DT 30402

93 comments on “DT 30402”

1. Bit tricky for Monday? Fun though. Favourite 12a but not to eat!
   Thanks to setter

2. Most enjoyable and mainly plain sailing this morning, with the long anagrams helping to gain an early foothold in the grid. 11a and 13d proved to be my favourites.

   Thanks to the double punner and Falcon.

3. Apart from stupidly wrongly
   Parsing 14d as a cryptic clue ie breathe in
   Meaning breathe inside or not outside,
   Found this puzzle relatively not
   Too tasking.
   Lingered over 7d until Mae West popped
   Up from my subconscious.
   Many thanks Campbell for this pleasing
   Solve and thanks Falcon.

4. Like Falcon, this guzzle was a game of two halves. I began by fillung in most od theleft hand side of the grid and it took at least 3 times as long to finish the other half. There were a lot of anagrams and General Knowledge, both of which I enjoy but even an old codger like me had difficulty temembering the 1933 movie in 7d. It was a good anagram though, as was 2d, a tribute tour Monday reviewer. 24a was a good lego clue with a geographical twist andc11a one with a literary twist. Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle and to Falcon for the hints.

5. Most of this typically Monday-ish puzzle was straightforward, very well crafted, extremely fair, and involved little more than reading the clue and writing in the answer. With the exception of the film. Early cinema history is not certainly not my field and a film made nearly 50 years before I was even born rates as being on the extreme end of the “entirely specialist and not at in any way general” knowledge spectrum for me!

   1* / 2*

   Many thanks to Campbell and to Falcon

6. Like Falcon, this guzzle was a game of two halves. I began by fillung in most od theleft hand side of the grid and it took at least 3 times as long to finish the other half. There were a lot of anagrams and General Knowledge, both of which I enjoy but even an old codger like me had difficulty remembering the 1933 movie in 7d. It was a good anagram though, as was 2d, a tribute tour Monday reviewer. 24a was a good lego clue with a geographical twist andc11a one with a literary twist. Thanks to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle and to Falcon for the hints.

7. All pretty bread and butter stuff today, but have to agree with others that it was a little harder than most Mondays, thought 16a was a bit flaky, but it did not spoil a first rate puzzle, thanks to our setter today, good fun solve.

8. It’s Monday :good: It’s Campbell :good: But, come on, a book published in 1865, a French author who died in 1902, and a 1933 film – what next? **/***

   Candidates for favourite – 24a, 13d, and 17d – and the winner is 13d.

   Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

   1. It’s often said that the DT has an older readership than many other newspapers … perhaps Campbell has been asked to set puzzles accordingly!

      1. I don’t mind admitting that I qualify as a member of the ‘older readership’ category but even the 1933 film pre-dates me by somewhat more than several years. :smile:

         1. Me too…

   2. I neglected to acknowledge the contribution of Senf in deciphering the top line pun which I likely would never have got on my own.

   3. I agree with you about the 1933 film which I had never heard of and had to look up. Hard to guess at. Could get the first and last words but not the others as grammatically incorrect. However, you can hardly complain about a Dickens’ classic or a famous French author even if you have not read him.

      1. Your comments are going into moderation because you’re omitting one letter from your email address. I’ve edited it back in for you.

9. A pleasant Monday puzzle – thanks to Campbell and Falcon.
   My favourite clue is 3d.

   If you’re up for a puzzle which is great fun and not too difficult I recommend today’s Rookie Corner puzzle by Dharma.

   1. Thanks Gazza 😊

10. Enjoyed this one although it tested my GK to get the film and the strap. Smiled at our blogger’s namecheck and the tailless arachnid and thought the 14d anagram was rather appropriate.
    Thanks to our familiar Monday man for the puzzle and to Falcon for the review.

11. Trickier than the usual Monday Puzzle and a ***/**** for me,Last in was 7d which I tried my best to solve the anagram until I could not find two e letteers, then the penny dropped regarding shed
    Favourite was the 18a charade followed by 24a.and 11a for the surface.
    Excellent start to the week.

12. An enjoyable start to the week.

    Many nicely crafted clues and some good GK thrown in: a Dickens book and an author who has been nominated twice for the Nobel Prize for literature are perfectly okay…..in my book.

    The only curve ball was the obscure 7d which eluded me.

    My COTD is 24a.

    Many thanks to Falcon and Campbell.

    2*/4*

    1. Off at a gallop but it didn’t last once anagrams (although not my favourite things) had been sorted and progress then slowed down which is unusual for a Monday. Long’un at 2d helped but can’t say same for other one at 7d which remained unsolved although my vintage should have helped! Altogether a pleasant enough exercise. Thanks Campbell and Falcon.

       1. Sorry TS65 – this was meant to be independent comment not reply to yours.

          1. No problem, AV.

             I like my oldies and am a fan of Archie Leach but I’ve never heard of this one with ‘Come up and see me sometime’.

             1. Hope I can count myself among one of your “oldies”!

                1. I meant the film or did you know that already? (apologies, if you did)

                   We’re all young at heart, AV.

                   I am desperate to know the average age on this blog. I am sure, at 58, I’m a whippersnapper.

                   I love (and live) for this daily workout and twitch if I don’t do it every day.

                   1. Tom, I fear Mustafa G sadly has the edge on us both when it comes to that title! Born in the 80s? Crikey. As for the film, it’s Cary Grant for goodness sake. Even I’d heard of it! Great fun today. Thanks to Campbell – and Falcon, of course.

                      1. I clearly need to watch this film which I will surely do.

                         Forgive me if I misunderstand you but I was born in 1965.

                         The 65 in my alias is a coincidence. Tom Sturges Watson shot 65 to beat the Golden Bear in the oh so marvellous ‘Duel in the Sun’ in 1977.

                         1. Ha. No, my maths isn’t that bad. I was referring to MG!

                            1. Ah, gotcha.

                      2. My error by just over 10 years, ALP – when later looking it up, I misread the film’s issue date as being 1923 rather than 1933. Not that 1933 is much more current than 1923 …

                         I’m happy to say that I was born at a time which enabled me to recognise that the golden period of British pop music was c. 1978 – 1984.

                         However I do not expect many contributors on this site to agree with me!

                         1. Haha! Good to hear you’re in the same boat as me and Tom, then. And I agree – the 70s were indeed a golden age. No one does it quite like Dury did!

                            1. Agreed gents.

                               I have always said that 1978/1983 was an unbelievable five year period with 1979 being THE year.

                            2. I wouldn’t say that Merusa (same problem with the reply button)

                               You were around when Elvis and Bill Hailey kicked things off.

                               People say that the line ‘’One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock rock’’ changed music forever.

                               It must have been a great time to be alive.

                         2. It’s like 1939 being the year for film with1994 giving it a good run for its money.

                            I hope the film buff, Huntsman, is around today as I’d love to get his take on that and I don’t mean ‘Take 1’.

                            1. I twigged the anagram easily enough but haven’t actually seen the film & not sure in a movie quiz that I’d have been able to come up with CG & MW as the stars. Have obviously seen the clips of the line Mae’s most known for

                            2. (Reply button problem again) Yes, we had loads of fun in the 1950s, 1960s, not a care in the world, loved Elvis! Rocking the night away. I was living in London when the Beatles came on the scene, with our Mary Quant skirts, queuing up for all their movies. Long time ago, but I’ve had some fun in my time!

                            3. Good, good times, Merusa. (reply button)

                         3. Crikey that’s a bit of statement re the golden period of pop music. Justify my good fellow

                            1. Punk, Ska, New Romantic, Electronic, Mod, Disco, Funk, Rap, Hip Hop, Heavy metal, Rock ballads with lots of room for established genres like reggae (The Police – white reggae), Heavy rock, Soul, R&B, Northern soul, Supergroups, Prog rock, Pub rock, Jazz fusion and many more.

                            2. Sorry to reply to you Huntsman but TS65 doesn’t have a “reply” button and this is as close as I can get!
                               I’m 85, so not surprisingly I’ve never heard of most of the music you quite! I must be so “square.”

                            3. I have to agree entirely with Tom, Huntsman, and his list. I’d been thinking about how to give you a list of all the groups, singers, bands, individual songs, etc, but figured I’d be here until next week doing so. Then I started thinking about genres, and was mentally listing them just as did Tom. Though I would probably say 1981-ish rather than 1979!

                               The only justification I think anyone can ever reasonably give for a stated period being “the best, evah!”, is that “those years” were when they were teenagers.

                               I love music from Chicago & Delta Blues to trance & techno, from punk & heavy metal to New Romantics & AOR, Gregorian Chant to Glam Rock. But for a 6-year period, ’78-’84 has it all for me. It’s an age thing … ;)

                            4. I can’t find a reply button either so I’ll reply to my question. It’s the 70s for me too but with the exception of London Calling all of my fav albums are pre 78. I’m trying to narrow them down to a top 20 but it’s not easy deciding what to leave out

                            5. Interesting (your post at 9:45)

                               If you’re still up, what are your thoughts on 1939 and 1994 being THE years for the big screen?

13. I usually find Monday’s crosswords tricky and no change today….but I got there in the end.
    Needed some reassurance as to the parsings.

    Thanks to Campbell and to Falcon .

    Been raining here today. Better now but distinctly cooler. Septemberish.

14. Totally foxed by 7d. First because of the missing e, and then because I’d never heard of it. Other than that not too bad, but no particular fave. Thanks to Campbell and to 2d ( I did wonder if it would be him today) particularly for sorting the parsing for 7d.

15. Fun if a little time consuming today. 3d my favorite. 7d I spent to much time on, even with all the letters. Hadn’t heard of the movie and didn’t think of cast in that sense

16. J’accuse 11a of being a bit obscure for a Monday, I enjoyed the rest and found it easier going than the grilling I am likely to get from the dentist this afternoon
    Thanks to Falcon and Campbell (twas xtype last wk wasnt it)

    1. Me too, I was trying to find Elize somebody for quite a while

17. – Not too bad today. I’ll echo the other commenters on a certain movie being a tough ask.
    – I didn’t like use of ‘on’ in 24a, as that is (to my mind) better suited to a down clue. “Country girl BY/NEXT TO/ON BANK OF French river I disregarded” would all have been better IMHO.
    – Favourite was 13d.

    1. The general convention is that “A on B” in a down clue indicates A before B (A on top of B) while in an across clue it indicates A following B. The rationale for the latter being that in order to write A on B, B must have been written first and English is written left to right,

       1. Got it. Thanks for the explanation.

18. I second Gazza’s comment – if anyone has a free moment today, have a crack at Dharma’s Rookie Corner offering and leave your thoughts – the more comments in the melting pot the merrier for us rookies, it really does help 😎

19. I don’t mind the odd ‘unheard of’ answer, as long as the clue is good enough to work it out. I then have to do a bit of research to verify it and learn something (which I will no doubt forget when I need it again 😉). All good fun. Thanks Campbell and Falcon for your review.

20. Quickest solve for a while for me, but a bright, enjoyable puzzle

21. Oh! Un-Settled! I get it now

22. Well, it was straightforward, in the sense that most could be completed given the checkers …
    But it was also weirdly old fashioned, in the sense that even boomers like me would need to dredge their childhood memories or grandparents comments to complete it.
    I can’t even remember how I know the child’s punisher 9a – was it in 21a?
    My last one in was 3d. Somehow I dredged up a conversation with an ancient uncle who played this and I was aware of “misere” as being no tricks, so I guessed the answer before I went to Mr G.
    At least I learned something today. I will never play it, but who could resist Cut Throat Bid Whist?

    1. I remember the card game from a previous appearance. As I recall, the game is actually a variant called Solo Whist that many seemed to know only as Solo.

       1. Yes, Falcon. My other half has just told me that they played it at school in the July between O levels and the summer holidays. And they only called it Solo, as did the ancient Irish uncle. It does seem to have a lot of variants. Imagine bidding “3d declared” – it beats Texas Hold’em into a cocked hat.

    2. The tawse was used liberally by the Scots at home and school within memory of 40 year olds.

       1. The Christian Brothers used to go out and cut branches from trees for the purpose … shudder.

       2. New to me. When I was in naughty school boys got the “cane”, but we girls did not. I quite approved of that distinction 😊.

          1. At my primary school, it was ‘cane’ for the boys and ‘slipper’ for the girls. However, the teacher of the top year (10-11yr olds) would just hurl his wooden-backed board rubber in the direction of any offender – boy or girl!

             1. In my school, it was cane on the backside for both boys and girls. However, we lads were convinced that the Master stayed his hand for the girls. They never seemed to say “ouch” as much as we did.

23. Definitely on the harder side for. Monday puzzle. Never heard of 9a or the movie in 7d. I did like 1a and 17d, both clever clues.
    Bit too much esoteric knowledge needed to solve this one.
    Not my favourite by any means.
    ***/**

    1. Agree with you on the movie Brian, but surely everyone can reel off the titles of all of Dickens’ novels even if they did not study Victorians at A Level Eng. Lit.

24. Well it’s Monday but is it Campbell…?? I give up trying to figure it out. Given the multiple word clues, I’d say yes …. but then again … Seemed a little tougher than a normal Monday, with a bit of head scratching required.

    2*/4* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 16a, 18a, 22a, 7d & 20d

    New word for me in 21a but figured it out from the cross checking words.

    Thanks to Campbell & Falcon for hints/blog

    1. Last Monday, Campbell and X-Type told us that they would be ‘sharing’ Mondays. As X-Type claimed last Monday’s puzzle, today can be reasonably assumed to be a Campbell production.

       1. And as Campbell noted last Monday, if there’s a second, bottom-line, pun, that’s a good indication the Monday puzzles that day are his.

       2. Must have missed that … been busy doing lots of in home physio for my left knee after undergoing TKA … best thing I ever did.
          I will mark the calendar going forward … thanks!

25. 9a, 11a and 24a make the podium today. What the Dickens is the fuss about his best novel? Or the famous French man?

    Thanks to Campbell and the Peregrine.

26. I’m an oldie and I did know the 7D movie, though not old enough to have actually been alive when it was made! I actually didn’t have any trouble with the solve (even 3D which I’ve never heard of) and enjoyed it, as I do all the Monday offerings. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

27. I thought there was too much GK in this but I seem to be alone. My COTD is the clever 2d….a green pelican indeed!

28. I guess gentle Mondays are just a distant memory. Today’s was tricky, but not impossible IMHO. Never read 11a, 21a was new to me, 3a was a mystery, having never played whist, and 7d before my time, phew… but at least I remembered the 8d card game. Had a chuckle at 2d, as I’m sure our blogger did today, and I owe all my knowledge of these birds to C. J. Bow and his Joe Pickett books. They are set in Wyoming, about a game warden and his master falconer friend. A very interesting read and so different from Florida. LI today was 13d. Overall, rather enjoyed. Thanks to Campbell and Falcon.

    1. It seems that having played whist would be of no help. You would have had to play Solo Whist which you probably would have known as simply Solo. And, yes, I did enjoy 2d.

29. Just too hard for me.

30. Blissfully cooler on the first tee today. Enjoyed the guzzle – 2d sits atop my podium with 9a & 13d. Strangely the movie needed a few checkers once I’d twigged cast wasn’t fodder & required a synonym. Liked the Quickie puns too.
    Thanks to Campbell & to Falcon

31. A lot of comments, so will add my tuppence before reading them as I’m expecting a food delivery. This was one of the fastest and most enjoyable guzzles yet. You see, it pays to be old! I knew the Frankie and Johnny song, 7d looked like a line from it but I didn’t know the movie, but Google did! I also had to look up 21a in the dictionary, I knew the word but not what it was. Apart from those two, all my own work. I was even able to solve the anagrams without my circles. Yes, I know, I’m boasting, so what? I don’t often get the chance to wax lyrical over a *** guzzle, so I’m enjoying my moment in the spotlight.
    Thank you Campbell, you’ve made my day, and Falcon for the hints, which I will now read!

32. 4/1. Not particularly enjoyable and I found this difficult. The GK was a stretch as well. Thanks to the setter and Falcon for unravelling a number of clues for me.

33. This did not float my boat( modern expression dah dah) . No idea about the film . 26a seemed weak . Never heard of 21 and don’t play whist, bridge and poker yes but no full house for me today , maybe I can come up trumps tomorrow. Thanks to all

34. Went well today except for the strap which thankfully was never used on me! Thank you Campbell and Falcon

35. Very enjoyable, and straightforward for the most part 🤗 ***/**** Favourites 2d, 17d and 5 across 😃 Quite pleased when I knew 3d straight away, I don’t think Solo is popular nowadays it is all Bridge 🤔 Thanks to Campbell and to the Falcon, quite a full aviary today 😬

36. I found this very enjoyable with many clues going in straight away which left me just needing to deal with the gaps in my knowledge for the ones mentioned already (7d, 9a and 11a). I got there with a combination of some e help and guesswork. I needed a couple of hints to explain the parsing. My favourite was 1a.

    Many thanks to Campbell and to Falcon for the hints.

37. Straightforward until it wasn’t. I realised 7d wasn’t a total anagram so with all the checkers I made something up that fitted and looked it up and unbelievably it turned out to be some obscure 1933 film. Similarly with 9a, I guessed the outer words and chose a word that fitted the clue, I hadn’t heard of that either. No real favourite. Thanks to Campbell anyway and Falcon.

38. Late to the table as usual. Great crossword. Had to resort to help for 7d. Being born in 1957 I guess that was a bit before my time.
    Really enjoyed the musical discussions. I must slightly disagree though, late 60s to mid 70s were the best. Genesis (before Peter Gabriel left) The Who , ELP. Need I say more.
    Thanks to all

39. What’s the point of trying to maintain streaks on the Telegraph web site? I’ve just been arbitratily reset for what I think is the fourth time, despite having not missed a weekday puzzle for months. Is there anything I can do about this?

    1. I have found that clearing/ cleaning of search history, cookies etc, sometimes resets my streak in Wordle, so perhaps it does so here?

40. It would appear that the friendly start to the puzzling week is over. Tricky for me, which is a shame because I used to settle down happily on a Monday morning with my coffee looking forward to a pleasant puzzle. Always started the guzzling week gently. I knew the song at 7d but had no idea it was a film. There was a vague mist around Zoe Ball’s writer and I can’t remember the last time I played 8d or even how I played it.

    Never mind, “TIAD” so my thanks to Campbell for making me dredge the canyons of my mind and Falcon for the hints.

    I may not appear every day this week because our daughter, Faye and our son-in-law (although I drop the “in-law” part because he is a son to me) are staying for the week. I will, however, be monitoring the blog so be careful what you say about me in my absence! :grin:

    1. Do enjoy your family time, Steve, thank goodness Mrs C made it back from hospital in time to share the week with your daughter and her husband. Don’t worry, I can’t think that anyone on the blog would have a bad word to say about you!

41. I’m glad they’ve arrived and Mrs. C is home to be able to enjoy their visit. I’m so happy for you all, have a wonderful week. We’ll all be thinking of you.

42. Not on the wavelength today. Working behind a bar for a colleagues wake so go to this late.

    Still a good chuck of the North to solve. I doubt I’ll get much more solved.

    Will probably doze off before finishing.

    Thanks to all.

    1. I don’t think this was a wavelength issue, more that I am not 125 years old.

       The 1933 film in 7d was obscure when my father was growing up in the 1950s. It sounds like a film for rednecks who live in trailer parks…!

       Two clues that are about card games. Neither of which people under 75 have heard of. Probably…

       If you have not heard of the novel by Dickens in 9a, it would be virtually impossible to get this clue. I am moderately knowledgeable in the works of Dickens, but his novel is new to me.

       The writer in 11a. Seriously, who outside of literary academia has heard of this obscure person who died 120 odd years ago?

       For a Monday to require such obscure general knowledge is somewhat deflating for us mere mortals.

       1. I agree with you about the 1933 film. Usually you can guess titles of several words but hard to guess the two middle words even with the D from Shed. However, the other two ought to be well known even by those who have not read them. Zola was a man of many parts including his article on the Dreyfus affair.

          1. Thanks for your reply. At least one of my gripes was in some way justified.

             Apologies to Campbell for my Brian-esque rant above. At least Brian is entertainingly grouchy. I had spent the evening helping run the bar at a wake. Not exactly the best circumstances leading up to me starting the crossword.

             I do hate seeing people harshly (or unfairly) criticizing a crossword, and therefore the setter (I have been guilty of this in the past). I am always in awe of the sheer skill and creativity that goes in to any crossword, and would hate to think my comments were in any way taken negatively by Campbell. I salute you Sir and your fellow setters!

43. 3*/3* …
    liked 2D “Bird of prey, unsettling for green pelican (9,6)”

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