DT 30727

46 comments on “DT 30727”

1. Did anyone else enter “parent” at 15a without thinking?

   A steady and satisfying solve today that was slightly more difficult than yesterday’s but enjoyable in equal measure. It took some time for me to recall the name of the manager at 10a and I missed the fact that 6a was a lurker. 30a raised a smile as did the old, dry house at 19a. Ours is definitely old and dry, thankfully. My COTD goes to 1a because of the huge penny it donated.

   Thank you, setter for the fun challenge. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

   1. Twas Senf not me hence the professional review – and no I’m not on the golf course rather a 25mile journey for a 10 mins outpatient appointment that could have comfortably been done over the phone.

      1. Medics! I went for an appointment to have a dressing changed yesterday only to be told my appointment time had been changed. The hadn’t thought to inform me.
         I hope your visit was routine and all went well.

      2. Such a pain isn’t it. I was scheduled to go to Alicante, which is about 55 kms, just to get results of blood test.
         Thankfully they saw sense and called me to say all fine.

      3. Don’t start me off…..

         1. My GP decided that it’s too much for me to go to them, so I now have my GP attend me at home! They bring a portable X-ray machine. I still have to go out to specialists, cardiologist and so on. I consider myself lucky.

   2. My apologies, Senf. Thank you for stepping in and providing the hints.

2. I too wanted to put parents for 15a but left it out until I had more checkers as I couldn’t parse it. A few years back I would have just bunged it in.

   A steady solve for me today with top picks being 30a, 18d and 16d.

   Thanks to Senf for stepping in and to the setter.

3. For me, this felt like Monday all over again, and just as enjoyable. Perhaps I’m just having a good day wavelength wise, but this was over far too quickly. I had the answer to 1d quickly because of the hairpiece part but it took me a while to remember the scolding meaning of the word. Again I have no overall favourite though I thought 14d very clever. Thanks to Mr Plumb and Senf.

4. Slower start than usual for a Tuesday but once lifted off it was such a lot of fun. 1a/1d held out until the end.
   D’oh to 1a deliveries and surely “pulls up” is somewhat of an understatement for 1d. Lots of crafty clues from which I would earmark 30a and 5d. Thank you Mysteryone and Hintsman.

   1. Thanks Senf for the 17a Lele hint. She is now 11 years old. I have looked up several of her varied collection of performances – what talent 👏.

   2. Sorry Senf I now realise it was you not Hintsman hinting.

5. Typically Tuesdayish. I feel I have got onto the professor’s wavelength and am now regularly clocking up 1*/4* for his light but very enjoyable puzzles.

   My podium comprises 1a, 30a & 14d.

   Many thanks to AP (?) and to super-sub Senf.

6. Enjoyable Goldilocks fare – thanks to the setter and Senf.
   My ticks were handed out to 15a, 30a and 18d.

7. I found this a slightly stiffer challenge than yesterday but still most enjoyable, with plenty of quality clues from which to select a winner. 1a went in straight away and remained a strong contender, but my top spot went to 30a.

   My thanks to AP and Senf. I, too, send my best wishes to The Hintsman for a good outcome.

8. A very gentle challenge from the prof today to go with Robyn’s from yesterday.

   No stumbling blocks though 14d took a while to drop and I didn’t know the synonym for ‘pulls up’ in 1d.

   My top three are 30a, 9d and 14d

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and Senf.

   1*/4*

9. I too put parent in 15a but corrected it when the scolding dawned thanks to Senf and Mr Plum(b) Sympathy to AH (not on the first tee – yet?) I have just wasted two 1/2 days on taking Mama Bee for an extraction and a new denture £290 😬

10. I’m sorry that poor Huntsman had to attend in person for an appointment that could have been carried out over the phone but it does mean that I had the pleasure of listening to one of my favourite Sting tracks which would probably not have been on his playlist!
    Quite a meaty but very enjoyable puzzle from the prof this morning. Fortunately, I didn’t fall into the ‘parent trap’ but I did worry about the 21a passage for a while as I was heading down the wrong alley. Top marks went to 30a with 16&18d in supporting roles.

    Many thanks to Mr Plumb and to our indefatigable Senf for the review and musical interludes. Amazing talent that young Lele possesses but I do hope her parents(?) have stopped dressing her up like a little doll by now.

    1. 😀 You’re not wrong there Jane – you’d have got some Sting but it definitely wouldn’t have been that one.

11. At first glance I thought this was to be one of those AP productions that was going to be a stern challenge. However a couple of clues provided the necessary foothold and apart from 14d where I spent too long trying to shoehorn Elon into the answer, it was a relatively smooth solve. I’m awarding cotd to what must be the oldest clue and answer in crosswordland, 30a. Thanks to AP and Senf.

    1. You are not elone in trying to fit him in.

12. This seemed much more like a Typical Tuesday puzzle today with no real hold ups or stumbling blocks.

    1.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 15a, 24a, 27a,30a & 3d — with winner 30a

    Thanks to AP & Senf for filing in today.

13. The solve took me into ** time so didn’t find it quite the stroll others evidently did. As ever an enjoyable mix of clues & neat wordplay. I did find 3d a somewhat bizarre clue but maybe I’m missing something. Little 1d was my favourite clue as I think it’s a rather wonderful term for a dressing down.
    With thanks to AP & of course to Senf for stepping in despite simmering doubts that I may have been playing hooky on the links. 😀
    Ps the answers seemed to provide plenty of options for a Van song. This one would have made it

14. We have now been forced, as Telegraph subscribers, to get to grips with a new format, which is so annoying, irritating, unusable, infuriating and tiresome that we longer want to spend our coffee time in its company. Letters and emails to the Telegraph are to no avail, so we think after 30 or so years of the cryptic crosswording we are going to have to call it a day. I think all your bloggers have found the same problem, as we follow them joyfully daily, but if your voice isn’t heard I don’t expect ours to be.

    1. Oh please don’t leave! Can you not print the Xword and do it the old-fashioned way, with pencil and paper? There has to be a way you can continue to enjoy what has become part of your day. Please reconsider.

    2. Hi Sue this is really sad. I was a slow convert to the new and bitched to myself about it a lot for a while. In the end having sought technical help, I downloaded the app on my iPad and now am used to it and surprisingly now think it’s pretty good. I do know though that it is not as good as the version that used to be on the Digital version of the Telegraph that I subscribed to for a while. As Merusa says there has to be a way surely ?

    3. Please don’t leave, Sue. As Merusa and JM say, there are options and I’m sure those members of the blog that have the knowhow will get in touch.

15. A typically Tuesdayish struggle: a slow start, then gradually getting a few answers per pass, and finally needing some assistance to finish.

    I still don’t understand “perfect” in 17a.

    My favourite was 24a’s trailblazers, for “one” not indicating “I”. Thank you to Senf and setter.

    1. 17a I was a perfect idiot ?

       1. Thanks, Gazza.

16. Oh dear, to the above Sue Taylor, all these tales of woe about digital guzzles. We shall have to suck it up (notice my modern, with it language!) and continue to pay out the weekly £22. This was very enjoyable with some smiles along the way. I needed a smile having got down to the surgery for just after eight, the two elderly gentleman before me both on crutches – if you wait until 8.30 to phone for an appointment the daily allocation has been taken up by this queue. About 260 years between us standing there in the rain. It cannot be right but I did get to see a Doctor who is going to apply again for me to see a specialist. It is no fun growing old especially if you don’t look that old! 15a was my last one in but everything else was fine and fun and I think maybe the fierce rodent gets the laurel wreath though I also liked the trailblazers. (George got the crickety one). Message for Merusa – I have a sort of apology to make as I always had a sneaking suspicion that you had invented bloviating for The Donald, but am reading my Book Group Choice, Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and there it is in all its glory in black and white. Lovely word! Many thanks to Messrs Setter and Senf for their efforts, I do so enjoy this mental workout. 🥰

    1. I love the word, how else could you describe such like The Donald?

17. A gentle, enjoyable, and amusing puzzle, for which many thanks to the Setter. Highlights for me were 16d, 21d, & 24a.

    Thanks also to Senf for stepping briefly into Huntsman’s shoes.

18. A really enjoyable puzzle, fun from start to finish. Well except for 1a which I was never going to get because of its cricket roots. COTD to 30a, closely followed by 14d. Thanks to setter and Senf. I’ve not had any problems with getting the puzzles on line, but I am old fashioned and print them up for pencil and pen solving. Perhaps it is the on line solving that is causing angst?

19. We continue the friendly start to the week, very enjoyable. Thank you Senf for explaining 1d, solved from “rugs” but didn’t know the “pulls up”. I liked 19a and 8d, but fave was leaving the theatre at 30a.
    Thank you setter for the fun, and Senf for standing in to entertain us again.

    1. Did you see my note to you in 16?

       1. Yup! See my reply!

20. I managed to screw up quite a large part of the top – don’t ask!
    Having said that I did remarkably well with more than the bottom half so not all is lost.
    I didn’t fall into the 15a parent trap – I just couldn’t put anything in at all – how silly.
    The little rodent in 21d didn’t look big enough to be 21d!
    I liked 10 and 19a and 5 and 8d. My favourite was 18d.
    Thanks to today’s setter and to the combination of Hintsman and Senf.

21. Another gentle solve over too quickly but enjoyable. I ‘got’ the cricket reference today too ! Thanks to setter and to Senf.

22. 30a as my favourite clue thank you Senf and compiler. On the medical front regarding above comments we have some long awaited optimism in Wales – England are apparently now going to help us out … thank you!.

23. Another enjoyable puzzle in 2 days what more could I ask for? My only disappointment was needing the hints for 14d as I had spent some time cogitating over the clue and couldn’t get it. Many thanks to the setter and to Senf for stepping in for Huntsman.

24. Finished with a bit of a long gap in the middle as we had to go out earlier than normal. Very enjoyable and just right for a Tuesday. I was not sure about 1d and 14d was one of my last in as I was trying Elon and scent for a a while. No particular favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Senf for the hints.

25. Liked 30a. Perhaps a chestnut?

26. Set off quickly, ground to a halt, managed to get going again and finished at a canter. How does that work? Enjoyed it though. Favourite was 14d. Thanks to AP and Senf.

27. Completed at brisk pace until 14d…..
    I just couldn’t get this, even with all the checkers, so thanks for the hint. Was convinced the first word should be spice!
    3*/4* overall
    Thanks to all

28. 3*/3* ….
    liked 14D “Musk possibly possesses this singular power and fantastic skill (10)”

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