DT 28859

60 comments on “DT 28859”

1. 2* / 2*. Not too taxing today. About halfway through I 15d a pangram was on the cards, but it ended up as a curate’s egg.

   25a is the sort of charade that I don’t like where all the bits are thrown together and the surface suffers as a result.

   I’ve no particular favourite today.

   Thanks to Mr Ron and Mr K.

2. I thought 10a was very neatly done. The bottom half took me a bit longer than the top, but it does seem that our editor has decided that Tuesdays should be most accessible day of the week. It’s the day I now recommend to beginners – or people I’m trying to persuade to become ones!

   1. I wish I were a beginner again. I used to enjoy the struggle.

      1. Then I recommend the Wednesday to Friday Toughies.

      2. I bet you wouldn’t enjoy the experts telling you how easy a puzzle is when you are scratching your head still when newsnight comes on.

         1. That was sort of my point. It was more fun when it took all day to complete a puzzle. I enjoyed sharing answers in the pub at night and waiting until the next day for the answers with no explanations. Sorry if I sounded pompous.

            1. I understand, no pomposity was noted!!

            2. I don’t think you sounded pompous, and I don’t think Hoofit meant it that way. I think DaveG put it succintly.

               Ethan is growing apace!

               1. Indeed! Thanks Merusa.

               2. He certainly is. I have just given him dinner and pudding and he still wants more.

         2. This is me tonight! Still scratching my head yet I romped through the Toughie.

   2. P.S. I featured Tombili just under a year ago in Toughie 1902.

      P.P.S. Love the bonus 13d pic!

      1. Oh, just loved that. I knew about the cats in Rome but not in Istanbul.

         1. . Do you know about the Japanese cat islands?

            1. Just lovely! Good thing the Truxton Tower cats are neutered or I could land up being like that.

   3. I think it’s only fair to have the odd puzzle we lesser mortals can complete 😊

      1. I couldn’t agree more. I was only pointing out that it appears that the tradition of the gentlest puzzles appearing on Mondays has been consigned to history.

3. My first comments disappeared into the ether, so here Is a shortened version. Ticks for 21a and 17d, disliked 25a, and overall straightforward and fairly enjoyable.

   Thanks to both Misters.

4. Completed at a canter, as one of our fellow solvers might say. Nothing to tricksie, but nevertheless some good fun. I liked the photo given to illlistrate 16down having stayed in Fort William and travelled on the Jacobite this time last autumn. Thanks to today’s setter and also Mr K.

   1. We travelled from Glasgow to Mallaig and stopped on the viaduct next to The Jacobite.

      1. Some beautiful scenery all along that route. When we reached Mallaig, by complete coincidence I met a chap who I occasionally have a pint with in our local here in Shropshire. Small world, eh?

         1. We helped move a crate of piglets from a pick up onto a small boat. Great unexpected fun

            1. I can’t top that for sure 😁

5. Got through this unaided but not as much fun as yesterday. So much scribbling on the paper I can barely see the pretty girl in the blue jumper. 25a is a neat clue but I will include 13d as equally “neat”.
   Either homophone would fit in 24d and although I think I have read the clue correctly I find it a bit un-8d.
   Thanks to setter and Mr K.
   Nice pic of Glenfinnan 16d and “Cement” appropriate too as I believe it was the first to use reinforced concrete.
   I should go look up glede in BRB but didn’t need to to see the answer.

   1. Correction.
      The concrete used in the Glenfinnan Viaduct is mass concrete, which unlike reinforced concrete does not contain any metal reinforcement. It is formed by pouring concrete, typically using fine aggregate, into formwork, resulting in a material very strong in compression but weak in tension.
      I looked up glede too and see how appropriate it is now.

6. Pleased to have nothing too taxing in this one – off out for lunch with friends in a few minutes!

   No particular favourite although I did like 26a once I’d discovered the meaning of ‘glede’ – a new one for me.

   Thanks to Mr Ron and to Mr K for the blog – not sure about The Cranberries clip, the singer does sound a little off key.

7. Agree with earlier comments that today’s is easier than normal and not as amusing as yesterday . Nevertheless, still enjoyable .
   No particular favourite clue for me .
   At first wondered why Mr K arranged for an appearance from Britney but ,perhaps , he also likes ??? kittens .
   Thanks to everyone .

8. I think I agree with everyone else. A simple offering but enjoyable nonetheless. I was on pangram alert for a while like RD. We haven’t had one for a while, have we? I’ll go for 27a as my favourite today. The Toughie is quite benign today as well.

9. Having a lazy day so tackled & finished early. No problems. But I prefer it when there are fewer anagrams which always seem easy answers. Enjoyed but now what am I going to do this evening. l’ll have a try at the Toughie but it’s usually well out of my depth! Loved the cat on the sofa.
   Thanks to all.

   1. Give the Toughie a go today – you may like it.

      1. Thanks Ray S. Had a try at the Toughie this evening and managed about 75% before I had to resort to BD’s Toughie Blog. Several words I have never come across before to add to the memory bank. I actually managed to complete it once before unaided only to read that the blog said it was the easiest Toughie ever!
         Yes I found it enjoyable. Rgds

10. Quite enjoyable but not overly challenging for completion at a fast gallop – */**.

    Somewhat of a struggle to find a favourite, but 27a was pretty good.

    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    P.S. The MynoT Toughie is quite doable and more enjoyable.

11. Went for a **/*** on completion as per Mr K, everyone seems in soporific mood today as per the stretched out cats-thanks Mr K- still my favourite musical.
    Liked 16d, also the ‘train’ in 15d.

12. Thanks to the setter and to Mr Kitty for the review and hints. I enjoyed this one, but found it very tricky. I think I’ve become a beginner again, just couldn’t get 25a,13,16,17d. No particular favourites. Was 4*/3* for me.

13. Well, I enjoyed it. Yesterday was a bit of a struggle, today back on form.
    Thanks all.

14. A fun run through today ending with a slight hiccup in the NW – can’t now understand why. Several good surfaces however no particular Fav. 25a took some deciphering. 3d was obvious but noon abbreviation new to me. Thank you MrK and Mysteron – Tuesday setter seems always to remain incognito.

    1. I believe that there are at least two setters providing our Tuesday puzzles.

    2. It seems that way to me too but I can’t quite pinpoint the difference between them. A dilemma for you (and indeed we bloggers) to identify their respective wavelengths.

       1. The distinctive ingredients that I think I’ve seen include a healthy dollop of general knowledge, Americanisms or expressions of American origin, and two or more quickie puns.

          I do wish that the Telegraph would at least use setter pseudonyms for the back page puzzles, as they do for the Toughies.

          1. I will look for your theory next Tuesday.

15. This one I found to be something of a slow burner, but by the conclusion I had thoroughly enjoyed it.

    If Jane, my authority on all matters ornithological, hasn’t heard of a “glede” before, then I feel far less ashamed at my own ignorance of that particular word. Has it ever cropped up as a solution before, I wonder, Mr K?

    My top three clues were 15d, 23d and 24d.

    Many thanks to today’s setter and Mr K.

    1. I have no previous appearances of glede as either an answer or a clue ingredient. Which, given that the database now holds over 450,000 clues, makes its use today quite an accomplishment on the part of the setter.

       1. Indeed! Many thanks, Mr K.

       2. Full marks to you, Mr K. I think it’s great that you can provide us with this sort of data.

          1. Thanks, RD, much appreciated.

16. This was OK but not particularly exciting.. No real favourite either.
    So I’ll just say thank you to the setter and to Mr K for the review and pics.

17. 2/3. The top half was very quickly completed but I struggled for much longer with the rest. 27a was my favourite. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

18. Liked everything! Thank you.

19. I found this tougher than yesterday but no less enjoyable so going for 3/3
    Bunged in 15d but couldn’t justify it as I failed to spot the anagram indicator so newly informed I’m going to award it my COTD.
    Couldn’t parse 25a either and still can’t! Didn’t like the report /explosion synonym but a small gripe.
    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for explaining and illustrating and in particular for the clip of the much missed and very talented Dolores O’Riordon.

    1. Glad you liked the Cranberries clip. I stopped it here after the song relevant to the clue, but the whole performance is worth watching (click on the YouTube icon at lower right in the video window). There’s a great version of ‘Zombie’.

       1. Thanks, I certainly will.

20. I enjoyed this a lot, good fun. I’m at an age that very esoteric crosswords confuse me, so I’m glad of a walk in the park from time to time.
    I rather liked 27a, but 13d has to be my fave for the second pic from Mr. K.
    Thanks to whomsoever set this and to Mr. K for his usual informational and amusing hints and pics.

21. An enjoyable Tuesday puzzle that all slotted together smoothly for us.
    Thanks Mr Ron and Mr K.

22. Thanks to setter and MrK. MrK I do not understand your italics in your hint for 20 down. What am I missing please?

    1. Hi John, Mr.K is indicating that in the wordplay of a clue, if the setter uses the construct ‘A next to B’ it indicated either A then B or B then A.
       I think!

       1. That’s exactly right, Hoofit.

          In the clue the longing comes before the American, but the ordering is opposite in the answer. I thought that might surprise some solvers, especially since ‘A next to B’ is used to indicate A B in 8d. So I added a comment to point out that ‘next to’ doesn’t specify an order.

          1. Thanks

       2. Thanks

23. An enjoyable canter through crosswordland. First in 1ac, last in 17d which did cause a bit of a furrowed brow.

24. 2*/4*….enjoyable.
    Felt a tad sorry for prisoner being flogged in 24D.

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