DT 29018 (Hints)

44 comments on “DT 29018 (Hints)”

1. I had a love hate relationship with this pangram. 3d was my favourite. Thank you setter and BD. Enjoy the Grand National everyone, I hope you win !

   1. Hi Florence,
      Left you a message on yesterday’s blog, not sure whether you spotted it.

      1. I didn’t spot it. Thanks Jane. I just have a slight problem now. I’ve just shouted out the word ‘sieve’….on the tube travelling into London. I’m getting really weird looks. I think people are wondering whether to move seats.

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2. 2*/4*. I particularly liked the accurate brevity of the cluing of this light but very enjoyable pangram.

   I am not particularly keen on the answer to 3d as it is an American word in this context that has crossed the pond. As it has now become so commonplace here as an alternative to our UK word, I will discard my pedant’s hat on this one and put up with it.

   I’ve got too many ticks to try to pick a single favourite.

   Many thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

   1. French letters are the problem, RD.

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      2. Very funny!

3. Saw the pangram early but it was little help as almost all the tricky letters were in already. 25a was LOI as I was distracted by another answer that shall remain instated to avoid the naughty step. Parsing 13a caused some consternation too. I did like 15d

   1. I got Mala Beach in the sweepstakes at 66/1 at work so don’t expect to see that £2 again. Rathvinden or Rock the Kasbah may get a couple of quid more at Bill Hills. I am a notoriously bad tipster so expect all 3 to fail somewhere.
      Thanks to BD and setter and good luck to any punters out there.

4. For the first time ever I thought “this is a pangram” so as I approached the SE corner I was desperately looking for my missing letter where I didn’t find it. After finishing and reading the first two comments I looked again and found it already lurking in the NE corner. D’oh!
   I enjoyed this crossword. I thought it was a bit more challenging than some but very fair. My ego was boosted by remembering 7d and 17d but I think my COD was 2d.
   Thank you to all involved as usual.

5. I missed the pangram, as I usually do. It was quite a challenging puzzle and enjoyable, too, but too quickly over. I enjoyed 12a, 13a, 4d, 5d and 18d and others too numerous to mention. Thanks to the setter and to BD for the hints

6. I rarely identify or indeed look for a pangram but today it became likely early on however I didn’t really make use of that fact. Altogether it was an enjoyable accompaniment to breakfast. SE corner was a little languorous. Plenty of great clues with particular mention pertinent to 11a, 14d and 18d. Many thanks Mysteron and BD.

7. One of those puzzles which induces a degree of panic on 1st run through but gradually gives up its secrets. My fav was 14d but wasn’t at all impressed by 22d and i thought the anagram indicator in 15d rather bizarre!
   A workmanlike crossword but quite enjoyable. Just dreading tomorrows effort.
   Thx to all
   ***/**

8. Like Chriscross, I hadn’t realised that this puzzle was a pangram. Having said that, I didn’t experience any problems and was making good progress until 1a which was my last answer to go in and only after I’d read Dave’s hint – for which I thank you, Good Sir.

9. I missed the pangram as usual. A few hmms and raised eyebrows especially on 9a which I thought was a bit of a synonymic stretch from definition to answer.

   Favourite – 2d.

   Thanks to the setter and BD.

10. Put me down as another who missed the pangram and, like Senf, wasn’t very happy with the synonym in 9a – the BRB seems to be rather ambiguous on that one.

    Otherwise, an enjoyable tightly clued puzzle with 11a getting the nod from me.

    Thanks to our setter and to BD for the club.

    1. If you’re around, BD, the hint for 12a needs a bit of a tweak.

       1. So it did!

          I’m not sure what you mean when you say that the BRB is ambiguous about the definition in 9a – I can find no justification whatsoever, but we had better leave it there!

          1. Apparently the Department for Culture, Media and Sport sometime ago produced a paper proposing the removal of Crafts as a recognised category within the Creative 9a. It seems however that the Crafts Council continue to recognise it as such.

11. First run through was not very productive but after getting 4A & 4D ( favourite) everything flowed .
    Thanks to everyone .

12. 4d was my favourite as well and also the first clue written in. It all went in easily except for 22d and I did need your hint for that. I should have known because it was a word my father used.

13. **/****. Pleasant pangram with 14d my favourite and 4d a close second. My only holdup was 24a due to a spelling error making 15d a bit of a head scratcher. Thanks to BD and the setter.

14. Very enjoyable for me. I managed to drag up 22d from the very depths of my memory, a long time since I’ve heard that used.
    There was lots to like here, 4d and 14d stood out, but fave has to be 24a as that was the name of my house at school.
    Thanks to whomsoever set this fun, and to BD for the hints and pics.

    1. Oh, Merusa, I could hug you. Thank you for putting the “m” in whomsoever. You’ve made my day.
       

       1. Thank you, RD. Yay, I’ve made someone’s day so I’m not totally useless!

15. Late on parade today as have driven to Bath for the evening and just got round to completing this moderately tricky puzzle. There are too many fine clues to pick a favourite, although I did enjoy 4d once the penny had dropped, and overall this was a very enjoyable pangram (true to form I did not spot that until the very end). I am clearly a morning person.

    Thanks to our Saturday setter and BD.

16. Completely missed the pangram as usual. I laboured a bit in solving this one. 19a when it finally revealed itself was my favourite.
    Thanks to the setter, and to BD for the hints.

17. This enjoyable pangram had it’s tricky moments but finished in even time, hence 2*/3.5*.
    Fav was 4d, well surfaced clues made it very pleasant.
    Thanks to setter & BD for the review.

18. Hmm – I enjoyed this, eventually, but if there was a trap to fall into I fell into it.
    I missed the pangram – I always do.
    I was very slow to get going at all and things didn’t speed up much – in other words it took me quite a long time – who cares? It’s not meant to be a race.
    Just realised that there weren’t many anagrams – maybe I could use that as another excuse for having found it tricky!
    Still not sure that I’ve untangled 13a in the right way.
    Lots of good clues I thought – 23 and 26a and my favourite was 14d.
    Thanks to today’s setter and to BD.

    1. Kath, following French one 13a partially should have satisfied your liking.

       1. Thank you – yes, that’s rather what I was thinking but . . . . ah, just looked again – it was the male bit that was confusing me – oh dear – dim! I’m saying no more – I need to go to bed not to the naughty corner.

19. Thanks — the hints were appreciated. I also managed to mis-solve 25a. I found 11a pleasingly elegant, and 14d made me smile.

20. I really enjoyed this crossword, albeit needing some help from BD’s hints to get me started. I seem to have trouble getting on the right wavelength of any cryptic crossword on the first read through in the evening and then when I come back to it after some sleep I’m all singing, all dancing! One of the wonders of these wonderful crosswords. Many thanks to the setter and BD.

21. PANGRAM – I know what a pangram is, but can somebody please tell me how it applies to this , or any other crossword – I feel so very thick when so many have noticed and mentioned it – thanks, Almo

    1. Every letter in the alphabet is used. Can be useful when you are struggling with the last one or two answers and realise you have not yet used a Q.

       1. weekendwanda – thank you so much for this , although how all of you contributors to the blog spot it as such makes me feel very very dense
          indeed – how do I make the penny drop ?!?!

          1. If you are solving a crossword and you get a Z and a Q in the solutions, it is always worth keeping in mind the possibility of needing the whole alphabet to finish the puzzle

          2. We don’t all spot it or if we do it is too late! However, if you know or can guess what the infrequent letters are and you get two of them it is worth a go.

22. I looked at this puzzle and drew a complete blank. I was well into the downs before I found an answer. However, all began to fall into place randomly. Oddly I found my life with the right hand side all in before the left. I like long clues with several word answers but this one did not come to me straightaway. Was a bit perturbed by 8a at there were a number of artists and artisans who could have filled the bill. However, once I had the second letter the answer was clear. Favourites 12 13 and 26a and 2 3 4 and 15d. The latter being one of the best anagrams I have seen. Thank you setter and BD, although for once I managed to parse them all.

    1. Well Wanda – I too had one half before the other, but the left was first!
       I finished yesterday but had to use a few hints..Thanks BD!
       Some very good and clever clues once one got into the swing.
       I particularly liked 24a -I struggled with various anagram solutions, until I got 4d and had a ‘doh’ moment! 23a was a clever one I thought.
       Well done!

       1. I was left then right too. Getting 4d and 4a was the key to opening up the right.

23. This went down well – well, as well as across. Thanks to all concerned

24. 2*/4*…..after a slow start..
    liked 13A (stripping one male across the Channel? Terribly boring).

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