Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2618 (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 more difficult 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.
Could new readers please read the Welcome post before asking questions about the site.
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 Has potential to destroy, ultimately powerful (6)
A word meaning has potential followed by the final letter (ultimately) of destroY gives an adjective meaning powerful
10a Threatening to execute you and me over outrage (9)
This adjective meaning threatening is derived by putting a two-letter verb meaning to execute and the objective pronoun representing you and me around (over) an outrage or fury
12a Extremely banal ceremonies, time after time (7)
To get this adjective meaning extremely banal put some ceremonies and T(ime) after T(ime)
25a Part of Canada — one close to Victoria, note (7)
This province of Canada is a charade of someone very close to Queen Victoria and a musical note
29a He wasn’t great as a baker! (6)
… as he burnt the cakes!
Down
1d Thoughtfully consider revision of text penned by partner (8)
A verb meaning to thoughtfully consider is created by putting a revision of text prior to publication inside (penned by) a partner
2d Agent, in moving article, makes a bloomer (7)
Start with AGENT IN and move the A (indefinite article) to get a bloomer with blue flowers
3d A number of TV series, perhaps, that could make me honest and good (5,4)
This musical number that might identify a TV series comes from an anagram (could make) of ME HONEST followed by G(ood)
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19d Some basic education in place of university (7)
One of the three Rs (some basic education) is also the name of a University in Berkshire
24d Strongly recommend catching river fish (5)
Put a verb meaning to strongly recommend around (catching) R(iver) to get a fish
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 Brenda Lee (67)
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I am so glad it is my turn to do the Sunday review again as this one was solved so quickly, I didn’t have a chance to enjoy all the lovely clues. Thanks to Virgilius for a great start to Sunday and to BD for the hints.
26 across. *****. But why?
Robjan
Welcome to the blog Robjan
Please read the request at the bottom of the post about not posting whole or partial answers.
You are right!
26a Material from friend, ultimately getting nothing for a change (5)
This type of material is created by changing the final letter A of a Cockney friend into the letter representing nothing (getting nothing for A change)
and seeing as I know very little cockney rhyming slang I’ll be a while :-)
Duh of course I know this one!
Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle today, nice clues and a good work out. Thanks to Virgilius and B Dave for the hints.
Most enjoyable but pretty easy today. Outstanding clue was 9 which I thought was brilliant. Altogether a good puzzle with many fine clues. Should be a big postbag.
Ooh all this rain must have dulled my brain, not finding this easy at all :-(
I really don’t understand how the answer for 28a works ?
Am going to come back to this later hopefully, all the internal doors being changed isnt helping my concentration, that’s my excuse for now anyway!
Think ‘triple definition’ and see if that helps.
yes it does, thanks Sue :-)
Another fine Sunday puzzle. I had a peculiar solving pattern today, where at one point, the whole of the right hand side was completed, and the left side was empty.
The NW took me the longest, as I wanted to fit an anagram of ‘text’ in the middle of 1d!
Thanks to Virgilius, and to BD for the pointers.
I still do Jezza! :-)
As usual Jezza, I had exactly the same solving issues up to and includingf the ‘text’. The usual excellence from Virgilius, thanks to him and to BD.
Ditto for me too!
Thanks to Virgilius and BD. Excellent puzzle and hints.
Am I the only one for whom the whole thing just flowed very nicely from start to end?? I had quite a few of the acrosses filled in as I went down them, did the downs and then went back and filled in the gaps. Perhaps I was just in the “zone”.
My head hurts following company do in ******** – that’s my excuse!
Does that mean I won’t be able to solve puzzles on Thursday then?? :D
Not sure – Are you going to ******** Thursday?
No Canterbury on Wednesday!! Possibly, or even very likely, drinking several glasses of pink wine!
This is beginning to remind me of the two old drunks on a train.
1st one “Is this Wembley”?
2nd one “No, it’s Thursday”
1st one “So am I – let’s go and have a drink”
I concur with the observation Kath, and it is ALL my fault!
very noble of you gnomey :-D
Nothing to do with nobility, m’dear, it IS all my fault!
Only joking! Absolutely NOT your fault!! :smile: the two old drunks just remind me of my Dad – he wasn’t an old drunk but he had a great repertoire of brief, silly and apt jokes.
18a – Don’t mention ********.
Well spotted Franco – the Gnome can have a hair of the dog with the mulled wine Mary left in the naughty corner :D
ooops! Wadda mistake-a to make-a!
I had the same experience. Right-hand side complete – left-hand side completely empty. How strange!
And me! Had to finally resort to the hints and once I had 1a I was off the block and soon finished. Some lovely clues to-day, I thought – liked 4a,18d and 9d, though it took me ages before the penny dropped. Thanks to setter – what a nice way to spend a thoroughly wet, miserable and damp Sunday afternoon!
Sorry, forgot my manners – thank you BD for the hints or I think I would still be staring at a blank left-hand side – was reading 1a entirely wrong.
I spent ages trying to justify “mortal” for 1a – it didn’t work and was always clearly wrong but, having got it in my head, it took a while to get beyond it. Is it me or is the snow getting heavier around here? Might be the wine …
OK after much perservating and with a little help from my ‘friends’ and a lot from Daves hints (thank you Dave) I have finished, excuses aside, I found this difficult today with at least a three star for me! fav clue 18a, good luck everyone, I needed it :-)
I thought it was quite difficult too but until I came across this blog I could not do Sunday crosswords at all.
Really enjoyed today’s. First look was a bit off putting but I pervervated and it came together nicely. Even learned a new word today, 15a, had to look it up in Chambers, not come across one of these before. Thx to Virgilius for a pleasent Sunday puzzle and to BD for the hints (wouldn’t have got 12a without the hint).
I thought 12a was very clever, well done Brian :-)
I’m not even going to comment on Brian’s neologism. Ooops! Too late!
Naughty Gnomey – I would have been kind and edited out his typo, or would I?? :D
Thanks to Virgilius. Always my favourite of the week!
His surface readings are always so much smoother than those of most compilers – especially the Toughie Setters.
Surface readings: for example – last Friday’s Toughie from Notabilis:-
28a Process less fat, accepting piece of data that backs precautions for the sedentary (6,5)
What is that all about? (OK – I can’t do Toughies!)
Doesn’t the surface just mean:
Eat less fatty foods, accepting the relevance of research that recommends those with a sedentary lifestyle to take precautions.
?
You’re quite right Gazza but I have to agree with Franco that the reading of the clue isn’t the greatest. However it’s a Toughie so you have to live with it sometimes.
Personally I like the Monday puzzle for really smooth surfaces!
I thought it was fine per gazza’s rendition. Just wish I had more time to solve it on the day.
I can’t do toughies either – might try to get the head round this one tomorrow …
Cracking puzzle Grommet! Now it’s back to sorting the Crimbo lights out. Nought was ever done unless at some time it was first begun….
I found some of this quite tricky – like several others did the right hand side easily enough and then took quite a while to do the left side, eventually ending up with about six that took longer than the whole of the rest of the puzzle. I couldn’t do 10a for ages, mainly because I was totally convinced that the first word of 3d had to be the number that follows two – then got 10a but didn’t understand why until I read the hint. I really enjoyed it – best clues today, for me, include 18 and 28a and 6, 9 and 16 – best of all 29a which I thought was great.
Going to light the fire and watch the dancing that we recorded last night! :grin:
Ditto Kath – think the right ones have been eliminated, don’t you? Mind you – I couldn’t even being to START, so I admire all of them!
Oh dear – sorry – no manners today! :oops: Thanks to Virgilius and, as always, BD.
Very good crossword, 28a was the best. 2d took the longest, not good on bloomers!
Hi David – your comment had to be moderated because you’re using a different handle. Both old and new should now work.
Thanks to the setter & Big Dave for the hints. I needed a few for the top left hand corner. The Sunday puzzles always seem to be like 4 separate mini puzzles, but was nonetheless enjoyable. No real favourites.
Solved the eastern half of this puzzle from Virgilius just after lunchtime then had to go to Den Haag (The Hague) with my daughter and granddaughter to see The Kirov Ballet version of Carmen. Rather acrobatic performance – we think the original version and also Carmen Jones are better. Too much roaming around with strapped-up mattresses!!
Back home after a Chinese meal, I finished the western half.
Many nice clues as ever from Virgilius!
Now I know Christmas is near! Kirsty McColl and the Pogues on the radio! We had Greg Lake about half an hour ago!
Hi, quick question.
Where abouts in the paper is the Sunday crossword. Searched but could not find it anywhere!
Welcome to the blog Scratchalot
I’ll leave that for someone else to answer as I hardly ever buy the Sunday paper
It isn’t in the main bit of the paper but in one of the many ‘extra’ supplementy bits. I think it is called ‘Life’ or something like that. On the front of it, there is usually a heading saying ‘four page puzzle pullout inside’.
Thanks crypticsue. I think that section must’ve been missing from my paper! I don’t normally buy a paper on a Sunday or do the Sunday puzzle but thought why not
In a sinister escalation to the story, I had to buy the paper this sunday as well and my copy of the crossword (in the ‘LIFE’ section) was missing…….