DT 30338

105 comments on “DT 30338”

1. Very enjoyable but I did need Mr. G. for 21d so that has broken my run of unaided finishes. Still, the rest of it was a great mixture of clues ranging from writing straight is to head scratchers. My COTD is 15d but there were other contenders such as 7d and 17d.

   My thanks to the setter for the fun and to the 2Ks for the hints.

   I didn’t think I would be able to do today’s guzzle justice because Mrs. C. fell downstairs last night. She’s ok, if a bit shaken, but we had to wait 8 hours for the ambulance so I have been up all night.

   1. Sorry to hear about Mrs C. Didn’t that happen once before and you had to wait ages for an ambulance? Ihope she feels better today.

      1. Thanks, Chriscross. Yes it happened about a year ago and we waited nearly 13 hours for the ambulance then.

         1. I am very sorry to hear about your wife having a further fall Steve.
            I well remember the distressing experience that you both endured on the previous occasion.
            I hope that she makes a full and speedy recovery.
            My best wishes to you both.

            1. You’ve changed your alias so this needed moderation. Both aliases will work from now on.

               1. Thank you.

   2. Oh dear, how frightening for her. The sensation of falling is beastly. I do hope she is alright.

   3. Oh, Steve, that is indeed bad news, then to have to wait eight hours for the ambulance. I do hope she’s going to be all right.

   4. My goodness, so sorry to hear about Mrs. C’s fall, made worse by the long wait for the ambulance. That is dreadful and totally unacceptable. It would be less than 8 minutes here. When we first moved across the pond I was amazed at the cost of healthcare, and was nostalgic about the NHS. Not any more. I do hope she is ok and recovering. Best wishes.

   5. I hope your wife recovers quickly and you both feel better after a nights proper rest.

   6. Poor Mrs C and you too – she’s the one going to be bruised (Witch Hazel) and you’re worried and tired – oh dear, oh dear!

   7. So sorry to hear that, Steve. Poor lady has certainly had more than her fair share of waiting in pain for an ambulance to arrive. Is it perhaps time to consider re-figuring your house somewhat?

   8. Steve so sorry to see your message about Mrs C and her fall downstairs. She will have been very shaken up and mercifully no bones broken but it’s unforgivable that she has once again been kept waiting for so many hours. I think your local Health Authority should be ashamed. If no ambulances available locally surely the neighbouring HA should be prepared to help out?
      Fingers crossed 🤞 for Mrs C’s speedy recovery.

   9. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes. Mrs. C is ok but still a bit shaken and tottery, which is hardly surprising. I made her a bed downstairs so she did not have to climb to the bedroom and got her settled. After no sleep at all lest night I was looking forward to getting to bed, a quick look at the blog before going off to Ballybucklebo for half an hour before sleep. Then Hudson was violently sick. I couldn’t find the keys to open the back door to get the shovel and Perks was trying to roll in it. To cap it all, my new pyjama trousers are slightly too big and kept falling down as I attempted to take charge of the Meyhem.

      You couldn’t make it up!

      Anyway, Lesley is settled and that is the main thing.

   10. First chance I’ve had to read through the comments today & so sorry to hear Steve. Hoping Mrs C isn’t too bruised & is soon on the mend.

       1. Thank you, Huntsman.

          1. Oh dear! Sorry to hear about that Steve. I know what falling down the stairs is all about. I was stopping in digs in Lincoln some years ago, around the time of the Falklands war, and got up in the middle of the night to go to the downstairs loo. All the lights were off and thinking I was going to put my foot on level ground there was a 6″ drop. I tumbled head over heels down the stairs and took the sturdy outside oak door off it’s hinges with my feet. Another half turn and it would have been my head with much more serious, if not fatal, consequences. Hey ho I’m still here to tell the tale.

2. I thought this was great fun, full of gentle misdirection.
   Loved 1a and also enjoyed 19&25a plus 7d but could have mentioned several more.
   Many thanks to the setter and The Ks.

3. A thoroughly enjoyable guzzle with some great lego clues and anagrams mized with a stimulating hint of General Knowleedge. It wasn’t entirelt straightforward but the challenges were wel ome and nicely judged for a backpager. I liked 9a, 5d, 27a and COTD 17d (what a clever lego clue). Thanks to the Kiwis for the hints and to the compiler

4. That was fun but ended a little early! My last in was 16a and I kicked myself when the franc dropped.
   Many thanks to the setter!

5. Lots of smart misdirection and smooth wordplay in Wednesdays offering, which I enjoyed a lot. Admit I guessed 3d correctly from all the checkers, spent too much time staring out of the window day dreaming about sport to pay enough attention in classic lessons.

   2*/4*

   Fav 1a LOI 3d.

   Thanks to setter and the 2Kiwis.

6. A puzzle for the very hungry, who will have had their appetites sated by all those carbs!

   At first glance I thought this was going to be a struggle, but on seeing the Greek dish (yuck, aubergine!) and baguette, it all started to flow quite speedily, held up for a few moments by the last few in the south. Enjoyable, albeit some odd surfaces and a few chestnuts. For me COTD to 6d with runners-up 15d and 27a.

   2* / 2.5*

   Thank you to the setter and to the 2Ks

7. Brilliant! I give this **/***** as the clueing was excellent. Thank you the 2K’s for the hint to 27a as I got the answer but wasn’t quite sure why. 25a was my COTD with 5d and 18d close seconds.I can’t wait to find out who the setter was. Thanks to him or her.

8. 1.5*/5*. A light delight for a Wednesday with only the parsing of 27a requiring some head scratching.

   Too many ticks to try to select a favourite.

   Many thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks.

9. A most entertaining puzzle with a whole gamut of types of clue. Have never watched an episode of the TV program featuring 6d but the checkers were enough to ring a faint bell.

   Favourites today include 17d and the clever 24d which brought back memories of double periods of Latin in a stuffy classroom again.

   Last one in and my COTD – 16a. I had to go through all the letters of the alphabet before the penny clunked. Showed the clue to the Bidie-in and she immediately gave the correct answer which put me firmly in my place.

   Thanks to the setter and the 2Kiwis.

   Picked up my book again, an old Ian Rankin Rebus, and 27a was in my next paragraph. It often happens that a reasonably obscure word from the crossword appears soon afterwards on television or what I am reading. 🤔

   1. Rebus has just spotted a 17d now. How strange.

   2. I know exactly what you mean, DaveP – I’ve often found that the very same word that’s just cropped up in conversation or in reading matter magically turns out to be the answer to a crossword clue – or vice versa! That’s some coincidence given the wealth of vocabulary in our language.

      1. Yes – I have often read a word in a clue only to have it repeated immediately on the radio.

10. I thoroughly enjoyed all of this. My paper is full of ticks and it’s not easy to choose a favourite. 1a went straight in and, bringing a smile, was a great mood lifter from the start. Attending to the down clues from that, I liked 1d – thanks for the picture of Yehudi Menuhin – and the clever 5d. I pulled the GK in 3d and 6d from somewhere in the recesses of my memory and the top half completed itself with relative ease. The lower half was a little more challenging and 27a took a bit of working out but that, along with 15d is definitely my type of clue. LOI was 16a. It’s always the little ones! Thanks to today’s setter for the pleasure and 2Kiwis for the illustrated review.

11. Lovely stuff. It’s always a bonus when puzzles are not only doable but fun, too. 1A is my top pick, with special mentions for 9A, 25A and 24D.

    I’m reeling from Steve and Mrs. Steve’s ambulance wait time! Around here, if an ambulance doesn’t arrive within 15 minutes of the call, we’re outside, looking down the road and saying “What’s keeping them!” We do get a bill for the ride, though.

    1. Oops! Forgot to thank the 2Ks and the setter!!

    2. I know, Pat. I’m totally in disbelief at ambulance wait times. The few times I’ve needed them, after falls, I was attended by burly, over 6-ft, handsome Firemen and in hospital 20 minutes later! I can’t imagine the poor person lying there for eight hours, probably in pain. I don’t mind paying if that’s the alternative.

    3. Speaking personally, I would happily pay for a decent ambulance service. Our village medical practice is in danger of closing because some idiot in the government thinks it’s a great idea to close pharmacies in medical practices. The pharmacy at Knockin Medical Centre is its major source of income. If it is taken away, the practice will close and many people will be left in the lurch.

       1. What will you do? What is the problem with the NHS? Silly question, the answer would require a thesis. I only hope someone comes along who can fix it, for the sakes of all UK souls.

12. A good honest puzzle which was managed without too much help. 16a totally eluded me. Not surprisingly as in the 1963 London French GCE parsed cheveux as horses and then had to make the rest of the text fit round an old man with grey horses on a channel crossing. Also 6d was solved as it was the only word on the Word Wizard with the checkers I had. My children were old enough to watch and enjoy this but I found it execrable. Canned laughter, impossible or unlikely situations ; I saw enough of one episode to leave the room and never return when it was on.

    Otherwise fine with 7, 14, and 18d as worthy of mention. Thanks to the 2Ks and the setter?

    1. Actually each episode of Friends was filmed in front of a live audience of approximately 300 fans.

13. Very enjoyable with many cleverly disguised definitions – thanks to the setter and 2Ks.
    I ticked 19a, 27a and 5d with my favourite clue being 15d.

14. Good Wednesday fun but I did have a Hmm over having to drag GK on American sitcoms from a dark corner of my memory but no problems with the Latin in 24d – **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 18a, 23a, 27a, 18d, and 24d – and the winner is 24d.

    Thanks to the setter (Robyn?) and the 2Kiwis.

15. First run through, blank.
    Second, a weak toehold
    With 21d.
    Slow progress, like pulling
    Teeth.
    Stalled at last in 16a,
    Penny dropped, finis.
    Honourable mentions 9, 11 and 19a
    And 5, 7 and 15d.
    Great challenge, thanks setter and
    The 2Kiwis.

16. A straightforward solve and, like Chriscross, I much enjoyed the mixture of fun and GK. My shortlist contains 11a, 27a and 24d. Thank you Mysteron and the 2Kiwis.

17. As our bloggers said, 1a was enough to put a smile on the face and it remained there for me throughout the solve. Something of a sting in the tail when it came to the parsing of 27a but the politician helped me over that hurdle and all was well.
    Masses of ticks on my sheet and finally settled on giving podium places to 1&26a along with 15&17d.

    Thanks to Robyn (I assume) and to our 2Ks for the review.
    PS – I do wish Robyn would pop in to say hello to us all.

18. I really liked this Wednesday puzzle … so much so I want to say “Welcome back Jay”, as it really felt to me, like one of his. Who knows, though. I’m no expert.
    Nothing too weird word wise, although there were a couple that took some thought and one that I had never heard of but the checking letters solved that for me.

    1.5*/4* for me this sunny Tuesday evening.

    Favourites were many but the top six for me were 1a, 23a, 25a, 5d, 8d & 20d — and every single one gave me a chuckle as the penny dropped on them but the winner is 1a.

    Thanks to setter and the 2K’s

19. Very enjoyable. I did have to double check a couple of the GK clues, just to make sure I’d parsed the clue correctly. The very simple 4d was my favourite though I can see it returning nearer Christmas. Thank you setter and the 2ks.

20. I found this crossword accessible and enjoyable. I don’t know enough yet to do cryptic crosswords unaided in one sitting (even if I can finish them!), but this time I only needed one hint. I didn’t see ‘grass’ in the right sense. Also it was a while before I moved on from the ‘key specialist’ being a pianist to the correct interpretation. And while I could see the answer to 23a, the relevant meaning took a while – that meaning dropped out of use a long time ago! Perhaps feeling unduly encouraged, I had a look at the Toughie and can only manage one clue! Yesterday, I also only managed one Toughie clue even though someone said it was as easy as a Monday back pager. Seems that while some experienced people might not see much difference, at my level the difference is definitely noticeable!

    1. Don’t be discouraged from having a go at the Toughies. If yesterday’s had appeared as an early week back-pager there would have been howls of protest, believe me. One of the benefits of doing them regularly is that they make puzzles such as this one seem relatively straightforward, so you’ll definitely improve as a solver even if you don’t finish them.

    2. Keep going!

    3. Keep at it, Mark; the regular exercise will soon have you completing these puzzles daily and with confidence. Half the trick is becoming familiar with the shorthand instructions in each clue, because it’s like learning a foreign language: to start with you have to think about each word and work out what each element means or could be, which bit is the definition and which the wordplay; and steadily it gets to be a more ingrained habit, such that after a while you will suddenly realise that you’ve been subconsciously thinking of various different meanings even as you read a clue or a word, of which words are often anagram indicators and which suggest a lurker, etc.

       The difference this site has made to my own solving ability and enjoyment of crosswords over the last 2-3 years cannot be overstated: Big Dave’s inspired creation of this site, and the generosity of the hinters and commenters in explaining every single clue, has helped countless thousands of solvers over the years.

       Never be concerned about asking “but why does X mean Y?” – someone will give you an answer!

    4. Don’t be put off Mark. I’ve been doing these since 1969 and I’m still learning, although I have moved ahead by leaps and bounds since find this blog. Every day is different, and it is all worth it when you hit upon a day when you can finish without a single hint or other help.

       1. Fear not, Mark, it’s always a work in progress with Cryptic crosswords. Ive been doung the Telegraph backpager since 1965 and its a long period of hitting your head against a brick wall followed by a sudden breakthrough Then just as you think you’ve got to grips with it someone decides to’ modernise’ the puzzle or make it more interesting/ challenging. Or you try a Toughie and realise how much room there is for improvement. We’ve all been there. This site will help a lot. So hang on in there.

    5. I agree with all that has been said, Mark. I have been trying to solve the backpager since 1971 with varied results. Since I joined this site about four years ago, my solving abilities have improved immensely.

       PS The pen is a myth! 😎

    6. Agree with all the replies Mark. Stick with this site & you’ll be amazed at the rate you improve. I’ve been solving the back-pager on & off for a number of years but have only really got into them properly since retirement & finding this blog. Previously I was happy to occasionally complete, paid scant attention to parsing the wordplay & understood very little of the mechanics. With regard to the Toughies my suggestion would be to have a bash, then use the hints once you’ve come to a full stop (Stephen, Gazza, Sue & John all excellent at explaining them & so is Dutch but Friday Toughies a no go area for mere mortals) & if that fails reveal the answer & try to understand it. It’s quite a buzz when you complete your first one & they’re not all incomprehensible.

21. Very enjoyable, almost completed but needed hint for 16a.

    Thanks to setter and 2Ks

22. I’ve taken data roaming off and can now access this site, yippee. Hope it doesn’t cost too much! Lovely guzzle again. Now at the Lofoten Islands still in thick fog, such a shame. Great to see the commenters again. Sorry about Mrs C Steve, hope she’s ok. Thanks to all and will turn off roaming until tomorrow!

    1. Thank you, Manders.

23. It has all been said. Brilliant cluing (clueing?)and smiles along the way. Broke off to go to lunch in the next village where one of my friends had 1a and I just wished I had the capacity to eat it. But I am thinking about the Henley dress! Favourite was probably 5d though a difficult choice. Off now to an Almshouse Trustees meeting, thought one was supposed to relax in old age? Many thanks to Mr Setter and Mr & Mrs Kaye.

24. Completed while awaiting a ferry to the Isle of Arran. Very good puzzle! Lots of favourites including 1 and 16a and 5 and 15d. I’ve not looked at the hints or other comments yet. The boat’s just come into port!

25. For once I’ve done the crossword on the same day rather than a day behind – very enjoyable it was too.
    Such clever and witty clues of which my favourite was 1a – lovely memory! LOI was 16a – definitely a ‘doh’ moment when the penny finally dropped.

26. Another Wednesday without woe 😊. My very limited knowledge of Greek tragedies and American sitcoms (although I have lived here since 1982) stopped me from finishing unaided, but otherwise very much enjoyed. Thank you to the setter and 2Kiwis.

    Off to the garden center now, and it is already 87F, and expected to rise to 92F, phew.

27. I enjoyed this today, lots of different types of clues. As usual 16a short answer proved the most tricky. It was a real food fest ! Thankyou all.
    I hope Mrs C continues to improve.

    1. Thank you, Bijou. 👍

28. I really enjoyed this one – it’s taken me a long time but have done it – smug, or what!!
    Not a clue about 6d – I can’t do TV stuff (unless it’s Morse or Lewis etc like that).
    The second word of 5d caused trouble which wasn’t very smart at all.
    Too many good clues to pick out any in particular, let alone call one a favourite! Oh dear!
    Actually, I’ve changed my mind – my favourite was 15d, I think . . .
    Thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to the K’s for the hints.
    We’re going to a birthday party tonight – friends of ours are 70 – suspect there are going to be a lot of people . . .

29. I loved this, very enjoyable. I’m no expert in classic mythology or Greek history but those GK clues were all stuff you’ve heard of one way or another, books etc. I never watched 6d but fairly clued and say enough to get with the checkers. Last in 16a, we’ve had it before, why did it take me so long? So much to like, 1a, 26a, 5d … I can’t list them all.
    Thank you setter for the fun, please let us know who you are, and thanks to 2Kiwis for hints and pic.

30. An enjoyable guzzle which I completed with the need to check a couple of answers as they were outside my areas of knowledge ( Greek and Latin). 15 d was my favourite but I also liked 1a.

    Many thanks to the setter and to the 2 kiwis for the hints

31. Must be me, I found this exceedingly difficult not only to solve but to even understand the clues esp on the right side.
    Not one for me.
    ****/*
    Thx for the hints

32. I don’t often bother to add comments of my own here although I read the comments every day (Brian’s anger helps me stay calm!), but today I feel compelled to write to say what a wonderful crossword our compiler has come up with. Wit, intelligence and exactly the right degree of difficulty for a ‘The Toughie is not for me’ solver, all made for the best DT in a long time.

    1. Amen!

33. I agree with Alasdair and the majority in favour. Following on from my early euphoria about my ferry coming into view, and the sun coming out, this was tempered by the fact that the ferry had a fault they were trying to fix. I was wondering what I was going to do in a God forsaken port. However, we are en route now so fingers crossed.

    1. Bon voyage!

34. Today’s setter “should certainly take a bow”!

    Brilliant crossword!

    My favourite was the friend in 6d … I even knew the name of her twin sister … Ursula?

35. I almost completed today’s puzzle but failed to get 6d (never watched the series) and 10a kept thinking of aroma and TT. Way off beam! Lots of misdirection but enjoyable with some head-scratching moments and then eureka! Many thanks to the setter and the 2Kiwis.

    1. I had a problem with 10a too. The answer, to me, is unpleasant, such as decomposing roadkill, whereas bouquet makes me think of roses!

       1. 👍☺️

       2. Hear, hear Merusa re 10a – I tried to use aroma!

36. A dnf due to 3d and 24d. 3d I managed by googling the variations possible.

    24d was one you had to know to solve.

    I did no classics at a variety of poor state schools. 99.9% of what I know came after I left.

    The rest of the crossword was a very enjoyable solve.

    Thanks to all.

37. Can someone tell me what a lego clue is ?

    1. My understanding is a clue where blocks of letters slot together to form the answer eg as+ham+ed = ashamed. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

    2. Lot’s of little bits joined together. Just like something made from Lego blocks.

    3. It is more formally known as a charade (an allusion to the parlour game) but often informally referred to as a lego clue.

       1. I believe some may also consider clues where one must insert little bits into other little bits to also be lego clues.

    4. I have always taken it to mean that the answer is built up by putting together the “bricks” in the clue. DaveP explains it well in his comment above.

38. Found this quite tricky but managed with assistance 😳 ****/*** Favourites 9a & 1d Thanks to the 2xKs and to the Compiler

39. A very enjoyable puzzle which has kept me entertained at various points through the day. Thanks to the blogger and setter.

    With all this talk of Toughies, I thought I’d cast my eye over today’s. I don’t usually bother as I consider them way above my pay grade, but I was pleasantly surprised to crack not one, not two, but three clues! I might have to visit Toughie-land a little more often. My question is do the Toughies get progressively harder through the week too?

    1. Yes they do, but Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday :) are usually reasonable, Thurs and Friday are usually quite… erm Tough (to me)

    2. That’s how I ended up solving a few Toughies, Jon. I look at them all and am sometimes pleasantly surprised at how far I get.

    3. Thanks both. I’ll consider them a dessert to pick at after the main course of the back-pager.

40. Morning all.
    So sorry to hear of Mrs Steve’s fall and long wait. Kind wishes to both of you from both of us.
    Looks like most people enjoyed the puzzle as much as we did.
    Cheers.

    1. Thanks for the pic at 1d – reminded me of the old joke;
       “Why are you playing that tatty old violin?”

       “I lent Yehudi Menuhin”

       I’ll get my coat

    2. Thank you 2Ks. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

41. Sorry to hear about Mrs C’s fall and protracted wait.
    I was most amused by 17d as Lang Syne fitted the same checkers. 15d it took a while to dismiss Yale as the US uni. I also liked 23d as in my youth the band Budgie played the Grob and 23d in York – they were the loudest concert I ever attended!
    Thanks to the 2K’s and setter

    1. D’oh, only just realised my faux pas in bunging in Langsyne! Thanks SJB!

    2. Thank you SJB.

42. Ok, it’s me for Ballybucklebo! Thank you all for cheering me up. 👍

43. Solved at silly o’clock this morning but maybe the last comment on it. Cracking guzzle jam packed with super clues & not a dud amongst ‘em – though I’ve never watched it I’ll even forgive the Friends clue. As it’s so late & Kath won’t notice I’ll have joint favs at top & bottom across with special ticks for 19&26a plus 7,15&17d. Great stuff.
    Thanks to Robyn I’m guessing & to the 2Ks for the review which I’ll now read.
    Ps like Jane I do wish Robyn would follow the lead of many of the other DT setters & pop in & acknowledge his guzzles. I do hope he takes the trouble to read the comments we make & realise how much we appreciate them. Jay was big boots to fill in the Wed slot but fill he certainly has.

44. Re 23a in the hints what’s the difference between an all in one clue & a double definition?
    I’m never quite sure how to hint them

    1. That was probably the hint that took us longest to write with several changes of mind along the way including one during proof-reading. With us it is sometimes a matter of tossing a coin or just going with a gut-feeling. Sorry we can’t be more helpful than that.

45. After a number of ‘really’ moments I got on the setters wavelength and went into toughie mode. Had to check 6d. NW last in. Favourite was 5d. Thanks to the setter and 2K’s.

46. Too bad the setter did not identify themselves.
    Oh well. Life goes on.

47. Very enjoyable, i did manage most of this. Must have been on the same wavelength.
    2*/ 4*

    Thanks to setter and 2 K’s

48. 2*? Much of this was way beyond my pay station. Thanks to all.

49. Hi all,
    Just popping in – as requested! – to own up to this one and to thank the 2Ks for their habitually excellent blogging. Many thanks, too, for the many kind comments; I’m glad most people enjoyed the puzzle. (Purely because of things being quite manic right now, I’m often catching up with things a bit late.)
    Anyway, have a great week, everyone, and I hope to see you soon either here or in Toughie-land.

    1. Thank you so much for showing your face, Robyn. It means a lot to us when our setters take the time to pop in.

    2. Good to hear from you. Thanks for a top notch guzzle & wot Jane said.

    3. Thank you, Robyn for a great puzzle and Jane is right. We do appreciate it when the setter pays a visit.

50. 3*/5* …
    liked 15D “Barnet Hospital welcoming US university’s key specialist (9)”

51. Ooops, I’ve just found an open file with my comments from this one, which I think I did on the day but didn’t have time to check in here. Thank you to Robyn and the Kiwis. I particularly liked 15d (“Barnet hospital”) and 26a (“Long fits of verse”), with my favourite being 25a, “Elephant’s tail close to trunk”.

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