DT 26098 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26098

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26098

A full analysis by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

A better puzzle than last week – things may be on the up! Like several other Saturday puzzles, this one is pangrammatic – which means it contains all 26 letters of the alphabet – and this can sometimes help you solve those last few clues.


Across

1a What arable farmer likes to see happen casually (4,2)
CROP UP – a semi-cryptic double definition – the farmer would like to see his harvest has increased and happen casually is the main definition

9a One turn rising (10)
REVOLUTION – a double definition – engine speeds are quoted in rpm – revolutions per minute

10a Carelessly drive round north and south coast resort for wine (5,5)
VINHO VERDE – the clue which gave most problems in this puzzle is an anagram (carelessly) of DRIVE around N(orth) HOVE (a south coast resort near Brighton) to get this “green” wine from Portugal

11a Pile of lumpy remains (4)
PYRE – a pile of combustible material for burning a dead body is hidden inside lumpy remains – a pity about the “lumpy” bit spoiling an otherwise excellent surface reading

12a Rat coming from second vehicle (4)
SCAB – a derogatory term for a scoundrel is derived from S(econd) CAB (vehicle)

14a Oppressive burden for pall-bearers? (10)
DEADWEIGHT – this oppressive burden is, somewhat tastelessly, defined cryptically as a coffin

17a Striving for equality in this class (7)
EVENING – not even a question mark at the end of this clue would have rescued it – defined as striving for equality is fair enough, but what has this got to do with an Evening Class?

18a Number one vice? (7)
EGOTISM – cryptic definition?

20a Game won’t be played in capital (10)
BRIDGETOWN – the game of BRIDGE is followed by an anagram (be played) of WON’T to get the capital of Barbados

21a Mostly regretting bankruptcy (4)
RUIN – ruin (bankruptcy) is most of ruing (regretting) – I liked the simplicity of this

22a He is in female camouflage (4)
ALEC – he is hidden inside female camouflage

23a Fair and honest transaction by old-fashioned port (6,4)
SQUARE DEAL – a fair and honest transaction is a charade of SQUARE (old-fashioned) DEAL (not very well-known port in Kent)

25a Almost light up one for those enlightened (10)
ILLUMINATI – a rather poor way of changing the last letter of ILLUMINATE (light up)

26a Catch the girl below (6)
NETHER – a charade of NET (to catch, say, a butterfly) and HER (the girl) gives a word meaning below, or lower

Down

2d Find again left-winger one’s to embrace (10)
REDISCOVER – a word meaning to find again is made up from RED (left-winger) IS (one’s) and COVER (to embrace, as in to encompass)

3d Urge you and me to go into public house initially (4)
PUSH – an urge comes from US (you and me) inside PH (Public House initially)

4d I would be found in part of South of France or in Rhode Island port (10)
PROVIDENCE – put I’D (I would) inside PROVENCE (a region in the South of France) and the result is a port in Rhode Island

5d Place too great a burden on nails, say (7)
OVERTAX – sounds like (say) OVER TACKS

6d Scatterbrained Lucie loses single piece of evidence (4)
CLUE – an anagram (scatterbrained) of LUC(I)E without the “I” (loses single) gives a piece of evidence

7d Priestess bothered taking time inside with relative (10)
STEPSISTER – an anagram (bothered) of PRIESTESS with T(ime) inside gives a relative (to whom you are not related!)

8d Aim whilst camping? (6)
INTENT – this aim is cryptically defined as IN TENT (whilst camping)

13d Italian saint with American canticle (10)
BENEDICTUS – a lot of debate about this one and I’m sure there must have been a better clue than to add BENEDICT (Italian saint) to US (American) to get a canticle

15d Comedian on practice vehicles (5,5)
WAGON TRAIN – WAG (comedian) + ON + TRAIN (practice) gives these vehicles

16d Bachelor entering infirmary with energy is kind to strangers (10)
HOSPITABLE – put BA (Bachelor of Arts) inside (entering) HOSPITAL (infirmary) with E(nergy) to get a word meaning kind to strangers

19d Knave, visual and humorous (7)
JOCULAR – a charade of J (Jack / Knave) and OCULAR (visual) gives a word meaning humorous

20d Cupholder Elizabeth up in the country (6)
BRAZIL – combine BRA (the kind of cupholder word by a lady) with LIZ (the affectionate form of Elizabeth) reversed (up, yes it’s a down clue) to get this country in South America

23d Bound to miss one out (4)
SKIP – quite a good double definition

24d Nimble lizard under bottom of shed (4)
DEFT – a word meaning nimble is derived by putting EFT (a small lizard) under (as it’s a down clue) D (the bottom, or last, letter of shed)

3 comments on “DT 26098”

  1. I think 25a Almost light up one for those enlightened (10) works like this:

    ILLUMINAT(-e) – Almost light up
    one – 1 – I

    As the word is plural, the definition is appropriately “those enlightened”

    1. Rishi

      You are correct – my comment was meant to indicate that a one-letter substitution between two words with the same root contributed to a “lazy” clue that was not even justified by the surface reading.

      1. Oh, I see. I do agree there is the root problem but it didn’t strike me earlier, though we did discuss this a couple of days ago in hints and tips.

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