DT 29445 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29445

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29445

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone.  Today brings us another pleasant puzzle with uncomplicated wordplay, precise grammar, and smooth surfaces.  Most weeks I ask our setter to reveal themselves in the comments, but they almost never do (with the notable exception of X-Type and CL).  Which is a bit surprising since I'm pretty sure that almost all follow the blogs on their puzzles and see our mostly appreciative comments.  So, this week let's try something different – it would be great to hear from readers who had their first unaided solve with this puzzle.  If that's you, post a comment below and you'll receive lots of congratulations in return.

In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions.  Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers.  In some hints hyperlinks provide additional explanation or background.  Clicking on a picture will enlarge it or display a bonus illustration.  Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

 

Across

1a    Falling over very softly at home after doctor initially goes (8)
DROPPING:  The cricket abbreviation for over, the musical abbreviation for very softly, and a short word meaning "at home" all come after an abbreviation for doctor, and then the first letter (initially) of Goes is tacked on the end of that lot

5a    Tudors rebuilt English town (6)
STROUD:  An anagram (rebuilt) of TUDORS is a town in the Cotswolds

9a    Great fizzy drink -- it's flipping cold (9)
FANTASTIC:  Link together an orange fizzy drink, the reversal (flipping) of IT'S from the clue, and the single letter for cold 

11a   A small, young horse left shed for racecourse (5)
ASCOT:  Join together A from the clue, the clothing abbreviation for small, and a young horse minus the single letter for left (… left shed

12a   Permitted a sin (6)
AGREED:  A from the clue with one of the seven deadly sin

13a   Clubs linked to golfer's mistakes (8)
CLANGERS:  The playing card abbreviation for clubs is followed by (linked to) German golfer Bernhard with his 'S from the clue 

15a   Cheering up European once argument's resolved (13)
ENCOURAGEMENT:  The single letter for European with an anagram (…'s resolved) of ONCE ARGUMENT 

18a   Rebellious sweetheart returning by train, you suspect (13)
REVOLUTIONARY:  The reversal (returning, in an across clue) of a sweetheart or romantic partner is followed by an anagram (suspect) of TRAIN YOU 

22a   Ladies perhaps clean area (8)
WASHROOM:  Cement together synonyms of clean and of area.  The definition here is by example (… perhaps

23a   The man caught twitching, agitated (6)
HECTIC:  Concatenate a pronoun for "the man", the cricket abbreviation for caught, and a nervous twitching of muscles 

26a   Visitor somehow carrying trunk (5)
TORSO:  The first two words of the clue are hiding (carrying) the answer 

27a   Lower compact musical instrument (9)
SHORTHORN:  Compact or not tall is followed by a musical instrument that you blow.  The definition is cryptic, with lower here being something that lows or moos 

28a   Obvious mistake -- a baby could be one (6)
HOWLER:  An informal word meaning a mistake that should have been obvious might also describe a loud baby 

29a   Idlers regularly mend ship (8)
DESPATCH:  Alternate letters (regularly) of IDLERS are followed by mend a hole 

 

Down

1d    Fed up with editor after snack's licked (8)
DEFEATED:  Chain together the reversal (up, in a down clue) of FED from the clue, a verb synonym of snack, and the abbreviation for editor 

2d    Keeper -- one guarding wicket and runs (5)
OWNER:  ONE from the clue containing (guarding) the cricket abbreviation for wicket and followed by the cricket abbreviation for runs 

3d    Dish on a university table (7)
PLATEAU:  Assemble a dish for serving food, A from the clue, and the single letter for university 

4d    Touched  heads (4)
NUTS:  Touched or crazy is also an informal word for heads 

6d    Student wasted an entire November getting expelled (7)
TRAINEE:  An anagram (wasted) of AN E[n]TIRE minus one copy of the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by November (November getting expelled)

7d    Group of musicians -- a chorister's lost without one (9)
ORCHESTRA:  An anagram (…'s lost) of A CHOR[i]STER minus the Roman one (without one) 

8d    Hate upsetting Edward before exam (6)
DETEST:  The reversal (upsetting, in a down clue) of a contraction of Edward is followed by a synonym of exam 

10d   Gathers best cello concerto, to an extent, is uplifting (8)
COLLECTS:  The answer is hidden reversed (… to an extent is uplifting, in a down clue) in the remainder of the clue 

14d   Quickly gets higher bonuses, impressing everyone (8)
BALLOONS:  Some bonuses or advantages containing (impressing) a short word for everyone 

16d   One opens sack? (9)
CORKSCREW:  A cryptic definition, where sack is not what the surface reading suggests 

17d   It could be blooming hard in yacht at sea (8)
HYACINTH:  The pencil abbreviation for hard with an anagram (at sea) of IN YACHT 

19d   Victor brewed beer so gassy (7)
VERBOSE:  The letter in the NATO phonetic alphabet represented by Victor is followed by an anagram (brewed) of BEER SO 

20d   Frank with best type of car? (4-3)
OPEN-TOP:  Frank or blunt with best or finest

21d   Son with pine twig (6)
SWITCH:  Combine the genealogical abbreviation for son, the single letter for with, and pine or crave 

24d   Strongly recommend catching river fish (5)
TROUT:  Strongly recommend or advertise containing (catching) the map abbreviation for river 

25d   Deer eating small flower (4)
ROSE:  A small species of deer containing (eating) the clothing abbreviation for small 

 

Thanks to today’s setter for an enjoyable solve.  I thought most of today's clues were rather good, but nothing stood out for me.  Did you have a favourite?

 


The Quick Crossword pun:  MAY + CAR + MENDS = MAKE AMENDS


87 comments on “DT 29445

  1. Excellent puzzle, best for a while. Especially like 16d which made me smile along with 13a. May not have been the most difficult but one for us lesser mortals to enjoy.
    **/*****
    Thx to all

    1. I agree with your comment re 16d. This was so concise and cleverly misdirecting. The whole puzzle was elegant, with smooth surfaces and a good mix of clues. Thanks to the setter and Mr K for the usual witty review.

      Our finance minister resigned yesterday during the worst economic period in history. He aspires to be the chair of the OECD – having left for unethical behaviour I’d say good luck with that!!

    2. I had a quibble with 16d, and I’m perfectly ready to be corrected. I thought “sack” was another word for “sherry”. How many of those do you open with a 16d?

      1. Merusa, Sherry must of course be made from grapes grown in the region near Jerez (anglicised into “sherry”) in Andalusia however I learn that the fortified wine “Sack” has for centuries come from other areas as well and Sack is apparently derived from the Spanish word saca meaning to draw out/extract. I continue to live and learn!

        1. That, as Popeye would say, is “faskinating”, Angellov. Given that, where does “dry fly” sherry come from? Is it just taken from fly fishing?

          1. Yes SC, Mr. Google tells me “Dry Fly Sherry comes from the sherry spinner pattern hook used in fly-fishing”.

  2. Reasonably challenging with plenty of clues that made me smile….What’s not to like?
    My only problem was parsing 16d but it had to be what it was. My LOI was 27a, where fortunately the wordplay was sympathetic and I’d vaguely remembered ‘lower’ in the bovine sense from a previous puzzle.
    Joint favourites 1d& 22a
    2.5/ 4*
    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the entertainment.
    Ps…nice to see sweetheart used in its more conventional sense re 18a

  3. Sorry to disagree with you Mr K but I found this puzzle quite difficult and not particularly enjoyable (****/*). I think I am probably not on the compiler’s wavelength. Although there were some good anagrams and 14d and 27a were clever, the use of a brand name in 9a seemed very unimaginitive and I’m not keen on the idea of snack and eat being synonymous as verbs in 1d. Thanks for the hints and the cat pictures, Mr K. Thanks to the compiler too, although this is not my cup of tea.

  4. Pleasantly challenging and solver-friendly this morning. The precise wordplay made it a joy to go through with no real hold-ups apart from 16d, my last one in. The excellent reverse lurker at 10d gets my nod for COTD.

    Thanks to our setter and Mr K.

  5. I agree with Mr K that this was a pleasant puzzle and with Brian that it was the most enjoyable for a long time and very suitable for those of us who too often find the puzzles more difficult and are met with posts extolling the craft of the setter and how easy they found it.

    Well this was a well crafted puzzle with some good clues ; 13a,18a, 27a, 28a, and 14d and I would like to know if the Coca-Cola company were charged for 9a.

    Thanks to the setter and Mr K for an enjoyable morning solve and check.

  6. Yes, a very good puzzle, for the most part, but 13a could easily be ‘clinkers’ [‘c’ + ‘linker’, one who plays the links, unless one knows the champion golfer by name, as I did]. As a GK fan, I shouldn’t quibble, I know. I suspect that 27a is the COTD because it was my LOI, though I also liked 14, 16, and 19d, as well as 29a. Thanks to Mr Kitty for all of today’s entertainment, though the Kitty Drop got on my nerves a bit. And thanks to the setter. *** / ***

    I see that your Gavin Williamson is about as competent as our so-called Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos. Conservatives over here don’t have a clue when it comes to higher education. They’re afraid of upsetting their own apple carts.

  7. For me this was a bit lacklustre but doable. SW brought up the rear mainly due to bunging in rest rather than wash in 22a. Smile inducing Fav was 9d. Thank you Messrs Ron and K.

  8. Not sure about the brand name in 9a but I suppose it is allowable.
    Just an ordinary puzzle. Nothing really notable. Now the Toughie is quite amusing.

  9. I found this very enjoyable whilst it lasted. 27a was my favourite clue today and slight eyebrow on 9a. Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  10. It took me *** time today, with the SW being my last corner. The answer to 21d was obvious, but boy did I make a meal of the parsing. Kicked myself when the penny dropped.

    Other than that, a steady solve. Many thanks to the mystery setter and Mr K.

    1. Hi MalcolmR.

      You have mentioned that there is no place for general knowledge (GK) in a cryptic crossword and you aren’t alone.

      I have made a note of the following answers that have popped up in the last couple of weeks and I’m curious to know what you deem as GK, ie not acceptable, and what would be acceptable.

      Some of the answers are beyond obscure if the subject is not your thang like today’s golfer or cherry (a term for a cricket ball).

      I understand if you don’t want to play but I’m a huge fan of obscure knowledge as long as the clue is parsable. I have learnt hundreds of words over the years doing cryptics but I get that it’s not for everyone. It’s really to find out your (and others) thresholds

      Cherry (a non-starter for 95% of people)
      Lara (cricketer)
      Off-cutter
      Lola (hard for non-music fans)
      Lolita
      Tristram Shandy (new for me and love it)
      Flora Poste
      Strip Jack Naked
      Trick cyclist
      Bastinado (my fave by a mile)
      Upanishad
      Annelid
      Mediant
      Sard
      Nissen Hut
      REM (that will see a few off)
      Today’s 13a (impossible for non-golfers)
      Today’s 27a

      I’m assuming that none are acceptable?

      Please forgive me if I’ve got the wrong Malcolm.

      1. Gordon, thanks for asking.

        It’s difficult isn’t it? I usually say that if I know it, it’s OK. Otherwise it’s not. This is, of course, somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

        Would the reasonably well educated man on the Clapham omnibus know it? I’m not a golfer at all, and never watch it, but 13a was famous enough in his day to be a household name. But how many 25 year-old non-golfers know him? I am a cricket fan, so all those are fine for me, but would a non-playing or watching man/woman on the street know them?

        I truly believe that a good cryptic crossword should be solvable by the majority of us who try, without the use of reference materials. Anyone who knows that a cricket ball is red might infer that Cherry could be an answer, but what about the youngsters who are brought up watching white ball cricket?

        Sard certainly had me scratching my head, and reaching for the BRB. But is that a lack of GK on my part or a lack of vocabulary? I bet if I offered a pint for anyone who could tell me what a sard is in my local on Friday, I wouldn’t need to open my wallet.

        1. Not many Benny! I didn’t have a Scooby what it was.

          Thanks for your reply. It’s all interesting stuff.

          I think we are on different sides of the fence but I understand where you are coming from.

          I am a Gook (General, Obscure or Obsolete Knowledge)

          Onwards!

        2. Very interesting debate, how general is GK, akin to how common is common sense?
          You quote the well-educated man on the Clapham omnibus. Should only people who are well-educated be included in General? Then why choose 25? Langer won the British Seniors in 2017 in conditions that made the main news. Have I, as a scientist, less general knowledge than someone who studied the Arts? To me “General Knowledge” is what we pick up through whatever interests we have and life in general. Much of my scientific knowledge was gained through a specialism & I regard as specific not general.
          I don’t like flowers, book titles, poets & authors coming up in clues because I know my knowledge of those areas is limited, but they are my shortcomings. I love sporting & science clues. Others will be the other way round. I don’t expect setters to pitch things to suit each of us all the time.
          Every answer I put in involves GK as to me vocabulary is GK . Sard was just a word I didn’t know. If syzygy, (great hangman word), came up I wonder how many would know of it? (might be difficult to clue methinks).

          1. It’s odd that you should quote that example because the following clue appeared in the Everyman crossword just a couple of weeks ago:

            Primarily, something your zodiac’s ‘yoking’ gives you? (6)

            1. Gazza, knowing you it was part of your GK database so caused no problem. The clue would have completely defeated me but of course the checkers could have helped!

          2. On Soyuz regularly goes Yevgeny, less regularly, and … the planets align? A bit long, admittedly.

          3. Tiz, indeed, a splendid debate.

            Looking at how many I have noted, GK is going nowhere.

            Hurrah!

  11. I’d agree with Chris Cross today. ***/** Doable but irritating to have a brand name as part of the answer in 9a. I don’t know where ” impressing” comes into 14d. Not my cup of tea either. Thanks to all.

    1. It clearly states in the hints were “impressing” comes from Greta, it’s a containment indicator.

  12. 2*/3* for me. One of my last in was 16d, which I stared at blankly for a while until the penny dropped.

    I remember the same German golfer appearing earlier this year; a quick search showed him appearing in puzzle 29307 back in March (also blogged by Mr K).

    Thanks to the setter, and to Mr K.

  13. A very straightforward Tuesday puzzle completed at a fast gallop – **/***.
    However, I did have a ‘sprinkling’ of Hmms – ‘think’ of a drink in 9a (is that still available?), ‘think’ of a golfer in 13a, and the (potentially) North American term in 22a.
    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 27a, and 3d – and the winner is 3d.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    1. I am so pleased that you had a Hmmm because I had raised eyebrows at the brand name in 9a and I thought that Hmms and Eyebrows Raised
      put one on the naughty step. Perhaps we can sit there together and commiserate?

  14. I’m not convinced that ‘keeper’ is necessarily synonymous with the answer to 2d and I did need to look at Mr K’s link to verify 16d but no other problems to report.
    Think I liked 18a the most, nicely constructed.

    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for the review and extras, although I could have done without some of the video clips today!

    1. That’s an interesting one re 2d, Jane.
      They’re certainly not synonymous as far as DVLA is concerned, which I discovered last week when passing on my car (online) to my son-in-law. In the tick-box list of options, “Sell” is separately listed from “transfer to”. I’m now wondering whether it is legal to “sell” something to someone if no money changes hands and whether I should have demanded that he give me 1p?
      It reminded me of when a stamp had to be cancelled by signing over it at the bottom of a document for tax purposes (literally stamp duty). An insurance company also told me that a registered keeper did not have to be the “ owner” of a vehicle.

      It’s a flipping minefield…….
      As far as I’m concerned a “keeper” is a temporary owner or guardian, as Dukes and Earls will regard themselves w.r.t. their historic land and properties.
      I guess there may be a property lawyer among our midst who can clarify?

      1. It was certainly vehicles I had in mind, Bluebird. The DVLA makes a distinct difference between owners and keepers on their website. Also, if someone asks you to keep something for them I don’t think it makes you the owner – if you were then you could dispose of said items as you wish. Try telling that to the offspring who have left my home filled with their clutter!

        1. Yes, we’ve just done that, being keepers of 6 electric guitars and and the contents of an entire flat for the best part of 12 years for one who resides on the other side of the Atlantic…… we’ve given notice and are now being allowed “ownership”, and therefore disposal rights, of everything except paperwork (which may contain “items of sentimental value”).
          I don’t know how many years constitute the statute of limitation on “sentimental”……..
          Although that would be the pot calling the kettle black.

  15. I am with Chris Cross on this one and as he said it is probably a wavelength thing. There were some good clues such as 16d, 27a and 28a but I struggled with many more. Like others I was surprised to see a commercial product in 10a. Not my cup of tea I’m afraid and it is fascinating to see the dichotomy of opinion this puzzle has caused.

    Thank you to the setter. I am sorry I could not do your puzzle justice but if they were all easy we would soon get bored. Thanks, Mr K for the the amusing hints.

  16. I found today’s offering a fair challenge but not very exciting – more of a steady solve with no real standout clues. Mr K’s hints brought some much needed fun, so many thanks for those. I hope that this doesn’t discourage the setter – I am always grateful for their efforts to challenge and entertain me every day and certainly couldn’t even begin to attempt what they do.
    In response to Mr K’s request I did complete this unaided, not for the first time but a very rare occurrence for me!

  17. I was only flummoxed by 13a. I don’t know very much about golf and so put Blunders into 13a. Not sure where the club fits into that, but it was all I could make with the checking letters. I started with the alphabet, got to “b” and in went blunders. If I’d waited until I got to “c” I probably would have got it. The rest of the puzzle was fair. Thank you setter and Mr Kitty.

    1. I put in ‘blunders’ too. I had never heard of the golfer but, from Mr K’s excellent hint, I gather its C for club and then Mr Langer.

  18. 2*/2.5*. I found this a pleasant but undemanding puzzle with only 14d, my last one in, taking a bit of teasing out. 2d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K.

  19. I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought 9a was very clever. What’s with all the whinging about Branded products? I’m not a golf follower but surely most people will have heard of the guy in 13a. I’m not a motor racing fan either but could probably name top drivers over the years. I’ m with Gordon above, it all broadens ones knowledge and I love finding new words. Anyway thanks to Mr K and the setter

    1. I tend to agree and I love a “halfway house”.
      I would never say “I’m going to Dyson the rugs……”
      and..
      does Corona the soft drink company still exist? They might have to reconsider…..

      1. Aha, but for many, many years people have Hoovered the rugs which is the same thing
        in a different way. It must be the weather today, what a wonderful storm of comments
        this nice crossword has provoked !

        1. Well, yes – that’s what I meant, Daisy. I haven’t had a Hoover for many years, but I still hoover the rugs.
          I think Jeep has acquired the same brand power, so you get jeep safaris, but the vehicle may be a different brand and say coke when it’s any other brand of cola.

      2. Corona at still be available in Australia. In the early days of the pandemic, before we all took it seriously, the Aussies used to joke about COVID being destroyed with lime juice. Apparently, Corona and Lime is a favourite drink.
        Given the situation in Melbourne where our daughter and son-in-law live, the “joke” has died.

  20. I thought I might be in with a chance of completing unaided, but ran into 6 clues that spoilt that idea. Found this rather tougher that Mr K unfortunately. With the golfer in 13a I was never going to get the answer, even though I think we’ve had him before. 14d was last in, never would have come up with that. No real favourite today. Thanks to setter and to Mr K for the hints, especially the pictures.

  21. ‘Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall.’
    If only I had considered going wisely and slowly before I zoomed into putting ‘bath’ as the first four letters for 22a.
    I spent some time pondering whether any word started with ‘sb’ for 21d.

    I agree with Steve Cowling and Chris Cross about wavelengths. Nothing wrong with the puzzle but I was on medium wave and the setter on long wave.
    Another lunchtime monsoon here in Surrey, followed almost immediately by bright sunshine. Certainly no need for the lawn sprinkler.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    1. The weather is bonkers at the moment. I saw that on Sunday Sheringham had so much heavy rain it turned the sea black! We live 5 miles along the coast and didn’t have one drop. Hopefully we will get some tomorrow!

  22. Needed electronic help with 13a…then remembered the golfer. Missed the rekrul in 10d so not my finest hour today.
    However, I did enjoy the rest of it.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K….though I thought the turning cat video was getting a bit close to cruelty.

  23. For some reason I made hard work of a perfectly good crossword, but as it is said “swings and roundabouts”, 16 down made me smile and 27 across was new to me, my COTD was 9 across, as always my Thanks to the setter and to Mr. K for their efforts.

  24. I’d completed half of the puzzle after the first read through and had to think a bit more about most of the rest. I did wonder how you would land on 13a if you didn’t know the golfer by name (one of my favourite TV programmes though). I spent time trying to get Waterloo to fit for 22a! I liked 27a, 2, 6 and 16d but my favourite clue is 14d. Overall an enjoyable crossword for me. So thanks to the setter and to Mr K – I liked the animal photos, especially the black hole, although I’m not quite sure about the cow (whatever it is).

  25. Slightly tougher than usual for a Tuesday but absorbing and entertaining for me.
    16d produced the “Doh” moment but 9a gets my COTD, although the good walk spoiled team may not agree.
    I was fortunate to witness 4 days of Herr L giving a masterclass in how to overcome a fiery links course when he won the British Open Seniors by 13 shots in 2014. He then gave another in 2017 in the worst weather S Wales could throw at him.
    Thanks to setter & Mr K for his usual educational review.

    1. Pretty sure Monty finished 2nd at Royal Porthcawl (an absolute beast if it’s blowing) & reckoned he would have been in with a fair shout if it had been the Open proper – he really is an incredible man & very modest with it

      1. You are correct Monty was on 5 under but BL was an incredible 18 under, he just played golf like an automaton. Unusually for the Royal it wasn’t blowy it was just rock hard and the ball was going everywhere. He plotted his way to 4 sub par rounds, masterclass is an understatement.
        Probably the best rounds of golf I have witnessed live.
        The oft quoted story that in a tournament his caddy said “it is 157 yards to the sprinkler head” and BL asked “is that to the front or back of it?” certainly summed his meticulous approach that week.

            1. Thanks Jane, you never know when it might come in useful. Always good to add to one’s GK.

  26. I found this one enjoyable and fairly straightforward.
    Needless to say 13a caused a spot of trouble but that was my main hold-up.
    I did, eventually, remember the fizzy drink in 9a – horrible stuff!
    Had to make myself do a complete re-think about the 18a ‘sweetheart’ as I’m so used to automatically thinking ‘E’.
    I liked 27a and 14 and 16d. My favourite was either 28a or 19d because they both made me laugh.
    Thanks to whoever set today’s crossword and to Mr K.
    Vertical and absolutely torrential rain in Oxford – think the washing might have to stay on the line.

  27. Speaking of Washing, Kath – you notice it is Tuesday again already so soon? Mine dried nicely but with several dark clouds
    keeping me on my toes to rescue. I loved every thing about this crossword (except for 9a and13a to which I gave my own
    personal answer) and all the wonderful hot air swirling around it. Cryptic, Tough, Easy, Sporty or Arty I love all you folks who
    amuse us every day. It is amazing how many ways there are of inserting orchestra into a puzzle!

    1. Just got my washing in as the mother of all storms is raging, thunder, lightening and stair rods. I can see my rain gauge is half filled in15 minutes! Really need the rain but this is a bit scary. Should I turn off Meercat Manor on the TV? So love Bill Nighy’s commentary. Oops my defrosting fish pie is still out there! Just love this site!

  28. Just read the comments with interest (particularly the GK discussion). Did this one earlier this morning before a day sheltering under trees on the golf course from torrential downpours. Am afraid I’m slightly inclined to agree with SC, CC & Greta as it really wasn’t my cup of tea though I’m not entirely sure why not as the solving (if not the parsing) was reasonably straightforward. See that Daisy has yet to comment & at 13a I could only imagine her irritation at yet another golfing clue though to be fair there was a flower to balance things out (albeit one even I’d heard of) Had reservations about both 2d & 9a but enjoyed 15&18a and learnt a new term for wine at 16d (same answer but preferred yesterday’s 617 Cryptic clue)
    May give the Dada Toughie a look this evening but it’ll almost certainly be beyond me if his Graun Prize is any yardstick.
    Thanks to the setter & to Mr K for the always entertaining review.

  29. I was so pleased to get a puzzle that made sense to me, I started out loving it! I did find myself at a brick wall in the SW and needed the hint for 16d to get going again. I’ve already given my opinion of it above.
    Apart from that corner, I had no real problems, even with the golfer. Clubs gave me the clue that it started with “c” and I had the “l”, so it wasn’t hard to get the word and google.
    My fave was the baby at 28a. I solved 5a upon reading, I’m very familiar with the town as I had relatives who lived there.
    Thanks to our setter, I’m so happy to have a doable puzzle, and thanks to Mr. K for helping me to finish.

  30. Definitely harder than 2* for me… the SW took a long time to fall into place and I’d put this firmly in 3 * territory with some lovely misdirection (27a and 16d). I imagine I’m one of the younger solvers and often find my lack of general knowledge exposed, particularly when it comes to botany and classical music. However, if the clue is elegantly constructed then one should be able to tease out the answer. Every day is a school day.

  31. Nice crossword but I did not find it easy😳 ***/*** Favourites were 16d, 19d and had to put 13a as well 😃 Thanks to Mr K and to the Setter

  32. A relatively easy Tuesday puzzle **/****
    I did have a some hmm’s – a golfer in 13a would need GK to get that one, and the North American answer for 22a??
    COTD 18a, 27a, 29a 14d & 20d winner 27a

    Thanks to setter and Mr K

    1. 22a is just about acceptable here. I always wash my hands at least after using the facilities but I usually respond to anyone offering a bathroom with I don’t want a bath just a **** !

  33. Started OK but got bogged down on a few so had to resort to the hints. So not ‘unaided’. Still around but not posting much on here.

  34. I think I am in the general knowledge is OK in small doses camp. However I will qualify that by saying there is a fine line between “general” and “specialised” knowledge and maybe the line is as movable as the man on the Clapham Omnibus!
    I noticed but didn’t object to the tradename in 9a because I remembered the story about the creation of same and the complete lack of orange in the recipe. I quote this from Wikipedia;

    During the Second World War, the US established a trade embargo against Germany—making the export of Coca-Cola syrup difficult. To circumvent this, Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola Deutschland (Coca-Cola GmbH), decided to create a new product for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany at the time, including beet sugar, whey, and apple pomace—the “leftovers of leftovers”, as Keith later recalled. The name was the result of a brainstorming session, which started with Keith’s exhorting his team to “use their imagination” (Fantasie in German), to which one of his salesmen, Joe Knipp, retorted “Fanta!”.

    No wonder I never liked the stuff although I believe it does actually contain some orange these days.

    16d almost got the better of me today maybe because of some specialized knowledge. I did a job for a .while in a bread factory and sacks of plain flour were paper and sewn shut or but the granary flour came is a hessian sack and secured with a twisted wire that required the use of a turnscrew to unwind it.

    Thanks to Mr K and setter I hope Zelda never served beer so gassy in LI and that the local brew is acceptable to a retired publican in his new quarters.

        1. Merusa
          Greetings from the Highlands.
          According to Mr Wiki sherry is is a corruption of the original name Sherris sack , fortified wine from Jerez, there were also other “sacks” from other areas. So it wouldn’t need a 16d to open. Hence John’s specialist, but now general, knowledge would have given him the correct answer which was wrong. Setter’s licence I guess.
          Worryingly your numbers seem to be remaining stubbornly high, do keep safe.
          Hope Sadie and the cats are well.

          1. Setter’s licence covers a lot of these areas. I am sure that at one stage Sack and even sherry was bottled with a traditional cork that needed a 16d. The natural preservative qualities inherent in fortification have allowed bottlers to use a looser cork that can be pulled out manually. I am sure many moons ago the normal cork was used. But cruciverbalists are just playing with words and once you have twigged/remembered that Sack is a type of wine the right answer is within ones grasp. and setters are wordsmiths not vintners and can get away with such liberties.
            Grandma Bee used to keep cooking sherry in an old Tizer bottle with an internal threaded stopper.
            (not sure of the relevance of that last comment but it is past bedtime here and I am unlikely to see further comments until we have moved on to tomorrow’s offerings.)

  35. Apologies for coming to the party a bit late and if it’s already been said but a beekeeper owns bees.

    Does that work?

        1. Ha ha yes. but my namesakes, especially the African Killer variety, are pretty good at defending themselves.

  36. Back in “can’t finish a crossword” mode now.
    Need to go back to The Sun.
    I though baloons got bigger not higher.
    Thanks all.

  37. I’m in the “no problems to report” camp. I did the top half whilst eating my evening meal after looking after my birds and burial duty, which involved a bottle of beer and a glass of whisky to see the old boy of in style, before repairing to the pub. I then fell asleep in the chair so I finished it off this morning. Lots to like. Favourite was 28a. Many thanks to the setter for a most enjoyable puzzle and Mr K.

  38. Have been studiously completing a DT crossword every day for weeks now. Ok, we might be a few days behind.. but this was our first unaided completion. Yay!

    We love the blogs and the fact you can get a hint without getting the answer has helped us learn quickly.

    I was brought up on these crosswords by my parents so it’s good to come back to them.

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