ST 3056

76 comments on “ST 3056”

1. 4*/4.5*. I loved this. A lot of it went in quite quickly but it took me a long time to finish it off, a fair bit of which was spent on the impossibility of trying to justify Norway as the answer to 21a!

   My podium comprises 21a, 1d, the sneaky 9d, & 17d.

   The music choice at the foot of the review brought back some happy memories, not least remembering the expression on the face of my piano teacher when I demonstrated to her that my prowess with Nut Rocker was far greater than it was with Für Elise.

   Many thanks to Dada and to Senf.

   1. I also ‘went’ to Norway for 21a. A very good clue for ‘spot the definition’!

   2. Me too!

   3. And me!

      1. And me. Never got beyond it. Could not parse it obviously but Norway was in my head and couldn’t get it out!

   4. And me! 🙃

2. I agree with you about Norway RD. That held me up with a bunch of clues in tbe middle. It was a quirky but interesting puzzle (****/****) and I greatly enjoyed it. I liked 5d and 6d but there were a lot of good clues. Thanks to Dada, it was a lot of fun and a good brain exercise as well as stirring the dust on the Thesaurus. Thanks to Senf for the hints as I wasn’t completely sure how to parse a few of my bung-ins. Stay safe and well everyone.

3. I enjoyed this one too. Some clever clues as in 9d. I too got a bit hung up on trying to fit Norway into 21a without finding any kind of justification. I didn’t spot the lurker in 17a. Would have saved myself some time if I had. It’s the usual suspect when a clue makes little sense. The answer was a bung in for me with the rest of the checkers in place. Thanks to one and all.

4. I would imagine quite a lot of the solving population took an unauthorised trip to Norway this morning – me included – memo to self: read the clue carefully

   Nicely pitched Sunday crossword – thank you to Dada for that – and Senf for the blog

5. As an amateur bread maker 9d came quite easily 21ac last in (same problem as RD) 3*/3*
   To my mind easier than Dada’s original offering but are we just getting used to his ways now?
   Thanks for a pleasant start to Sunday morning

6. Found this distinctly tricky, almost a 4*. Not helped by many of the answers being rather slangy such as 6d, 17a, 17d, 18a, 14a and 5d. Still have no idea who the Indian Queen is. All in all not too great.
   ***/**
   Thx for the hints

   1. The Indian queen is a title, not a name, and she is a regular visitor to crosswords. If she is not a queen in her own right she is married to a rajah.

   2. Have to agree Brian. And even worse than being called “ducks”, would be the 17a term. Makes me cringe.

      1. I think a Rani is a princess and a Raja is a prince, so a queen would be a Maharani and a king a Maharaja. Correct me if I’m wrong as I got this “knowledge” from reading the Flashman books. Lizzie even men are called me duck in the East Midlands.

         1. Goodness, I didn’t know that regarding the East Midlands, despite the fact that my Mum spent many years there. The terminology ‘duck’ is also used here on Anglesey but I think it refers exclusively to the female sex. Have to say that I’ve never heard anyone refer to ‘ducks’ other than to reference those of the feathered variety!

            1. As I said yesterday when this came up I believe duck is a phonetic pronunciation of the Norman word Duc. Hence me duck = my duke.

               1. So how could it apply to a woman – surely she’d be a duchess?

                  1. Fair point but I think it’s just become a term of endearment. We have others like surrie or sirrie depending where you’re from which are phonetic pronunciations of sire. Ay up surrie ahs it gooin is quite a common greeting round here.

         2. The BRB has prince or king for raja and feminine of raja for rani so princess or queen.

            1. I’ll bow to the BRB’s greater knowledge than that I gleaned from the George MacDonald Fraser novels.

7. ***/***** Thank you Dada for brightening the start to what otherwise is a dreich day up here.
   Didn’t like the look of the grid at first but except for being fooled by 21a, and forgetting the term in 5d ( LOI), it proved a steady and enjoyable solve.
   Given the widespread disruption it seems to have caused 21a COTD for me.
   Thanks to Senf for the review: holidays & non-holidays still mean the same to most here.

8. I had a lot of pencilled in answers today, lacking the conviction to firm them in I came to the blog and found I was (mostly) correct.
   Norway led me down an alley though and I was working with sports teams rather than musical groups for 13d.
   I went along to Paul/Dada’s Zoom thing the other night and it was interesting to see how he came up with ideas.
   He even set us some “homework” to come up with a suitable clue for TELESCOPE to be discussed at his next zoom.
   I have come up with the following;

   Far seeing freedom to follow the gogglebox (9)

   any suggestions?

   Thanks to Senf and Dada

   1. I thought his Friday Graun was tougher than the proXimal Toughie which was a brute – I surrendered 5 shy & was quite pleased to get that far. Great the way he adapts his setting style.
      Homework mark is an A-

   2. How about
      “Left in support before Home Counties policeman got viewer.”
      I know it is over the 8 but what is one word between friends?

   3. Supermarket bypassing the Spanish jerks to get contract (9)

   4. “Allow back managing takin in the Spaniard who knows will see far.”

      Too many words.

      I also subscribe to Paul but not yet joined any of his online discussions.

   5. How about
      “Curtail drink it’s said, surrounding key work” (9)

   6. I will pass on your suggestions, most of which are better than mine. Thanks, Huntsman but I fear you are overmarking. I would settle for a straight Bee.

   7. Far seeing freedom to follow the gogglebox (9)
      Two problems for me here: ‘far seeing’ does not mean telescope; it’s the device used, and the shortened version of television is telly, not tele

      Snooping device the French gendarme outwardly support (9) = TE{ }E + {LES+COP} (outwardly; on the outside, Ch.)
      As far as I can see, it’ll help (9) = cd (avoiding the definition problem, and a natural sounding phrase)

      Food for thought – there’s plenty of mileage in this word JB

   8. Beginning around Non U pairs

   9. Compact tent, briefly housing The French & Co. [9]

9. Strange that we didn’t bump into each other in Norway given that so many of us were there! My other hold-up was 9d – very clever when I finally got there.
   As usual, my top three came from the short and sweet – 8&18a plus 22d today.

   Thanks to Dada for the enjoyment and to Senf for the review – think I’ll take the Brahms players over B Bumble and the Stingers!

   1. Jane,
      Booked a tee time for tomorrow at Bull Bay (much underrated course in my view), Holyhead or wherever yet?
      Hope the clubs on the island all survive.

      1. Given that we’re still in complete lockdown in Wales, I would doubt that any of the Anglesey courses are open at the moment. In any case, if you’re not an Anglesey resident there’s a good chance the police will turn you back before you get across either of the bridges.

         Looks as though the ‘peak’ of the virus is only now hitting here so you might be advised not to chance it anyway!

         1. Jane,
            As I understand, the Assembly government / Wales Golf has said clubs can start again on Monday if the club wishes (but clubhouse has to stay closed). Some clubs have been very pro-active with preparations and are opening Monday others not perhaps.
            Whatever stay safe on the island.

            1. Looks as though you know more about it than I do, LrOK, maybe because I’m not a golfer?!!
               One thing I do know is that the lovely Harry’s Bistro at Henllys is offering take-aways and that certainly does interest me!
               By the way, the Bull Bay course is a great place for bird-watching.

               1. Jane
                  Didn’t see many birdies in the competition I ran there last September !though!
                  Sorry about the non-golfer: a comment you made a while ago lead me to a “Norway” conclusion

                  1. I was married to a golf pro for quite some time but never took to the game myself (a good walk spoiled etc!). Having said that, I did make myself available for any trips to the likes of Gleneagles…….

                     1. Jane,
                        The Carnegie club at Skibo Castle (once Andrew Carnegie’s residence) takes the biscuit over Gleneagles. If you can afford it! It is well worth a visit even if you are not a golfer.

   2. So busy it was not possible to practise Social distancing.

10. I too took a Norwegian detour & really struggled with the SE corner. Wonderfully concise clueing that really made you scratch your head. Fully agree with others that this was edging into 4* difficulty & I certainly made hard work of it after a reasonably brisk start. Once the penny had dropped they seemed such obvious answers but I guess that’s why they’re such clever clues – 5, 17 & 20 downs typical examples.
    Thanks to Dada & to Senf for helping me to parse a couple.

11. I was in Norway this morning as well. Didn’t come across any of you, though.

    I have to admit to struggling with this one from Dada today and resorting to the excellent hints for about four. This always lowers the satisfaction level. I never remember that the answer to 6d also means stolen. I had a different colour for 18d by one letter. I should have realised that it did not give an enclosure. So lesson learned – don’t immediately think your answer is correct, parse it first.

    Thought there was a going to be a Nina when I saw the four letters in the top left corner but no, nothing else emerged.

    No real favourites today.

    Many thanks to Dada and to Senf for the helpful hints.

12. Given Dada/Paul’s prolific output it’s amazing how he produces puzzles of such quality on a regular basis.

    I’ll give this one 5 Stars for entertainment.

    I particularly liked the very clever £500 one and, of course, the NOT the Norway one.

    ps. What a terrible grid.

13. Didn’t get lost in Scandinavia but did call on Senf’s help for 28a as I’d had no previous introduction to the Indian queen; though she should pay her debts, it seems.
    No rush back indoors for hot chocolate today. The weather gods are bestowing good fortune on Surrey this afternoon.
    Thanks to Dada and Senf.

14. Not sure about all this ‘quirky’ stuff – I’d call it just plain difficult (and very enjoyable) – it’s kept me occupied all morning.
    All the crossing bits in the middle slowed me up – couldn’t get one until I got something else so went round in circles for a while.
    17a was my last one – they always are.
    My favourite was 18a
    Thanks to Dada and to Senf.

    1. I am also puzzled as to why Senf thinks that quirky means difficult.

       1. Indeed – although a quirk can be described as a trick – quirky definitely doesn’t mean tricky in the sense of difficult

       2. I don’t think I have ever said that quirky means difficult. To some degree, my use of quirky and benevolent relates to my solving time, which indirectly suggests something to do with difficulty; however, as we do not discuss solving times I can say no more.
          Personally, I go with part of the BRB definition for quirk which is an artful evasion – a perfect description for some of Dada’s clues.

15. I enjoyed this but gave it *** for difficulty. A few in the NE held me up for a bit. But thaks to all. Now struggling with Simon Drew’s drawings of Spot the thing you can do under Lockdown! Got 6 out of 8 so far but good fun. They are in The Spectator.

    1. Hi Manders. I posted something to you on last Sunday’s blog. Did you see it?

16. Phew! I thought this was quite tough for a Sunday, especially the upper half, though I finished it all without any help and found myself thoroughly enjoying Dada’s challenging misdirections. Like most of you, I found myself in Oslo for a bit, but it was 2d, 11a, and that blasted simian in 5d that held me up the longest. I felt quite ragged when I managed to finish at **** time but also wanted to give a shout of JOY when I solved 6d (a term we Americans ought to adopt, since we’re being t*******d every day over here). Winners today: 9d, 8a, and 11a. Thank you, Senf, for the Brahms and the review, and Dada for the workout. **** / ****

17. My mother shared Queen Victoria’s birthday, 24th May, hence her middle name Victoria. The 24th was also Empire Day. Why is Canada a week early?

    As for the puzzle, v straightforward for Dada.

    1. As the modern tradition in Canada, like the UK, is to celebrate most holidays on a Monday, and straight from Wikipedia, “Victoria Day is the Monday between the 18th to the 24th inclusive, and thus is always the penultimate Monday of May.” So, this year it is as early as it can be and next year it will actually be on QV’s birthday of the 24th, and on the exact day of the week she was born on.

       1. Thanks for the info. Hope you enjoy the holiday.

       2. Thank you for the info.

18. Caught by surprise this Sunday. Expecting my post lunch saunter in the benevolent hills of Dada only to find it mountainous & tricky.
    4*/5*
    A very enjoyable wake up call today, totally absorbing,,,, only managed to complete it thanks to Senf pointing me in the right direction.
    Many thanks to Dada for another corker & Senf for review & guidance.

19. Thanks to Dada and to Senf for the review and hints. Just couldn’t get into this. Needed 6 hints to finish and got 21a wrong too. Was 4*/3* for me.

20. Oh dear Dada and I rarely get along and today was no exception. It meant a long lunch-break from gardening but with relief I finally made the grade and now it’s back to the grindstone – at least the sun is still shining. Words like 5d always remind me of the late John McCririck! 17d is a bit of an anachronism! No Fav. Thank you Dada and Senf.

21. Quite pleased to have finished this as we had a socially distanced gin or two with our neighbours over the fence. I have to admit I finished it in Norway and even with your excellent parsing I cannot reconcile it. I get the N for north and the R for river – oh yes. Penny just dropped. Northern French = Norman. Ok a masterpiece of misdirection. REALLY hot here in Cambridge – lovely.

22. Finished alone and unaided….I think this may be my first time with a Sunday Dada. I can very rarely complete them even with electronic help and almost always need Senf’s most excellent hints.
    I too toyed with Norway but eventually worked out the parsing, and figured out all the other parsing too, so a hurrah day for me!

    Thanks to Dad and to Senf.

23. Definitely trickier than recent Sunday offerings, but very rewarding to complete. 21 and 28a, together with 23d were my final entries and my favourites once parsed.

    Thanks Dada for the enjoyable challenge and to Senf.

24. Couldn’t get going on this one, more a **** for me than **. I do like anagrams, but not partial anagrams. But can’t complain as we have had a good run of enjoyable puzzles lately, I just could not get on wavelength with this one. Thanks to setter and Senf. Got to go and get some plants in the ground now. Between my bad right leg and right hand, Mr BL’s bad left knee and shoulder we should be able to manage 😊

25. BL
    Secret of a lasting marriage one one lacks the other one has. 50 odd years ago Mrs LrOK had the brains I had the brawn. She still has the brains!

    1. Same in this family 😉

26. We needed two heads for this one, but enjoyed working out the parsing of many clues after bunging in what seemed like the only possible answer. We made no detour to Norway ( it’s over 100 km away and therefore banned under French rules). If we may express a slight reservation, 22d seemed a bit too obvious. Otherwise very enjoyable, thanks to setter and Senf.

27. Convinced 11a was smashing – must have had tennis on my mind. Threw me all wrong in NE.

28. Definitely a tougher Sunday puzzle than the last few offerings have been. 3*/3* for me. Had to use a few hints today for the bottom half of the puzzle as I just wasn’t seeing things. Some of the answers I had were correct, but just couldn’t figure out the parsing of them.
    Favourites today were 18a, 21a (and yes, I too was trying to justify Norway when he penny finally dropped!), 2d & 17d
    13d a new one for me as was the Indian queen.
    Wallowing in the pouring rain today …

    Thanks to Dada and Senf

29. *****/****. I found this difficult and needed some help to finish – thanks Senf. I too was in Norway and made a schoolboy error with the spelling of 20d which made 24a impossible. 6d is a synonym I must try to remember as it has appeared before and always catches me out. Thanks also to Dada for a really challenging puzzle with lots to like.

30. Probably had the advantage of knowing that there is No Way any French river would contain such a set of letters.
    Took a while to parse it though. Same with the fish and the hot in that corner.
    Great misdirections as usual.
    Favourite 18a.
    Thanks to Dada and to Senf.

31. I might be out on a limb here but I felt there were a few dodgy clues here. 28a,6d and 9d to name but three. I think a Rani is a princess not a queen. I’d never heard of 4d but, hey ho! I have now, I had to Google it. I didn’t fall into the Norway trap, in fact it never crossed my mind. Favourite probably 21a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.

32. What a wonderful day! Quite a lot of us had a fruitless trip to Norway, we learned of golf on Ynys Mon, Victoria Day in Canada and the secret of a lasting marriage. We were challenged by Dada, indirectly through John Bee, to test our skills at devising cryptic clues, all backed by great discussion of Dada’s puzzle.

    Perfect end to a lockdown Sunday.

33. Favourites 11 18 and 28a, and 2 4 13 and 18d. Rani as well as a female given name can be the wife of either a Raja(h) or Rana. The spellings are fluid as can equally be spelt Ranee. I would say ***/****. Definitely harder than recent Sunday Dada’s but good for a Sunday afternoon. Had to put off commenting as had a rare excursion out. Managed without help although I was definitely in Norway hook line and sinker. Some sticking points but satisfaction when I solved them. Was left with the North East corner – 9d being the last to fall. Was looking for a boxing match rather than bread making. Thank you Dada and Senf for the explanation of 21a which I would not have got.

34. Late on parade but I’ll try and post before the UK’s witching hour. Lovely autumn day here in Brisbane, 27 degrees later in the day. Not bad! To Dada’s offering…Some real head scratchers but an excellent and enjoyable challenge. I went straight in with Norway for 21 a too. Once the N, R and A were I though what else could it be? Never heard of 6d. Trousered does not figure in a search for slang terms for steal/stolen. Nor have I heard it mentioned in numerous UK crime dramas and comedy shows such Minder and Fools and Horses. Live and learn. My COTD, 28a. Thanks Senf and Dada🦇

    1. I think not used (trousered) very often Flying Fox but I believe it to be used in a similar way to “pocketed”.

35. 21A FYI Oman is a country, a sultanate, and is not an emirate. There are seven of those and Abu Dhabi is the capital. Hope that helps.

    1. Welcome to the blog Sally
       You are nearly right. The seven to which you refer make up the United Arab Emirates, but Kuwait and Qatar are also Emirates.

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