Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26895
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Normal start to the week, with nothing contentious, although I did think that 18d was very weak. Please take time to leave a comment and let us know what you thought.
The answer is hidden between the curly brackets.
Across
1. Upset with ban that’s put on bike (8)
{CROSSBAR} – A word that means angry is followed by another word that means to prohibit produces the horizontal piece on a man’s bicycle that joins the steering and saddle support
6. Stone upturned by vermin (6)
{PUMICE} – A light porous rock is UP (reversed, turned) then the plural of small rodents.
9. Stress it’s money on account (6)
{ACCENT} – The definition is stress as in emphasis, put a hundredth of a monetary unit after AC (account).
10. The night air? (8)
{NOCTURNE} – A musical composition that is inspired by, or is evocative of the night.
11. It can make a man hate what is repellent (8)
{ANATHEMA} – An anagram (it can make) of A MAN HATE.
12. Takes part in demonstration but doesn’t stand out (4,2)
{SITS IN} – A demonstration that is in effect the opposite of standing out.
13. He keeps an eye on the hands to avoid overtime (5-7)
{CLOCK-WATCHER} – The hands are on a timepiece.
16. Acquit, but without costs (4,2,6)
{FREE OF CHARGE} – A phrase that means without payment could also mean no longer accused.
19. Parking, say, behind club (6)
{PUTTER} – P (parking) and a word that means to speak could also be found in a golf bag.
21. Cursory examination not repeated (4-4)
{ONCE-OVER} – A quick appraisal, is also something that is regarded a single time.
23. Double-crossing woman taking on two men (8)
{BETRAYAL} – You need three names strung together, a woman’s name to begin with, for example a barmaid at the Rovers Return, then the first name of a blind American soul and blues piano player and singer, and finally the first name of an American gangster to get a word that can mean to commit treason.
24. He’s not at home with legal rules (6)
{OUTLAW} – A word that means not at home plus a term for a body of rules is someone who is beyond the protection of the legal system.
25. It can make one act straight away (2,4)
{AT ONCE} – An anagram (it can make) of ONE ACT.
26. Dissipated female locked up (8)
{MISSPENT} – A word that means to squander can be made up from a courtesy title for a girl or single woman and a word that means to be closely confined.
Down
2. Soldiers are unable to withdraw (6)
{RECANT} – Soldiers are Royal Engineers, followed by a contraction of word that means not possible to get a word that’s associated with formally withdrawing a statement for example.
3. We set about the final course (5)
{SWEET} – An anagram (about) of WE SET or WE with SET around it is the dessert course. .
4. How seasick people feel on disembarking? (6,3)
{BETTER OFF} – A phrase that means in a more fortunate position could also describe how people who suffer from mal de mer might feel once they have left a ship.
5. Conducted bag search (7)
{RANSACK} – A word that means to examine thoroughly is made up from a word that can mean managed and then a word for a large bag.
6. Steps — quiet ones (5)
{PACES} – P (quiet) and then playing card ones.
7. Cat and mouse finally finish grooming whiskers (9)
{MOUSTACHE} – An anagram (grooming) of CAT and MOUSE and the final letter of finisH.
8. Reckon to make a hundred — getting on edge, right? (8)
{CONSIDER} – For word that means to think carefully about or to form an opinion, string together C (a hundred) ON, then a surface of a flat object, and finally R (right).
13. Big plunge on Swiss bank? (6,3)
{CRESTA RUN} – Is a skeleton racing toboggan track in the Swiss winter sports town of St. Moritz.
14. Terrible actor in trouble with debts (9)
{ATROCIOUS} – An anagram (in trouble) of ACTOR followed by IOUS (debts).
15. Words are not about to stick (8)
{ARGUMENT} – The sort of words that describe a quarrel or a dispute are ARENT around a word that describes a sticky substance.
17. Rough cowl on chimney in Scotland (7)
{HOODLUM} – A person who is a rowdy or a ruffian, is another word for a cloth covering for the head followed by a Scottish word for a chimney.
18. Recover one’s possession? (6)
{REGAIN} – To get something back and I also suppose you are meant to think that you are recovering one’s possession as in to get a grip.
20. Come to a similar conclusion (5)
{RHYME} – A poem (for example) having a regular correspondence of sounds, especially at the ends of lines.
22.Where to find a washer always available (2,3)
{ON TAP} – A phrase that describes something as ready for immediate use could also describe where you might find a flat ring of rubber used to provide a seal.
The Quick crossword pun: {copper} + {beach} = {copper beech}
Didn’t enjoy this much – 2*. found top half trivial but struggled with bottom half. 18 as mentioned was poor and I’d never heard of the scottish chimney. Don’t understand why 20 refers to a poem?
Thanks for the help.
W
RHYME
Definition: poetry in which lines end with like sounds
Synonyms: alliteration, beat, cadence, couplet, doggerel, half-rhyme, harmony, iambic pentameter, measure, meter, nursery rhyme, ode, poem, poesy, poetry, rhythm, rune, slant rhyme, song, tune, verse, vowel-chime.
I understand what rhyme has to do with poetry, I just don’t understand why the clue relates to poetry or rhyme other than a quite weak link in my opinion. Im probably being thick though so don’t worry, I landed back from business trip to Delhi on Friday and brought the famous Delhi belly back too.
Wozza,
The clue “come to a similar conclusion”, is an attempt to indicate that line endings with similar sounds in a poem are in fact rhyming. My 2c anyway.
Wozza,
If your views coincide with someone else’s then they are “in rhyme” or harmonious!
I agree with ** difficulty. I also agree with the bottom half top half comment above. Last in 20d (a good clue though) – Wasn’t sure about 18d (not cryptic enough) and considered re-pawn but it was not in the dictionary!
Good morning Libelulle, from a relatively sunny West Wales today! Thanks for the hints/blog I needed your help for 13d, as I’m not into tobogganing etc.
Re 18d I did think of putting ‘depawn’ is there such a word??
I found the top half easier than the bottom but overall a two to three star for me today, fav clues 4d, 6d, 22d
Saw quite a few of your namesake yesterday whilst visiting some beautiful gardens in Pembrokeshire :-D
Your cream tea yesterday sounded delightful, rather have had that that pulling down the garden wall which was my Sunday! How was the Chinese :-) ?
Deeelicious thank you :-D
I stared blankly at 20d for quite some time; that and 23a were my last two in.
Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule.
2 star on top and 3 star on the bottom esp SW for difficulty. No real favs today and still don’t see a) what 13d has to do with a bank and b) how you are supposed to know that the 15d uses the shortening for are not. Thx to Libellule for the SW hints.
Hi Brian, I think the Cresta Run has all those ice ‘banks’ that the toboggans speed along?
I think I agree with you re 15d
20d was last in for me as well. I agree on 18d – not one of the best but all in all a very pleasant Monday solve. Thanks Rufus and Libellule.
Has anyone experienced difficulty getting into the Crossword on the website?
Sorted
Managed to do the whole crossword today without help – except of course from my word finder!
Definitely a 2* for difficulty today and possibly a 3* for enjoyment. I found the SW corner difficult and I didn’t like 23 across. How on earth are we supposed to guess three random names?
Do enough cryptic crosswords and you will find lots of those clues which require you to put in two or three names.
This would have been record breaking 1* difficult for me but for the extra smidge it took me to crack 15d. Thanks to Rufus for the normal Monday service and to Libellule too.
Rufus is even easier in the Graun but does, as Dante, put up more of a fight in the FT.
As I’ve printed off the DT cryptic, quickie , codeword, the Guardian Rufus & Quiptic plus, on your recommendation, now the FT Dante is it OK to blame you if Mrs S finds out that I’ve not sent all of my invoices out this afternoon?
funnily enough, no it isn’t :D
Definitely agree on the North South divide. Top half was very quick. Needed help on 17d then the rest fell in. 13d was good when the penny dropped.
I thought that 3/4 of this was quite straightforward and fairly quick, for me anyway, to solve until I came to the bottom left corner which took some time. I stared blankly at 23a and 20d for ages. I had never heard of the Scottish chimney.
I liked 13 and 24a and 5, 7 (mainly because of the image that it conjures up) and 20d.
With thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
The Scottish chimney has been in crosswords before and always brings forth comments from people who have never heard of it :D
There’s a Scottish greeting ‘Lang mey yer lum reek’ (literally ‘Long may your chimney smoke’) which conveys good wishes for a long and happy life.
I’ve never heard of it :-)
Usual gentle start to the week from Rufus, I liked 17d very much. Thanks Rufus and Libellule.
Fairly standard Monday fare, but enjoyable nonetheless. Particularly liked 7 and 14d for their surface readings.
Nice one.
Thanks Rufus and Libellule.
23a ..and there was me looking for a female from Classical literature, like Antigone when all the time it was three abbreviated names, one after t’other!
Penny took a little longer to drop with that one.
Antigone’s in the GK Herculs today
Greek literature and mythology were made for crosswords.
How many times have we had Adonis and Narcissus? :)
The usual from Rufus!
Liked : 10a, 13a, 23a, 26a, 13d, 15d, 17d & 22d.
Crossword was a lum do. Not a rufus best and a bit easy but thanks to him and Libellule
Agree about SW corner, but did crack it eventually. No, didn’t know”lum” either but it’s a good one to file away for another time! Not sure if I really enjoyed this or not to-day – weird – liked some clues and thought others were a bit “iffy”. But thanks nonetheless – whatever I think of it, I’d be lost without it!! Also thanks to Libellule for some explanations I needed. Fav was 13a – made me chuckle.
Hi Addicted – remember LUM, it’s come up before!
Think that I must have missed it. I can usually tell the difference between an unusual word that I have heard in the dim distant past and can’t summon when I “need” it and one that I REALLY have never heard before – ‘onest guv!!
Enjoyed this but it must only be 1* for us as we completed it over the pre-bridge BLT!
20d caused a bit of a scratch of the thinning head but otherwise this was Rufus in benign mood.
Thanks to Rufus for a bit of fun and also to Libellule.
What price Spain for a win tonight? Off to watch the footy down the bar now – see y’all later.
Thanks to the setter & to Libellule for the review & hints. Found the top half ok, but got messed up lower down, had harridan for 23a, then realised it was wrong, so used the hints, needed 4 to finish. Started with 2d, finished with 26a. Favourite was 16a. Agree that 18d was weak, not my favourite puzzle.