lyric poetry and can’t work it out from the anagram (terrible) of REPUTE plus the fifth letter of the alphabet then you can find her in The Mine under Mythological Characters
19d In journal I believed it was defamation (5)
This defamation is hidden in the clue
The Saturday Crossword Club will open at 10.00 am (after Sounds of the Sixties on BBC Radio 2). Membership is free and open to all. Feel free to leave comments or ask questions before that time.
Please don’t put whole or partial answers in your comment, else they may be censored!
I found this to be the easiest one I’ve done in a long time – completed it in ** minutes which must be a record for me.
Well done, but there is an unwritten rule that we don’t advertise solving times!
Oh, sorry! But they’re available for all to see on the Cluedup site.
It’s not a problem, I just don’t want to discourage some solvers and didn’t want this site to become a competition.
Don’t take too much notice of the times on CluedUp. This morning, for example, I was doing the puzzle on my laptop while watching Gladys Knight. Other days I do the newspaper version and then enter it to make sure I got all the answers right. I’m sure no-one believed that I did yesterday’s Toughie in the time I recorded on CluedUp.
Yes. Though after yesterday’s Toughie, it was nice to have a puzzle that you did not need 4d to complete. To quote the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, this one was mostly harmless.
Hi Big Dave, hope you are well.
15d gives me a prob. I got the answer but I can’t see where the first half of the word connects to what I assume is the ‘One in the capacity of’. Is it too early to explain, should I wait till later ?
Nubian
No, it’s not too early to ask.
15d One in the capacity of breather for diving apparatus (8)
This charade breaks down as / one / in the capacity of / breather /
The second part is one of those Latin words – look it up in Chambers
Thanks Dave
I quite liked this one as was able to do most but had to refer to search engine for 5 down -just did not know name. 22a was a new word to me worked it out and presume I have right answer! Some very easy clues – 14a, 19a, some quite clever ones- 9a, 13d. perhaps a bit easy for a prize crossword but it puzzles like these that keep us beginners interested!
Late starting today, so pleased it wasn’t too strenuous :smile:
I thought 6d was a pleasing clue.
A gentle stroll in the park, but nonetheless enjoyable.
17d had a nice flavour being a Pompey fan in exile!
That was a nice pleasant Saturday morning exercise.
New word – 22a.
11a appealed to my sense of humour and enjoy playing it.
Also liked 16d.
BD – Thanks for the hint on 5d – I forget about the Mine – what a useful lot of information there is there. Thank you.
Swap 9a for 11a across and my views match yours, Lea; except 22a is yet to be a new word to me. Help, please!
Rob
22a I call a doctor who’s not clerical (6)
Here doctor is the anagram indicator for I CALL A – the definition is “not clerical” or “not belonging to the clergy”.
Got it. I went in completely the wrong direction with the doctor bit. Something new learnt, thank you.
Unusually for me I have completed it – thanks for the hints.
Still don’t understand 6d – got the choir bit and the wet ground but where do the 2nd to 4th letters come from?
Hi Martin and welcome to the blog.
Sorry folks – just answered my own question – a meeting!
Hi. After much lurking, thought I’d say hello, thanks, and please can you block my IP from looking at Prize page until at least Monday afternoon? ;)
Thanks again – all done.
Hi Big Palooka and welcome to the blog.
I’m afraid you’re just going to have to control your mouse! :D
Hi; I’ve got them all except 7D – anybody got a little hint for me? Cheers!
See points to a diocese, say to the Latin for ‘for example’. Put one into the other to get something that Gray wrote in a churchyard.
7d See, say, inclusion of song of lamentation (5)
This is an old trick that’s not so obvious if you are seeing it (forgive the pun!) for the first time. See is another word for Diocese and is cunningly placed as the first word to disguise that it needs a capital in this context. What you need is a Diocese that has only three letters (that rules out Ripon and Leeds that we had a few weeks ago) and include say, or for example, as an abbreviation to get the definition, a song of lamentation.
Aha, I see it, thanks. (I’d been trying to think of the “say” as a sounds like and trying to fit something like “eye” in there.)
I suppose I need to add the church hierarchy to the list of things to memorise for crosswords!
I’d concentrate on the cryptic crossword technique lessons rather than trying to memorise church hierarchy, rivers, fish or whatever. Remembering that “say” can indicate an example or a sounds-like (or simply a synonym like “speak”) will help you solve even more clues than knowing about today’s very popular “see”.
Answered in stereo!
Hi there.
I know that it must be frustrating for those of you who are fantastically good to have a crossword that’s easier, but it’s SO lovely to be able to finish it ….. and on the same day!!! Yay!!
I’m on a fairly steep learning curve and am even trying some of the puzzles during the week, which I couldn’t do without your help. Thank you so much.
Welcome to the blog Sheila
Well said Sheila, for me there is sometimes a lot more satisfaction in working straight through in a reasonable time rather than struggling with half a dozen difficult clues left at the end.
Hi Big Dave. The Latin part of the answer you gave to Nubian [above] made me reach for a dictionary because, although I did Latin to ‘O’ Level, I didn’t know that that word existed and I had seen the answer without proving it . Best wishes, C.
Typical Saturday puzzle really – best clue for me was 9a which I thought was very clever. Liked 6d too although I was stumped briefly having made an error with 3a. It will be in the post on Monday as normal.
Beginners Toby? I’m a beginner and I usually find the Saturday easier than the weekdays, perhaps I just have a funny brain.
15D though–I’m sure I have the answer, it fits ALL the cross links, but I can’t see how it fits any part of the clue except ‘breathing apparatus’. DT’s extra clues didn’t help me either. Perhaps my funny brain is also a bit thick!
Welcome to the blog Tommy
Firstly the definition id diving apparatus – breather is the last part of the wordplay. I’m never keen on wordplay like this wich is so closely related to the definition.
The wordplay breaks down as (1,3,4) so if you have the answer look up the 3 letter word and you will find it is the Latin for “in the capacity of”.
Tommy go to Big Dave’s explanation of 15d to Nubian
I just have 20a to put in and although I feel I know what the answer must be ( if I’m correct the first 3 letters are the fruit ) but I don’t understand the ‘ Yorkshire runner’ reference at all. Any hints gratefully received.
Perhaps you need to relax and err… go with the flow.
Try looking for a Yorkshire River ( runner )
Thanks Big Palooka and Kram. I should have got the ‘runner’ reference from clues in previous crosswords.All finished.
Welcome to the blog CornishRay
You are very nearly there!
In Crosswordland rivers are frequently referred to as flowers or runners (or even bankers) so we are looking for a Yorkshire river.
Thanks Dave and congratulations on the recognition accorded in last weeks crossword.
Yes I agree with all the comments that this was not too difficult. However in common with one or two others although I got 7d because it couldn’t be anythimg else the cryptic bit of the clue was double Dutch until I read your explanation.
Think I may have gone horribly wrong somewhere!! Struggling with 10a, any Ideas??
Fee
10a. Exhibitionist rose up angrily (6)
What you’re looking for is an anagram (angrily) of ROSE UP
I have only just noticed that once again we have a ScrewedUp clue.
10a (Newspaper version) – Exhibitionist model went round the bend (6)
10a (ScrewedUp version) – Exhibitionist rose up angrily (6)
The answer is the same either way – the definition is an exhibitionist and you can take your pick from a model around a type of bend or an anagram of ROSE UP.
While tinkering with clues does happen before publication, this is downright carelessness.
Thank you so much (had the newspaper version). I thought that was the answer but as my previouse blog states i have gone wrong with 1d then. Oh well back I will have another stab at it. Once again many thanks :)
Began this on the train home yesterday, but only managed the bottom half which I did fairly easily.
I am tired and although have managed 4D and 7D cannot work out what one does in a restaurant ( except eat) and cannot work out 6D either -something to do with marshes? Would you mind helping me out? Love your website
Hi PennyE and welcome to the blog.
4d. You have the right activity but you need the past rather than present tense (note the “did”). The definition is “start”.
6d. Said choir meeting in wet low-lying ground (8).
You want something that sounds like (said) choir – inside this put an abbreviation for an annual meeting where all members are invited.
Finished the crossword but just can’t get 2d *-*-* ***
Help!!!!!!
Welcome to the blog Erindoors
Please try not to publish partial answers, but I can tell you that the first letter is incorrect! I think you may have 1a, a reversal clue, the wrong way around.
I admit it is a strange grid which I think was devised by the late Colin Parsons in the Sunday Telegraph. However all the first letters of the answers interlock and at least half of the letters in each answer interlock.
Of course….I had realised that and then forgotten it again!
many thanks….all done now