Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 27510 (Hints)
Big Dave’s Crossword Club
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
A new month heralds a new Monthly Prize Puzzle – why not have a go?
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”. Where the hint describes a construct a “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is 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
1a English after morsel of food and pickle (6)
E(nglish} preceded by a morsel of food gives a pickle or predicament
4a A small prayer against being recorded in manuscript (6)
A word meaning against inside the usual abbreviation for manuscript
8a Flower appeared to get weak, left to go west (8)
A verb meaning appeared or arrived followed by the reversal (go west in an across clue) of a verb meaning to get weak and L(eft)
12a Four-footed form of vehicle to wobble about (10)
This line of verse of four feet is derived from a public service vehicle with a verb meaning to wobble around (about) it
16a Awkward container ship carrying oil over America (12)
A container followed by a ship carrying oil, O(ver) and the two-letter abbreviation for America
21a Criminal group go for Scots (4)
Two definitions – a group of criminals and the Scottish word meaning to go
22a Gave approval to letter spelled out in dictionary (6)
A letter of the alphabet spelled out inside the usual multi-volume dictionary
25a Man on board to consider going back round Gibraltar initially (6)
To get this man on a chessboard a verb meaning to consider is reversed (going back) around the initial letter of G[ibraltar]
Down
1d Breaks for mad fellow on board (8)
Lewis Carroll’s mad fellow inside the usual ship (on board)
3d Biblical judge’s exercises (7)
With an apostrophe (6’1) this means belonging to the judge who presided at the trial of Jesus Christ
5d Bright light shows a king vice (3-4)
A charade of the A from the clue, the single-letter Latin abbreviation for king and a vice of the kind used for gripping an object
6d People in Twin Peaks a cause of pain (9)
Some people sandwiched between one peak and another identical peak
7d Group support the chair (6)
A group followed by the usual support for a golf ball
17d Signal agreement holding on when sun is hottest (7)
A signal (of agreement) and a word of agreement around (holding) ON gives time when only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the sun
18d Relative gets doctor in for most important person (7)
A relative followed by a family doctor and IN
21d Some Caligula gaoled where state’s enemies were held (5)
Hidden (some) inside the clue
The Crossword Club is now open. Feel free to leave comments. I’ll be back after this month’s Village Café and Market.
Could new readers please read the Welcome post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT, or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment. If in doubt, leave it out!
Please read these instructions carefully. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted.
The Quick crossword pun: {ma’am} + {allayed } = {marmalade}
Bit of a curates egg in terms of difficulty. The bottom half was no great problem but the top half needed two cups of coffee and a cold towel.
Needed Google for the plethora of religious clues but did like 6d (Twin Peaks was definitely a cause of pain, addictive but incomprehensible!).
Despite my usual problems, I found this very enjoyable.
Thx to all
My sentiments entirely, Brian, because I found that I’d completed the bottom half of the puzzle before I’d started on the top and I can’t recall that ever happening before. I’m going to blame the weather…
We made a complete pigs ear of some of the top half today too, and needed a bit of help to finish. Still, really enjoyable so thank to the setter and to BD. Just wondering whether I can bear to listen to any more Sharapova shrieks or whether to watch the racing.
The shrieks appear to have morphed into squeaks today. Oh dear, she is such a good player and a joy to watch, but the noise takes away from it all.
Even with the “Mute Button” ON … I can still hear her! Shh!
I really liked 9d!. Thanks to all concerned.
Very enjoyable and done listening to the rain in east Hertfordshire. 8a was my favourite. Thank you to The Setter and for the review.
I’m in East Herts too – but the sun is shining on me – just lucky I guess!
Good to have a bit more challenging fun than usual on a Saturday. I agree South was easier than North. Thanks setter and hinter – although I do have to admit to going elsewhere for help on 12a before you were on hand. **/***.
Lots so clever clues and certainly many favourites. Needed help to confirm NE section. Thanks to setter for a good Saturday challenge.
,but great entertainment
Welcome to the blog Donaldo
I agree with everyone who found the top half more difficult than the bottom bit.
12a was my last one and I was about to give up until I remembered that things other than animals can have four feet – even then it took me a long time.
I was also slow with 4 and 8a and couldn’t make sense of 3d until I spotted the apostrophe.
I thought there were some brilliant clues. I liked 1 and 13a and 2 and 6d. I’m now having trouble trying to decide whether 9 or 19d is my favourite.
With thanks to the setter and BD.
Miserable day – torrential rain earlier but none of the hail or thunder and frightening that was forecast. Thank goodness for the NTSPP and MPP.
A game of two halves bottom no trouble ,top nightmare ,thanks to BD& setter help needed so a failure today 4****-3*** .Very little rain no thunder or lightning ,now sunny and warm .Welcome to Wiltshire
Definitely a puzzle of two halves – I had far more difficulty with the top half, like many others. My favourite was 6d and 1d was the last to go in, though obvious when I finally got it. A good puzzle so many thanks to the compiler for an interesting Saturday lunchtime. We had a cracker of an electric storm in the wee small hours, it didn’t last long but brought heavy rain, lots of thunder and fantastic sheet lightning.
Struggled at first and I was starting to get a bit 16a., then everything started to fall into place. Thanks to BD and to setter.
Thank you setter – I agree with all the above – game of two halves. Bottom half reflecting normal Saturday difficulty and top half decidedly tricky. With so much to catch up with, I confess to going for some of your hints BD to bring the game to close. So, many thanks. Normal NW weather here but the blue tit chicks have just fledged and had their first meal on the bird table. They have now departed to start their training elsewhere
Yes, definitely a puzzle of two halves. I was about to give up with 3d and 12a and get help from the hints when I got it, so pleased with myself as had really sweated over them. My WiFi has croaked and my iPad won’t work, so if I need to look something up, I have to go to the other end of the house to the office and use the computer. I loved 8a and nominate it for my favourite. Thanks to setter and to BD for review.
all done bar 23A here and cannot for the life of me think what it is – any hints would be much appreciated
and the penny has just dropped!
Oh good – I was just trying to construct a hint in such a way that I wouldn’t end up in the naughty corner!
That’s a Gnomey moment
i think i know the answer to 11A but cannot work out the first part of the clue. any help greatly appreciated. really enjoyed todays. some of the clues/answers made me laugh.
11a Last guy to put off (4)
There are three different definitions.
many thanks for that gazza
simon
For some reason I started from the end of the down clues and worked backwards. I usually do this if I don’t like the look of the first few clues. Therefore I didn’t have the North South divide that some people suffered and thought it was reasonably straight forward.
*/ *** for me.
Thanks to setter and Big Dave
I think that I’ve written this before but we hardly ever seem to know who compiles the Saturday puzzle and yet most of us seem to enjoy it. Well done, whomever it was and thanks to BD for the hints which were most useful
Yes top half harder for me today and had a wrong answer for 12 across which delayed me ! My favourite was 6 down !
Like a lot I found the top half more difficult than the bottom.
Enjoyable with no particular favourites and no grin moments.
Is the Saturday setter always the same person?
Thank you setter and BD for hints.
Didn’t you laugh at 9d? I certainly did.
I think the answer to your question is probably in BD’s FAQ but I also think that it’s Cephas one week and someone else the other one.
Got really stuck on the top right hand corner so a big thank you to BD for enabling me to complete this enjoyable puzzle (merci to setter). For me 2.5*/3* with 23a as a favourite – a bit biased of course! Wonderful and hot weather here, must make the most of it as going back to the UK for three months at the beginning of July.
Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. I actually found the top half about the same as the bottom half. I got stuck on 12a, but managed to get it from BD’s hint, i just wasn’t thinking poetry. Favourite was 3d which made me laugh. A very enjoyable puzzle. Was 3*/4* for me. Weather ok in Central London.
Yes , like the majority found this a puzzle of two halves with the bottom half completed first and struggled with the top. Last one in was 12a and needed the hint for it. In twelve days time I will be doing the 24a. Thanks to setter and BD.
Unusually, I had the top half in before the lower half, which presented far more problems. Having spent many, many hours in 13a’s, I think my brain has addled.
**/****
I got bogged down a bit in the NW corner, until the penny dropped on 8a, then the rest went in at the rush. About 2.5*/3* overall, l think. 4a was my favourite. Thanks to the setter for something a little more testing than the recent run of prize puzzles, and to Big Dave for the hints.
Definately quite testy and I really appreciated the hints, of which I used many.
4a took a while, good clue ! I’m not sure why some people liked 9a so much, it’s just an anagram.
Thanks BD and setter.
I meant 9d.
Can someone help me with the explanation/wordplay in 10a? I have the “clergyman” (which I think is the definition), but where does the “look after collection” bit come into the equation? (I am a lapsed Anglican, so possibly that’s that paazrticular clergyman’s job!)
Hi Kingsley. It’s also a role for someone at a museum. I hope BD does not put me on the naughty step for this!
Thank you, my day has not been wasted – I learnt something today!
NE corner tricky but overall rather easy except I cant fully understand the rational to 10a & 11a-Dave gives no hints so I’ll have to wait till later in the week. Looking forward to another warm day here in SE wales.
Hello again! Finally had some time to look at a crossword … Also, with BD and thesaurus help, I managed to complete all except 12a and 20a
Stuck on two of these 4a and 6d
What is the ‘usual manuscript’ mentioned in the hints? Am I allowed to ask that but I can’t find anything in usual suspects and its driving me a bit nuts.
I hope when I get that, I can do 6d.
Thanks
‘Usual manuscript’ means the two letter abbreviation for manuscript, one letter at the start of the answer, the other at the end.
It is in the Usual Suspects, but, under “writing”.
Derrr! The penny has just dropped.
Thanks for the help and directions 2kiwis and Big Dave.
and I have had the answer for 6d for a while but not understood it but that has just hit me as well!!
Phew… I can start work now.
I’ve amended the hint to “abbreviation” in order to avoid confusion.
Wow. Didn’t get a chance to open Saturday paper until today… Just finished 27510. Quite difficult I found. 20a took me a while. Was trying to put an I in stationer instead of an n. 19d was my favorite . Thanks for the hints. It’s bank holiday in France today. No paper.
Due to recent hols, I’m playing catch up on last weekend’s prize puzzles so I can send them in before the deadline.
Rather enjoyed this one. Certainly no pushover.