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DT 30301

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30301
Hints and tips by Huntsman

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **  –  Enjoyment ***

We have a fairly straightforward & very pleasant Tuesday puzzle which is nicely clued throughout & with some clever anagram indicators suiting the surface reads. No idea who the setter is or if it’s one of Mr Plumb’s grids. Apologies again for the absence of any illustrations as still getting the hang of this hinting malarkey so will leave the running until I’ve mastered the walking.

A beautiful sunny day here in Harpenden but unfortunately any notion of playing golf has been scuppered by a very painful arthritic right thumb so it’ll have to be a long walk in the sunshine instead with maybe the reward of a bite to eat & a pint in a local hostelry at the end of it.

In the following hints, definitions are underlined, indicators are mostly in parentheses, and answers are revealed by clicking where shown as usual. Please leave a comment below on how you got on with the puzzle.

Across

Complains conclusion of Dominic Raab’s heartless (5)
CRABS:  A topical surface read. Take the last letter of Dominic (conclusion) & append Raab’s less the middle letter (heartless)

4a What ships might do documents for travellers? (9)
PASSPORTS:  Split the wordplay 4/5 for what they do en route to their destination

9a  Announcing call to restrict energy drink (9)
REPORTING:  A synonym for call into which you insert (restrict) the single letter abbreviation for energy & a drink ideal with a nice bit cheese

10a Vile American with ample rear is ignored (5)
AWFUL:  Start with the single letter abbreviations for American & with then add a synonym for ample less the final letter (rear ignored)

11a Stylish base on a set of books (7)
ELEGANT:  A charade -start with the usual single letter for base, add the cricket term for on then append the A in the clue & a biblical set of books

12a Recorded ten deer playing (7)
ENTERED:  an anagram (playing) of ten deer

13a Hurry after the tailless bird (6)
THRUSH:  Add a synonym for hurry having started with THE from the clue with its last letter removed (tailless)

15a Boss’s welcoming hospital department’s trainees (8)
STUDENTS:  insert (welcoming) our favourite hospital department into a synonym for boss (plural)

18a Conflict diamonds I spot around Calgary regularly (8)
DISAGREE :  A charade starting with the single letter for diamonds as in the suit followed by I in the clue then add a synonym for spot into which you insert the alternate letters of Calgary (regularly)

20a Arrived with artist – source of pictures? (6)
CAMERA:  A synonym for arrived plus our usual two letter abbreviation for artist

23a Black bird removing hard obstacle (7)
BARRIER: Start with the single letter abbreviation for black & add a bird without the H (removing hard)

24a Rich female about to return hat (7)
FERTILE : Start with the single letter for female, add & reverse (to return) the usual for about & finish with a word for hat

26a Plug outside old sink (5)
STOOP:  find a synonym for plug in the sense of make tight then insert (outside) the single letter for old. The definition is a verb.

27a Fussy Welsh footballer backtracking over price (9)
ELABORATE:  A charade – start with & reverse (backtracking) a recently retired chap, rumoured to have been more fond of playing golf than football near the end of his career, then add the single letter for over & a synonym for price

28a Fish? Pop in chippy (9)
CARPENTER:  Despite the misleading surface read nowt to do with an outlet (we’ve an outstanding one in Harpenden) I visit more frequently than I ought to. Start with a type of fish & add a verb meaning to pop in for an informal term for a tradesman.

29a Ultimately caught that man with pink rag stealing (5)
THEFT:  Start with the last letter (ultimately) of caught then add a two letter pronoun for that man & finish with the economist’s choice of daily newspaper

 

Down

1d Repaired by George, grass covers court (9)
CORRECTED:  Took me a while to see this one. Start with an alternative way of saying by George then add a type of grass & insert (covers) a two letter abbreviation for court

2d Partly help partner climbing tree (5)
APPLE:  A reverse lurker

3d Unhappy eating before small feasts (7)
SPREADS :  a synonym for unhappy into which a term for before is inserted (eating) then append the single letter for small

4d Sounds like William maybe snaps (6)
PRINTS:  a homophone that will probably attract a comment or two. Think Harry’s brother & the things that need developing

5d Last of wedding guests organised after son proposes (8)
SUGGESTS:  An anagram (organised) of guests plus the last letter of wedding & the single letter for son

6d Bloomer editor fixed (7)
PLANTED:  A synonym for bloomer plus the usual two letter abbreviation for editor

7d Jobseeker might need this submissiveness to get new start (9)
REFERENCE:  Replace the initial letter (to get new start) of a synonym for submissiveness

8d Daughter regrettably tipped over food (5)
SALAD:  Reverse (tipped over) the single letter for daughter & word for regrettably for a food type I should eat more of & which has become rather pricey if you want all the ingredients

14d River rose, surprisingly creating large body of water (9)
RESERVOIR:  An anagram (surprisingly) of the first two words in the clue

16d Country intended to withdraw a declaration (9)
STATEMENT:  Start with a word for country then add a synonym for intended without (withdraw) the letter A

17d  Most lively triremes at sea (8)
MERRIEST:  An anagram (at sea) of triremes. Straightforward but a neat indicator for the surface read.

19d Briefly see good politician’s trapped by fib (7)
GLIMPSE :  Start with the single letter for good then add a synonym of fib & insert into it (trapped by) our boys & girls at Westminster.

21d Where one can enjoy duty-free articles – or a trip abroad (7)
AIRPORT:  An anagram (abroad) of or a trip. Another neat indicator & fodder

22d Fine and reasonable to support adult’s relationship (6)
AFFAIR:  Start with the single letter abbreviations for adult & fine then add (support) a synonym for reasonable. The end of one is one of my favourite Graham Greene novels & with a fine film adaptation by Neil Jordan

23d Simple graduate’s in charge (5)
BASIC:  Add the abbreviation for in charge to that for graduate (plural)

25d That is keeping grass prickly (5)
IRATE:  The usual abbreviation for that is & then insert (keeping) a synonym for grass (nowt to do with the stuff you mow or heaven forbid smoke)

28a probably my pick of the clues & with ticks for 18&24a plus 17,19&21d. Which ones hit the spot for you?

 


Today’s Quick Crossword pun: FAN + SEE + DRESS + BAWLS = FANCY DRESS BALLS


131 comments on “DT 30301

  1. Very straightforward. A little head scratching along the way.
    Thanks to setter as I didn’t need a headache today.

  2. An e enjoyable crossword with lots of lovely anagrams and the only real difficulty came with 26a, where I was convinced that rhe clue mus mean a noun for a basin or sink containing holy water and that I was too dim to work out where the ‘u’ came from thanks, Huntsman for the hints and for setting me straight . I liked 2a, 27a, 23a and COTD 13a. Thanks to the compiler. Hope the problem with your thumb clears up soon, H. Mine gives me what for, when I’m gardening sometimes

  3. Another enjoyable solve which fits the day of the week. My only problem was in parsing 11a. I might have known it had something to do with cricket and would never have sorted it out without Huntsman’s help.1a, in that context was new to me although I suppose we do say that folk are ‘crabby’ when out of sorts. Luckily Mr Mhids knew the Welsh footballer so I did have a bit of help. Today I could have picked more than one favourite but I will use restraint and choose 1d as COTD. Honourable mention for 18a, 27a, 4d ( an old chestnut) and 22d. Thanks to our setter for the enjoyment and Huntsman for keeping up the good work.

    1. I didn’t even think sporty for 11a I just thought a leg could be a base. Obvs (as the youngsters say) I didn’t do the parsing properly!

  4. A superb guzzle/puzzle. I cannot better Huntsman’s and John F’s summaries.

    Here’s a question and I am genuinely very interested in yer answers.
    How do you set about the Telegraph cryptic? Do you start at the top and work your way down? The reverse of that?
    Firstly, look for anagrams? Or bung-em-ins? Do you have a strategy at all, or just attack it at random?

    I seem to always start at the foot, and go for four letter answers if there are any; then work my way outwards from them, using the checking letters.

    Thanks to the setter and the splendid Huntsman. Very best wishes to Robert, if he pops in.

      1. Very logical approach. I can see the sense in it.

        *Things I like about Steve Cowling:
        1) Whenever defeated by a crossword you always thank the setter for the challenge and never moan about the obscurity of a clue, or about the abundance of specialist knowledge needed.

        I always think, “Coo, he’s a kind fellow.”

        1. I start from-the bottom of the downs and work up, then the top of the crosses and work down. Then random.
          Thanks to both

          1. An interesting technique. I don’t think anyone else has put that one forward.

    1. Start with the top across clues then try the downs coming off them, and continuing to work, usually clockwise, as checkers allow. I don’t read through all the clues in order.

      1. Exactly my method, I used to do all the across and then all the downs. Then I realized that if worked off the ones I had solved, the likelihood of the others being right was much better. Each to his own though,

    2. Terence – interesting question – I start at the NW and if I can’t get a foothold I then move around the grid in a clockwise direction until I do. Within that pattern I look for clues with short answers (3 or 4 letters) first in the often misguided belief that they will be easier to solve.

    3. On paper I tend to go for a few that leap out, anagrams and lurkers etc. On the app versions I tend to like SC across then down then use checkers. Some days I find starting up the downs gets me that foothold.
      Of course OJ (with bits), coffee and or malt whisky may help the solve depending on whether the sun is over the yardarm

          1. Orange juice with bits? Will no one please join me in the current disgusting habit of putting slivers of uncooked anchovies in a Caesar salad instead of the proper brown ones?

        1. Better than drinking the dust from cheap tea bags. Use proper leaf tea and maybe a better use for your tea strainer technique on Oj

    4. A scattergun approach with the Toughies (5a in today’s one for you T) because often half way down before I get one. With the back-pager try to work through the across clues before looking at the downs – only once managed to it mind you.
      Today’s writing the hints album (I miss your music choices) Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado – Navigation Blues (excellent). Great band who I last saw live at Under The Bridge.

      1. Ah yes! 5a – the clue of the week! I will head to Spotify to find Thorbjorn and co.

    5. I tend to go through the across clues first and then use whatever checkers have appeared to deal with the ‘downs’. There are of course exceptions when something just ‘jumps out’ at me.

      1. Very methodical, Jane.
        I find it interesting how we have the ability to scan a list of clues and zoom in on one that ‘jumps out’ at us. I wonder how our brains can fathom that in a fraction of a second…

        1. I think that if I used a scattergun approach there’d be some days when I finished up in a blind panic because nothing had ‘jumped out’!

    6. I start at 1a and go down the list and then do the downs in numerical order as well. That is if George has not put his glass (wine glass of course) on the acrosses. Very irritating. As we turned off the light last night I said to George “you know I do love you very much darling” to which he replied “ yes, I know you do dear, and it is very comforting. “. Where am I going wrong?

    7. Usually I’m solving on a computer and I just press Tab to to move to the next clue. On the current Telegraph Puzzles site, this takes me through all the across clues then all the downs, and back to the acrosses and I just keep doing ‘laps’ till it’s full.

      (On the previous Telegraph Puzzles site, Tab rather funkily navigated through the answers in pure numerical order, so it would bounce between across and down clues as it proceeded down the screen. I’m lazy enough just to go wherever Tab takes me.)

        1. Yeah, but Mo Farah knows how many laps he’s doing when he sets off — sometimes (often) I’m circling round for ages!

        1. Generally I do the top half of the across clues then the top half of the downs filling in any of the aforementioned as checking letters become available then repeat the process for the bottom half. Then I wander around aimlessly trying to fill in the gaps. Well it usually works for me.

    8. I always look for the phrases which are signalled by [2,3,7] or the like as these are often solvable, or not as the case may be, then move back to the across clues. If no phrases then in order with the across clues only being sidetracked by interesting collections of letters appearing in the down clues.

      1. Oh I like this method! Looking out for the phrase clues is a good suggestion indeed.

    9. Great question to ask Terence. The responses have been very interesting.
      For the record I almost always start with the downs from the bottom up as I seem to recall someone pointing out that the compilers usually set those last and by they time they got there they were happy to make the clues simpler. From my experience of solving that certainly seems to be the case more often than not. So I agree with Jepi – I solve the easiest ones first and always leave the mos difficult one till last!

    10. I like to make two crosswords of it if I can – I solve the top half – then the bottom. Dunna always work out that way, but I like it when it does. GK ones too. Tonight I did after a rather late start. We both had one of those ‘jig-saw’ days as we call them, trying to get everything we had to do to fit, plus all those unexpected and unplanned bits that somehow needed to be included. So my crosswording today ended up taking place either side of John Sargent’s steam journey to Scotland. Today I’m just grateful for an uncomplicated quick solve after the day I have just had – which included cracking my head on a sign board and gashing my scalp. Ah well, I’ll make sure I avoid it next time I work near to it. Thanks to setter et al. :-)

      1. I like the idea of getting value by splitting it into two crosswords.
        I’m less enamoured by the concept of the sign board collision – I hope you heal quickly.

  5. Completed the perimeter
    Then worked inwards.
    4 and 27a made me chuckle.
    And 20a and 27d were greeted
    As old friends
    Pleasingly on same wavelength
    Throughout.
    Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

    1. Oh! I hadn’t thought of that strategy! From the perimeter inwards – like a cruciverbalist Pac-Man munching away at the clues.

      1. Only when the perimeter provides many starting letters.
        As, indeed, this one did :)

        1. I start in the top left corner and fill in whatever I can, then use the checkers to start on adjacent clues. If I can’t get start in theNW, I move clockwise round the puzzle until I find something I can do and connect with adjacent clues there. I eventually work my way back to the tricky ones, but wirh more checking letters to help.

  6. A pleasant puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    The clues hitting the spot for me were 27a, 1d and 7d.

  7. Not being a fan of football I would never have solved 27a without a reveal so not an unaided finish. Otherwise a most satisfying solve with a bit of thought needed in places and a few smiles raised such as 1a and 4a. However, my COTD is the pink rag at 29a.

    My thanks to the setter for the fun – not your fault I know nowt about football. Thank you, Huntsman for the hints. I really have no idea how the hinters manage to solve a crossword then write a blog by 11am.

    Lovely sunny day again in The Marches but a bit of a cool breeze dampens the enjoyment somewhat.

    1. I’m not into football either, Steve, so I also wasn’t expect to know the player, but it turned out to be one of the few I have heard of — mainly because of the Helen Love song A Boy From Wales Called Gareth [word in 27a]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwFBWTRjhiE&t=27s

      PS: Anybody able to explain how to embed videos in comments, rather than them just being links? I’ve seen others do it but never been able to work it out.

      1. I believe that if you paste as plain text a gizmo that BD and Mr Kitty set up takes care of the embedding

          1. Aha. Now it is only just seeing that record that I understand the bale bit. I confess that I just entered elaborate because it means fussy and fits in. Is that beyond the pale on this rarified cruciverbal site? I read Huntsman’s hint and still did not understand the bale bit so I did a reveal and it was right. By the way, surely your video music clips take up more gigs things than a photograph, don’t they?

            1. It is a bit of a mystery to a luddite like myself but the link to a YT thing is quite a short bit of text, I think the size thing comes into operation when they are coming direct from yourself rather than via another site

            2. Happy to help, Daisygirl.

              The videos don’t take up any space at all — at least not on this site. Even when embedded (thank you, Sloop) they’re actually still on YouTube: the blog just tells your web browser where to go on YouTube to get the video from; the blog doesn’t have to host the video itself. (Bet you wish you hadn’t asked now!)

        1. I did! I just pasted in the URL above as plain text, and the site hyperlinked it for me.

          Oh, well. It doesn’t really matter.

  8. A fun and relatively brisk romp today which is just as well as there is glorious sunshine outside to enjoy. COTD 27a, although if I were being ‘fussy’ I might have preferred it to read former Welsh footballer or even Welsh golfer!

  9. This was a pleasingly fast solve on what has been a busy morning, all nicely clued with no obscurities. It was good to see a reappearance of crosswordland’s favourite vessel at 17d, and 1d was my favourite.

    My thanks to our mystery setter and Huntsman. Today’s Toughie is equally approachable.

  10. Nicely ‘doable’ Tuesday crossword with no hiccoughs along the way.
    I liked the birdy clues at 13&23a and also had ticks alongside 24&28a plus 19&22d.

    Thanks to our setter and to Huntsman for the review – I’m also afflicted by ‘arthur’ in my right thumb and it makes unscrewing bottles and jars extremely difficult. I’ve been known to try all manner of contrivances to open a screwtop bottle of Malbec – necessity is definitely the mother of invention!

    1. I’ve got a wonderful gizmo I got on Amazon, I’ll try to find it for you.

      1. Found it, Merusa – got to be an improvement on the weird and wonderful attempts I’ve been making!

  11. Just about Typically Tuesdayish and the Quickie grid suggests that it is an Anthony Plumb production – **/***

    I am not sure that, to quote Huntman’s 29a hint, ‘the economist’s choice of daily newspaper’ would appreciate being called the ‘pink rag.’

    Candidates for favourite – 20a, 28a, 19d, and 23d – and the winner is 28a.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb(?) and to Huntsman.

    1. 29a with its ‘pink rag’ is my fun clue of the day! A golden oldie of course but one of the best!

  12. Look forward to revolution of setter for today’s cruciverbal challenge as it had a rather novel but pleasant feel to it. NW last quadrant to yield. Bunged in 27a since football is other worldly for me. 1a and complains seem rather broad synonyms as do 25d and prickly. Fav 1d. Thank you Mysteron and Huntsman (you’re doing well with your hints).

  13. Light, stylish and good fun. It’s probably Mr Plumb.
    I particularly liked 22a plus 7d and the clever &lit at 21d.
    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for a nice review.
    Ps…. I know it’s maybe not what it once was but the esteemed journal at 29a a “pink rag”…shock, horror!

        1. The clue can be read as either definition or wordplay. Think there are some examples in CL’s How to solve…..

  14. Terrence, I always try to start in the NW corner and if successful I go where the checking letters lead, usually, but not always, clockwise.
    I think someone here once dubbed this “the Golden Shot approach” which for those of us who are old enough to remember (or can remember 🤔) means “up a bit, down a bit, left a bit, right a bit” 😂

    A nice pleasant solve today. Thank you to the setter and to Huntsman for his sterling efforts.

  15. Fun and straightforward. Thank you to the setter, who I wonder if they are packing their 4a and 20a before heading to the 21d?

    The bottom row was my favourite: the cheeky ‘pink rag’ in 29a, and 28a making me hungry for fish and chips.

    Thank you to Huntsman for helping out with a couple of parsings.

    1. A long, long time ago when fish and chips were wrapped in old newsprint, an acquaintance of mine claimed that they tasted better when the paper was pink….

  16. 1.5*/4*. I was a bit concerned about this puzzle at first with the slightly strange surfaces for 1a & 4a, which were my first ones in.
    However, thereafter it was all shipshape and very enjoyable with 24a, 28a & 19d making it onto my podium.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

  17. Oh oh oh. Do much interesting chat but I am dashing off to Book Group- I shall return later. Such a lovely guzzle and lots of super trivia.

    1. A typo in your email address is sending all your comments into moderation. I’m correcting them for you.

      1. Do you know how disappearing info happens? After a good few years, I’m having to write in my information again, and it won’t stick.

  18. A lovely light puzzle today. I had to read some of the clues several times to get them. 29a was my favourite.
    I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing how the approaches to solving the puzzle varies, I still have to read all the clues in order until I can find one I can manage!
    Beautiful warm weather here today so we have had a very enjoyable walk.

    Many thanks to Huntsman for the explanations which I needed for a couple and to the setter

  19. Good fun whilst it lasted. I didn’t know the footballer but clearly clued. 24a, 29a and 7d made my podium.

    Thanks to today’s setter and Huntsman.

    p.s. the Toughie is quite friendly today as well.

  20. Found this Tuesday puzzle relatively straightforward.
    NW last area to complete.

    2.5*/3* for me

    Favourites include 4a, 13a, 28a, 19d & 21d with winner 28a

    Thanks to setter and Huntsman

  21. Light and fast flowing, with some fun surfaces. I especially liked 1a, concerning my local MP, and 29a describing the FT as a “pink rag”! I thought too that 28a was a super misdirection, I expect I wasn’t the only one trying to fit fish in. COTD 28a. */****

    To answer Terence@4 I get the first few across and then switch to the down clues using the checkers and then just work downwards. With Toughies I may work through all the across clues first but that’s quite rare as the first letter provides so much help.

    Thanks to the setter (MrPlumb I assume) and Huntsman

    1. Wiggler – your method, along with those who start at 1a and working clockwise, seem to be the most popular.

  22. Fun puzzle but I could not get ‘carps’ out of my mind for 1a, not a good start!

    1. Me too, plus I have never heard crabs to mean complains, but I have heard of crabby as being bad tempered.

  23. Anyone else found the iDT app reporting “Loading” on an otherwise blank screen?

  24. Firstly, I wish to congratulate myself for remembering two things; “cor” for George, and “tile” for hat. This has taken me years, now let’s see if it will stick. Yes, nice friendly puzzle except to the NW, I needed much use of ehelp, putting carps in 1a wasn’t any help. Of course I didn’t know the footballer, but I bunged in the answer anyway. I rather liked 1d even though it took me a long time, but I think fave is 29a, imagine calling it a “rag”!
    Thank you setter, I had fun, and you did a good job Huntsman, don’t worry about pics until you get used to it.
    I wonder how our Robert is doing? Anyone heard?

    1. I remembered “tile” today as well, Merusa.

      I too am wondering about Robert.

    2. I’ve been in fairly regular contact but not heard from him in the past week. Sent an email today so I’ll let you know when I have any news.

  25. Well I got there in the end, but would not have made it without a few very necessary hints, thank you Huntsman. I am clueless on most sports, and what I do know has mostly been gleaned from doing these crosswords, but a Welsh footballer was way over my head. I did solve 17a, and glad it was an anagram as I have never seen triremes before. Thanks to the setter for the exercise.

    1. Get used to triremes, it used to be a staple of crosswords but haven’t seen it for some time.

      1. Do you not recall the poem Cargoes by John Masefield? It had quinquiremes – five banks of oars whereas triremes had three.

        Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
        Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
        With a cargo of ivory,
        And apes and peacocks,
        Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

        Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
        Dipping through the tropics by the palm-green shores,
        With a cargo of diamonds,
        Emeralds, amythysts,
        Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

        Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
        Butting through the channel in the mad March days,
        With a cargo of Tyne coal,
        Road-rails, pig-lead,
        Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

        1. I’d never heard of that, Steve, and I thought I knew all of Masefield’s stuff.

        2. Oh I have never forgotten that, it made a huge impression on me at school and of course you never forget. Probably the first time I realised the power of alliteration. NB to self – check email address.

  26. So sorry Gazza, I am sure you have far more important things to do than fix our silly mistakes. I really enjoyed the puzzle today, funny and clever. I put daisies on 18&29a and 1,3,8 &21d but my One favourite, Kath, is 13a simply because in Scotland it is my name, and we see so few of them now. If I found a snail I would put it on a certain slab and down she would come to devour it. Very green pest control. What a wonderful lot of comments Terence’s query brought forth. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Hintsman. That is a typo but quite appropriate. By the way very late last night or early this morning I left a message for Steve – I don’t know if you saw it but I am wishing you well. And thank you Terence! 🥰

    1. I did see it, Daisygirl and I replied to it. Thank you for your kindness. 🌹

  27. Have just finished and, as usual, am enjoying the posts. My COTD is 28a because I wasted so much time searching for a fish.

  28. I always start with the down clues and then the across.
    Back to front I suppose!
    Been out all day so crossword not done.

  29. Just right for a Tuesday. Favourite was 23a there were other contenders. Off to play darts now so the toughie will have to wait, I wasn’t doing very well on it anyway. Thanks to the setter and SL.

    1. Darts! I haven’t played darts since my days in the RAF when there was always a game to be had in the bar of the officer’s mess. We played 301 and Round the Clock while enjoying a couple of pints of finest English bitter. My my, Taylor you stirred a pleasant memory there. Thank you.

  30. Sorry, nothing to do with cryptics. A bird about the size of a pigeon landed outside the bedroom window this evening. It was greyish with black stripes across the sides and a sort of “cackling” call. I took a picture with my iPad but it’s in the annoying new HEIC format and I can’t convert it to JPEG.
    Anyone any ideas as to what it could be? I know my description is poor. Other than that could someone convert the file for me?

    1. I hope I have managed to convert the picture. It’s not very good because it was taken in haste but I hope the ornithologists in the commentariate may tell me what it is.

      1. Well that went well! Oh! It’s just appeared! Your research into converting files worked, Steve!
        Now, finish your Grouse and go to sleep! 🤣

          1. That is correct. Also known as the French Partridge due to the fact that in Napoleonic times the French soldiers wore red leggings. It’s originally a non native species. I’ve released thousands of them over the years as they tend to do better under the modern farming practices than the native Grey or English Partridge, which is a shame.

  31. Good evening
    Very long slog today with the NW quadrant, whereas the rest of ’em seemed to drop in quite nicely. I was almost completely outfoxed by the nifty little reverse lurker in 2d, so I think a “Crikey!” might be in order.
    Thanks to our compiler and to Huntsman

  32. I know we are forbidden to mention an erstwhile blogger but I have to say he emailed me a great picture of him and his sainted wife sitting in the fireside couch, that is always reserved for Mrs. C and I when we visit, by the fire at our favourite pub, The Moors Inn. They both look well.

    1. I was thinking of him today. I seem to remember that he started the crossword with the down clues like I do, but I could be mistaken.

      1. His party trick was to solve the crossword in his head and when some wag said “you aren’t doing very well” he could rattle off any answer at will (assuming it was Will that asked)
        Google lens says it is a Chukar Partridge but they are not natural in UK so it is either an escapee or what Jane said Red legged Partridge

        1. From memory the Chukar partridge is larger and non European and it’s introduction or it’s hybrids to Europe has been banned/discouraged for a number of years, probably 30.

    2. I hope he is doing ok.
      You are taking a great risk mentioning the unmentionable. Last time I did so, I received a very patronising email telling me I was disrupting the blog!

  33. Mentioning no names, although everybody does their very best, the blog has never been quite the same since.

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