DT 30694

72 comments on “DT 30694”

1. This was about as hard as a ready to eat pear from Tescos, well I suppose it is Friday after all.

   Brilliantly clued throughout, some took a good while of staring at before becoming clear, and a bit of reverse engineering needed in a couple of cases, namely 18a and 26a.

   Still can’t see how 24d work so will have to see the hints.

   Just about remember 1a from the early 90’s, but never watched it.
   Two favourites today were 18a (eventually) and the very tricky 19a, my last one in.

   Off to tame the garden a bit now before it’s too hot, many thanks to our setter today, can’t wait to see who it is.

   1. Even after looking at the hint for 24d I’m still none the wiser, is ‘Roman’ a book or am I totally on the wrong track?

      1. See my Comment 7.

      2. Yep, as Senf says, it just means “novel”. The longer and more specific bildungsroman is “perhaps” better known?

         1. Ta Senf and Alp, never heard of it, or indeed heard it used, probably never will…….

            1. Come home Terence.

               1. Don’t understand this DG

                  1. Neither do I! I must have had a Freudian slip, missing him. I was in a lather about the hospital visit but in the end they decided to leave it for another six months

               2. I know it through ‘Roman a clef’.
                  (Roman à clef – French for novel with a key, is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction.)

                  1. I edited your alias to what you’ve used before because we have a number of commenters called John.

                     1. Thanks.

            2. Ha, no one in their right mind – I hope! – would use it in real life!

2. A great Friday workout and very enjoyable. Just the right balance of clues with a few needing more thought than others. Reading “files” instead of ‘flies” at 4d held me up for ages. Even when I had all the checkers I still struggled with it until I saw I had misread the clue. I knew 21d because I used to keep them and others. I’m not sure I understand 25a but it could be nothing else given the checkers. I liked the old man serving food at 5d but my COTD has to go to the one that held me up for ages, 4d.

   Thank you, setter for the great challenge. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints and pusskits.

   Having seen the hint, I now understand 25a. Brilliant clue.

3. Just seen Mr K’s hint for 1a saying it is a US TV series, but it was a British one way before that with Ian Richardson and Susannah Harker, still never watched it though…..

   1. Which was, inevitably, better than the American version. Ian Richardson had a brooding menace about him that was inimitable

4. Back-to-back beauts from two of the DT’s senior pros to finish off what has, this week, been a hugely enjoyable and surprisingly gentle stroll through the ‘Land of the Crossy’.

   So many clues are battling it out for the spoils but I’ll go with 1a, 1d and 13a (what would the setters do without our resident Frenchman).

   Many thanks to Mr Smooth and Mr K.

   2*/5*

5. Surprisingly gentle for a Friday, but fun. 1a’s jolly, tis a lovely definition in 19a and I was tickled to be reminded of Orwell’s (makes a welcome change from the usual Boris) alma mater. I had overlooked 4d’s WP as it was an immediate definition bung-in. But Mr K is, of course, right. Very nicely done, that. Thanks to our setter and Mr K.

6. A totally absorbing and highly entertaining puzzle to complete the non-working week. I had to resort to my trusty pin to select a favourite, which turned out to be 1a.

   Many thanks to Silvanus and Mr K.

7. A very enjoyably smooth ending to the (non-)work week which can only mean one thing as far as identifying the setter is concerned – a Toonie on Silvanus – 2.5*/4.5*

   I did head scratch over 24d but there it is in the BRB (Revised 13th Edition), page 1351, RH column with a lower case ‘R’.

   Candidates for favourite – 8a, 26a, 27a, 4d, and 15d – and the winner is 8a.

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

8. 3*/2.5*. I found this mid-range for both difficulty and enjoyment.

   Can content “to” (which is necessary for the surface) in 9a mean content “of” for the purposes of the wordplay?

   The wordplay and definition for 4d are excellent but the surface is a bit iffy.

   My top picks are 25a, 1d & 10d.

   Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K, especially for the cat pics.

   1. Oh, I think that “to” is OK, RD. And if this is Silvanus (and it probably is) we do know at least one thing about him – his cryptic grammar is annoyingly impeccable!

   2. Hi RD and happy Friday to you.

      4d’s surface works for me, e.g Richard Branson regularly flies from the mainland to Necker Island his surgeon and team (incl those on their hols) to have various operations.

      1. Yes, I see what you mean. I think it’s the position of “perhaps” that seems slightly strained. Starting with perhaps instead of having it as the second word would seem smoother to me.

         1. Yep, I agree.

            Gosh! We’re attempting to make smoother one of Silvanus’ surfaces.

            A rare moment.

            1. You’re welcome to have a go! I phrased the clue as “Flies perhaps…” rather than “Perhaps flies…” as the first option had more disguise. I felt the second option (preferred by RD) made the definition more obvious. Just my opinion, of course :-)

               1. Not wanting to sound like a toady as I’m really not! But I have to agree with SIlvanus on this one.

                  1. There’s nothing toady about agreeing with Mr S.

                     I don’t think the order of the first two words of a clue that has ten makes the definition any more obvious. Well, not for me, anyway.

                     RD and I think it improves the surface a tad and, in my case, it is a tad and, therefore, probably not worth mentioning,

                     Forgive me, Silvanus. You are a truly superb setter who is at the top of their game.

                     We are not worthy.

9. Mr T and Mr Smooth on successive days, the back-pagers don’t get any better than that!
   I’d convinced myself that 1d was going to be an anagram so wandered around muttering Inver…… for a while before the penny dropped and although the answer to 18a popped up quite easily the same could not be said for the parsing. I haven’t seen 1a but fortunately knew the name well enough – must try to catch it next time it gets an airing.
   Ticks went to 13,25&27a plus 1,14&17d and I’ll give the gold to 1d with 27a taking silver.

   Many thanks to Silvanus for another excellent puzzle and to Mr K for the review and for letting the felines out to play.

10. A top-notch puzzle ideal for the Friday slot – thanks to our setter and Mr K.
    My ticks went to 18a, 25a, 1d and 4d.

11. A Friday puzzle this week that was a little more difficult than the past few have been from my perspective.

    2.5*/3*

    Favourites 1a, 25a, 26a, 1d & 7d — with winner 7d

    Thanks to setter & Mr K.

12. Fantastic Friday fun, challenging but achievable with time and a bit of luck! Just right for a Friday. I had not heard of 24d in that context, and used the ever helpful hints to unravel the parsing of 18a and 25a. My last in and favourite is 19a but there were plenty of others I liked.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints.

13. I’d like to say something, but I’ve got 7d.

14. Nowt to do with the puzzle, but does anyone know what this is, it was growing behind the greenhouse and is about 4 feet high, there’s about six of them.

    

    1. Whoops, a bit dark, here’s a better one.

       

       1. TIpcat, Evening Primrose I think.

          1. I concur, I have some in my garden too :-)

          2. Definitely Evening Primrose.

       2. Delightful. If somewhat untidy and prolific flower each blossom begins to open late afternoon and dead by morning. I o ly tolerate it (my garden is all shades of pinks reds blues & purple) because of the lovely scent. Evening primrose

       3. Thanks all, I’ll leave it be.

15. For a Friday I found this to be pretty gentle, and I was able to get a lot further than I thought I would.

16. Many thanks as ever to Mr K and to all those commenting. I felt that today’s puzzle was trickier than last Friday’s, so it’s interesting to see that some didn’t find it so.

    I was/am a great fan of 1a – not the US version (which I’ve never seen) but the original UK series, starring that consummate actor Ian Richardson. Even now, whenever I hear the name Mattie spoken, I tend always to imagine Francis Urquhart referring to Susannah Harker! Whatever he was in, whether 1a, Porterhouse Blue or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Ian Richardson never failed to shine. He had a remarkable screen presence, in my opinion. I’d strongly urge Tipcat, Jane, Mr K and anyone else who hasn’t watched the original 1a to do so, you won’t regret it. As a taster, here is the late Jim Parker’s theme music to the series.

    May I wish everyone a good weekend.

    1. The first of the trilogy (based on the original book) is right up there with the best of Andrew Davies adaptations (A Very Peculiar Practice is my fav) & fully agree Richardson is just superb is everything he’s in. Never bothered with the US version either. Lovely puzzle as per.

       1. Thank you! I also liked A Very Peculiar Practice a lot, I was bemoaning to a friend only the other day how the dramas from that era (I’d add Edge of Darkness and The Singing Detective into the mix too) have been rarely, if ever, emulated since.

          1. A shout for The Beiderbecke trilogy from me

          2. Funnily enough I re- watched Bob& Joanna for the umpteenth time not that long ago – & I love Eric’s haunting intro music

    2. I found that pretty tough, but scrupulously fair and very enjoyable to solve. I didn’t help myself by getting “cramp” in 7d.
       Perfect for a Friday.
       Thank you Silvanus and Mr K.

17. Dashing off to take George in to have another , small, squamous growth cut out. His head is not a pretty sight. But Fabulous Friday Fare,Kute Kitties, amusing anagrams. Only One favourite, Kath, 10d. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Kay.

    1. Oh good!!

    2. Good luck to George, of course. But you do make me laugh DG. You seem to have raised an eyebrow about “roman” earlier and then you come up with “squamous”. I certainly had to look that one up! Poor chap.

    3. Good luck to George. Already had nine skin cancers removed, three of them squamous which are a bit more longer to heal than basal. Hope he soon feels better.

18. A lovely guzzle to end the week. I couldn’t parse 24d nor knowing the connection between novel and roman but it was gettable from the wordplay.
    Top picks for me were 25a, 4d and 15d.
    Thanks to Mr K and Silvanus.

19. What a superb puzzle to end the week. On first pass I thought this was going to be really tough, but having cracked 1a the rest evolved nicely. Only needed Mr K to confirm a couple where I didn’t have the parsing for my tentative answer. My podium comprises 1d, 9a and 14d in top spot. Thanks to Silvanus and Mr K.

20. A wee bit gentler than the normal Friday difficulty & very enjoyable. No real problems other than a temporary derailment at 25a where I was initially hawking rather than waking in carelessly putting in the wrong winger – where’s Shabbo & Jane when you need ‘em. 1a & 4d my top two.
    Thanks to Silvanus (presumably) & to Mr K.

    1. No problem with the pretty seabird at 25a. Named after their call.

21. One of my fastest ever solves, 24d was a bung-in though but it had to be what it was. Most enjoyable. Some have chosen 1a as favourite, you might say that, I couldn’t possibly comment. Thanks to Silvanus and Mr. K.

22. Excellent clues throughout with 4d making me smile thank you Silvanus and MrK

23. Decided to give this morning to idleness and the crossword. Took longer than I would have wished but finished with the help of Mr K for 24 down. Favourite was 27 across. Thoroughly enjoyable.

24. Not a gentler-end-of-Friday-fare for me. Some really happy head-scratching to untangle 19a, then my last 2 in, 24d and 26a, penny-dropped (sorry) just as I started to Google 4-letter countries. Funny how often that happens.
    Lovely puzzle. Thanks Mr K and Silvanus.

25. Spelling is a problem for me and I put in what I think is the American alternative for 10 d. That made 19 a the one answer I just could not find. I have a good level of general knowledge, pretty good logic but I will go to my grave with poor spelling. This week we had refrigerator as an answer so why don’t we spell fridge as frige ? Pleased with 27 a because the immediate response was tail feathers but checkers said NO and the actual answer was much better. Much enjoyment today so a thank you to Silvanus and Mr. K.

    1. Does this help, D?

       Going to the theATRE is A TREat.

       No problem if not.

       1. Yes, that sort of thing actually gets into my head especially as going to the theatre is a definite treat. Thank you from Rosie.

          1. Glad to be of service.

26. Wait a minute, what day of the week is this? Friday? I can’t believe it, I completed it all without having to go in for a hint, of course with ehelp for a few. I’m so chuffed I’m in danger of getting a bit cocky here. I also think it’s Silvanus, my cup runners over. Fave? I’ve got a top three, 8a, 25a and 7d, any one will fit the bill; I did spell 25a incorrectly which caused a little pause for 14d. All in all, a winner today.
    Thank you setter, Silvanus?, I loved it, and Mr. K for his hints and tips, and our pussycats are back, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!

    1. I’m in heaven when I see you smile
       Smile for me, Merusa,
       And when you’re chuffed all the while
       I am with you Merusaaaa.

       Apologies to The Bachelors. (As my mother did so long ago my iPad wanted to spell them as a tin of soup. Is that soup sold in Florida?)

       1. No, I don’t think I’ve heard of it! The tinned soup aisles in the supermarket are probably the longest in the store, so quite likely there is that brand but I’ve missed it. I’ll smile for you any day, Pip!

27. Good afternoon

    Having crossed swords with the Brain Of Silvanus before, I’m relieved to have finished today’s crozzie which, in my humble opinion, showed the BoS to be a little kinder to us, or at least to me, than has been the case previously.

    Without a doubt, COTD has to go to 27a. I spent half the afternoon trying to get an anagram out of “and posture in”, because, of course, that’s 12 letters followed by the word “dances”, and “dances” indicates an anagram. Doesn’t it? That’s the best piece of misdirection I’ve come across in ages!

    Many thanks to Silvanus and to Mr K.

28. Took a while to get going and then the North gradually acquiesced with South bringing up the rear. Was unaware of name for bottle dispenser but it had to be. Due to clever bum steer 25a parsing was slow to dawn as was 27a posture. Fav 1a. Thank you to Silvanus for the workout and to catty MrK for hints.

29. For me, not as hard as some Fridays though I needed the hints to explain some answers eg 18a. Thanks to Mr K and to Silvanus.

30. 3*/4* ….
    liked 13A “Frenchman and wife getting fit, showing such energy (9)”

31. Whoopee! I don’t care if some of you buffs found it easy. I’ve just completed all 5 of last week’s crosswords for the first time (I’ve done them all a (week)day late). And without resorting to my copy of Longman Crossword Key. I’ve never completed more than two in a week before.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Crispin and well done!
       Now that you’ve introduced yourself I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.
       (I’ve taken the liberty of converting your name to lower-case because upper-case is too much like shouting)

    2. Well done, Crispin and many congratulations! As Gazza says, please do comment again and never be afraid to ask questions – it’s what Big Dave is about. We learn with friends. 👍

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