DT 26417 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 26417

by Gazza  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26417

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

Today’s puzzle is pretty straightforward with nothing too difficult or exciting (but we did have our fill of excitement in the early hours with a famous victory in Adelaide!). Let us know what you thought in a comment.
If you’re struggling to get an answer just highlight the space between the brackets under the clue.

Across Clues

1a  Suffer delusions spreading lie at a lunch (11)
{HALLUCINATE} – an anagram (spreading) of LIE AT A LUNCH is to suffer delusions.

9a  Model represented by artist with mother in sensational event (9)
{MELODRAMA} – a sensational event, film or play is an anagram (re-presented) of MODEL followed by a Royal Academician (artist) and an informal term for mother.

10a  End of election swamped by drink, producing movement in votes (5)
{SWING} – put the last letter (end) of electioN inside (swamped by) a large intake of drink to get a movement in votes beloved by psephologists (and which was somehow a lot more satisfying in the old days when it was demonstrated on TV by a crude arrow suspended by a pin rather than by all the modern graphics).

11a  Enter little park beside old road (6)
{RECORD} – a verb meaning to write down or key in data (enter) is a charade of an informal short form of a park, O(ld) and an abbreviation of road.

12a  One present being a support round nurse (8)
{ATTENDEE} – the second most popular type of support in Crosswordland is one that supports a golf ball. Put A and one of these round a verb to nurse to make someone present.

13a  Bird unsettling a pig in Maine (6)
{MAGPIE} – this bird is an anagram (unsettling) of A PIG inside the standard abbreviation for Maine.

15a  Round notice received by many (8)
{CIRCULAR} – double definition.

18a  Soldier followed by chap touring a country (8)
{PARAGUAY} – the abbreviation of an airborne soldier is followed by a synonym for chap around (touring) A to make a South American country.

19a  Yarn in Bangor advertised (6)
{ANGORA} – a yarn or fabric is hidden in the clue.

21a  Sporty chalet? It is requiring renovation (8)
{ATHLETIC} – an anagram (is requiring renovation) of CHALET IT gives us an adjective meaning sporty.

23a  Inexperienced reporter is beginning to misconstrue art movement (6)
{CUBISM} – this art movement is made from an inexperienced newspaper reporter, IS and the first letter (beginning) of M(isconstrue).

26a  First signs of international boom inspiring zeal around island (5)
{IBIZA} – the initial letters (first signs) of words in the clue form a Spanish island.

27a  Around middle of January, sailor and mate favoured waterproof material (9)
{TARPAULIN} – this waterproof material is formed from one of the many informal words for sailor, a synonym for mate and an informal adjective meaning favoured or popular. Then somewhere inside that lot you have to put the middle letter of JanUary.

28a  Esoteric cup devised for one relishing national sovereignty? (11)
{EUROSCEPTIC} – someone not in favour of closer continental ties is an anagram (devised) of ESOTERIC CUP.

Down Clues

1d  Dull thing that might accompany song and instrument (7)
{HUMDRUM} – an adjective meaning dull is a charade of something that might accompany a song (especially if you’ve forgotten the words) and a musical instrument.

2d  Term brought up around island for tree (5)
{LILAC} – a verb meaning to term or designate is reversed (brought up, in a down clue) around I(sland) to make a small tree of the olive family.

3d  Inferior fish introduced by foreign articles (9)
{UNDERLING} – an inferior or subordinate is a fish of the cod family preceded (introduced) by a French indefinite and a German definite article.

4d  Religious leader raised in slum, a missionary (4)
{IMAM} – hidden and reversed (raised in, which only works for a down clue) in the clue is a Muslim religious leader.

5d  Place for neat disposal? (8)
{ABATTOIR} – this is a cryptic description. Neat, here, is an archaic word for cattle.

6d  Follow four directions around university (5)
{ENSUE} – four cardinal points (but only three different ones) go around U(niversity) to make a verb meaning to follow.

7d  Complaint? Tolerate source of annoyance (7)
{BUGBEAR} – this is something that really annoys you. Start with an informal word for an easily-caught illness (complaint) and add a verb meaning to tolerate.

8d  Exotic food a convenience after wine with daughter (8)
{VINDALOO} – put A and an informal word for convenience after the French for wine and D(aughter) to get a very hot Indian curry which as a student I used to eat every week (when it was a matter of honour not to be the first to have to wipe your eyes). I expect that there will be complaints about the use of a French word, but it is in Chambers.

14d  Singer cavorting around hotel with wife and composer (8)
{GERSHWIN} – the name of the American composer (of Porgy and Bess amongst many other works) is an anagram (cavorting) of SINGER around the letter that hotel stands for in the Nato alphabet and W(ife).

16d  Study list of candidates around upper-class diplomatic residence (9)
{CONSULATE} – string together a verb meaning to study and a, mainly North American, word for a list of political candidates and insert U(pper-class).

17d  Box is accepted by hypocrite (8)
{CANISTER} – put IS inside (accepted by) someone who makes hypocritical statements to make a type of box.

18d  A grand expert? (7)
{PIANIST} – cryptic definition of a musician.

20d  Register a chap in US city college (7)
{ALMANAC} – this is a register of the days of a year, identifying events, anniversaries, etc. Start with A then put a synonym for chap inside the abbreviation for a major US city. Finish off with C(ollege).

22d  Avoid first woman carrying poster (5)
{EVADE} – put the first woman around a promotional poster.

24d  Bay popular with the French close to port (5)
{INLET} – this is a coastal bay and it’s a charade of an informal word meaning popular, a French definite article and the last letter (close) of porT.

25d  Flower from Italy gentleman held up (4)
{IRIS} – start with the IVR code for Italy and add a gentleman reversed (held up, in a down clue) to get a plant with sword-shaped leaves and typically with purple or yellow flowers.

I liked 23a and 5d today. How about you? Let us know in a comment.

45 comments on “DT 26417”

  1. All fairly straightforward today. Many thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the blog. Favourite clue was 14d.

  2. As prolixic said fairly straightforward, though In 17d the surround to “is” was a new definition to me in relation to hypocrite. Agree 14d favourite. Many thanks Gazza and setter

  3. A pleasant puzzle that I couldn’t finish without a few hints for the ones I didn’t understand. Ones I liked most included 1d and 8d. Last in 18d was 18d, self-kicking moment!

    Thanks to setter and Gazza.

  4. I enjoyed doing this today and have done it fairly quickly – just as well as I really ought to be doing “useful stuff” and now I have no excuse for not getting on with it. The only problem I had was that I made a pretty stupid mistake and started off with 23a ending in a ‘T’ which meant that I sat and looked at 20d for a while until it became obvious where I’d gone wrong. I had never met the word for ‘list of candidates’ in 16d before but the answer was easy to work out from the clue so looked it up. I liked 10a and 1, 5, 7 and 18d. STILL very cold (-2C) and rather grey and foggy in Oxford.

    1. Kath, I made exactly the same mistake with 23a. It just goes to show we should double-check solution with clue before writing it in! Otherwise a fairly straightforward puzzle.

  7. Nice straightward Tuesday puzzle. I liked 23a too. Are inexperienced reporters still called this? Thanks to Gazza and the Tuesday Mysteron.

  8. Pleasant, straightforward crossword today. Didn’t understand 17d until I did a bit of research. A further point, 1a, an obvious anagram but is not a delusion as stated in the clue, they are distinctly different.
    Thanx to compiler and Gazza.

    2. How are they different? In Chambers under “hallucination” it says “delusion” and under “delusion” it says “hallucination”. I’m guessing that there would be subtle differences to a psychiatrist but surely to the average person (or even someone doing a crossword) it’s OK!

      1. Hi, I don’t use Chambers but to clarify my comment; A delusion is a false ‘belief’ out of keeping with a persons environment, whereas an hallucination is a false ‘impression’ of sensory vividness, hence my comment that they are distinctly different.

        1. You’re spot on. Delusions are beliefs, not necessarily false, arrived at in the absence of evidence to support them, and with a number of other characteristics.

          Hallucinations are perceptions arising in the absence of the stimuli that would normally be expected to provoke them.

          However, it wasn’t too tricky to work out the solution in this case.

            1. Absolutely none but he (do we know that he is a he – could be she – the name gives nothing away) sounds as if he/she knows what he/she is talking about so, as I said earlier on, I bow to superior knowledge!

              1. I also think that it was OK as a crossword clue. It was a little innacurate, though, as Wayne pointed out.

                A delusion is an error in thinking; a hallucination is an error in sensory perception.

      2. Should have clarified further; a delusion concerns ‘thought’, an hallucination concerns the ‘senses’ i.e sight, smell, taste,tactile etc.

  11. Very enjoyable if straightforward crossword, I liked 8d and 14d. Thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the review.

  12. Thanks to Gazza for his blog and all for comments. Sorry Gazza didn’t find it as exciting as the action down under – will hope to produce more fireworks in future puzzles!

    1. Thanks to you for the puzzle, Shamus. I do appreciate your dropping in to confirm that it’s one of yours.

    3. I enjoyed it too, so thank you Shamus. If ‘producing more fireworks’ means ‘makes it very difficult’ please don’t!

  13. Well I thought it was a lovely puzzle! Just goes to show one mans m is another ones p, but I enjoyed it very much, so thank you Shamus. It took me a little longer than usual, but I managed to solve it all except for 17d, where I needed an electronic hint and which was last in. My favourite clues were 1 and 14d. Thanks, Gazza, for the hints — I love the cubist cat! :-)

  14. Well, nobody else but the reviewer is saying it so Congratulations to Strauss and the boys in Oz – I bet Kath is pleased. Another enjoyable puzzle with 14 best clue. Also liked 1a 5 9 13 14 17 and 28. On to Perth!

    1. As you so rightly guessed I’m absolutely delighted – you do have to congratulate me though – at least I know what you’re all talking about and that’s as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned!

  15. All done without too much angst – and despite tuning in to events down-under until quite late.

    Last in 17d.

  16. Not many of us women on here today apart from me, Jane, Franny and CrypticSue so, in the absence of the rest of the regulars, I am thinking of Jezza and Mrs J and hoping that all is well and that the lack of Jezza today is because something is, at last, happening – do hope that all is well.

  20. Quite fun I thought.

    Could not get 17 d 18d or 20d.

    Even I tolerated the error in 1a as it was a fun clue. I also liked 28a.

    Apparently Shane Warne is considering a comeback, even if he has to bowl with a runner. :)

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