DT 29591

121 comments on “DT 29591”

1. A very straightforward crossword, both for a Friday and a proXimal. Thanks to him and DT

   I think we have the calm before the promised snowstorms here today. Lovely blue sky and warm sunshine

   1. 20/ 30 mph winds up here Sue & 3C subtract wnd chill is down to -4C with worse to come. Can skate on loch. As you can see on the front page there are some hardy types up here. Mrs LROK & I have not joined that club.
      Biggles will approach the afternoon beach walk with a lot more enthusiasm than yours truly.

2. Greetings from South Cheshire. All done in good time for me. After yesterday when a migraine and lack of ability meant I gave up, that was a relief.
   My last one in was 18a. I spent ages looking for an anagram of the last two words before I realised I couldn’t count. My favourite was 1a. This may be an old chestnut but it was new to me and I love these plays on words.
   Thanks for the hints and the nice start to the weekend.

3. I always love this setter’s back pagers and this was no exception. I had a hunch it was one of his on the first read through so was on pangra alert though to be honest it didn’t really help as I found it quite straightforward. My only problem was 3d but eventually sussed it from the checkers and wordplay.
   Picking out three for the podium is difficult but I’ll go for 12a plus 7 (great word) & 22d
   2/5*
   Many thanks to ProXimal and DT for the entertainment.

4. The clues in in this puzzle were quite intricate and it took me longer than usual to unravel it (3*/4*). There were some really good clues. I had a good laugh at 10a and 9d was also good fun. COTD was, however 1d. It’s a good while since I’ve seen one of those in a crossword. Thanks to DT for the hints and glad the vaccine didn’t affect you too much. I had a really achy arm and felt a bit flueybut it passed after 3 or 4 days. Thank you to Proximal for an absorbing and well constructed puzzle.

5. Wow, I thought this X-less puzzle was quite tough, and what a sense of accomplishment I had when I managed to finish it, even though I was pushed into 3.5* time. The SW corner held me up the longest, with 19d my LOI. I especially liked 18a, 15a, 28a, 1d, and 5d, with 19d my COTD. Thanks to DT, whose hints I’ll read now, and to proXimal for the workout. 3.5* / 4.5*

   1. I’m in the tough camp too!

6. I didn’t even notice that it was a pangram minus the X. The south west was a tad more difficult than the rest and I couldn’t see where the formal garment came into 22d so thank you for the hints. I thought 19d was a well constructed clue, 7d made me smile but I’ll pick 1d as my favourite because it’s such a weird word. **/*** Thanks to all.

7. Hi from a newbie!

   I have been visiting for a few weeks now, having got very into crosswords spending lockdown with my parents, who take the Telegraph. This blog is so helpful when I find the word but go ‘well there must be some crosswordy reason that this is right…’ …although today I seem to be completing at a gallop, as you say. (Appropriately for today’s clues!)
   I wonder, what sort of solving time do people mean by ‘gallop’?

   Some random things I’ve learned over these weeks:
   -There’s a bird called a skua.
   -The paper the DT is printed on tears perfectly neatly vertically but not at all well horizontally!
   -Crossword setters are obsessed with cricket.

   I found a few of yesterday’s very tricky but most easy – I laughed at TRACE. Not sure yet what my COD will be today…

   1. Welcome to the blog. I hope you’ll come back and comment again in the future

      With regard to the skua, setters have a habit of reversing it to make AUKS

   2. Welcome from me too. How fast is a gallop? We don’t know as we do not discuss solving times. However, as one man’s meat is another man’s poison it is possible that one lady’s gentle trot is another’s fast gallop. It is what you want to be!

   3. Hello Jenny. Welcome to the blog. Solving times are relative and we don’t mention times in hours or minutes in order not to make slower solvers feel inadequate or allow faster solvers to gloat. So cups of tea, horse rides, breakfasts, dinners all get mentioned. I’m not sure how fast a gallop is but Senf who blogs the Sunday prize puzzles always solves on horseback. I think he may be a Mountie as he lives in Canada. You are right about the tearing properties of the paper. Many years ago I used to take my unfinished puzzle to the pub where several other chaps did the same and we would discuss the whys and wherefores of the clues and answers. It’s where I heard of included or hidden words known as lurkers here. I hope to see more comments from you. Who knew cryptic crossword puzzles could be such fun

      1. Excellent, then I shall continue to think of ‘quick for me’ as a gallop! I did in the end need the hints for a couple today – though for explaining rather than solving. Thank you all.

         1. Welcome aboard, Jenny. Don’t worry about galloping – I plod along through the crossword. I too suspect the galloping solver is a Mountie with a winged steed.

         2. Hello Jenny. I suspect that a “fast” gallop for me would be nothing of the sort for senf who completes all of them at the speed of light. Don’t worry about it. It’s relative to you!

         3. A welcome from me too Jenny. Rest assured your solving prowess will come on in leaps & bounds with the advice of the bloggers. Please do comment & join the gang.

   4. Welcome to the Blog Jenny

   5. Welcome from me too.
      I believe that compilers like cricket so much because crosswords can be as hard to understand as the game itself.

      1. There’s nothing difficult to understand about cricket except that our Stuart Broad always reckons every ball he bowls is out! On occasion, he’s right even.

         1. Stuart Broad made an appearance in today’s Guardian coverage, despite not being in the team:

            Root celebrates with a six! A slog-sweep, crisply done, although the effort lands him on the deck with another bout of cramp. Stuart Broad trots out with some kind of energy drink, and no doubt berates his captain for leaving him out on a pitch that’s giving the seamers some help.

            I think cricket just features in crosswords so often because it has such a wide vocabulary, with so many cricket terms having abbreviations, other non-crickety meanings, or both.

   6. It is not just newspaper Jenny but all paper has a sort of warp and weft. Try tearing a paper napkin or tissue and you will invariably find it is down the first fold which makes the square into an oblong which will tear easily. We once had a tour of the huge paper mills on the river at Maastricht where we learned more about paper than one really needs to know! As far as the cricketty, golfy and footy clues go, I have learned to my cost not to moan about them too much, they are very sensitive souls.

   7. Jenny, like you I am new to the blog although have been attempting the DT crosswords for years. I also learn at least one new word(s) a day. 5d being today’s prime example. Excellent puzzle and equally excellent hints!

      1. Welcome to you both.
         The blog is a haven of sanity, and sometimes insanity.
         It flattens out learning curves so you have time to read what real experts and real amateurs like me think of the day. Weather reports from all over the world.
         Keep posting.

         1. Welcome, Jenny and Awinguiseley. You’ll soon get an idea what is an average time is for you to do what you can of the crossword. Anything more than that is difficult. My gallop would probably be a jog trot for Senf.

      2. Welcome from me too. I haven’t been to Guiseley for quite a while – I see that Harry Ramsden’s has changed its name to be a part of the Wetherby Whaler empire. Wetherby being the town just down the road from me. Fish and Chips used to be so much better when wrapped in the DT ( other newspapers will do at a push) but Elf and Safety stopped them using newspaper some time ago.

         1. Welcome, AW. I nominally work in Guiseley, though I’ve only been there a couple of days since last March, and not at all since September. Hope everything is well there, and you keep commenting.

   8. Welcome to both new commenters from me too, and please keep commenting. This is a friendly ‘place’. If you don’t understand something all you need to do is ask and someone will reply. As far as I’m concerned it doesn’t matter how long a crossword takes – it’s a hobby and is meant to be fun, not a race, whether on horseback or not – I prefer the kitchen table!

8. Fine puzzle and nothing to comment on except the occasional coincidences you get, like 3D, which appeared the other day and which I only ever connect with the immortal lines uttered by Lina Lamont in Singin’ in the Rain.
   Also, the quickie pun today related cinematically to the pun yesterday……..I know there is a time gap between submission and publishing, as our Editor has told us, but sometimes, you to have to wonder……
   Thanks to ProXimal and to DT.

   1. On those coincidences – I was wondering, do crossword clues carry copywright? I’m sure I’ve seen the same exact phrasing used in two crosswords, but might have been the same setter… or, quite possibly, setters being steeped in the same languages and tricks, it will genuinely happen sometimes that two invent the same clue?

      1. I can’t really remember clues, only answers and then only if they’re close in time.
         I once asked about what might seem improbable coincidences and Chris Lancaster (the DT Crosswords Editor) said it was usually a genuine coincidence, but he did add that there may often be only 2 or 3 words which fit a space once you add the crossing letters (I.e. those spaces that are shared with the crossing words), which I hadn’t considered, but which makes a lot of sense.
         I don’t know if you can copyright clues – I would have thought that was unlikely, just as sentences within novels or short phrases in music would be unlikely to win in a court of law if reproduced (except for “He’s so Fine”, which George Harrison copied for “My Sweet Lord”). Plagiarising a whole crossword, or a good part of it would definitely be frowned on, if for publication. I bet there are people on here, like BD or the Ed who will know.

         Welcome here Jenny, though. It’s a fun blog and no mistake.

      2. I, too, have often wondered how compilers know whether the same, or similar, clue has been set before. Or perhaps the editor does this and sends the clue back for a rework. Does anyone know?

         1. I think it’s a bit like music – there is no such thing as new music, only rearrangements of standard patterns that are known to work
            ‘Boat crossing river’ will always be streamer, ‘pale blue trousers’ will always be swanky and ‘thus returns’ will always be ogre
            If you had to clue ‘Local Authority’ – how else are you going to clue that other than AUTHOR inside LOCALITY?
            Words tend to lend themselves to certain kinds of constructions so overlap is inevitable and certainly not plagiarism
            So no, I don’t know, but that’s my tuppence worth
            Oh, and welcome to the blog from me too, Jenny S

            1. Thank you LBR that’ll do me 🤗

            2. Perhaps
               Inn expert? (5,9) LbR

               1. :smile:

                  1. Even better for bloggers ony then
                     Miffypops? (5,9)

                     1. And where do I look for hints and tips for these?

9. For me this was the most straightforward puzzle of the week. 7d was my favourite for the schoolboyish humour, and overall this was just a treat to unravel. ProXimal always produces an enjoyable grid and this was no exception, so my thanks to him and to DT.

   Like DT, we were jabbed on Wednesday. We received a text at 3pm saying the surgery had a surplus of Pfizer that they had to use or consign it to the bin, so they were dropping a cohort. Within the hour we were vaccinated. Very impressive.

   1. I was jabbed yesterday, set up in the grounds of our local parish church, in the garden, under the trees, temperature about 5C! I didn’t know there were so many old people in my town. I had to be in a wheelchair due to the long-distance walking, but the other oldies seemed to handle it just fine! Put me to shame.

      1. We were not even offered a seat for the jab itself, just for the 15 minute wait afterwards in case of allergic reaction.

         1. We were “done” in the local church rooms had slight wait then given a seat. As you, sit in car for 15mins then off home.
            Neither of us seem to have had any noticeable side effects touch wood.

   2. I’ve been “done” today – wow – organised or what?! No-one even asked me if I was allergic to anything or not – had they asked I’d been wondering whether or not to mention wasp stings, not that I can imagine there being a common component . . .

10. Excellent puzzle today particularly the SW corner and the two charades 19d and my favourite last in 18a.
    No iffy clues or obscurities and going for a **/**** ,
    Thanks Setter and DT for the pics.

11. Really enjoyed this puzzle today with some great clues with **/**** 1d being my COTD, 18a and 19d were the last one’s in. Podiums go to 22d and 15a.
    Thanks to ProXimal and DT.

12. Surprisingly gentle for a ProXimal & all over in just under ** time. Thought the SW the trickiest quadrant but it was 1d, my last in, that took longest – didn’t know the word but the wordplay eventually got me there. No real favourites but very partial to a good 5d with a strong coffee. Today’s albums a repeat of yesterday’s combo: Inarticulate Speech of the Heart (Van) & Idlewild South (Allman Brothers Band)
    Thanks to ProXimal & to DT.

13. I do admire setters like proXimal (and Silvanus and, of course, Dada) who can vary the difficulty of their puzzles depending on where they are to appear. This one from proXimal was fairly benign and enjoyable (with a good laugh at 7d) – thanks to him and DT for the review.

    Rabbit Dave, who usually comments at least once a day, seems to have gone AWOL – I hope he’s ok.

    1. I noticed RD’s absence, always enjoy his comments and hope to see him back soon too.

       1. Me too. Not the same without RD & Steve of course.

    2. I noticed that too but don’t like tempting fate. 🤞🤞

    3. Worry not, RD is fine. He’s just got some difficult personal stuff to work through but will be back amongst us ‘ere long.

       1. Thanks Jane.
          Best wishes RD.

       2. Thanks Jane. Hurry back RD.

14. I enjoyed this one very much. Some challenges but all ‘doable’ in the end.

    Lola – the vet called yesterday and is still perplexed. Now, a snippet from her paw is going for biopsy. There are many theories but no answers. On the positive side, she is eating and not distressed at all. She is enjoying life spent 24/7 on a cushion.

    I am driving H to a local hospital to get her jab today (she is a key worker).

    Today’s soundtrack: Fotheringay – Fotheringay

    Thanks to ProXimal and DT.

    1. Let’s hope you get an answer from the new biopsy Terence. Glad she seems to be well at the moment.

       Fotheringay by Sandy Denny with Richard Thompson is my favourite Fairport song with Matty Groves a close second.

       1. And who knows where the time goes must get a mention.

       2. :good:

       3. Richard Thompson is someone I binge on a lot.
          Have seen him live on the tour he did just with Danny Thompson.
          But never went to Cropredy festival, even though we’re relatively nearby and are friends with people who live there…..life is strange.

    2. Oh dear, Terence, I do hope that doesn’t mean that the lampshade is back? Poor Lola, but full marks to the vet for all her efforts.

    3. I should imagine the vets are intrigued by Lola’s problem and will be anxious to resolve it .At least she is now free from the wretched collar.

    4. Poor, poor Lola, another lot of poking around, you must be so tired of it all.
       Phoebe brought in a huge giant ameiva yesterday and had it on my bed, she did drop it on the floor and it’s in hiding somewhere.

       1. What the dickens is a giant ameiva? sounds frightful.

          1. It’s the lizardy thing, Merusa has mentioned before. Phoebe probably felt sorry for it out in the cold they are having. So brought it in for M. to cover up!

             1. Probably. We have iguanas fall out of trees here when it gets really cold. They get so cold they can no longer hold on with their feet. And I’m talking about quite big, chunky iguanas.

          2. Google it. It’s an invasive species that people buy to keep in aquaria, then they find they can’t be bothered to look after it so they put it outside and it reproduces to pest level. They are much bigger than our local lizards. At least they are not Burmese pythons that are infesting our Everglades right now. We’re losing all our key deer and Florida panthers, just a nice meal for a python. The rabbits are all gone. Don’t get me started …

             1. M I Googled the last time you had one as a house guest. Think Biggles would be gone
                & never come back in the house if he saw one in here.
                Daughter has a Kimodo dragon. She’s worried that if they have a power cut for a couple of days as we do when really bad snow hits us it will go to the great Kimodo dragon city in the sky

    5. Oh – poor Lola – snippet from paw sounds sore. I usually reckon if a dog or cat is eating and ‘cheerful’ they’re probably OK – I’d enjoy 24/7 on a cushion – beats the hell out of a chair at the kitchen table!

15. All went well until I ground to a halt in the SW corner with four to do. Formal dress means a tie to me. What can be more formal than a tie? DJs, I thought, are generally scruffy creatures, and then I realised that it was an abbreviation for the jacket idiots wear to eat their dinner. Never owned one, never will. I only wore a tie because outside the metropolitan areas it was expected of a teacher and then a headteacher. Threw them all away when I retired except for one suitable for funerals.

    Thanks to Proximal and DT for their good work.

    1. After many years in uniform including mess undress it was great to be out of it. The late Mrs Spook once told me that I was one of natures natural scruffs. A title I am glad to perpetuate, although I still clean shoes.

    2. You’re such a rebel Corky.

       1. Not now, Jean-luc, but I like the irony/sarcasm. But when I was young and intelligent (foolish??), I was thrown out of grammar school, : went into the army which seemed a good idea at the time and got myself thrown out of that too. Was in and out of work for some time before going to college. Nearly got thrown out of that too.

          As a headteacher North Yorkshire Education Department would have loved to get rid of me but I had two advisers in my corner and a good OfSted report which kept me safe before I was invalided out to torment NYCC again as a union rep for eight years.

          The one thing I learned in army was that as long you had got the facts, figures, and reasoned arguments on your side there was little that could be done against you.

          1. To me formal wear is black tie although some use DJ Corky
             Our deputy chief scientist when losing a “debate” always used to say “Don’t confuse me with the facts!”

16. Another cracking puzzle, lots of enjoyable clues although I did get slightly held up in SW corner, so thanks tp DT for the hints.
    Just had my appointment for the Jab I will be glad to get it out of the way.
    Thanks again to DT and Proximol.

17. Very enjoyable and just right for a Friday.

    Thanks to ProXimal and DT.

18. A nice gentle puzzle for the end of the week that I found a lot of fun. 1.5*/******
    Some great clues that were clever and well constructed and generated a mix of chuckles, groans and a couple of PDM clues too. like 2d & 8d
    My COTD favourites were 13a, 28a, 2d, 7d & 24d with my winner being 7d with 24d a close runner up.

    Thanks to ProXimal and DT

19. I came here to check the parsing of 11a as I just could not work it out. So thank you for that Deep Threat.

    If I’m allowed to comment in the toughie here I’d just like to express my appreciation of 7d, what a clever clue! (One of only four I’ve managed on my first attempt, so any smugness I might have felt at my fairly speedy cryptic solve has been well and truly quashed)

20. Definitely a good way to end the non working week.
    Short and concise cluing from the setter made it a joy to solve.
    Ate a 5d yesterday, sitting on a bench as it is still impossible to stay in any premises.
    Liked 18a. Thanks for the picture. It’s the place to be buried in France. Only accessible to the most illustrious of the nation.
    Thanks to Proximal and to DT.

    1. And there was me thinking it was unique to Rome when wham! One turns up in Paris. Just like that. The two cities I have taken Saint Sharon to for Valentines Day only to find out that coincidentally England just happened to be playing Rugby while we were there. What a surprise that was. Anyway I had a butchers and London’s had one too but we knocked it down and built a Marks and Spencer’s

       1. Could have become a Starbucks, don’t know which is worse

21. Yes, a very satisfying puzzle, fun clues – last one in was 19d for some reason. Quite a lot to make us smile. Thank you ProXimal
    for the workout and thanks to Deep Threat. Having been cockahoop at sailing through Wednesday’s toughie I was cut down
    to size last night – I salute all those who found it a doddle!
    It is good to hear of more people getting vaccinated, cheering news at last to go with the brilliant sunshine here in Cambridge at the moment.
    I gather it aint going to last though!

22. Well I feel very inadequate today as I found this a tough ***/*** with as for some others the SW being the tricky zone and 18ac my bête noir. I did manage it but thanks to Deep Threat for explaining 4 or 5 of the answers which now seem obvious of course. Maybe my brain fades after lunch as I normally have my crossword fun at elevenses time….

23. Well this was all going pretty well until the SW and then it was very hard indeed. Couldn’t parse 11a, although it was obvious once I read DTs hint but 1d got the better of me. I doubt if I will need that word ever again, but you never know. Favourite clue 26a. Thank you Mr ProXimal and Mr Threat.

24. Another very enjoyable puzzle from Mr X-less but he certainly wouldn’t win any prizes for surface reads!
    No particular favourite today but it was a pleasurable solve so thanks to him and to DT for the review. Hadn’t heard of the artist who featured in the hint for 23a and needed help from Mr G to get the director in the Quickie pun but that’s doubtless just down to my lack of knowledge in those areas.

25. **/****. An enjoyable end to the week. My favourites were 12&28a but pipped to the post by 7d just because it’s a nice word you don’t see that often. Thanks to ProXimal and DT.

26. East was a” Tuesday on a Friday” puzzle. The West more Friday difficulty.
    I just couldn’t see 18a & needed help (thanks DT) so a DNF for me. Need a slap across the face with a wet fish for being so dumb. Ignorance of the purpose of a parthenon no excuse.
    Thanks to Proximal & DT.

27. How on Earth does the answer for 14a tie in with the clue? I know it’s an anagram but struggling to understand the connection.

    1. Ones issue are ones children. Ones children are ones family. Hope that helps

       1. Thanks for the explanation. I am fairly new to these, and I struggled with today’s puzzle. In fact I struggle most days lol.

    2. “Children/Offspring” are family and they are referred to as the answer.

       1. Many thanks

28. I found this one quite tough but got through it alone and unaided …and enjoyed it. Tough is satisfying.
    Needed Deep Threat’s hint to parse 11a….it had to be what it was, but east and west have always confused me in life as well as in crosswords.

    Thanks to the setter and to Deep Threat.

    Utterly miserable weather up here in Dundee. Continuous sleety rain and a raw, cold wind. Snell, as we would say.

    1. Same up here Ora. The wind speed here is slightly higher than yours. worse is forecast for you and us but being on the coast we might escape the worst. Certainly the Cairngorms look in for it.

       1. My Inverness friend is in Raigmore Hospital, having fallen and done some damage. Are they having the gales there?

          1. Sorry to hear about your friend M. Quite a lot of ice up here We sometimes wear crampons to walk Biggles.
             Winds not quite so bad in Inverness but some snow according to our Amazon delivery man.
             Was in Raigmore yesterday for my final session. Hopefully the PET scan says they have things sorted. Going to send Biggles as my pet so things should be OK.

             1. Good luck on the PET scan. I’ve been looking at the pictures from Scotland and it makes me feel ashamed of the moaning we’ve been doing here in SF during our recent cold snap.

    2. Welcome to how I live – east and west has always confused me and when you bung in north and south as well I’m completely sunk. Not much better with left and right either.
       One of the many things my Dad used to say was that when it comes to having a sense of direction there are three types of people – there are those with a good one, there are those with a less good one – and then there’s Kath!

       1. You’d be lost over here then. When someone gives you directions, they don’t say left and right. They say go north on …, then south on… etc.

29. Slow going today, for me ***/***. I kept staring at 5d being unfamiliar with the said sarnie – thx DT.
    11a gets my vote
    Thx setter and DT.

30. Didn’t find this as easy as some – but then I always find Proximal a bit on the tough side. Having said that it all went in without recourse to the reference books, I was reaching for the Thesaurus to get the last few in the SW corner, when the penny dropped that I was chasing the wrong definition at 19d. Thanks Proximal for the challenge. I’ll have a look at Elgar, but no doubt wander away muttering without being able to solve any!

31. Tough but very enjoyable. I solved from the bottom up as that’s where I got a look in. The NW was what held me up for ages, almost gave up to look at the hints when 2d fell and got me going again. I had to use some e-help but not a lot. We had 3d fairly recently, so that was a great help.
    Fave was 9d, okay, I know, an old chestnut but I still loved it. I think 7d deserves honourable mention too.
    Thanks proXimal for all the fun and DT for explaining a few, 11a nearly drove me crazy.

32. Thanks to DT for the review and to commenters for comments.

    1. Thank you for looking in.
       As has been said amazing how you are able to compile for different levels of solver so accurately. Long may you continue

    2. Thanks for joining us, proXimal, and for making me really work my brain cells to finish your excellent puzzle.

33. Wow that is my first completion of a proXimal 😃 🥂 ***/**** Favourites sorry but I had four 😬 and I can’t decide 1 & 15a and 2 & 9d Thanks to DT and to the Setter. Have a nice weekend 🌨💨 🥶

34. A good level of challenge for us and a pleasure to solve. Even noticed the X-less pangra so no doubt about who the setter was. Too many ticks to pick any one as favourite. Thanks proXimal and DT.

35. Like several others, I rattled through the East, limped through the NW and ground to a halt with18a 19d to do.
    Deep Threat got me going again and thanks for that ( and the parsing of 11a – those cycled clues always trip me up)
    I would love a nice 5d – Does Le Jardin have one on the menu?
    Thanks to proXimal and Dt and welcome to those who have recently discovered the delights of Big Dave’s place and fingers crossed for Lola.

    1. Hi John,
       Unfortunately sandwiches don’t really work in restaurants although they might in big brasseries.
       I remember going to the Colony Grill at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair (the one with that wonderful sculpture of Antony Gormley) and ordered a Pastrami on Rye. Thought it was a good idea but soon regretted as I had 4 small triangular sandwiches on a bare plate.
       Definitely more suitable for a park bench as I did yesterday.

       1. I see that google maps have “helpfully” pixellated the statue on the roof. I think I saw it once while wandering around Grosvenor Sq.
          I will have the Corsican charcuterie, Minced Chicken with Sweet Garlic followed by Mango and Candied Ginger Soup washed down with a bottle of Bastide La Verrerie.
          An imaginary trawl through your menu is making me drool!

          1. Thanks.
             We had the winter menu all ready to go online when the axe fell.
             Been closed for 3 month already and no reopening date in sight.
             I don’t think we will have a spring menu either.
             Let us hope that we will be back in the summer.

36. I also couldn’t do 18a and 19d without resorting to electrons. I found the anagrams really tricky today and got bored with trying to solve them so used electrons for those too. Annoyingly I forgot about ProXimal and his missing X and was trying to fit one into my last two clues. ***/***

37. All I can say is well done to those who didn’t find this quite tricky – I refuse to beat myself up – I always find him tricky.
    I think everything else has been said already.
    I always forget about 3d being ‘sky’ – not that long since we had it – oh dear!
    The almost pangram helped me to get 1a and 1d – don’t think I would have done otherwise.
    Lots of good clues – I’m not going to pick any in particular – looking forward to wine and supper now, in no particular order, as they say!

    1. PS How rude of me! Thanks to proXimal and to DT too.

38. Anyone would think I’d never done a cryptic crossword before – a two session effort for me today. Not helped by spending ages trying to find an anagram of “ruined red” in 16d!

39. Being a newbie I studied 13a carefully and considered Deal or Dover. I thought it was undealt. How wrong I was!
    Learnt for first time Croque Monsieur. Never heard of it before. Always good to learn a new food snack.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Howard.

40. Miles above my level, God, I’m hopeless at this!
    Thanks all.

    1. So funny – that’s exactly what I was thinking of myself this morning. Still onwards and upwards with fingers crossed for today’s crossword. Many thanks to Proximal and DT too for the much needed hints and answers!

41. 3*/4*……
    liked 14A “Itinerant Aussie without a family (5)”

42. Well you could knock me down with a feather. I actually managed a proXimal puzzle. I did need a couple of hints to finish, with 3d being last in. But that’s the best I’ve ever done with his challenges. Had a good chuckle at 7d, with 9d as COTD. Thanks to proXimal and DT.
    So nice to read that so many of our posters have now got their jabs, the end is in sight folks! Two of our friends in England have had theirs, with a third scheduled for Monday. We are due to get our second shots on Thursday, fingers crossed.

43. Have thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of this medium difficulty puzzle over the course of the day. At first thought WC might be involved in 7d! The garment part of 22d ‘on American’ would be tux of course. Thanks ProXimal and DT.

44. Shot myself in the foot on this one. I put pathenon in for 18a, so had no chance on 9d. I thought it parsed but realised when I checked the blog, that I can’t spell.
    Good crossword though.

45. Thank you for the explanations of three of the clues in No. 29591! I have learned so much from your crossword site.

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