DT 30067 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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DT 30067

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30067

Hints and tips by Mr K

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BD Rating  -  Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Tuesday and a puzzle that fits perfectly in this slot. 

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    A ruler can set out to follow up very popular speech (10)
VERNACULAR:  An anagram (set out) of A RULER CAN follows the single letter for very 

6a    Discard last of food? That's annoying situation (4)
BIND:  Discard or trash with the last letter of FOOD 

10a   Go round  woman's garment (5)
SKIRT:  A straightforward double definition

 

11a   First person wearing simple medal is placid (4-5)
EASY-GOING:  A first person pronoun inserted in (wearing) the fusion of a synonym of simple and an informal word for a medal or award 

12a   Redeployment of PCs later characterised by haunting fear? (8)
SPECTRAL:  An anagram (redeployment of) PCS LATER 

13a   Popular support from the East for Asian country (5)
INDIA:  A usual word for popular with the reversal (from the East, in an across clue) of support or assist 

15a   Put up with terrible host entertaining most of club (7)
STOMACH:  An anagram (terrible) of HOST containing (entertaining) all but the last letter of (most of) a spiky club

17a   European has fanciful dream to acquire large gemstone (7)
EMERALD:  The single letter for European followed an anagram (fanciful) of DREAM containing (to acquire) the clothing abbreviation for large

19a   Insult from female in a revolutionary group (7)
AFFRONT:  The single letter for female is placed between A from the clue and a revolutionary group 

21a   Dismiss after chatter source of heat (3,4)
GAS FIRE:  Dismiss or sack comes after an informal word for chatter 

22a   Account put in words lacking introduction to be precise (5)
EXACT:  An abbreviation for account is inserted in (put in) all but the first letter (lacking introduction) of some generic words 

24a   Artist with spouse keeping odd parts of sign in Kent town (8)
RAMSGATE:  A usual artist with a spouse or partner containing (keeping) the odd letters of SIGN 

27a   Cricket side on green, perhaps, having a minor complaint? (3-6)
OFF-COLOUR:  One side of a cricket pitch followed by what green defines by example (perhaps

28a   Modify site frequented by ministers, it's said (5)
ALTER:  A homophone (it’s said) of a location where ministers might be found when working

29a   In retreat, left top herb (4)
DILL:  The reversal (in retreat) of both the single letter for left and a top for a jar, perhaps 

30a   Male strips off getting backward flow of air? (10)
SLIPSTREAM:  An anagram (off) of MALE STRIPS 

 

Down

1d    Start to value a means of saving official document (4)
VISA:  The starting letter to VALUE with the abbreviation for a type of savings account 

2d    Overcoat is designed for pair? No! (9)
RAINPROOF:  An anagram (designed) of FOR PAIR NO 

3d    One opposing leader of crazy prank (5)
ANTIC:  A person opposing something is followed by the first letter of (leader of) CRAZY 

4d    Discover menu near these sandwiches (7)
UNEARTH:  The letter combination formed by words two, three, and four hides (sandwiches) the answer 

5d    Sailor loves to be at sea and free of responsibility (7)
ABSOLVE:  A usual sailor with an anagram (to be free) of LOVES 

7d    Trouble arising in papers? It's a long saga (5)
ILIAD:  The reversal (arising, in a down clue) of trouble or afflict is inserted in the abbreviation for identification papers 

8d    Officer associated with a boxer, maybe (3,7)
DOG HANDLER:  Cryptic definition of a police officer who works with what boxer defines by example (maybe

9d    Principally gauge traditional punishment in America? It has repellent nature (8)
UGLINESS:  The first letter (principally) of GAUGE and a traditional school punishment are together inserted in an abbreviation for America 

14d   Outlet getting stick about area's emergency facility (6,4)
ESCAPE ROAD:  An outlet or exit is followed by a stick or pole containing (about) the single letter for area 

16d   Fuss over dubious point for choosing of candidate? (8)
ADOPTION:  Some fuss or bother followed by an anagram (dubious) of POINT 

18d   Peer over note that encapsulates liberal philosopher of old (9)
ARISTOTLE:  An informal word for a peer is followed by one of musical notes popularized by The Sound of Music that contains (encapsulates) the single letter for Liberal 

20d   Work to import exotic rum creates commotion (7)
TURMOIL:  Work or strive containing (to import) an anagram (exotic) of RUM 

21d   Fool in turn gets to leave out sweet (7)
GUMDROP:  The reversal (in turn) of a fool or patsy is followed by a verb meaning “leave out” 

23d   A week following central element in cult is hideous (5)
AWFUL:  Concatenate A from the clue, the single letter for week, the single letter for following, and the central element in CULT 

25d   What's needed for transplants is hard work (5)
GRAFT:  A double definition. The answer might be used to form connections in organ transplant surgery 

 

26d   Proper politician put up to defend religious instruction (4)
PRIM:  The reversal (put up, in a down clue) of a usual politician containing (to defend) the abbreviation for religious instruction 

 

Thanks to today’s setter. Good fun with no stand out favourite for me. Which clues did you like best?


The Quick Crossword pun:  POLE + STIR = POLLSTER


111 comments on “DT 30067

  1. Found this to be more of a *** for difficulty but then I often do with Tuesdays setter who verbosity usually confuses me.
    Needed the excellent hints to explain 15a and 21d but still cannot fully parse 22a!
    For me just an OK puzzle, nothing outstanding.
    Thx to all
    ***/**

    1. For 22a, working backwards: take the abbreviation for “account” out of your answer, then stick a T on the front of what’s left and you have the “words”. Hope that helps!.

    2. I had the answer but couldn’t justify it against the clue. Always a sign that I am off wavelength. And yes, definitely more like a ***.

  2. Pleasingly straightforward for a cooler Tuesday morning with very little to scare the nags. I liked the surface of 16d, but my top clue was 30a.

    Thanks to both Misters involved in today’s production.

  3. Enjoyable enough but maybe just lacking the “wow” factor.
    1a and 8d were my picks.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  4. In 18D, “liberal” does not properly indicate L: it is an abbreviation for “Liberal”.

      1. My comment is concerned with what it says in the clue, and not directed towards the blogger, who is, I’m sure, correctly interpreting the setter’s intention. Accuracy is a paramount feature of setting crosswords, and it is not all right to use erroneous indications of letters simply to achieve a desired surface reading for a clue. This is not a matter of splitting hairs.

        1. I take your point Mr Fish and withdraw my comment. I suspect there’s a typo in the clue and the word “liberal” should have been capitalised.

        2. Well spotted, Mr Fish and Smylers – an incisive bit of pedantry. Definitely one that slipped through the net. Personally, and decidedly with the benefit of hindsight, I would have gone for some misdirection with “… Latin philosopher of old”

          1. Thanks for dropping in, Jose, and thanks also for the nicely diverting puzzle. Yes, the use of “Latin” would indeed have provided good misdirection but, alas, that abbreviation doesn’t appear under L in the Telegraph’s list of allowable single letter abbreviations. There’s always “student” (which does appear) to fall back on, of course, although I’ve never really been very convinced by that one (given that it’s a remote stand in for “learner” (driver)).

              1. I have a copy of it as I’m a test solver for one of the Toughie setters: the same list is used for both the Toughie and back page cryptic series – so all the Telegraph setters will have it. I don’t know if it’s available on the web somewhere. It would be good to have it published on this site should Chris Lancaster be agreeable to the suggestion.

                1. Indeed, Mr K, I always thought that the “rules” were governed by dictionary references … not by the DT Editor’s own list of abbreviations. Apparently not!

                  Anyway, it’s just a crossword …

                  1. Latin = L was used in Telegraph cryptics prior to roughly 2017 but not, as far as I can see, since. So while it is in Chambers, it may well be missing from the current editor’s list of approved abbreviations.

                    1. So, liberal = L (not in the BRB) is allowed but Latin = L (in the BRB) apparently isn’t allowed. What are us solvers meant to make of that? Perhaps CL could give some info in the next Newsletter?

            1. I also find the convention student = L strange, both because the route to the abbreviation is indirect and also because the phrase student driver is an Americanism.

            2. MF. Latin = L not being “officially” allowed has left me flabbergasted. Incidentally, I was only suggesting (with the benefit of hindsight and your origianal comment) how I would alter the clue to make it work – I’ not a setter.

        3. Hello, MF. You are quite right about the incorrect abbreviation for liberal (or illegal de-capitalisation of Liberal). I agree with you that accuracy should matter, and when I started hinting a few years ago I used to highlight issues such the one you brought up. But I gradually formed the opinion that almost nobody here cares, so I stopped doing that. I might have to rethink that decision if this thread generates a lot of discussion. I’ve amended the hint to use Liberal rather than liberal.

          I was more bothered today by 27a’s use of A on B to indicate the juxtaposition A B. The convention, respected by almost all compilers, is that in an across clue that construction indicates B A.

          1. You are right Mr Kitty. Not many on this blog are going to be bothered by such a trivial point. We solve for fun and the satisfaction of completion and we come here to discuss our progress, not to be lectured by stuffy types who get their knickers in a twist over nothing. I said recently that I doubted that anyone in Telegraph Towers gives much of a fig about what is said on this blog. I hope that is the case today

            1. Agree Miffypops. I have always thought that Big Dave set up this blog to aid veterans and newbies to cryptics, so that we can complete a puzzle, or figure out a clue that is driving us bonkers. And that we are asked to leave our comments, so that others can either feel pleased with their progress, or take comfort in not being alone when a puzzle is unusually difficult. Personally, I never wish to question the setter, although sometimes I might wonder why the clue could not have been a tad more friendly. But as you say, solving or not is not a major life event. And DNF is not terrible.

          2. Thank you Mr K for your considered response. I am a setter for the FT (as well as a solver of puzzles appearing there and elsewhere) and am fully aware of the difficulties inherent in crafting good cryptic clues which abide by Ximenean principles. It would be a great pity if this site were to be used merely as a forum for people who apparently care little about sound clue construction to discuss their progress in solving puzzles. I can, of course, see the value in the opportunity to compare such experiences and should not wish to stand in the way of that, but I do not believe that that was solely why this site was set up in the first place. What I should find useful is the opportunity to discuss clue construction here in a rational and well-mannered way, without being gratuitously accused of being some sort of anal-retentive. That is offensive, and such comments should have no place here. Clue-setting is an art, and it is not doing setters any favours if we are discouraged from discussing, in a considered way, whether or not clues are soundly-constructed.

            1. I’m off to watch paint dry. Maybe there is a forum for your comments Mr Fish but I think it is elsewhere. And rules are made to be broken

              1. Hello, MP. In the past you have, quite rightly, celebrated the diversity of blogging styles here as a strength of the site and defended the right of commenters to say pretty much anything that isn’t offensive.

                What happened?

                1. Nothing changed. I just cannot see why compilers need to be constrained by Ximenean principles written in the last century. All art evolves. The pushing of boundaries is exciting. Petty quibbling over an upper or lower case letter is exactly that. Petty. And if it ok for anybody to say anything, why am I being criticised for doing just that?

                  1. But you told Mr Fish to go elsewhere with his remarks!

                    You can’t have it both ways, MP.

                    You need to apologise otherwise the blog risks losing him which would be a tragedy.

                    1. Unfortunately you’re too late. Mr Fish has emailed me to say that he won’t be commenting further as a result of the abusive response he received.
                      As you say we can ill afford to lose someone with his experience of setting and solving.

                    2. Don’t tell BD, Gazza, as he won’t be a happy bunny.

                      What a complete nightmare this has been.

                      So disappointing.

                    3. What a sorry state of affairs which runs totally counter to the ethos built up by BD for this wonderful site. I too was subjected to similar abuse several years ago and have chosen to ignore the perpetrator.

                      We should all be free to express our opinions and debate our differences without fear of rancour or rudeness, but very sadly this is not always the case.

                    4. That’s dreadful. Gazza, a great shame. Mr Fish’s comments tend to be fascinating and are entirely appropriate for this site: it would be a great pity to lose future contributions from someone of his experience and background in setting crosswords.

                      On a site I used to help moderate a guiding principle for posters was “if you’re not interested in someone’s comment, don’t be rude just scroll on by” – not dissimilar to No.2 on this site’s Etiquette guide.

                  2. MP. You’ve been rightly criticised for the following reasons:

                    1. You were unnecessarily rude and abusive to Mr Fish, who made a perfectly reasonbale observation about a clue – one of the very things that this blog is for! And being regular blogger makes it even worse.

                    2. You’ve contradicted your own voiced advice/opinion that abuse/rudeness shouldn’t be tolerated on here.

                    3. You apparently won’t apologise – a new reason for criticism.

                    You DID ask!

                    My advice to you is – apologise!

                  1. As a regular reader and user of this site (thank you!), I hesitate to make my maiden contribution in such a controversial thread…but I don’t think enjoyment/seeing the answer to a clue that was driving me mad, on the one hand, and technical clue construction, explanation, and critical comment on the other, are mutually exclusive. As a newish solver, I welcome expert comment from experienced setters and bloggers. It’s a bit odd for someone not being able to give that point of view without being, frankly, abused. Quite sad really.

                    1. Well done for delurking Pingle390 (I’m dying to know the story with your name but it’s got nowt to do with me – a penguin who, once they pop, they can’t stop?)

                      It is indeed a shame that your comment was one you didn’t envisage but, as it was your first, it will carry more weight than one from a regular contributor.

            2. Agree 100% and I’d be happy to see more discussion here about the technical aspects of cryptic crosswords. I believe that solvers should value adherence to the conventions of cryptic grammar, not least because, as with music and art, understanding the structure of the art form and the constraints imposed on the compiler increases our appreciation of their work.

              In puzzles like the Telegraph back-pagers, minor deviations from the rules don’t usually cause a problem because most solvers can work out what the compiler intended. But in more challenging puzzles, the solver really needs to feel confident that rules are being followed to the letter.

              Having done some research, I have to amend my comment above about using liberal for L. I don’t understand why it is allowed, but it is used in most of the major newspapers:

               

              Is old liberal country first to drop segregation? (9) ISOLATION Daily Telegraph Cryptic 29463 8 Sep 2020
              That woman’s call to back a liberal dissident (9) HERETIC Indy 10729 3 Mar 2021
              Compilers welcoming liberal pioneers (8) SETTLERS Guardian Cryptic 28304 30 Nov 2020
              A question and answer about liberal state (6) ALASKA Sunday Time Cryptic 4963 11 Jul 2021
              1. I’m 100% with you, Mr K, and with Mr Fish. I find it very depressing that a ‘bung in’ philosophy seems to have invaded this blog with correct parsing being mocked. It was BD who has said on more than occasion that if you can’t explain your answer don’t write it in. Personally I can’t understand what enjoyment anyone gets from filling in answers without understanding why just to get a full grid.

                1. Well said, Gazza.

                  For readers who don’t know about it, BD has a entire secondary site http://crypticcrosswords.net/ (linked off the main menu above) dedicated to the technical aspects of cryptic crosswords. Every Monday his creation Rookie Corner hosts a lot of enthusiastic discussion about the construction of cryptic clues. I have no doubt that he would approve of this thread.

            3. I’m with you all the way, Fishy.

              Anything is fair game on this blog.

              If intricacies aren’t your ‘thang’ then let those discuss it forensically in one corner of this wonderful playground and go to another group who are talking about a subject that may prick up your ears.

              1. Reminds me of a purported Times clue from many years ago….
                Listen out for sexual deviation
                5,2,4,4

      2. In fairness to Mr Fish, that’s not a quibble with Mr K’s (excellent) explanations, but with the clue itself.

        Chambers lists L as standing for many things, including the words ‘lake’, ‘left’, and ‘litre’, and also the party name ‘Liberal’. So the name ‘Liberal’ can be abbreviated to L, but the ordinary word ‘liberal’ — ­for instance in “a liberal helping of Marmite” — can’t really, so I suppose the clue is flawed.

        I see that also among the words that can abbreviate to L is ‘licentiate’. Who uses that word so frequently that they need to abbreviate it? And has it ever been used to indicate L in Telegraph crossword?

        1. Twice in one blog entry that I’ve made a reply within a minute of somebody else saying pretty much the same thing, but mine appears second!

          Clearly I need to type faster (or, just not bother replying, on the grounds that somebody else will get there anyway) …

        2. Hi, Smylers. I can’t find any clue using “licentiate” in wordplay, but it has appeared as an answer in a few puzzles. The best of those efforts, by far, is this 2004 Rufus clue from Guardian Cryptic 23300:

          Having a diploma might give one a nice title (10)

        3. Licentiate forms part of certain professional qualifications, such as Licentiate of Dental Surgery, and so is commonly abbreviated in post-nominal letters (eg LDS).

    1. Life’s too short to micro manage the trivial nonsenses that are cryptic crossword puzzles

      1. Did you grow those MP? and are they spring onion or ordinary onions or even lumpy leeks!

        1. Nurse Ninepence grew then in her allotment. Sweetcorn at the top then different types of cooking onions. I’m only there to cut back the bramble, the nettles, the elderberry bushes and trees, tame the Hawthorne, build steps down to the stream, burn the old rotten shed, lay a base for a new shed, build a new shed, take van loads of rubbish to the tip, erect new fences and look handsome in the sunshine all while re spraying and rebuilding grandson number one’s old bike for grandson number two so it looks like a completely new bike and find time for the pub. Did I say life’s too short. Now you know

  5. Nicely tricky in places and very enjoyable Tuesday fare. It’s amazing how many different ways that old philosopher can be clued, isn’t it? I particularly liked 9d, 1a, & 15a. Thanks to Mr K and today’s setter. ** / ***

  6. I ffound this more difficult than a 2* crossword too. The wordplay of the compiler is a masterpiece of obfuscation, which I am not clever enough ro decipher easily. I finished it eventually, but a lot of the clues were like wading through treacle. COTD for me was 1a, a cleverly misdirected Lego clue, which had me fooled.24a was a great geographical clue, which evoked happy childhood memories, 30a a clever anagram and 7d a short but sweet GK clue. Thanks to Mr K for the hints, there were a dood few I dad to check as they were partly guesswork, and thanks for the cats. Thanks to the compiler too.

  7. Amazingly, another unaided completion. It must be the orange juice with no bits doing its magic.
    No Roman togas; not even a mondegreen.

    Thanks to the setter and The Celebrated Mr K.
    Beatles on Tuesday:

  8. A pleasant stroll through this */*** offering. However my density or more likely laziness of thought meant I had to resort to Mr K’s hints to understand the middle section of my answer to 7d having failed to spot the relevance of arising. My favourite was the nicely concealed lurker in 4d. Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

  9. This one really didn’t do it for me, but at least there were 32 clues in which to contain all those anagrams – 9, nearly 30% of the puzzle. Some good ‘hummm, food for thought” clues, though too many awkward surface readings and I thought 8d a weak clue, just about saved by the ‘maybe’. Hon Mention to 23d with COTD 7d.

    2* / 1*

    Thank you to the setter and to Mr K.

  10. For me, not Typically Tuesdayish in both difficulty and enjoyment, definitely not a Mr Plumb production – ***/***.

    Candidates for favourite – 10a, 27a, and 25d – and the winner is 25d.

    Thanks to the setter and Mr K.

  11. A bit of head-scratching today, but lots to like with intricate clues and misdirection to keep the party going.
    Thanks to the setter and MrK for the review.

  12. Two excellent but very different puzzles to start the week. Ta to all.
    P.S. Has the good doctor finally been retired?

  13. Found this delightfully cryptic and managed to sail pleasantly through it. Would quibble a bit about “site” in 28a, “choosing” in 16d and “overcoat” in 2d. Not keen on abbreviated peer in 18d. Fav was 8d. TVM Messrs. Ron and K.

  14. A DNF for me, tidied up by Mr K’s (low kitty count) helpful hints. On which, 2d illustration is surely a caption competition and 25d a spot-the-difference.
    Many thanks to the setter and I’m only sorry I couldn’t do these fair clues justice.

    Anyone else remember the two Davids and the SLDP? I think that L is fair enough.

    1. You beat me to it with regard to 2d and 25d, G+D. As far as the caption is concerned, I could not possibly tell you what mine is! :grin:

    2. For some reason my earlier reply to you has vanished G+D. I said I agreed with you about 2d and 25d but my caption for 2d is not for publication! :grin:

      1. Thank you for the link, Mr K. I had wondered why you chose that particular illustration – now I know!

  15. Mostly plain sailing although the parsing of 22a did hold me up for a while as did finding the rafter for the Quickie pun.
    Top two here 15a & 9d.

    Thanks to our setter and to Mr K and his furry friends.

  16. I found this slightly more of a challenge than previous Tuesday offerings. I could not get “room” out of my mind for the second word of 14d and I don’t see where the first person comes into 11a, assuming I have it correct. I bunged in 22a without understanding the parsing and 15a stumped me because I forgot about that particular “club”.

    Many thanks to the setter for the teasing. Huge thanks to Mr. K. for the hints and pusscats.

    Weather in The Marches overcast and a bit humid so a great day for potting up cuttings to go in the cold frame.

    1. 11a. The medal (which in another use may be percussed) contains the first person singular, to get the second word.

      1. Or as Sr Humphrey Appleby expressed it in the YM episode “Skeleton in the cupboard”,

        “The individual in question is, it may surprise you to learn, one whom your present interlocutor is in the habit of defining by means of the perpendicular pronoun […] It was I”

        1. I also couldn’t get room out of my mind – I’ve heard of escape rooms but not escape roads!

          1. I’ve come across a few escape roads, which give you a short piece of road at the bottom of a very steep gradient to drive onto, presumably for those with faulty brakes, or those who misjudge the angle of slope. There used to be one on the way down to Lynmouth and another near Tintagel in Cornwall.

              1. I think I nput a pic of Blue Bank near Whitby in a recent blog. That certainly has an escape road.

                1. There are two escape roads on the steep hill below Taddington (on the A6) in Derbyshire. They are full of deep coarse sand so that even heavy lorries with brake failure will sink in, slow down and eventually stop.

  17. Quite a struggle, completed unaided.
    Steady progress leaving 14 and 21d and 15a to do.
    Seemed to get stuck until pennies dropped.
    Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

  18. Like Jane had a rafter problem for last in 1a,used 5a to produce the quickie pun with 1a and voila!
    Going for a **/*** as per Mr K, enjoyable solve with no obscurities today.
    Liked 27a and 8d, sound cluing throughout with no stand out favourite.

  19. 1.5*/2.5*. A light and pleasant puzzle with no particular favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K.

  20. Thoroughly enjoyed today’s puzzle although I did struggle at first .
    It did seem to annoy some but hey ho lifes a bitch and then you die .

  21. I enjoyed this a lot once I got my blasted Kindle to download the paper – have resorted to ordering another one. Last one in for me was 1a which I stared at for ages. It is just me or does there seem to have rather a lot of ‘sniping’ over the last few days? Not very nice really. Perhaps the clever clogs should try setting crosswords of this calibre and see how they get on. Anyway, thanks to all but not many cat pictures today.

    1. Hi, Manders. Perhaps the sniping is a result of the heat wave I hear you’re all experiencing?

      I had to smile at your comment on sniping being followed by a gentle complaint about the lack of cat pics :) . This week my job restricted the time available to me to search for pics. There will probably be more next week.

      1. Hi Mr K – I must admit I did think it was a bit ‘cheeky’ of me to add the comment about the lack of cats, but I do love your cat pics!

        1. Hi, DG. Glad you liked raincoat cat. I’ve been sitting on that pic for months, waiting for a suitable clue to come along. Today’s 2d was just perfect for it.

          1. I loved it, too. I did wonder if Manders might have missed it and I see today that she did.

  22. Very enjoyable, with a few that required giving the “old” grey cells a work out 😃 ***/*** Favourites 24a, 28a & 4d. Thanks to Mr K and to Jose

  23. Doable again with the checkers helping on some of the more obscurantist clues. 7, 8, and 9d share the honours today.

    Many thanks to Mr K for his excellent work in unravelling some of the clues and to the setter.

  24. Found this a little more troublesome than the usual Tuesday offering.
    Some difficult clues today for my grey cells to process and decipher.
    3*/3* today.

    Favourites include 15a, 24a, 7d, 8d & 21d with winner 7d

    Thanks to setter and Mr K

  25. As straightforward as they come but enjoyable, I like Tuesdays. I didn’t notice the lack of a capital in 18d so it didn’t bother me. Favourite was 21d. Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

  26. This was a start at breakfast and finish over lunch puzzle today. Lots to like and some that were elusive. Thanks to the setter and the ever wonderful pictures from Mr K.

  27. Finally got there, the thing that Philip Larkin abhors getting in the way during the day. Good sense of achievement as not often finishing unaided. 15a very clever, also liked 24a.
    Good stuff for a Tuesday, thanks all.

  28. I was so expecting a pic of Robert Lindsay as ‘Wolfie’ next to the hint for 19a. Got off to a very slow start at the top, so finished from the bottom up. Enjoyed 11a.

  29. A dnf for me because of 15a.

    Apart from 15a, this was pretty straightforward. Only 1a held me up for a while.

    Thanks to all.

  30. Well. I am glad I came to this so late in the day(or early in the morning of the next day) I reckon that the hot and humid weather is really getting to us all. What a lot of reading! I think it might have undone the soporific effect of the hot chocolate and digestive biscuit. If I cannot get off to sleep now it will all be the fault of 18d.
    Many thanks to Messrs. Setter and Hinter. 24 and 30a were great clues.

  31. Well goodness me- I’m just creeping in briefly to say that I haven’t done very well with this week’s crosswords as I’m on holiday with my family in deepest Devon celebrating my 70th birthday. I’d just like to say thank you to everyone on this wonderful site.

    1. Happy birthday Granny Helen and deepest Devon is a lovely place to celebrate, especially with family!

  32. 3*/3*…
    liked 15A ” Put up with terrible host entertaining most of club (7)” & the pic in the hint thereto.

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