DT 30601

92 comments on “DT 30601”

1. Despite being held up by a couple (15a and 21d) until pennies dropped this was a most enjoyable solve. Lots to like and plenty of smiles along the way. I liked the walking on books at 17d but my COTD is the very neat 23d.

   Thank you to today’s setter for the fun. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

   I’m afraid the Quickie pun didn’t work for me. Accent thing?

   1. The answer to 23d was obvious from the checking letters, Steve, but what told you that you had to reverse the second word of the clue?

      1. The second word of the solution is what tells you to reverse the second word of the clue

         1. Yes, but you have to get the solution before you see that. Until I got the answers to 23a & 26a I wouldn’t have got this answer.

            1. Hi Vince

               It was my first answer today as I love reverse clues like this. I’m always looking for them.

               1. Whenever I see a ‘down’ answer that ends with a two letter word, I immediately think of ‘up’, i.e it’s the first word going up.

                  It’s like a two word ‘across’ answer that has four letters in its second word. I think of ‘back’, hoping that it’s the first word ‘back to front’.

                  Great fun.

2. Apologies that the formatting in the down clues seems to have mysteriously gone awry. All looked ok at my end until I pressed view in WordPress. Haven’t a scoobie how to correct it & my phone a friend tech consultant (aka Gazza) not on hand to fix it so pressed publish & be damned with it.

   1. Not a problem, Hintsman. 👍😊

3. A very nice crossy to follow yesterday’s pearler.

   AP is in splendid form though I’m sure there will be some understandable grumbles about the sibling term in 5d and the 80s star in 20a as some of our solvers aren’t ”dan wiv the kidz”.

   28a conjures up a random scene as does 27a. Great fun.

   My podium is 9a for its purity, 15a (I love clues like this and 23a) and 6d.

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and Hoots Mon!

   2*/4*

4. A nicely clued start to the week ,nothing obscure,
   Liked the 16d and 27a charades.
   Favourite was 20a, took a while to remember the 80;s pop star, thanks Huntsman for the pic. like SC the Quickie pun did not work.
   Going for a **/***

5. Lovely puzzle, generally completed N to S, very gentle but so enjoyable, clever, and witty. Some good PDMs, as Steve also notes, a novel anagram indicator, and a good few blind alleys. For me accolades for the top three go to 15a and 23d (despite their similarity) and 16d – because for once it wasn’t Ur!

   1* / 3.5*

   Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman (a long walk without sticks is a game of golf spoiled …) – you must have much better weather than has been hitting the Tamar Valley for the last 24 hours: grey, wet, cold & miserable here.

6. Typically Tuesdayish and the usual indicators that this is an Anthony Plumb production – 2.5*/4.5*

   Standout favourite by a country mile – 15a!

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.

7. 1*/3.5*. This puzzle, which had the feel of an Anthony Plumb composition, was light and good fun with 9a my favourite, closely followed by 15a.

   Many thanks to AP and to Hintsman,

8. 16 degrees and sunny in Sandhurst today, and about time as I think its nearly May.
   Very easy for a Tuesday, all until my last one, 15a, stared at it for ages but to no avail, so went for the daily walk.
   The epiphany came while I was in King’s hardware shop, and I said (rather too loud it now seems) ‘gotcha, yer b*****d’ much to the amusement of an old lady buying light bulbs, oh well….

   Only slight niggle was 3d, I always thought blubber meant cry, so to me the clue reads ‘one who has cry’.
   Apart from that, a decent puzzle with my favourite being the aforementioned 15a.

   1. To me one who has blubber is whale!

      1. I went down that road too.

   2. Re 3d: Exactly, that is the parsing for the latter part of the solution.

   3. “To blub” and “to blubber” both mean to cry. So, “he was blubbing”, “they blubbed at the sad part of the film”, etc. Therefore a “blubber” is someone who cries, as a runner is someone who runs.

   4. If you’re a bit of a blubber, you are the second part of the answer.

      Strictly speaking, it’s a blubberer but it’s been lazily shortened over the years and is now in common parlance.

   5. ‘One who has blubber’ doesn’t sound right as an ‘a’ seems to be missing. But my BRB defines blubber as “a bout of weeping”, and perhaps the compiler has gone with a straight swap.

      1. The ‘a’ is omitted to make the connection between blubber and excess fat in the surface reading. In the wordplay, blubber is cry as a noun, as in ‘[a good] cry’. Perfectly good clue really.

         1. Yes, I know why the ‘a’ is missing. The surface jars a bit as a result – you’ve had to add [a good] to make it read as it would with normal syntax.

            1. Hi Mark

               The surface reads well for me other than possibly inserting a comma between ‘diet’ and ‘oddly’.

               ‘It’s odd for someone who is carrying an extra bit of timber to criticise a diet’ (though it probably isn’t, in reality)

               1. Well, that doesn’t surprise me Tom! We are like chalk and cheese. Go on, tell me you regularly ‘study gum’. 😉

                  1. Forgive me Mark but what do you mean that we are like chalk and cheese?

                     I don’t know if anyone else feels the surface works for them but it works for me.

                     I also don’t know what the ‘study gum’ comment means. Apologies if I’m being slow out of the traps.

                     1. By chalk and cheese, I mean we are very different. So I’m not surprised that what seems linguistically fine to you, seems a touch odd to me. The clue for 23d is ‘study gum’, which is a phrase I can’t imagine ever using. Perhaps you might … 😉

                        1. Ah, gotcha (and a good call!)

                           I’m impressed you know me that well to say that we are different as I hardly know anyone and how they tick. All I’m good for is a bit of bants with the usual suspects and the occasional word origin.

                     2. The surface worked for me too and in fact I have nominated 23d as my Fav today

            2. I think you’ve all missed the point somewhat with 3d. The setter has slightly contrived the surface (perfectly OK as the surface is a secondary element to the cryptic wordplay) by using “one who has blubber” to maintain a misdirectional “diet/overweight” theme throughout. Tom is correct in suggesting that the insertion of a comma between “diet” and “oddly” would have been an improvement.

               1. *6th word should read “the”.

                  1. Ah! My correction didn’t look as though it registered first time!

               2. I am not missing the point. It’s obvious why there is no ‘a’, as has been said already. All I am saying is that the grammar jars somewhat because the clue has had to be contrived.

                  1. But the “point” is that it doesn’t matter that the surface jars a bit in a cryptic clue – surfaces don’t have to comply 100% with conventional syntax; they’re allowed to be slightly/cleverly contrived (up to a point).

                     1. The fact remains that it is a somewhat awkward surface. Many people prefer smooth surfaces. They’re allowed to say so.

                        1. Absolutely! I prefer a smooth surface, too. But I do appreciate a (deliberately) slightly clunky surface if it adds some misdirection/mystery/confusion to the clue.

                           1. So I haven’t ‘missed the point’, which sounded very schoolmasterly.

      2. I agree Mark, the wording is awkward.

9. Quite a smooth North to South solve with just the turbulent flight and the RAC giving pause for thought. Think I’ll go with our reviewer and put 23d on the podium along with 9&18a.

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman – enjoy your walk, it will doubtless be far less frustrating without those sticks!

   1. I’ve been had too many times by the turbulent flight, that came to me in a flash!

10. I enjoyed today’s puzzle and coming originally from SE London the quickie pun worked for me.
    Top picks for me were 15a, 24a and 3d.

    Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

11. I found this more enjoyable than our blogger and actually rated it quite highly. It wasn’t too tough, but most of the surfaces were smooth and well thought out. Perhaps it is a measure of the quality of Tuesday puzzles that some might think this one was sub par, but I disagree. Pleasantly entertaining, with 9a my favourite.

    Thanks to Mr P and The Hintsman.

12. I’m a patient man but I wish to complain. I am composing a strongly worded letter to Mr Lancaster, and, as usual, will copy in the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mr Sunak, and Taylor Swift.
    There was a time, not too long ago, when one could guarantee a speedy start to solving by simply adding in ‘Serengeti’ wherever a nine letter clue appeared; followed by an anagram of ‘orchestra’. Oh, how I long for those simpler times. One knew where one stood (especially if playing the violin in the middle of a Tanzanian national park).

    Yet some unseen hand (the Barclay brothers perhaps?) has decided that our familiar friends are banished and now we have to fend for ourselves, sifting through our recollection of 1980’s pop icons. I still can’t make ‘Limahl’ fit for 20a.

    Great crossword. Last one in was 12a, even though I had four checking letters of a seven letter clue. What a div.

    Thanks to the setter and Hintsman. I hope you are reunited with your clubs without further dilly-dallying or vacillation.

    1. You do make me smile T – Limahl indeed.

    2. To me one who has blubber is whale!

    3. Oh dear Terence, I do love you. ❤️

    4. Limahl wasn’t fit for much back in the 80s (maybe other than as eye-candy for some!) so I’m not surprised he’s still not fit even for a crossword clue …

    5. Hello Terence. I can compile an “old chestnuts” puzzle, if it would make you happy? Seriously though, we can only publish what the compilers come up with, and they aren’t sending “cart-horse” or “green ties” clues at present. Which is probably good news, after a Serengeti surfeit not too long ago!

       1. I am glad you appreciate Terence’s sense of humour. Can I please request that the list of Toughie and Sunday Toughie setters be moved to the new puzzles site bloggers have come to rely on them, also I hope the archives are expanded soon Big Dave still has his first blog (toughie 86 29th Jan 2009)
          But the new website doesn’t even have the early Sunday Toughies from 2020

          1. Hi John,

             I’m afraid the list of Toughie compilers will not be on the new puzzles site. Sorry! The only reason there is such a list is that it was impossible to attribute a puzzle to a compiler on the old site, which was an issue when a Toughie compilers used e.g. “I” or “me” in a puzzle, requiring a solver to know their pseudonym in order to solve the clue in question. This is possible on the new site (and has been since launch), with Toughies, Sunday Toughies, Giant GKs, PlusWords, Minis and Cross Atlantics all showing the compiler when the puzzle is opened.

             Regarding the archive, more of this will be available on the new website imminently, with e.g. Cryptics and Quicks going back several more years. This doesn’t include older Sunday Toughies at present, but I’ll add these to my list of those to look at.

             1. Thanks for the reply, I have a spreadsheet which links all Big Dave’s Toughie Blogs back to day one but the link to the print version of the puzzle on the old website is soon to be broken. I hope the new website extends its archive soon

                1. I am sure I am not the only puzzler going through the Toughie archives and using the blog hints to help them. It is a shame that there are Sunday Toughies I blogged about in 2020 that are no longer downloadable from your good selves not least puzzles from 2009 when BD started with Toughie 86
                   I would also like to draw your attention to the revived Blog birthday celebrations next January and hope you may be able to attend

                   1. Thanks, John. Unfortuntately it’s very unlikely that I’ll be able to travel, for health reasons, but I hope all attending have a good time.

13. A nice gentle Tuesday, from one presumes, Mr AP.
    Having left the UK 51 years ago tomorrow, needed Mr G to check on the 1980s pop star!
    Since lots of folk are going for 15a as fave (almost mine too), am going for its equivalent 23d!
    Many thanks to AP and to stickless Huntsman, hoping that he can nevertheless enjoy some walks.

14. For me, picking a random 80’s pop star left me stumped and resorted to Huntsman’s hints. Why oh why didn’t I twig the relevance of the first word. 😫. Other than that, this was a relatively benign AP production for me and there were no real wavelength problems this week. I particularly liked the 23a/d combo which with the clever 24a comprise my podium. Thanks to AP and Huntsman

15. Seemed a relatively easy Tuesday until I was half done and then I hit a brick wall. All done in the end but several were iffy in my mind for clue, answer and parsing as well.

    2.5*/3*

    Favourites include 1a, 12a, 15a, 16d & 19d — with winner 15a!

    Thanks to setter (AP?) & Huntsman for hints/blog

16. Gentle and enjoyable – thanks to the setter and Huntsman.
    The Quickie pun defeated me – I thought it must be some sort of special seat for stallholders in a market.
    Cream of the clues were 15a and 23d.

17. I looked upon this crossword as a full glass. Having knocked back the top half I found my glass was half empty (or quite the reverse).
    There must have been sediment in the lower half, which needed a bit of chewing over.
    I’ll have another please, barman.

18. I filled in the northern territories pretty quickly. Came unstuck under the equator. Persevered with the home counties and finally finished in Cornwall. Very enjoyable. 23d is my favourite as well.
    You really must see this clip of Vivaldi’s classic played on marimbas I think.

    1. Thank you soooooo much for that … brilliant, loved it!

    2. That was fantastic! Had me grinning the whole way through. I must look like a right sight on the train :-)

    3. What a great performance by that cheerful band of youngsters – thank you BobH.

19. I dont think I’ll ever really understand the use of ‘without’ as meaning ‘within’ but all the same a pleasant and successful solve, thankyou compiler and Huntsman

    1. Hi Shrimp. ‘Without’ was originally the opposite of ‘within’, although it’s not used in that sense much, if at all, anymore.

       1. Come on without
          Come on within
          You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn

          1. Very good, posh poet!

       2. Without meaning the opposite of within is used often in cryptic crossword clues.

       3. Hi Shrimp. I see what you mean. I hadn’t read the hint. With respect to the Hintsman, ‘without’ doesn’t really mean ‘within’. It means ‘outside’. So the ‘go’ is outside ‘a garment’ not within it.

    2. Shrimp, 18a. Without isn’t being used to mean within. It means the opposite of within – outside. Without (outside) is being used as a containment indicator – go (TRY) is without (or outside/containing/enclosing) a garment (A VEST). To give the answer TR(A VEST)Y.

       1. Yes, but see my comment at 6:12 for where Shrimp may have got this from.

          1. Indeed. I had read the hint earlier on.

       2. I stand corrected re the hint – in my defence I was half asleep when writing the review

20. I was again on the setters wavelength and completed without too much head scratching. Confess I assumed Ur for 16d so whacked in a U although realised my mistake straightaway – Another ancient city for the list ! 9A was a new word for me, and I liked 23d. Thanks to setter and to Huntsman

21. I think I need to go back to bed and get up again. Despite this being a very friendly crossword, I managed to put 3 correct answers in the wrong boxes – looks a right mess as I use a pen 😂. We were busy moving to the US in the 1980s, with all that involves, so I took very little notice of pop stars, so 20a didn’t jump out at me. Little knowledge of golfers, but Peter did come to my aid on 21d. Overall a very enjoyable puzzle today. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

22. I started out on fire, but came to a screeching halt with still a quarter or so to go. Never heard of 23d to study, but it had to be, it was also a real smiler. I’m still not sure I understand 15a, but that’s OK, lots more to like. I’ve never heard of the 1980s pop star nor the SA golfer, I must lead a sheltered life. My fave was 9a, with a shout out to our old friend 23a.
    Thank you Mr. Plumb, and the Huntsman for his much needed help to finish.

    1. For 15a Merusa, perhaps consider what letters are in car and compare them with RAC? I was having a look at some old blog posts and I bumped into a clip you posted of three German Shepherd dogs in a pub that liked to catch soda water from a soda-siphon. It’s a gem!

    2. For 15a Merusa, perhaps consider what letters are in car and compare them with RAC? I was having a look at some old blog posts and I bumped into a clip you posted of three German Shepherd dogs in a pub that liked to catch soda water from a soda-siphon. It’s a gem!

       1. I had my Road to Damascus moment with 12a as I was walking out to get my mail. Yes, I was that thick.
          I remember that dog clip. That was at a pub in Somerset.

          1. I mean 15a of course.

23. I don’t normally moan , but neither 3d nor 15a worked for me – got them from the checkers, but still….

    1. 15a drove me nuts until the penny etc.

24. Another enjoyable puzzle though I failed to solve 15a even with the checking letters. Didn’t know the 1980’s pop star but nevertheless got the right answer! Many thanks to Mr Plumb (sorry but the Quick pun didn’t work for me today) and to Huntsman. Do hope you get your sticks back safely and sooner rather than later.

25. I think it’s all been said already, I thought this was great and just right for a Tuesday. I am glad ‘without ‘ appeared again as it helps to get it in my brain. Once I understood the parsing I had 15a as my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints, I hope you are soon reunited with your sticks!

    1. MTF. See my explanation of “without” as a containment indicator at 6.13 in comment #18 above. You never know, it might help a bit.

       1. Thank you, it is always interesting and educational on here!

26. Good evening

    Got off to a cracking start on the way into work earlier this afty, and resumed on my break at half-6; the pen has only just gone down, though. For some reason, 15a, my last to fall, had me stumped, as did 3d (I’m quite happy with the composition of that clue, as it happens).

    As for COTD: the neat and succinct 23d takes joint honours with 27a.

    Many thanks to Mr Plumb (presumably) and to our Hintsman

27. Ace crossword. Favourite was 9a. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.

28. Whizzed through
    But ground to a
    Halt at 15a.
    Took an age to
    Twig.
    Silly me.
    Thanks AP and
    Huntsman.

29. Oof! A tricky one but maybe because I tackle it in the evening! Some tricky solves either through my lack of skill or just not being on the wavelength. 16D was my favourite. 5D was v difficult. Ever onwards! Thanks to Huntsman and the compiler.

30. I guzzled at lunchtime and had just started to comment when my lift arrived and I had to go. Only now coming back and I agree with Pip that the top half sailed in but the bottom was more challenging. So many crackers, the RAC, the farmer’s paper, the turbulent flight, walking on books and the epistle. Yummy. I have no idea who the 80’s pop star is but it had to be and George knew the golfer. Altogether an enjoyable solve and a lovely long exchange between the boys on 3d. If they have all that time to spare they can come and help an old lady put the bins out! Many thanks to the setter and the stickless Hintsman.

31. 2*/3* ….
    liked 6D “Some slim men seem massive(7)”

32. Does anyone else find the new Telegraph puzzle website a backward step??

    1. Welcome to the blog

       If you read the comments over the last few days, you’ll see what everyone else thinks of the new Telegraph Puzzles site

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