DT 30730

72 comments on “DT 30730”

1. Well, it’s certainly Friday with a capital ‘F’ today, that was tougher than a pig’s nose,
   and one clue weirdly put me in mind of what the Sex Pistols achieved in 1977.

   I reckon this puzzle could certainly hold its head up high on the Toughie stage and not get any veg thrown at it. Got there in the end but will have to see the hint for one answer, as mine is a bung in.

   So many brilliant clues it’s a shame to name only two, but for me it has to be 8d and the fantastic 3d, intrigued to see who the setter is today. Bravo to who ever it is.

   On a completely different subject, has anyone been to the ‘Birds; Brilliant and Bizarre’ exhibition at the Natural History Museum? I’m thinking of going, but interested in any opinions out there.

2. First, a huge shout out for the Quickie pun, which made me laugh out loud as it dawned on me.

   The guzzle was tough as far as I’m concerned. Fair enough – it is Friday. My first solve was 25a so I was starting to despair but it gradually came together. I will admit to using Mr. G. for a couple. There are a couple where the parsing eluded me so will need Mr. K’s hints to explain them. The lurkers were well hidden. My COTD is 8d with its handy movers.

   Thank you, setter for a tough but fair challenge. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints.

   1. I can’t see no pusskits!

      1. A-ha, I see you amended the original comment vis-a-vis the felines!

         1. There is one now. 😊🐈

            1. Glad to see one Steve, as both of mine are behind the settee as we’ve just had a clap of thunder here.

3. For those with withdrawal symptoms.

   

   1. Aaah, at last! Thank you Steve!

4. 8d that’s the way to do it.

5. I unfortunately went 20d with a couple of bung-ins which proved to be incorrect. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the rest of the puzzle which was most entertaining.
   Lots of ticks but topmost are 12a, 21a and 20d.
   Sunny but bitterly cold in NE Scotland so I will continue with cleaning the kitchen in a probably vain attempt to gain some brownie points.
   Many thanks to the setter and Mr K

   1. On behalf of Shanagh, thank you, you’ve earned many brownie points.

      1. I will find out when she gets home from work 😇?

6. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! The Toughie has well and truly escaped and is causing carnage!
   The majority of the clues are almost impenetrable and can only be unpicked when you have the answer.
   This is in my opinion the absolute nadir of daily DT cryptic puzzles. This would test the Toughie lovers and has no place as a back pager. And for those who would accuse me of whinging I did complete the grid. However, I failed to fully comprehend fully almost all my answers but they fitted and the website tells me they are correct. As I have said so many times ad nauseam this level of difficulty is there for those who enjoy that type of challenge and for whom the Toughie is ideal, the rest of us are looking for an enjoyable way to pass a little time during the day. This puzzle is not even worth rating.

   1. Oh, Brian!

      1. To be fair to Brian his post today was at least a reasoned & arguably legitimate viewpoint. I was fully expecting a far 26a comment

   2. Sorry Brian, I completely disagree.
      It was tough, that’s for sure, but nowhere near the Toughie which very rarely attempt as I can never complete them – this puzzle I completed and found that the solution and the clues all perfectly reasonable and all were logically parsable.

   3. Good grief, Brian, and how typically offensive of you towards not just the setter, but the editorial team who selected this puzzle. Today’s Friday, so it’s meant to be the most challenging back pager of the week. Struggling to see any carnage, just the usual mixed opinions about a Friday puzzle though granted there will be a few who agree with you that it was difficult. Definitely not a Toughie, though, nowhere near. Just a brilliantly witty and enjoyable, superbly crafted, end-of-week, back-page challenge.

   4. Have to agree. I understand that Friday is the toughest day of the week, but it should still be within the capabilities of most solvers, and not just those who revel in Toughie challenges. It’s not what I pay for.

      1. Sorry, BL but I disagree. If puzzles don’t become more challenging as the week progresses how are we to learn? When I first joined this wonderful blog I could solve very few guzzles. Now I solve many but only because of the teaching of Big Dave. Elgar is beyond my skills but so was Ray T at one time. Now Ray T is one of my favourite compilers. It might take longer for me to get on Elgar’s wavelength but I keep trying.
         If I find a guzzle impenetrable, I try to find out why. 😊

         1. Couldn’t agree more.

            I’ve progressed a huge amount since doing regular Telegraph crosswords and reading this blog.

7. A three pipe problem for me today. I didn’t help myself by spelling 2D wrongly which held up progress in the NW for a long time. I spent ages trying to make something to fit in 1D using HASTY as fodder.

   Sorry to say that I had to resort to Danword at one point, shame on me. A lot of clever clues and my pick is the robbery at 14A.

   ****/*** Thanks to the setter and MrK

   Here’s another pussy.

   

   1. Glad it’s not just me who reverts to Dan Words. I’m a novice and actually proud I got five without help! I too spelled 2d incorrectly!

      1. You’ve expanded your alias so this needed moderation. Both your aliases will work from now on.

8. Wasn’t sure what to make of this one, some good ideas but some very strange wordplay. My first thought was Zandio but I’m now wondering whether it could be a less familiar face. The Quickie pun raised a smile so that can have the top step today.

   Thanks to our setter and to Mr K for the review.

9. 4*/1.5*. What a bizarre puzzle. It didn’t feel like the work of any of our usual Friday triumvirate to me.

   There were a lot of good clues but several which, for me, were beyond the pale, notably 21a, 4d, 6d & 8d. There was a very wide spectrum of difficulty too from straightforward to downright tough, as well as a mixture of smooth and meaningless surfaces. 27a is a clever clue but the surface makes no sense at all.

   Many thanks and very well done to Mr K for deciphering this, and thanks, I think, to the setter particularly for the Quickie pun.

   1. Your comment has given me so much pleasure, exactly what I wanted to say but you said it so well. Thank you.

      1. Thank you, Merusa. I am very happy to hear that. 🙂

10. Sorry to be contrary, but I thought this was rather lovely and peppered with wit. 10a’s comical and 22a (cracking spot) is hilarious. 21a’s a fun chestnut variant, 28a’s definition works brilliantly and 27a’s smart. Very odd surface, mind. 4d was perhaps a little lame, though. And its “link” to 5d seemed a tad tenuous. But that matters not one jot. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Many thanks to our setter and Mr K. PS … I totally agree re the Quickie Pun. They’ve been particularly strong of late.

11. Thanks Mr K,
    I needed your help to finish.
    It was hard today but if they were all easy we’d only moan about that.

12. Completed (eventually) but shy of a couple of the whys. Didn’t even notice the missing consonant at 21a (& I initially read county as country in17d for the umpteenth time) so no wonder the homophone didn’t register & 6d is just bizarre in my view. Wasn’t particularly keen on 4d either & I’m assuming the 8d definition is because they move (if you’re lucky) towards you if you hail ‘em. Suspect the Quickie pun will be the 18a today.
    Thanks to the setter & to Mr K

13. Not as difficult as yesterdays, I found. OK to be challenged, so that we get better. My vote for COTD is 8d with 3d second. Thank you to the setter and for the hints.

14. I’m not sure if anybody has mentioned curate’s egg yet, but this was one. On the whole I enjoyed the challenge, despite some bung-ins and then reverse engineering the answers. 11a was my final entry, for no good reason other than one of them had to be, and my favourite was 12a, plus the much-liked Quickie Pun.

    Thanks to our setter and Mr K.

15. Certainly a Friday puzzle but I thought the surfaces were clever and fair. I liked 1d where the us soldier was a misdirect and 10a although not when paying it.
    *** for me but I think somewhat easier than the last three toughies which I found much harder.
    Thanks to all

16. I am inclined to agree with Jane that this is not a Zandio production and with RD that it is not by any of the Friday triumvirate. But, I did find it quite enjoyable and not overly challenging – 3*/3.5*

    Candidates for favourite – 12a, 16d, 17d, and 19d – and the winner is 12a.

    Thanks to whomsoever and Mr K.

    OK Brains – you got us up here, how do we get down?

    

    1. Thank you Senf!

17. A pleasant puzzle – thanks to the setter and Mr K.
    I ticked 10a, 12a and 27a with my favourite being the Quickie pun.

18. A nice puzzle to finish off the non-work week for me. A couple of head scratches that caused pause for thought, but all was sussed out in the end.

    2*/3.5*

    Favourites 1a, 21a, 7d, 8d & 15d — with winner 1a
    Smiles and chuckles with a couple of the favs as well as 12a, 27a, 23d & 24d

    Thanks to setter and Mr K.

19. Ah, Telegraph cryptics! The experts could write reams about the brains of solvers. Why did I find this a fascinating puzzle, hard but fair, and full of those lightbulb moments and yet Wednesday’s found it’s way into the bin, half-done at teatime? Presumably it’s not that puzzles are more or less difficult (except maybe Mondays and Tuesdays), it seems to be that our brains are more or less equipped to do them. Or not, of course.

20. This was great fun. Bonkersly random but a hoot.

    There are many absolute gems with some ‘wey heys!’ thrown in. 27a is a superb idea but I just can’t make the surface work. 21a’s variation on a theme made me smile and I love the choice of Cancun as the Mexican city to go with the following clue. 22a is a top anagram.

    I understand that a few of these clues aren’t for some people but I love them. More power to the setter!

    My podium is 9a, 8d and my COTD 11a.

    Many thanks to the sizzling setter and Mr K.

    Oh, love the pun!

    3*/4*

    1. 22a is not just a wonderful anagram but a properly silk-smooth and snigger-worthy surface read. Genius. Like the quickie pun.

       1. It is. I nearly put it on my podium but I went with three beautiful constructions.

          Constructions vs Surfaces is always an interesting daily tussle for my top three.

          I do miss your <2 ratings, btw. They were such fun.

          Ah! I see you have just given this one a rating.

          Spooky.

21. Hello, compiler here. Hola from sunny Seville. Thanks very much for taking the time to solve, analyse and discuss.
    Interesting question about 27a (and 21a): does a 19d have to make sense? I knew a super-smart chap who wrote 19d’s for 21a but I never asked him that!
    Thanks again for the interest.

    1. 27a has grown on me during the day, and I had no issue with 21a anyway. Does a 19d have to make sense? For me, generally the answer is yes. 27 & 21 certainly did in cruciverbal terms, even if 27 would not pass the “overheard conversation in the pub” test. I will however admit to considerable bias here, having enjoyed the puzzle immensely! Thanks once again, Zandio.

    2. Thank you, Zandio for an entertaining and clever puzzle.

22. I thought this puzzle was very entertaining and a joy to complete. Last one in was 4d and a real light bulb moment. Filled with humour and nothing obscure – just how I like them. Thank yous to the setter for a fab puzzle and to Mr K.

23. I glanced at the first few clues in the NW, thought “sod that for a game of soldiers” and went instead to the SE. Several in straight-away, with progress then very swift back to the last half-dozen in the NW. 2d dawned and the final dominoes toppled. Final assessment: max 2* for difficulty, but had I persisted in trying to start in the NW maybe 3* or more.

    Anyway, a cracking puzzle from beginning to end. All very fair, but some lateral thinking required. Instructions generally clear. Fun, witty and very enjoyable. Hugely satisfying and coffee still quite warm.

    3a – outstanding combined surface & surface; 10a – harrumph: ‘give’ implies there’s a degree of choice in the matter! COTD 11a – brilliantly off the wall; 12a – laugh out loud, very clever; 3d – superb; 4d – again, laughed out loud, so witty; so many more merit special mention, including 7a, 8d, 16d, 17d

    Were I still giving star ratings I’d give this one 5* for enjoyment were it not for 27a, which I thought to be the only duff clue in an otherwise top, top puzzle.

    Many thanks indeed to the setter (Donny or Zandio for my money) and to Mr K

24. Well, reading those foregoing comments I feel really chuffed as I did this in the ultrasound waiting room with no recourse to Chambers or BD or even a George. I loved it. Especially the elegant and spineless Ken and the cheers team moving about. Brilliant. I’m not too sure about 22a being described as dangling items but hey ho. Sitting in the car waiting for a let up in the rain to nip into Waitrose, it is bucketing down. Many thanks to the setter and Mr. NoKitskay

    1. I think you commented recently on the first episode of Ludwig saying it was a bit quirky. I’ve just watched it and quite agree but I enjoyed seeing bits of Cambridge. Ii don’t know why they film in such dark settings so you struggle to see!

       1. I watched it last night – entertaining enough though a little underwhelming I thought. All Creatures Grunt & Smell on the other hand was typically delightful

25. At first pass I thought that this was going to be an absolute stinker. However the lurker in the SE provided hope and a foothold, and lo and behold, with one confirmatory parse from Mr K, it all came together. With others, I found some of the parsings were a bit of a leap, but that made for some great fun on a very wet Friday. Thanks to whomever compiled this challenge and to Mr K for the hints.

26. We’ll, one hour has passed and I’ve only managed 2 clues. Definitely a DNF
    I thought 21a was brilliant but it gave me false hope

27. I too gave up on the NW and filled in the remainder in short time. Back to the N W and I’m left with 4d. So I thought Spanish or Portuguese. I looked up both languages for take care but it wasn’t the answer. Funny how one clue can make one irritated. As far as I am concerned the answer is goodbye .
    **/***

28. I thought the level of difficulty, for me, was fair for a Friday.
    Loved the Quickie pun and the top picks from the puzzle for me are 12a, 3d, 20d and 21a.

    Thanks to Mr K and Zandio.

29. A really excellent Friday puzzle and typical of Z. Great clues, a good challenge and a very entertaining/enjoyable tussle. I have ticked a fair few clues and will pick 27a as my favourite. I see no problem with it at all. Similar to what BD used to say: Cryptic clues are mere word puzzles/conundrums and not necessarily pieces of precise/conventional literature. 4*/4.5*

30. What an absolutely brilliant puzzle!!! Tough but fair, bright and amusing….9A, 11a and 21a my picks from a stellar collection

31. I really enjoyed this challenge with ticks all over the oche. Yes there was a fair bit of reverse engineering but that’s to be expected in a puzzle of this difficulty. Favourite was 27a. Thanks to Zandio and Mr. K.

32. Needless to say this one was way beyond me but somehow I did actually make a better attempt than usual on a Friday.
    I liked 1 and 28a and 5 and 19d. I think my favourite was probably 7d.
    Thanks to Zandio for the crossword and to Mr K for the very necessary hints and to others for the pics.

33. I quite enjoyed this. Sometimes you are just on the setter’s wavelength.

34. First thought? WEIRD! It is Friday after all, but does it have to be strange as well? With ehelp I did solve a good bit, surprising myself, but DNF in the NE. I see my 21a is right but still don’t know why, maybe there is no why and it’s just a straightforward answer. Fair is fair, there were some smilers along the way, 14a was fave, the drugged drink close behind.
    Thank you setter, congrats Mr. K for unravelling that lot. I do, indeed, hope our commentariat has provided the missing felines.

35. Love is definitely too short for **** puzzles. I did surprisingly achieve a few answers at first pass, but mostly with reverse engineering. As someone on here used to say, ignore the clue and go with the definition. If I could only accurately decide what word is the definition… When I was younger I would never give up on a bad book, but persevere to the bitter end. Now I am older I just won’t waste my time. Same with films. I think I will revert to avoiding the Friday Cryptic, and I’m sure I’ll get a rebate on my subscription 😅. Thanks to Zandio, and to Mr K. Can understand why you didn’t have time for pictures, which are usually the best part of Friday puzzles.

36. This was indeed tough (but having attempted the occasional toughie to no avail not as tough as that) and I rather enjoyed the battle. There were some brilliant and entertaining clues. I did need help to parse three and used the hints for 2 but that did not detract from the enjoyment of this challenge. 3d was my favourite.

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

37. It took me ages to get lift off and then I have to say the whole thing was a bit of a slog but I surprised myself by getting there in the end with NE last on board. I’m afraid I thought several clues were just too clever by half with some dubious parsing. Like Jane I thought this had to be the product of an unfamiliar setter but, no, I see Zandio was the culprit. Anyway I’ll merely go for 21a as a simply corny but funny Fav. Thank you Zandio and indeed MrK for doing battle on our behalf – it’s reassuring to know you too found it challenging to say the least.

38. Very interesting comments today ! I do love a Zandio and loved this one too and found it not as hard as yesterday’s, but I did do it in one sitting today and I think that makes a difference. I struggled a bit with the NW which was my last quartile in . Was very chuffed to parse 1d and get the answer right. Also did not know 11a as a synonym for genesis. Some nice clever clues. Thanks Zandio – You are my favourite setter ⭐️. Thanks Mr K too.

39. There’s nowt queen as folk. I was in the what a great xword camp, and agree with Alasdair at 19 above. Breezed thru, unlike the ‘inpenetrable’ and ‘beyond the the pale’ offerings of the last 2 days.
    Interesting how Brian gets slaughtered for any/everything he says a lot of the time, yet other similar cutting comments re the puzzle just drift on the breeze.
    Variety for frogmen and the appeal of the unknown (8).
    Embrace it!

    1. Ha, very funny and very true. Nice clue, though I think that “for” should probably be an “of” and those two “the”(s) made me squint. Sorry to be such a pedant! It’s like an illness!!

       1. Critique noted in case I ever head to rookie corner 👍😄.
          Oops better hide from the emoji police 😬

          1. Och, you definitely should. You’ve clearly got the chops for it. Mightily relieved you took that in good spirit. I thought you would and I just couldn’t help myself. But I then bitterly regretted pressing the button, fearing you’d think me, quite rightly, a pompous twit!

40. I found this less difficult than yesterday which I only solved a dozen clues before conceding defeat. 11a was the cause of the dnf today.

    Seems most people know about this though. I need to update both my Chambers dictionary and thesaurus as neither gave any help.

    Thanks to all.

41. I’m afraid I threw in the towel on this one, I just can’t seem to get on Zandio’s wavelength. I had a go at yesterday’s Serpent Toughie which was duly completed and enjoyed.
    The Quickie pun though was quite brilliant, so thanks for making us chuckle Zandio!

42. An excellent puzzle which I am pleased to say I was able to complete. However, I thought that it was a bit much to expect some knowledge of even basic Russian and Spanish in a crossword in an English newspaper. Until I spotted the lurker in 25a I thought that French might be needed as well.

43. I do enjoy a Zandio puzzle and this one had lots of extra zaniness to enjoy about it. (I’m surprised there were commentators doubting it was Zandio, but then I was wrongly suggesting Wednesday’s setter wasn’t who it turned out to be!)

    I solved it earlier, but it provided such sustained entertainment that it didn’t leave time to comment until now. My top few were 10a’s heavenly streaker, 11a’s universal god, and 8d’s cold six-pack. Thank you to Zandio for a top crossword, and Mr K for helping me out in the top-left corner, where it seems I’d accidentally typed a letter into the middle of a so-far unsolved answer, then failed to find a word that fitted with that arbitrary letter!

44. 4*/4* ….
    liked 12A “Elegant and spineless ? Not Barbie’s boy (4)”

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