DT 29391

102 comments on “DT 29391”

1. I found this to be one of the more straightforward puzzles that we have had for a long time, and it was all over in ** time.

   1a was a R&W, and when added to the two long anagrams at 15a & 18a, the grid was all set up for completion.

   I have to admit that I couldn’t fully parse 26a, so thanks for that.

   COTD just has to be 19d, beautifully crafted.

   Astonishing thunder, rain and hail here last night, but very localised. A friend just 2 miles away said she heard it but saw nothing – our road was flooded for a while until the drains could regain the upper hand.

   Many thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

2. Pleasantly straightforward this morning and good fun to complete. 7d was my favourite ahead of the clever 10d. An honourable mention, too, for 19d.

   Thanks as always to our setter and to Mr K for his usual comprehensive review.

3. 1.5*/3*. As Mr K says, “Nothing too taxing and a few smiles along the way”.

   My podium comprises 3d, 19d & 24d.

   Many thanks to Messrs R & K.

4. I found this very straightforward but pleasant enough. The clues that stood out for me were 22a plus 10d (clever and such a lovely word) with top spot going to 17d
   2/2.5*
   Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for his usual excellent review.

5. As above comments, a pleasant, straightforward solve aided by those two long anagrams. I dislike anagrams, always feels a bit of a cop out by the setter. I shall single out 9a,22a,3d and 10d as worthy of mention.

   1. An anagram a cop out?

      Put the letters in a circle and spotting it in under 5 secs is a hoot.

      Each to their own, I suppose.

   2. Oh no, anagrams are an integral part of any good crossword for me.

      1. Me too. I love the anagrams.

         1. Which is better:
            Hot record label on form (8)
            Shape of pathogen morphed (8)
            ?

            1. You have given an example of a non-anagrammatic clue that has a better surface read than an anagrammatic clue.

               Obviously, the reverse can apply.

               Are you saying that the compiler should give it their darnedest before compiling a clue that has an anagram?

               Every compiler aims to have 30 surface reads to die for but, day in day out, it ain’t easy.

               Obviously we have a right to critique a crossword and its creator but I do wish people would ease up on compilers, I really do.

               It’s so easy to sit in the stands than be on the field, especially now that blogs are around meaning that the players can hear every single chant.

               I wonder how many compilers are under 40, ie they were aware that blogs exist where your works gets forensically pulled apart?

   3. All right. I give in. I love anagrams.

6. Very pleasant solve 1.5*/*** with some clever clues especially 10d and 19d. Thanks to both.

7. I must be having an off day because I thought this was tougher than yesterday’s puzzle. 1d was the last in and it took me a while to work out the “why” of the answer. Also needed the hints to explain 26a. Favourite 10d. I can’t recall coming across this construction of a clue in quite some time. Very clever. Puzzled me for long enough anyway. Thanks to all.

   1. I found it tougher today too Greta.

8. All seem to agree with Mr Kays comments, a gentle solve with no obscurities and a **/*** for me too.
   Yet another example of my pet hate, the dreaded abbreviation-this time D in 8d- I accept E, if we carry on like this the whole definition will be formed this way!
   Favourite was10d for the surface.
   Thanks to 2K’s for the pics especially 19d, passed a cattery the other day called Puss Stop!

   1. For 8d, Beaver, how about – Mark deserts European knight over time base? Not the smoothest surface, I agree but the best I could in the time.

      1. Or
         Mark, from French school, upset.

         1. The difference, Stephen, is that yours is a good abbreviation-free clue; whereas mine is a tongue-in-cheek combination of six single-letter abbreviations to feed Beaver’s pet hate.

            1. Oh I see…! Doh!

9. Thanks to Mr K for his analysis and I was lucky enough for this agreeable puzzle to fall within 1* time – just. Last one in was 1d where I struggle(d) to see the solution = arrested. Nevertheless a solid **** for enjoyment and thanks to the setter.

10. A puzzle with charm and quite likeable, but over too soon. I especially enjoyed 17, 10, and 19d. Spent most of my time last night solving the Toughie, which I highly recommend–a good one to help lower one’s defenses against toughies. Thanks o Mr K and today’s setter. ** / ***

11. Enjoyable puzzle – particularly liked 10d and 17a and seems a solid **/*** although of course it’s a bit of a personal thing when rating. For some reason got a bit held up with the NW corner probably as I was looking for the wrong interpretation of 1d!

12. I’ve nothing to add to what everyone else has said. It was fairly enjoyable, quite straightforward and finished in 2* time (3* for enjoyment. I liked the anagrams and 17d was my favourite. Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

    1. I found this a bit of a slot although finished unaided. SE last in. I could not see 17d for the life of me until I looked at it again this morning and there it was staring at me. I’m not familiar with stinko for drunk although answer obviously. I am more usually blotto. Along with 17d, 10 and 24d are favourites. I like the answer at 22a but not too happy with the clue. I don’t mind fed as a synonym of scoffed but rather odd it contains the same three letter word. Ia – I spent to long looking for an animal like a kangaroo or something like a flea. Other option was something to wear. Human jumpers were the last that came into my head. 3d took a long time too. I was on the right track thinking instantly of hot possessions being stolen goods. However, I wrongly associated this with a handler, receiver, or fence (the middle man). Having got the correct answer after exhausting all the possibilities with “er” endings I still don’t get the clue. If you are still around Mr K, or anyone, can you help? For me the first part of the clue works as the answer and I do not know where trying to avoid the heat fits in. Thanks in advance and thank you Setter for the brain excercise.

       1. The heat is a US slang term for the police.

          1. Thank you Gazza. I never knew that! I don’t think I like this clue.

13. Another instance of a Monday puzzle on a Tuesday, perhaps this setter should swap days with Campbell, completed at a fast gallop – 1.5*/3*.
    Candidates for favourite – 13a, 27a, and 10d – and the winner is 10d.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

14. All has already been said.The long anagrams gave a good basis from which to work and,for me,the ease of solution added to the pleasure of enjoying the humour.Thanks to all.

15. I wasn’t keen on 1a despite the question mark and 1d took a bit of cogitating but everything else went smoothly.
    Top three for me were all in the ‘downs’ – 3,10&19.

    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for his always enjoyable feline blog.

16. Very similar difficulty level to yesterday (according to my multi-coloured biro) but at least a toughie awaits to use the spare time. 17d was my favourite today. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

17. Done, dusted & fully parsed in ** time. Pretty straightforward but nonetheless enjoyable with 19d & 22a on my podium alongside 10a as my COTD. Off for a game of golf so I’ll save the Toughie (on RC’s recommendation) & the Graun for this evening’s distraction.
    Thanks to the setter & to Mr K for the, always entertaining, review.

18. Another good and most enjoyable puzzle although I did need the hints for a couple. I have not heard of 23a before as I use a different word for said condition. My favourite clues are 20a and 3d but my COTD is 19d.

    Many thanks to the setter for the puzzle and to MR K for the hints. I do like Simon’s Cat cartoons.

19. COTD – meant 10d

20. That was a gentle solve, apart from 29a. I talked through every domestic pet going before I realised I had the wrong pet. Thank you setter for the puzzle and misdirecting me. I smiled when I realised what I’d done. Grateful for that when there’s not a lot to smile about. Thank you too Mr Kitty.

21. Needed a fair amount of electronic help with this one, so not as enjoyable as some. 7d, 10d, and 19d are clever. But did.not like 29a , 8d or 17d. Some of the definitions, e.g. 1d, are rather stretched.

22. Trying to solve 1a “paperless” held me up in NW corner. Stupid really as I think similar clue appeared not too long ago.
    LOI 9a with COTD 7d. Smiled at the thought of double bass players etc on the coalface.
    Biggles getting his fair share of 4d up here. Mr G says 19d is an effective solution. Anyone any experience?
    Thanks to setter & Mr K.

    1. Hi LROK – not sure 19d works all that well. You can get 19d removers relatively cheap.

       Have a look on Mr. G.

       1. Have a look at this.

          https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/

    2. Good old Vaseline works well – cuts off the oxygen supply to the little perishers and they will drop off within a day or so. Don’t be tempted to use tweezers, always leaves the odd leg behind under the skin.

       1. Thanks both. Was reluctant to try vinegar as a couple have been on eyelids. Will try vaseline & the rspca.

          1. Any sort of alcohol works but I agree not on the eyelids.

             1. Agree. When it’s the eyelids I would go to a vet.

23. 19d is an amazing liquid with so many useful applications. Wonderful for cleaning windows. 1a went straight in followed by the anagrams and apart from looking for a cat in 29a and not being familiar with 23a all went to plan. Thanks to the setter and Mr K. I too am a fan of Simon and his feline friends.

24. For some reason I struggled to maintain concentration doing this one. Took me a while to sort out 1d. Not sure about fed for scoffed in 22a or assure for convince in 21d. I did like 7d though (reminded me of that well known actor Orson Cart) but favourite clue goes to 24d for its simplicity. Thanks to the compiler and Mr K – I also liked the Simon’s cat cartoon.

25. I agree with Senf, Monday’s puzzle on Tuesday, but an enjoyable solve. My COTD candidates; 16 and 17d. 22a was my LTGI (Last to go in). I forgot about those old clubs. 20a has me going for a while. A batsman before a boundary is hardly out. Then perhaps he was doing the long walk back to the pavilion. Thanks to the setter and Mr K🦇

26. Nice straightforward puzzle 😃 **/*** Favourites 9 & 29a Thanks to Mr K and to Simon’s cat and to the Setter

27. Loved 24d once the penny dropped.
    2/3* difficulty,enjoyment ****
    Why is one who burglEs called a burglAr?

    1. The noun burglar existed first, and then a verb was formed from it. Two verbs, actually: burgle and burglarize.

       Whereas with most agent nouns (everybody remembers those from January, yes?) it’s t’other way round: bake leads to baker, swim to swimmer.

       Obviously it’d’ve helped if whoever came up with the word burglar had put an E in it, but they clearly weren’t thinking ahead.

       1. Ize?

          1. Yup -ize. (Free access included with some local authorities’ public library cards.)

             1. Sounds like some awful Americanism to me. I certainly would never use it me duck.

28. nice easy(ish) start to the day. My only ? was against 23a where I wanted to put a strong beer rather than a 17d for drunk.

    https://images.app.goo.gl/uY9fEbgYAA6DR7cA9

    Sam Smith’s stingo is a veritable rocket fuel and has been responsible for many a lost weekend around these parts.
    7d is surely acquiring Vintage status as it was one of the first anagrams I committed to memory when I was still learning crosswords at Mama Bee’s knee.
    I liked 2d but 10d gets my COTD with 2d 9a on the podium.
    I must plug the toughie by Dada today especially 3d which is a delight. I haven’t finished yet but rattling through this gave me time at work to start it.

    Thanks to Mr K whose blog I shall now read and to setter for a great puzzle just right for a Tuesday.

29. I enjoyed this one – it was my sort of level; though I needed Mr K’s intervention to enable me to understand the how and why of 22a.
    The crossword was completed sheltering, under the big parasol, from the heavy showers. Next door’s cat had taken ‘my’ chair with the cushions so I was left on a bare chair, as it were.
    Story of L0la the cat: She is much loved by my neighbours, and they are thoroughly smashing people. However, they brought a dog into their home and consequently cat and dog fought like cat and dog. L0la started spending more and more time in my garden, until one day she decided to pack her bags and move in entirely, very quickly deciding she must have the run of the house. She is absolutely adorable; quiet, serene, and loving. She looks rather like Elizabeth I. I love her to bits and can’t imagine life without her.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    1. https://images.app.goo.gl/8ntUCa8BCbH2bKaY8

       1. Haha! Wonderful.

       2. Thank you for the QE1 special, John! I loved them.

    2. Loved the cat story and so glad that Lola has an inside home. I love cats and all of mine, at one time as many as six, have been in love with my dogs. I’m now down to one dog and two cats, one of them is glued to Sadie, they’re on the sofa asleep together now.

       1. I’m not sure I could cope with SIX cats!

          1. Many years ago we had thirteen for a little while! Our old Gingie, who was eighteen, three very young ones – two sisters and their brother. The two young ‘girls’ were right little trollops and went out with all their make-up on – one had four kittens when she was eight months old and her sister had five a month later. It made for an interesting household! It was lovely and I cried buckets when all the ‘babies’ went to new homes.

    3. Enjoyed reading the story of your cat adoption, she adopting you. We had a middle aged cat years ago, when we decided to bring home a Labrador puppy. Said cat made it very clear from the start who was boss, and it stayed that way even when dog was 86lb and cat was 12lb. Merlin, the cat, was fully capable of herding Toby, the lab into a corner and keeping him there for as long as he deemed necessary. May you continue to enjoy life with Lola.

       1. Thank you Lizzie!

30. I did like 13 across and 16 down as well as 10 down, could not parse 23 across and 1 down so help would be appreciated, also what is ** time that MalcomnR talks about, my COTD 19 down, and now of to toughie land.

    Thank you to the setter and Mr K

    TTFN

31. Got hung up by using sponge for 23a. But since it messed up the whole of the SE corner it eventually clicked.

32. **/***. Enjoyable puzzle. All my favourites were in the down clues (2 7 10 17 & 19) with the podium place going to 17 by a nose over 10. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

33. Not my cup of tea today I am afraid….I seem to be going against the flow.

    Needed electronic help with 1d and 3a…..not really happy with absorbed = arrested, but doubtless someone will enlighten me.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K especially for Simon’s Cat….very cheering.

    Stay safe everyone and best wishes to all who are ailing.

34. I thought this was the hardest for a long time. Totally stuck with about six unfinished the towel will be in the ring in a minute.
    I find the easy crosswords difficult and the difficult ones easy for some reason!!
    Thanks all.

    1. Towel in the ring. I would not have finished this in a month of sundays. Congrats to anyone who could do this.
       Thanks all.

    2. All to do with wave-length, general frame of mind and a million other things.

       1. You are so right Kath. I have a hundred and one things on the go at the moment, house being renovated, grandson’s mother done a bunk so on babysitting duties, or most importantly, have developed a duck-hook with my driver!!
          Wrong frame of mind for crosswords…

          1. Count your blessings Hoofit – I live alone in a one bedroom 2nd floor flat by a main road and haven’t seen or spoken to anyone other than the local Kwik-e-Mart assistant for months. Get up, go to desk, go to bed – repeat until you lose track of time altogether
             As it stands, I’d be happy if someone rang me up just to have a row!

             1. Oh, LBR, how sad to be lonely! Why not adopt a Lola? They can be such good company. I live alone, but I’ve got two cats and a dog. I’m not as bad as you as I have a backyard and pool so I can get out of the house environment now and then, but I don’t know what I’d do without my furry friends.

                1. Fret and fray ye not Merusa – I am amongst friends in the blogosphere and my usual holiday is no mobile, no telly, no computers and no company, so I’ll manage just fine
                   Haven’t resorted to ‘much wailing and gnashing of teeth’ just yet – wouldn’t mind a pint of Guinness and a frame or two of snooker though, admittedly

                   PS ‘No pets allowed’, not that I’d have one, OCD clean

                   1. Hadn’t heard of “fret and fray ye not” but am very familiar with the Scots “Dinna fash yersel’, hen”.

          2. Worry not Hoofit – played lousy yesterday & shot 4 over gross on the front 9 today with 6 pars. It comes & goes but failing that use a spoon off the tee…..

          3. I can help with the duck hook. Start with grip, ensuring your top hand is not too much to the right. If so, move it more on top of the grip. At impact, imagine you’re forcing your left arm up the fairway, preventing the right arm coming over the top, usually smothering the ball, giving an ugly, low snap hook. All this presuming you’re not a southpaw.

             If this fails, cut four inches off the driver, thus ensuring it fits snugly in the bin.

35. I found most of this to be very friendly but a couple beat me. The long anagram at 15a solved itself, but I needed to write out the letters of 18a to get there.
    The SE corner was the hardest, 23a and 20d bung ins, got 20d wrong. I was also wrong at 22a – got the club correct but not the ending. Still don’t understand 3d but it just had to be with the checking letters.
    Fave has to be 10d, clever that, but 7d came pretty close.
    Thanks to our Tuesday setter and to Mr. K for the catty pics, especially Simon.

36. Quite enjoyed this puzzle until I ran into a few stinker clues, in that I couldn’t do them with hints. 3d was one, but it was quite clever actually. 23a held me up, but because of my lack of cricket knowledge, I had penned in 20d as offside as it seemed to fit. I found 18a a strange clue as you didn’t need to solve it as the answer was GK anyway. But kept me busy and occupied with Mr BL had a virtual doctors appointment, so much better waiting at home. Thanks to setter and Mr. K for the hints, much needed for some of the answers. Loved the Lola story from Terence.

37. I agree with most of the rest of you – pretty straightforward with a couple more difficult ones.
    9a and 1d took longer than they should have done.
    I thought 10d was brilliant – it had to be what it was but it took for ever to see why.
    29a also took a while – was thinking of the wrong sort of ‘pet’.
    I liked 23a and 17d and my favourite was 10d.
    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K.

38. Found this very difficult – perhaps I started too late. 10d was a new contruction for me but certainly made me smile. 23a was a new word. Thanks to Mr K For the tips.

39. I enjoyed this. I revealed a few letters to get finished before breakfast, and needed Mr K’s explanations to understand a few; thanks for that.

    My favourite was 17d’s airs and graces. I was really impressed by 10d’s peace and 19d’s condiment.

    For home-schooling this week, the 5yo has to make some ice-cream. We found a recipe in a Paddington cookery book. It seemed simple enough, till it turned out that none of Booths, Co-op, or Tesco have any soft brown sugar. Any bakers able to suggest what’s the closest alternative sugar we could use instead? Thanks.

    1. You will probably need to adjust the method, but molasses/golden syrup or even honey with any kind of sugar should work Smylers

       1. Thanks. That’s a great idea, Roy. The 5-year-old and I shall experiment with golden syrup in the morning.

    2. We have a jar of caster sugar in which we keep the used vanilla pods. It makes lovely custard (and therefore ice cream)
       Some of the vanilla pods are older than God’s dog, so finding similar in Ilkley may be a bit tricky. I once had some delicious Brown Bread Ice Cream in a pub in Ireland and I have tried for years to replicate it. Maybe a bit of Molasses in normal sugar may work.

       A family of moles had been hibernating all winter. One beautiful spring morning, they woke up. The father mole stuck his head out of the hole and looked around. “Mother Mole!” He called back down the hole. “Come up here! I smell honey, fresh made honey!” The mother mole ran up and squeezed in next to him. “That’s not honey, that’s maple syrup! I smell maple syrup!” The baby mole, still down in the hole, was sulking. “I can’t smell anything down here but molasses …”

       1. Groan!

       2. Tee-hee. Given the ingredients, I guess this will taste good however it turns out. Whether it has a suitable texture, or even sets, is another matter …

       3. Good grief! 🤣🤣🤣

    3. Smylers, you must be in the Northwest if you have a Booths! Our Booths has been out of baking ingredients for ages, some bread flour has reappeared this week. Tesco have been selling golden granulated and that’s about all we can get. Seems like lockdown has turned us into a nation of bakers.

       1. When I worked in Thornton Cleveleys near Blackpool the only supermarket worth visiting was Booths in Poulton. They could show Waitrose a thing or two. Fabulous supermarket.

       2. Hi, Mike. As John Bee remembered (most impressively!), we’re in Ilkley, which I think may be Booths’ only outpost this side of the Pennines. Given other stockpiled items like pasta and toilet roll are now in plentiful supply, I was unaware that shortages continued in the baking aisle. I need to bake a spousal birthday cake next week, too.

          1. Not that impressive really – If you hover over your avatar it told me Ilkley. I did remember though and Booths in Ilkley gets a frequent visit especially when we are on the way to the Dales, Other Booths of my acquaintance include Ripon and Ambleside.

             1. We only had a Budgen in Crouch End. Imagine!

40. Another good puzzle that I almost managed to complete on my own. 1d, 4d and 8d being the clues I was stuck on. My fav clue was 10d, lovely word and clever clue. 19d came a close second.
    Thanks to MrK and setter.

41. Nothing to write home about today particularly as I am with RayS on anagrams. Imagine 22a may not have occurred immediately to many non-sports enthusiasts. 14d?!. My Fav 7d. Thank you Mysteron and MrK.

42. For once I’m with the clever clogs/early starters at the beginning of the blog as opposed to the strugglers/late starters at the end (I’m both of the latter). I enjoyed this nearly as much as watching the rolling thunderstorms last night. I stood outside in my shirt sleeves, never getting wet, listening to the thunder rolling across the sky and watching the lightning sometimes appearing to go from cloud to cloud, is that possible? No chance of that tonight it’s chucking it down. Any road up favourite was 10d. Many thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

    1. Apparently lightning cam pass from cloud to cloud, I’ve just Googled it. Further investigation required to find out how that works.

       1. Can, don’t you just love predictive text.

43. Plenty for us to enjoy with 10d taking top spot’
    Thanks Mr Ron and Mr K.

44. A peasant solve for a Tuesday, even though I was held up in the SE area for a while. Took me to *** time and *** for enjoyment. Minimal electronic help needed, but 26a took a while as did 27a. Favourite clues were 9a, 22a &24d. Winner 24d

    Thanks to setter and Mr K

45. Pretty smooth solve but had to go back to 3d and 9a in order to complete.
    I tried to insert another s after sub which slowed me down.
    Was surprised that scoffed and fed were synonyms.
    Favourite 10d.
    Thanks to the setter and to MrK.

46. Sorry but I still don’t understand 17d – I understand the compilation of synonym but do not see it as a synonym of airs and graces .

    1. Welcome to the blog

       The clue is saying that airs and graces are synonyms of each other

47. We went back in time and completed this puzzle this morning over tea and coffee, interspersed with getting the kids out of bed and a game of table tennis (rather anticlimactically called ping pong, over here). We were rather proud of ourselves despite labouring over 1d and 9a for quite a while, and finally tumbling to the answer of stubborn 29a which went in last. I have not heard of that pike-like fish before, so that one will be filed under “Strange short words used by crossword compilers”. A pint of Guinness and a frame or two of snooker would be an amazing night out for us but sadly not an option for us in New Jersey. Maybe next time we are back in the UK. Thanks to setter and Mr K.

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