Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2530 – Hints
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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If you were lucky enough to get into CluedUp this morning, or perhaps you purchased the Sunday Telegraph, here are some hints and tips to get you started.
Thought for the day – how long does a company persevere with an outsourcee that consistently delivers below-standard performance? Answers on a postcard to The Telegraph Group!
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.
Peter Biddlecombe’s full review of this puzzle will be published at 12.00 on Friday, 9th April.
Across
1a Cons with PR? Do it deviously as this (4,6)
Deviously suggests that an anagram is in the offing and all we need to do is to identify the fodder – CONS PR DO IT gives you the required number of letters to get this political advisor who cons with PR and does it deviously!
6a Man briefly named to occupy position announced (4)
This man’s name sounds like (announced) what you do to a staff vacancy when someone is appointed
9a Within bars modern composer put in final part (7)
The composer is the one who famously composed four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence – put him inside the final part to get a word meaning within bars
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
17a With nothing visible in dark, possibly, I will produce this? (4,4)
Put Crosswordland’s nothing inside an anagram (possibly) of DARK and add the shortened form of I will to get creatures that have been run-over, often in the dark!
27a Left seat by taking this off? (6,4)
If you can excuse the weakish indication of an anagram of LEFT SEAT BY, in return you get excellent surface reading in this all-in-one clue
Down
1d Eliminated a large number (4)
A double definition that will make you think! – eliminated by bumping off an opponent, as David did to Goliath, is the easier definition but the use of this word as a large number, Chambers says it is North American slang, is less common
4d Bloke such as Morse, good at heart (6)
This bloke comes from a description of Samuel, not Endeavour, Morse being placed around G(ood)
20d Person living highly ascetic life — it’s in fashion (7)
Ray T based a clue on this eccentric Saint and his followers in DT 26189!
23d Split in political group can be a blow (4)
Double or triple definition? The choice is yours – you can read the first part as split, as in departed and political group, as in a group of socialists, or you can read it as a faction of a party that has leanings to a particular side. The blow is a punch delivered with this hand.
If you need further help then please ask and I will see what I can do.
Please don’t put whole or partial answers in your comment, else they may be censored!
Thanks Big dave…was not getting far with this until your hints..now have managed to finsh.
I do try to pick out the troublesome clues, but sometimes I miss one or two.
Whew! This puzzle was Top Shelf, but quite tough I thought.
I finished it but needed your hints for a couple of clues (27a and 20d).
I liked 1a, 17a, 27a and 18d.
Thank you Mr Greer. Please keep these puzzles coming. I find them tough but I really enjoy them.
Thanks Dave for giving hints on the two I was stuck with – 1d and 23d. 15a was the clue that made me smile.
Thanks BD – I had SHED (as in Shed-load) for 1d, but I like your answer a lot more!
Grrr! You promised me this was the best crossword of the week Big Dave. I must be useless. This is the first time I’ve ever tried the Sunday one as I usually stick to the Express on a Sunday but on Dave’s advice I gave it a shot. I am truly in the corner wearing a pointed hat with a D on it.
Is it a completely different type of crossword from (note different from, not different to – I remember my English lessons with Miss Carrick too well…) other Telegraph crosswords or is it just more difficult or am I just thick?
Finally getting over the side effects of my last chemo so will be around a bit more often from now on – thanks so much for your site; it has seen me through some dark times. BUT NO MORE CHEMO – YAY!
Helen x
Keep persevering – it’ll be worth it it the end.
Sorry I think this puzzle is rubbish, far too obscure, no fun at all. Don’t normally do the ST one and now I remember why!
Sorry Barrie, for the aficianados, definitely one of the best crosswords of the week!
There’s a few gaps on the right hand side … any help with 8 and 11d would be appreciated
8d. Writing American volume with a true change of heart within (10)
The definition is writing. Start with the American spelling of a liquid measurement (volume) and add A and TRUE with the middle letters changed round (change of heart).
8d Writing American volume with a true change of heart therein (10)
This writing is the American spelling of 1¾ pints followed by a sort of anagram of TRUE (actually just swapping the middle characters – change of heart therein)
11d. Flower representative of happiness? Just the opposite (10,3)
It”s the name of a tall flower. We want a 3-letter word meaninig happiness and a 9-letter word for a representative who goes around selling things. But instead of representative of happiness swap the words round to get happiness of representative.
By my Beard!
(Oooh sorry, it’s not National Speak like a Pirate Day!)
I mean Aaaaargh! Talk like a Pirate Day!
Thanks guys, I was sure 11d was going to be some sort of ivy that I’ve never heard of. Might be able to finish it now.
Just 21d to go; is it also a small dish served before the main course and what has it got to do with ‘in prison’? Don’t really understand this one.
21d In prison, perhaps, subject to charge? (6)
It’s not entree. It’s a double definition, meaning not at liberty (in prison, perhaps) and not available for nothing (subject to charge).
That was another possibility, but it’s a clumsy word we wouldn’t ever use, I think. Thanks, all done. I wonder how long it takes to become a aficionado of the Sunday crossword … ?
When you get the well deserved pen through the post?
Unlikely, I never enter the competitions.
Good puzzle this Sunday. Many good clues.
I liked 1a, 10a, 15a, 17a & 25a. 3d, 11d, 18d & 20d.
Thanks. Needed help with 1d. Best laugh of the day, BDs pictorial clue for 17a.
Nice one squirrel.
I scraped the remains of something from the front step Today – Glad it wasn’t that big (nor tasty!)
I have a go at the prize crosswords every weekend. I finished this one, but got no pleasure from it at all. The first time I could say that. It was obscure and somehow meaningless.
Welcome to the blog Mike – I loved it!
Class Crossword puzzle.
Many Thanks to Virgilius.
Catching up with crosswords on Easter Monday. I enjoyed this and did most of it without recourse to your hints. Needed help for 21d, which I thought really was an awkward clue. I liked 13d and 15a, but favourite clue was 3d.
Now, on to today’s offering. :-)