DT 30292

67 comments on “DT 30292”

1. Truly we have been spoiled these last couple of days. Another super backpager with enough chewiness to merit appearing towards the end of the week. A couple of quirky surfaces but once again not a duff clue from start to finish. I find I’ve ticked fully a third of the clues so must be more discerning in my list of Hon Mentions, now restricted to 18a, 29a, 12d & 21d, with COTD going to 5d.

   2.5* / 4*

   Many thanks to the Setter, and of course to Mr K – great pictures as ever, with my favourite being that at 1d.

2. Xcellent puzzle from one of my favourite setters, this was right up my street with some creative wordplay and super containment indicators in particular.
   Virtually every clue (with the exception of 17a, where I’m all for giving setter’s artistic licence but…) was worth a place on the podium, however I’ll highlight 27&28a plus 2,6&21d as being especially enjoyable with top spot going to the very smart 23d.
   Many thanks to ProXimal (who I’m pretty sure we have again on Sunday) and Mr K.

   1. On Sunday as the Toughie setter?

      1. Yes Senf, don’t panic I wasn’t referring to the Sunday Prize Puzzle!

   2. According to the list on the old site you will be seeing Robyn again on Sunday Toughie duty. I was expecting Zandio but he must have a day off,
      I have a day off too as I am going to Dublin on Sunday to see Bruce and the E St Band.
      Gazza has offered to hint for you,
      I will try and see if I can join in between songs and or pints of the black stuff if connection not too spotty

      1. Have a great time in Dublin, John! [One of my all-time favourite Bloomsday ‘days’ (16 June 1972) in one of my favourite cities.] Are you flying? Godspeed, however you travel. Great love from me to the Boss! My kind of rock star artist.

         1. At Mama Bee’s requirements it is just a flying visit by ferry, but the interregnum between the concert finishing and the ferry home will be spent on a Bloomsday Ramble fron Donnybrook, Sandymount, Temple Bar and maybe a Gorgonzola Sandwich in Davy Byrnes.
            If Jane is here, I will be crossing the Menai Strait at sparrows fart on Sunday but would be available for a cup of coffee about midday on Monday, would you recommend somewhere? or even like to meet? I couldnt stop long as niece is looking after Mama Bee and expects me home before dark

      2. You lucky fella. Enjoy

3. I thought this was relatively light for a Friday finishing in my 2.5* time with thirty of the clues 5* standard for enjoyment.

   I was really savouring this, working my way round as usual NW -> NE -> SE and then my joy was shattered when I discovered 19d, which contains one of my several (arguably irrational!) bugbears. However, Mr K’s picture for this clue did lighten my mood considerably!

   Thanks to Mr 4X and to Mr K.

   1. Good afternoon, RD.
      Just out of curiosity and ever willing to learn, what is your issue with 19d, please?

      1. According to RD, one should never ever ever refer to that chess piece as a castle

         1. My limerick from Feb 2017:

            He’ll argue with all of his pluck
            This man who reads a chess book
            He’s called Rabbit Dave
            And he’ll swear to his grave
            Not castle but always a rook.
            

            1. 😎

      2. Shabbo, hopefully this will not start a long debate with a certain other member of the commentariat but, as a passionate chess lover, in my book a rook is absolutely not a castle.

         1. Can’t imagine who that “certain member” might be – probably some awkward devil! This is what BD had to say on the subject in Feb 2017. I’ll say no more

            Big Dave

            February 26, 2017 at 4:29 pm
            Welcome to the blog Mark

            The bottom line is that, whatever the purists think, castle = rook = castle in crossword terms.

         2. Thank you and sorry to have opened that particular can of worms!

4. Unlike Mr K, i found today’s crossword very tricky indeed, but I usually have trouble with the Friday compilers. It had some very clever clues, as I appreciated, when I finally completed it. I liked the well-hidden anagram 13d the charade 19d and the 7d lego clue but my COTD was the homophone Spoonerism 5d. Thanks tto the compiler for a good brain work-out and to Mr K for the hints and cat pictures.

5. Definitely not 3d so it must be Friday!
   Still looking at a fairly empty grid after 10 minutes but it gradually began to fill up from the bottom. Electronic assistance needed to complete the last few.
   Favourites include 4d where it was good to see an alternative to the overworked “newspaper boss” for once and also a different king in 21d.
   Thanks to the hinter for the explanations of 10a (I learned a new definition), 26a (printer’s spaces always catch me) and 7d (obvious now with the hint).
   Thanks also to the setter for keeping me occupied on this cold, grey and about to be rainy morning.

6. I overshot my target by ten minutes so, for me, this was a 3 for difficulty. Maybe 4 for enjoyment or am I causing inflation?
   Very enjoyable and very satisfying.
   Thanks to all once again.

7. Most enjoyable but not that easy. Needed help to understand 11a 6d 21d and 23d. Thank you to whomever set this and Mr K for his blog and the wonderful selection of pics. Ps I think the quick pun has three words.

   1. Hi Celia. Pun explanation now fixed. Thanks for pointing that out.

8. In the quick crossword pun include the italicised clue 8 Blockhead ie Chump to make Parachute Jump (did 50 thereof).

   1. I’m guessing you must either have been in the services, an instructor, or have raised one heck of a lot of money for charity, Mac! You’ve certainly got a better head for heights and more trust in your kit than I think I could ever muster …

9. An excellent puzzle – thanks to proXimal and Mr K (whose ability to find a never-ending supply of amusing cat-related pictures is extremely impressive).
   My ticks went to 18a, 6d, 12d and 21d.

10. Of those who have commented so far, I’m with Chriscross, proXXXXimal kept me occupied, but as enjoyably entertained, for longer than he normally does – 3.5*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 6a, 18a, 23a, 7d, 12d, and 15d (and probably a few more) – and the winner is 18a.

    Thanks to proXimal and Mr K.

11. Satisfying solve in 1.5* time.
    Perhaps rather mild for a Friday.
    Only hesitation parsing the wretched Spooner.
    Thanks to all involved.

    1. I hate the Spooner ones as well and it was my last in!

       1. Ditto! As soon as I see Spooner, my brain (what there is of it) goes blank.

          1. I hate spoonerisms. They upset up my plaster man. 😎

             1. I always forget. that the inner spelling does not have to be the same. It is the spoken sound that matters. Hence my delay with this Spooner clue.

12. Good fun, not too difficult and with some excellent clues to keep us on our toes. This was a puzzle for my trusty pin to select a favourite, and the winner was 5d (and I don’t normally pick a Spoinerism, but it was a cracker).

    Thanks to the X Man and Mr K.

13. This wasn’t a walk in the park for me but I enjoyed it greatly. Daisygirl, your recent ( tongue in cheek?) plea for crochet or needlework clues obviously did not fall on deaf ears, was my first thought on seeing 3d. Lots to like today and after a little head scratching in the NE corner podium places go to 5d, 7d and COTD 8d. Thanks to ProXimal for the workout and Mr K for the less than excited cat pic at1a.

14. There is a third part to the pun in the quick crossword at 8 across

    1. You’ve changed your alias so this needed moderation. All the aliases you’ve used so far will work in the future.

15. I found this puzzle quite tricky with some tough parsing and a a high enjoyment level so going for a ****/****
    Favourite was 7d followed by 21d, very topical at the moment.
    Thanks to our setter and Mr K

16. Managed this one alone and unaided, though did need Mr K’s help with some parsings (29a, 29a and 23d) .
    Surprised myself at 10a by remembering the wine only ever seen in crosswords.
    More enjoyable for me than yesterday’s.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K. Those cat pics are wonderful, as usual.

    Absolutely miserable weather up here . Drizzly, overcast and distinctly cool. Sadly more of the same is forecast for tomorrow.

17. Not my favourite puzzle of the week but great compensations to be had in the shape of Mr K’s felines – particularly the indifferent one at 1a.
    Clues I most enjoyed were 1,20&29a plus 4&23d.

    Thanks to proXimal and to Mr K and his merry band.

18. Good fun although the NE held out the longest. Love the cat with the eyebrows. Thanks to all.

19. Good puzzle with some excellent clues inc 11a and 5d. I struggled with 26a because I always forget those printers terms. Took me a little while to understand my answer to 23d.
    Thx to all
    **/***

20. Not bad speed for a Friday for me. Completed (which I haven’t always of late) though Hobnob-assisted.
    As others, a fair bit of reverse engineering was required but that’s all part of the fun. Quite a lot of sparkle and wit but 21 takes the biscuit.I
    Many thanks setter and the wonderfully illustrative Mr K.

21. Thought I’d finished it except when I looked at the answer for 24d . I equated using to “high” and somehow introduced a new word for humour into the English language.
    Not as difficult as some Fridays but a terrific puzzle. Thanks to all.

    1. I nearly went in the ‘high’ direction too, Fran.

22. Haven’t had much success on the Wednesday and Thursday puzzles this week and can’t say Friday was much better. Needed lots of hints and tricks to get through it.

    Today, for me 4*/2*

    Favourites were were few but include 27a, 6d, 19d, 21d & 25d with winner 6d

    Not a fan of this puzzle as hinted in the opening but that’s just my opinion. Found it very convoluted and not easy to parse. Guess it’s a setter wavelength thing.

    Thanks to setter and Mr K.

23. Sorry but I’m bucking the trend because I didn’t get on with this at all. Had only four after the first pass and it stayed that way for ages. I needed far too much help for it to be enjoyable so I’m putting it down as a DNF and moving on to another day.

    Many thanks to the setter for the crossword and I’m sorry I could not do it justice. Thank you, Mr. K. for the much needed hints and for the many pusskits, which cheered me up no end.

    I also thought the pun was “Parachute jump”.

    1. I am joining you here. Just cannot get started.

    2. I’m in your camp, this was too much like swimming in molasses.

24. A lovely puzzle, just right for a Friday.
    Ticks all over the place – even the Spoonerism!
    I took forever to get 24d, which looks so obvious now!

25. In a state of shock here, as I was able to complete most of this puzzle on my own, on a Friday, what a nice surprise. Thanks to Mr K for the lovely pictures, some of which I did need to finish. Definitely on the lighter side for a Friday, but not easy, IMHO. Thanks to the setter for a friendly challenge.

26. Straightforward and enjoyable for me. I spotted the four X’s but only after I’d put them in. Favourite was 7d. Thanks to ProXimal and Mr. K. Just a thought, why is the chess move called castling and not rooking? 😁

    1. Maybe the protective wall of pawns and rook around the King form a defensive “castle” stronger than the rook on its own can do

       1. but you can castle without any pawns being there at all. Castling involves the king and castle.

          1. Agreed and I always took it to mean “The king is retreating to his castle”, which King Charles lll will no doubt do tomorrow, sling his shoes off and have a beer! 🇬🇧

27. ‘Twas a relief to find I still have some marbles after yesterday’s poor showing. Today’s workout was likeable with just a bit of a sticky patch in the NW mainly due to my having bunged in 1a wrongly. Not keen on Spoonerisms and today’s is not one of the smoothest reads. Fav 18a with 23d running up. Thank you proXimal and MrK.

28. Another jim-dandy poser from one of our Friday triumvirate tricksters. Just a good, steady solve for me last night, with ticks all over the place. And, mainly because it’s so timely–as well as having received lots of good, upbeat coverage over here–I must choose 21d as my favourite. Why not? Thanks to Mr K and proXimal. 2.5*/4*

    1. Re the quickie pun: I must confess that, at age 20, on one of my daftest days while holidaying in the Big Apple, I rode the ‘Parachute Jump’ out at Coney Island. Almost 65 years later, I’m still shaking my head over that spine-chilling act of bravado and sheer madness. But, boy, did I ever get some mileage from that true story of puerile heroism when I returned to the halls of academe.

29. Thanks to Mr K for the review and to commenters for comments.

30. Finished after a very tedious day with lots of sitting around on the M25. As yesterday I had very few answers after the first and second go but eventually I made progress. I needed Mr Ks help to parse several of them eg 26a, 23d and 10a. 18a was my favourite once the penny dropped and I love the cat pic.
    Many thanks to Proximal and to Mr K for the hints and pics, delightful as ever.

31. A DNF for me, what with my carelessness and obscure clues. I know I cannot spell the soup and need to look it up, nevertheless I spelt it incorrectly – and it was an anagram to boot, all the more reason to hang my head in shame. I also wrote in the right answer for 15d and omitted one letter, doubling up with another – that’s just plain dim. The SE was my failure, four unsolved. I had problems for the “why” of those I did bung in, so huge thanks to Mr. K.
    Thanks ProXimal, and to Mr. K for the kitty pics, particularly 1d.
    We’re full steam ahead with the Coronation here, lots of broadcasts from dear old London Town, and the full Coronation is set to broadcast tomorrow. I hope they haven’t left out the Handel Coronation March of Zadok the Priest, I love it, so moving. Oops, I have gone on a bit!

32. Good evening.
    Talk of Dr Spooner reminds me of that morning when I switched on Radio 4 to hear a quavering-voiced Jim Naughtie apologise for having been caught out by Spooner when introducing “Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary!”
    I was even moved to write a Clerihew:
    The Revd Dr Spooner
    Will get you later if not sooner
    Hence every radio DJ is
    Careful to enunciate: ah…Bucks…ah…Fizz!
    Anyway, to the crozzie. Took ages to get going, but I hope I’ve made up for yesterday’s abysmal show. A most well-deserved “Crikey!” when the answer to 5d finally penetrated my brain-cell.
    Thanks to proXimal and to Mr K

    1. Was in the class below Mr Naughtie at school.

33. Blimey, two consecutive Friday finishes…that’ll probably come to an end if Zandio is on duty next week! Anyway, enjoyed the tussle, so thanks to proXimal and Mr K for explaining some of the clues.

34. Enjoyed the crossword, finished unaided, but please could someone explain the usual red wine in 10A please

    1. Tent – a red wine from Spain.

35. Late to this as only just back from our golfing jaunt. Super puzzle to follow T’s splendid back page debut yesterday. Nobody has singled out 1a for a mention which I thought an excellent starter. Ticks aplenty but fav a toss up between 10a&12d. If the eyelids play ball may tackle yesterday’s Beam guzzle later which I didn’t get round to.
    Thanks to proXimal & to Mr K whose review I’ll now read

36. First Friday in ages that was solved unaided.

    The wine in 10a was new to me also.

    Enjoyable and challenging.

    Thanks to all.

37. I liked this challenge but didn’t quite complete it unaided as I had entered an incorrect start to 5d so couldn’t complete 1a or as a result 2d so I did a check for mistakes and realised my mistake at 5d. Favourite was 12. Thanks to proXimal and Mr K

38. 3*/3* …
    liked 6D “Rent low, but rising for eatery (3,4)”
    and the disapproving feline in the hint to 1A.

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