DT 30385

63 comments on “DT 30385”

1. A terrific workout with some real teasers requiring a modicum of lateral thought. For once I remembered the other meaning of “guy” and that has taken about twenty exposures to it. I gave a smile at my namecheck although I realise it is pure coincidence. My COTD is the hot room in church at 7d.

   Many thanks to the setter for a fun workout. Thank you, Huntsman for the hints.

   The Quickie pun didn’t quite work for me although I could see what it was trying to be.

   1. Although I really can’t imagine you “13a”, you seem too even tempered to do that 😊.

      1. Oh, I have my moments, BL!

   2. Hehe! I wondered what you’d say about 13a!

2. Lots to enjoy in this very pleasant and not too taxing Tuesday puzzle. I loved the name check for my fellow Salopian at 13a, but my favourite was 7d ahead of 16d.

   Many thanks to our setter and Huntsman.

3. Altogether Tuesdayish and a very enjoyable solve with nothing to get worked up about. On the gentler side of this setter’s, presumably Mr Plumb’s, offerings but with some lovely words. The one at 25a has always been a favourite of mine and not easy to clue so that takes a podium place along with 16d and today’s top spot goes to 7d. Thanks to our setter and Huntsman – getting good with the pictures!

4. Another lego clue bonanza from Mr Plumb. My COTD is the letter substitution clue at 18a, which was quite clever but I also liked the anagram at 25a and the lego clue at 7d. It took me a while to do the anagram at 14a because I didn’t at first associate the solution with a synonym for disagreeable. Thanks to our Tuesday compiler and to Huntsman for the hints. Must go and pick some of my outdoor tomatoes as soon as they are ripe. For the first time ever, snails and slugs have been attacking them. They must be thriving in the damp weather!

5. I learnt the new meaning of “guy” today. I’m a relatively new solver (decrypter? cryptographer?) so I’ll give myself a pass on that!
   Otherwise managed most of today’s – much better then yesterday, for sure.
   A quick question: where in 2d is the second “f” defined? Not from “followed”, surely?

   1. The second f in 2d is from ‘following’, a standard dictionary abbreviation.

   2. Straight from Collins On-Line – f. is an abbreviation for ‘following’. It is written after a page or line number to indicate that you are referring to both the page or line mentioned and the one after it. You use ff. when you are referring to the page or line mentioned and two or more pages or lines after it.

      Used when referring to one document in another(?).

      But, I think Huntsman has left it out of the hint.

      1. So I did. Can’t edit as about to ⛳️

         1. Happy to help!

6. so how do you get the 3rd letter of 2d?

   1. I assumed it was F for French

      1. Or you can just see the answer is right and you just bung it in, like me, and move right along …

   2. from “following”

      1. ok thanks

7. Enjoyed 17d and 4d. Love a bit of slang in the DT. Had never heard of that usage in 20d. Many thanks

   1. Welcome to the blog

8. Evenly paced progress
   Until last in, 20d which added
   nearly a * to my time.
   Met old friends 4d and that recurring
   River in 12a.
   11d made me laugh.
   Perhaps 26a referred to a
   Rather dubious synonym.
   The trim 16d my favourite and COTD.
   Many thanks Mr. Plumb and Huntsman.

9. In contrast to yesterday, I fair rattled this one off today. 7d my fave. Most enjoyable.

10. 1.5*/3.5*. This puzzle made a light and pleasant return to crosswording after a week away.

    The vague boy in 11d could easily have been avoided by replacing him with “Prince”.

    7d was my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

    1. Good to see you back, RD, I’ve missed your regular comments.

       1. Thank you, Jane.

    2. We missed you!

       1. Thank you, Merusa.

11. As Huntsman wrote in his preamble, Mr Plumb not quite hitting the heights of last week’s puzzle but, nevertheless, an enjoyable challenge – 2.5*/3.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 25a, 5d, 11d, and 17d – and the winner is 25a.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.

12. That’s more like it. Such a relief after yesterdays trial. Don’t remember coming across that definition of Guy before in 20d but probably just my memory. Never heard of 7d before but Mrs B worked out the wordplay.
    All in all a fun puzzle with some head scratches but enough to get you on your way without too much issue.
    ***/**
    Thx to all
    Just looked up Guy in the BRB and there nothing about T….e!

    1. Definition 2 – vt (slang) to turn to ridicule; to make fun of

       1. Hmmm!

13. What a relief after yesterday’s puzzle.Straight run through. 25a was my favourite clue followed by 18a. Thank you Mr Plumb and Huntsman. Travelling up to Northumberland again on the A1. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the road so quiet.

    1. The whole of Northumberland is pleasantly quiet at the moment, Hexham is as quiet as a mouse, so nice!

       1. Keep it that way please Brian. We shall be there in mid September.

       2. I’ll be further north-east than Hexham Brian. It’s always very quiet where I am going.

14. I failed miserably by bunging in “safe” for the first bit of 9a, without properly checking the anagram. Oh well.
    Apart from that, no major issues in this pleasant solve.
    Thank you setter and Huntsman. Enjoy your golf at Totteridge.

    1. You’re not alone with “safe”, Shabbo.

15. Light, enjoyable, tightly worded, an ideal accompaniment for the morning coffee. Tuesday certainly appears to have settled into its role of being the old Monday! Hon Mentions to 15a, 1d & 14d.

    1* / 3*

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman (an uncomfortable final 20 minutes last evening!)

16. A reasonable puzzle for Tuesday which is more than can be said for the Toughie. So far I’ve only managed one clue.
    Don’t think much of the pun but settled for 11d as my COTD because it made me smile

17. Like our blogger, I wandered around repeating the Quickie pun for a long time before the penny dropped, otherwise a clear run through.
    No outstanding favourite today but a decent clutch for the podium comprising 25a plus 7&20d.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for a very competent review.

18. A nifty word game today completed following several others online. “I’m removing top” for 1a is a bit flimsy. Here we go again with cheers in 24a. My last in was 9a as I had wrongly split the words but it then became Fav. Cockneys will presumably have had no problem with the Quickie pun. Thank you MrP and Huntsman

19. Accompanied the solve with Coffee like Mustafa only with additional croissants thrown in!
    Spot on Tuesday solve, favourites were the clever definition in 27a and the french 16d charade,to go with the above
    OK with the Quicky Pun.
    Going for a **/*** as per Huntsman

20. A pleasant Tuesday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    My podium selections were 13a, 18a and 17d.

21. Well this Tuesday puzzle was a treat for the most part as it was not a normal ‘Tuesday’ difficultly, at least for me. Most parts fell in line pretty quickly and the first 2/3rd were pretty much R&W. Slowed down on the last 10 or so clues.

    Overall 1.5*/4* for me, with an unknown word in 7d that was gettable from the cross checkers.

    Favourites include 6a, 12a, 13a, 25a, 5d & 14d — with winner 25a

    Chuckles had with 6a, 12a, 27a, 11d & 20d

    Thanks to setter and Huntsman

22. What a pleasant way to start the day. We must prepare for greater challenges as the week progresses. Good to see Steve mentioned in 13a. Fame!

23. A much more enjoyable puzzle today with some good clues. My favourites among these are 25 and 27a, 5 and 16d.

    Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

24. I found this doable, but actually trickier than yesterday, when I must have been right on wavelength. If you ask for an 18a over here, you’ll be met with a blank stare, and have to ask for a robe. Not sure I would refer to something disagreeable as 14d. I was relieved when I realised 27a had nothing to do with football. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

25. 1/4. Enjoyable if over a bit quickly. Enjoyed 18a and 5,16&20d. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

26. I really enjoyed this, lots of fun along the way. I thought it tricky for a Tuesday but very enjoyable. Thought of our blog friend at 13a, wonder what he made of that. I hadn’t heard of 9a but easy enough to work out. Fave? So many to like, maybe 16d or 18a.
    Thank you setter for the fun, and to Huntsman for unravelling some for me.
    Will read the comments later, must get my routine over before the monsoon sets in!

27. A lovely puzzle on a beautiful day. Like others I did not know the synonym for Guy in 20d but got the answer from the checkers and 7d was new to me but so well clued I got it. I liked too many clues to have a favourite.

    Many thanks to Huntsman (happy golfing) and to the setter.

28. Good afternoon
    For some reason, I appear to have finished before leaving for work! I’m genuinely, pleasantly surprised, although tomorrow is another day, and I could fail miserably!
    Learned a new plant name and remembered a long-forgotten synonym for “guy”.

    Thanks to our compiler and to Huntsman

29. This was a good puzzle that I could happily get on with. I agree with BusyLizzie that I wouldn’t interchange disagreeable with 14d in normal usage, but it is offered as a synonym in the Chambers Thesaurus and thankfully it was an anagram. Fortunately 9a was an anagram too, otherwise ‘safe’ would have been an option. I did recall the slang meaning of ‘guy’, but I can’t ever remember anyone actually using it in that sense (it is marked as archaic in Chambers). 27a probably my favourite. In any event, a 4* for enjoyment.

30. Another Tuesday masquerading as a Monday and like others found this not too taxing.
    I got 19d but where does the two letter abbreviation for ‘at college’ come from? Upper school?

    1. It usually is connected to university as in “He has gone up to Oxford” I suspect it is a college of of either there or Cambridge.

    2. In my Chambers Dictionary app, the fifth definition of the adverb ‘up’ is “in residence, at school or college”.

       1. 👍

31. Another enjoyable puzzle and certainly easier than yesterday’s. I was nearly caught out on 20d. Many thanks to the compiler and Huntsman. Got the pun but wasn’t completely happy with it!

32. As usual a Tuesday puzzle on a Tuesday, Mr. P nails it every time, unlike Mondays and today’s toughie both Fridays. Just enough head scratching required, I too fell into the ‘safe’ trap for a while until I double checked the ones I couldn’t parse, always a good policy. Any road up good fun. Favourite was 28a. Thanks to Mr. P and Huntsman.

33. Done in two halves, either side of the Toughie. I do like a nice 5d as long as the yolk is soft and with a dollop of Mama Bee’s Green Tomato Chutney. I recall they were the first thing I made in cookery lessons 50 years ago, I was so gullible I believed the teacher who told me the name was because the deep fat fryer made a tartan pattern on the breadcrumbs.
    Thanks to Huntsman and Setter

34. Enjoyed today, liked 16a best, also enjoyed 18d, 5d, 7d too. Nearly DNF, but then remembered the synonym for guy had appeared a number of weeks ago, and got the last one!

35. Sorry to go off topic again but I know there are many book lovers within our merry band.

    I’m reading a rather intriguing book called “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón about a library of forgotten books.

    Have any of you read lt?

    1. No but will look for it when I finish the Dalai Lama’s cat!

    2. Have just put it on my list, Steve. Thank you for the recommend.

36. 3*/3* …
    liked 15A “Isn’t neutered mongrel apathetic? (12)”

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