DT 30556

75 comments on “DT 30556”

1. My, my. What is this? A reasonably straightforward solve on a Friday. This cannot be.

   A very enjoyable solve with many smooth surfaces – someone’s trademark – and not a biffed answer in sight (a good sign).

   My hotly-contested podium is 10a, 17a and the splendid 9d.

   Many thanks to Mr Smooth and Mr Kay.

   2*/5*

2. Fully agree Mr K, a Friday funny! Favourite 24a, particularly having seen your illustration.

3. Is it truly Friday?
   Psyched up but
   Nowhere to go.
   Delightful puzzle.
   Much to admire.
   2-5*/5*
   Thanks Mr/Mrs./Miss/M/s setter and Mr K.

4. The re-appearance of the Edinburgh football club and the general smoothness of the clues can only mean one thing as far as today’s setter is concerned – a Toonie on Silvanus – 2.5*/4.5*

   Candidates for favourite – 8a, 23a, 25a, 5d, 14d, and the Pun – and the winner is 5d.

   Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever in the unlikely event that my Toonie does go down the drain, and thanks to Mr K.

   1. I had to look up “toonie”! And I’d only just learnt loonie.

5. Remarkedly friendly for a Friday and thouroughly enjoyable. For me, this was also a learning experience since both the group of plotters and the synonym for ‘pulling’ were words outside my knowledge base. I needed help to parse those even though the clever clueing led to the answers. Again, lots of choice for the podium. 5d takes top spot supported by 23a and 24a. Honourable mention for the quickie pun. Thanks to our setter and Mr K. It’s good to see the amusing kitties back.

6. A pleasingly tricky little devil for a Friday that was well clued throughout with some lovely surfaces. It was awkward enough to stretch my solving time, but that merely added to the overall enjoyment and satisfaction. Hard to see beyond the excellent 9d for a favourite.

   Thanks, presumably to Silvanus for an entertaining puzzle, and to Mr K.

7. Splendid puzzle. The only thing that hindered the solve was keying in the right letters on the mobile with numb fingers typing on an extremely cold & windy first tee.
   Thanks to Silvanus & to Mr K

8. Much better Friday for me than those of late. Still needed a bit of thought but apart from 10a all were fairly straightforward. 10a however perplexed me until the end. I could see the PM but the wordplay totally defeated me so thx for the explanation. Reminds me of the quote from Disraeli when asked what was the difference between a disaster and a catastrophe:
   “A disaster would be if Mr Gladstone fell into the Thames, a catastrophe would be if someone pulled him out!” Substitute your politician of choice.
   ***/****
   Thx to all

   1. Love the Disraeli quote, Brian!

      He is the only Jewish-born PM, with his first tenure being in 1868, and here’s a way to remember the year:

      1 of the 8 letters of Benjamin is J for Jew and 6 of the 8 letters of Disraeli spell Israel.

      It may not work for everyone but I’ve never forgotten it.

      1. I’ve just read and forgotten this within about ten seconds.

         1. What are you referring to, TC?

            1. I suspect it’s a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that your mnemonic isn’t nearly as unforgettable to him as it is to you.

               1. I was having a giggle, J.

                  I was implying that I had forgotten what I said.

                  Not my best, admittedly.

                  1. Roger!

               2. Spot on Jose, as unforgettable as…. you know…..that thing….

            2. Brilliant Tom, my kind of humour in spades!

               1. Glad you liked it, TC.

   2. OK. I’ll substitute George Galloway for Mr Gladstone.

   3. Thanks for the quote Brian 😊.

9. Picking this up at about 05:20 with eyes barely open I found it ideal for assisting in gradually gaining full consciousness, and relieved/surprised it was so gentle, especially for a Friday: evidently I had slept well! I thought 11a a little unkind unless Micro$oft’s app has now made its way very deeply into the non-business community. Good surfaces throughout, plenty of smiles, nice variety of clues. Highlights for me were 12a, 25a & COTD the brilliant 9d which could only have been improved by appearing on 25th December or 14th February.

   1.5* / 3*

   1. How rude of me to neglect my thanks to the setter and to Mr K – particularly liked the angry/put-out expression of the post-bath cat!

10. A delightful puzzle – thanks to the setter and Mr K.
    My ticks went to 10a, 9d, 17d and 20d.

11. This Friday seemed quite tricky and thought provoking for me. Some parsing not understood when I got the answer, so likely it is Silvanus today.

    2.5*/3* for me

    Favourites include 7a, 10a, 12a, 24a, 26a & 6d — with winner 25a as just made me chuckle.
    Other smiles from 10a, 12a & 6d

    Thanks to Silvanus & Mr K for blog/hints

12. It’s a 5* Friday from me! Relatively light, super-smooth and great fun.

    Amidst a sea of ticks, my podium selection is 10a, 25a & 9d.

    Many thanks presumably to Silvanus and to Mr K. Lovely to see the cats back in force.

13. First day out on the motorbike this year, sunny, warm(ish) but a bit of a gusty sidewind, so only did a few miles, hope the better weather’s now here to stay, god knows it’s been a long enough winter.
    No real problems with the puzzle, last one in was 11a, just wouldn’t click for ages.
    Can’t see how 20a works, so will see the hints for enlightenment.

    1. Just read the hint, sneaky!

14. This took a bit of head scratching for one who was unaware of Microsoft video conferencing (11a) and who has abandoned computer keyboards (20a) since retiring from maintaining voluntary work records, but the solutions were clear. A fine way to end the week, with some interest words. Good fun.
    Many thanks to Silvanus and Mr K.

15. Unlike others, whilst I found this puzzle very challenging, there was not a lot of enjoyment to be had and several clues that were hard to parse . I’m just not on this setter’s wavelength. However, I did like the lego clues at 10a and 17d and the 9d angram. Thanks to the compiler, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Thanks to MrK, whose hints I shall now read to eenlighten my darkness on the parsing.

16. A really agreeable Friday puzzle which feels very much like a Silvanus creation. For me, a tad above average difficulty back-pager with sublime clues providing a very enjoyable solve. I have ticked quite a few and will pick 10a as my favourite. 3*/4.5*.

    * 17a. I took “out” to be the anagram indicator and “wayward son” to be a description of a son probably more like to be on steroids (for body-building/gratuitous reasons) than a conventional one. I could well be wrong – perhaps the setter could elaborate (please)?

    1. * Likely, not like!

    2. My money is on ‘wayward’ being the indicator and ‘out’ being a filler. I don’t think the setter would volunteer a word like ‘wayward’ to add a bit of colour as it would throw people.

       I’m confident that it’s Silvanus who pops in almost every time. So, I’m sure all will be revealed.

       It’s an interesting one. Well, at least it is for us two, anyway…

       1. My take on 17a is that “wayward” is the anagram indicator for “son” and “out” is the anagram indicator for “tried”. The unusual use of two anagram indicators allows creation of a wonderfully smooth surface.

          If this is, as we suspect, a Silvanus composition, all will be revealed later…

          1. Hmm, I like your suggestion, RD, and the technique, if that is indeed what it was.

             Mr Smooth rarely wastes a word. So, I think you could be correct.

             I hope so.

          2. That’s very plausible RD, but surely the word play would therefore suggest an anagram of son next to an anagram of tried, and with the n removed? As it is, unless I am misunderstanding the clue we are seemingly told that each word needs to be jumbled up separately … but mixed together (without the n) to give the answer.

             The current surface is good but the construction feels as though it has been padded, and the clue would read as smoothly and work better if either wayward or out were removed, in my (layman’s!) view.

             1. Ah, yes. I like your thinking, MG.

                It’s 15 all in this riveting game of tennis.

                Back to RD….

          3. I don’t see how that works. The answer is not one anagram followed by another, even taking into consideration the removal of one letter. Could “out, any number taken” be the removal instruction expressed in Yoda-speak?

             1. That is possible, Falcon, but I don’t think Silvanus would add the word ‘out’ as it still makes sense without it.

                Oh, I dunno.

                1. Things can be ‘taken in’ as well as ‘taken out’.

17. Did it unaided apart from the video platform. Never heard of 12a and 9 d could only come from the head of a rather elderly setter. Had to check up 1d and 16 d is not a word I have ever used but it had to be that. Normally I am all enthusiasm and 7d was a laugh but on the whole this puzzle felt uncomfortable. Thanks to Mr. K and apologies to Silvanus since I could never set a crossword.

    1. I am sure that some of the saucier underwear shops still sell them !

       1. and that’s where they can stay!

          1. Husband would disagree, and I’m sure 9d brought a smile to many of the gentlemen on here today 😊.

18. Good afternoon

    A bit of a brain twister today; but that is only to be expected on a Friday, and quite rightly too!

    Cliché Alert ⚠️ HowOOOOga!!! Yes, it was “a game of two halves”….the top half being solved way ahead of the bottom half. First one in was 12a, which just seemed to click – don’t know why! Excellent clue and second in line for COTD; the winner being 20a.

    Many thanks to our compiler (I’m not confident enough to put my two bob on Silvanus, or anyone else!) and to Mr K.

    I’ll be on holliers in Tenerife next week, where I can’t get a Telegraph. I’ll have to settle for the crozzie in the D***y M***! Happy solving, and I’ll see you on Monday week, God willing.

19. Have a good holiday SJ. I enjoyed this, sun pouring into the conservatory and answers slipping into place in a very un-Fridaylike way. I had to consult Mr K for 11a, I have to get used to remembering escape, ult, home etc are keys. Top of the pike 10,12,17&23a and 9&22d. And the winner is…..9d. I wore one on my wedding day. Does anyone remember the good old Liberty Bodice with the rubberised buttons? Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Kay and extra thanks for the illustrations. A cat on the seashore is unusual.

    1. You really are taking us down memory lane with the unfortunate underwear of our youth!

    2. I certainly remember those liberty bodices! I was so glad when I was old enough not to wear them.
       My brain was not able to cope with today’s guzzle. Friday freeze I think! Thankyou Mr K for the hints and the cats. And also thank you to the setter for the challenge.

    3. So, can we say that 9d held you up for a while, Day Zee?

       Oh, that’ll do, Tom.

20. Thoroughly enjoyed this, not least because I finished unaided – but thanks to Mr K for the hints, especially for explaining 20a. I use a keyboard every day so no excuse that I needed the hint to parse it.

    Thanks to setter for a very clever puzzle.

    1. Don’t think I’ve ever used that key, what’s it do?

21. A dnf from me, having thrown in the towel with under half completed. I was so far off wavelength today that I failed to pick up much at all. It was all the more galling when I read Mr K’s hints and wondered why I made such heavy weather of it. Thanks to the compiler for the mauling and Mr K for the hints.

22. This turned out to be a bit more straightforward than my first run through led me to believe. Once I’d got into it things eased a little and it became a joy to solve. Favourite was 17d. Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

23. Must have been on the right wavelength today as finished in ** time with few holdups. Re 13a had checkers for Homer but took a while to parse it. Didn’t think of the ‘home’ key. According to my better half that takes you back to the top of the page Tipcat! Favourites included 13a/18a/25a/9d. Loved the Disraeli joke, Brian – will be using that on our visitors this weekend 🤣. Thanks to Silvanus and Mr Kitty.

24. Senf’s Toonie is safe! Many thanks to Mr K (add me to those delighted to see that the cat pics are back) and to everyone commenting.

    I would love to clear up the debate about 17a, but the truth is I can’t exactly remember what happened! This puzzle was compiled in the first half of 2023 and I hope you’ll forgive me for not having a crystal clear recollection of events so many months later. What I THINK occurred is that I was undecided on which anagram indicator to use (wayward or out) and when I finally plumped for one, I believe I omitted to delete the other! Something like that, anyway. Technically, of course, one of the two indicators is redundant, as Mustafa G rightly says, but I hope the clue still works (it certainly reads just as well, if not better) and I trust that it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the puzzle.

    May I wish everyone a good weekend.

    1. Thank you for popping in! I’m so thick I didn’t even see anything wrong with 17a.

    2. Thanks Silvanus. I quite liked Falcon’s explanation of 17a, i.e. wayward being the anagram indicator and ‘out, any number taken’ being a Yoda like way of saying ‘any number taken out’.

    3. 20d is one of the best clues I have seen in a long while. Take a bow, Silvanus!
       Brilliant puzzle.
       Thanks also to Mr K.

25. It’s Friday, no wonder I struggled. I’m going for Silvanus, his clues are always workable, but today I was DNF due to my ignorance of anything IT, metal bands or football clubs. I found the SE the most difficult, I needed ehelp along the way but I think I did quite well otherwise. I wanted the second word in 7d to be “minded”, not enough letters and I had to get checkers to solve it. My tops were 7a and 5d, the latter was fave.
    Thank you Silvanus for the fun, and Mr. K for your hints, which I needed to reach the finishing tape, and of course the lovely kitties, made my day!

26. This had to have been penned by Mr Smooth – and indeed, I see that he’s just popped in to claim ownership.
    The only ‘conferencing’ platform I’ve heard of is Zoom so that took a visit to Mr G and I had to dig very deep to come up with the forename of Ms Swinton – otherwise everything slotted in nicely. The ‘key’ that’s little used by compilers raised a smile as did the relevance of 20d and my long list of ticks included 7,10&20a plus 7,17&22d.

    Many thanks to Silvanus for the Friday treat and thanks also to Mr K and his felines for the review.

    1. I had to google Ms. Swinton, I’d never heard of her.

       1. For what it’s worth, she’s a Brit, with a certain look, who won a Best Supporting Oscar in 2007 for the splendid legal thriller ‘Michael Clayton’.

          Not a huge name but highly respected.

          I’m sure our resident Barry Norman can wax lyrical about her.

27. Glory be, this one was not as tough as recent Fridays, and definitely more doable than yesterday’s. Not saying I honestly found it easy, and 1d qualifies for a big sad face in the margin. Couldn’t get zoom out of my head for 11a so that was never going to work. We lived near 7d and I worked there for many years, so glad to report I did get that one in the first pass. Thanks to Silvanus and to Mr K. Very happy to see the cat pictures back on parade.

28. Enjoyed that challenge with NE holding out until last but do have to admit to some bung-ins – 11a, 1d (due to having wrong 15a) and 16d. Amused to see 6d hint illustration which of course is nothing like a John Lobb product! Haven’t consciously noticed 20a key. Thank you Silvanus and MrK.

29. The sky is blue, the new solar panels are happily producing electricity and I have completed and thoroughly enjoyed a Friday puzzle, things are looking up. I also watched the Marlow Murder Club on TV yesterday and had fun spotting all our local haunts. There were so many good clues here but I pick 10a as my favourite. I did need the hints to parse a couple and had to check 1a was correct.

    Many thanks to Silvanus and to Mr K for the hints and cat pics

30. 17a looked smooth to me Silvanus and a lighter Friday than usual although 11a is very tricky for those not so well versed in videoconferencing. Thanks also to MrK

31. Please, someone – parse 14d for me.

    1. Hi Skeeter. Press means something you press clothes with, and new is as in a ship’s first voyage being its xxxxxx voyage. I think.

       1. Thanks!

32. Enjoyable, but challenging! Had to look up Ms Swindon to check, though did know the accent. Couldn’t for the life of me recognise the key, despite having used keyboards for nigh on 60 years! (Would have liked to have one back for instant disappearance when a demonstration of an IT transaction system failed miserably! The technician forgot to tell me the screen would fail after 20 mins, shorter than my intro!)
    Only discovered the 11a thingy last year!
    Just loved both 24 and 25a, joint faves!!
    Many thanks to Sylvania dropping by and for the fun, and to Mr K for some of the parsing and the pics!

    1. …so had to use the Esc instead!

33. This was relatively mild for a Friday solve.

    Penultimate one in was 11a, despite the fact I use the software every day!

    Very pleased to have finished a Friday without help for the first time in aeons.

    Thanks to all.

34. I love 22d ! A lovely surface reading for such a straightforward solution.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Baz Cuda.

       1. Thanks, Gazza!

35. 4*/3* ….
    liked 17D “Son darts around quietly delivering fliers (8)”

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