DT 30538

108 comments on “DT 30538”

1. I agree with Mr K that this was an odd one with a fair bit of head scratching in for some reason not a terribly satisfying solve. For me a ***/** with my last one in 17d proving obstinate but having solved it I can’t see why. I did enjoy the well constructed 14d. Thanks Mr K and our illustrious setter.

2. Not a walk in the park but a fun challenge. 2d was unparsed so must study MrK’s hint. Fav 8d. Thank you Mysterone and MrK.

3. Good challenge but maybe also hard work. Very enjoyable too.
   Once again all very fair and no tech or child-speak.
   Thanks to compiler.

4. This was one of the best puzzles I have solved for a long time – sheer brilliance!

   Many thanks to proXimal for the enjoyment – 2*/5*

5. Thought the first three letter bit of 28a was a bit of a stretch, but I suppose it is Friday after all, apart from that, tough but fair. Many thanks to our setter for this one.

   1. As Mary Poppins sang: 🎵 Feed the birds / Tuppence a bag 🎵 — which clearly means the price is 2d per bag.

      Or: “They were going 100 miles an hour”, meaning 100 mph.

      It’s subtle, to have such an innocuous-looking “A” in the clue meaning that, but I don’t think it’s at all stretched to claim they are equivalent.

      

      1. I agree, easy to state examples when you know the answer, a bit of a stretch when you don’t.

         1. 👍

         2. Ah, fair enough. Sorry, I misinterpreted your comment as being a “stretched synonym” (which is probably the type of stretching most often mentioned round here), but I now see that isn’t what you said.

            1. No worries, just meant it was a bit of a stretch for me to twig it.

               1. Too big a stretch for me.

   2. I didn’t like the ‘a’ clue in 28a and only got ‘per’ by parsing. Having read the comments I’m now warming to it…

      A penny a throw
      An apple a day

      Yep, another quirky usage to add to the list!!

6. I thought this was a fair challenge for a Friday. LOI and my COTD was 7d, which I solved when I realised that an X-less pangram was a possibility. An honourable mention also to 12a. Thanks to the setter and to Mr K (needed the hint to understand the answer to 18a). Now off out to enjoy the unseasonably lovely February weather.

   1. I liked 12a too, well clued.

7. Very jaunty, I thought, with fabulous surfaces throughout. 11d’s is especially strong. The engineering is so precise and fair: 1a is just one of many showing such craft and care. Even the lurker at 2a reads beautifully, and they don’t always. But 18a is an absolute zinger – loved it. Excellent. Huge thanks to proXimal and Mr K. It’s a rare day indeed when I find one easier than you!

8. I thought I was in for trouble this morning when I started with the top half (as is my wont) and after the first run through of the across clues I had nothing. However the down clues seemed to spring more willingly to mind and after that it all worked through fairly steadily.
   Once I had completed the puzzle I wondered why it resisted me but I did find a fair bit to like.
   My double ticks today went to 12a, 3d, 7d and 14d – of which I choose 12a.
   My thanks to Mr K and to the setter

9. This took me a while — 2⅓-times as long as Wednesday’s backpager* — but I got there in the end and completed it without any hints so that, for me℠, makes it towards the easier end. And definitely easier than Tuesday’s backpager, which I needed so many hints for.

   Thank you to proXimal for the puzzle, and Mr K for blogging. My favourite was 11d’s prior.

   * Which I’ve belatedly just commented on, on the off chance anybody’s interested.

10. I found this pleasingly awkward and a great challenge that was fair and enjoyable. Hard to select a favourite from such a long list of contenders, but I will go for 12a.

    Thanks to proXimal and Mr K.

11. My rating is 4*/5* for an excellent Friday back-pager to end the week with a bang. I found the whole puzzle challenging but particularly the SW corner.

    When I eventually parsed it, 18a gets my vote as favourite joined on the podium by 7d, 8d & 11d.

    Many thanks to proXimal for the x-less pangram and to Mr K,

12. An enjoyable puzzle from proXimal – thanks to him and Mr K.
    I thought that this was pitched just right for Friday with some clever wordplay without the need for obscurities.
    I liked 1a, 12a and 8d but my favourite has to be 18a.

13. This was a pleasure to complete. Many jobs needed to be done, but every time I decided to leave the crossword another answer fell into place.
    It’s a sunny, springlike day here, so a walk with the dog beckons.

14. It’s a very good job that I’m not in the habit of timing myself, or I think I would have been in line for some sort of booby prize this morning! I thouroughly enjoyed the whole thing and my paper is littered with ticks. I did make some use of the SRB and needed the hints to parse 18a but there was good solid clueing, it just took a little working out. I can’t choose an overall favourite today but an extra full podium comprises 12a, 15a, 18a, 28a, 2d and 14d. Thanks to Proximal and Mr K.

15. I found this relatively easy for a Friday, last in was 18a, I still don’t understand the word play though. Could someone please “switch the light on” so that I can kick myself? Ling is a fish!
    Thanks to setter and Mr K.

    1. If you literally do what the answer says, that is add the 4 letters LING to the word duck you get a bigger word for a duck that is also a smaller type of duck…

       1. Btw I too went down the fish rabbit hole before I twigged it…

       2. Doh! Many thanks .. kicking commencing now🤣

16. Never quite achieved a flow with this one, more a matter of picking off clues in a random order until they linked together.
    Favourite without a doubt was the laugh out loud 8d with nods to 12a & 7d.

    Thanks to proXimal and to Mr K for the review and return of the pusskins – hope you enjoyed your trip back to NZ?

    1. I think you are our ornithologist are you not, Jane? Two blue tits poking around the primroses eating something – I’ve never seen that before. Most unusual to see them on the ground isn’t it? They are usually on the bird feeder or the coconut with fat.

       1. They have a very varied diet – apart from seeds, they have a liking for insect larvae and are particularly partial to the caterpillars of winter moths which could have dropped from any nearby shrubs or trees.

          1. Thank you. That’s good to bear in mind.

             1. Are they the ones that have, unusually, destroyed my snowdrops?

                1. Vine weevils. Our hookera are all turning their toes up. Roots chewed to nothing.

                   1. heuchera :-)

17. Not sure I enjoyed that. Justified it’s **** and felt more like a toughie.

    1. Spot on.

18. Longish breakfast guzzle, but loved it nevertheless.
    Fave is 2d, basically because the card game, which we still have, has done 2 generations so far – kids and grandkids!
    Many thanks to proXimal and Mr K.

19. As I’ve said before, it’s a question of wavelength. Seven only first time across but then moderately straightforward. I may eventually forgive the setter for 18ac! 🥴

20. So many great clues. 18a, 2d and 14d were my favourites. Very doable for a Friday but good value as it kept me puzzling for a long time. Thank you to the setter and Mr K.

21. It took a little while longer than usual to get started with this super puzzle, but once the first couple were in and a few pennies had dropped, the rest of it flowed very smoothly and it became pretty straightforward. Was pleased to remember the queen, but had never heard of the card game – fortunately that did not matter. Great surfaces, all GK very fair and straightforward, good variety of clues, a sensible proportion of anagrams and lovely range of clue types. Not sure I’ve ever seen so many Ks in a puzzle, but maybe ProXimal wrote it with a certain nod to today’s reviewer.

    Highlight clues for me included 10a, 16a, 28a, 4d and 11d, but in truth I could double that list.

    3* / 4*

    Many thanks indeed to ProXimal and to MrK

    1. The card game is an American one from the 1970s. It was certainly popular in the UK by the 1980s, then published by Waddingtons, and our 11-year-old still plays it at lunchtime at school.

       It’s a branded version of one of those games where you play one card at a time, matching the previous player’s suit or value, with the first to get rid of all their cards being the winner. The name comes from the rule that when you’re down to one card you have to declare “Uno” — otherwise you won’t be permitted to go out on your following turn.

       

       1. Thanks for that Smylers I had no idea what the card game was so bunged in.

       2. I shall echo the thanks, Smylers – despite our family enjoying all sorts of card games during the late 60s/early 80s, with the exception of Top Trumps (I think) all the cards had only four suits and two colours! Uno sounds a bit like snap, but with the opposite objective (if I recall correctly).

          1. You can play very similar games with an ordinary deck of cards. Wikipedia lists Crazy Eights, Craits, Last Card, Switch, and Black Jack*, Bartok, Mao, and Taki as being similar variants.

             * Not the same Blackjack that’s also known Pontoon as 21, but a different card game with (almost) the same name.

       3. There is a wonderful boardgame that’s just come out called Wavelength. An extremely clever but simple format for people of all ages.

          It goes on my All-Time podium with Trivial Pursuit and Perudo.

          Unfortunately, there’s no room for Monopoly as it takes too long and Cluedo has run its course. Totopoly was great fun but the above three do it for me.

          1. Thanks, TDSS-F; I shall look out for Wavelength.

             Have you encountered Just One? It’s our new favourite group game, which again is simple to pick up and works across the generations. One player has to guess a word; everybody else knows the word and each, without collaborating, have to write a clue to it. But the clues have to be just one word. And if 2 or more players write the same clue, then all of them are removed — so you need to think of words that are close enough to be a good clue, but not so obvious that another player will also go for them.

             1. That sounds fab, Smylers.

                I’ll get on it.

                1. Ooh, I like the sound of Just One – thanks, Smylers. Simplistic, but Egyptian Ratscrew’s a fun family game. I’d love it for the name alone!

       4. We discovered it in the 70s, not sure whether here in France, or in the US, served for both our children then, and is still serving as occasional amusement for the grandkids! Still with the same pack!

       5. UNO – it’s a fun game, popular here in the States. BUT it can be a marathon – there is no real end game. Imagine Monopoly with unlimited cash….

22. Not going to bother to comment. I’m sure everyone will know exactly what I would say.
    ****/*
    Thx for the hints

    1. At least it’s not a *****/0, Brother Ian.

       So, ProXimal can hold his head up high.

       1. Tom, I’m sorry to be an old grouch but I’m really not sure about playing around with people’s names, even in jest. I can’t speak for Brian, of course, but my father’s name was Brian and if someone had called him Brother Ian, even as a bit of fun, he would have been seriously miffed (and so would I). I’m all for a bit of fun but I really do think you should treat people’s names with respect.

          1. I understand that, Mikep.

             Some people have said that they liked ‘Brother Ian’ and Brian hasn’t said anything yet but I will consign it to room 101.

             As for the other nicknames…I think people would say if they don’t like it. Day Zee for example is a fan of hers.

             If someone asks me not play with their name, then play with it, I won’t. But, if someone speaks on their behalf, I will crack on.

             1. Well you crack on then Tom and I’ll stop reading the blog….problem solved. Cheers.

             2. Thomas had been a naughty engine.

                I knew they’d come for you eventually 😏

          2. I agree. People can be touchy about their names. I never understand why sometimes people take it upon themselves to shorten a name, when they have been introduced and told someone’s name, I.e. “Hello my name is Margaret” – “Nice to meet you Maggie”….

             1. Hi BL

                Nicknames or shortening them is commonplace. People see it as friendly or taking the formality out of it.

                If Margaret corrects the person then, no problem, Margaret it is.

                I did a survey a few years ago asking my friends and work colleagues if they knew of a big Dave as I knew six! Incredibly, 70% said they did and it wasn’t the same Dave.

                It’s all harmless fun but not with everyone which is, of course, perfectly okay.

                1. A regular group who I hung around with in my younger years included three ‘Daves’. To distinguish between them they became known as ‘Dave the Rave’ – a mobile disco enthusiast, ‘Snakebite Dave’ – his favourite tipple and ‘Dave the Cardboard Box’ as he always had one in his hallway. None of them objected.

                   Keep the pearls of wisdom coming Tom.

                   1. Thanking you, Philly B (I had to)

                      Dave the Cardboard Box is hilarious!

                      I’m dying to know what was in it.

                      1. Ha! I never found out. It remains a mystery…

                         1. ……maybe Little Dave

       2. Brother Ian.
          Just got it.
          Like a proXimal clue.

23. Perfect for a fiendish Friday.

    I was pushed to my limit which can only be a good thing.

    I do agree that the synonym for ‘a’ in 28a is a complete nightmare for a rookie. It’s enough for them to throw in the towel but they need to try to get past it. I learnt this one only a couple of years ago. Cryptic as its very best….or worst.

    My LOI was 17d as I was trying my best to crowbar opinionate and originate. I was desperately trying to parse 18a with a relevant verb beginning with a ‘w’ plus the answer and making it ‘smaller’. So, I biffed it. It’s an excellent parse.

    My podium is indeed the splendid 18a with 8d and 11d earning the other silverware.

    Many thanks to Bartlett (The Big X – what a film!) and the Special K.

    4*/5*

24. An excellent and challenging Friday puzzle with great clues providing a very enjoyable tussle. I ticked a few but will pick 18a as my favourite – took some deep rumination to parse after I got the answer from the definition and checkers. 4*/4.5*.

    *I had to smile at 6a’s scat being quickly followed by 9a’s loo roll. Appropriately convenient! :-)

    1. My mind works the same way Jose 😜

25. A proper Friday crossword , like Jane the clues were randomly solved.
    Last in was 18d the confusing was aided by Chambers-thanks to Mr K for the parsing of the small duck!
    Liked 1a, favourite was 12a followed by 6a.
    A ***/**** for me

26. Well for yet another Friday I found this a not too difficult a puzzle to tackle.
    Lots of good clues and some parsing to think about, but it all went smoothly.

    2.5*/4* for me

    Favourites include 10a, 12a, 11d, 14d, 17d & 20d — with winner 17d and 11d a good runner-up

    Thanks to setter & Mr K. for blog/hints

27. Good afternoon

    Crikey! I’ve just finished reading through the hints and your comments, and I’ve realised that, although I entered the correct solution at 18a, the route by which I got there was totally cockeyed! I figured that ducks waddle, so you make WADDLING smaller to get ADDLING.
    ADDING makes things bigger. This thoroughly silly parsing doesn’t account for the L, of course. Be thankful that Mr K is writing the hints, and not me!

    8d takes COTD. Superb piece of misdirection.

    Many thanks to proXimal and to Mr K.

    1. You weren’t on your own with that cockeyed reasoning.

28. Nearly chucked the towel in on this, but sheer b-mindedness made me continue. I’m glad I did so. That said I did need Mr K’s hints on two, especially parsing 18a and glad to see I’m not alone in that. Whilst I got a mind mangling I applaud both the complier’s skill, and that of Mr K for the hints.

29. I’m going to comment again today before reading the hints or comments, just to see if I’m with the majority and not being influenced by others opinions. This was weird, though I did most of it (bar three in the NE), I needed copious ehelp and word search. I like 3d in particular, and others were very workable. I don’t know why I found it so odd but I just did.
    Thank you whomsoever set this, not really on wavelength, and to Mr. K whose hints I will now read to find out if and why my answers were right or not.

    1. Well, I’ve now read the hints and got 18a, but “whew” is all I can say. I didn’t know the London gangsters at 7d so didn’t stand a chance. I wanted to put the correct answer in 13a, but that’s so way out in “fly slip” that I never got there (I hope y’all are impressed with my crickety reference). Of course, I’m more than impressed with the catty friends, thank you for those Mr. K, we are so lucky to have you.

       1. We had a family living in our village in the 60’s, traveller and they were the fist generation to live in a proper house. Money no object, when the daughter got married it was a right royal performance, cockle & whelk stalls up from London etc, horse & carriage for the bridal pair and the 7d’s were amongst the guests,

          1. Gosh, Daisy, you do move in high society!

    2. The paper boy was having his lievin this morning, so I left to visit my husband in hospital just as it arrived I started on the crossword at 6pm and it took a long while to get started, although things speeeded up as I went on. I wouldn’t call in an enjoyable solve but it was satisfying to finish this guzzle with its complucated clues.i liked the double definition clue at 8d, the homophone at 7d and the clever lego clue at 3d. Thanks to the compiler and to Mr K for the hints and cat pictures.

30. A DNF for me with 18a and 21a defeating me although we had lamb 21a for dinner the other day! Wouldn’t have got the alternative word for declined in a month of Sundays.
    Thanks to Mr K for the hints and kitty pics and to the setter.

31. I tend to agree with Brian on this one……and not for the first time on a Friday.
    Managed the E side pretty well but very stuck on the W.
    Just not on the wavelength at all.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K…nice to see the cats

32. A nice challenge: ***/**** for me.

    Last one in was18a, which was one of my favourites, with 2d and 12a also on the podium.

33. Difficult but doable with a lot of head scratching. Hadn’t heard of the card game so Googled it on the off chance. Lots to like though. Spotted the ‘X’less pangra which helped complete the NE. Favourite was 8d, there were lots of contenders. Thanks to ProXimal and Mr. K.

34. For a Friday I thought this was relatively benign. 18a last in but needed the hints for a full explanation. Very enjoyable. Thanks to all

35. Excellent! Found the J (or rather Mrs did) and thought ahah! Wait for a Q and a Z and yell… pangram! Realise it’s Friday and sure enough… no X!! :) For18A, again it was Mrs who explained… have to say I’ve been doing these for 50 years… she has only 10. Never too late to learn something new and feel humble, lol.

36. Well I had extra time as I have a heavy cold and doctor husband has ordered rest. I got through it and enjoyed the ride . 18 a had to be what it was but I still cannot parse it. 19 d was my favourite. Thanks to ProXimal and Mr.K. Ready for a sleep.

37. Mr K spot on. Glad to finish – had not seen A used that way so grateful for Mr Ks input (after I had guessed the answer).

38. 13a also works as a number = 70 with the first and last letters removed so giving [s]EVENT[y]

    1. Welcome to the blog, Ronan Sleep.
       That’s what Mr K’s hint indicates. What was your alternative answer?

39. Last one in was the fish breed clue which I kept on assuming was singular. Fun workout today, thank you proximal and MrK

40. Thanks to Mr K for the review and to commenters for comments.

    1. And thanks for another great puzzle…

    2. Thanks for the challenge!

41. Well I’m blowed. I put my two pennorth in at about 1.45 and it is somewhere in the ether. Don’t have time or energy to reproduce my pearls of wisdom but I enjoyed it an and thanks to all.

    1. Isn’t IT wonderful?

42. Way, way off wavelength with this. Have given up after only solving 4 clues The helpful hints only made me realise that I was on a hiding to nothing

43. A nicely challenging puzzle, just about right for a Friday. Like others, I didn’t really get going for a while, but once all solved I couldn’t really see what the problem was.
    Loved 18a – and the accompanying picture.
    Thanks Mr K and proXimal

44. Tackled this morning but no time to post a comment as the better weather brought out the first packed tee sheet of the year. Waltzed through this one surprisingly briskly for a Friday but once again the failure to properly parse one (18a) slightly took the shine off & especially so as the wordplay was so clever. Reckon it’ll have to be my pick of many ✅s – 1,10,12&28a along with 2,7,8&17d other particular likes.
    Thanks to proXimal for a smashing guzzle & for popping in & to Mr K for the whys & 🐈 pics.

45. I just don’t have the time or willpower to fight with these Friday pseudo backpagers. Liked 9a, 25a, 1d, and 19d. The rest 🙁. Best thing on Fridays is Mr K’s pictures, thank you.

46. Finally finished after multiple visits and a significant tussle, needing help from the hints to explain my answer to 18a.
    My favourite was 2d which reminded me of playing UNO with our children, it was a firm favourite, now overtaken by canasta.

    Many thanks to Proximal and to MrK for the hints and pics

47. Brilliant!

48. Far too hard for me – gave up after six clues – roll on the prize puzzle tomorrow.

49. Solvable but not particularly enjoyable.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Carol.

50. Not too hard for me as I clued into to wavelength early. As a newcomer to this blog can someone explain to me the units of ***/***. I get that the first number of stars is difficulty and the second is enjoyment but does one star correspond to an hour? Half an hour? Anyway … lots of fun clues but I needed Mr K to explain 1a and 18a. My favorite was the Indian tongue. Thanks to the setter and to Mr K from what promises to be a snowy night in Virginia.

    1. Hi, Roger. Welcome to the blog. Difficulty units are personal, because solvers are all at different levels, and solvers approach crosswords differently. So somebody who gives a low (or high) star rating means they found it easier (or harder) than they typically do. Mentioning times could be off-putting to others; please read the forum etiquette guidelines (in the ‘comment’) menu at the top of this page.

       There’s also no rule that anybody’s difficulty rating should be purely time based: personally, the number of clues I can solve on the first lap, how many hints I needed, and whether any answers were words I didn’t know all affect how hard I perceive it to be.

       1. Thanks Smylers … and understood.

51. Finis.
    Hard, very.
    Got there unaided,
    Spell checks apart.
    Correctly constructed
    18a, a new word for
    Me.
    Thought some synonyms
    Rather stretched.
    But am aware of proXimal’s
    Tendency.
    Many thanks, and to
    Mr K

52. This was a very slow grind yesterday. Then guess what – and I don’t know how this works -I woke up very early and rattled it all off. I am not conscious of the fact that I was working it out in my sleep. My last one in was thinking of a synonym for diligent. It took me a long time to get 3d although I use it as a pseudonym sometimes. 10 and 21a and 8d favourites

    1. Same here.
       And quite early too

53. Found it as challenging as the toughie.
    Definitely had to inspect every word and letter.
    Didn’t get caught out by Gazza”s A as I call it, as he was the first to point out that A=per a good ten years ago.
    Thanks to ProXimal for the crossword and to Mr K for the review.

54. 3*/5* ….
    liked 18A amongst others “It’s confusing how to make duck smaller yet bigger (7)” … it certainly confused me for a while.

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