DT 28451

57 comments on “DT 28451”

1. 2*/4*. Lovely fun from start to finish as always on a Monday.

   Disappointing to see another typo in the paper today (27a). Is there any reason why the setter and/or publishers don’t run a spell check?

   22a was my favourite.

   Many thanks to Rufus and to MP.

   1. It’s in the app version too.

   2. Spellcheck is expressly verboten in all sensible newspaper – and the DT, I suspect. It leads to the most horrendous, embarrassing and, sometimes, costly mistakes. If there’s a literal, it’s human error

2. 9a my favourite in this straightforward Rufus offering this morning. 1*/3* overall, and good fun while it lasted.

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and to MP.

3. I rather liked 25a.

   I was irked by 1d in the little crossword. There are (at least) two tropical fruits fitting the check letters _A_A_A. If I was still doing the crossword on paper, I would have been left wondering if my answer was correct until the following day. The advantage of the app is that you discover as soon as you enter the last letter in the grid. I guessed wrong!

   The answer has alliterative assonance in the last two syllables, not the first two, i.e., ‘grandmother’, not ‘father’.

4. Thanks , Miffypops , for a lovely blog. I also wondered if any of the clues weren’t anagrams and for the dissection of 16d , which I arrived at without the faintest notion how.
   I thought 5d, 19d and 10a were great clues among many.
   Thanks to Rufus for a nice start to the crossword week.

5. All too brief, a */*** for me and the usual Monday entertainment.
   Simply clued throughout , my favourite 19d.
   If there was a competition for the most used ‘ old chestnut’ 21a would be my guess.
   Thanks to all-liked the pic for 9a!

6. Almost R&W, completed at a fast gallop, the high anagram count helped but took away from the enjoyment – */**.

   If there was a typo in the web site version – I missed it.

   Candidates for favourite – 21a, 25a, and 19d – and the winner is 25a.

   Thanks to Rufus and MP.

   P.S. – The zoo trip was excellent. For the second summer in a row there is a special dinosaur ‘exhibition,’ with life size ‘animatronic’ (I think that’s the word) models in a forest setting. The zoo also has a special polar bear exhibit and acts as a rescue centre for orphaned polar bears which are then released back into the wild when deemed ready. Grand-daughter is the ‘star’ of my current avatar.

   1. Thanks for the update on the zoo visit. I liked the bit about the orphaned polar bears, so nice to be able to rescue our fellow earthlings. Granddaughter is very pretty, remember the song, “isn’t she lovely, “.

   2. Pleased to hear that the outing went well, Senf. I’m not a fan of zoos but am willing to make an exception for those which specialise in conservation and re-introduction programmes.
      The dinosaur animatronics sound like fun – did they come with ‘audio’?

      1. The dinosaurs did come with ‘audio’ – there were motion sensors that detected when ‘humans’ got close and they started up.

7. Good start to the week, thoroughly enjoyable. Have to say I cant see the typo in 27a paper version. 3*/3* Many thanks to Rufus and Miffypops.

   1. Last word of 27a – missing ‘N’ – also in the web site version (I did find it). Amazing that the brain only needs the first half a word to decide what it is and misses errors in the second half.

      1. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

         I recall a TV programme (James Burke comes to mind. “Connections” or “The Real Thing” perhaps?) in which the way we analyse speech was explored. It seems that we continually parse what we hear and try to predict the next word. Something similar happens with text, but there we read ahead, so we know what the next word is (or appears to be). In the first situation we predict the word from the evolving context. In the second we read the work in the context we have already developed. In both, the appearance of a rogue word (e.g., out of context or misspelled) causes us to revise what we have heard or read, but only after a few more words have passed.

         1. Not “Connections”. Can’t edit, says it’s loaded, but the form is blank.

            1. Interesting how the eyes play tricks. I looked and looked and looked again but could not find the typo. I was convinced that those who claimed to see it were mistaken!

8. Usual pleasant start to the working week. 25a was my fave in a crossword that came together quite happily. 1.5/3* overall.
   Thanks to Rufus, and to MP for the review from BOTW.

9. Fun start to the week. Thanks toRus and MP. **/****

10. NE corner held me up a bit but straightforward and pleasant, especially since I don’t mind anagrams (or golf).
    19d COTD with 13d R/U.
    Thanks to Rufus and MP for review.

11. A surfeit of anagrams. Not that I am complaining. Pleasant Monday fare but nothing to enthuse about.

12. Even I noticed the prevalence of anagrams today – not something I usually think about.
    Only slight holdup came with 18a where I’m more familiar with a different first word and I needed that first letter for the penny to drop over the ‘start of race’ in 16d.
    The cricket clues weren’t too obscure for once and the feathered friends were most welcome.

    Top two for me were 22a & 3d.
    Thanks to Rufus and to MP – The Lamb Inn at Gt. Rissington used to be a good watering hole if you have the time to visit.
    By the way – the hint for 17d is missing a ’round’.

13. I didn’t find this particularly easy, despite the many anagrams. Not helped by the fact I am more familiar with the phrase at 18a starting with “fits”.
    Thanks to Rufus and Miffypops.

    P.S. I believe the hint for 17d is missing a letter. I’m guessing that is this week’s deliberate error that you put in just to keep us on our toes. 😉

    1. Hello owdoo

       I agree – i got the solution very quickly but then spent ages not entering it into the grid because the phrase to me is very much ‘fits’ … ….

       I did think this was lazy clueing – sorry setter but I do.

14. Very Mondayish – lots of anagrams and, as usual, I got stuck with a few at the end.
    I’m not really complaining about the high anagram count as I like them but there were a lot.
    My main problem was 13d – my ‘family man’ was ‘Pa’ which left me with a load of letters that I couldn’t explain – really dim today.
    I liked 5 and 12a and 7 and 19d. My favourite was either 25a or 3d.
    Thanks to Rufus and to Miffypops.
    Might have a go at Mr Rookie then off to the 3d.

    1. PS I didn’t notice the 27a typo and even knowing that there was one it still took me ages to see it – must go to Specsavers.

       1. Ditto

    2. I got stuck on this for the same sort of reasons Kath – family man and post as well got me all hung up on male and mail and then reversing mail – oh dear what a muddle i got into. I also had pater and paternalistic (which of course didn’t compute) so was a bit miffed (miffypops) when I realised what the family man was!

       1. Oh good – so glad that I’m not the only one. It’s always good to have company in the dim corner.
          Could we, perhaps, have a daily corner? Could we even call it “Kath’s Dim Corner”? Anyone up for this?

          1. Put me down for a lifetime membership please, Kath!

          2. me too.

15. At silly o clock this morning I solved 17d and made a mental note not to forget the round letter. When writing the blog I forgot the round letter. 17d has a round letter to make the numbers up everybody.

16. I can’t see the reasoning in 23d. If it’s supposed to be a double definition then the first half matches the answer but I don’t see how the second half does. Otherwise it needs another “as” as the 3rd word.

    1. Totally agree, it’s a very poor clue.

17. Thanks to Rufus and to Miffypops for the review and hints. A very enjoyable puzzle to start the week. I was completely beaten by 13d,23d & 22a. The last two were double definitions, which I am starting to dread daily. I always really struggle with them, even though I usually know they are double definitions. Favourite was 25a. Was 3*/3* for me.

18. A nice little walk in the park today. Lots to like here. I quite like anagrams but I do agree there were more than a few today.
    My fave was 19d, no points for guessing why.
    Thanks to Rufus and to M’pops for his entertainment today.

19. A very pleasant anagram-fest, 25a was my pick of the bunch overall.

    Thanks to Mr. Squires and to Miffypops.

20. Pleasant way to kick off the week if not somewhat overloaded on the anagram front. North presented few hiccups but the South was slightly more challenging. Surely second 4 letters of 7d solution doesn’t necessarily equal perch and “not as agreed” in 23d clue doesn’t really sitsmoothly. Anticipate a Kitty comment re 19d. Fav 16d pursued by 25a. Thanks Rufus and MP.

21. **/***. Lots of anagrams made this easier than usual. Nevertheless enjoyable. Thanks to MP and Rufus.

22. Usual Monday mixed bag for me. Some quite clever ones – I liked 7d and 19d (tricky, my last one in and favourite) – but there always seems to be some really iffy ones too. 18a was my particular bugbear. Clunky and a bit ambiguous. Hey ho. **/** Thanks for the Van Morrison.

23. Enjoyable except for 22a and 23d both of which I thought poor clues.
    Thx to all

    1. Very much agree Brian – I got the right answer but not only because of teh crossing letters

    2. Hang on for a minute, Brian. Just because you don’t understand them doesn’t make them poor clues.
       I agree that they weren’t the easiest but then there are always at least a few clues that cause trouble for me on Mondays.

       1. Once again I am on all fours with you Kath. 22a is a brilliant clue and Brian would do well do check a dictionary where double definitions are involved. 23d a bit more subtle. Relates to the involuntary nature of the turn out.

24. I was stuck in the SE corner for a while as I put ‘twist’ into 23d, and tried to justify it. Can’t tell you what I tried to do with Christopher Robin and Tom Thumb for 19d. I put that one down to being brain dead sucking a frozen yoghourt lolly. I liked 9a, both the clue and the pic. Many thanks setter and Miffypops.

25. I too got stuck at the bottom right – otherwise this would have been done this morning. I’m still not sure that I get 22a but the online version is telling me that my answer is correct. One of my faves was 11a

    I did manage to get 5a wrong for a while as well.

    Thanks to all ….

    1. I’m not sure about 22ac either. When blogging if it doubt bung something in and hopefully baffle your way through. Ref 13d. I too tried to fit a POST in.

       1. Your reason for struggling with 22a is justified since you’re a self-confessed ‘poorly schooled orphan boy’. I don’t have that excuse as I’m a well-educated girl with two parents until not that long ago.
          I’m joking MP – a :smile: to you.

       2. Leave me alone! The verb (leave) is in the imperative mood. You may respond “Please be quiet!”

26. A nice puzzle to start the week; entertaining without a great degree of difficulty. Thanks to MP for the blog,I envy him for being in Bourton on the Water, one of my all time places to visit.

27. Very enjoyable for start of the week, though 23d wasn’t a great clue.

    1. Hear, hear re 23d clue as I say in comment 20 above.

28. Lovely start to the week 🙂 */**** straightforward but such witty clues, set me up for the trials in the week ahead 😉 Favourites 13d & 7d big thanks to Rufus and of course to MP for his always very entertaining blog 🤗

29. A gentle, *ish start to the week, last in 13d, just behind 18ac which I thought I didn’t know but now realise I do. :-) Enjoyable from start to end.

30. The NE corner just put me into 2* time, but most of this puzzle felt very 1*. I’m much more familiar with “fits” than “fills” in the expression at 18a, but I see that the latter is equally valid. 13d was my favourite. Thanks to Rufus and MP.

31. Rufus and I generally have only the briefest of dalliances but I struggled a bit tonight – not with getting the answers but with wondering why, which stopped me from writing them in until they couldn’t be anything else. So well done him for taking me into 2* time. I liked 9a very much and disliked 23d. Ta to MP, who has managed to find a spot in BotW not occupied by excitable and free-spending tourists 2*/3*

32. So late, this must almost disappear off the front page.
    I struggle with Rufus as I am:=
    Rubbish at seeing anagrams
    Rubbish at cryptic definitions
    Rubbish at double definitions
    Thanks all

    1. Have you been reading the clues again?

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