DT 30697

76 comments on “DT 30697”

1. Another solid performance from Mr Consistency.

   Plenty of nice surfaces on a friendly grid with not many blind alleys to walk down.

   My podium is 10a, 28a (nice lego and surface) and 2d.

   Many thanks to the prof and Hoots Mon!

   2*/4*

2. I found that slightly more chewy than the usual Tuesday fare, and the disorganised order of solving meant that at one point I wondered whether Sunday’s Mr Anagram had taken over this slot. But what an absolutely cracking puzzle from first to last, and as Tom says, a very friendly grid, with all bar 4 starting letters checked. Top three to 10a (COTD), 26a & 2d, with 6d coming close but not quite saving the world in time to reach the podium.

   Many thanks indeed to the setter and to Huntsman

3. A very enjoyable puzzle with nothing to damage too many brain cells.

   10A was very clever and gets my vote.

   I was just about to set out on my e-bike but the heavens opened – bl***y English weather. Perhaps this afternoon?

   */**** Thanks to the setter and Huntsman

4. 10a was my winner by a distance this morning with the whole puzzle a solver’s delight. Certainly our regular Tuesday setter was in a benign mood when he compiled this, although with no loss of quality throughout the grid.

   My thanks to both AP and The Hintsman.

5. I enjoyed another piece of cake on Tuesday with a great collection of canny and fair clues. Thank you AP and also to Hintsman but on whom I didn’t need to call today.

6. Fairly gentle and enjoyable – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
   I ticked 1a, 2d and 8d but my favourite (as Huntsman predicted) is 10a because I do like a reverse anagram.

7. *Some outstanding musical choices today from the Hintsman! I enjoyed the Ray LaMontagne track (new to me).

   Life is returning to normal here with building work and ongoing renewal of the garden area. This means yet another trip to the municipal tip for me this morning; endless amounts of cardboard, plastic, and polystyrene (note Oxford comma there). One has to display a sticker on the windscreen that confirms one is a resident in the borough, but I refuse to have it on permanent display so always need to remember to dig it out as I approach the tip. It has lost all remnants of stickiness and inevitably falls down under the clutch pedal just as I arrive at the kiosk of the checking bloke (occasionally woman).
   Then you are requested to back up into the tiniest spaces imaginable (designed for 1960s Minis), whilst other users are coming and going all around.

   Think of me.

   Great guzzle; great glues. A satisfying solve.

   Thanks to the setter and Andy On The First Tee.

8. What a day for guzzles! First this beauty from the professor in the library and Chalicea on Toughie duty. Mind you, I didn’t get into today’s back pager until 23a. After the first pass I had about 9 with 7 being downs. Perseverance and another coffee oiled the wheels of Einstein’s underwear (see yesterday’s 22a) and the guzzle succumbed. My COTD is 1a because it held out the longest.

   Thank you, Mr. P. for the fun. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

   Lovely sunny, breezy day in The Marches so I’m mowing the grass. I know I did it the other day – I should never have fed it!

9. I know nothing about Flash Gordon beyond the name so that was a guess based on checkers and I did hesitate over the use of ‘unusually’ in 18a until I asked Mr G about it. Fortunately, a clear run elsewhere with 10a definitely taking the gold medal.

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review – your agricultural swipe made me laugh!

   1. I didn’t know
      Flash Gordon’s foe,
      But, Jane, like you,
      I solved the clue.

      1. On a tenuously related theme:
         Brian Blessed
         Once, loudly, confessèd
         “I’LL AIM A BUNCH OF FIVE
         AT THE NEXT IDIOT WHO ASKS ME TO SAY GORDON’S ALIVE!!”

   2. The Flash Gordon movie was so dreadful it was fun but it contains the daftest line in cinema history.
      “Flash Gordon approaching”
      “What do you mean Flash Gordon approaching”
      I was just waiting for the actor to say that “There’s a chap called Flash Gordon and he is getting nearer, how else can I put it”😀

      1. That reminds me of the Paul Temple radio series. Episodes featured the line “What do you mean…..?” regularly. Perhaps Steve (Mrs Temple) wasn’t too bright.

         1. “Sir Graham is here, sir. I’ve put him in the library.”

            1. Yes, the good old wireless.
               How we used our imagination!
               And reading books has the same air of mystery, where we create images of characters in our own minds.
               Big Dave works in the same way. I wonder if you are all as I have imagined you.
               Perhaps meeting some of you in January would shatter the lovely images I have.

               1. Oops, that wasn’t meant to imply that you may disappoint, just that you may be different from my imagined characters.

      2. And Brian Blessed in full voice shouting “Gordon’s Alive?”

      3. I don’t know anything about the Flash Gordon movie clued above … but the 1980 one where Queen played the sound track was epic! Mind you that was in 1980 .. don’t think I’ve seen it since.
         Nice grid today, relatively easy but I needed the Huntsman’s help to parse 10a.

      4. The other line I like is
         “Flash, I love you but we only have twenty four hours to save The Earth!” It”s in the song by Queen and always makes me smile.

10. Bottom half friendlier than the top but really struggled 2d and 4d which I thought were more than a little iffy.
    Loved 18a and 7d. An ok puzzle.
    **/***
    Thx to all

11. As Typically Tuesdayish as ever save for the requirement for comic book knowledge which I didn’t have so a ‘bung in’ and e-confirm – 1.*/4.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 10a, 28a, 1d, and 9d – and the winner is 10a.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman – and there is a perfect complement in a Floughie Lady Toughie!

12. Light and fluffy for the most part but still managed to get 12a wrong. Distinguished and artist are not words I’d associate with that lady. Thanks to all.

    1. Agreed, Dave. There are far better words to describe that ‘lady’ and her output!

13. Not a * for difficulty by any stretch of the imagination, but enjoyable all the same. I found it to be on par with yesterday’s offering.

    Couldn’t answer 10a without getting a BD tip here, and even then it took a while for the penny to drop.

    Needed less help than yesterday but got fewer answers on my first lap. 11 today. 12 yesterday.

    Very enjoyable crossword.

14. 1*/4* from me for the second day on the trot. I’ll go with the crowd and select 10a as my favourite.

    Many thanks to Mr P (?) amd to Hintsman.

15. Enjoyable puzzle solved at a steady pace, nothing obscure .
    liked 10a and 6d-reminds me of my younger days at the under elevens at the cinema and the Flash Gorden serial and princess Aurora and the Claymen with a space craft going round and round a landing spot! much better than the Brian Blessed version.
    Going for a **/****-

    1. I assume you didn’t intend to use your name as your alias so I’ve amended it to your usual alias.

16. Initially I couldn’t get going so moved south and completed the bottom half without a problem, then once I had 10a under my belt the rest fell into place. I can’t choose an overall favourite from 1a, 23a, 2d and 8d, the clues I most enjoyed. Thank you Mr Plumb and Huntsman.
    Bragging now, I surprised myself with an unaided solve of the lovely Chalicea toughie, which I found only a little more challenging than the back pager.

    1. Must be a wavelength thing. I’m struggling 17answers in with Chalicea.

17. One of his very best, I thought. Pithy surfaces throughout. I agree with MG, I also thought this was slightly chewier than his usual. And huzzah for that. I thought 18a was a tad limp but apart from that … crackerjack. 10a is just lovely. I don’t think I’ve seen a margana on a Tuesday before. More please! 1a is smart, 26a is comical and I enjoyed 2d’s definition. Many thanks to our setter and Huntsman. There’s no such thing as too much Van.

    1. You’ll have to explain that margana bit to me

       1. H(a), you kill me! What’s the clue type?!

          1. Are smargana’ semordnilap?

       2. But I reckon you’ll already know what’s on the Toughie “playlist”. 4d could, of course, be nothing else..

    2. We love margana, PLA!

       One of yours?

       1. Goodo!

       2. Do you ever do the Toughie, btw? There’s sport to be had over there, you know!

          1. I don’t and maybe I should.

             The alliteration ‘Telegraph Toughie’ does draw me in as I do sooooooooooooo love an alliteration, yes, I do.

             1. Oh go on, you know you want to. Tis soft scoop today.

             2. Today’s is a lovely (and very approachable, more like mid-week back-page) example of the Toughie art, as one has almost come to expect from Chalicea.

                1. How can I say ”No’ to the the ‘M GALP’ comby.

                   I am sold, gentlemen.

                   I’ll ‘giv it sum’, later.

18. Not sure why, and sorry AP, but for me this wasn’t 10a. Probably me being grumpy. 6d raised a smile and is my cotd. Thanks to AP and Huntsman

19. Trip down Memory Lane with Flash Gordon.
    No real favourite though 10a was impressive

20. This was a normal sort of Tuesday puzzle offering, but with a few real head scratchers for me.

    2*/3.5*

    Favourites 10a, 23a, 27a, 16d & 22d – with winner 10a
    Smiles from 1a, 26a & 7d

    Thanks to AP & Huntsman

21. Flew through this…….to the point that I’m considering doing the Toughie 🫣

    1. Do! You’ll both fly through that too. Promise..

       1. Will be my first outing, so might well be put firmly back in my place. And will be on my own on this one……mentioned it to Graymattinha and she scarpered (Road Runner style).

          1. Och, you’ll be fine. And some twerp has put some hints up so there’s a safety net, if needed. Oh, that’s a shame. I think she’d have enjoyed it. I fear the “toughie” moniker puts some people off. But this really isn’t that.

22. Pleased to finish this today. For 10a, I guessed from the clue, but I have no idea why it is correct. I’m afraid I don’t understand the explanation above – what is meant by “indicator”?

    1. Shattering would be the anagram indicator & hater the fodder – as Gazza said the clue type is a reverse anagram but I can never remember the term despite this compiler having used the device a number of times.

    2. DiB, 10a. I’ll have a go at explaining, though others might do it better. I think this is a “reverse anagram” clue. Instead of being in the clue, the anagram fodder (earth) and anagram “indicator” (shattering) are in the answer, so you have to work the clue out in reverse to a normal anagram clue. “This could make” is telling you that the answer is a means of anagramising “hater”.

       1. Spot on, Jose. The word “this” is invariably the giveaway for these. Zandio loves ’em and I’m well-used to clocking them in on of his. But it threw me to see AP (?) use one so it was even more of a treat, being so unexpected.

          1. I remember AP clueing food that could be too apt (6,6) as being the first time I’d come across him using it.

             1. 👽😁👽

          2. Each of the Sunday Toughie setters have signature clues like that, but when they crop up in other setters puzzles it still can throw me

       2. Thanks Jose for the explanation – and to the others responders.

23. Natch I didn’t know the artist at 12a nor the Flash Gordon foe, but easy enough to work out and my bung ins were right. Good fun for a Tuesday, I loved it. I had to use word search for 10a, I had nearly all crossers but still couldn’t see it. Once I tumbled, I thought how clever is that. My fave is 26a, my fave admonition.
    Thank you setter for a fun solve, and to Huntsman for unravelling a couple.

24. Typical Tuesday treat although I found it a little harder than some weeks. 10a was last in and having had the answer confirmed as correct I could not see why until I read the hints. It is very clever and I will have it as favourite. Otherwise the rest went in smoothly.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints

25. *** yesterday that I tackled with nary a problem, and * today that I struggled to make sense of, at least for the top half. Knowing zero about Flash Gordon, except that he was someone in my brother’s comics, and having never heard of the 12a artist, and trying to make an anagram in 10a certainly did not help. We didn’t say shirt for 26a, it was always hair, so I guess one of those regional variations. Otherwise an enjoyable solve. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.

26. Sorry everyone – you can all call me dim but I don’t “get” 10a! Help!
    Ignoring that one I liked 20 and 26a and 1 and 7d. My favourite was 8d.
    Thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to Hintsman for the hints and apologies for the dimness!!

    1. You’re not alone, Kath. I had to read the hint and the comments above for ages before I saw how it worked.

    2. See the thread @22 Kath. Jose’s explanation better than mine (& my hint) – apologies never necessary 😀

27. What a great guzzle. For some reason, possibly as I can see the bottom clue on the screen while the puzzle prints out, I’ve started solving from the bottom up.
    Top picks for me today are 10a, 1a and 6d.

    Thanks to Huntsman and the setter.

28. Surely 12a can also be solved by taking the rap singer Eminen then adding a T from topless? Just a thought.

    1. Welcome to the blog

    2. Welcome from me also, Pacadama. Please comment again and join the fun! 👍

    3. Welcome to the blog, P. Isn’t it Eminem, not Eminen?

29. Thanks everyone – I think I’m just beginning to get the idea – the trouble is that my brain’s worn out now – think I’ll read it again tomorrow and see if goes in!!

30. This one really tripped me up and much tougher than a one * … but it was all the more enjoyable because of Huntsman’s entertaining music clips!

31. A fairly fast (for me) solve today
    10a as suggested tip top today
    For some inexplicable reason I was looming over Flash Gordon probably because I hadn’t broken the seal on the first cup of coffee
    Thanks to Huntsman – who has a fine selection of music today I had put the Hothouse Flowers down my regular listening rota when they did the opening music for Jeremy Clarkson’s Grand Tour, the demise of which should allow me to listen to them again

32. Excellent puzzle. As well as joining the chorus of appreciation for 10A, I rather liked 9D. Many thanks to AP and Huntsman.

33. Good evening

    Much as I hate to disagree with our esteemed Hintsman, I think a 1* for today’s crozzie is a slight underestimate; I’d put it at a twoser, if only because of the head-scratchability of the NW quadrant, which held up my progress to the finish line by some degree.

    Last to fall was 2d. I kept trying to find a way to get “MP” into the solution, which was a good piece of misdirection. Similarly “RA” for ‘artist’ in 12a. 23a was an early contender for COTD, but was eclipsed by the excellent 10a, once I’d figured it out!

    Many thanks to Mr P and to Huntsman.

34. I found this straightforward until it wasn’t. After sailing along nicely I ground to a halt mainly in the west and those few I was short of took as much thinking about as the rest of the puzzle. I wasn’t helped by pencilling in the wrong checking letter in 1a for 2d, once I realised my error it went straight in and became my favourite. 18a was bung-in and I still don’t understand ‘unusually’. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.

35. This was tricky. Thanks to Huntsman for enlightenment but this was ☆☆ difficulty for me. 10A , 21D particularly vexing! Ever onwards!

36. Another really enjoyable solve.

    11a was a bung in as the writer is new to me.

    I briefly made life difficult for myself by having pants as the 3rd word of 26a.

    Thanks to all.

37. 3*/4* …
    liked 26A “Advice if you’ve got your knickers in a twist? Don’t undress (4,4,5,2)”

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