DT 29319

64 comments on “DT 29319”

1. The SE corner , 19A , 20A & 26D , held out for as long as the rest !
   Nevertheless and plane , yet again !!
   Nice challenge and enjoyed .
   Thanks Mr K and the Setter .

2. This was a very straightforward puzzle (1.5/3.5). Whilst not very testing it was quite enjoyable. There were some good anagrams, particularly 18a. I also liked the 26a/19d combo and 11a. Thanks for the hints. I loved the laughing cat. Thanks also to the compiler for helping to keep our spirits up in these dark days.

3. I think Mr K has been a touch harsh on this. I thoroughly enjoyed it, gave me a few of those lovely penny drop moments we all do these things for. I particularly liked the 26a, 19d combination along with 12a and 28a
   2.5/3*
   Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for a great blog in these trying times.

4. Fully agree. All over a bit too quickly & nothing to write home about with no particular favourites.
   The Grauniad looks more challenging & of course there’s always the dubious joys of the Toughie (still unable to complete Friday’s Elgar even with the hints)
   Thanks to all.

5. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Not particularly difficult, but a pleasure to solve.

   Thanks to the setter, and to Mr K.

6. A Monday puzzle on a Tuesday, completed at a fast gallop – **/****.
   Candidates for favourite – 25a, 8d, and 19d – and the winner, even though it is an oldie but goodie, is 25a.
   Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

7. 1.5*/2.5*. A pleasant puzzle with nothing to frighten or excite the horses.

   Many thanks to Messrs R & K. Nice to see all the cat illustrations.

8. Day one of my self imposed exile from work starts with a nice steady puzzle.
   A few recent repeats and old faves 17d and 14a but I will go for 19d and 26a as the nice penny drop. 7d held out the 28a (too many options in my mind to fit the checkers) Thanks to Mr. K and setter. I may have to have a go at the other puzzles in the dead tree but first, let’s go have a go at the toughie.

   Did any one else get CL’s e mail saying that the prize puzzles should be treated as just for fun for the duration? seems like an excuse for a poorly performing app to me.

9. The rekrul at 21a gets my nod this morning in this entertaining if very straightforward puzzle. There were certainly a fair number of old chestnuts scattered around the grid to stop it being truly memorable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

   Many thanks to both Misters.

10. Even l recognised a few old favourites but that helped me enjoy a pleasant solve.I think most of our minds are elsewhere but some diversion is good for the soul.Pleased to see The Telegraph giving us some additional puzzles at this time.Thankyou to setter and to Mr.K.whose advice to me. last week to be accurate rather than quick has already proved helpful.

    1. I wrote to the editor (very wittily) thanking him for the extra puzzles at this trying time but I reckon he sees my name every couple of weeks and consigns me to the bin as ‘that batty old woman’.

    2. There are no extra puzzles with the DT Subscription. Just the same paltry miserly four as ever. Cryptic Quick Codeword Sodoffku. Page 20 of today paper looks to have the same format as ever. Maybe it just extra puzzles for those who subscribe to the puzzles site.

       1. There are lots of extra puzzles in the paper paper. Different types – not cryptics but useful.

          1. I see. Pages 28 – 31. Thanks for that WW

11. Bright spot on the horizon this morning when my DT was delivered as usual. I’d formed the impression from the PM’s announcement last night that newsagents unconnected to food shops would be closed from today. Suddenly, this self-isolation didn’t seem so bad!
    14a is certainly getting a good run for its money at the moment and there were several chestnuts dotted around but the puzzle was enjoyable enough, despite nothing standing out for favouritism. Thought the Quickie pun was somewhat weak.

    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for providing both the blog and the humour – really laughed at the sign depicting 21a!

12. Not much challenge but a bit of fun. Rather a lot of anagrams and chestnuts. South was there before the upper half. Not sure whether 12a is a dictionary word but she does keep turning up. Used offhand for 5a which screwed 7d. Fav was surface of 22d. Thank you Mysteron and MrK.

    1. Should have said 22a rather than 22d.

13. A gentle solve. Nothing very taxing. No real favourites. I too am glad of the extra puzzles.

14. 9a China Plate = Mate ?
    As a teenager I used to frequent seafront bingo joints in Margate. There were Cockney “jack the lads” working at them
    During quiet times they would inspect the ladies walking along Marine Terrace
    Sometimes a shapely derriere would result in “Look at ‘er arris”
    Arris? Harris? Arris rail? None of them could explain why they called a derriere an arris
    Later working in London I discovered it was a double rhyming slang
    Arris came from Aristotle =Bottle = Bottle and Glass = Arse
    But China Plate = Mate, Pal and Chum

    1. When I was younger I thought that Anita Harris was an operation to improve one’s behind.

       1. When I first Anita Harris being used that way was I think on I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue where it defined as a tidy haemorrhoid operation, I’m sure she not too happy with the hi-jacking of her name, but Melvyn Bragg and Piers Morgan are maybe even less happy.

15. A pleasant puzzle although the SE corner stumped me for quite a while. I liked the lurker at 16d. I used “percussors” at 13d, which put a spanner in the works.

    Grateful thanks to the setter and to Mr. K for the hints and wonderful cats.

    Sainsbury’s delivered this morning, left the groceries in the porch and tapped on the door. The only things missing were the wine and one pack of dog food. The wine was for Lady C. I’m happy to report they delivered the Famous Grouse for me.

    1. Well done! My delivery yesterday was not nearly as successful; no eggs, tissues, loo paper, cleaning stuff – and so on. However, my Drizly delivery was spot on, five botts of Famous Grouse. I guess it’s not all bad.

       1. I could only order two because of restrictions. However, I added them to the five I already have! Litres, of course.

16. Not on the setters wavelength at all. Found this distinctly tricky and finished with help in **** time. No fun and very over complicated.
    Def not my cup of tea.
    Thx for the hints
    ****/*

17. I thought that 13d should be (14) and have “ists” on the end. I guess that the setter was referring to a whole section of an orchestra. 23d was straight in. I remembered what “main” meant this time. I quite liked 9a. Thanks to the setter and to Mr Kitty. Now back to the jigsaw. It’s very addictive.

18. Anyone any idea what the pun refers to in the Quickie?

    1. Never heard of currant wine and I used to be an avid home vintner.

       1. I have a bottle of unopened blackcurrant wine made by the Lyme Bay Winery in Devon. It claims to be “medium sweet and scented, bursting with the full fruity flavour of blackcurrants”. It’s 11% vol alcohol. I must try it one of these days! 🍷

19. Again some old favourites 14a and 21a but a nice pleasant puzzle, in these taxing times its good to have some relaxation. I have had my government permitted walk with the dogs along the cliffs, luckily avoiding human contact. Not a soul out today.
    Thanks to Mr K and setter.

20. Thanks for keeping us amused during lunch. My knee operation cancelled last night, I was all packed and had even taken the varnish off my toenails. Blast. However not at all surprised it would have been a miracle if it had gone ahead and I suppose wrong in the current climate. Nice to see a different clue for the old favourite 5d and we had 14a recently, quite a lot of familiar faces. Thanks to everyone and always like Mr K’s feline friends.

    1. So sorry about your knee, Gaisygirl. Your reply earlier to willineverlearn reminded me, quite wittily, of my three months of writing everyone at the DT, including the editor, when the expiration date on my credit card rendered me null and void. It was Mr Kitty who rescued me and gave me new life. What new puzzles, by the way–are they online? Signed, a “Batty Old Codger”

       1. Page 28 four pages paper version

    2. Sorry about your op but I suppose it was to be expected. Hope you don’t have to wait too long for it to be re-scheduled.

21. I took the quickie pun to be a poor pun of quarantine.

    1. Yes so would I. The link with wine is the grape albeit a dried one

22. I would describe today’s puzzle as being straightforward (1*] yet pleasant (2*). Nothing stand-out in terms of clues but thank you for the review and to the Setter of course. 🦠

23. Very straightforward indeed.
    Liked the combo Irate/Pirate.
    Thanks to the setter for the fun (while it lasted) and to MrK for the review.

24. Yes, a breezy though crisp outing today, my second * in a row. Thought the SE corner a real gem of a ‘quarter’, with 13d my COTE and all the rest of that corner congesting the podium. Thanks, Mr Kitty (my hero) and the setter. * / ***

    Our numbers leapt overnight to 127 new cases in South Carolina, and Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York State has, in effect, become our nation’s PRESIDENT. For many of us, the other so-called one disappeared ages ago–in fact, never really was, though the damage he has wrought will take ages to undo,.

    1. Oops. My COTE? Clue of the Event! Yuk yuk.

    2. If Der Gropenfuhrer is serious about putting the economy ahead of health and releasing millions back to work in two weeks, we will never undo the damage he has done and is about to do. I agree, isn’t Andrew Cuomo fantastic?

25. I think all that might be said about this puzzle has been said. Thanks to the setter (I have my suspicions) and thanks to Mr Kitty.

26. Enjoyed this. Very straightforward solve and some of the oldies are the best. Quick succession for nevertheless. There one or two which slowed me down slightly eg 7d as I thought of retorted but a tort is not a change! It suddenly came to me. Similar problem with largest/longest. I enjoyed the 26a/19d combo and 10a 3 and 13d. Thanks setter and Mr K.

27. Many thanks to those who pointed my way towards the toughie on line. I eventually arrived successfully

28. I quite enjoyed this, translated: I was able to solve it. I did need to visit the hints to get a stimulus to get started again.
    My faves were Mr. K’s cat pics, just what’s needed to brighten my day. Worth honourable mention, 25a.
    Thanks to our setter and to Mr. K for his usual review – and the cats, can’t forget the cats. Off to the pool.

29. A slow start with 1a for some reason that does not make any sense in retrospect but once we were underway it all flowed smoothly for us.
    A pleasant solve.
    Thanks Mr Ron and Mr K.

30. A steady solve Tuesday puzzle that I quite enjoyed with a few old chestnuts & a few that slowed me down to a 2*…
    2*/3.5*
    Thanks to setter & MrK for review

31. For months the crossword has been odd, e.g. can’t enter the weekend competition on any device.
    On my iPad I now cannot access the solution.
    However, on my Lenovo android tablet I can access solution but can only see one clue at a time.
    Am I the only one?
    Any suggestions?
    I am new to this site so apologies if this has already been exhaustively dealt with.

    Also, why does the entire digital newspaper changed its appearance?

    1. Welcome to the blog Allan

    2. Hi Allan,
       Sometimes I wish I could help all of you techies.
       I so much prefer to sit down in front of my main frame everyday for a couple of minutes to print off the crosswords.
       Sorry.

32. Thanks to the setter and to Mr Kitty for the review and hints. I found this quite straightforward, but not very interesting. No particular favourites. Was 2*/2* for me.

33. Hi, just recently switched over from paper to online and seem to remember that there was a check your answer function which isn’t there now. Have just finished- with one bit of help, thanks – and it tells me I’ve got something wrong. According to the blog answers it’s all correct. Any idea why?

    1. My point exactly.

       1. I see the clue checker has returned today ( Wednesday). How odd!

34. Simple enough, but for the life of me I could not see 13d.
    Double definitions are my bane.
    Thanks Mr.K, I enjoyed it more than you, and the setter.

35. I’m with Hoofit and Brian on 13d, I can’t see how it works properly. Any road up apart from that a nice enough puzzle. Favourite 22a partially because my father could never pronounce it no matter how many times I went through it with him, to many esses. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

36. We liked this, it was fun and we could do it, loved the irate pirate, 13d last in, needed the hint, thank you Mr K and setter. 🙂

37. Evening to most of you. Yesterday’s (where I am) offering was fairly straight forward but thinking about the pandemic may have slowed down the grey matter (speaking for myself). Some well placed anagrams helped unlock the grid, some recycled. We had 14a and 5d recently. Hope we get over the hump soon. Thanks to the setter, and as always, Mr K for the 🐱pictures.🦇

38. A nice puzzle for today. I too thought 7a was retorted initially and also liked the 26a/19d combo … very good.
    23d I had the right idea but the wrong form of the word so it end in the wrong letter that made 28a a challenge!
    Figured it out eventually and corrected myself.
    Favourite clues 14a, 18a & 8d
    I nice pleasant solve
    Thanks to setter & Mr K

39. I liked 14a today, but there were many smiles at dropping pennies! Many thanks to the setter, and to Mr K – your cats lighten my soul! 🙃🐈

40. Thanks for the cats! Enjoyable puzzle. 13d went in last and made me smile.

41. Only just got round to looking at the blog, so you probably won’t see this, Mr K. I can’t remember what I thought of the puzzle but I just wanted to say thanks for all the cats – what a lovely lot of them!

    1. Thanks, Sarah, much appreciated.

42. 2*/2*……
    liked 16D “somewhat dishonest, I’m a terrible judge (8)”

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