DT 29666 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 29666

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29666

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Tuesday. Eight anagrams in today's puzzle that offer entry points in most corners of the puzzle will please many solvers. There are a few interesting cryptic definitions that made for an enjoyable solve and provided a hint to the identity of our compiler. 

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 and a hover (computer) or long press (mobile) might explain more about the picture. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.

 

Across

1a    In tears, beg chap desperately for some respite (9,5)
BREATHING SPACE:  An anagram (desperately) of IN TEARS BEG CHAP 

10a   Forcefully take charge: it should increase the score (9)
OVERTHROW:  The answer meaning to forcefully take charge by removing those currently in charge is also used in cricket for an occurrence that gives the batting team a few more runs 

11a   Factory scheme requires time (5)
PLANT:  A scheme or design with the physics symbol for time. The internet claims that this is people having fun in a mattress factory. I'm not so sure …

 

12a   Oh, Keely -- in trouble? I may see you through this (7)
KEYHOLE:  An anagram (in trouble) of OH KEELY 

13a   Strong wind on northern area reveals mineral deposit (6)
GALENA:  A strong wind placed before the single letters for northern and area. In an across clue A on B usually indicates A following B but a few setters, including X-Type, sometimes use it to indicate A followed by B 

15a   Potato possibly cut underground (4)
TUBE:  All but the last letter (cut) of what a potato defines by example (possibly

Cat in a 15a

17a   Get paper, perhaps, from halt on eastern railway (10)
STATIONERY:  A place where a train halts is followed by abbreviations for eastern and for railway 

18a   Say similar-sounding sounds? (10)
ALLITERATE:  The answer describes what you'll do if you take the clue literally and say out loud "similar-sounding sounds" 

20a   Bowl over in test underarm (4)
STUN:  The answer is hidden in the remainder of the clue 

22a   Being arrested, knight became ill (6)
NAILED:  The chess abbreviation for knight is followed by a verb meaning "became ill" 

23a   Charlie in holiday footwear? That's a disgrace (7)
SCANDAL:  Insert the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by charlie in half a pair of warm weather casual footwear

26a   Dislikes sending back a portion of Lebanese tahini (5)
HATES:  The answer is hidden in the reversal of (sending back a portion of) the remainder of the clue 

27a   A quid sir, and I will mix up cocktails (9)
DAIQUIRIS:  An anagram (will mix up) of A QUID SIR I 

Interesting cocktail

28a   In survey, I can see orcas swimming round northern tip of Newfoundland (14)
RECONNAISSANCE:  An anagram (swimming) of I CAN SEE ORCAS containing both the single letter for northern and the initial letter (tip) of NEWFOUNDLAND 

 

Down

2d    Having a hearty appetite no good, getting very thin (5)
REEDY:  Having a hearty appetite or wanting it all, minus the single letter for good (no good) 

3d    Writer achieving gold with mythical character (6)
AUTHOR:  The chemical symbol for gold followed by a mythical or Marvel character.  I paused here for a while to ponder whether the construction DEFINITION achieving WORDPLAY works 

4d    They bring in the crops and criminally starve her son (10)
HARVESTERS:  An anagram (criminally) of STARVE HER with the genealogical abbreviation for son

Many 4ds 

5d    Town produced nothing up north (4)
NOWT:  An anagram (… produced) of TOWN 

6d    Concession managed by old singer (7)
SOPRANO:  Concatenate a minor concession, a synonym of managed, and the single letter for old 

Tony 6d et al

7d    Reduction of stewed bat eaten with first bit of Marmite (9)
ABATEMENT:  An anagram (stewed) of BAT EATEN and the first letter of M[armite] 

8d    This sounds a lot like Cockney grinding up rusty hinges with ale (7,7)
ESTUARY ENGLISH:  An anagram (grinding up) RUSTY HINGES ALE 

9d    One setting off fireworks -- maybe Stephenson? (6,8)
ROCKET LAUNCHER:  The answer is both somebody letting off aerial fireworks and a cryptic allusion to Stephenson's contribution to transportation 

Yes, it's a medieval rocket cat

14d   Figures sit back during study of bodies at rest (10)
STATISTICS:  The reversal (back) of SIT inserted in (during) the area of mechanics concerned with bodies at rest 

16d   Type of missile, large, is found in sea (9)
BALLISTIC:  The clothing abbreviation for large and IS from the clue are inserted together in a sea up north 

19d   The Yorkshire motive may be seen as disloyalty (7)
TREASON:  Follow a Yorkshire dialect form of "the" with another word for motive 

21d   Gap giving view of French lake and one French area? (6)
LACUNA:  Chain together the French word for lake, the French word for one, and the single letter for area 

24d   Building style of party with Republican in charge (5)
DORIC:  Assemble a usual party, the single letter for Republican, and the abbreviation for in charge 

25d   Thought that's within: inside, always (4)
IDEA:  The answer is hidden within the remainder of the clue 

 

Thanks to today’s setter, who I'm fairly sure is X-Type. Top clue for me was the succinct 5d. Which clues did you like best?


The Quick Crossword pun:  WRECK + TIFF + EYE = RECTIFY


106 comments on “DT 29666

  1. Apart from struggling to spell 28a correctly, this was most enjoyable. There was some clever cluing such as 10a, 17a and 9d all of which raised a smile. There was a definite “northern” feel with a number of clues referring to God’s own county of Yorkshire. In fact, 19d is my COTD for the simple reason I could almost hear my Yorkshire farmer uncle saying it.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr. K for the hints.

    Could anyone explain 7d in The Quickie? It eludes me.

      1. Yes well, it would have helped had I not had a momentary lapse of reason and had not put 9a ending in “AL”, Greta! :wacko:

        1. No worries! It’s when you have a permanent lapse of reason that you need to call the people in the white coats. It’s like the old joke, “Do you know who I am?” Answer. “No, but I’m sure that person in the white coat will tell you.”

    1. Loved your pic & comment yesterday Steve (& Merusa) – read them this morning.

  2. Despite being the Devils Number, I found this quite a steady solve, other than the speling of 27a and 28a. The word at 21d was new to me.

    I agree that 5d should be COTD, and thank the compiler and Mr. K.

    1. 21d. Now you know it I think you will find it useful. It is not one of those words that only appear in crosswords.

      1. Hi Wanda you find Lacuna in bones , if you section a bone and whip it under s microscope at high power, you can see there are tiny threads leading into /out of a small circular spaces containing tissue fluid. These tiny lakes are called Lacunae ( simplified version) Fran

        1. Yes but used in other senses. A lacuna in the law for example when there is something missing from a piece of legislation which may need to be amended so that particular hole can be plugged. In general terms also simply a gap or hiatus.

    2. The word is well known to fans of the late great Terry Wogan. It was a favourite and appeared once or twice a week on his morning show.

  3. A couple of new words that were very sympathetically clued apart this was a breeze, but a very pleasant sea breeze.
    I particularly liked 15a along with 8d but top spot goes to the simple but amusing 5d.
    1.5/4*
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K for the fun.
    Ps Toughie great today too.

  4. What a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining puzzle; this was relatively straightforward but great fun to complete the grid. So many excellent clues make it hard to pick a favourite, although 5 and 6d were clear winners for me.

    Many thanks to X-Type and Mr K.

  5. This went by in a flash, but, since I enjoty anagra.s and cryptic definitions, it was very enjoyable (1*/4*). Joint COTD’s wre twoof the cryptic definitions, 8d (that’s me) and 9d. Of the plethora of anagrams, 27a and 28a were the best and challenged my spelling a bit. Thanks to Mr K for the hints and the cat in the paper roll photo and to the compiler.

  6. An enjoyable coffee-break “read and write” that was over all too swiftly. Rather over-stuffed with anagrams, though not in any way impugining the talent involved in constructing them (especially three of the long perimeter clues), while the smooth reading of 27a made it a podium contender for me.

    Laughed out loud at the combination of 5d and 19d, with the latter being my COTD.

    1*/3*.

    Many thanks to Setter for the grid and to Mr K for the review.

    MG

  7. Another delightful Tuesday grid, with the perimeter clues taking most of my honours today, especially 8d and 9d, but I really just enjoyed the whole thing. Finished too soon, and alas, the thrill is gone! Thanks to Mr K for the amusing domino champs and to today’s setter. ** / ***

    Loved the Toughie.

  8. Yes this was a very enjoyable puzzle with anagrams, good cryptics, and humour, though I’ve nowt to say about t’reason. Many honourable mentions but my favourite today is 21d which I thought very clever.

    Oh and let’s try some humour from down south and leave God’s own county alone for a while, if you can contain your envy.

    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

  9. A very enjoyable puzzle this morning. */**** I didn’t know the word at 21d but it’s easy to work out. I’ll have to try to remember what it actually means. Favourite 27a. Thanks to all.

  10. Enjoyable whilst it lasted. A couple of look ups required but as Stephen notes, they were sympathetically clued.

    This weather isn’t very kind to polytunnels.

    Thanks to today’s setter and Mr. K.

  11. I guess knowing where to put the sneaky letter I (27&28a) comes in handy with this one. A bit anagram heavy & not particularly challenging but entertaining nonetheless. I liked the 4 peripheral long uns & the 5/19d combo. Thought it was nicely clued (12a excepted) throughout with 10&27a my pick of the bunch for me.
    Thanks to the setter & to Mr K

  12. Right at my level so there was much enjoyment with this one. Like Steve C, above, I had a little difficulty recalling how to spell 28a. I scribbled it down at the foot of the page and found I had to bung in another ‘s’.

    Yesterday at the prompting of dear H, we went for a lovely, if freezing and windswept, walk to see the bluebells in the woods at Abinger Roughs, which is just above Abinger Hammer in the Surrey Hills. It was an absolute delight, hardly anyone about and the bluebells at their peak in vast purple-y carpets under the beech trees. H, being a wonderful woman, had made a mini picnic for us to enjoy back in the car, including much needed hot chocolate. Five minutes after we returned home the heavens opened.

    Today’s crossword soundtrack: Boz Scaggs – Silk Degrees

    Thanks to the setter and The Celebrated Mr K.

    1. Thank you for the picture….when I was a child we used to cycle to Headley, with our cycling club, and play amongst
      the bluebells – in those days an absolute sea of purple….just like this!

    2. I too remember the bluebell woods of my childhood and how, not knowing any better, we would pick huge bunches of them to take home to mother and they were wilted on the handlebars long before we got home.. There were great swathes of blue everywhere.

    3. What a lovely picture, that’s the England I love and miss. Peter says he cycled there and stayed at a youth hostel in Holmbury St Mary as a teenager.

      1. BusyL… Holmbury St. Mary is a lovely village and is just up the road. The youth hostel is still there.

        1. I feel sure we must have, at some point, passed one-another and nodded politely whilst wandering the Surrey Hills, Terence

    4. What a delightful photo, Terence. I can almost smell that woodland and its carpet of bluebells – thank you.

    5. Driving on the way to see my dearest friend in Wales, near Carmarthen, I passed a woods that looked like that, it also had pink flowers, I think called campion? What memories.

    6. I do love a bluebell wood provided it contains the native bluebell and not the Spanish invader.

  13. Just the ticket after yesterdays storms, drinking outside at the pub was not much fun ,it was freezing despite the long johns!
    Excellent diverse cluing throughout, 21d was a new gap for me.
    Liked the surface of 9d, eventually worked through the anagram of 28a including the requisite n’s-remembered lead sulphide from my chemistry days
    Going for a **/****.
    Thanks 2K’s for the usual high quality pics-especially 15a, should be entitled ‘Cat Litter’-looking forward to an exhibition from the 2K’S in the future.

    1. I expect the 2 K’s will be delighted with your gratitude, Beaver but today’s blogger is Mr K. :grin:

    2. A lovely puzzle today, Even I could manage it. Though for some reason 22a eluded me. Perhaps something to do with thinking the letter for knight was k not n. Much enjoyed. Thanks to all concerned.

    3. I too suffered outside the pub yesterday in a wind blowing in from the Urals. Blooming hard work and no support from the sainted one who just thinks I’m daft

        1. I read that as ‘might she have a pint’ and I thought poor woman, just sitting there watching her man
          drink without having a glass in her hand herself!

          1. The little I have gleaned about Saint Sharon is this. If she wants a pint, she will jolly well have one! 😁

        1. Plus, there is no closing time! Cheers! :yahoo:

          Mind you, don’t run away with the idea I am sitting here boozing. I had a cider with lunch and that’s it!

          1. I’ve run pubs for many years. The term ‘closing time’ has always puzzled me. Leonard Cohen’s Closing Time is a mighty fine rousing song

            1. Many years ago a friend and I visited Scotland for a walking holiday. We stayed at a pub that was homely and where everyone was very friendly. We had a great time. When it came to closing time, I said we had better go. The landlord told us to wait and keep absolutely silent as the rest were doing. He turned out the lights and we all kept very silent and still. Soon there was a torch shining through the windows. The landlord told everyone in a whisper to remain quiet.

              The torchlight vanished after a while. I asked the landlord who it was and he told me it was the local Bobby making sure he had closed for the night. He put the lights back on and began serving drinks. Shortly after the door opened and in walked the local policeman.

              “Usual, Bob”? Asked the landlord.

              Drinks flowed until about two in the morning but nobody paid for a single drink.

              The next day you ordered a coffee, paid with a £20 note and expected no change.

    4. Perhaps you were adding too much water to the “Long John’s”🥃🥃🥃?

      1. I’ve been to the pub once since they reopened and I nearly froze to death. I’m not going again until it either warms up or we’re allowed inside. 🥶

  14. Monday level puzzle today. Sailed through with just slight hiccup for 13a and 21d (should have worked it out but laguna kept occurring to me). Checker prevented me using motionless synonym for 17a. Chestnutty 15a was simple Fav. Thank you Mysteron and MrK (6d hint illustration baffled me with all those men – d’oh).

  15. Very enjoyable and over quickly, a relief after yesterday’s Toughie.
    Helped getting 1a and 8d straight away.
    A couple of new words, fairly clued.
    Miserable weather in Kent, gale force winds and rain, and it’s May!
    Thanks both.

  16. Been following this site for a few weeks, to brush up my skills, gratefully using the tips to get me over the line, especially yesterday’s which i found a little too convoluted for my meagre talents in places. Really pleased to have finished this one by myself, which made me brave enough for a first post! So, many thanks to the compiler! Hadn’t heard of 27a but worked it out from the checkers. Nice humour in places and 19d Cotd. Hopefully i have lingo right!

    1. Welcome to the blog, Filxact.
      Now that you’ve dipped your toe in the water I hope that you’ll comment on a regular basis.

    2. Welcome from me as well, Filxact. Hope to hear from you on a regular basis. Don’t worry about the lingo – we’re fairly flexible and only too willing to answer any questions you may have.

  17. Over far too quickly, bordering on the proscribed term, for a Tuesday puzzle. But, it did make up for yesterday’s Campbell. */****.

    Candidates for favourite – 13a, 17a, and 9d – and the winner is 13a.

    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  18. Thank you DT, an enjoyable and comprehensible crossword at last. After the last 3 days efforts what a pleasure it was to sit down to a puzzle that was well written, elegant with clues that made sense. COD for me was 9d.
    A huge thank you to the setter.
    Thx to all
    **/*****

  19. Bit of an anagram-fest but enjoyable for all that. Finished */** time so got into the Toughie early. Is it national Anagram Day I wonder?
    COTD 5d. Brought back memories of pre-bonfire night – visiting houses with a song that ended. “If tha give us nowt we’ll steal nowt an bid thee good neet.” The equivalent of modern-day Trick or Treat I guess.
    Thanks to setter and Mr K for the usual bonus fun.

  20. V light and enjoyable, especially after yesterday, and agree with many of the sentiments already expressed.
    Had my spelling tested at 27 & 28a, and learnt a new word at 21a.
    My favourites were 1a, 5d and 6d.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  21. Lovely puzzle today. Enjoyed every bit of it,

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K.

    Still cold here, but not as cold as yesterday. Still raining on and off too. Bah!

  22. Two new words for me in 13a & 21d but both very fairly clued and then confirmation of the fact that I can’t spell 27a – took quite a few attempts to get it right!
    The surface of 1a made me smile and my favourite was 5d.

    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for the review and the cricket lesson!

  23. */****. This puzzle was written for me and I can’t say that very often. 19d was my favourite. Thanks to the setter and Mr K for the as always entertaining hints.

  24. Your kind comments almost made me blush – and you unmasked me right away (is my style becoming that obvious?)…I enjoy setting “fun” anagrams: so thanks to those who enjoyed them; and no apologies to those who thought it was “anagram heavy” – just you try setting something meaningful, accurate and amusing from a 15-letter word or phrase! (Maybe to some, it was a Monday puzzle – but we setters don’t get to choose what day we’re published on.) All the best to you loyal solvers from Gods Own Country (not “county”!)

    1. Where we live (Shropshire) there is an upland area called The Stiperstones, which the locals in the village where we used to live in called “God’s Own Country”.

      Great puzzle X-Type. Many thanks for it and for popping in.

      1. In Shrewsbury, there is an assisted-living place, also called The Stiperstones. Why? Because the initial prices
        of property are so high, as are the maintence costs are as well……….in fact – they are pretty STEEP!

    2. While I’ve been hors de combat, I’ve looked at the crossword every day, seesawing between thank goodness I missed the humiliation of that failure, and how I wish I’d had the chance to play with that. Your puzzle today, X-Type, was one of those that I’ve sorely missed. It looks like a bundle of fun.

      1. What is that Merusa?
        – and thanks to x-type for the enjoyable puzzle

        1. My uncle lived in Shanghai for about ten years and that was one of the goodies he sent us. It’s a (be careful here) hookah! I researched it one day and by mistake searched for a hooker, I was very embarrassed! I have all sorts of oriental bibs and bobs, but Mum got rid of a lot. We had 50 or more Chinese scrolls that Mum gave to the local Chinese grocery store, I wish she had saved the pictures.

  25. It was really just a lot of fun reading those surfaces, with slight hiccups trying to spell 27 and 28 across (my last one in and my favourite). I didn’t known the mineral deposit, but I did know the gap. There was a bit of crossing out and scribbling with 14 and 18.
    Enjoyable. I thought Mr K’s YouTube clip for 20a was tense, as indeed were the mattress dominoes. Maybe there was a reason for alternating large and small colleagues, but I feared for their knee joints……..
    Thanks very much to Mr K and setter.

  26. Just about finished this in ** time, but held up by 9d as I had re at the start of 18a, needed to read the hint to sort it out doh, blindingly obvious when you see it. Anyhow it was a fun solve so many thanks for that, and to Mr K

  27. Just to say there is a very accessible puzzle by Carpathian in The Graun today. I’m finding it almost as enjoyable as today’s back-pager.

  28. To spice this up I tried to leave the four peripheral clues until last. That made it an interesting solve. I know how to drink the cocktails (like kids drink pop) but spelling it without checkers didn’t work well. Only Lebanese Tahini to drink with the cocktails which didn’t suit so I reverted to eating piccalilli with a spoon straight from the jar. 5 down is one of my favourite words so thank you X type for that. Thank you Mr Kitty. The sun has broken through here in Barrel. Wonders will never cease

  29. The thing about crosswords and buses, is there will always be another one along in a minute and this was a beauty 😃 **/**** Favourites 15a & 19d 👍 Thanks to Mr K and to X-type who is among my favourite compilers 😬 A Squadron I served on had an air frame XW666 and needless to say it ended up in the sea, fortunately with no serious casualties 😳

  30. Good fun. Surprised lacuna unfamiliar to some as I find it a useful word. It was, however easy to follow from the clue. I did not know 13a but again very easy from the clue. Last three in were 9d and 18 and 22a. It was the second word of the former which took longer. This then aided me to get the last two. Like others I was not sure of the spelling of 27and 28a. I thought I had one too many I. Favourites 16 19 and 21d. Thank you Xtype and MrK.

  31. My first (and best) 27a was in 1978 in San Francisco in a bar at the hotel featured in Mel Brooks’s High Anxiety. I watched the bartender make it and it was a mixture of frozen pineapple, banana, white rum and fresh limes (which I’d never seen before). It was whizzed in a liquidiser and the frothy mixture was placed on top of a shot of dark rum. Served with a straw, it gave the the opportunity to drink from a number of levels in the glass, or, as I did, to save that dark rum till last. Some might say it was a cross between a 27 and a Pina Colada, but there was no coconut. I’ve had a few 27s since, but they were all a disappointment compared to the first.

    1. You are making my mouth water – and it is another hour and a quarter to a G & T.

  32. Yes thanks to X-type for a puzzle solvable by the likes of me. Even finished by 2.30 despite my work load. Agree about 5d—a great word, but never knew it could also mean an Ox or cattle. Great thing about crosswords, you learn ‘summat’ new everyday.

  33. A much better solve for me than yesterday. No big hold ups but a couple of new words for me today in the form of 21d & 24d. 2.5*/**** for me today. Couple of clues made me smile including 12a,15a & 5d.
    Favourites for clues are also those three with winner 5d but 15a was a close runner up.
    Enjoyable puzzle for Tuesday.

    Thanks to setter and Mr K

  34. I am normally a late night solver but decided to start the crossword early due to it blowing a gale outside, what a lovely solve this was and more than one COTD, 5d,19d and 8d all brilliant so thankyou Mr.K and X-type.
    Very enjoyable.

  35. Thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle X-Type – very many thanks indeed!
    I finished this in excellent time last night pre-slumbers, although I do have to admit needing Mrs H’s assistance to help me spell both the cocktails in 27A and the 14-letter anagram survey in 28A.
    Thanks to Mr K for the excellent blog ‘n hints – I remember well the outrage caused by the incident in the 20A video – kudos to Richie Benaud for his candid comments towards his own national team!
    Cheers!

  36. Well that was a joy after yesterday’s struggle and of course I liked all the anagrams. I particularly liked 12a,8d and 1a – but there was much to like. Many thanks to our setter and to Mr K, poor little Kitty wrapped up in brown paper, he doesn’t look very happy. And I have seldom seen anything dafter than the mattress dominoes. We actually had some rain which has been good for the garden but the gale force winds threw things all over the garden and we lost a great branch of our old Cambridge Gage. It was smothered in blossom too. Damn.

  37. Thank goodness for today’s puzzle, was beginning to think I had lost the plot after the last two days. Really enjoyed this one, despite being stopped from being all my own work by 13a and 21d, both new to me. LOL at 5d, great. Big thanks to setter and to Mr K.

  38. All done and dusted in bed this morning except for 8d because I have to write the long vertical ones horizontally and I didn’t have pen and paper with me. Very enjoyable indeed, then a depressingly long zoom Art Society committee meeting – 2 hours, and have spent the whole afternoon typing up the minutes – what a waste of a day. Hope none of them are on this blog. Utterly freezing too and meant to be meeting friends tomorrow outside for a pub lunch. Ghastly idea, on with the thermals.

  39. Oh dear – a “just me” day by the sound of it.
    I really enjoyed this very much so maybe I should be pleased that it took so long – my excuse is that our bedroom is in the loft and it was so noisy and windy that I’m not sure I went to sleep at all which always makes me very dim!
    I’m definitely one who’s never been known to complain about anagrams.
    Even though it was an anagram I had to have about three attempts at spelling 26a.
    I think my favourite was probably 5d but lots of other brilliant clues too.
    Thanks to X-Type and to Mr K.

  40. Started with the right hand side as 8d just wrote itself in for some strange reason.
    Needed to write down the letters from the other anagrams though.
    9d gave me a hard time as I thought the second word would be engineer or scientist of a kind.
    Liked 5d. The first time I heard that word was in an ad which ended with nowt taken out. Hovis bread maybe. Can’t quite remember.
    Thanks to Xtype and to Mr K.

  41. Pretty straightforward although not heard of 8d or 21d. Obviously heard of the Yorkshire word in 5d but in Leicestershire we would say note, so owt for nowt would be intoned ote for note. Long live regional dialects. I knew I couldn’t spell 28a so I looked it up. I just had to watch the cricket clip as on reading the clue the same incident popped into my head. I remember the controversy at the time, I’m with Richie Benaud absolutely disgraceful. Favourite 18a. Thanks to X-Type and Mr. K.

  42. We’re amazed that in all our combined many years we had never heard of 8d. Got it easily enough from the definition and wordplay and even pretty much worked out its precise meaning. We live and learn.
    Pleasant solve.

  43. 1*/4*….
    did not really fancy the stewed bat & Marmite paste in 7D.

  44. Thanks X-Type for a fun yet cryptic solve. – Especially after yesterday’s torture. **/****

  45. I’m very late getting round to posting today. I completed the puzzle over breakfast and coffee, and have been out playing cricket since 10:30 am. Our match was 60 miles away but it was actually very pleasant to be able to drive such a distance as well as doing the car the world of good. The weather provided challenging conditions which varied between cloudy, rainy and very chilly one minute followed by glorious sunshine the next. At least it was good to be doing something active outside and we won an exciting match.

    2*/4*. I enjoyed the puzzle a lot and didn’t find it too difficult despite putting in “rocket designer” for 9d initially which held me up in the SW corner. 5d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to X-Type and to Mr K.

    1. Did you win? If so, by how many runs and wickets – sorry “outs”?

  46. How come I’ve never come across X-Type before? I’ve been reading this blog for ages. Anyway this was very enjoyable apart from my inability to solve the anagram in 1a and get the second word in 9d (d’oh). Other than that it was fairly plain sailing although I hadn’t heard of the 13a mineral. Thanks to X-Type and Mr K.

  47. We made 185-9 in our 40 overs. They were 155-6 off 35 so in with a good chance, but we took 3 more wickets for only 6 runs in their final 5 overs.

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