DT 26262 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26262

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26262

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****

A plethora of double definition clues today – some, but no means all, are part-cryptic. Along with anagrams, double definitions are often a very good way of getting started on a puzzle.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.


Across

1a    Tidy growth in forestry (6)
{SPRUCE} – a double definition – tidy and a tree

4a    Getting avaricious (8)
{GRASPING} – another double definition – getting hold of and greedy

9a    Get suit (6)
{BECOME} – a hat-trick of double definitions!

10a    False belief of French in soul is moving (8)
{DELUSION} – this false belief is built up from the French for of followed by an anagram (is moving) of IN SOUL

12a    Sweet sort of order that’s neat (5-3)
{APPLE-PIE} – back with the double definitions – Grandma’s dessert and a kind of order that is neat and tidy

13a    Openings for spokesmen (6)
{MOUTHS} – guess what? – a double definition

15a    One never starts — match fit beyond dispute (13)
{INCONTESTABLE} – string together I (one) N (Never starts) a match, or competition, and fit to get a word meaning beyond dispute

18a    Bridge builder who ruled tonnages out (6,7)
{DENTAL SURGEON} – this professional man who could build bridgelike structures by which false teeth are attached to natural teeth is an anagram (out) of RULED TONNAGES

20a    A doctor and English graduate achieving a simple form of life (6)
{AMOEBA} – wordsum time – A with a doctor, E(nglish) and a graduate gives a simple life form

22a    Cry of pain confined to empty carriage (8)
{BAROUCHE} – put a cry of pain inside a word that described Mother Hubbard’s empty cupboard to get a four-wheeled carriage with two bench-seats and a retractable hood

24a    Fancies striker with a bearing (8)
{CHIMERAS} – these wild fancies are a charade of a striker, as in a clock, A and a compass point (bearing)

25a    Abuse from soldiers — horrible (6)
{REVILE} – a word meaning to abuse is built up from soldiers and a synonym for horrible

26a    Walking out of work could be impressive (8)
{STRIKING} – back with the double definitions – walking out of work, like BA staff, and impressive

27a    Abandon currency after disheartened support (6)
{STRAND} – a word meaning to abandon comes from the South African currency after ST (disheartened SupporT)

Down

1d    Reserve means of travel underground (6)
{SUBWAY} – a charade of a reserve, particularly a player who sits on the bench, and a means of doing something gives a pedestrian tunnel in the UK or an underground railway in North America

2d    Notice rep’s unusual greeting (9)
{RECEPTION} – An anagram (unusual) of NOTICE REP gives a formal
greeting of guests

3d    Time away from business providing an opportunity for promotion (10,5)
{COMMERCIAL BREAK} – what could be a period of time away from a business is an opportunity for promotion during a TV program – or an opportunity to put the kettle on for some of us!

5d    Principal mostly applied to right winger that’s grounded (4)
{RHEA} – most of a word that describes the principal of a school follows R(ight) to get a flightless bird (winger that’s grounded)

6d    Current support for branch line is unexpected (4,2,3,6)
{SPUR OF THE MOMENT} – a phrase that means current follows a branch railway line to give a phrase meaning unexpected

7d    I’d have one to put up with the fool (5)
{IDIOT} – a wordsum in which I’D is followed by I (one) and TO reversed (put up, yes you’re right, this is a down clue!) to give this fool (who is popular in crosswords as he is the only common word that fits the checking letters)

8d    Criminal’s anxiety in German (8)
{GANGSTER} – this member of a group of violent criminals is constructed by putting anxiety or worry inside GER(man)

11d    One sees humour on a Scottish loch (7)
{WITNESS} – a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, is a charade of humour and a Scottish loch that is famous for its monster

14d    Preside over trial on state rumours (7)
{HEARSAY} – to preside over a trial together with to state gives rumours that would not be admissible in a trial

16d    Single feature within degree material for ceramics (4,5)
{BONE CHINA} – put ONE (single) and a facial feature inside a university degree to get material used for ceramics

17d    Makes progress with cash loans (8)
{ADVANCES} – back with the double definitions once again!

19d    Stage complete? It’s a myth (6)
{LEGEND} – a stage of a race is combined with a word meaning complete to get a myth

21d    Willow is pinker when pollarded (5)
{OSIER} – any willow whose twigs are used in making baskets is derived by pollarding (cutting the top off) a word meaning more pink

23d    Man on board in hock (4)
{PAWN} – our final double definition – a chess man and to hock or pledge

Don’t forget to try today’s Toughie, where Shamus has left a special message for us bloggers!

21 comments on “DT 26262”

  1. Morning Dave, found this a bit difficult today but eventually managed it without the blog but unfortunately not without my usual ‘aids’ electronic and otherwise, so I have failed to make it out of the CC club by my first blog ‘anniversary’ :( nevertheless I have enjoyed my first year of cryptic crossword solving and say a big thank you to you and all the other contributors and bloggers without whom I would hae still been floundering in the dark corners of the CC instead of now getting a seat next to the door :) fav clue today18a, 9a

    1. Just realised after reading through the hints that I had illusion for 10a and rule for 5d Duh!

  2. Fors ome reason I found this really tough to start and was scratching my head rather a lot. Having picked up the long ones I got there OK although I had to look up 22a for confirmation.
    Favourite was 18a and 21 (as I learned a new word there in the clue).
    Thanks to BD and Jay.
    (BTW I am missing most of the little outsiders in the Toughie so far so I done have the full message yet!)

  3. I agree with the Gnome that this was a trickier puzzle from Jay but a great sense of satisfaction when the final clues when in. Favourite clues were 15a and 18a. Many thanks to Jay for the treat and to BD for the notes.

  4. It’s funny how we see things differently. I found this very easy, and all but a couple of clues fell into place.

    I also had to look up the answer to 22a for confirmation.

    Best clues – 18a & 24a.

  5. Tough one today. I miserably failed to get a single double definition, just didn’t see any of them! Also 3 words I have never heard of before 24a, 22a and 21d so a bit of education for me today. Not my best effort, found it very difficult but at least I managed to get 8 answers which is 8 more than yesterdays Ray T horror. Out of interest, is it only me that finds his puzzles impossible?

    1. For the last couple of weeks I’ve found Tuesday’s puzzles pretty horrific too.

    2. Hi Barrie, hope you had a good holiday, I don’t think its just you some of his puzzles are really tough but its just about how much time you have to put in and the enjpyment factor if you are not enjoying them then it isn’t worth the time, sometimes i feel like giving up but then start at it again, i don’t always succeed but I always need my chambers crossword dictionary and electronic thesaurus etc. don’t always need the blog these days to get an answer but often need it to understand how i got it!!! :)

    3. Barrie, its Jay’s puzzles I find most difficult. Obviously a ‘wavelength’ thing.

  6. Hard going, but got a long way without the blog. Finally left with 4 answers I had to look at, with 2 new words, 5d and 22a. Quite pleased with myself, but still in the CC.

    Happy anniversary to Mary and thanks to Jay and BD.

    1. thanks Geoff and well done, you are coming on in leaps and bounds, i think you will be in the advanced class next year :)

  7. Really enjoyable crossword yet again from Jay. Though I am not a big fan of anagrams I really liked 18a. Thanks for the review Dave and thanks Jay for a cracker.

  8. I found this really difficult today. Couldn’t get beyond famous bridges (and who built them) with 18a even though I realised that it was an anagram – got it in the end. Had 4a as “grabbing” for a long time which rather screwed up 6d – got that in the end too! Would not have got 4d without the hint – thanks! Generally not a good brain day – again! Really quite relieved to read that lots of others found it hard too.

  9. Found this hard. Completed the whole left hand side pretty quickly and then got completely stuck on all but 2 or 3 of the right hand side ones. 21d was my favourite but 18a was very clever indeed. Thanks for the hints. I really needed them today!

  10. I am sure 18a was in a puzzle within the last 12 months.
    24a was a good clue and overall a quality puzzle
    Congrats Mary, I wonder if we get a badge for long service from the CO Big Dave.

  11. I started this this morning and did finish before lunch though I’m only coming on to the blog now. I found it an enjoyable puzzle, though some of the answers took me a while to get, and for 5d I needed your help.
    Thank you Jay, and Big Dave I like the pictures you find to illustrate the hints. And Mary, I discovered this blog shortly after you joined, and your notes and comments add greatly to its pleasure. :-)

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