Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2593 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, I will select a few of the better clues and provide hints for them.
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.
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Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also”.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.
Across
1a Informal eating-places including hot ribs (6)
Put an informal name for eating-places around (including) H(ot) to get a verb meaning ribs or teases
10a Cold wind loaded tree with snow, right? (9)
This cold wind is an anagram (loaded) of TREE with SNOW and R(ight) – note that the enumeration is actually (3’6) or (3’-6) but, in common with most other crosswords, the Telegraph doesn’t show apostrophes
11a Woods for hunting animal (5)
A pictorial hint for this one!
23a Fellow from Exeter or Lincoln, perhaps, or citizen of central England (7)
… Exeter and Lincoln are colleges at a university in central England
25a Calls to account, with usual adjustment in method of paying (5,2)
A phrasal verb meaning calls to account is created by putting an anagram (adjustment) of USUAL inside a method of paying over an extended period of time
29a Built or demolished, say (6)
this verb meaning built sounds like one meaning demolished
Down
1d A North American I’d put up in old part of Middle East (8)
This person from North America is created by reversing (put up, as this is a down clue) I’D inside an old part of the Middle East, the biblical name for the Promised Land of the Israelites
5d European who works with crook that often helps police (6,8)
A charade of someone from a European country and someone who works with a crook looking after animals gives an animal often used to help the police
7d Like man at home in castle, as we speak (7)
… which man’s home is his castle?
9d Bad intentions, alas, found in some poetry (7,7)
An anagram (bad) of INTENTIONS ALAS gives some poetry of the kind written by Giacomo da Lentini and Francesco Petrarca
24d Poem put in order, apart from opening lines (5)
This poem is a charade of a word meaning to put in order without its first letter (apart from opening) followed by a pair of L(ine)s
If you need further help then please ask and I will see what I can do.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put whole or partial answers or alternative clues in your comment, else they may be censored!
Today it’s Happy Birthday to Paula Abdul (49) and Louis Jourdan (92)
Very enjoyable crossword again from the Sunday Maestro. I did like all the linked downs. Thanks to BD for the hints too.
Agree with CS, I enjoyed it too.
After ETUI on Friday it’s nice to see 15a again, it’s been a fair while since I last saw it! Is there some sort of campaign to bring some old favourites out of their well earned retirement?
Thanks to Virgilius and BD.
If Gnomey was around, would he produce some sort of pun about 15a making the heart grow fonder :D Sorry, I will creep off back to strawberry jam making duties.
Ooh! I never would have! Stop stirring and get back to stirring!
The usual excellent Sunday crossword… top marks for 13a – a work of art.
Ditto – that was my favourite, followed by 24d.
Agreed, a lovely semi all in one and superbly delivered.
Ditto all the above. The SW took nearly half my solving time until 23a dawned. Thanks to virgilius and BD.
Stuck on 22d and 26a anybody pleeeeeeeeese, assuming I’ve got 23a right!
Its Gnomes law got them thanks anyone who was going to post :-)
No complaints from me – a very fair and well-constructed challenge for Father’s Day! And nothing (yet!) from The Girls about the cricketing connection at 20a!
Ah, hi Digby the cricket connection didn’t actually strike me! now I understand :-)
Cricket (20a), Golf (11a) and Tennis (19d) – no wonder it’s raining!!
Think it’s got more to do with them announcing a drought. Still the current East Kent deluge is saving me from more strawberries they will have to stay outside and get soggy, along with the raspberries. I love fruit but does it all have to arrive at the same time??
Cricket, golf, tennis – and has anyone heard a single complaint from me or Mary? :smile:
Mary’s got sun so she won’t be in a complaining mood today We are currently suffering the deluge – again!
Still got it, will share with you if you promise not to keep it :-)
Finished at last, I found this tough today with the bottom L/H corner being last to go in, fav clue 5d, though it took me a while to do it, although I spotted the anagram in 9d I just couldn’t solve it without Daves help also 23a, thanks once again Dave, good luck all :-)
that should read anagram in 9d!
Hi Mary, I was struggling with 9d as well. It was when I got the first letter of the second word that I guessed what it was from the poetry referencet. Took those letters out of the fodder and what was left sort of jumped out at me! it goes with a few of the other downs in the top half.
I hate long anagrams!
Sorted! If I delete your second comment then the one above from pommers will be orphaned!
thanks Dave
The master of the hidden clue! I knew they would be there somewhere (13a & 21d), but it took me a long time to find them!
Missed the link in the Downs! Thanks to BD for explaining 23a.
Excellent fare for a Sunday but stuck on SW corner because can’t for the life of me see 22d, no doubt v obvious but having a senior moment.
Blindingly obvious, as you thought!
22d Everyone in bar held up for money in various currencies (6)
Put a word for everyone (3) inside a bar or pole then reverse the lot (hed up) to get a currency used by several countries, principally the US !!!
Thx BD, knew it was obvious :-) just couldn’t see it.
I found this a bit more difficult than the last few days – got terribly stuck for ages in bottom left hand corner. Needless to say 20a also took a while but managed all without needing the hints. Completely missed the linked down clues and the 13a being hidden in the clue – stupid or what? Last ones in were 22d and 26a. Tried to make 1a something to do with a “bistro” since most of the letters were in the clue but that just wasn’t going to work! Liked 1a (once I understood it) 10, 11 ……. actually far too many to write them all down individually. Thanks to Virgilius and to Big Dave – it’s always Sundays that remind me how much I’ve learnt from this blog – Sunday crosswords used to be a complete no-go area for me.
Well done Kath
That southwest corner was a bit tricky!
…tricky! More like insurmountable! Stuck on 24d, 26a & I think I’ve got 28a but not 100% convinced.
Thanks to V & to BD for the hints.
…if I’d only waited a gnomement before pressing send!
All thanks to you and your fantastic blog, BD. :grin:
Those were the last in for me too Kath, I still don’t quite understand the ‘various currencies’ bit despite Daves hint above! Glad you had a nice break welcome back, my turn to go off to France for a few days next Friday, unfortunately not a holiday a ‘duty visit’ to 95 yr old mother-in-law who has gone to live there with sister-in-law!!
The US is not the only country to use this unit of currency.
It’s used elsewhere, usually with the country name in front of the word.
Oops! Sorry BD. must remember to refresh the screen before replying – yours ahdn’t popped up!
Try answering questions on AnswerBank – you can find you have been beaten by half-a dozen others!
Never even looked at AnswerBank, let alone posted a reply!
Recommend AnswerBank – there is always some-one there to help!
Thanks both :-) off to sit in the sun whilst its actually shining!
Mary! You’ve stolen my sun – it’s gone cloudy here!
Thanks Pommers it is a beautiful afternoon/evening here now :-)
Glad to hear it, it gives us a chance in the cricket match. Sorry for mentioning the dreaded game!
“Various currencies” – lots of nations use this currency! Canada, Australia, East Timor, Hong Kong….. plus many more!
And I think the word ‘various’ here indicates that these aren’t actually the same currency, just the same name.
Hope that makes “cents”! :oops: Good Night!
Nice one :-)
Smartie pants, yet again! :smile:
Mea Culpa! Yet, Again! :wink:
Good luck with the duty visit – can’t quite get head around the relationship – why is your mother-in-law living with your sister-in-law? Am completely confused!!
‘Cos my sister in law is her daughter Kath, she (M-I-L) has been in a homw for last 5 years but In her wisdom (not) her daughter who lives in France decided that she would take her to live with her!! Hope this clears it up :-)
Yes, OK – sounds like a recipe for problems to me – or am I getting into my Mum’s frame of mind which means that everything is seen as a problem? :sad:
No you’re right we’ve already had an sos from there less than 3 months after the move!
Usual enjoyable fare from Virgilius – many thanks.
Got the eastern half knocked off in record time and ditto for the NW corner – then ground to a halt with the SW corner.
Finally got 23a sorted out – already had 22d – and then finished the grid off. Whew!!
My likes :5a, 20a, 5d, 6d, 9d & 24d.
We have had a violent mistral wind blowing here in The Var all day – not a cloud in the sky of course and The Med is brilliantly azure.
I have extended my stay to early August then back to NL.
After an initial pass I thought I would leave this one for the Grown Ups. It looked like a Toughie on the run to me. But I gave it a go and nearly succeeded, only to be defeated by 19d (missed the tennis thingy) and 18a (not in my vocab). Higher Management will now want to know why chores remain undone. Thanks to all anyway.
Well done Centurion, it is always worth a go
Well done – I’m a grown up and I thought that it was quite tough. 18a came to me from the recesses of my mind and did just about manage 19d. Who cares about chores – you do the housework and in another few months it needs doing again!! :smile: Unlike the grass – you cut it and it needs doing again in another few days!
I’m with you there Kath! I’ve just vacuumed and dusted the lounge for the onset of pommette’s mum, but I bet it will need doing again in about 6 months! Fortunately we don’t have any grass!
Kath. Congratulations on getting 20a. I suppose 23 was right up your street!
23a was, of course, right up my street, probably just round the corner – unfortunately it took me a while …. brain not working too well today! However did manage 20a! :smile:
A very enjoyable crossword from Virgilius. I spent more time in the SW corner than on the rest of the puzzle until the pennies finally dropped. Thanks to the setter and to BD for the notes.
Very enjoyable and i found it very difficult, but got there in the end. I know that I am being a bit dim, but I cannot see the rationale behind 6d
Thanks to BD and setter
Its a Cockney slang expression for wife – almost all of a word meaning tax followed by an abbreviation for check in a game of chess
Thanks Crypticsue – I see it now. You’e a diamond. Did you find tihs crossword on the tricky side? There were some excellent clues
Regards
He has done a lot trickier than this one! Some excellent clues and I got to enjoy it twice as my review will be here on Friday lunchtime.
Looking forward to reading it!