DT 28342 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

DT 28342 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28342 (Hints)

Big Dave’s Saturday Crossword Club

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

Tilsit has asked that all those who are providing clues for the Birthday Jumbo crossword should send them to him by Monday at the latest so we can publish the puzzle next weekend.

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.

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 as “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    Swampy tract spoils hot country (9)
A verb meaning spoils followed by H(ot) and a genera word for a country

9a    Part of book allowed to be circular (7)
Part of a book followed by a three-letter verb meaning allowed

11a    Question about king following English attendant (7)
A question goes around the Latin abbreviation for king and is preceded by (following) E(nglish)

12a    Most within range are in the midst of retreat (7)
The ARE from the clue inside a retreat

13a    Plant a screw loose (4-2-3-6)
Often seen without the hyphens, this plant can mean crazy

17a    It travels round place in sink with an internal twist (7)
This original man-made satellite is derived by putting a verb meaning to place inside SINK with the middle letters reversed (with an internal twist)

24a    Stretched most of nether garments (5)
Most of garments worn below the waist

25a    It finishes just over 24 hours from tomorrow (9)
A confusing description of the day before the day before tomorrow – yes, I got lost somewhere in the middle as well

Down

1d    Married woman’s spite (6)
M(arried) followed by a woman’s name

3d    Rope one pulls up? (6)
Two definitions – a type of rope used for leading an animal and someone who pulls up or stops

4d    Pretentious, receiving the Queen in this vein? (6)
An adjective meaning pretentious around (receiving) the Queen’s regnal cipher – can this be described as a vein? Is there a doctor in the house?

8d    Small amount of money in trust not long ago (8)
A small amount of foreign money inside a verb meaning to trust

13d    Humiliation, initially missing a cellar (8)
Drop (missing) the initial letter A from this humiliation

15d    Indian perhaps on holiday after money coming in? (8)
An adverb meaning on holiday preceded by the money coming in to a business

19d    Frenzied artists in port (6)
An adjective meaning frenzied followed by some of our usual artists give the former name of this Asian port

21d    Old agreed on dirty place being in a ferment (6)
An old word meaning agreed or affirmative followed by a dirt place

The Crossword Club is now open.

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 – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.

The Quick Crossword pun: Rhum+mage+sail=rummage sale

69 comments on “DT 28342 (Hints)”

  1. Completed this very enjoyable puzzle at a gallop – */***.

    I fully expect to see the answer for 4d generating some discussion (because it has before my memory tells me). Is the word in the clue a synonym, or not?

    For 13a, I have never heard of the plant, but with the checkers and ‘a screw loose’ it could only be one thing.

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 25a, 7d, and 21d – and the winner is 25a.

    Thanks to the setter and BD.

  2. No problem below the centre line but top half required a bit more application. To my mind 4d is definitely not a synonym any more than 2d is and for sure Kath et al will have something to say on at least the former. Have never been able to put a name to 13a. Several clever clues but for me 25a just pips the rest. Mr. Ron and Co. are making Saturdays so much more fun these days for which Thank You and also to BD. Now tennis and rugby to which to look forward – come on England.

    1. I agree on 4d. But 2d is in the Small Red Book (in both entries – the word in the clue, and the word in the answer).

      1. 4d. Collins Online Thesaurus gives the word in the clue as a synonym for the answer, but not vice versa. The two are very similar things and there are two specific locations where their roles are reversed – which could cause confusion. To a layman or crossword-setter they may be synonymous? To a surgeon or medical specialist, I very much doubt it.

        1. Definition 2 of vein in the BRB suggests that it can be used in this context, but that doesn’t make it a good definition of the answer.

          1. Indeed. Because of a lack of alternative one-word definitions, I think the setter has chosen to compromise in this case. I’m happy to give them the benefit of the doubt.

            1. Trying to avoid the naughty corner, a non-medical usage of the answer (major road?) would probably work just as well.

  3. After reading the previous comments by Dave and Senf, I agree that the answer for 4d is going to be contentious and I’d never come across the floral answer, with or without hyphens, for 13a before. Otherwise, I thought that it was very pleasant exercise for a Saturday morning and I’m now free to concentrate on this afternoon’s rugby.

  4. 1*/2.5*. This pangram was slightly disappointing particularly as two clues are inaccurate. 17a makes no sense using the present tense; its travels ended a long time ago! 4d is quite simply wrong.

    I did enjoy the mental conundrum in 25a.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

    1. To save me typing much more, I agree on all counts!

      Thought 3d second definition could be xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

      [I dare say it could, but have you read BD’s instructions in the bright red font?]

    2. 17a. Well spotted RD. The clue just needs travels changing to travelled, then it would be OK. According to Wiki the last time it travelled was in 1958!

    3. I don’t want to shout out the answer to 17, but I would point out that the word gave its name to the programme not the other way around. So the present tense is still very much correct.

      1. But are any of them still presently “travelling round” – which, in the clue, means in orbit?

  5. 20d was the last one to go in for me – the answer (I am assuming) seems to me to be not very precisely captured by ‘mark’ and for me wasn’t a particularly obvious answer to ‘one of the crew’. I got stuck on one (i) and mark (spot) for ages. I’m afraid this spoilt it a bit for me.

    Favourites 7D 17a and 15d.

  6. I’ve solved the puzzle, drafted the review and am about to have a Sainsbury’s 15a as is normal for the first Saturday of the month.

    I’m then going to solve and draft the review of the NTSPP but thought I’d alert fans of our Sunday setter that he’s got his ‘Brendan’ hat on in today’s Graun Prize Puzzle.

  7. Really just need to add ‘ditto’ under RD’s comment – a little tweak to those two clues would have made all the difference.
    25a tops the bill – I’d bet that most of us began by travelling forward in time!

  8. I agree with the points above, particularly the blood vessels, but it was 12a that I didn’t like. I can parse the back end of the clue, but how is the overall meaning “Most within range”? Andromeda is our ******* galaxy, but it sure isn’t most or within range. Am I missing something?

    1. Within range = **** (the first 4 letters of the answer) enough to be reached or detected. That galaxy is **** enough to be detected, but not reached. Does that help?

  9. I really enjoyed this one very much – lots of good fun clues and, probably for the first time ever, I spotted the pangram – it didn’t help.
    I’m sure you’re all expecting me to object to 4d so I might as well get it over and done with – the definition and the answer are both blood vessels and that’s pretty much where any similarity ends.
    I’ve never heard of the 13a plants which are everywhere in my garden being called anything but Campanulas or Harebells – I love their colour.
    For no good reason I spent ages faffing around with 3d before it came to me.
    I don’t quite get what the last two words of the clue for 5d are doing.
    Like Aunty Marge I can’t make the answer to 20d mean mark – I’m happy about the member of the crew.
    25a scrambled my brain a bit.
    I liked 10 and 22a and 1d. My favourite was 14d
    Thanks to whoever set this one and to BD.
    It’s a lovely day here – might head off to the garden before having a go at the MPP and/or the NTSPP later.

    2. Kath – 5d – I took it to be a double definition, with the last two words suggesting ‘no longer have a use for’ so one ********* with it.

      1. Yes – exactly – in which case the answer should be a past participle with an extra letter on the end – this is probably yet another case of just how dim I can be sometimes. :unsure:

    3. Re 5d, are you suggesting the setter should have ********* with the final 2 letters?

  10. Found this very very very hard indeed. Never heard of the plant in 13a and the rest of the clue didn’t really help. Don’t think any of 17a are still around so the tense is probably wrong. The answer to 4d is totally wrong, these carry blood from the heart, veins carry is back apart from the pulmonary vein of course. Like most of this one, very sloppy.
    Finished but all a real trudge. Not my favourite by a long way.
    For me ****/*
    Thx for the much needed hints.

    1. 4d. And the other exception is the pulmonary ****** (the answer), which carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle into the lungs.

    2. Sorry folks but you are both wrong about your ‘exception’. All ******s go from the heart and all the veins go back. There are no exceptions to that rule.
      However, whether there is full oxygenation in their respective contents is a different question and that is where some exceptions come in.
      The BRB gets the 4d definition wrong of course and not for the first time – the Chambers wordsmiths could learn a lot from the BD Crossword Blog!

      2. WG. There are ******** that “go back” to your heart because when your heart’s left ventricle pumps blood out into the aorta, the first muscle to receive the oxygen-rich blood is your heart itself. It receives this blood through the coronary ******** on the surface of the heart.

    3. Oh Brian, you have let me down! We usually agree on puzzles but I really enjoyed this one and found it a bit r and w with enough to make me think, as well. I do agree with everyone about 4d and 17a which was around long before I was born!!! But this is the sort of crossword I love because you can parse the word from the clues instead of having to work backwards. Thanks to,the setter and BD although the hints weren’t needed by me today

  11. Like comment #2, the bottom half went in much quicker than the top, with the exception of 20d, my last entry. I agree about 4d, as there are alternative clue structures available for the solution. 25a my favourite with thanks to our Saturday setter and BD. 2*/2.5*.

    Four hours of rugby heaven await.

  12. Went through this one like a dose of salts. Did take a wee while to get going in the bottom half. Agree with the comments on sloppy clueing. On the whole a fairly unsatisfactory Saturday offering which is unusual. Hopefully the England game will be more engaging.

  13. Very enjoyable, and a bit easier for me than some Saturdays. I had never heard of 13a being a plant.
    Many thanks to the setter and BD.

  14. Well I thought this was a good puzzle and pangram. A mix of clever clues and some GK required. I was also happy with 4d. Favourites were 1,9&25a. Thanks to the setter and BD. Our “flurries” turned into 6 inches of snow so out with the shovel 😞

  15. I loved this, warts and all, finished in no time. Funny, as I wrote in 4d, my immediate thought was that it would start a huge discussion. It didn’t bother me, it was close enough.
    As it was a long clue and would give lots of help, I looked at 13a first and immediately thought of the answer. A quick visit to Mr. Google sorted it for me.
    I thought it was all so enjoyable, so much to like, but fave was 25a.
    Thanks to setter, I think we’ve had you before, and to BD for the hints.

    1. It was my last one in and I originally thought of another word that would fit but I was wrong.

      You are looking at a double definition clue – mark being one definition and one of the crew (the name of a particular crew member’s role) the other.

  17. Nice crossword! 4d didn’t bother me at all. The lower half was my way into this grid. My favourite was either 17 or 25a. I’ll go with the former. 2/3* overall.
    Thanks to the Saturday setter, and to BD for being back in the saddle.

  18. Once again another very enjoyable Saturday puzzle with a few smile moments, but sadly over and done with far too quickly. Maybe the odd contentious issue, but hey, we are in Crossword land after all. Thanks to setter and Big Dave.

  19. I found this quite hard but enjoyable. 4d annoyed me as it has lots of people.
    The one that I really got stuck on, though, was 2d. I have what I am fairly sure is the correct answer, but the parsing escapes me. I’ll have to wait for crypticsue.
    I did notice that it was a pangram which is, I think only the second time for me.

    Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave.

  20. In agreement with Ora about 2d and 4d. 6d was my fave and also had a brainache when I got an answer to 25a.

    Thanks to all here and the setter

  21. Enjoyable, and pretty straightforward for the most part. LOI 20d, which I must admit went in on a bit of a wing and a prayer.

  22. This was my type of puzzle undoubtedly. Didn’t know the plant in 13a was also called that but it suddenly jumped off the page at me. 20d was last in as I went in sorts of directions before the penny dropped. And all this with stuffed up sinuses and feeling very sorry for myself. But this too shall pass.

  23. I wish I’d looked at the crossword rather than watch the rugby. It was certainly more enjoyable. Still, we won ,which is good, but we’ve got a lot to improve on for next week. Thank you BD for the review. Mr Florence helped me with three clues today. I knew 13a for what it’s normally called, but Mr Florence shouted out the answer. Thank you setter.

  24. No difficulties and only one quibble – 4d – but it’s not a medical whinge. We had this last week with the setter’s synonym for “pretentious”. I have friends who are ****, and none of them is pretentious. Otherwise a straightforward solve completed on the first pass. 1*/3*

    1. Nice to meet you last week or so. Erm, ‘…are pretentious’ just to be pedantic. I’m obviously bored!

  26. This was the trickiest Saturday for quite while for me.with 3d & 20d furrowing the brow. We have seen 15d recently, can’t remember which puzzle (toughie, BPer). Liked the mysterious 25a.
    Thanks to V & BD as ever.

  27. Still can’t get 2D Have looked at it for so long my mind has gone into neutral. Can anyone help please?

    1. You are probably trying to make it too complicated:

      2d Convert again seen in study a short time ago (8)
      A four-letter verb meaning to study followed by an adverb meaning a short time ago.

    1. Welcome to the blog Jean

      Presumably you are asking for help with 18d – please express your question better next time.

      18d Do not start removing impurities, that’s encouraging (6)
      Drop the first letter (do not start) from a verb meaning removing impurities

Comments are closed.