Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 26967
Hints and tips by Libellule
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
An entertaining crossword from Rufus to start the week, I liked 23a and 3d, but there were 11 clues in the crossword that were anagrams or involved anagrams, which seemed to be too many.
The answer is hidden between the curly brackets.
Across
1. In fairness, breaking bail is a likelihood (11)
{PROBABILITY} – Take a word for confirmed integrity or uprightness and place it around an anagram (breaking) of BAIL.
9. Watchful braves not seen around (9)
{OBSERVANT} – An anagram (seen around) of BRAVES NOT
10. Poet takes orders (5)
{KEATS} – An anagram (orders) of TAKES.
11. Cavalryman turns back not thinking about us (6)
{HUSSAR} – Reverse a word that means acting without due consideration or thought and place US inside it to get a member of a light cavalry regiment.
12. Takes in Uncle Sid when thrown out (8)
{INCLUDES} – An anagram (when thrown out) of UNCLE SID.
13. Try, to prevent a try? (6)
{TACKLE} – How you might stop a try being scored in rugby for example.
15. Not so anxious since replacement’s arrived? (8)
{RELIEVED} – To be free from anxiety or stress, or to take over from someone.
18. A blooming avalanche! (8)
{SNOWDROP} – Plants of the genus Galanthus, that have white flowers that bloom in early spring.
19. Supplies rushed on board (6)
{STORES} – Place a word that means to move with reckless speed or rush headlong inside SS.
21. Certainly a variety of tuberose (2,2,4)
{TO BE SURE} – An anagram (variety) of TUBEROSE.
23. Box Popeye, maybe, with nothing held back (6)
{CARTON} – Popeye is an example of this, now remove an O (nothing held back) to get another word for a box.
26. Strangely eager to come to terms (5)
{AGREE} – An anagram (strangely) of EAGER.
27. Honour Seb Coe in a sculpting (9)
{OBEISANCE} – Another anagram (sculpting), this time of SEB COE IN A.
28. Give a Royal Marine’s guard order to salute (7,4)
{PRESENT ARMS} – Take a word that means to make a gift or an award, then add A RMS (A Royal Marines) and you have an order to give a salute.
Down
1. He foresees support before the reforms (7)
{PROPHET} – A word for something that serves as a means of support or assistance is followed by an anagram (reforms) of THE.
2. Well-equipped place for caravans en route (5)
{OASIS} – Well in this instance means water, and where you might find it in a desert.
3. Sent flying! (9)
{AIRMAILED} – Post sent via an aircraft.
4. Scottish boy about five who had a terrible reputation (4)
{IVAN} – IAN (crosswordland’s common name for a Scottish boy) around V (five).
5. Fiancee at home and cared for (8)
{INTENDED} – IN (at home) and another word for being nursed or looked after.
6. Countryman of fifty under servitude (5)
{YOKEL} – A word that means being subjugated or forced into heavy labour is followed by an L (fifty). Definition countryman.
7. Brooded about one’s being exploited (7)
{MISUSED} – Place a word that means to be absorbed in one’s thoughts or to engage in meditation for example and then place it around IS (ones).
8. Transfer worker superfluous to requirements (8)
{HANDOVER} – A word that means to transfer or pass on something to something else is made up from another word for a person who performs manual labour, and then a word that means at an end.
14. They give lift when a flier goes over obstacles (8)
{CROWBARS} – Heavy iron levers can be constructed from a black bird of the genus Corvus and things that impede or prevent action or progress.
16. It’s neither here nor there (2,7)
{IN TRANSIT} – Because it’s in the process of being transported…
17. Game for two couples, but involving more of us (8)
{FOURSOME} – An anagram (involving) of MORE OF US.
18. Stuff and eat as it is cooked (7)
{SATIATE} – Another anagram (is cooked), EAT AS IT.
20. Boy with nets and lines (7)
{SONNETS} – SON (boy) plus NETS, are poems with fourteen lines.
22. Headlong plunge into water (5)
{STEEP} – Double definition, at a rapid or precipitous rate, or to soak in liquid.
24. Singer put right after wrong note (5)
{TENOR} – An anagram (wrong) of NOTE followed by (after) R (right).
25. Piece of ice destined to give way (4)
{CEDE} – A word that means to yield or grant, is hidden between the words ICE and DESTINED.
The Quick crossword pun: {inn} + {dust} + {tree} = {industry}
A pleasant gentle start to the week. Favourites 3d & 28a. Thanks to Rufus & to Libellule for the hints which were not needed today.
Agree with Bifield, a very pleasant start to the week. Gentle indeed but I made the SE corner rather hard by putting IN BETWEEN for 16d, d’oh!
Thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
Me too! It took three stations (passed, express service) for the penny to drop.
me too pommers!
So did I Pommers and it was my first one in, so it delayed things a little at the start. I liked the gentle humour of 18 across. Last one in was 22d and I confess that we needed Libellule’s help with that one – to my chagrin! So straightforward really but we just couldn’t get it. My husband and I never feel we can truly say we have completed the crossword if we have to resort to help in any shape or form. Are we taking purism too far I wonder? Thank you to Rufus and Libellule. And we much enjoy reading the blog each day, though don’t often contribute.
Hi Gillie, I bet we’re not the only ones!
BTW, your definition of solving is the way out of the Clueless Club so you’re not taking purism too far!
Personally, I don’t mind how people solve their crossword, so long as they enjoy solving them. If you need to check answers via a blog, use a dictionary, electronic aids then thats fine by me. However there is nothing nicer than sitting outside in the sunshine without access to any assistance and quietly solving the whole crossword in a single sitting.
I’m very much with Libelulle on this point
At least the first part, I haven’t often done the second part, not least because we don’t get much sunshine :-D
A nice gentle puzzle with no problems today. My only minor hold up was with 14d, where with the checking letters at the end, I wanted to fit BIRD (flier) into the answer (even though it could not work with ‘goes over’ in the wordplay).
Thanks to Rufus, and to Libellule.
A ‘gentle’ start ? Yikes. 4 was easy but then I ground to a halt and seriously thought it was going to be an abandonment! This was tough. Managed a few at the bottom half and then gradually clawed my way back leaving a few for the hints above. Enjoyable, nevertheless.
I found this more difficult than usual for a Monday.
there were one or two that stumped me for a while too Kath
Oh good! Thought it was me!! :smile:
All done, no problems, a very gentle start to the crossword week., agree with Bifield and Pommers. No particular likes apart from 3D and rather too many anagrams. Thanks to Rufus and Libellule
I love the monday puzzles as they always seen kind to the brain which has been ravaged by the weekend! This was no exception. Couldn’t think of going into past tenseand spent ages wondering why 3 down wouldn’t fit until I realised I had to add the end two letters! doh. Thanks to Rufuls and Libellule.
A nice puzzle completed without any problems except. 23a. Wrote in the correct answer quite happily but then couldn’t justify it. We wrestled with this for twice as long as it had taken for the whole rest of the puzzle, trying all sorts of thoughts on sailor, tar. AB and other nautical terms. Knew that, being a Rufus, it would be straightforward and elegant as it proved to be. It did give us a run for our money so must qualify as our favourite with a nod to 20d as runner-up. Thanks Rufus and Libellule
Another ‘in betweener’ like Pommers, luckily did’nt actually write it in and looked for something else when 27a anagram went in.All seemed to agree a pleasant untaxing start to the week after too much ‘bubbly’at the barbecue- could be the last of the summer wine!
What a nice puzzle from Rufus. Yes there were too many anagrams but I foun that helped me. There was difficulty which was easy to overcome. 1a and 1d were particularly good, I thought. Thank you Rufus for a good puzzle and thank you Libellule for the hints, although I did not need to use them. I simply sat our in the sun and did the puzzle without aids and I feel satisfied and rewarded
PS. I got out of the CC today. Whatever that is!
CC is the Clueless Club, started by Mary a long time ago. You have to complete a crossword with absolutely no help – dictionaries, reference books, electronic stuff or anything anyone else can think of! There may be more to it in which case I’m sure Mary will add to this. Well done anyway! :smile:
Good morning Libelulle and thanks for the hints as always, fav clues for me today 18a and 24a, last two in were 8d and 15a, another ‘in betweener’ here! Love Rufus puzzles :-)
Thanks to Rufus & to Libellule for the review & hints. I found this quite straightforward, but enjoyable. Started with 1d, finished with 22d, got the right answer, but had to look at the hint to see why. Favourites were 18 & 23a.Sun’s in & out in Central London. Good luck to Andy Murray tonight!
For some reason I found this a bit tricky in places – it’s certainly taken me longer than Mondays usually do. Probably closer to 3* for difficulty from me today.
13a and 14d took me ages – having already decided that 14d was going to end with “bars” I thought of “isobars” which made me think of wind and weather etc etc! It took some time to get beyond my wrong kind of thinking. I’ve never heard of 28a. I’m not quibbling here, just asking, but with 6d if someone is “under servitude” shouldn’t it be “yoked”?
Anyway, finished in the end without needing any hints.
I liked 18 and 27a and 2, 3 and 8d.
With thanks to Rufus and Libellule.
Kath,
Yoke: The condition of being subjugated by or as if by a conqueror; subjugation or bondage.
e.g. as in “under the yoke of a tyrant”
Thanks, and sorry – should have looked it up before opening big mouth!! :oops:
Hi Kath
I took the YOKE to be ‘servitude’ and the UNDER an instruction to put the L after it (as it’s a down clue).
Oh – yes – thanks. Think that I’m having one of those dim days! :sad:
Almost a word record time for a Rufus – I think it was all those anagrams. Thanks to him for a lovely start to a sunny Monday morning and to Libellule for the explanations.
Still in the CC!
Enjoyed today. Despite the obvious ease for the rest of you, I was very happy with 21 clues completely unaided. A definite improvement for me. I might have even got a bit frustrated after looking at the hints, being so close. Yet I consoled myself by knowing I simply wouldn’t have got some.
Here’s some of my shortcomings today:
7d and 15a both ended with an S. Must brush up on my tenses!
I still have no idea where the caravan comes into play for 2d!
I’m sure my dad would be disgusted that I didn’t know what a 11a was!
22d, never really felt good about it, yet I plunged – headlong (L) into water (SEEP), and got a nap! Kind of works :S
1a, had the answer but cant count it, as I needed help to define “in fairness”.
16d, I couldn’t see how between could possibly end with a T – haha
Despite the frustrations above – this is what I have enjoyed about todays puzzle – already looking forward to next Monday!
Thanks Rufus and Libellule!
SASManJim,
Re. 2d Think of caravan as a single file of pack animals, camels for example.
Thanks Libellule, that’s still a big step for my wee brain. Although penny dropped when I re-read the clue, your hint and the caravan definition.
Long way to go eh? Haha.
Cheers!
As always, an enjoyable Monday puzzle, I like anagrams!
I do try to solve using only brain, but don’t often succeed, managed today though.
Thanks to Libellule for the review.
Thanks to Rufus.
Thanks to Rufus for another enjoyable start to the week and to Libellule for her hints – althouth I didn’t need them today. Didn’t fall into the ‘in betweeners’ trap, as I had the ‘t’ from 19A, but struggled with 22D – my last one in. Completely missed the anagram indicator in 10A and took some time trying to justify my answer, before re-reading the clue and having a d’oh moment. Spent ages trying to work an anagram into 28A, before the penny dropped. My favourites were 3D & 20D.
She’s a he!
What’s more he is a French dragonfly!
Sincere apologies to Libellule for my gender error and thanks for pointing it out.
Exactly!
Far too many anagrams for my personal taste but the usual pleasant solve from Rufus, thanks to him and to Libellule for the review.
No trouble at all today. As usual with Rufus, well constructed clues without being too convoluted or obscure. Favourites were 1a and 28a, (Being instructed in this drill brings back painful memories, given the P.O.G.I. I had at Ganges). Thanks to Rufus and Libellule and, like yourself, enjoyed doing the puzzle unaided but minus the sunshine.
Not much to add to the above.
I hesitated to insert 20d, as it seemed a bit too obvious to find the second part of the answer actually spelt out in the clue.
Merci Libellule and cheers Rufus.
Based on my completion time, way before lights out, I would give this */** – not much fun because it was too easy. Some clues appeared to be a little “weak” – 20d for example as commented on by Digby just above. I agree with the comments on the number of anagram based clues, although I consider that, to some degree, involved anagrams don’t really count. Probably only one favourite – 28a.
Yes I generally agree with the comments posted. Last in was 20d was looking for something more complex. I enjoyed 1d and 23a.
I go along with the **/** rating – Many thanks to all
For those interested Rufus is putting up more of a fight over in the Grauniad (and it’s free!)
spindrift, I agree with you totally about Today’s Grauniad Rufus! Very Difficult!
Merci M. Libellule for the review (or is it Mme. Libellule )
6d has just reminded me of a clue that really made me laugh – from a crossword quite a while ago – can’t remember which day of the week, or who the setter was. I can also only remember one half of the clue so really I’m a bit useless, but it still made me laugh!! The bit of it that I CAN remember was “An inappropriate salutation to a monarch . . .” the rest of the clue escapes me but the answer was “Yoking”! :grin:
Toughie 660
24a Inappropriate salute to monarch results in enslavement (6)
:lol:
Thanks Jezza,
My brain tells me that it wasn’t in a Toughie, and that there was something to do with energy in the clue – who knows – it doesn’t matter – it’s just the image of someone going up to a king and saying “Yo” that completely finishes me!! :smile:
I, too, found this fairly easy today and solved it without any help at all – normally have to look something up. Having found out this morning that my department at work is being out-sourced to Sri Lanka(!), when I got to 8d I thought, “That’ll be me then!” :-(
Thanks to Rufus for the distraction and to Libellule for the hints, even though I didn’t need them today.
Just noticed my typo and would fix it, but don’t seem to have the option today. Typical!
Forget that – the button just appeared!!
And European governments wonder why unemployment is rising…
Companies that outsource to the subcontinent are not only taking away jobs but also reducing the tax revenue and preventing the money from being recirculated in our economy. The answer is blindingly obvious – a tax on all outsourcing which is equivalent to the tax revenue (direct and indirect) that is lost. Perhaps they might then think again
And I haven’t even started on whether being cheaper per man-hour is actually being cheaper. From my own experience the staff that are used when the contract is secured get moved on to the next contract very quickly.
Is it ever acceptable to (rob peter to pay paul) ?
As far as 2 is concerned , you are preaching to the converted.
Very late getting to the crossword today because I’ve been up in London watching the parade. Very good, even though it took all day.
A lovely Rufus crossword today. Didn’t need any hints but relied on electronic device for the 11 anagrams. So I’m not a purist either, but it’s still enjoyable.
All done save 22d. And yes, I also put in “in between” initially. Same answer today in both crosswords – 4d and 1d in the “quickie”.
Not going to get involved in that!
Apropos rhe conversation the other day about TV, I’m now watching rhe American CBS coverage of Andy Murray on the computer – streamed on the web from a site in Belize! Love it! Why does one have to pay for Sky? Apart from they support our bike riders!
Andy’s doing OK – two sets uo!
As usual, I am late to comment, but I have a good excuse this time, having snagged tickets for the Murray match on Monday. What a wonderful match! I just wish he could have been a little more enthusiastic with his win. Back to the matter in hand… I whizzed through the first few clues, then got rather stuck on 22d, 16d and 7d which went in last. I almost never manage to do the whole puzzle in one sitting, and not in sunshine because I am usually doing it on the New York subway. This was my first entry to the clueless club in a long time, so feeling quite pleased with myself today. Thanks as always to Rufus and Libellule.