DT 26334 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26334

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26334

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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

Standard Telegraph crossword, yet again, from Jay.

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    Feeling left following smack? (10)
{AFTERTASTE} – the feeling left after eating or drinking is a charade of following and smack or flavour

6a    Collar half of hooligans (4)
{RUFF} – a frill worn round the neck, especially in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, is half of some hooligans

10a    Get up and suffer (5)
{STAND} – a double definition

11a    Dish one might have if a recess is planned (9)
{FRICASSÉE} – a dish of fowl, rabbit, etc. cut into pieces and served in sauce is an anagram (planned) of IF A RECESS

12a    Sort of degree awarded for penalty skills (4,4)
{FINE ARTS} – a university degree subject that is a charade of a penalty and skills

13a    Religious ruling concealed by staff at war (5)
{FATWA} – a formal legal opinion or decision issued by a Muslim judicial authority is hidden inside (concealed by) the last three words of the clue

15a    Craftsmen who suffer in the hills (7)
{TAILORS} – these craftsmen are built up by putting a word meaning to suffer inside the hills that we saw one of in yesterday’s puzzle

ARVE Error: need id and provider

17a    Pair of sailors beginning to exhibit sauce (7)
{TARTARE} – take a synonym for a sailor, repeat it and then add the first letter of (beginning to) Exhibit to get a a mayonnaise dressing with chopped pickles, olives, capers, etc.

19a    Crew member plus drink equals surrender (5,2)
{HANDS UP} – a charade of a crew member and to drink gives what you do when you surrender

21a    Guide to behaviour (7)
{CONDUCT} – a double definition

22a    Hesitate to provide exemption without one (5)
{WAVER} – a word meaning to hesitate is derived by taking an exemption and removing the I (one)

24a    Regional legislation figures given in communication (4,4)
{AREA CODE} – what could be a regional legislation is actually the number used before the local telephone number when dialling long-distance telephone calls (figures given in communication)

27a    List origin of engineers with mathematical ability (9)
{ENUMERATE} – a word meaning to give a list of, one by one, comes from the first letter (origin) of Engineers followed by a word meaning with mathematical ability

28a    Former prison accommodation, we hear, that could be better (5)
{EXCEL} – a charade of a former partner and what sounds like (we hear) prison accommodation gives a word meaning to be better

29a    Departed after time expected (4)
{LATE} – there are three definitions here! – departed or dead, after the time expected, and the whole clue

30a    Confined theatre audiences get superior accommodation (10)
{PENTHOUSES} – a charade of a synonym for confined or repressed, usually applied to emotions, and theatre audiences leads to superior accommodation, usually at the top of a building

Down

1d           A short note added to end of the recess (4)
{APSE} – combine A with a short note and the final letter (end) of thE to get a recess

2d           Mostly barter it with single working practice (9)
{TRADITION} – most of a word meaning to barter is followed by IT I (single) and ON (working) to give a practice or custom

3d           Travel across top of gentle peak (5)
{RIDGE} – put a word meaning to travel on horseback (or a bicycle) around (across) the first letter (top) of Gentle to get a peak or long narrow hilltop

4d           Swears it’s a fine company on top of security (7)
{AFFIRMS} – a word meaning swears or declares is built up from A F(ine) with a company and the first letter (top – again) of Security

5d           What to wear for some tennis following match? (7)
{TWINSET} – a cardigan and jumper made more or less to match (what to wear) comes from series of games of tennis after a match or clone – a little weak as the clothing is so called because it matches


7d           Leading group’s defeat (5)
{UPSET} – a charade of leading or in front and a group gives a defeat

8d           They’ll go anywhere for nothing — a public toilet! (4,6)
{FREE AGENTS} – people free to go anywhere is a charade of “for nothing”, A and a male public toilet

9d           Battling endlessly to protect footballers from poison (8)
{WARFARIN} – most of (endlessly) a synonym for battling is placed around the Football Association to get rat poison

14d         A dry chop and hot fish for being in control (2,3,5)
{AT THE WHEEL} – a charade of A with TeeTotal (dry), a word meaning to chop, H(ot), and a fish give a phrase meaning being in control

ARVE Error: need id and provider

16d         Outside broadcast — one of use to viewer (8)
{OBSERVER} – combine an Outside Broadcast with someone of use to get a viewer

18d         Acts due for renewal to cover question of water transporters (9)
{AQUEDUCTS} – put an anagram (renewal) of ACTS DUE around a QU(estion) to get artificial channels  or pipes for conveying water

20d         Calm down, seeing volunteers back in position (7)
{PLACATE} – a word meaning to calm someone down is derived by putting the Territorial Army (volunteers) reversed (back) inside a position

21d         Showing mercy to student covered in building material (7)
{CLEMENT} – to get a word meaning showing mercy put L (learner / student) inside (covered in) a building material

23d         Very senior relative’s boast (5)
{VAUNT} – a charade of V(ery) and a senior female relative gives a word meaning a boast

25d         Belief held by mediocre doctors (5)
{CREDO} – a statement of the beliefs or aims is hidden inside (held by) the last two words of the clue

26d         Troubles with invoices lacking heading (4)
{ILLS} – these troubles come from invoices without the initial letter (lacking heading)

No particular favourites today.  A few minor quibbles about the duplicated use of indicators, but nothing serious.

47 comments on “DT 26334”

  1. Run of the mill stuff today with one or two teeth sucking moments.
    14d seemed to have everything but the kitchen sink in the clue.
    5d to describe ‘***’ as ‘some tennis’ is a bit of a stretch.
    Still a good workout none the less. Thank Jay and Big Dave

  2. Agree with the difficulty level. I have a bit of tippex on a couple of the clues at the top! As you say, standard, Jay, but none the less enjoyable for that. No particular favourites. Thanks Jay and BD.

    For those who like to know from me about the Toughie: it is tough, it helps if you think laterally about the theme, it took me a fair while to solve but there are a few laughs on the way, especially 1a, so in my opinion, well worth a try.

  5. Agree with rating but enjoyable all the same. Top left last to complete and liked 1a. Agree with Nubian’s comments about 5d.
    Thanks to Jay and Big Dave.
    Will avoid the Toughie.

  6. BD – I hate overcooked meat, but the illustration for 11a seems to contain what looks like virtually raw kidney, the thought of which makes me feel somewhat queasy……the French perpetrate some culinary outrages at times with rare or raw meat, but this is excessive. The crossword? As you say – standard fare…………….

  7. Finding this a puzzle of two halves, completed all bottom half but very little on the top so I am off to toodle my flute for a bit ‘cogitating’ at the same time then I will be back to ‘perservate! ‘ If I fail I wil have to ‘checkle’ the clues/hints :)

  8. Nice and gentle from Jay today. Many thanks to him and to BD for the notes. Favourite clue was 1a.

  9. A pleasing crossword. Perhaps not as sophisticated as some but enjoyable none the less!!! 14d was solved visually from the across letters and then pieced together to match the clue – as Nubian has already commented – everything but the kitchen sink.

  11. I enjoyed this offering from Jay very much indeed. Favourites were 1a and 12a. Great review as ever BD.

  12. I find that Jay & Rufus both serve us similar fare – a decent, fair, balanced challenge, with few contentious moments. Other than to make sense of the surface reading, I’m not sure that 3a needs “senior” – in reality they can be quite young. Thanks to setter and assessor.

    1. Although I usually like Jay puzzles, Rufus is by far my favourite setter, I find lots of his clue short, sharp and witty, thought some of Jays clues today were a bit long and drawn out ?

  13. Managed this one a bit better than yesterday’s although I do think that it’s at least a 3* for difficulty. Favourites today are 1a (although took a very long time to get it) and 30a, also 14d in spite of the ‘kitchen sink element’ that other people didn’t seem to like judging from the comments above! Thanks to Jay and BD.

  14. I didn’t find this particularly easy today and it took a lot of bookwork etc. it would have helped if I’d remembered Outside broadcast is ‘OB’ ! last to go in 8d, nevertheless finished without the blog and I think I understand them all, no wow clues for me today, sad to say no favourites or complaints today :) tough one for us CC, lots of hard work, depends if you think it’s worth it? personally once started I always try to finish them, off to take dogs for their ‘annual inspections’ :oops: mean injections etc. back later

        1. We have Max, a Labrador / Retriever cross and my son has a Jack Russell called Badger. There are a couple of pictures of Max in the Gallery.

  15. I don’t so well with the midweek puzzles. Having said that, I am getting further with them than I used to. Some of the constructs seem so convoluted, (14d!).

    Thanks for review.

  16. I found this fairly ordinary today – no clues to get excited about, and the usual sailors and football which I find somewhat irritating.

  17. Three in a row this week with no reference to the hints.
    I liked 1a, 6a, 24a, 30a, 5d, 8d, 9d & 14d.

    Nice picture of the Roman acqueduct in the south of France (Pont du Gard).

    1. BD
      I had to delete the blog from my bookmarks (favourites) and then reinsert it after logging on via BD44.com – it is now OK again. you must have altered something as the old one worked for months !

  18. Enjoyable fare today, just enough head-scratchers to give a sense of achievement at finishing it off. 1a was the last to go in – a lightbulb moment after pondering dozens of constructions with LAM, HIT, RAP, CRACK (and then various other drugs besides!).

    Enjoyed 14d (though from the blog I fear I may be alone!). Particular favourites today were 13a and 25d – nice surface readings for both of these WYSIWYG clues.

    Disappointed when driving through Leighton Buzzard – and not just for being there in the first place – to see that the COLLOSEUM GYM has spent a fortune on a huge banner for the front of their “Neo-Classical” (!) premises but didn’t stump up a few quid for a dictionary first. Does this bitterness (pedantry) come with being a cruciverbalist, or am I just a grumpy old man?

    Enough of that. Thanks Jay for another entertaining crossword and Big Dave, as ever, for the excellent blog.

      1. We are probably both. And, if you are an old-fashionedly-trained typist like me (we had to look for every mistake, ours and others) you tend to spot every single one of these mispellings and typos – we get quite a lot of new roundabuots here!

        1. I noticed this afternoon that the hymn list at the crem contains ‘Love Devine’. My spell-checker doesn’t like it.

          1. The following appeared in the online version of the Telegraph yesterday – its been corrected now.

            “The Stig races a variety of cars on the Top Gear programme clad in white overalls and a blacked-out visa”

            1. Brilliant – presumably he now can’t enter other countries! I blame the 1960s when it was decided that to correct a child’s spelling ‘stifled their creative development’, Its been downhill ever since.

  19. I enjoyed this, thanks Jay, and loved 14d once I’d worked it out. Thanks BD too for the blog, WHICH I DIDN’T NEED!!!!
    but I’m not getting big-headed yet a while, I might meet my come-uppance tomorrow, you never know! First look today NOTHING came to mind then things began to fall into place and the feeling when completed— well, if you could see me now!!!

  20. Doing this late in the day – needed a siesta to get over a few old ones we did earlier this morning. Took a while to get going – only had 3 after the 1st pass. Then completed the bottom half fairly easily but ground to a halt on the top! Think the brain must have still been asleep after the siesta. Last clue in was 1a and like Dan looked for all sorts of drugs! Bit of a DOH moment when Pommers finally got it! Thanks BD and Jay

  21. Buzzed through but failed to get 1a and 1d. Probably why I always start from the last down clue and work upwards!

    1. It’s interesting how people approach a puzzle. I do exactly the same as you; start at the last down clue, and work up!

  22. ok. This is now getting between me and a rather enticing Guinness. Why am I becoming slightly agitated about not getting 1a?
    Am calling on sympathetic readers……please before I go and do something silly like skyplus X Factor!

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