DT 30361

80 comments on “DT 30361”

1. A delight from start to finish although I do have a couple of ones I cannot parse. They are 9a and 2d. Assuming I have the correct answers, I just cannot see how the parsing works. However, the rest contained several smiles and dropping pennies. 13a and 1d both raised a chuckle but my COTD is the former tennis player reaching an agreement at 8d.

   Thank you to the setter for the fun and Huntsman for the hints, which I will now read to get the explanations to 9a and 1d.

   Damp and a little chilly in The Marches today – the kind of weather during which it is difficult to know what to wear. If I wear a coat it could get hot but if I don’t it might rain.

   Just seen the explanations for my queried clues. I’m pleased to see you had problems with 9a as well, Huntsman. I now get 2d. Thank you.

2. 9a the definition is an American expression

   1. Thanks Sue – I assumed it must be

3. Right. Got it.
   Monday is now
   Tuesday.
   In perfect harmony with the
   setter, luckily.
   Only pause for deeper
   Thought, 4d.
   Neatly and, in some clues,
   eg 23d, intricately constructed.
   Loved 11 and 13a and, big smile,
   21d
   Like Huntsman, found American
   Redundant in 9a.
   Thanks setter and Huntsman.

   1. Must admit that I only assumed ‘bent
      Out of shape’ meant the answer.
      Unaware it was an Americanism.
      Thanks Gaza and Senf.

4. Typically Tuesdayish and both this grid and the Quickie grid are indicative of this being an Anthony Plumb production – **/****

   Candidates for favourite – 5a, 25a, 4d, and 8d – and the winner is 8d although the ‘guess the tennis player’ nearly ruled it out but the ‘dry’ rescued it.

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.

5. Enjoyable puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
   I thought the definition in 9a was very odd. Neither the BRB nor Collins seem to have heard of the phrase ‘bent out of shape’ with this meaning but I did find it in Merriam-Webster, so it seems to be definitely American. Perhaps one of our transatlantic commenters can confirm that it’s in common use there.
   My ticks went to 11a, 25a and 4d.

   1. Frequently used in my 31 years over here.

      I did find it in Collins on-line (US slang) and the Cambridge Dictionary on-line (US informal).

      1. Thanks, Senf.

   2. I’ve heard it said so often in South Florida that I don’t even remember it not being said on the other side of the pond.

      1. Yes, and I use it far too much myself.

6. Great – Two successive gettable days. NW dragged a bit mainly due to seeking parse for 9a. Buttocks hadn’t occurred to me for 2d seat! I’m with Huntsman on his presumed interpretation of 4d. Full 23d parsing passed me by. Thank you AP and Huntsman.

   1. An exam followed by a three letter personal pronoun without the initials of Open University, Angelov.

      1. Thanks SC – I realised that after I had bunged in!

7. I’m glad it wasn’t just me having difficulty with 9a. I’ll try and commit it to memory now! I agree with Huntsman in that this lacked a little something but I did find it a tad less tricky than yesterday. Podium places for the homophone at 11a, the clever reverse lurker at 20d and my favourite, the convoluted 6d. Thanks to our setter and Huntsman for the comprehensive blog. ( Huntsman, you’ve given the answer to 1a in your definition)

8. Finished ok but never heard of 9a. Good guzzle though. If it works I will attach a photo of a bag of samphire I bought yesterday which weighs over a pound and cost a mere couple of quid. Delicious! Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

   

   1. Manders, you are fortunate to live near the N. Norfolk saltmarshes so your samphire is obviously very fresh and reasonable to buy – delicious. Years ago living in Suffolk and before other people had jumped on board we had considered marketing pickled samphire to probably be obtained from Cley but it’s admittedly not as good as fresh.

9. Thiswas mostly pleasant enough but a few of the clues wee really difficult to parse,, particularly 4d and 9a. The answers were easy to bung in but it isn’t very satisfying when you cannot see why. I did like 11a and 25a and there was some splendid misdirection. Thanks to Huntsman for the hints and to the compiler.

10. 2*/3.5*. Typically Tuesdayish.

    My only hold up today was needing to use Google to verify 9a. I’m glad the setter indicated clearly that the bizarre expression is American.

    4d was my favourite, with a special mention for 1d too.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

11. I had trouble with this, some seemed to just fly in and then I was left with 5 I managed (using the check answer mode) but could not understand the parsing, 9a was one of these, along with 4d. I still do not quite get 6d as I need it to say ‘with noun’ rather than ‘without noun’ or am I missing something? I am sure it must be me as no one else has mentioned it. I think 20a was my favourite today.

    Its not raining so I must head into the garden now and start tackling the weeds which have flourished in my absence.

    Many thanks to huntsman for the needed explanations and to the setter.

    1. The ‘without’ in 6d is being used in the sense of ‘outside’ as in ‘The enemy is without’.

       1. Thanks Gazza, I will add this to my ‘personal list’ of things to remember!

    2. I had problems with 6d also.

12. Very enjoyable while it lasted. I had heard of 9A and don’t even consider it an Americanism, though I accept it must be. I’ve certainly heard it used over here, frequently. Even my dad says it and you don’t get more British than him! So, for me, the “American” in the clue was more misleading than helpful. I actually found 11A more irritating – I can’t imagine ever using that expression without a Y but that’s probably just me. Thanks to all, as ever.

13. A very comfortable solve this morning despite the strange parsing of 9a. I think I must give 1d top spot for favourite, although I did like 25a.

    Thanks to our Tuesday setter and Huntsman.

14. Not my favourite of recent back-pagers but I actually did finish up with a fair amount of ticks on my paper. 11,25&28a plus 1,5&23d in contention for podium places. I’ll give the rosettes to 25a plus 1&23d.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review – hope the weather stays fine for you this afternoon.

15. An enigmatic one this methought: as per all the above re 9a which was obvious but I was reluctant to write it in with that extra American floating about. Ditto with 8d which was obvious but I hadn’t heard of the lady so paused. All this pushed me into ** time in what was a bit of a patchy one if I may say so as otherwise straightforward. 25a was my COTD and provoked a brief smile. Plenty of anagrams though. Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

    1. Monica is her name, don’t you remember when some lowlife came out of the stands and stabbed her on the court?

16. A couple of interesting parses, but nothing to scare the horses unduly, as is right for a Tuesday. Most enjoyable.

17. A solid Tuesday with Mr P in fine form.

    So many good clues battling it out for the podium. It’s always a challenge to create a smooth surface in a clue for a lurker/rekrul but he nailed it today with 20d. Excellent. So that gets a medal as does 3d as I love golf and 21d (Ooo, matron).

    My LOI was 4d which took me an age.

    Am I missing something with 9a? It may have originated the other side of The Pond but the extremely common expression ‘getting increasingly bent out of shape’ meaning ‘more irate/cross’ has been in common parlance for yonks, at least since I was an ankle-biter. So, there’s no need to highlight that it’s American. As far as I can see, that’s the only question mark not the expression.

    2*/4*

18. Thought this puzzle was more typical of a Monday than yesterday’s one.

    Didn’t have a problem with 9a but I read a lot of Grisham /Baldacci novels so perhaps picked it up from them.

    Favourites today – 25a, 26a and 14d.

    Emmy Dog wants to go for a walk but it is too warm for her here in the village. This does not happen too often in NE Scotland but there should be a breeze down at the beach.

    Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

    1. Is Emmy dog shorthand ME dog – as in me old Dutch?

       1. No – her name is Emmy 🙂

          1. How is she? Grand old lady struggles on with walks. Sadie is getting very grey on her muzzle and chest, birthday in September.

             1. Poor Sadie. It is so sad when Labs get white hairs and milky eyes. Doesn’t stop them though. They are always up for life!

                How old will Sadie be?

                1. She’ll be 12. As usual, I’ll remind everyone to drink a toast to her.

19. First pass was unproductive but then things got better with some checkers. Still unhappy with 4d but really enjoyed the moment when I finally spotted 23d! That’s one fave plus 11a.
    Hope your partner can play his age, Huntsman! Unfortunately injury 20 years ago left me with about 20 to go! Bonne partie as they say over here.
    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman.

20. Gentle but a lot of fun. 4d particularly good. The toughie is also very approachable today. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

21. All vegetable at a gentle pace . 2 sittings because work got in the way, but I find I’ve solved a few subconsciously when that happens. Same when nodding off mid-grid.
    I was pleased to see others finding the American superfluous.
    Thanks setter and Huntsman.

22. Tuesday is now Monday and Monday is the new Friday. I am confused and exist in a fog of expeditiousness. Is Monday Viola and Tuesday Sebastian? Or is it the other way round?
    I am beginning to doubt myself, with the same lack of cognition as that of Alice, when confronted with the surrealism of Wonderland.
    I’m bent out of shape.

    Thanks to the setter and Andy On The First Tee.

    1. That is a fine pseudonym for the keeper of THE LIST…

       9780008544492

    2. I do look forward to your comments Terence!

    3. Amusing as always Terence! The song by the Teardrop Explodes is an interesting addition to the commentary on 9a. ‘Bent Out of Shape’ seems to be a song that captures the sadness and confusion of feeling out of place. That is to say, not fitting in. That is a different take on the phrase to how it is used in the crossword.

23. The normal step-up in difficulty from Monday to Tuesday, at least to my way of thinking.
    No difficult words, just clues hard to parse in many cases … until I saw the answer and then the pennies dropped all over the place.

    2*/4* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 9a, 27a, 1d & 18 d with winner(s) the 1a/1d pair

    Thanks to setter and Huntsman for blog/hints

24. This all fell into place nicely although 9a was a bung-in and I see others found it trying. I liked the lurker, or should I say rekrul, 11a comes up in The Holly and the Ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the trees …etc and it doesn’t make much sense there either. I am sure that 21 d could only be true in a Carry In film, sisters I have known including DD1 would never misbehave. I hope Huntsman is proud of me for having filled in all the sporty clues without hesitation. I don’t think a favourite jumps out but if pushed I quite like 23a. It’s funny, I looked at the Sunday toughie in bed that night and got one clue. Yesterday morning I looked again and filled in six more. This morning at breakfast I finished it. Slow but sure like the tortoise CS looks after.
    Many thanks to Setter and Hinter/Huntsman.

    1. I’ll look out for ‘rekruls’ in future!

    2. Sorry, DG but I have to take issue with rekrul! It is lazy and confuses those new to the blog. I much prefer to say reverse lurker.
       🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

       1. Ditto to anagrind – one of BD’s pet hates.

25. A pleasant puzzle which all fell into place without any problems. Like most others, I paused for thought at 9a.
    Re 13a, Botham has a life peerage, so it’s not only the cricket ground he would be associated with, but the upper chamber too.
    Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman.

26. All reasonably straightforward until 4d, which took me almost as long to twig as the rest of the clues put together. Like others, I thought ‘American’ was superfluous in 9a. Unlike others, my COTD was 7d. Thanks to Huntsman for the Dibble picture from Top Cat, which brings back happy memories of children’s TV between school and tea. Thanks also to the setter.

27. An appropriately straightforward Tuesday solve with lots of enjoyable clues such as 25a and 21d. Huntsman you’ve put the answer into the clue for 1 across.

28. 2/3. I found the puzzle a tad bland. I didn’t have an issue with 9a although I don’t know where I’ve heard this – UK or Canada or a film perhaps? Thanks to the setter and Huntsman – you might want to edit your hint for 1a as you used the answer rather than woodlands for the clue.

    1. Huntsman is probably in the middle of his below par round so I’ve edited the clue.

       1. Thanks Gazza.

29. Very enjoyable and for most of it very straightforward 😃 **/*** Favourites 11 & 23a and 20d 🤗 Thanks to Huntsman and to the Compiler 👍

30. I’m with Rabbit Dave – plaudits to the setter for indicating that 9a is American. My Oxford dictionary has it as ‘N American, Informal’. I was pretty sure it was American because I had to consult the dictionary to know what it meant! I needed the hints for 2d and 4d and had bunged in 8d, thanks Huntsman. A good puzzle which had trickiness but was accessible to more than the Toughie-philes.

    1. Whilst looking up the American phrase in 9a, I came across what the Cambridge dictionary says is a new word: ‘spathroom’. It’s a nice light modern looking bathroom that’s a bit like a spa. I’d like one of those! But I didn’t find out what the origin of the phrase in 9a is. A fair proportion of the people who think it is an everyday phrase seem to live in America, so maybe they might know, but I don’t think anyone has suggested what the origin might be. It doesn’t really make sense to me. The closest I could get to it was ‘ruffled’.

    2. Interestingly, Terence posted a song by the Teardrop Explodes titled ‘bent out of shape’. ‘Bent Out of Shape’ seems to be a song that captures the sadness and confusion of feeling out of place. That meaning makes more sense to me – if you’re bent of shape you might not fit anymore.

31. I was so pleased to find I was off and running from the moment 1a went straight in. What a joy to have a puzzle that I could very nearly do without any help. I just couldn’t parse 9a, or 4d, and was so intent on thinking of a synonym for 6d wound up, as in rolling in, that the other meaning totally eluded me. Otherwise a brilliant puzzle, with big thanks to the setter, and also Huntsman. Glad to see you are getting the hang of the pictures now 😊. Now if the rest of the week could be just like today…

32. Another enjoyable puzzle most of which flowed in nicely although 9a was my last one in and I wasn’t 100% certain. Re 1a no one appears to have mentioned about forests having been wrongly inserted into the clue? I expect Huntsman would have been in a hurry to get off to his appt.
    Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman and hope you have had an enjoyable afternoon catching up with the oldest playing member at Totteridge.

33. Glanced at a few clues before doing errands this morning, without getting any obvious answers, so when I sat down with my afternoon cuppa thought I was going to struggle. It wasn’t as bad as feared & I enjoyed the diversion before getting in the daily exercise.

    2*/4*

    Fav 14d LOI 4d.

    Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

34. Was your new purchase an Ettle?

    1. Welcome to the blog, Joey.

    2. Welcome, Joey! Great to have you on board.
       What did you think of the puzzle?

35. Not at all straightforward for me. The North West corner 2,4&9 quite tricky, the reference to American caused a sort of brain fog. Better take more vitamin B12. Even though I’m an avid tennis fan, I didn’t spot the player in 8 although the answer was obvious.
    Still most of this had a Tuesday feel . Quite liked 26
    Thanks to all.

    1. As ioted above, remember she was stabbed on court by some maniac.

       1. True and that was when ball boys began to face the crowd between games.

36. What a pleasure; (a) a guzzle at my level, (b) all easily parsed, none a “leap of faith”, as Brian might say, and (c) huge enjoyment. Thank you Mr. Editor for giving the tiny brains so much pleasure. My only problem was self-inflicted, I made a mistake and spelt 5a with three “o” at the end, careless. Lots to like, I can’t choose a fave, so much is special. The pun reminded me of one of my fave authors, I think I’ve got all his books on my Kindle, my fave is Round The Bend.
    Thank you setter for so much fun, and Huntsman for the hints and pics. I must get into the pool for my keep-fit regimen, I’ll read the hints and comments later.

37. Good evening
    All done, but 9a was the last to be written in, simply because of the parsing, as others have commented.
    I reckon 8d is COTD; 6d merits a Crikey! – and 4d? That one’s an OUCH!!
    Thank you to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman

38. An easy stroll through on a wet Tuesday evening. Faves 26a and 8d. Thanks all

39. Never heard of 9a being used to mean ‘increasingly bent out of shape’ so it was a bung in as it was the only word that fitted. To me it means more angry, I don’t think I’ll start using it in that sense anytime soon if ever. Apart from that this was a pleasant enough crossword with some good clues. Favourite was 25a with its 25a humour. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

40. Like others, the ‘American’ bit of 9A had me stumped. Then I suddenly remembered that ‘bent out of shape’ sometimes crops up in The Simpsons, so must be an American expression!

41. Hi all apologies for inadvertently bunging in the answer in the clue at 1a – the perils of writing the clues rather than cutting & pasting from the puzzles site when half asleep early morning

    1. Not to worry, Huntsman. More importantly, how did the golf match go for you?

       1. Nice sunny afternoon. The Scottish duo scraped a half against we English by winning the last so we settled for a stalemate of mediocrity

42. Quickest solve for a while for me, but all good fun and some clever clueing….

43. Quick for me. Didn’t understand 9a like most of us on this side of the pond. No real pauses. Some answers obvious before the parsing click. With 23d I was looking to put OU in rather than taking it out. Favourites 25 and 26a and 4 and 8d. I think Well I never did! Is something older people would say when I was a child a long time ago. Thanks setter and chaser.

44. Belated completion and comment – a most enjoyable and very light puzzle, I suspect not by last Tuesday’s setter given the contrast in styles.

    Thank you to the setter and to Huntsman.

45. 3*/4* …
    liked 1D “Loud reprimand for lacking courage (7)”

46. Came on the site just to check out 9a, but thanks for all the other hints and pictures.

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