DT 29334 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29334

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29334

Hints and tips by Deep Threat

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment **

Good morning from South Staffs this sunny Good Friday. Lent may be nearly over, but the purgatory of lockdown continues across the world. It’s bizarre following the church services on YouTube, but a sad necessity.

Today’s crossword took me into *** time, and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t particularly enjoy it.  The wordplay in several clues seemed rather woolly, and in some cases the tense or mood of the verb in the wordplay didn’t match that of the required answer. Or maybe I’m just being grumpy: your comments will no doubt show which it is.

In the hints below, the definitions are underlined. The answers are hidden under the ANSWER buttons, so don’t click if you don’t want to see them.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Stomach perhaps that makes a noise in church? (5)
ORGAN – A generic word for bits of the body such as the stomach, which is also a musical instrument often found in church.

4a           Sadly addicted after swallowing ecstasy, getting committed (9)
DEDICATED – Anagram (sadly) of ADDICTED with Ecstasy inserted.

9a           One acting badly about food sent back Big Mac? (9)
HAMBURGER – Put together the Latin word for ‘about’ or ‘concerning’ and an informal word for food. Reverse (sent back) the result and add a word for a poor actor to the front.

Foreman Grill American Hamburger - Foreman Grill Recipes

10a         Implied thing cooked for 9 should have new stuffing (5)
MEANT – One of the ingredients of the answer to 9a with New inserted.

11a         Book substitute (7)
RESERVE – Double definition. The first is a verb, the second a noun.

12a         What candidate and attacker both want (7)
CROSSES – Cryptic definition of what candidates in an election want on the ballot paper, and, in a different context, what a centre-forward wants from a winger.

13a         One might hang on until it gets warmer (6)
ICICLE – Cryptic definition of something which may hang by the wall in winter.

15a         Kids’ tasks wrecked mower — husband OK about that? (8)
HOMEWORK – Anagram (wrecked) of MOWER with Husband and OK (from the clue) wrapped around the result.

18a         Going on and on about kiss being superficial (8)
EXTERNAL – Put the letter used to represent a kiss inside a word meaning ‘going on and on’.

20a         ‘Revolver’ LP I stole, minus sleeves (6)
PISTOL – Remove the outer letters (sleeves) from (L)P I STOL(e) to reveal the answer.

As a tribute to the surface reading:

23a         After a half-day, could say ‘Djiboutian’ (7)
AFRICAN – Someone from Djibouti would be an example of the answer, which is constructed by putting together A (from the clue) and half of one of the days of the week (such as today), then adding what is supposed to be a synonym of ‘could’.

24a         Kind of pencil, round and silver, that’s used by a woman (7)
HANDBAG – The two-letter marking often found on a traditional pencil for general use is wrapped around AND (from the clue), then the chemical symbol for silver is added.

26a         A chap in rep (5)
AGENT – split the answer (1,4) and you have ‘a chap’. As ne one word you have a commercial rep.

27a         Country area repeatedly restricting deviant rituals (9)
AUSTRALIA – Anagram (deviant) of RITUALS, with an abbreviation for Area placed at both front and rear.

28a         Holding flower back, shy son presents plants (9)
SEEDLINGS – A word meaning ‘shy’, as in ‘coconut shy’ and an abbreviation for Son, wrapped around the reverse (back) of a Welsh or Scottish river.

How And When To Transplant Tomato Seedlings From Seed Tray

29a         Does fast pass on street heading west (5)
DIETS – Another word for ‘pass on’ followed by the reverse (heading west) of an abbreviation for ‘street’.

Down

1d           Stand up to that woman, sensible or not (9)
OTHERWISE – Reverse (stand up) TO (from the clue), then add ‘that woman’ and another word for ‘sensible’ or ‘prudent’.

2d           Olympics, for instance, has a role in sending a message (5)
GAMES – Hidden in the clue.

3d           Grey car’s parked in it (7)
NEUTRAL – A car parked on level ground with a good handbrake may well be in this gear, though if it’s an automatic it’s probably in ‘Park’. And does it mean ‘grey’? Well, the BRB says so, so I suppose it’s accurate, but I really don’t like this clue.

4d           Student’s goal of French grant initially withheld (6)
DEGREE – The French for ‘of’, followed by ‘grant’ or ‘consent’ with its first letter removed.

5d           Business leader I’d confused with minister (8)
DIRECTOR – Anagram (confused) of I’D (!) followed by a minister of religion.

6d           Originated sandwiches container for tea — sweet! (7)
COMPOTE – ‘Originated (in)’, as in ‘I —- from Essex’, wrapped round what you may make tea in, giving us a dessert of stewed fruit.

Citrus-Cranberry Compote Recipe | Bon Appetit

7d           Maybe coach with time organised football? (9)
TRANSPORT – Put together Time, another word for ‘organised’, and a generic word for things like football or cricket.

8d           Gets uncool boyfriends? (5)
DATES – Double definition, the first being a word for ‘becomes passé’.

14d         Petition fencing knight errant recited, all over Spain (9)
INTERCEDE – Anagram (errant) of RECITED wrapped round the chess notation for a knight, followed by the IVR code for Spain.

16d         Weight running amok, girl having seconds (9)
KILOGRAMS – Anagram (running) of AMOK GIRL, followed by Seconds.

17d         Insist staff sunbathe — one’s covered up twice (8)
MAINTAIN – Two three-letter words, one meaning ‘provide staff’, the second one ‘sunbathe’, each wrapped round the roman numeral for one.

19d         Concert in Reading? (7)
RECITAL – Double definition: ignore the false capitalisation of the second one.

21d         Looked away from second of picadors wounded by bull — ring’s third piercing (7)
IGNORED – Put together the second letter of pIcadors, and a term for ‘gored bya bull’ wrapped round the third letter of ring.

22d         Like to get into endless board game pursuits (6)
CHASES – Another word of comparison like ‘like’, with a well-known board game minus its last letter wrapped around it.

23d         Collect animal tails in the morning (5)
AMASS – The usual Latin abbreviation for ‘in the morning’ followed by a beast of burden.

25d         Replacing this compiler with uniform rubbish would be swell (5)
BULGE – Start with another word for ‘rubbish’, then replace the letter which could be ‘this compiler’ with the one represented by Uniform in the NATO alphabet, and you get a word meaning ‘swell’.


The Quick Crossword pun ARK + CANS + SORE = ARKANSAS

93 comments on “DT 29334

  1. I managed to finish this in just ** time for the first time this week. I agree about the tenses, DT, which is strange. I couldn’t parse 25d, so thanks for the help.

    COTD was 24a, although these days, not necessarily true.

    Many thanks to the compiler and DT.

  2. Blimey never first up. I struggle with the 4 in 1 grids and having made a good start I stalled in the NE and SW. But liked 24a when it clicked and 28a which unlocked their quadrants. Thought tense in 6d was a bit iffy. But that was the key to the NE. Very pleased to complete unaided. Thanks to setter and hinter. Hope all keeping safe.

  3. I did not enjoy this at all. Very fiddly and humourless. I agree with DT. Thanks to him.

  4. Im with Deep Threat on this one (***/**). It was quite challenging and not particularly enjoyable. The tenses seemed not to match and some of the clues were extremely convoluted. I liked 1d but 14d was so muddled it was hard to make head nor tail of it. Thanks to DT for the hints; there were several bung-ins for clues where I could see part of the rationale but not all. Thanks to the setter. Have a great homely Easter and stay well everyone.

  5. That was a veritable fun-run which was a joy to complete over breakfast in glorious sunshine. NE came in last mainly due to a bit of a problem with a couple of parsings and I also failed to parse 3d, 12a and 28a. Favs 4a, 9a and 29a. Thank you Mysteron and DT. Hope everyone can pronounce solution to clever Quickie.

    1. The Quickie pun is the only state of America mentioned in the Old Testament. ‘Noah looked out from the Arkansas the waters receding’

  6. I also thought some of this was a bit strange, particularly 6d.

    I couldn’t figure out the attacker bit of 12a although the answer was obvious; football didn’t occur to me at all.

    If I had to choose a favourite it would probably be 23a.

    Many thanks to DT and the setter

    1. I’m with you Margaret In that the sport association of 12a didn’t enter my considerations.

  7. Crikey, Deep Threat must be feeling grumpy – this is the first time I can ever remember his awarding other than 3* for enjoyment.

    I agree that could/can in 23a is slightly iffy and that using a 2-letter anagram in 5d is odd but otherwise I can’t see any problems.

    I enjoyed the puzzle which I thought was quite tricky (at one time I wondered if 18a was the compiler but that’s unlikely since he’s on Toughie duty today).

    My last answer was 7d where I spent far too long trying to parse ‘teamsport’. The pick of the clues for me were 24a, 1d, 8d and 17d.

    Thanks to the setter and DT.

  8. It took me ages to get on the setter’s wavelength but as I did I appreciated the cleverness of the wordplay with the exception of 6d which to me doesn’t work as it’s surely “came” not “come”. Also the third syllable of 23a is highly suspect, even allowing for the “say”. If it hadn’t been for those two I’d have suspected this to be the work of Silvanus.
    I did like the cryptic 12 and 13a plus 25d (good job we didn’t have an illustration for that!(
    4/3*
    Many thanks to the setter and to DT for a top review and an appropriate selection from Revolver!

  9. I’m with Gazza in that I enjoyed the solve – and I too wondered whether 18a was the setter. It did take me into a time that was just about what I’d think of as 4* difficulty,. The clues I liked were the same as Gazza’s

    Thanks to the setter and to DT.

  10. Finally got there unaided in just shy of **** time but it was a fairly arduous journey with 6d & 10a the big hold ups. Find myself in agreement with DT’s analysis & the comments already posted and will need the review to parse a couple.
    Thanks to all & a happy Easter to all.

  11. My, what a puzzle of two halves! Top half completed easily over breakfast, then really struggled with the rest. Favourites were 23a, 24a, 17d, 19d, 21d and 23d, which were quite clever, especially some misdirections. Least favourites 8d and 14d. I question 29a as I understood “fast” to mean not eating anything at all.
    Our church is holding online services using Zoom. Congregation can all participate from their own homes, see and be seen. Followed by communal chat. Works well except when the minister forgets to switch on his microphone at the beginning of his sermon.

  12. 2*/3*. I enjoyed this but have no idea who the setter is. Apart from yesterday’s lacklustre back-pager, this has been an excellent week for back-pagers and Toughies alike and I’m looking forward to completing proXimal’s Toughie at lunchtime.

    My podium comprises 24a, 1d & 8d.

    Many thanks to Mr R and to DT.

  13. A puzzle of two halves for me, almost like there were two compilers!

    Top half went in at a pace but I ground to a halt on the bottom half and found a lot of the clueing a bit woolly.

    Got there in the end but there were several bung ins that I need the hints for to understand the parsing eg 28a and 17d

    Thought 1a was good for the misdirection and12a for the double clue.

    Overall quite enjoyable, thank you setter and DT

  14. Agree with consensus so far. Not my favourite. Last one solved was 28a. Having solved the relevant down clues, I was convinced “Nile” backwards was in there. Just me having a fixed idea which I couldn’t see past.

    1. We too were left with 28a, so not just you! A bit of a struggle this one, very convoluted and not always convincing clueing. Many thanks to DT without whom we would never have finished.

        1. I was convinced of prim/rose/S until completing the down clues, although I knew that I hadn’t reversed the ‘flower’, which at that stage was, to me, a flower……

          Then thought Nile was a contender, then finally got it.

          But honestly, having two misdirected synonyms (flower and shy) in one clue is a bit too much for a backpager, I would’ve thought.

  15. I used to look forward to Fridays. Not any more. I find myself feeling a certain amount of nostalgia for the precise clues of Giovanni. Many of these clues were annoyingly clunky. I agree about the tenses. That is a particular bete noire of mine.

    1. I agree re the much missed Giovanni who made Friday brainteasers such a joy to work on.

      1. I agree with both of you.
        Not keen on sloppiness in parts of speech and too many stretched synonyms in a single puzzle.
        I’d probably rather have a couple of DG obscurities than this sort of “ knitting”. Felt as though I’d got stuck in spaghetti junction.

        1. I feel the same sense of nostalgia for Giovanni’s clues. They are the epitome of elegance.

  16. Apologies to the setter but I didn’t enjoy this one very much at all for the reasons already mentioned by DT.
    I can, on the other hand, thoroughly recommend today’s Toughie – which no doubt means that CS will label it as a ‘fluffy’!

    Thanks to DT for the review and the splendid organ recital.

    1. CS’s notion of fluffy is plenty difficult for the likes of me……
      Just starting it now on your recommendation.

  17. I enjoyed it.
    I struggled with could/can in 23a, but all in all a good challenge.
    Beautiful spring day here in Kent, I was lucky to find 4 nightingales singing in my local patch, RSPB Northwood Hills last night, next on my list is the elusive Grasshopper Warbler…
    Thanks DT and setter.

  18. Took a fair while. Some peculiar clues. Not my wavelength at all. 6d and 10a were pretty much wild guesses as the last in. Favourite 21d.

  19. I’m with the majority here in that I did not like it at all. Agree with the tense mix in 23a and a footballer did not not enter my thoughts in 7d.

    Good Quickie pun today.

    Thanks to the setter and also to DT for the excellent and much needed hints.

    Stay safe and well, everyone.

  20. Spent a bit more time solving this than the toughie.
    Quite hard to get a foothold in the SW with 28a being the last to yield.
    Enjoyed the ride though.
    Thanks to the setter and to DT for the review.
    Should have bought shares in Zoom. According to the Telegraph, a Chinese guy just made 3 billions from it. Ironic isn’t it.

  21. What an absolute stinker! Way way above my pay grade. Managed 8 then gave it up.
    Even the ones that the blog explains make little sense.
    Going to watch the grass grow, more fun than this puzzle.
    *****/*
    Thx for the hints

    1. I couldn’t agree more – I would give the same marks, if I could be bothered. A drudge, a bind, a pain, a grind. Sorry everyone but I was complaining all the way through to my better half and, looking back a few hours, I haven’t mellowed a bit!

  22. Put simply this was way beyond me.Would like to think that was about wavelength but in reality think it’s about my lack of skill.Sincere thanks to D.T.who gave much enlightenment.Hope for a better brain tomorrow .

  23. Least favourite of the week. I would have struggled for hours without some help from DT!

  24. I always look at the Toughie in the hope of getting into the groove, so to speak. I never get very far with it apart from the odd occasion. However, today I got far more clues on the first pass than I did on today’s back pager.

    Says something?

  25. A most unenjoyable puzzle for all the reasons given above. Thanks to DT for his help.

  26. NW went in easily. Then SE after getting stuck on NE. Followed by SW and gradually managed SE. The problem for me was untangling the various permutations from the numerous possibilities on each clue. Satisfaction came from finishing. So ***/*** Thanks both.

  27. A stinker in parts some gimmies, but I still needed the hints just couldn’t see the woods from the trees. Lovely day here in NC not to many trippers.
    Thanks to DT and setter

  28. Like Jean-Luc, spent much more time on this one than I did on the Toughie. Got held up in the NE corner for a couple of reasons: I automatically assumed that ‘teamsport’ (one word over here, sometimes) solved 7d and couldn’t get anything else into my mind; and also because we don’t generically refer to votes in the ballot box as X’s. I did have a couple favourites: 1d, 17d. Not a particularly outstanding day for me or the setter, but thanks to Deep Threat for the hints and to the setter. **** / **

  29. Oh dear – what a lot of negative comments – I feel sorry for the setter.
    I enjoyed it – found it quite difficult which was one of the reasons I thought the setter might be 18a – I always find him tricky.
    I missed the ‘anagrammy’ bit of 14d and agree that the last part of 23a was dodgy.
    Didn’t understand the ‘attacker’ part of 12a but guessed it was ‘sporty’ and decided not to clutter my brain with worrying about it.
    I liked 13a (not very topical) and 28a and 1 and 17d.
    Thanks to the setter and to DT.

  30. Firstly going for a **/***, from the bloggers comments this seems to be a ‘marmite’ of a solve
    I had no problems with it.
    With regard to 12a, my second ‘attacker’ was military as the top medals for bravery are always crosses of one sort of another!
    There seemed to be lots of single letter abbreviations substituted for for whole words today which are my pet hates.
    Anyway top draw toughie.

  31. From Vancouver I can say I enjoyed this but 23A confused me, but it was a nice way to start the Easter holidays off, thank you to the setter and Deep Threat.

  32. Managed to solve this in a reasonable time for me, but had lots of bung ins for which I needed the hints.

    I just wasn’t on the wavelength of this setter I’m afraid.

    Thanks to Deep Threat and to the setter.

  33. A strange puzzle definitely, but not as tough as many Friday offerings. NW and SE went in first, then rest more slowly. Didn’t find it particularly hard, more poorly clued. Found 6d and 12a definitely questionable. Did like 1d and 3d though. In the end it was a case of solving through checkers and ignoring the clues. Thanks to setter anyway, and to DT for the hints.
    Can’t believe what I am reading about “non essential aisles closed” in supermarkets in the UK. Who gets to decide what is non essential? If you’re in the store to buy milk and bread what is it that you cannot buy at the same time? Thankfully we haven’t had such draconian measures over here.
    Happy Easter 🐇🐣 everyone. Stay home and safe.

    1. That was fake news. We can buy what we like in supermarkets, providing there is stuff to buy. Last Saturday huge swathes of Sainsbury’s still had the same empty shelves that haven’t been filled since the panic buying

      1. These are strange times, aren’t they? I can’t go out to shop, but online shows something unavailable, then if you try again the following day, very often you’ll find it there. This suggests a distribution problem to me.

    2. Lovely letter yesterday about an order for fence paint and sprayer. The answer came back that he couldn’t get paint as it was non-essential, but when would he like the sprayer? Couldn’t make it up. Or could we?

  34. I thought it was brilliant with very cleverly constructed clues. I really look forward to the Friday ones. The gripes that others have with the cluing is for me what sets them apart from the early-in-the-week ones. There’s hint of the Toughie to them. Please don’t change that.

  35. My printer ran out of paper this morning so I could only take one puzzle to work today and it looks like I picked the wrong one. My difficulties were confined to the SW as others have already mentioned I couldn’t decide between vene or cede for the end of 14d as I hadn’t made the connection to recited e. I did quite like the other clues with quite a few penny drops (6d 21d 13a) but on the whole, I wish I had printed the toughie today. I will go and have a go at that now, now I have the dead tree to hand.

    Thanks To setter and DT.

  36. A good Friday work out (couldn’t resist).

    Does this work for could and can?

    Could you pass me the wine please?

    Can you pass me the wine please?

  37. Absolutely awful! Wouldn’t have minded if it was clever – it was just very tedious.

  38. Having had a superb walk through the Shropshire countryside followed by a long spell in the garden, I am in too good a mood to criticise this puzzle too much. It may have lacked a bit of sparkle but otherwise I enjoyed the challenge. Thanks to our setter and DT.

  39. At a first glance, I thought this was going to be a stinker but I did manage to finish it. Not the most enjoyable crossword ever but it was nice to sit outside in some warm Lancashire sun and give the grey matter a workout. Off for our daily walk, hopefully it will be quieter this evening. Thanks to the setter and DT.

  40. I was so way off wavelength, I finished only about half. I started in the NW and was swanning along nicely, thinking what a friendly puzzle, then came to a shuddering halt. I can’t spend more time on this, the pool calls, I’ve used Deep Threat’s hints to solve the rest. I must thank DT for the Toccata at 1a, I solved that upon reading it!

  41. I eventually finished this OK but it was a slog- STILL only one clue at a time, so frustrating! Best thing was the amazing Toccata and Fugue – wonderful. Does anyone know where that fantastic organ is? Received a very interesting email about the virus. Apparently there are no cases at all in Beijing or Shanghai – is this a plot of China taking over the world by releasing this deadly virus on purpose? Food for thought.

    1. Saw those posts in many places too. But how did China manage a mass vaccination program for 300 million people and no one outside noticed. Anyhow this is not the place for those discussions so I’ll be quiet.

      1. Read that one too. Thankfully we bought some extra paint in readiness before they closed all the shops. But never thought we would be home this long,

  42. Thanks to the setter and Deep Threat for the review and hints. I quite enjoyed this, but found it very tricky. Guessed 12a, needed the hints for 17d&28a. I laughed when I got 25d, but my favourite was 23a. Was 5*/3* for me.

  43. I finished this very early this morning, but needed lots of electronic help with it. It took away some of the fun of solving it all myself. I crept downstairs early this morning to see if my bluetit had produced her first egg, as it was the first night that she’d stayed in the nest. She hadn’t. She spent today putting more feathers in. Many thanks to the setter and to DT.

  44. Hello, compiler here. Thanks very much for taking the time to discuss the puzzle. 
    Zandio is the identity which I have used on Toughies — just a handful, and none for a while. This was my 50th back-pager, so it seems a good occasion to say hello, even if the puzzle wasn’t to many people’s tastes. (Is this how Howlin’ Wolf felt when he emerged from behind the curtain on Juke Box Jury after the panel had voted Smokestack Lightnin’ a miss?)
    I hope you don’t mind if I clear up the question about “originated” meaning “come” in 6d. When I saw that the issue had been raised, I hoped another solver would explain it — because if the compiler has to explain it, then it obviously wasn’t a good idea! They are both past participles. Chris Lancaster, the Telegraph Crossword Editor, raised the same query when editing, but after I pointed out that the phrases “has come”, “had come” and “have come” appear in 450 million websites, he OK’d it. Evidently we should have changed it.
    I’m sorry that many found the puzzle too hard. Chris Lancaster likes to encourage his contributors by kindly saying “I particularly liked…” and then listing two or three clues, but on this one he listed five (12a, 15a, 20a, 24a, 1d, in case you’re interested).
    None of my family do cryptic crosswords, but now and then I give them a clue or two that I think they might enjoy solving without the grid. As we are all isolated for Easter, I sent them some clues from this puzzle, and came up with nine that I thought they might solve — far more than I would normally send them, which made me hope that the puzzle wasn’t too hard. (The clues were 1a, 12a, 13a, 20a, 26a, 3d, 5d, 17d and 23d. The family haven’t reported back yet, so that’s ominous!)
    Thanks again. Hope you are able to enjoy Easter and ‘stay safe’.

    1. Thanks from me for dropping in too. I enjoyed the puzzle, found it tricky (no bad thing…though I did have a migraine!) but certainly doable with a bit of lateral thinking, helped by the clever wordplay. Though somehow it escaped my mention in my original comment I thought 1d was a great clue too!

    2. Well, I quite enjoyed it as a change from the usual. It did take me a little while to get into your style but I did not find over-difficult once I had a bit of a start. I would say it was about average difficulty once I had a foundation to spread out from. Anyway, I did enjoy the solve!

    3. Hi Zandio, many thanks for dropping in and congratulations on your half century of back-pagers. Today’s puzzle had a different feel and I enjoyed it. I’d be very interested to know on which dates your previous three or four back-pagers were published so I can see what I thought of them at the time.

      My first reaction to 6d was one of puzzlement but I decided it was fine using the same logic put forward by you and Deep Threat.

      I’m looking forward to number 51!

      1. Hello Rabbit Dave, thanks for asking. My four previous efforts were on Fridays: Mar 27, Mar 13, Feb 28 and Feb 14. Congratulations much appreciated, though fifty is a minute figure compared to the number of times Giovanni must have appeared in this Friday slot!

    4. Thank you, Zandio for dropping in and explaining things. I did find some of your clues obscure but at the same time many were brilliant. I particularly liked 17d, which I thought very clever.

      If none of your family do crosswords, I am not surprised they have not responded! 🤣

      It’s a wavelength thing really. We will be more prepared for your next offering now we have some idea of how your mind works.

      Happy Easter to you and many thanks for the challenge even though I could not rise to it.

    5. Thanks from me too for calling in and claiming the crossword as one of yours.
      I think that was a very brave thing to do given so many negative comments.
      Just for the record I enjoyed it and found it pretty tricky.
      I also think that it’s such a difficult time for everyone at the moment that people are grumpy which will influence how they deal with day to day life and, for lots of us, that includes the crossword.
      A :smile: from me.

    6. Sorry I found it too difficult, no hard feelings. I’m ancient with a tiny brain, very difficult to recall words. Thank you in any case, I wish I were as acute as I was!

    7. Many thanks Zandio – I really enjoyed the challenge and your crossword gave my brain just the stretch it needed! My favourites are 9a and 13a. I appreciate these crosswords – and this blog – all the more during lockdown – such a welcome retreat from the reality of it all. My thanks too to DT.

  45. A Friday challenge that took me into 3* time for definite… a bit woolly around some of the edges but a good time occupier for a gorgeous sunny Hampshire evening.
    3*:3*
    Thanks to setter ( which I believe is Zandio) & DT for review & necessary guidance.
    Have a restful & peaceful Easter everyone, stay well.

  46. What a grumpy lot of commenters we have today.
    We are definitely in the team with those who enjoyed it.
    Last one in was 28a as we also thought NILE was going to be part of the wordplay. Should have known better as the one used is such a favourite both with crossword setters and people naming rivers.
    Thanks Zandio and DT.

  47. Not many compilers would call in after so many negative comments, I take my hat off to you. Having said that it was a bit of a crossword of two halves, but hey ho we’re still here to tell the tale. Favourite 12a. Many thanks to Zandio and DT.

  48. I thought this was really hard but definitely not unenjoyable! I put in drips for 8d 🤦🏻‍♀️ and once I’d sorted out 12a I thought it was very clever. Thank you Zandio for making an appearance. Thank you to DT too and Happy Easter one and all.

  49. I was up before the dawn in BNE to give my daughter a lift to her part-time job, which she’s lucky to have in the current Covid climate. Not one of Gio’s better ones. A fresh mind this morning helped to finish it off. I found I was working back from the definition to get the parsing to work rather than the other way round. I agree with many comments above, some clues were at the ‘Toughie’ end of the scale. The grammar in 12a is not correct for mine. The past tense for ‘want’ would have helped. Thanks Gio and DT. Flying foxes are nocturnal so it’s back to bed for me. Happy Easter 🐣 🦇

  50. HAHAHAHA !!!! I don’t know how I got here , but here I am !!! Due to self isolation I’m trying to learn about cryptic crosswords and I’m amazed at the breadth and general scope of language involved in finding the answers??? Zat correct ??? Answers ??? Anyhoo I wanted help so clicked on google and up came ‘big Dave ‘ so here I am . Delighted to be here and I trust I’ll learn a lot . I really like the format where the clues are laid out for you and you can choose to mull over equation or go straight to the answer .

    1. Welcome Iain,
      That’s how most of us discovered this wonderful site.
      Now you can open a Gravatar account and personalise your little vignette and tell us a bit more about you. We are a nosy lot.

  51. Well the comments above are in two camps, the grumpies and the lovedits. We are clearly in the latter, although 6d was last in, and we too had to have a hard look at “come”, but with the pot in place what else could it be? Congratulation on the fifty Zandio, and thanks to all, even the grumpies!

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