Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 2655 (Hints)
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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Don’t miss our Monthly Prize crossword – this one is by Gazza.
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”. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submission
Across
1a Arrest idiot holding minute navigational aid (7)
A verb meaning to arrest and an idiot around (holding) M(inute)
12a The equivalent of a mile? That’s not right (5)
Split as (1,4) this is as good as a mile
15a State of one kind of calf? (3,6)
This US state could be one kind of calf
19a Like South America, home for many Indians (5)
A charade of a two-letter word meaning like, S(outh) and AM(erica)
22a Part of thoroughfare one shouldn’t drive into (5)
Hidden inside the clue (part of) is somewhere one shouldn’t drive a golf ball
28a Law they manipulated, becoming rich (7)
An anagram (manipulated) of LAW THEY
Down
1d Strange dialect used in Kremlin, for example (7)
An anagram (strange) of DIALECT
4d Inspiring work in groundbreaking encounter for half the remaining contestants (9)
An inspiring work by Rudyard Kipling inside an adjective meaning groundbreaking
7d For kicks, gets wound up again? (7)
… the kicks from firing a rifle
14d It removes bits of food, also most of the cream (9)
A word meaning also followed by most of TH(E) and a word meaning the cream or best
18d Leave university and long for artistic work (7)
A two-letter word meaning to leave followed by U(niversity) and a verb meaning to long for gives an artistic work painted with opaque colours mixed with water, honey and gum
24d Characters from Greece getting together for religious work (5)
Combine two characters from the Greek alphabet to get a representation of the Virgin with the dead Christ across her knees
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 Lennox Lewis (47) and Jimmy Connors (60) | ||||
Thank you Virgilius – if it was you. Great fun as usual. Went hunting for the hidden words to start with and didn’t find them till later ! Well disguised ! Tips not needed but thank you BD.
22a – I read this as a hidden clue. “Part of…”
So did I, then forgot when I wrote the hint (now amended)!
Really enjoyed this enough easy clues to provide fodder for the head-rubbers, favourites are 11, 15 and 25A, 2, 6 and 14D though there are many more. 27A came up a few days ago. With thanks to setter and B.D. for hints — luckily not needed today but make interesting reading
morning dave , I found this much easier than yesterdays and didn’t need the hints today, though I did have to lok a few up eg 18d, can’t make out where the first letter of 27a comes from in the clue? last one in today 12a, duh! fav clues 17a and 22a
OH yes stupid again, its an inclusive clue, another duh!
Whistled through this one, as always a nice puzzle for a Sunday morning.
One area of doubt 23d and 25a, got answers but not sure how.
Thanks for hints and to setter.
Colmce – 23d – a musical key (1) inside (“held by”) a slang term for “head” ==> the solution.
(A very poor explanation – always thought that scchua was doing too much work on his blogs)
25a, start with the symbol for electric current and then another word for an article with an abbreviation for Conservative inserted (about).
Thanks all, me being thick again and looking for difficulties which didn’t exist.
….yes, but, when you don’t know that G is an electrical current, you wonder where the devil the G fits in.
Not sure what you are saying here – the symbol for an electric current is not G (but please don’t reveal what it is).
ac dc i dont know
Symbol’s the same either way you want to go!
decent rock band though
Si :grin:
Sorry BD, my post is nonsense, I got the clues mixed up.
I don’t understand any of the next few comments, except BD’s.
Alternating current, direct current – the symbol is tthe same. AC/DC = bisexual . . . ACDC are a half-decent rock band!
Thanks for the explanation – I was being a bit thick!
Very enjoyable puzzle – am definitely getting better at the Sunday ones, thanks to what I’ve learnt from this blog.
I didn’t understand the answers that I had for 12a or 4d but both of those have been sorted out by the hints – the Rudyard Kipling is yet another of the things that I always forget about, as is the first letter of 25a meaning current so that one took me a while to understand. I didn’t know 24d but it was easy enough to work out from the clue and look up.
I liked 11, 15 and 17a and 3, 14 and 21d.
With thanks to Virgilius and Big Dave.
Very enjoyable :smile:
No real favourites as all the clues were good but perhaps 12a deserves a mention. 5a was fairly easy for me of course and it is a bit of a chestnut!
Bet Steve_the_Beard was pleased to see 27a after his comment the other day (Friday) :lol:
Thanks to Virglius and BD – now for the motor race :grin:
Another fine start to Sunday morning thank you Virgilius. THanks to BD too for the numerous hints (can’t imagine why you have put so many today :D )
Never mind the motor racing Pommers, everyone should cheer on Craig and Anthony in the Paralympic cycling at 2 today. Craig is the partner of my friend’s daughter, but I would have been cheering him anyway.
But Jenson’s on pole . . . !
perhaps jenson should be in the parlympics then. I’m a Hamilton man meself
Me too normally. Lewis had the wrong set-up today but, as it happened, it was irrelevant! Glad Grosjean is banned but two races would have been fairer – after all his stupidity caused a crash that came within a few centimetres of killing Fernando!
i think its the 3rd time that Grosjean has knocked LH off this year ,(and others) I’m really beginning to think he shouldn’t be allowed to be there.
Seven first corner crashes in 12 races apparantly – the guy is a menace!
the ref should stop giving corners
Grosjean needs a goal kick up the bum!
Easiest Sunday for me for a while – or maybe I was just more switched on? Don’t understand my answer for 5d though – so perhaps it’s wrong? Which would probably mean that 5a is wrong too? So some “pointers” for those two would be gratefully received – otherwise loved it, partic 17a which just tickled me. Thank you setter and BD.
Hi Addicted
5d – Think nursery rhyme (OK I’ll go the the naughty corner now!).
5d Simple and penniless guy? What he says goes (5)
The name of a simple guy who can’t afford a pie in a Nursery Rhyme also appears in a party game.
You’ve given away more than I did – see you in the corner?
I don’t mind being in the corner as long as I can keep watching the rugby. Good to see London Welsh back at the top level (and not being disgraced against the mighty Leicester – at half-time anyway).
Don’t know whether there’s a telly in the corner! At least the GP’s over now, well done Jenson :grin:
go to the forum . Its brill
Got it on as we speak but see reply to Gazza below!
Cricket’s not looking too bad either, so far so good! Off to pub now to watch the end of La Vuelta stage and then the second half of the Southampton v Man Utd game, (the cat’s away again) :grin:
i’m a harlequins man meself , I think we won it last time didn’t we?
You were a bit lucky against Wasps yesterday. Had it not been for the ridiculous new rule which allowed the TMO to overturn a Wasps try because of a forward pass the other side of the halfway line, Quins would have lost.
I’ve just posted a comment on how I enjoyed your september crossword, and now you are trying to wind me up!!! i’d better not tell you my footy team else you’ll have a prob with that as well !! ( if your a spurs fan that is)……………. we seem t have come a long way from the xword chat dont we?
More cake in the corner than in the TMS commentry box
And, as a check, the part of Europe that you’re looking for is anecdotally very cold.
Thanks all! I was wrong – it all makes perfect sense now – doh! Much obliged for input and I hope there’s cake in the corner.
Think Gazza and I are more bothered about a telly than cake but we seem to have got away with it :smile: OK, really off to pub now!
Good choice. Wish i could join you.
There is cake in the corner still plus some M&S rocky road choc stuff. Well done to Anthony and Craig on their gold medal too.
Checked them out on the web – well done from me too! What about the telly?
A fine puzzle that was finished quickly on the way to work :-(
Sunday Times fell just after and the Sindy prize puzzle by Raich on the return (a nice straightforward one and worth a tickle).
Thanks to BD and Virgilius .
Now in pub! Soton are ahead!
Not any more! Think Van Persie just paid for himself, despite the penalty!
Damn spell checker!
I edited this to stop speaking gobbledeygook.!
Just noticed the bit at the top – how on earth can Jimmy Connors be 60? I’m not doubting it – just wondering where all the time went! :sad:
My Dad had a good friend who was something high up to do with the LTA so every year we had tickets to Wimbledon – one of the most extraordinary and entertaining tennis matches that I have ever seen was a doubles match with Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase playing against ?. They were SO amazing – not just great tennis players but entertainers and comics as well – all the spectators were in complete uproar. I’ll never forget it.
Enjoyed this one, although needed to look up a few words that I had never heard of in the dictionary…
Totally different subject, wil we be able to comment on the BD prize xword this month set by Gazza, I really enjoyed tackeling it , some nice surface readings , 20d was my favourite , spot on!
Yup, just open the post as normal and you will find eleven comments already there.
thanks , I should have done some more checking before i asked
Depends what you mean by “comment on”. If you want to comment on any specifics of the puzzle then please wait until after the closing date.
no no no, i just wanted to post a comment on how i enjoyed, didn’t enjoy , liked a clue, didn’t like a clue etc. usual stuff
Hey Slarti, just remembered that about 30-odd years ago myself and four other friemds chartered a yacht in Greece for a holiday. As we were all fairly new to sailing we thought it “infinitely improbable” that we would get anywhere so decided on a theme for the hols. The boat became “Heart of Gold”, with a burgee made by pommette, and the five crew had T-shirts with our names printed on them – Slarti (me), Marvin (pommette), Trillian (blonde lady friend), Zaphod (nutty friend) and Ford Prefect (he still had one, first registered 1960).
Happy days :grin:
Thanks to Virgilius for a fine puzzle that kept me occupied for a bit at Marrakech airport.
Back home, and back to work tomorow :(
Thanks to Virgilius and to BD.