DT 30379

89 comments on “DT 30379”

1. Loved it.

   Mr Plumb is fast becoming my favourite compiler. His clue constructions are always excellent and his humour is top notch. 14a has to be the funniest clue I’ve seen in a good while.

   When I saw ‘number one’ in 23d, I laughed, thinking that it was the middle three letters. Alas, it wasn’t to be. However, I think using that, plus the equivalent for number two, would be a hoot but probably a bit too puerile for broadsheets.

   So many good clues to choose from but I’ll plump for 25a and 28a that are both brilliant with 14a standing proudly atop the podium.

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and Huntsman.

   2*/5*

   1. I’ll admit to having the same thought about “number one”!

   2. Yes, 14a is an amusing clue. But could the risqueness have been heightened by using a 4-letter plural of a common song bird instead of booby? Maybe a step too far for the DT …

      1. A tad

2. Pretty well flashed through this once, and I mean once I’d got a toe hold to work with.
   Plain sailing until a bit of a hitch in the SE corner, but got that after some head scratching. Took a while to see how 15d and 22a fully worked, but after some lateral thinking finally saw that too. Those last two were my favourites today, many thanks to our compiler for an entertaining puzzle.

3. Thank you H for explaining 22a (couldn’t make head nor tail of the parsing) and trust it keeps fine for you. We are off to Willows Farm. Thanks to Mr Plumb if this is your work, most enjoyable.

   1. Ps disturbing pic of the delectable 26a!

4. What a super puzzle. Not the most difficult but has some super clues and a couple of head scratchers, just as a puzzle should have.
   14a was excellent but my fav was 25a. Don’t totally understand 23d but at least it wasn’t biblical😀
   Not sure I have come across this setter before but if this is typical of his work then more please.
   Thx to all
   **/*****

5. What’s not to like? A well constructed guzzle with plenty of humour and dropping pennies. I thought 14a very funny as was 25a. I have too many favourites to pick a COTD but, if pushed, I will go for the aforementioned 25a.

   Thank you, setter for the fun and to the pressed Huntsman for the hints.

   Strangely enough, at the shop this morning I did ask for the Quickie pun, which began a long discussion on the comic genius of the 2 Rs.

   Busy cleaning the house in readiness for our daughter and son-in-law’s visit. Mice got into a duvet – fluff everywhere!

   1. I thought your local shop was just a small grocer’s/nattering venue, not a hardware store?

      1. Like Arkwright’s it sells everything, Jose. If they haven’t got it they will have it “by next Tuesday”.

         1. We used to have a newsagent like that, just down the lane from our house in England. They carried everything, including paint. Alas, never found anything like that here.

6. With last Tuesday’s and today’s puzzles Mr Plumb seems to be resetting the bar for Typically Tuesdayish – 2.5*/4*

   Candidates for favourite – 11a, 21a, 7d, and 23d – and the winner is 7d.

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman – I think you need to change the first letter of the second word of the ‘first’ pun to ‘H’.

   1. So I do. Can somebody do it for me please

      1. Now edited.

7. A real lego clue bonanza today but my favourite clues today were the ones rhat used double meanings to confus3,c 25a and 27a. 14a was a stonking anagram too and appealed rto me since its one of my pastimes. Thanks to Mr Plumb for a good guzzle and to Huntsman for the hints. My sympathies for oversleeping and having to do everythibg in a panic. I’m sure it’s happened to most of us at one time or another

8. Very Tuesdayish with lots of humour on the way, 14a still has me tittering away. The musical genre at 2a was good too. Whilst I agree with Huntsman re the musical quality of Blur, there is just something about the Gallagher brothers particularly on Don’t Look Back in Anger that does it for me. It made a brilliant song for the closing scenes of Our Friends in the North.
   Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman

   1. What a series that was John. Saw Weller many years ago at the Brixton Academy & you heard the audible groan when he wandered on stage after the support & said he had a mate that wanted to come out & do a few numbers – it was Noel & he was superb – quite like The High Flying Birds

      1. I think I am about due a rewatch of OFITN, Daniel Craig was brilliant pre Bond as was Mark Strong, only Christopher Eccleston’s Geordie accent grated on the ear a bit. I hope it is on iplayer

         1. Peter Vaughan’s attempts at a Geordie accent were the worst ever!

9. Excellent puzzle and well worth a little head scratching. Struggled and delayed by 5a! Why? Annoyed once I’d got it.
   Looking forwards, in hope to next Tuesday.
   Thanks to setter and others.

10. What a fabulously fun guzzle today although I thought Joanna was going to be connected to a piano. 14a my COTD too. If I can I will attach a photo David took when we were in the Galapagos of a very young, very cross booby standing on the path determined we should not pass and he was only about a foot tall. What a wonderful place that was. Many thanks to the setter for the fun and to Huntsman – hope you got to your golf in time.

    1. Very cross booby

       

       1. Seen a few of these in the queue at the till! Normally when I’ve forgotten the card code!!! Male thing it seems!!

    2. John McCririck always referred to his wife as “The Booby”. No wonder he was frequently accused of misogyny!

11. Laughed all the way through this one, possibly as a result of getting the Quickie Pun first and having the Two Ronnies sketch going through my head. Whichever of our setters penned this one, he made my day.
    Very relieved to see ‘that’ number one having nothing to do with the answer to 23d – well done setter.
    Too many choices for the podium spots but 18&25a would certainly be up there.

    Thanks to our compiler (Mr Plumb?) and to sleepyhead Huntsman for the review – don’t worry, it came out fine!

12. Another superb puzzle from, presumably, Mr Plumb. As always, enjoyable with clever clueing, lots of humour and not anagram heavy. I too loved the surface read of 14a, but I rarely choose anagrams as favourites and there are plenty of other options today. I’ll forget about the podium and put 5a, 18a, 21a, 5d, 13d and 19d on a larger stage fronted by 25a which I reckon is going to be on a lot of folk’s list today. Many thanks to the compiler and Huntsman – loved the four candles/fork handles reminder.

13. What a beautiful day! A latte outside in the garden courtesy of Mr Nespresso, lovely sunshine and a fun Tuesday crossword. I even indulged in a spot of 14a as a wren popped out from our pyracanthus to say ‘Hello.’ COTD and my LOI – 23d. Loved Genesis when I was younger, especially the Peter Gabriel version. Until the Duke and Abacab albums that it is, when they went all ‘poppy.’ Give me twenty plus minutes of ‘Supper’s Ready’ with PG dressed as a flower any time. Thanks to the setter and to the time-pressured Huntsman. Hope you had a good round.

14. Very entertaining – many thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    I have plenty of ticks including 9a, 18a, 15d and 16d but my favourite was 25a.

15. A lovely guzzle with some humorous moments. Liked 14a and 25a the most and was also relieved that the middle of 23d wasn’t THAT sort of number one.
    There is currently a very rare (for Britain) booby, a red footed booby, off of the Isles of Scilly on Bishop’s Rock lighthouse which is causing some consternation amongst the birding community about how they can get to see it.

16. Huntsman, I think “possibly boring”, in 5a, is referring to an attachment for a drill, which does the boring.

    1. No possibly about it Vince – you’re quite right
       We’re stuck behind a slow fourball so the comments a nice distraction

    2. I think “Something possibly boring” is the BIT, which contains/surrounds (about) R(epublican) + dad (POP). That’s how I read it – I have been known to be wrong.

17. I’m getting on well with the Toughie. Well worth a try if you don’t normally attempt them. It’s by Chalicea.

    1. Yes I spotted that, so definitely printing for later.

18. Superb puzzle in
    Every respect.
    A much laboured progress
    To an unaided finish
    In 2.5* time.
    Is it just me or could 14a
    Have two meanings?
    Perish the thought!
    No space on the podium,
    With 23d getting Gold by
    A fraction.
    Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

19. I can only agree with earlier commenters that this was a terrific and nicely compiled puzzle, full of misdirection and wit. There was one standout clue for me: 25a; quite superb. A nod to the Quickie pun too.

    My thanks to AP and Huntsman.

20. I have a hard time with most Tuesday puzzles and this was no exception. Officially a DNF as there were half a dozen clues that just made no sense in NW and SE to me. Parsing was hard to figure out. I am obviously not on this setters wavelength.

    2.5*/2* for me

    Favourites include 11a, 14a, 21a, 25a & 13d with winner 25a

    Never heard the word in 3d

    Thanks to AP and Huntsman for blog/hints

21. Having read all the comments so far posted today, I cannot remember a more positive set. Could the DT please take note on what many if not most consider to be an enjoyable and well constructed crossword. They do not need to be stinkers to be enjoyable.

    1. Like you, Brian, I loved today’s offering but Friday’s stinkers, that would occasionally qualify as a ‘toughie’, are going nowhere and quite right too.

       The Telegraph tries to cater for everyone and it does it with aplomb (or should that be ‘a Plumb’). Fridays push me to my limit, a challenge that I relish. I’m not quite good enough to do The Times everyday. So, the variety of the Telegraph’s daily delights work like a charm.

       1. Spot on, Tom. If the standard was the same every day, it would always be too easy for some but too hard for others. This way, there is generally something for everybody, dependant on the day. Like a few other things in life, there is no such thing as a bad crossword, only good and better. In the Tel, at least. I had the misfortune of being stuck on a train the other day with only the Metro for company. And their cryptic is dire. I’m with MG who, if I remember rightly, reads the Times but takes the Tel for the crossword. To my mind, the crossword, Matt and sport are by far the best bits of the Tel. The news, features and editorials … not so much. But that’s another story. If I genuinely don’t care for a crossword – which is very, very rare – I personally prefer to say nothing, saving comment for ones like today’s, which was utterly charming. Sincere thanks to all our setters who add a dollop of fun to every day. Thanks too to Huntsman and co, who tirelessly add so much fun to it all.

          1. Solvers are at various standards of competence.
             So a mix of easy, middling and hard seems pretty obvious me.

             1. to me.

          2. Fine words, ALP.

             I love the ‘good and better’ comment.

             In all my years doing the DT crossy, I’ve yet to see a dud. It is the standard bearer (not ‘The Standard’). That reminds me of this superb Eric & Ernie sketch https://t.co/7a3duucJNn

             Legends

             1. Genius! Thanks for that nudge, Tom. Personally, I don’t understand the occasional grumbles. Each to their own, of course, but if a particular crossword is too tough, either practise and get better, or try summat else. Surely? I certainly give Elgar’s toughie on a Friday a wide berth. I’m sure it’s doable but, love crosswords though I do, I just don’t have all day. Who does? Sunday’s 50-50 is woefully underrated, I think. It’s a great starter – certainly helped me no end in the early days. Or the quick cryptic in the Times, etc. Again personally, I love learning the odd new word, even biblical ones. Sorry, Brian!

                1. I used to give the Elgars a miss, until one day I thought I’d give it a go. I think I managed half a dozen then resorted to our site to give me some forward momentum. Two weeks later, I tried again and got half way through. You can see where I’m going….. I now regularly solve them in good time, with a few unparsed bung-ins, and my time is respectable.

                   I fully admit that not everyone is as stubborn as me when it comes to not giving in, but perseverance does have its upside. The sense of achievement is rewarding in itself.

                   1. Ta for this YS, you’ve convinced me – I’ll give him another try. They’re worth doing, then?

                      1. I hear he mixes up his levels of difficulties for puzzles. You might say they are Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

                         Oh, come on. Give it to me….

                         1. All his aliases are “variations” on a theme Elgar DT, Nimrod Indy, Enigmatist Guardian. Only Io for the FT is not directly linked to Elgar but I think some kind of wager to get the shortest pseudonym was involved

                            1. Thank you, Sloop. I like his style.

                            2. Apparently he chose Io as he was doing a puzzle on the moon’s of Jupiter and wasn’t allowed 2 letter words in the grid.
                               https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2011/oct/13/crossword-blog-meet-the-setter-enigmatist

                   2. My approach exactly, YS but I must admit to using it only on Toughies other than Elgar’s. That’s the beauty of this blog – it can be used to understand how cryptics at all levels work.

          3. You chaps are so good and generous, y’all make me sound like a witch! I’m going to nominate you to His Holiness as candidates for sainthood.

       2. Hear hear! 🍻

    2. Agree Brian. And there do not need to be stinkers at all on days when a Toughie is waiting and ready for the more accomplished solved.

22. A fine puzzle. Good clues and a middling challenge which provided a very enjoyable solve. Fav: 14a – clever and humorous. 2.5*/4*.

23. You see, I just wouldn’t give up. I could have gone through an entire loaf of toast and still needed more time. I found it tough, hard, but also one of the best guzzles of recent times. Superbly constructed. I know others found it a bit of a breeze, but not this boy – I had to hammer away at it, chipping it off, clue by clue.

    Of course, each to their own and thank goodness we all have differing tastes, but… the longest night of my life was at the old Empire Pool in Wembley in April 1975 with Genesis performing the full length version of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. I thought it would never end, and then we spent two hours trapped in the car park trying to get out (but I enjoyed that more than the gig).

    Thanks to the excellent setter, and the equally splendid Andy On The First Tee.

    

24. Despite its naughtiness I really loved 14a and it has to be my COTD!! Just giggled at that! Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

25. That was for me among the most enjoyable DT Cryptics of all time. Just the right amount of food for thought but perhaps with a bit of a hiccup in the NE as I was unaware of 5a name for Beatles-type music. Here we go again with the 20d thanks. IMHO 23d a bit iffy but I bunged it in. I will join the band going for 25a as Fav. Thanks MrP for much fun and Huntsman for being on hand in case of need – I too was a late riser today due to being hooked on tennis from Cincinnati this week.

26. I agree with everyone – Great Guzxle. – although I have been at it all day in between 3 Addenbrookes appointments- 10 am , 2.45 and 4 – effectively using up the whole day, but I crAftily snitched the front cover of the DT as I left the house. So I have had something to amuse me and sustenance in the excellent WVS cafe. Favourite 14a, and amused by all you naughty boys relishing the dubious references! Many thanks to the clever setter and Huntsman. Off to find Clinic 2.

    1. Oh DG, you do make laugh. I’m probably one of the youngest chaps here – and I’m about 103! The notion of us all being naughty boys did raise a chuckle.

27. Beaten by 23d but an enjoyable puzzle. 19d was a bung in as I never got on with French,all those masculine and feminine words🤷‍♂️ made me lose interest at school ( do we have any schools left or are they all academies, colleges etc) . Thanks to all.

28. It’s nice to see so many enjoyed this. I’m afraid I could not get on wavelength today, and even when I had the right answer I had to verify with the hints. I had also put in anger for 9a, silly girl. And kicking myself for not getting 12a as we have the rainbow version for dinner on Fridays. But I see Chalicea has set today’s Toughie so I might be in with a chance there. Stop laughing 😊. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman. Glad you managed to include some pictures, despite being short on time.

29. I’m going with portcoquitlambc and BusyLizzie, I found this quite hard and had a few unsolved, so a DNF for me. Like Lizzie, I had anger in 9a, not sure I’ve heard of the answer, nor 5a, that was a guess from the checkers. I really wasn’t on wavelength, but I do agree there was a lot of amusement with 14a being my fave. I also liked 25a. I’m running late, had physio this morning, that always takes valuable cruciverbalist time.
    Thanks to whomsoever, and thanks Huntsman for helping me to cross the finish line.

30. That was hard – it took me a long long time but very enjoyable.
    Nothing was helped by making a couple of stupid mistakes – one was just misreading my own writing.
    Too many good clues to choose from so I think I’ll just go for 14a.
    Thanks to our Tuesday setter for such a good crossword and to Huntsman for the hints.
    I felt terrible sorry for Huntsman – what a panic!! Ghastly!
    In the days when I did the alternate weeks of hints I used to wait up until midnight for the crossword, print it out, do the answers and the pics then go to bed, just leaving everything else to leave until the morning. All was fine until one week I forgot to set the timer – came back from a long walk with a friend and our collie to discover NO HINTS!!! I never trusted the timer again!

    1. Pretty much how I do the Sunday Toughie start at midnight, solve and prepare the blogs, away to the land of nod about 01:30, hopefully the trickier parsings come in my dreams. Up at sparrows fart and try and hint them all for the review and then choose which ones to hint or leave, then a few pics and tunes before taking Mama Bee out for tea and scones. First comments usually come in whilst having a brew or listening to the brass bands at the Riverside in Wetherby

31. Very nice 😃***/**** Good number of amusing and clever clues 10a, 18a, 25a & 27a head the table 🤗 Much thanks to the Golfman and to the Compiler. I hope your golf was as good as your blog 👍

32. Got stuck on 23d today! Would never have got it despite all checking letters! Thanks Huntsman for the help 👍🏻

33. I am in the I found this more head scratchy than some recent Tuesdays camp. It took several goes but eventually it did all fall into place and I really enjoyed the challenge.I thought several clues particularly clever and funny particularly 25a and 19a, and 14a was my favourite. 23d was my last in and I needed the hints to understand the why as well as for 16d.

    Many thanks to the setter (I hope he reads the comments to see how much enjoyment their puzzles give) and to Huntsman for the helpful hints.

    Hearing how much worry and effort our bloggers have to put in to produce the hints as well as juggling busy and stressful lives makes me appreciate all you do even more, thank you all.

34. I agree with all the commentators above. Excellent crossword and I breezed through this until I didn’t getting stuck on the same three as others. I stuck at it and got all three for the right reasons. Favourite was 25a with the splendidly naughty 14a coming in a close second. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

35. It appears I am on my own in not being on the wavelength at all today, with a big fat DNF.

    Needed the answers for 9a, 22a, 26a and 23d as the hints didn’t help me.

    I also need a new synonym finder. None of the ones I used had the required synonym for genesis.

    Lastly, I am probably being thick, but what has R got to do with a note?

    Thanks to all.

    1. You’ve got the wrong film star. You’re looking for a surname!

    2. My inner Star Trek nerd knows that the Genesis Device was a “Seed”a to create life on a barren planet, although Chambers thesaurus doesn’t list seed under genesis there are plenty of creationists who would.
       The R isn’t a note but part of the film stars surname into which is inserted n for note Richard **** and N not **** Hackman and R

    3. Just realised the star is not Gene. I still don’t know why N means note.

       Having read the comments in more detail, I see a few others also struggled with this offering.

       1. If you look up ‘n’ in Chambers you’ll see there are a number of words for which ‘n’ is an abbreviation.

       2. There are tons of abbreviations in the BRB
          Lower case n has 10, Capital N 12 more along with 3 symbols that use N. I’ve not checked them all but I doubt that n/N has more than other single letter abbreviations

       3. I have just bought the Chambers Dictionary and Thesaurus. Hopefully I won’t have to ask as many daft questions going forward.

          1. Don’t stop asking there will usually be someone to help
             I have the Chambers Dictionary and Thesaurus apps on my phone and use them all the time especially when trying to solve the Sunday Toughie

          2. Me too! Treated myself to a full 13th ed (£10 bargain second-hand), then yesterday found a Chambers Crossword paperback in a charity shop for 50p! They are going to be such a boon, I can feel my IQ increasing each time the book opens 😎

             1. Both are permanently by my chair. Even when not solving a crossword I will peruse them.

                1. Good plan. I’ve a feeling mine will get lifted up as often as the wine glass!

                   1. So long as you don’t try lifting both at the same time. That can get messy!

                      1. Haha! It would be a Big Red Book in more ways than one then!

       4. I may be mistaken, but I seem to recall that the abbreviation is used in publishing where a notation such as p17n in a reference indicates a note (i.e., footnote or endnote) on page 17 (not sure I have the format exactly correct).

36. Good evening
    A bit of a chewy one today, and I have to be truthful and say to you that a) I didn’t have the courage of my convictions; I thought I had 22a correct but didn’t write it in; and b) 23d got the better of me and I had to look in the Hints, so it’s technically a DNF.
    Enjoyed it, though, and COTD by a country mile is 14a. 15d deserves a Crikey!
    Thanks to our compiler and to Huntsman

37. 14a 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Whoever set this crossword, I love them. Laughed even harder when I couldn’t work out the anagram and parsed it as ‘b**chdrawing’ 🤣🤣

    (Apologies to anyone of a softer disposition, just ignore me, I’m a good boy really 😇)

    1. No you’re not. You need nanny to make you stand in the corner for half an hour.

       1. Am I allowed to choose the corner with the wine rack?

38. 3*/4* …
    liked 18A “Joanna might be this agitated (6,6)”

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