DT 27959 (Hints)

96 comments on “DT 27959 (Hints)”

1. Sickened by the news today.

   I found today’s puzzle to be very good – the last 4 took me a while 9a, 26a, 6d and 17d. 17d (go against country importing it) was my last one in and my favourite. All very satisfying (well, I diid get a bit annoyed at the tree – unlike BD, I didn’t recognise it from before)

   I had also ticked 7a, 12a, 25a – very clever with an all-in-one character to them.

   I tried to make the adjective in 19a work as a homophone indicator to no avail.

   Unusually for me, I tried the quick puzzle today and found it near impossible! – but it is a pangram.

   Many thanks setter and BD for the review

2. Apart from 9A, which I’ve never heard of, I thought this was very straightforward and a tad on the boring side to be honest. Never mind, the NTSPP is to come. Thanks to the setter and BD.

   1. After the news today, frankly anything even slightly boring is good.

3. Can’t access today’s prize crossword on iPad – only getting last week’s, no 27953. Anyone else having a problem?

   1. Me too, cock up at the DT. Perhaps today’s tragic news has caused a problem with having to change everything dynamically as the story unfolds.
      Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Parisians.

      1. And me. I had hoped these problems were behind us. Well said Brian. The lack of a crossword seems somewhat insignificant when put against the agonies in Paris.

         1. I can only echo these comments, it seemed impossible to react to the lack of crossword when so many have suffered in Paris.
            Our thoughts are with the Parisians and the French nation at this time

         2. Ditto – solution appears in place of a new puzzle and is listed first.

            1. Saturday puzzle appeared on Sunday morning within the Saturday edition where it should be after I downloaded the Sunday edition.

               1. For me too. I thought, “oh good – how uncharacteristically quick they have been in sorting out a problem.” Then I opened the Sunday edition and found they’d done the same thing again. I wasn’t annoyed because it was too funny.

                  EDIT: I see they’ve updated today’s now, too. On the same day – wow, impressive :).

                  1. I wouldn’t mind so much if we got an explanation, an e-mail or, heaven forfend, an apology.

                     1. Agreed. The DT have shown an utter disregard for their paying customers.

         3. Hear hear. Terrible news.

4. Oh dear. Just spent a couple of hours graft and missing four answers. So looked in on Big Dave only to find nothing relevant. The iPad version is a different puzzle entirely. I find the new DT app hopeless…

   1. Michael
      “DT app hopeless”
      If only it was that good!
      Programmers have been allowed to design this unfortunately. It’s like one of those over elaborate web sites that used to prevail, and take you about a minute to cut through the c^*p to get where you wanted. It’s slow to build, and worse than that it leaks memory so if you put the app in background and come back to it, it slows down the whole operating system and you have to reboot it.
      I don’t much care about whether the contents button builds in an elegant way, I just want the damn thing to be quick
      Just terrible. I have moaned at them constantly, to no avail

      1. Ditto with the IPad app – I notice that the blurb on the printed version says you can enter the Puzzle by post OR by scanning the puzzle and emailing it to puzzles@telegraph.co.uk – no mention of the app!

         I’ve never noticed this before is it new? What a cock-up!

         

5. Normal Saturday fare nothing too arduous & finished far to soon but entertaining for a damp miserable November day. Many thanks to the setter & to BD for the hints.

6. Had to do today’s puzzle on my print copy. The iPad edition is from a previous week with my answers still in. We shouldn’t be having such problems at this stage of the app’s life.

   1. Ditto re. iPad, wish we could have the old version back but maybe Brian is right so perhaps we can forgive them this time. Such terrible news.

   2. It’s the solution to last week. It should be in addition to today’s crossword.

      I doubt it has anything to do with the tragic events in Paris? The Puzzles should be baked long before the lead News story goes to bed.

      Aujourd’hui, nous sommes tous les Français.

      PS: any chance of the grid and clues?

      1. Welcome to the blog Attila the Hun

         You’ve got mail!

         1. Please could I have it Too?

            1. You too have mail.

            2. Thank you very much

         2. Thank you, but I’ve been around a while. A change of device left me signing in anew, but my avatar was still there. Thx for the mail, and BTW, a truly great resource here.

            1. You’ve changed from “Attila Thehun”

      2. Merci.
         And be careful. That’s how Big Dave got me hooked to his blog.

7. Enjoyable crossword but 19a got me puzzled as the answer was obvious but couldn’t parse the clue until the hint explained it. Is it me or is both capitalising and italicising Express was a bit naughty? Apart from that no great problems.
   Thx to all

   1. Yes… it’s just you Brian – joking apart, I just took it as misdirection…

      1. It’s certainly that?

8. Awful news. My thoughts are with the people of France.

   Crossword-wise, I liked it – once I’d waited the usual age for it to load, ascertained that this week’s puzzle was nowhere to be found on the app, sourced it from a friend and printed it out. Still, it doesn’t feel like the day to gripe.

   I had forgotten the tree, and also raised an eyebrow at 3d meaning jolly good and had to check it in the brb. Otherwise, all pleasant with some really nice clues.

   Thanks to the setter and, as ever, many thanks to our wonderful BD.

9. I enjoyed this. I thought it was a nicely balanced Saturday puzzle. I too had forgotten the tree and had to look it up having got the answer. Lots of potential favourites but my vote goes to 11a. Bizarrely, 14d was my last in and was a definite “doh” moment. **/**** for me. Thanks to the setter and to BD.

10. What dreadful news. I’m sure all our thoughts are with the whole French nation today. It is a bizarre and unfortunate coincidence that today of all days we should have a clue mentioning “Parisian’s street”.

    It took me a few moments today to get onto the setter’s wavelength today after which this was pretty much read and write with my last one in, 9a, needing a quick check in my BRB regarding the tree. 17d was my favourite.

    I did enjoy this. Full marks and thanks to the setter for admirably brief cluing. Thanks too to BD for his review.

    1. I agree with your sentiments, Dave, and I’d picked up on the unfortunate wording of that clue too. Yes, I enjoyed the puzzle as well but my favourite was 6d – it was the wording which appealed to me – although I appreciate that it probably wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste.

11. What terrible events in Paris. The whole country is in mourning. When will it ever stop.

    Todays’ puzzle was the easy Saturday fare but none the less enjoyable for that. Many thanks to the stranger who set it and to BD for the hints, a couple of which helped me move on. I vote todays’ worst clue as 23a (for the second half) and 3d for all of it

12. The board is the wrong way round. Remember; white to the right (white square to the right). OK, what’s that got to do with it? Nothing really but I am in BD’s local pub and thought I would let him know one way or another…

    1. Welcome to the blog NHF7

       You are quite right – I’ll look for a better picture.

       By the way, I live next door to the pub – opposite side to the butcher’s shop.

       1. I know, I live in Hanley Castle but work in Welland so pass The Swan (and pop in) everyday.
          Have done so for 12 years.
          You are a bit of a Legend in these ‘ere parts.
          If you see me and mine, you will know who we are. Hint: NHF7 is my number plate.

    2. NHF7 – A nice opening gambit! Well spotted!

    3. New illustration added for 22 Down.

13. I enjoyed today’s offering, mostly because I do the print version. None of you sell the electronic version very well!!! 9 a was a new one for me but otherwise it was reasonably r and w for me today. A good mix of clues methinks.
    Thanks to all ?

    1. I think people here have been rather generous about the app. The reviews paint a picture:

       https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.telegraph.kindlefire&hl=en_GB

14. I found this more difficult while I was actually doing it than I think it was now that I’ve finished – has my grammar deserted me?
    I think there were only a couple of anagrams so maybe that’s the reason I was slow to get going.
    I’ve been ‘had’ by 9a before but that didn’t stop it catching me out again.
    For some reason I got in a muddle with 25a.
    Thought the 17d definition was ‘go against’ which meant I was looking for a six letter country beginning with the *. No naughty corner for me today!
    I liked 10 and 19a and 14 and 20d. My favourite was 3d.
    With thanks to Mr Ron and to BD.

    Thinking of the whole French nation.

15. Like Dutch, we are sickened with the Paris news. Paso rather than Doble, lived for a period of time at number 19 bd Voltaire in Paris. The Bataclan is number 50, just over the road where most of the victims perished.
    We are happy that nobody we know was killed or injured but our hearts go out to those who did…..

    Going back to the puzzle. Entertaining, pleasing and good Saturday stuff. 4d we didn’t get but should have done and had to look at the blog for the hint.

    Many thanks to Mr Ron for a great puzzle and Big Dave for an excellent review

    1. At the risk of turning into the pedantic part of Rabbit Dave’, BD provided the hints; the excellent review is the thing I’ve just drafted for a tiny minority of people to read on Friday morning.

       1. What’s that apostrophe doing after “Rabbit Dave”?
          :wink:

          1. Before I rewrote my comment and posted it, there was a different first part of the sentence which had an apostrophe before you too. I’d better not put it back or remove the second one as if I do this ‘conversation’ won’t make any sense at all.

16. I didn`t like 3d. Certainly not a comfortable synonym. Still defeated by just 6d and 10a. Any thoughts? On a wider scale are we heading towards a world war?

    1. BD has given a very clear hint for 6d
       10a is equally straightforward – when you see Conservative in a clue you are usually looking for the letter used to abbreviate it and this should be followed by a word meaning ‘inclined towards socialism’

       As for your last comment – I sincerely hope not.

    2. For those who remember the Jimmy Edwards sitcom, 3d is clear enough. The word indicates Jimmy’s love of caning his pupils, but is also archaic slang meaning jolly good. I’m sure Terry-Thomas used it thus.

    3. On the wider scale I have a horrible feeling that we’re already having a world war.

    4. An ideological war certainly, which will be world wide.

17. Enjoyably easy! Was stuck on 24a until I realized xxxxxxxxxxxxx Edited because of giving away part of the solution to 17d instead of just saying “I had a wrong letter in 17d” cs

    I always read the comments of the others before, find them interesting and occasionally humorous. However, today’s is tempered by the horrific news from Paris.

18. The whole country is in a state of sideration and extremely angry at what just happened.
    Everyone I know is safe and my heart goes out to all the victims’ families and friends.
    Everybody in France are also very grateful for all the support from abroad for the second time this year.
    Thanks to all.

    1. Hi JL,
       Relieved to hear that your personal friends are safe, as indeed are mine, but I join you in heartfelt sympathy for those who have not received such good news.

19. Thank you crypticsue I`m there now.

    1. If you click ‘reply’ in the comment to which you are replying, it keeps the ‘thread’ of comments together.

20. I found this on the easy side, and I remembered the tree from before, so maybe senility isn’t setting in yet.
    I never did get 22d as I put the wrong sounds like, silly me, I should have revisited it as I felt I knew what 22d answer should be.
    My fave was 3D with 18a as runner up.
    Thanks to setter and to BD for the hints – note CS, hints not review!

    The news from France is so horrific, somehow words can’t describe the suffering.

    1. Presumably your runner-up is 18d rather than 18a and if so I agree.

21. Plod, plod, plod – yawn – yawn – plod, plod – not what was required for a miserable Saturday!

    The only bright thing I can say about this offering is – Sorrus Domestica – a new one on me!

    I don’t think much of BT Sport but their Rugby coverage is pretty good and the only bright spot on these terribly boring International Break weekends – I’ve just read this morning that there is another International Break over the Easter Weekend and therefore no Premiership football at all over the Easter Holiday – these International Breaks are dire!

    

22. Sorrus domestica is incorrect

    1. Oops – of course I meant Sorbus Domestica – spellication mishap!

       

       1. Not what I was thinking!

23. Too many nutters, too few asylums. The world is a mad place

    Crossword was OK but a bit irrelevant.

24. After struggling with NTSPP crossword I hoped for some respite, 9a nearly defeated me but dear Mr Google rescued me at 11th hour. Page now looking very scruffy thanks to rethinks but I appear to have finished. Thanks to setter and BD for boggling my antique brain, off to try GK after washing up.

    1. Viz comic has a view shared by Nanette Newman on washing-up!

25. I find the routine of a crossword very comforting in these awful times.To answer Collywobbles ” when will it ever stop ?”, not soon . 12a would also be very apt for today’s tragic events.
    I enjoyed this pleasant distraction .
    With thanks to BD and setter.

    1. I agree with you, about the comforting distraction, Collywobs about when will it ever stop and pommers about too many lunatics and not enough asylums. Oh dear – that sounds a bit trivial . . .

       1. I’m afraid to say that there are plenty of asylums, it’s just that the lunatics are running them

          Edit …….and that’s not meant to be a cheap pun!

          1. And some of the lunatics are in power or would be if Corbyn ever gets in.

       2. We cling to these minor pleasures.

26. If I can be pedantic it is Sorbus domestica. The second part of the latin name of a plant always begins with a lower case letter. Blame Carl Linnaeus.

    1. I take joy in your pedantry. That is worthy of Pedant’s Corner in Private Eye!

    2. Welcome to Pedant’s Corner. You have my permission to be as pedantic as you want whenever you want, Miranda. Well done!
       

       1. Oh dear, RD. Wasn’t it you who pointed out that it should read Pedants’ Corner?

          1. Well spotted, Jane!
             It was of course to see a deliberate mistake to see if anyone noticed.
             If you believe that you’ll believe anything …

27. Quite a good Crossword today. Best 25a, worst – by a long way – 3d. Ugh! Needed a bit of BD’s guidance for 17d which, now I understand it, is a rather fine clue.
    We humans have made a mess of a lovely planet with our daft ideas pursued with vigour.

28. Saturdays are fun these days. Thank you Mr. Ron and BD. Not sure about “muddy” in 14d and not mad about 23a. Fav 19a. Nous tous en Angleterre sommes en deuil avec la France après le carnage affreux.

29. 2*/3*, with some nice clues (17d and 4d) but my favourite – as an old git, I remember Jimmy Edwards all too clearly – was 3d. Thanks to the setter, and to BD.

30. Have used BD for assistance in the past but this is my first comment. Agree 23a not good clue and 3d is what it is!!!

    1. Welcome Popeye

    2. From one sailorman to another – good to have you aboard, Popeye,

       1. Consider yourself ‘piped aboard’ from another matelot

    3. Welcome from me too – we still have spinach growing in our garden – I picked enough for supper tonight.

31. Thank you for your welcome. Sorry to say I don’t actually like spinach!!!!! Have been doing the DT Crossy for years. Nice to find all of you. Popeye is from a long time ago but it suits……

32. Having finally recovered from the efforts of last night and awoken with (yet another) streaming cold, I was glad of the distraction of the puzzle, but feel a bit deflated by its straightforwardness – it was over far too soon. No real stand-out clues. Thanks to BD for the hints and to the setter. Reading others’ comments makes me even more glad that I do the paper version. 1*/2*

33. Thanks Setter and BD. Enjoyed reading all your comments this morning. Interesting as many different views of the clues and of the difficulty or otherwise. No particular corner seems to have held up the majority or even a substantial minority. Thanks to BD for the explanation of 4d. Knew what the answer had to be but was not thinking of that sort of Operator at all. Last ones in 14d (because I did not spot the anagram) and 23a. I was over complicating 23a looking for an exotic foreign dessert or vegetable!
    3d was a Marmite clue – it is an age thing.

34. Thanks to the setter and to Big Dave for the hints. I quite enjoyed this, the top half went straight in. I managed to remember the tree. The bottom half put up more of a struggle. With 17d last in. Favourite was 19a. Was 2*/3* for me. The world is going mad.

35. Hi. I know the majority of people here find these puzzles easy but for me it’s always a bit of a struggle but after two days pondering and sharing the paper around the kitchen table a bit we have our first ever completed prize puzzle! It’s a big day for us! Many thanks for the daily hints, it’s those I’ve been using over the last week or so to help me towards this happy day.
    I got an answer I was happy with for 11a, definitely the right word to start but not so sure about the second half…. and not really convinced by the definition of 3d but it seems close enough! Thx!

    1. Well done Gavin!

    2. Congratulations from me too.
       And you’re one up on me.
       Still can’t get 3d and the hint being a repeat of the clue, I’m totally at a loss.

       1. The solution is a particularly English and dated informal interjection which is an expression of enthusiasm just like ‘jolly good’. You need a word meaning to beat decisively followed by the letter represented by Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet.

       2. Gavin – if you google “define” and then your answer, or look it up in Chambers, all should be revealed. I hadn’t heard it either – I think Weekend Wanda is right that it’s an age thing. JL – have a guess at some possible answers from the parsing and look them up. The second word of the clue may be more helpful in thinking of possibilities.

       3. Thanks ladies.
          But I can’t reconcile my answer as Michael Jackson keeps popping in my head.

36. Thank you setter and BD. After the recent awful events in Paris a time for thoughts and reflection and courage in the ensuing days

37. I completed this quite happily and then the horrors of Paris took over.
    The crossword was good; 2/3* overall and 14d was my fave.
    Thanks to the setter and BD for the hints.

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