Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27504 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Crossword Club
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As is usual for the weekend prize crosswords, an assortment of clues, including some of the more difficult ones, have been selected and hints provided 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.
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”. Other useful pages are The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay, and Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions.
Some hints follow:
Across
8a Cannot, in rush, put back container (8)
The abbreviated form of cannot inside the reversal (put back) of a rush or grass
10a Before final letter, make a charge against shipping route (4)
The final letter of the alphabet preceded by a verb meaning to prosecute or make a charge against
12a Accompanying a learner driver, moreover (6)
A four-letter word meaning accompanying followed by the A from the clue and the letter displayed by a a learner driver
14a Gas main? (5,3)
A type of domestic gas and the large area of water from which it comes
15a Excited when dealing with notes (7)
The musical notation for excited
22a Provide space for books put aside (6)
Two definitions – to provide a space for storing books and to put aside or postpone
23a Bright idea to hit kid on the head? (10)
Split as (5,5) this could mean to hit a kid on the head
26a Avalanche that’s seen at end of voyage? (8)
Split as (4,4) this could be an avalanche, and some dictionaries do give the whole word as meaning an avalanche – it’s what a sailor sees at the end of a sea voyage
Down
1d Giving no answer (8)
Rephrasing as “giving no as an answer” makes it easier to solve!
2d Music that produces initially just a snoring sound (4)
The initial letter of Just followed by the A from the clue and two letters that represent a snoring sound
3d Way to go round promenade? (6)
The two-letter abbreviation for a way or road followed by a verb meaning to go round
5d Traveller‘s manner gets lighter in conversation (8)
A three-letter word for a manner or method followed by what sounds like (in conversation) an adjective meaning lighter or paler
7d When warmed up, one should sing (6)
A cryptic definition of a something that may sing when its contents have boiled
21d Ruler in double-cross, partly taken in by crooked seer (6)
Start with two of the letters that are shaped like a cross and put the second of these inside (partly taken in by) an anagram (crooked) of SEER
22d I would make notes about short track (6)
The abbreviated form of I would inside a verb meaning to make notes vocally
24d Advertisement‘s turned up very loud (4)
UP reversed (turned) and followed by the musical notation for very loud
The Crossword Club is now open. Feel free to leave comments. I’ll be back after this month’s Village Café and Market.
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The Quick crossword pun: {fill} + {latterly} = {philately}
Two pangrams in a row!
2*/4* today for a delightful solve. 14a was my favourite. I love short and sweet clues.
Many thanks to Mr. Ron and to BD.
**|**** really enjoyable puzzle no help needed!unlike yesterday liked lots of the clues thanks to setter !and as always B D
Thought this was the easiest of the wekk 2/4 for me.
Didn’t need help with SW corner which I completed fairly swiftly.
Found the other three more of a challenge and resorted to Hints and Tips.
Favourite was 23a.
Hoping for some better weather as am at Hay Festival.
Thank you setter (Mr. Ron?) and as always to BD for help
2d is interesting – I wonder if the complier realised that there are two ways of spelling this word (the earlier way being less well known) and the clue works for both!
Welcome to the blog TPOA
One for the editor to resolve when judging entries! I can think of three possible solutions to this clue.
I can’t think of a third (no pun intended) but I assume only one fits!
Surely the last two letters of the answer are defined precisely by the wordplay leading to only one possible spelling of the answer?
My alternative interpretation uses the application of “initially”.
Ah, yes, of course, that seems to work as well. There is as Prolixic says a third spelling but I can’t see how that one might be constructed from the wordplay.
Loved it. I thought it was very straightforward which just goes to show that a crossword doesn’t need to be difficult to be enjoyable. 2*/4* from me.
My last couple of answers were 19 and 22d.
I even spotted the pangram – that must be a first.
So many good clues – just a few are 11 and 22a and 6 and 24d. My favourite was 23a – made me laugh.
With thanks to Mr Ron and BD.
Is it okay to ask what the pangram is, I have looked and looked but am unable to spot it :(
Carrie, a pangram in the context of crosswords is a puzzle which contains all 26 letters of the alphabet. See Big Dave’s FAQs which you can access from the tab at the top of the page.
Kath, you seem very “sensible” today!
After his comment yesterday I will steer well clear of Giovanni / Don Manley’s puzzles in future!
He’s very good at obscure words but seems to lack a sense of humour. Very Touchy!
(If others missed it: http://bigdave44.com/2014/05/30/dt-27503/#comment-203860)
Thank you but I think it’s probably time to just leave it alone now – I really didn’t mean to stir up trouble.
I’ve had a long think about obscure words appearing in crossword puzzles and I believe that they are pointless.Isn’t the idea of a cryptic that the setter suggests a word by one means or another and that stimulates the gray mattter until you hit upon the solution. The pleasure of a cryptic is the little release of endorphins when you have a “Eureka” moment.But if that word is really unknown by most, so obscure that it is unlikely to be found by any means, well you might as well be trying to find a word from a language you have no knowledge of.
As to setters not liking the comments on their opus, all they have to do is not read them !
Nonetheless, I usually enjoy the friday puzzle.
Thank you RD, I wish I’d looked at the FAQs before asking my question, I need to refresh my memory with what’s in there.
I’m sorry to have to disagree with Kath because, while I agree this puzzle was straightforward, I thought that it was rather mundane and there weren’t any answers which brought a smile to my face like the previous Saturday.
I’d have thought that 23a would make everyone smile.
Over too quickly, but as usual for me and the Saturday puzzle there was one that held me up for a while and that was 19D today. Clever clue, and my favorite.
Me too with 19d.
That was my last in also!
Is it too late to join the 19d clue that stumped me club?
Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle today. Spotting the pangram helped me with 19d, which was last in. Just needed the hints for 15a, didn’t spot the musical connection. Was 2*/3* for me. Favourite was 21d, had only heard of this because it was used as an example of where to place apostrophes when I was at school.
First Saturday I have really not enjoyed … Completely obtuse! I know I am a beginner but Saturdays have always previously, given pleasure, even when not finished. However, today was not to be
I thought this was a wee bit tricky for a Saturday, and we had to resort to the hints for more than one or two of the answers. Very disappointing Thank you to the setter and to BD.
I had no real problems today, as above, my last one in was 19d, but my fave was 23a, huge laugh. I think, I think, I think, but I can’t be sure, that we are really going to get rain today. There was rain all around us yesterday and we didn’t get a drop. I must get in the pool and get these exercises over, can’t be in there if there’s lightning. Thanks to setter and to BD for review.
An enjoyable puzzle also a pangram with a lot of good clues.
Faves :10a, 20a, 5d & 19d.
Lamb chops and frites for dinner with a drop of Antinori rosso.
Family are down near Rome – they visited the Tivoli Gardens. Not those in Copenhagen nor Las Vegas!
As ever Derek you have a brilliant choice of vino, my knowledge enhanced by your posts on this site,. By coincidence Villa Antinori Rosso, Antinori, 2009 is being served here tonight. Hope you and family are fairing well
That’s better – I really enjoyed the brain-teasing even if this wasn’t a barrel of laughs. Thank you Mr. Ron and BD although, as per usual on a Saturday, I did manage on my Jack Jones. 7d clue perhaps a bit iffy. 14a is fav. **/****.
Stuck with 19d and 26a. **********************? Does not really help for 19d…. I’ll keep trying..
Dont want to risk a telling off, so hope this is ok.
19d. *****************
26a. *****************
That’s what I mean by alternative clues, i.e. clues that have nothing to do with the puzzle but happen to lead to the right answer.
Sorry Dave.
Was just trying to help. I obviously over stepped the rules/protocol of the forum, and as a moderator on another , (non crossword related) forum, I can fully understand your annoyance. And the time I have just taken up for you on a Saturday evening.
Please accept my apology, it will not happen again.
It’s only for the Saturday and Sunday Prize puzzles – it’s OK for the rest of the week.
19 down is a double definition, i.e. two different definitions of the same word – a medium for the expressing or performing of something (so says Chambers) and a general word for a car as a means of conveyance.
There is already a hint for 26 across.
Thanks Dave, Got it. Is there a 19d moron club?
Welcome to the blog Uncle Duck.
So sorry, but being French I still have problems with your primitive language. Lol
Unlike most others I found today tough – could be just that I am spending too much time working at the moment and not enough on crosswords! Favourite clue was 7d.
Pretty straightforward, about 2*/3* for me, but no particular favourite clue. Thanks to the setter, and to Big Dave.
A fun puzzle, thanks to the setter and BD.
Really enjoyable my favourite being 7d which was rather clever. A few straight-forward anagrams and last in being 19d. Thank you to The Setter and for the review of course.
At the beginning we were slightly 11a, then we were 9a after imbibing an 8a of wine! Showing great 16d, it was a 3d in the park!
Welcome to the blog Compost.
Absolutely loved this! Managed it without help so it must have been quite easy, but the pleasure for me was in the pangram and discovering that it was very nearly a DOUBLE pangram. (Is there a special name for that?) So this gave me hours of extra fun working out how the setter could have included those missing 3 letters to make it a true double pangram. I found that by changing just five words in the grid it can be done. Little things please little minds they say, but if anyone is interested I will post my findings after the competition closing date. Thanks to the setter and Big Dave.
Have noticed that the corresponding quick crossword is also a pangram, and that three of the answers link up to give someone who has an interest in the two word pun. This setter gets 5* from me!