DT 28673

109 comments on “DT 28673”

1. I found this a bit trickier than usual to complete but enjoyed the challenge.

   Thanks to Mr K and setter 3*/3*

2. 3d was my final entry and 18d my favourite in this reasonably straightforward Tuesday puzzle. I didn’t twig the fact that there was only one anagram until I read the preamble at the top of the blog. Overall this was 2.5* /3.5* for me.

   Many thanks to the setter and Mr K. Interesting questionnaire results.

3. This was a bit of a hooligan it took sometime to make sense of it. Definately a two cafertierre crossword. Did not have any idea about 26a so electronic help came into play. Even after looking at the answer the clue still looks odd.
   Never mind we learn something everyday.
   Thanks to Mr K and setter.
   Loved the survey.

4. Last 3 in 18, 3 and 27 although I had to look at the hints for this one . At first glance I thought this was out of my league but it gradually fell into place and was very satisfying in the end .****/*** Thanks to the setter and Mr K

   1. What difference does it make?
      27? A blank clue for another blank answer.
      Couldn’t make much sense of this crossword I’m afraid.
      Thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the review.

5. Anyone else having problems accessing the puzzles online today? The site seems to be down.

6. Definitely a *** for me and have never heard of the answers for 21D & 26A. 18D favourite and very clever.

   1. Welcome to the blog, A Evans. Thanks for sharing your experience with today’s puzzle.

7. Struggled through this with a lot of help from the hints, thank you. But I still have doubts about 26a.

   1. Welcome to the blog, Slow Tony, and thanks for commenting. I agree that 26a is an unconventional clue.

8. Just as yesterday I was really help up on a few at the end. Couldn’t think of 25a or the intersecting 13d, where a wrong answer had, er, lodged in my brain. The only way of evicting the interloping 13d non-answer was with a jolt of electrons, after which 25a moved in straight away.

   I also had writer’s block for a while at 24d and then kicked myself! I think he has to win.

   18d impressed after I had been reminded of the identity of Davy Jones.

   Thanks all.

   1. And I thought Davy Jones was in this lot:

      1. Hey hey! (I actually had to google the line-up to check. It’s not much of a defence, but I can plead that my birthToughie isn’t until next week.)

      2. That was my first thought as well, discarded only when I checked and found that it is in fact his real name,

         1. Also was David Bowie’s real name – it’s probably why he changed it!!

9. 2.5* / 3*. I was heading for well inside my 2* time only to get held up by my last two in: the crossing 7a & 3d. This was a mostly satisfying puzzle but I can’t see how “store” works as the definition for the answer to 3d, and this was largely what held me up at the end.

   9a needed a visit to my BRB to confirm that the answer can mean “over a considerable area”.

   18d was my favourite.

   Many thanks to Messrs R & K.

   1. 3d. Store, as a noun, (or stock, reserve, reservoir) is a straightforward synonym for the answer (also as a noun).

10. 26a: Those two words are opposite (sort of) to assonance – where two words don’t quite rhyme, but are close enough to “get away with”. Often used in poems and song lyrics, such as:

    I rode my bike to town today
    Wobbling down the path
    I knew the kids would see me
    I love it when they laugh.

    Without cheating via Google, anybody know which song they’re from?

    1. PS. Is there an actual word to describe two words that look as though they should rhyme, but don’t at all?

       1. The answer to the clue describes two words that look as though they should rhyme, but don’t at all. look it up.

          1. By George, you’re right! I never knew that – even though it was staring me in the face. But do you know the song lyrics?

             1. Or click the button in the hint labelled “Hint”

                1. Yes, I did initially click that hint button and still didn’t realise! How thick can I get? I was convinced there must be a specific single word like homograph or homo-something-or-other, but apparently not. Another excellent review, by the way.

                   1. Thanks, Jose

             2. The group in question did enough at Woodstock to ensure I did not listen to anything else by them.

             3. The group in question did enough at Woodstock to ensure I did not listen to anything else by them.

11. A very enjoyable puzzle enhanced by a race to finish before the battery ran down. Lots of good clues. 24d 18d 15ac and 17ac and many others. Just the right number of anagrams and about the right number of letters in it too.Thanks to Mr K and thanks to this setter who is most welcome at any time.

12. I thought that this was going to be finished over a cup of coffee, but I got held up int SE corner. Namely 26a. I decided at that point to go out, and have just come back to it. I had to put the letters into a crossword solver in the end, so I guess it was cheating. I haven’t heard of 26a, so it’s good to live and learn. I now know what it is. My favourite clues today were 22a and 4d. Thank you setter and Mr Kitty. I’ll take a peak at the results of last week’s survey.

13. Tricky for me today.

    Needed the hints for 3d 18d and 26a.

    Thanks to Mr Kitty and to the setter.

    Interesting results ffrom the survey. The one that surprised me was that men outnumber women so significantly amongst the solvers.
    Thank you, Mr Kitty.

14. Pleasant enough but nothing to write home about. West side was first to succumb. Brook in 16a new to me as was 26a but always good to live and learn. Tried to parse a bird for 21d. Liked 22a and 5d even if the supporters are a bit chestnutty. I for one didn’t regret the paucity of anagrams. Thank you Mysteron and Mr. K.

15. I didn’t do a very good job of this puzzle – largely thanks to having failed to spot a couple of ‘give-away’ solutions in the NW corner (one of which sat upon a wrong answer for much too long). I also hadn’t come across the expression at 26a before- although I did eventually get it from the clue (let’s call that one COTD).
    Many thanks to Mr. Kitty for the referendum results. I see that he also features a pic of Mr. Putin: for those of you who missed my link in yesterday’s puzzle – do follow the You Tube path to 'Putin / Blueberry Hill' !!

16. A little tricky in places – particularly 7ac, 1d and 9ac, which were my last few in. Overall probably ** and a bit for difficulty. 26ac was my pick of a good bunch today – a big groan when I eventually spotted it.

17. I really didn’t get on the setters wavelength , partly because 13d and 26a are new phrases to me. 18d was quite a stretch , wasn’t it ?
    Thanks to all concerned.

18. Have to say I have never heard of last in 26a, which needed all the checking letters to evolve.
    Steady solve and a **/*** for me.
    Had difficulty equating 1d with ‘polished’, has it anything to do with an accent?
    Anyway enjoyed the solve .Thanks to Mr K for the alternative meaning for 21d,might be useful in the future.

19. I was doing reasonably well until I came across 26a which made me so angry I walked away in disgust. WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLY STUPID CLUE!

    1. I think that 26a is a cracking clue – now that Mr K and MP have explained that the clue gives a direct example of the answer.

       1. But without any wordplay and with an answer few people will know. I stand by my original comment.

          1. The answer to 26a last appeared about a year ago, in ST 2890.

             1. I remembered it but I can’t believe it was a year ago, seems like last week!

    2. Brian, for once I totally agree with you!!

       1. Agree stick those in the Toughies

    3. How rude. How very rude. How unacceptably rude.

       1. MP, have you ever heard of ‘projection’ in the psychological sense? It’s interesting…

       2. Agree MP – as you previously posted “If you can’t say something nice etc”.

       3. 4,9 perhaps?

20. That was ghastly. What a difference from yesterday. The Davy Jones clue?? Really??
    Understood very little and parsed even less.
    Thanks Mr.K.

    1. With you all the way to the bank and back!!

21. That was a bit of a disaster. What a difference from yesterday. The Davy Jones clue?? Really??
    Understood very little and parsed even less.
    I can’t decide whether I had an off day or if I am just thick.
    Thanks Mr.K.

    1. No it’s not you. I had trouble with this one today. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

22. Definitely a tad unusual, but nothing wrong with that. 13d new to me, amongst two or three peculiar definitions. Nice to see a slight variation of the 4d conker.

    No standout favourite today. Enjoyable all the same so thanks to setter (Sir Ron?), *** and a bit / *** and a marginally bigger bit.

    Thanks also to Mr K for this and the latest survey.

23. Thanks to the setter and Mr Kitty for the review and hints. I found this completely impossible, only managed 10 answers and had to look the rest up. I really didn’t like 26a. Was 5*/1* for me.

24. Mr K, 26a. Isn’t this a straightforward cryptic definition/pun clue, which also cleverly contains an example of the answer – and thus doesn’t need any wordplay?

    1. Can you explain in more detail? I couldn’t see a cryptic interpretation of the clue that leads us to the answer, only the example. For me it’s unlike 18d, which does have the cryptic definition in addition to the definition by example.

       1. The whole clue could be regarded as cryptic/punnish phrase to describe the answer, with no word play required (but also cleverly contains an example of the answer). If you describe the clue as primarily “a definition by example without any word play” then it’s not a recognised type of cryptic clue, is it? I’m just clutching at straws to explain the lack of wordplay, that’s all. I’m not saying you are wrong or, indeed, that I’m right.

       2. I think the cryptic element is the word “say”. If you say the words, they don’t rhyme, even though they appear(to the eye) as if they should.

25. Too tricky to derive enjoyment, with too many weird clues, 26a especially, followed by 13d which I don’t know how you would know if you don’t follow rugby. Not a fan of 18d either. I’ve already needed 7 of Mr K’s hints, which is cheating in my book. Might return at tea time, but I think this is too far above my pay grade.

26. Horses for courses but 26a was my fave…! Moving on swiftly..
    An interesting challenge which needed a bit of perseverance before finally coming together. 3/3* overall.
    Thanks to the setter, and to Mr K for the review.

27. I found this very difficult ****/*** spending a lot of time trying to make sense of the first word in 26a 😳 for me it was as hard as a tricky “Ray T” had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t Thursday 🤔 Favourites 22a & 11a Thanks to the Setter and to Mr K 😊

28. Like LBR, I enjoyed the fact that today’s puzzle was a little different, but clearly many didn’t it seems.

    Not being a regular Virgilius solver this time last year, I can’t recall encountering the expression in 26a before. My top three clues were 1d, 21d and 24d. My repetition radar was kept busy with “by” used three times in the Across clues as a positional indicator.

    Many thanks to today’s setter and to Mr K, a fascinating set of survey results yet again.

29. ***/****. Well I enjoyed this. Not easy but that’s what made it so satisfying to solve. By the way I liked 26a. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

30. I really struggled to get this one going. The first pass through the clues gave me just 8 answers. I struggled to complete the RHS but needed to come here to parse 18d, and for 26a. The LHS remained stubbornly blank, until, in a sort of Inverse Samson, I had my hair cut and came back to complete it.

    Not my wavelength at all.

    Thanks to the setter and Mr.K.

31. 26a had me stumped too, couldn’t even guess it because I spelt 24d wrongly!

    1. Welcome to the blog Kaygee

    2. Welcome from me, too. Thanks for the comment.

32. To me, this puzzle needed a slightly different way of thinking, and I used electronic aids to help with a couple, but thought it was very good.Thanks to the setter and Mr K. I have to say Brian gave me the best laugh of the day so far!

33. Not on the ball with this one at all. Never had the feel of the puzzles I enjoy on a daily basis and probably I am out of my depth today, a puzzle to forget. Needed Mr K’s help for several clues including 26a and 18d, and found it a grind to eventually complete with no real satisfaction. Suspect the lack of anagrams played a big part in the struggle. No favourites today and not a smile raised.

    Rating **** / *

    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

34. I found this quite difficult probably because of the scarcity of anagrams.
    1 and 13d took for ever.
    I’d forgotten 26a but is it any wonder that English is a tricky language for foreigners to learn – so many different pronunciations for the same ending.
    Lots of good clues so thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints.

35. I was stuck on a couple and needed electronic help, e.g., 13d, I had no clue what it meant and had not come across it before – live and learn.
    I liked 24d, but fave is 4d, such a lovely word.
    Thanks to setter and to Mr. Kitty for his review and really interesting survey.

36. I really can’t understand why people on this blog who, I assume, like words balk when they see a word or expression that they haven’t come across before, like me with 26a.

    The enjoyment of discovering a truly superb bona fide term, i.e it’s in The OED, far outweighs the discussion of whether it’s a good clue or not.

    I’m guessing their pride has got in the way.

    Steve Wright’s ”Mr Angry” aint a patch on our Bri.

    1. With a few notable exceptions there aren’t many people on this blog who balk, throw their hands up in horror or have a hissy fit at a word or expression that they’ve never met before.

       1. I said the word ‘people’ not ‘many people’.

          Keep up.

          1. I also think it’s important, after reading the survey, that some of us long time solvers show the learner lurkers that we can struggle too.
             I”m hoping to memorise the answer to 26a

             1. Thanks, Toni, that is an excellent point.

             2. Hi Toni.

                Did you mean to respond to me directly?

                1. I was picking up on your point that people should enjoy discovering new words and not moan too much.
                   However, there does not seem to have been much enjoyment today and having read the survey about new solvers being scared to comment, I just thought it was important to raise the fact that some of us more experienced solvers had a few problems with this!

                   1. Well said, Toe Knee.

                      I love ‘eye-rhyme’. What a great expression.

                      (BD, I’m guessing it’s okay to put the answer in a comment, now this crossword is yesterday’s news? Forgive me, if not)

                      1. Apart from current prize puzzles, the principle of caveat emptor has always applied to comments – if you don’t want to see any answers then only read the comments after you have finished the puzle.

                         1. I do so thank you.

       2. A more succinct way of putting is that people tend to be slightly more critical of a clue if they haven’t heard of the word/expression. Knowledge of the word and the quality of the clue shouldn’t be linked.

          1. Sir L. On this subject I wrote a comment on DT 28299 that included the following, which I c/p:

             There’s quite a lot of talk on here about stretched synonyms and obscure words, so I penned this pertinent adage: Lament not at the of reading an unknown word – but rejoice that it can be yours on a later day.

37. We found this one quite a bit trickier than most back page cryptics. Our last one in was 26a despite having blogged a similar type of clue in last week’s Wednesday puzzle. 9a also took longer than it should have but that could have been because of our unfamiliarity with UK geography.
    All good fun.
    Thanks Mr Ron and Mr K.

38. Phew! I’ve been doing these crosswords for more than 5 years and I’ve never struggled so much.
    Only 9 in after several attempts. Sometimes when you read through and go away, when you come back a few more drop into place,
    I read all the across hints and got most of them but had to cave in and read the down hints too.
    I understood alll of it then Apart from 26a which I spotted fairly quickly but did not know the word… bad chest was my first thought! 😎
    Thanks so much for the hints and also to the setter even though
    I’m not on your wave length, maybe next time.

39. First time for a while I had so many where I needed to refer to this blog!
    I had never heard of 26a so I learnt something new – not for the first time doing the Telegraph crossword. It did not help the NW corner to start putting in ‘leotard’ (in biro! – the case of ‘leave’, followed by the case of ‘out’ – but you soon run out of letters . . .) and thus got stuck on 1d and 3d. Altogether it was a great crossword because it was fair and I should have done better. Thanks setter and Mr K for a very helpful blog (and whose surveys never fail to fascinate).

40. Very late in – just been ‘one of those days’.

    Must admit that I found this one quite tough and expected to see a lot of ‘wrong envelope’ comments. I’m pleased to see that so many folk persevered and achieved the satisfaction of completing the puzzle. The notable exception is of course Brian, and I do feel that he totally overstepped the mark here. Your comment was not appreciated, sir.

    I struggled with 18d as, being very familiar with the Davy Jones alluded to by RD, I didn’t make the required connection for quite some time. 13d went in on a wing and a prayer as did 21d – both new ones for me.

    Top spot went to 24d with 22a & 4d close behind.

    Thanks to Mr Ron and to Mr K for a great blog and an excellent round-up of the results of the latest survey. Seems that I tackle far too many cryptics in a week although I don’t get anywhere near the maximum you recorded – that surely has to be our own CS?

    1. Thanks, Jane. The reader who solves 45 crosswords per week was definitely not CS.

       1. My word – you do surprise me! Pressure will be applied to find out who it was……….

          1. My lips are sealed

41. Phew, that was a stiffer test. First run through yielded just 12a and Ted Heath for 20a (quite wongly) Once crossed checked with Mr K’s hints and 20a amended more or less everything else gradually fell into place, although I have to admit to having never heard of the term at 26a before. I could have sat all week and still not solved that one. Thanks to the setter for a pretty stiff challenge and thanks to Mr K for some much appreciated assistance.

    1. I forgot to add my thanks to Mr K for his work in conducting the survey and collating the results. Makes very interesting reading indeed. Ta Mr K.

42. After reading the whole blog, I am hardly surprised by what has been said although shouting is completely unnecessary.
    This offering was certainly of a new kind and getting on the setter’s wavelength was quite a hard task.
    I did appreciate the brevity of the clues though.
    Need to solve a few more to be more comfortable with the style.
    Already thanked everyone in my reply to fran at the top of the blog but shall repeat my gratitude to all involved.

43. 2*/3.5* for my money. Some nice clues, like 1d, and a couple l found less convincing. 3d I don’t like; the solution is practically the opposite of the definition! 26a is an expression l’ve never heard of. Still, not an unpleasant way to spend an unspecified amount of time. Ta to the Mysteron, and to Mr Kitty.

44. Maybe a bad day but could only get eight answers 🙄

45. I don’t think the devil has anything to do with 18d. Davy Jones is a dead sailor, certainly not the devil.

    As for 26a, who uses the answer outside of crosswords? Awful clue and my last one in after much research.

    I spent longer working out 18d and 26a than I did to complete the last 3 or 4 crosswords.

    Sorry to the setter, but probably the crossword I have enjoyed the least for years.

    1. It surprised me, but under Davy Jones the BRB has “A sailor’s familiar name for the (malignant) spirit of the sea, the Devil”

46. After a long tussle I got all but 18d / 26a. E-solver returned 18d, but I would never have got 26a – never heard of it, one to remember!

47. Tricky one today – but very enjoyable. ***/****. 26a stumped me like many others. I don’t mind a ‘strange’ expression which I have never heard of, but the clue gave me no chance to work it out, so it was more like a general knowledge clue – you either knew it or you didn’t.

48. I hope the setter if new and his/her editor is not put of by some of these comments. It is excellent to be challenged by some original clues which have nothing wrong with them. I did not get 26a without a struggle due to my own fault – as I forget the letter Y when trying to fit a letter (usually a vowel) between two consonants. I did not know the term for two words like that (another example Sean Bean) but now I do the clue is absolutely spot on. I also did not know the Assistant Referee – I could only think of Linesman – the old word in Soccer – so I googled it. Perhaps those who cannot cope on a regular basis and blame the setter should consider another hobby instead of having an apoplexy every time they are unable to to solve a clue.

    1. I too hope that setter and editor are not put off by the negative comments. I’m in the camp that found the struggle to solve this puzzle very rewarding. I certainly wouldn’t want to see it most weeks, but do I like that from time to time Tuesday throws up a puzzle that’s more challenging than usual. Those crosswords are also great fun to hint and they usually generate lively discussion. And I’m still smiling at the cleverness of 18d.

49. I got round to finishing this one in the late afternoon because I was busy with other things yesterday. I thought it was excellent, with a slightly unusual/different cluing style. It was a decent challenge with mostly great clues and very enjoyable/entertaining. I didn’t know what a eye rhyme was or that geological meaning of hoodoo – so I’ve learned something new and interesting (well interesting to someone like me, whose hobby is semantics). My favourite was 26a, but I’m still not sure to which specific/recognised clue “type” it belongs (can you let me know please, Mr K?). I’d be more than happy to have one like this every Tuesday. 3* / 3.5*.

    1. When I wrote the hint I couldn’t see how to categorize 26a because it looked, and still does, like a definition (by example) only. In fact I’ve now found that the very similar clue Love and move eg (3-5) appeared in the non-cryptic Quickie No 25715.

       I’ve now consulted BD, and I agree with his opinion that 26a belongs to the category of clue known as weak

       1. Thank, Mr K, and sorry to trouble you with awkward questions. I thought your original categorisation/description in italics of the clue was OK, but if a clue doesn’t fit into an official clue “type” I get agitated because I like them all to belong to a proper/recognised pigeon-hole. I’ve seen hundreds of these over the years (some in the DT) and I reckon there should be another clue “type” labelled Novelty, Maverick, Nonconformist or something similar. Trouble is, I suppose, if you did that the setters would regard them as “acceptable” and cluing anarchy would burgeon. Probably best to leave it as it is…

          1. I’m also bothered when clues don’t adhere to convention, which is why I commented on 26a. My understanding is that, with the exception of the cryptic definition clue type, all cryptic crossword clues are supposed to offer us two routes to the answer. 26a doesn’t do that.

50. PS. I’ve noticed a new anomaly with the site recently. It occurs when you write a longish comment (like the one above at #49) and it takes quite a while to finish. Then you click on Post Comment and find that you’ve been “timed out” or something, the 5 second security page comes up followed by another page that tells you the site is not available. So, you’ve been logged out and the message is lost. Is there a way of stopping this happening, please?

    1. Highlight and copy before clicking on Post Comment Jose. If you are timed out you can easily paste what you had.

       1. Thank you MP. That’s what I usually do, but if you forget and just click on Post Comment, it’s gone! I just thought there might be some clever technical tweek that you savvy guys use to eliminate it altogether. I thought it might be just happening to me because I use public computers in libraries, which have all sorts of security/restriction/limitation installed.

          1. Just wait for the ‘checking your browser’ bit, then hit the back button and your post will still be there in the comment box. From there, Post Comment will work, because your browser has been logged back in.

             Alternatively, refresh page immediately before writing your post, so you are already a fresh login.
             Hope that helps.

51. There must be herds of the quickie antelope inhabiting crosswordland.
    18d was a devil of a clue.
    4*/not quite sure*

52. A lodger is not a guest

    1. Welcome to the blog Christopher

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