DT 27458 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 27458

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27458

Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment ***

There were a few trickier clues here than we normally get on a Tuesday, I thought. Do let us know whether you agree or whether it was a piece of cake for you.

If you need to see an answer you’ll have to highlight what’s concealed between the brackets under the clue.

Across Clues

1a  Add to  enclosure (8)
{COMPOUND} – double definition – a verb to add to or intensify and an enclosure (to house prisoners, for example).

5a  Small edition — short run (6)
{SPRINT} – S(mall) followed by an edition or issue.

10a  Early star or moon excited eminent scientist? (10,5)
{ASTRONOMER ROYAL} – an anagram (excited) of EARLY MOON OR STAR produces an honorary title (the current holder is Martin Rees but the most famous one was probably Edmond Halley). Excellent anagram.

11a  Provide improved accommodation for her over by river in York (7)
{REHOUSE} – reverse (over) HER and add the name of the river that flows through York.

12a  Boxer’s second name’s Rex (7)
{HANDLER} – this is someone who looks after a boxer between rounds of a fight. An informal word for a name or alias is followed by R(ex).

13a  Jokes about stable guy heading for reunion in best clothes (4,4)
{GLAD RAGS} – a word for jokes or quips contains the name given to the guy (or girl) who looks after horses in a racing stable and the first letter (heading) of R(eunion).

ARVE Error: need id and provider

15a  Marsupials needing little time to find a place to sleep (5)
{ROOST} – a shortened form of the name of Australian marsupials followed by the abbreviation of T(ime).

18a  Donkey crossing near crevasse (5)
{ABYSS} – another word for donkey contains (crossing) a preposition meaning near or adjacent to.

20a  Send male in carriage (8)
{TRANSMIT} – insert M(ale) in a word meaning carriage or conveyance.

23a  A whole number one regent upset (7)
{INTEGER} – the Roman numeral for one followed by an anagram (upset) of REGENT.

25a  Piece of furniture that now needs sides exchanged (7)
{WHATNOT} – just swap round the outer letters of ‘that now’.

26a  Standard of old  implements (6,3,6)
{HAMMER AND SICKLE} – a) the name given to the old standard (flag) of the Soviet Union and b) the implements that appeared on it.

27a  Give Spanish nobleman a note (6)
{DONATE} – string together a Spanish nobleman, A (from the clue) and the seventh note of tonic sol-fa.

28a  Continued glowing over US state (8)
{REMAINED} – horses sweat, men perspire but ladies merely glow. Put the colour that they go when glowing round (over) a state in New England.

Down Clues

1d  Girl, cold, left by Yorkshire river (6)
{CLAIRE} – string together C(old), L(eft) and the name of the river that flows through Leeds. Our second Yorkshire river – do you get the impression that Mr Ron hails from Yorkshire?

2d  Equal pressure on amateur in type of golf game (5,4)
{MATCH PLAY} – this golf contest is determined by the number of holes won rather than by the number of strokes taken. Start with a verb to equal or measure up to and add P(ressure) and an adjective meaning amateur or non-specialist.

3d  Round and plump, and pompous (7)
{OROTUND} – the letter that’s round is followed by an adjective meaning plump or roly-poly.

4d  Trap shortly set up — end of mouse! (5)
{NOOSE} – reverse (set up, in a down clue) an adverb meaning shortly or at any moment and add the last letter of mouse.

6d  Page awfully errant colleague (7)
{PARTNER} – P(age) followed by an anagram (awfully) of ERRANT.

7d  Gutless deputy in bad poem (5)
{IDYLL} – remove the innards from deputy leaving just the outer letters and put those inside an adjective meaning bad or sick.

8d  Take charge after leader left nobbled (8)
{TOLERATE} – the well-hidden definition here is take, i.e. endure or put up with. A charge or payment goes after a verb meaning nobbled or obtained dishonestly without its first letter (after leader left). I didn’t know this meaning of nobble – I thought it just meant to tamper with or bribe.

9d  Wager heads turned in chapel (8)
{BETHESDA} – a wager is followed by an anagram (turned) of HEADS.

14d  Main article on damaged trailer (8)
{ARTERIAL} – an indefinite article precedes (on, in a down clue) an anagram (damaged) of TRAILER.

16d  What specialists know related in paper (5-4)
{ONION-SKIN} – an informal phrase (know one’s ******) meaning to have full command of one’s subject gives us the first six letters. After that we need an adjective meaning related by blood or marriage. The whole is a very fine translucent kind of paper.

17d  One female in group is expelled (8)
{BANISHED} – put I (one) and a female pronoun inside a musical group.

19d  Section ready to house good soldiers (7)
{SEGMENT} – an adjective meaning ready contains (to house) G(ood) and ordinary soldiers.

21d  Sustained energy at mains somehow (7)
{STAMINA} – an anagram (somehow) of AT MAINS.

22d  Go to a nurse about onset of tonsillitis (6)
{ATTEND} – A (from) the clue and a verb to nurse contain the first letter of T(onsillitis).

24d  Noble Athenian — in fact, I’m one (5)
{TIMON} – the name of the eponymous hero of Shakespeare’s play about a man of Athens is hidden in the clue.

25d  Slice boundary after wide (5)
{WEDGE} – a boundary or limit goes after the cricketing abbreviation for a wide delivery. The slice is a piece of cake or cheese, for example.

My top three today were 10a, 25a and 16d. Which ones earned your applause?

Today’s Quickie Pun: {SKYE} + {BLEW} = {SKY BLUE}

50 comments on “DT 27458

  1. All done but quite tricksy I thought. Best clue for me was 4d but really wasn’t too enamoured of 8d or 16d. 3d was a new word to me. But overall enjoyable.
    Thx to all.

  2. A bit up and down today (IMHO), some very easy (not many) clues and some still seem a bit iffy to me (yes, I’m talking 8D). I don’t think I’ve ever seen the word ‘nobble’ used in the way it is in 8D, although on checking it is a definition of the word. I’d also never come across 16D as a form of paper although the answer was fairly clear from the clue.

    I thought 23A was an excellent clue.

    Sunny patches here at the moment, I really must get out and evict that tribe of pygmys from the grass in the back garden – maybe tomorrow

  3. Quite stiff today although managed to complete without aid, on that basis I agree with the ratings offered by Gazza.10A was a brilliant anagram but my favourite was 26A.Many thanks to the setter & Gazza for the review.http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_bye.gif

  4. 2*/3.5* today with the NE corner, as it did on Sunday, taking me as long as the other three quarters put together. I would have given 4* for enjoyment except that I needed 4 visits to the BRB to check the meaning for my answers to 12a, 3d, 7d & 9d.

    Lots of satisfying clues but no clear favourite today.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron and to Gazza.

  5. Hello gazza et al, it seems ages since I was here and as you all know in that time we have had to have Shadow put to sleep, she was nearly 13 and was coping well with blindness but suddenly became very confused and lost the use of her back legs, we think she possibly had a stroke, she was the sister of Angel, who unfortunately we had to have put to sleep a year ago! Thank you for all your nice comments and your flower Kath :-) , we decided to get away for a few days in the campervan at the weekend but as Dave has said the pitches were too wet and we had to be towed off three times!!! Nevertheless the village pubs served excellent food! We are off again on Sat hopefully to a drier spot!!! I have done todays crossword 25a my favourite, but apart from that there were no stand out moments for me, nice to be back if a bit worse for wear!!!

    1. Hello Mary – it’s nice to have you back. I’m so sorry that you’ve had such a horrible time but glad you were able to get away even if you did need to be dragged out by a tractor a few times! Here’s another little flower http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_rose.gif

    2. Welcome back, Mary, and so sorry to hear about Shadow. Losing a loved pet is so distressing.

    3. Hi Mary, Sorry to hear of your loss. We lost Sacha over 3 years ago now, and I still find it difficult to talk about.

    4. So sorry to hear of your loss, I know how hard it hurts but she’s now at peace.x

    5. Commiserations Mary, it often helps to find a new pet fairly quickly , especially one that needs a good home.

    6. You’ll never get over your love for Shadow but I think Beaver is right, try and give a needy dog a home. When Rufus died, I started looking but only half heartedly, when someone presented me with Sadie looking for a home and she is such a joy. My sympathies, it is such a loss.

      http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_rose.gifhttp://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_rose.gif

    7. So sorry Mary to hear about losing Shadow. We know how sore it is to lose dogs.Hope the grounds improve for your next sortie.http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_rose.gif

    8. Thank you everyone for all your kind thoughts and words you really are an amazing lot of people on here x

    9. So very sorry to hear about Shadow. It’s heartbreaking to lose one’s pets. You have my commiseration.http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_rose.gif

  6. A bit tricky in places but finished without any help. My favourite today is definitely 10a, a really good anagram. Thanks to setter and to Gazza for the review.

  7. No hold ups. 25A ( I have one) and 16D were my favorites. Thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the review.

  8. I agree with gazza’s 3* difficulty but would give it a 4* for enjoyment.
    While I was doing it I found it pretty tricky – put golf, cricket and boxing all in one crossword and I’m sunk.
    I now know that a handler looks after a boxer but I also found a boxer whose second name was Handler even if it doesn’t quite fit with the clue.
    I didn’t know the 1d Yorkshire river or the 16d paper. Is “knowing your onions” just a UK expression? If so it might be difficult for non-UK residents.
    I liked 25a and 3, 16 and 22d. I’m going to allow myself two favourites today – my favourite for clever cluing is 10a but my other one, 4d, made me laugh.
    With thanks to Mr Ron and gazza.

  9. Another nicely balanced puzzle for a Tuesday. ***/*** for me. I do like the was DT Cryptics generally flow nicely through the week… a nice gentle one from Rufus on a Monday then Tuesday… starts easily enough… half of it’s read-and-write… then a few tricky ones that held me up longer than I would have liked. I admit to dipping into the BRB a couple of times. I generally struggle in the middle of the week, pick up by Friday and invariably enjoy Saturday. Then it’s Monday again. 3d was almost a new word for me and last in was 4d which would have been my favourite were it not for 24d which made me chuckle. Thank you to the setter and to Gazza for another excellent review.

      1. I’m still wading through the various components of the Saturday Teleg to justify buying a Sunday paper. Besides which, Sundays are reserved for going into town, having a heavy lunch and too much wine… I wouldn’t stand a chance with any crossword :-)

  10. Great start to week with two consecutive days of excellent puzzles containing good selection of all types of clue with exception of today’s 8d which I really think is over-complicated http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/icon_confused.gif and needed Gazza’s disentanglement although of course only one possible solution. Thanks Mr. Ron and Gazza. http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_yes.gif

  11. I found the bottom half straightforward, then was a bit stuck on 10a until I got the y from 7d. I then twigged as we have a former one of these buried in our local churchyard (Maskelyne). Once this was solved I was able to finish. Very enjoyable, thanks to setter and explanations.

  12. I must be back in the groove after the disruption over the last two weeks – completed comfortably before lights out last night, so I would give this one */***. Last one in was 8d, and I was not totally convinced it was correct – so thanks to Gaza for confirmation. I really liked 16d, but favourite would have to be 10a.

  13. Great fun today with this offering, many thanks to the compiler and to Gazza for the terrific review.

  14. Where were yesterday’s toughie and sudokus? I see the answers in today’s paper. Help.

    1. Yesterday was Monday. There isn’t a Toughie on Monday, just the second half of Saturday’s Herculis general knowledge cossword

  15. A bit tricky today in places- 8d (guessed more than worked it out) and strangely enough 17d but I managed to finish it unaided. Thought 10a was a brilliant anagram. Loved 13a – always think that English has such funny expressions! For me it was …/…. Mille mercis to the setter and to Gazza.

  16. Fairly straightforward but fun nonetheless, except for 16d. I knew that it had to be “onion skin” (related to paper !) but couldn’t think of the “specialist” link until it came in one of those blinding flashes so useful for
    those who do crosswords !! I’d give it a **/***

  17. Thank you setter, very enjoyable and not too hard for me. Solved in two sittings – top half before we set off for N Wales and bottom half at the hotel. When I put in the answer for 9d, I thought this is a place I know…….. and lo and behold when we left A55 Expressway we drove straight past it ! Lovely day on N Wales coast. Anglesey tomorrow. Thanks Gazza for your review and hints. Sorry to hear that you have lost Shadow, Mary.

  18. This was not easy! Strangely enough, I had no problem with 16d and it’s my favourite. I don’t believe anyone uses onion skin paper any more, we used to use it for airmail letters when we used to write letters several pages long. The bottom half went in quite nicely, but I struggled with some in the top half. I put in 8d but only because it “fit”, not for any other reason as it certainly made no sense to me … thank you Gazza for explaining that. Thanks to setter, whew, I got there in the end.

  19. Thanks to Mr Ron and to Gazza for the review and hints. I really enjoyed this one, but found it a bit tricky in places. Favourite was 16d. Was 3*/3* for me. Last in was 28a. Late commenting due to cutting the privet hedge. A nice day in Central London.

  20. 8d and 9d needed hints, so quite tricky.My favourite was26a.Thanks to setter and Gazza.

  21. I agree with gazza’s ratings today ,a bit of a tussle ,managed all except 28a ,just couldn’t see it. http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/smiley-phew.gifw Thanks to setter &gazza.

  22. Found this one straightforwards although 3d was a new word for me. 2*/3*
    Thanks setter and Gazza.

  23. Mrs B has the Yorkshire river in 1d in her list of four letter rivers so it did not take long to check that one and the rest all slotted in smoothly. Good fun. Won’t even try to guess who the setter might be as we can’t spot any significant ‘pointers’ apart from Yorkshire which doesn’t help us much.
    Thanks Mr Ron and Gazza

  24. I found this much simpler than today’s Toughie (which BD rated at 2*) and would judge it at about 1.5*/4*. I too had never met 3d before, although l could see what the solution had to be. Favourite clue was 13a, although there were plenty of other contenders. Thank you, Mr Ron, and thank you Gazza for the review.

  25. A pleasant not too taxing puzzle to settle down with after this evening’s meal. As an ex-printer, 16 down was of no great problem, though putting the stuff through an old Heidelberg Cylinder printing press was quite a different story way back in my youth. No special favourite clues, except to say that 8 down and 12 across were my last two in and caused me to take a wee bit longer to complete the puzzle. As one might surmise from my ‘gravatar’ I’m still on cloud nine after the Foxes clinched a place in the Premiere Division last Saturday. Greeting to any fellow ‘cross-wording’ Leicester fans that might be lurking out there.

  26. Fabulous anagram for the star-gazer. 2* for me but thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks to Gazza and to the compiler. Good to see you back Mary.http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_bye.gif

  27. A quick and late comment before going to bed – have just spent a little while going through today’s crossword with husband. The more I look at it the more I like it. http://bigdave44.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/wpml_smile.gif

  28. Hard to do with Radio 4 on in the background but got there in the end. 3*/3* for me. Thanks to setter and Gazza for the review

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