DT 30437 (Hints)

70 comments on “DT 30437 (Hints)”

1. It took me a while to get a foot hold with today’s guzzle. Then I solved one of the long ones and that allowed me into the rest. One I can’t fathom is 18a. I have the answer but just can’t parse it. 15a raised a grin as it reminded me of a certain ditty by Mr. Berry. I had ticks all over the paper but the gem for me and my COTD is the returning deer at 9a.

   My thanks to the setter for a fun solve on a grey day in The Marches. Thank you, Gazza for the hints.

   Once again, Telegraph Towers have acknowledged my submission so fingers crossed for The Mythical.

   PS Thank you for explaining 18a, Gazza. :good:

   1. What happened to the earlier reply to you, I think from #3 below? Can someone just delete a comment?

      1. Sorry, Manders I can’t help. I have not seen a reply from Gansosalvaje. However, it is possible to delete a post just by clicking on “Request Deletetion”.

         1. I think that Gansolsalvaje deleted his/her own comment.

2. Fun whilst it lasted. 1d & 11d were my favourites. Thanks to today’s setter and Gazza.

3. Lots of fun today. This was a nice start to the weekend. I liked 3d and 14d for their chemical connections and loved 15a which made me smile.
   Thanks to the setter and for the hints.

4. What a fantastic Saturday PP. Lots of fun all round and COTD 3d worth the admission fee alone. Thanks to the setter and to Gazza for the hints. Now to submit to the Telegraph Towers black hole that sucks in all my submissions. One day …

5. Started at 4am when unable to get to sleep after another nocturnal stroll in the deluge with the dog. Completed at a more civilised hour.

   Favourites 18a and the clever 23d which has a third meaning if the clue is read as a whole.

   Thanks to setter and Gazza.

6. What a thoroughly enjoyable SPP, it was right up my street Nd ver well,suited to the back page. I particularly enjoyed the anagrams, especially 6d and the hybrid lego/ anagram at 18a. Another hybrid clue, part homophone, part lego, was 2d, my COTD. The cryptic definition at 15a was pretty good too. Many thanks to Gazza for stepping in to do the hints and to our Saturday compiler for a great guzzle .

7. Very enjoyable.

   A perfect Saturday crossy: lots of anagrams; not much unpicking; no obscure knowledge, though 6d took a while, and a friendly grid.

   What’s not to like.

   My podium is 1a, 15a and 21a.

   Many thanks to Gazza, the Guzzle stand-in, and setter.

   2*/5*

   1. 10a made me think of you 🤣

      1. Soooo the opposite of a secret agent.

         We love Rabbie Burns’ description of the beastie mouse.

   2. Where have you been lately Tom?

      1. On holiday with my far better half.

         Suitably recharged to come out with my usual nonsense.

         1. I recommend reading some more Rabbie Burns, and particularly the one about your namesake before tackling the Sunday Toughie

            1. Duly noted, Sloop.

8. I beat DaveP to the start line by 30mins & immediately on wavelength for a faster finish than it took to complete the Quickie before thankfully managing to get in a few hours kip. Top 3 for me the 1d companion zonked out on the pop, the fat parrot with room for more at 3d & best of all 11d – if only the he were Sadiq Khan. Also liked 15&18a & always think 6d is such a great word.
   Thanks to the setter for a fun while it lasted solve & to Gazza for subbing

9. First impression was OMG but starting at the bottom got me going and the more I got into it the more I enjoyed it. A very clever and elegant puzzle well deserving of being the Prize P. Getting the 15letter anagram was esp satisfying.
   Thx to all
   ***/*****

10. I enjoyed this. one or two held me up .

    Steve, you get an acknowledgment? doesn’t happen to me …Is that on the old platform or the new one ?

    Btw , thanks to Gazza and SL for the recent tip re the Hudson toughie. I pick and choose my Toughies based on ratings here so I don’t sit and look at a blank screen for hours. i find that a bit deflating. the advice is very welcome

    and thanks to Gazza again and the setter for today

    1. I take a photograph of the paper and email it, banksie. It’s an email acknowledgement I get (sometimes). :grin:

11. As my ancestors would say:

    D’accord, encore une fois et puis, si je me trompe, je jetterai toutes mes demi-couronnes dans le lac Winnipeg.

    Two of those demi-couronnes on the Floughie Lady for a very enjoyable SPP – **/*****

    No doubt about the favorite – 3d by a country mile!

    Thanks to the Floughie Lady, or whomsoever if my two half crowns end up in Lake Winnipeg, and thanks to Gazza.

    1. Senf, apparemment c’est bon que je n’ai pas risqué ma demi-couronne sur la Dame Duveteuse! Est-ce que vous avez jeté les tiennes dans le lac?

12. About as tough as it can get whilst still remaining doable. Great fun, favourite was 18a as we once had a cat named after this astronaut.

13. I’ve been here for quite a while but I have never understood the ‘Floughie Lady’ reference. Can anyone help me in my puzzlement?

    Gerrific guzzle. I enjoy unravelling anagrams so this was a fun solve for me.

    Off we go to Stamford Bridge where, no doubt, my mighty Chelsea will see off the parvenus from North of the Thames.

    Thanks to the setter and the former player/coach of Gansu Tianma.

    1. Terence, when Chalicea compiled a Toughie, some wag commented that it was more of a Floughie than a Toughie. It stuck and she became the Floughie Lady

       1. Ah! Thank you, Chris.

       2. She’s the lovely lady for me, one who compiles cryptics I can do without help.

          1. Me too, she’s my fave!

             1. Mine too. Her Toughies may sometimes be Floughies but they encourage me to look at Toughies more often

             2. Me too!

       3. Chriscross,

          I believe this question (and your explanation) deserves to be included in the FAQ list. See FAQ #35.

14. Finally have access to a printer again 🙌🖨️🙌
    A perfect Saturday puzzle full of smiles, fave obviously 14d but 3d superb. Thanks to setter and Gazza 🍻

15. Thought for a moment that we were going to have an ode to the haggis but ’twas not to be. 1d raised a smile and top clues here were 3&6d.

    Thanks to our setter (Chalicea?) and to Gazza for the hints and chuckles.

16. Enjoyable solve but far too many anagrams for my liking. They always seem like a bit of a cop out to me, though I found solving 6d very satisfying. Favourite was the truly cryptic 15a. I also liked the lego 1d, the geographical 20d and the very clever 3d. Thanks to today’s setter and to Gazza for stepping into the breach.

17. Lovely puzzle today which I enjoyed unravelling. 3d took me longest to parse…very clever, but the fat parrot was the best for me.

    Thanks to the setter and to Gazza.

    We are having a brief respite from the rain at the moment, but we are expecting lots more later today. Where we live is now just outside the red warning area…a mere amber today. Fortunately all is well for the Meringues at present. We have power and are not affected by flooding…but we do live at the top of a hill. Our trees are our main concern. They are quite large (a sycamore and a copper beech plus the fruit trees) …..trying not to think of the consequences of one falling over.

18. I am standing next to Cephas and he assures me that today’s crossword is one of his

    1. Good luck at the Championships.

19. Marvellous entertainment for a Saturday morning with some inventive and witty clues. After the first pass, like Brian, I thought it was going to be tough, but a few downs in the SW corner got me going then I was away. 3d my outright favourite, ahead of 18a.

    My thanks to Cephas for the fun and to super sub Gazza.

20. LOI was 9a due to me misspelling 2d, it went straight in once I realised. No hold-ups for us otherwise. Favourite was 15a. Thanks to Cephas and Gazza.

    1. Ditto, having unconsciously crossed over the sibilants.

21. Great puzzle. 3d cotd. Started before bed last night and took care of NE. A little bump this am with the wrong ending on 22a.

    Advantage of playing online with app is ease of submitting crossword. Just a button press.

22. A nice puzzle for a Saturday to start the weekend. A couple of long down clues gave lots letters to work with as well as the two longish across clues too. Nothing to scare the horses in this one.

    1.5*/4* for me

    Favourites included 1a, 9a, 15a, 27a, 3d & 16d — with winner 15a … it gave me a good laugh.

    Thanks to Cephas & Gazza for hints/blog

    Oh and yes … I am looking forward to watching the England vs South Africa World Cup rugger match today.

23. I didn’t start this as early as others but once the cryptic part of the astronaut came to mind I was away at a gallop and all sorted before taking Mama Bee out for flu jabs and shopping
    Thanks to Gazza for the hints and Cephas for the puzzle which seemed a bit trickier than many SPPs
    Standing next to Cephas? Do they make you stand at the Times Crossword Championships?

    1. Silly. It was the lunch break

       1. Good luck – If you are going to the George afterwards have one for Big Dave, Robert C, LROK, Alchemi and all the others we have lost recently

          Oh and one for me too

          1. I’m off to the George shortly but if I’m going to drink for all that lot I’d better stick with soft drinks

          2. Good idea, SJB. Let’s remember our lost friends.

             1. Totally agree. I am raising my Famous Grouse in their honour. 🥃

                1. I have been reviewing early Sunday Toughie Blogs particularly Sunday Toughie 7 both hints and review (mainly for the last time I saw the Rugby Posts to hint a letter) but the wisdom and lovely comments from Robert shine out
                   (13th and 23rd March 2022)

                2. You forgot to mention other whiskies are available 🤪

24. Well what a cracker of a crossword week it has been. I thought I would have problems today but it all went in quite smoothly until I got to 3d. So I looked again at my across answers. I had an answer for 9a but in fact couldn’t spot the deer in it, then the penny dropped and I finally managed 3d. Many thanks to Cephas and Gazza. Horrible day here but obviously not as bad as in other parts of the country – stay safe in Scotland.

25. 2/4. Very good SSP although rather a lot of anagrams. The long clues definitely made this easier. No standouts for me. Thanks to the setter and Gazza.

26. Not on wavelength today, though looking back it, I can’t quite see why it took me so long. Loved the fat parrot at 3D. Made me giggle and my clue of the day.

27. I thought it was a trickier Saturday offering but some good stuff. I needed help to spell 1d, though all you had to do was obey the instructions. I had to use a word search for 3d, fat parrot indeed. On the other hand, 6d went in without a second thought, what other word meaning “prophecy” is that long? I liked the astronaut without his weapon at 18a and the deer at 9a.
    Thanks Cephas for the fun and Gazza for stepping in yet again.

28. It was certainly a brain workout for me, partially because of lack of sleep this week. Brain just seems to want to get going in the middle of the night. Greatly helped by solving the two 15 letter clues, with 12a being my COTD. Remembered the other meaning of flower just in time. Thanks to Cephas and Gazza. Hoping our Sue does well today. Also hoping the Crossword gods will be kinder to us next week. I found this past week a little trickier than usual.

29. A very much appreciated NTSSP – just about finished now.
    There were definitely lots of anagrams today – I’m always happy to have loads of them.
    I have to admit not working out the two long ones down – they had to be right.
    I think my favourite has to be 15a followed rapidly by 18 and 24a and 7 and 17d.
    Thank you to Cephas for his crossword and to Gazza for standing-in for the hints (and the cartoons too).
    Now I realise why CS needed a stand-in “hinty person”. Good luck and let us know how it goes, please!

30. What a great puzzle for someone who enjoys anagrams. Having said that it didn’t help writing the answer to 6d down in the grid for 3d. Doh! How stupid! Plus, I was determined to make it an anagram! The second part of my answer to 9a was wrong which compounded my problem (wrong kind of deer). Other than faults of my own making I really enjoyed today’s offering. Many thanks to Cephas for the challenge and to Gazza for stepping in on behalf of Crypticsue. Hope you have enjoyed today’s Times Crossword Championship Sue and wish you, somewhat belatedly, every success.

31. I enjoyed this. COTD was the brilliant 3d
    It took me a while to find the deer at 9a
    Good luck to CS at the championship

32. That was a perfect exercise to work on whilst sleeplessly watching tennis from Tokyo and Antwerp. Two long’uns got me off to a good start then North soon came on board too. 3d Fav and 12a added to that when penny dropped re news. 14d new to me I think and not keen on abbreviations in clues. Thank you Cephas for much Saturday fun and Gazza for being there on our behalf.

33. At St Pancras International waiting for the train home. Thank you for all the good wishes. I didn’t do as well this year but it was nice to meet up again with fellow competitors from past years.

    Very strange at the George without Big Dave and only Shabbo and me to represent the blog

    1. I’m sure you both did the blog proud.

    2. Yes, it must have felt peculiar with just the two of you there from the blog when there used to be lots of others on those kind of occasions.
       Sorry that you didn’t do as well this year – I bet you did lots better than others though.
       Have a quick and safe journey home and I hope that someone has made a lovely supper ready for when you get home. :rose:

    3. We couldn’t ask for better representatives, you done us proud! Thank you both. We love you.

       1. Hear hear! 👍

34. Finally finished having initially done well having spotted several anagrams, I then I had 2 or 3 that took ages to crack. So many clever and fun clues, I hints to explain how I got 18a.

    Many thanks to Cephas and to Gazza for the hints.

35. Good steady solve. Favorite 3d, being a chemist.

36. Last one 25 A

    Got me baffled.
    Any help?
    Denis

    1. Two definitions – a) an adjective, b) a verb.

       1. Thanks Gazza
          I woke up knowing the answer. I only had to spell 17d with an E & not A.

          regards Denis

37. 25 A hint please

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