DT 26199 – Hints – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26199 – Hints

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26199 – Hints

Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club

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A few hints to get you started.

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 will be published on Thursday,1st April.


Across

4a    Recording chap changing gear (8)
Recording seems to me to be a weak definition – Chambers gives reporting, report(s), description, account, investigation, analysis, item, story, reportage – combine a synonym for a chap with an anagram, indicated by changing, of gear

8a    River rose perhaps (6)
Crosswordland’s synonym for a river!

13a    I am at Alabama port stationary (8)
Combine the contracted form of “I am” with a port in Alabama (which coincidentally came up in yesterday’s Toughie – T 326) to get a word meaning stationary

26a    Where rep stood out? (8)
… when he called at your house

Down

1d    Book in French — ‘L’Oeuf Blanc’ (7)
Combine a book for storing photographs or stamps with the French for “in” to get the white of an egg

2d    Astonished by pronounced success of prospector (9)
Sounds like some ore was found by the prospector!

4d    Batsman who is all at sea might be (6,2,3,4)
.. likewise a fish in the ocean might be

14d    Shooting case? (3,6)
… for a Kodak Brownie?

15d    (A)bridge (8)
This is a clever double definition – to abridge or the game of bridge

22d    Man caught short going over river is middle-distance runner (5)
The first name of jazz trumpet player Davis, without its last letter, is followed by R(iver) to get a middle-distance runner like Roger Bannister or Seb Coe – in a way I hope there is a better wordplay than this!


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!

101 comments on “DT 26199 – Hints”

  2. Excellent Saturday puzzle from Cephas. Loved 1d and 15d and 26a. Many thanks to our setter.

  3. A highly-enjoyable puzzle which, at first sight, looked as though it was going to be extremely difficult – but wasn’t. Like Prolixic, I liked 1d and 15d – and 2d as well – and, for the first time, I’ve awarded Cephas five stars.

  4. Can we reach agreement with the Telegraph and O2 not to advertise on the back page. It mucks up the way I fold the paper

    2. I agree!

      And I’m not doing very well with this puzzle.

      I don’t like 26a.

      I do like 14d

      Getting 4d would help, of course….

    3. Hear, Hear !! Intensely annoying – especially as I have absolutely NO interest in O2 products !

  5. Hi. I’m fairly new to the site and this is my first post.

    Can’t believe I’ve done it all bar one clue already. I also liked 1d, 2d & 4d. Won’t ask for help on the last one just yet!

    I’m interested in hearing which clues people get first, without knowing any of the letters.

        1. 24a. New situation in Rugby perhaps (4,4)
          Rugby is just an example – most team sports are this. The definition is new situation as in “a whole new ____ ____”.

          2. I got 8a, 19a and 25a then 1d with just one letter in. Last one for me was 24a. Had a light bulb moment which your clue has confirmed.

          3. 24a was the only one I was stuck on too, so thanks Gazza for the hint.

            I liked 13a, and I can smugly say that I 4d solved myself without help from my husband who enjoys cricket. I hate it and am sometimes appalled at myself for knowing enough of the vocabularly of that most tedious of games to solve crossword clues.

        1. Hi Mazda. I normally go through all the clues first to see which are the easy one that I can pick out and then focus on a corner. However, today the NE corner almost did itself

    3. Yes, welcome, Mazda. My usual technique is to look over the whole puzzle to see if anything springs into sight, and today it was 21a which reminded me of the musical. Then I go through all the acrosses, so the next were 8a and 9a, but of course I’m not always so lucky.

  6. A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle today
    16a I thought the anagram indicator was a bit weak
    8a I liked the clue as it is a reversal of all that is sacred about rivers and plants if you get my drift

  7. Typical Saturday fare – enjoyable but not too demanding. I liked 1d and 4d reminded me that the English cricket season is now fast approaching. Yes please – crossword to where it should be!

  8. Much more like it for a Saturday. Found 2 possible answers for 17d – one with the 2nd letter “n” and the other “g”, and the same checking letters. Which is correct?

        1. I use CluedUp, and G is accepted as the right answer when I keyed the answers in this morning.

        2. I think the Telegraph may have problems with this one as there is little difference between the two and neither are described as “excitedly” in Chambers.

          Perhaps someone who plays music regularly could arbitrate!

          2. The word with G was the one that came to my mind. I didn’t even think of the other one with N until I saw this discussion, but surely both are close enough to ‘excited’ to be correct.

            1. According to my near antique Pears, it’s the one with N, meaning Lively. There’s no mention of the word with G in the glossary of Musical Terms.

              Apart from that, although a day behind most of you, finished !!

          3. I can’t see any logical reason for choosing one of the two wordsand not the other as the “correct” answer, so I’d happily count both answers as correct. I guessed the official answer first but that’s possibly because I’ve seen it in another crossword recently (with a clue including wordplay).

    2. Yes 17d bothered me though my two choices had 2nd letters of “G” or “L”
      By definition I feel the one with L in fits the clue better as it is music played in a brisk and lively tempo as opposed to the other that is played in a restless, hurried, and spasmodic manner
      Still got there in the end because of other letters

  9. Don’t usually do this crossword but halfway there! Stumped on 4d n 2d. Any clues? Liked 26a!

    1. Welcome to the blog Saxman.

      2d – the first part is a homophone (a word that sounds like) ore.

      4d – this is how a batsman could be out if he tried to hit the ball for six and it fell short into the hands of a fielder.

      1. Hi Dave, thanks for that! Got 2d and all but last word of 4d. Think I may have some wrong letters in there!

        1. The maritime reference should help – there was a film of this title (he last two words that is) starring the gorgeous Jacqueline Bisset

          1. Thanks Dave. Got it! Had wrong letter sketched in. Need to work on 23a n 18d to complete S/E.

    1. 11a Abnormal interest not in the way (6)
      an anagram of (IN)TEREST without the IN

      12a Some outline area starting in Asia (4,4)
      Kick yourself – it’s hidden in the clue

      21a Kay is satisfied with fate (6)
      Another word for fate – Kay + IS + satisfied

      23a Support with evidence record in detail (8)
      A double definition – to support with evidence and to record in detail

    2. 3d Endlessly racing round a plant (6)
      The plant is an anagram (round) of RACIN(G) + A

      7d Affectedly stylish fellow takes fish (7)
      A word meaning affectedly stylish is a charade of a fellow and a slippery fish

      18d Medal had finally darkened in the sun (7)
      The medal is awarded for third place

      1. Hi Dave, thnx for all ur hints. Only av 10a n 3d left! Does 3d begin with vowel or consonant?

            1. 10 Soundly interrogate Heather,collaborator (8)
              The answer is a Norwegian collaborator whose name is now used for any traitor.

              The first part is a homophone for to interrogate and the second is another name for heather.

  11. All done, after a bit of a struggle to get going. The last two to go where 24a, thanks to Gazza’s further hint at comment 5 – and then, at last!, the 3rd letter of the final word of 4d became obvious. Maybe I should look out for a dictionary of all these unknown sporting references …

    1. I was a little unhappy with 24a. Without the extra words given by Gazza it doesn’t really mean a new situation.

      The definition in Chambers is “a situation, as in a whole new ???? ????”, which suggests that it has to be in context to have that meaning.

        1. I’m sure you are right, but I don’t think the definition stands up – a new situation is a new ____ ____ and if you omit the word new it no longer has that meaning. Mind you, I bet that would not stop Anax from using it!

          1. It would. You’re right; I can certainly see where the setter’s coming from (and perhaps that’s the more important consideration) but —- —- without “new” can’t mean a new situation, only the existing one, and I don’t think the phrase exists it that sense anyway.

  12. I got stuck on the final word for 4d as kept wanting to put in trap until I got 23a so 4d and 24a were last to go in.

    I liked 8a (first one to go in as well GAzza!) and 1d (second to go in).

    Thanks for the hints Dave – just read the bottom ones as well!!!

  13. Finished 13.02,
    Tks for ur imput BD & Gazza. A nice mix of cricket, rugby and French terms. I love those

    1. You want a third place medal with the final letter the word indicated in the clue to give a word meaning darkened in the sun, or more usually, tanned.

  15. Do we have agreement on 17d Big Dave? I favour the answer containing a US military man.

    1. That is what CluedUp expects, but I would hope they would do the decent thing and accept both answers. As I said before perhaps someone musically inclined could arbitrate!

  16. I enjoyed this today, though I’ve done it in several sessions and have been most grateful for hints received. Favourite clue was 1d, though I wasted a bit of time thinking of eggs and zeros. It also took me until just now to get all of 4d as I’m a cricket illiterate, and I didn’t like 22d. How are we to know that the clue refers to a jazz trumpeter? I think it more likely that it refers to the island of the first word without the ‘s’ — but I didn’t like it and only got it from the words across and with your help.

    But all in all the puzzle was great fun with several smiles. :-)

    1. I absolutely agree, there is nothing whatsoever in the clue to suggest a jazz player in any way shape or form. I only got the answer from the rest of the clue and worked back. However, probably the only poor clue today in an otherwise enjoyable exercise.

  17. Excellent puzzle, some testing clues, some groaners (2d!) and some very clever ones such as 4d (love cricketing clues).

  18. Reference to a jazz musician didn’t even occur to me for 22d – isn’t the name quite well-known anyway? I thought this clue was fair.

    1. There is nothing in the clue about jazz – it’s just that he was the most famous person of that name that I could think of as a hint.

      1. I thought that was a good hint, Dave, and makes me Kind of Blue that ‘jazz trumpeter Davis’ didn’t immediately suggest the forename *****…

        1. Maybe I can persuade Tilsit to include a video next Thursday!

          The clue reminds me of this one fron DT 25888:

          Lady, not one on piano, started exercises (6)

          where you take one word and effectively just change the last letter – here JOANNA (piano) – A + E becomes JOANNE (lady)

          1. I got the M from Man CAUGHT SHORT but I couldn’t account for the rest of it that way

  19. Found this very hard work (I can feel the work my brain has had!) but also quite do-able. Just down to 10a and 15d now which I shall have to lookup on good old google. I wasn’t impressed with 24a and I can see you weren’t either which makes me feel better!

    1. Mattparry7
      re 10a see comment 10 and keep reading
      BD has a good hint at the top of the page for 15d.

      1. Cheers libellule, the hints told me what I need to type into google. I should have got 15d as I’m quite clues up on my card games but 10a is yet more education through crosswording!

  20. Found this a bit harder than normal.
    I had the answer without the G for 17d but would have thought that the setter was after the G.
    Didn’t care for 24a either.
    Thanks, though , to Cephas for an enlivening puzzle.

    1. I think the problem here is that whichever of th two possible answers that you get first, you have no good reason to question it.

  22. Very enjoyable puzzle from Cephas.
    I liked 13a, 16a, 19a & 24a. 1d, 4d, 14d & 15d – nice attempt at delusion in 15d – also 24a!
    I presume that 2d was intended for speakers of the Cockney vernacular – in the north of GB we would pronounce the middle letter of what the prospector was after!

  23. if i’ve got 14d right, isn’t it more normal to say the answer as (6, 3) rather than (3, 6)?

  24. ignore the last question – just got the right answer. I’d put bag, as in ‘shoot ‘. Silly me

  25. I’ve managed to cobble my way through this one. Only one clue left: 10a.

    Could I ask a question about 5d and 19a though?

    5d: Is it an anagram of “verse may”? If so, I have an answer, but it doesn’t feel like it fits a definition of “exactly as before”—more like just “exactly as”…

    19a: the answer is supposed to be 4-4; but I’ve only ever used, and seen, this word as an eight letter one. Typically used to describe the music of heavy metal bands, or rappers. And is it really associated with rubble? Perhaps I have the wrong answer?

    As regards 10a, I can’t get a good fix on the clue yet. Will try the stare tactic for 30min before MOTD starts : )

    1. 5d Tom yes it is

      19a, think you have it right and yes it is asociated with rubble

      10a, 1st 4 letters of answer sound like a word ‘to question’ someone i.e. interrogate, second four another word for heather, rather obscure I think put them together for your answer

    2. 10a there was a hint buried somewhere in comment 10

      5d there is no definition in Chambers for this phrase but I’m inclined to agree with you

      19a I’m not into that kind of music, mine died on 3rd Feb 1959, but Chambers definitely gives the correct answer as (4,4) or as (4-4) when used as “the rubble and other material used in the foundation of roadways”

      1. Hey Big Dave!

        I’ve only just cottoned on to the “day music died” reference—very well played :D

    3. Thanks Mary and Big Dave.

      Re: 19a, interesting. I tend to use the Freedictionary and both (4-4) and (8) spellings are listed there; the (8) spelling probably feels a lot more natural to my generation. We’ve seen it (the 8 version) used to characterize cinema, music, and, of course, adult films (excuse the racy references!). Heartening to know that it isn’t properly associated with those, and is a word of the railways though!
      I thought knowing the second (4) of the (4-4) took better word power than getting the completed answer. Always brings back memories of Mum working at the Granny Smiths over the kitchen sink for me. She was a kind Mum; my Dad said the seeds and middle bit were good for us, and didn’t (4) them. Bah!

      Re: 10a. Yes Mary, I agree, that’s a strange 4 letter word for heather isn’t it. New one for me. When I hear this, it sounds like Chinese girl’s name. Amazing to see the etymology was from Norse! All the best English words come from its Northern progenitors.

  26. Started this early this am but due to various interruptions could not get back to it til 9.45 ish, was just going to read the hints and leave it but with a little help finished all but 22d, I dont know the name of the jazz player or the runner, so I don’t see how anyone can help me :) , not a puzzle I liked but perhaps that’s unfair, just a bad day, most people seem to have found it ok, thanks for the hints Dave but I am afraid to say that because of 22d, it remains unfinished, night everyone, don’t forget the clocks go forward :)

      1. Hee Hee, I know now Gazza, thanks, Dave has relegated me to Dunces corner, thanks for help, night, night :)

    2. Mary

      Have you not worked out by now that if you hover over most of my pictures you will see something of interest!

      As far as one of the all-time jazz greats is concerned, google “Kind of Blue” – the hint from Caravaggio – and then spend the rest of the evening in the dunce’s corner.

  27. OK couldn’t give up so googled the trumpet player Davis now have my answer, what a relief, finished at last, night Dave

  29. Agree strongly re placing of crossword .Very annoying! Would NEVER respond to any ad on back page.
    not happy with 24a but thank Collywobble for clue.

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