DT 28911 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 28911 (Hints)

by Big Dave  

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 28911 (Hints)

The Saturday 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.

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    Envelopes for the rest of those canvassed (8,4)
A cryptic definition of items used while “resting” under canvas

11a    Press cancel evidence of broken engagement (4,3)
This phrasal verb meaning to press cancel during a phone call could also be evidence of a broken engagement to marry

12a    Reserves — fuel that lies beneath what lies beneath (7)
Some reserves in a sports team are followed by a fuel that lies beneath the surface

14a    Protective cover for biography, apparently one’s occasionally needed when bathing (9)
Split as (4,5) this could, at a push, mean protective cover for a biography

19a    Camp and quietly avant-garde? (5)
The musical notation for quietly followed by an adjective meaning avant-garde

21a    Smooth, mature — when 16 discovered heavy metal (4,3)
A charade of verbs meaning to smooth and to mature – 16 here is the answer to 16 Across

23a    Reflecting if hosts fancy such a flower (7)
The reversal (reflecting) of IF from the clue around (hosts) an anagram (fancy) of SUCH all followed by the A from the clue

25a    Rock oldie that’s a family favourite? It’s backed with energy (7)
An older family member is followed by IT from the clue and E(nergy)

26a    Principal tip the compiler’s used over tension (12)
A tip or summit followed by the reversal (used over) of the abbreviated form of “the compiler’s / the compiler is” and a word meaning tension

Down

1d    Gripping thing — works OK until it’s inserted! (7)
Throw this in metaphorically to stop the works

2d    Old record book in which the writer’s found archetype (7)
An old, typically vinyl, record and a (large) book around the letter which represents “the writer”

3d    Minister’s responsibility to penetrate revolutionary turmoil of tropics (9)
… follow Miffypops’ advice – if you can’t see the answer then look for a lurker!

5d    Bishop began to perambulate about area round seat (7)
B(ishop) followed by an anagram (to perambulate) of BEGAN around A(rea)

10d    Tourist‘s old cap crushed by wild punch (12)
O(ld) and a cap or cover inside (crushed by) a wild swinging punch

18d    Did box of extra diamonds to be worn by Queen (7)
A word meaning extra or additional and D(iamonds) around (worn by) the single-letter Latin abbreviation for Queen

19d    Single out with guitar that’s groundbreaking (7)
A verb meaning to single out or select is followed by a colloquial word for a guitar

22d    Discontent on the rise in Shanghai, unnervingly (5)
Hidden (in) and reversed (on the rise in a down clue) inside the clue

The Crossword Club is now open.

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The Quick Crossword pun: barber+queue+sorts=barbecue sauce

48 comments on “DT 28911 (Hints)”

  1. If you are one of the people who doesn’t look at all of the many separate parts of the Saturday paper, you may be interested to look at page 22 of the Weekend section where you’ll find an article about Navy whose first DT cryptic was published last Saturday

    2. Thank you for that tip, Sue, because I might well have missed the article. You may have seen my reference to the creasing of the sections and the letter I received from Paul Brady, the Telegraph’s Printing Director, who apologised and admitted that there was a problem.

      As I know that you and your husband complete the GK crossword, you’ll perhaps empathise with me when I mention that I had a vertical crease through today’s grid which has necessitated my completing the puzzle with a 0.1mm drawing pen so that I could squeeze in the letters to the right of the crease…

      I’m pleased to say that the DT cryptic puzzle didn’t present any similar problems although progress wasn’t as quick as it might have been.

    3. Thanks for the heads-up on the article Sue. I never buy the DT, but Waitrose were out of the Guardian today.
      Very interesting to read about Lucy, a star in the making, I think.

    4. Thank you Sue for the tip about the article. I read the DT on line every day at breakfast, and again with my afternoon cuppa, but missed this. What a bright young lady,

  2. I really enjoyed this moderately challenging puzzle. I was held up by 18d as I made a daft error in completing 21a which threw me completely. Otherwise plain sailing, with 1a my COTD closely followed by 10d.

    Many thanks to our setter and to BD.

  3. I liked this one a lot, with its slightly unusual/unfamiliar style of clueing – a reasonable challenge and very enjoyable. 7d: unless I’m missing something (which is quite possible for me) does the clue really need 4 examples, wouldn’t just the first one suffice? Favs: 1a and 10d. 3* / 4*

    1. I can’t say why I think it does without going to the NC – if you want to know what you are missing, come back and read my review on Friday morning

  4. For some reason I couldn’t get on with this one at first. Waited for the hints to appear then completed it without even looking at them. Yes, straightforward but not until Puzzler Dave woke up…

  5. A bit of a curate’s egg with half completed at a trot but then a few bunged in (e.g. 1d, stupidly) and grappled with others. Thought 8a a bit loose. 3d was bung-in. Unaware of guitar in 19d. We seem to have come across 22d several times recently. Fav 1a (once I had removed xxxxxxxx!) with 6d following up. Thank you Mysteron/Cephas (?) and BD.

      1. Definitely not Navy this week. Apart from there being a rota, the article in the paper says she is working on her second DT crossword

  6. Yes, Angellov, I thought the same about 22d. I had this all done in *** time, and my only head-scratcher was 7d. I’m with Jose on that one.

    Many thanks to all.

    1. That 22d answer (and the word “parse”) is one that you see/hear regularly in crosswordland but virtually never in real life!

  7. Very enjoyable although some head scratching required to finish but that might be because I started later than usual after attending a St Andrew’s Day celebration.

    Joint favourites – 1a and 10d.

    Thanks to the setter and BD.

    (Mouton Cadet Rouge standing by for this week’s tussle with Dada in just under 6 hours time.)

    1. If I were the one to be having the Sunday tussle with Dada in a few hours time I’d be staying well away from the vino of any kind. Good luck!

  8. Found this one really good fun despite having to do a bit of research into the 10d wild punch.

    From amongst the ticks on my sheet, I’ll put 1 &9a plus 1d as my top three.

    Thanks to Mr Ron and to BD for the Saturday Club.

  9. Completed ok with 19A last in for no particular reason .
    Favourite 1D .
    Will look at hints and comments later but do not expect any complaints .Thanks to everyone.
    Wonder what is in store for us tomorrow ?
    My prediction to my 3 relatives who hold season tickets for Cardiff City was “ 3 seasons in the Premier , Autumn , Winter & Spring “ I could be wrong !

  10. ***/**** for me last night for this well balanced (I.e some good clues requiring more thought) puzzle. A lot to like and 1a, 12a and 10d get podium positions.

    Rather stupidly (on reflection) delayed by a couple in the NW. Had to google the guitar; got wrong second word in 21a initially; and thought 14a would work better as a 9 or 10 letter answer, if you see what I mean.

    Thanks to setter and BD.

    I have a big dinner party tonight so Dada will have to wait until what might be a slightly fuzzy Sunday morning. Can’t wait!

  11. Lovely Saturday puzzle by vegan diva – enjoyed the new words used for “within” that added to the surface reading delightfully.

    Still above freezing here in the colonies, bright and fresh – last weekend for gardening we thinks.

    Mr & Mrs T

  12. Got into the groove of this nice and early, just took a bit of time to finish 9a, 19a and 10d. I though this was excellent.
    I found this much easier than yesterday, though like the new Sundays, Giovanni’s crosswords are always beyond me.
    Thanks BD and the setter.

  13. Took far too long to get into this for no apparent reason. Lots of “Doh” moments when I got going. 1a COTD for me.

    Thanks to Mysteron & BD . Roll on Monday.

    1. BD’s hint should help, though I think the synonym used in the wordplay is a bit dubious.

      1. If you gave completed the rest of the puzzle then Chambers has only 15 words that match the pattern, so it shouldn’t take long to work out.

  16. Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. A very enjoyable puzzle. I completed the left hand side first. I struggled a bit with the right hand side, but everything eventually fell into place. Last in was 5d. I liked 10d, but my favourite was 12a. Was 3*/3* for me.

  17. I really, really enjoyed this one. The west was much easier than the east, that went in quite quickly, then I had to work on the east in earnest.
    My fave was 1a, but I also liked 15d.
    Thanks to our Saturday setter and to BD for the hints and pics.
    I agree with LROK, roll on Monday.

  18. I thought this was quite difficult although I got there in the end. Challenging but very enjoyable.
    Thanks to setter and BD.

  19. Rats! Just wrote lots and it’s disappeared – can’t be bothered to do it all again. I really enjoyed this one although it took me ages to get started.
    3d was a problem – I forgot the “if you can’t see the answer suspect a lurker” advice. I may be being unfair to MP, in which case I’m sorry, but I think it might have been StanXYZ who said that first.
    1, 11 and 23a and 15d were among the clues that I particularly liked. My favourite was 1d – it was also my last answer.
    With thanks for such a good crossword to whoever set this one and to BD for the hints,
    NTSPP and MPP tomorrow, or the next day, or whenever there’s a bit of time later in the week . . .

    1. Kath, you can credit anything I say to anybody else. Nothing I have to say is original. It has been said that if all else fails look for a lurker. I would add this though. Most clues have an instruction to do something. Add, take away, insert, make an anagram of. If there is no instruction look for a lurker indicator and a lurker. If all else fails have a drink.

      1. Took me ages to get started . I thought I was on another planet.
        I had to resort to BD much sooner (thanks again for that) but couldn’t understand the lurker hint in 3 down ??
        Eventually wore it down with 18d last in, after failing to get the right box…
        Thanks to the setter for what was a good puzzle once I was on wavelength!

  20. A good puzzle, a little harder to the RHS? Overall average difficulty for a Saturday, but a top notch offering.

  21. I too really enjoyed this puzzle, requiring enough thought to be satisfying, without any obscure, sporty or convoluted clues. 16a definite favourite, a big chuckle when I realized I was barking up the wrong tree😊. Big thanks to setter and BD for the hints.

    And what will Sunday bring? Oh please be kind.

  22. Agree with comments above, tricky to get into but then sped up (a bit). Enjoyable overall. Also a bit dubious about 19a.

  23. Did this early doors before a bir of shopping and Christmas light untangling both I’d which troubled me more than the crossword. I didn’t have any trouble with the guitar as a certain Pink Floyd track came to mind. Took a while to come back and comment as I have been enjoying the tussle with the MPP. Thanks to BD for the hints and link to the Navy article. I would have missed it as mum is quite radical about disposing of sections of the paper she doesn’t read. Thanks to the setter too.

    1. Careful Eugene. Don’t give answers away. Hopefully you have grown out of Pink Floyd. What an overrated pile of boring poo.

      2. The fact that you knew which song I referred to indicates a bit of BOFishness in your good self😋

  24. Liked 1d and particularly 1a where three words all needed alternative meanings for the answer. Elegant. 10d: great “see it” moment and last was 19d where this was new slang to our household. 3*/3*

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