DT 30744

90 comments on “DT 30744”

1. A terrific start to the week with plenty to like and a few smiles along the way. The basic lingerie at 14d was most amusing as was the election loser at 26a. I didn’t think we’d be seeing him again in crossword land. It took a while for me to sort out the roses in 28a and I have never heard of the band at 27a but it was quite gettable from the clue. They just needed Mr. G. to confirm their existence. My COTD is, for once, a short one, the tough compilers at 24d.

   Thank you, setter for the fun. Thank you, pommers for the hints and sorry to hear you are leaving us. Thank you for all your hard work.

   For those who have been asking after Hudson, he is fully recovered, ate a hearty breakfast and is now fast asleep.

   1. The band is not a musical band. It’s one you tie!

      1. Yes but there is a band called Sash. Not that I would play their music.

         https://dj-sash.com/history/biography

         1. Glad I didn’t know that! If I had known I might have been tempted to include a video clip of them.

            1. So pleased you didn’t, pommers!

               1. If Pommers had gone for Encore Une Fois, maybe he wouldn’t have been able to quit just yet, and have had to stay for at least one more review?

                  Though if he’d included Ecuador, we might have been worried as to how far Pommers was going to ensure they definitely escaped future blogging …

                  (And that’s the limit of my knowledge of Sash songs.)

                  1. Your knowledge of Sash is 100% more than mine, Smylers. I am impressed by your musical knowledge.

   2. Thank you for the Hudson update.
      Now a message from Sadie to Hudson: do not, I repeat not, pick up anything on your walks and put it in your mouth. I hope you’ve well and truly learnt your lesson. I send love, Sadie

      1. Hudson promises Sadie he has learnt his lesson – ish!

   3. So pleased to hear Hudson is better – typical Lab, really ill one day, eating everything in sight the next! I do love them though!

      1. So do I, JG but it’s not nice seeing them suffer. He’s a devil though. The other week he was eating an apple off the ground in the garden and it became lodged in his throat. He couldn’t breathe and I became really frightened he would choke. All I could do was hold him and thump his back. After about 30 seconds he blasted the apple out and took huge gulps of air. It was one of the worst 30 seconds of my life!

   4. I didn’t know Hudson had been sick, and very glad to know that he is now better.

      1. Thank you, BL. It really is good to have him back to normal.

2. A gentle start to the week but still enjoyable.

   Top picks for me were 14a, 20a and 8d.

   Thank you Pommers for all your assistance over the years and I wish you a long and happy “retirement “.

   Thanks also to today’s setter.

3. Thank you, Pommers, for all your hints over the years. You’ve helped me progress from a complete beginner to somebody who can sometimes give the impression they know what they’re doing. Enjoy your retirement.

   A fun Monday puzzle that I solved almost quickly, though the 21a Rwandans were new to me.

   My top few were 16a’s debt, 26a’s, national election loser, 14d’s piles, and 24’s tough crossword compilers. Thank you to the setter — and especially for 5d’s journalists not being the usual “ed”s.

4. Nice and easy after some of last week’s challenges. 1a my favorite.

5. Pommers, thank you so much for your many years of blogging, help, and advice to all who came here seeking a step forward with a puzzle, and for being such a huge part of what made and still makes Big Dave such a special and welcoming resource for us all. Enjoy your new-found leisure time on a Monday!

   The puzzle was light and enjoyable Monday fare, while the QC was fun and had sufficient scope for one to go off at the wrong tangent.

   Many thanks to the setter, and once again to Pommers.

6. A gentle but enjoyable puzzle to start the week.

   Many thanks to the setter and to pommers for the write-up.

   Thanks pommers for all the blogs you have written over the years – your time and effort has been greatly appreciated by all of us!
   You will probably enjoy the Monday puzzles more, now that you no longer have to submit a review – and with a glass or three of Spanish vino….

   1. Nooooo to the wine with the puzzle. We do them together over lunch so he’d be spark out for the afternoon
      .

7. Pleasantly gentle, just right for a Monday. I fell into the same trap as Pommers regarding 15a, though I was unhappy with the parsing, so it wasn’t until the second word of 3d fell that I noticed the error of my ways. Favourite today was 14d with podium places for 26a and 20d. Thanks to our setter and Pommers – happy retirement and grateful thanks.

8. A fun puzzle – thanks to our setter and pommers (and thanks for your sterling work and excellent blogs over the years).
   From a long shortlist I’ve selected 13a, 7d and 11d for my podium.

9. Thanks for the memories Pommers. You can enjoy the DT without the time constraints. All the best 🦇

10. Ring all the bells! Solved unaided. What a glorious day this will be! Filled with radiant sunshine!
    Opens blinds and looks out of the window
    Oh….

    *Good to hear of Hudson’s recovery*

    Thanks to the setter, and all hats to be thrown in the air as we say ¡hasta luego! to pommers from Vega Baja del Segura.

    1. Thank you, Terence. It’s good to have him back to his old self.

11. Great guzzle. 14d my favourite. Happy retirement Pommers! The sun is beginning to shine here, long may it continue. Thanks to the Monday setter.

12. Efcharisto Pommers for all your hard work over the years. Such dedication!

    I fell into exactly the same trap as you with the 15A 3D issue. Otherwise a fairly straightforward but enjoyable puzzle.

    */*** Thanks to the setter and for the last time, Pommers. 👍👋👋

13. Also thank you for the many hints from here in Denmark on a lovely sunny autumn day. And I had to use them today for 5d, as I had “eds” for the journalists part of the clue and just couldn’t find any words that fitted. My COTD goes to 26a. Thanks to the setter as well for an enjoyable puzzle.

    1. Welcome to the blog, Leif Skøt.

       1. Many thanks for the welcome. It is not, however my first comment.

          1. Sorry – you went into moderation because you used a different email address.

14. A pleasant crossy to kick off the week’s proceedings.

    My podium is 26a, 3d and 11d.

    Many thanks to Robyn and many, many thanks for your dedicated service to this blog, Pommers. it is hugely appreciated.

    1*/3*

15. Maybe a case of just not in the right frame of mind but I thought today’s puzzle distinctly underwhelming in comparison to recent Monday delights. Pretty straightforward though it still took me into ** time to work through it. 1a was my fav & surely Hancock at 1d in close proximity to Conservative & complaint isn’t coincidental. Sorry to hear that today is to be our reviewer’s final blog – doubt that I’ll last a small fraction of that stint so many thanks indeed to Pommers.
    Thanks to the setter too.
    Ps though never overly fond of Texas it’s good to see a clip of Sharleen Spiteri – a fine singer who I particularly remember performing a terrific duet with the great William Bell on Later

16. Slightly more tricky than recent Monday back pagers have been but as much fun as ever – **/****

    Candidates for favourite – 1a, 3d, and 8d – and the winner is 8d.

    Thanks to (presumably) Robyn and thanks to pommers for all your entertaining blogs.

17. Found this a bit harder than usual for a Monday, but enjoyable nonetheless. No particular faves though.
    Many thanks to the setter, and of course muchas gracias to pommers for all the sterling work over the years. Pity it’s not to be hasta, but adios anyway!

18. 1*/5*. For me, this was the ultimate “it doesn’t have to be tough to be good” puzzle.

    With loads of ticks to choose from, my podium comprises 26a, 3d & 8d.

    Many thanks to, I imagine, Robyn.

    Many thanks too to pommers for today and seemingly for ever, well at least since I found the blog in 2012. I have always appreciated your thoughtful contributions, and I do hope you will continue to appear on the blog to comment regularly. Enjoy your free time!

    1. I think I found the blog just after you, RD. I’ve never forgotten your rabbit, did you ever rescue another?

       1. No, I just treasure the many happy memories of my dear companion.

19. Nicely straightforward for a soggy Monday with just two pesky shorties in the SE corner to hold me up, both of which I should have solved quicker. It was to one of those, 26a, that I award the gold star this afternoon. Great fun.

    Thanks to Robyn for a very pleasant challenge, and farewell and grateful appreciation to pommers for all his countless hints over the years. You will be missed.

20. A lovely start to the week, very manageable once I corrected my mistake at 15a, I see I was not alone! Of course I couldn’t actually parse my original answer which should have given me a clue.
    14d was my favourite as it made me smile.

    Many thanks to the setter and Pommers for all the hints over the years. I hope you are able to sit back and enjoy doing the puzzles without any pressure and that we may see you commenting on the blog in the future.

21. Like some others, 15a caught me out until I tried typing it in and it didn’t fit with my answer to 3d – the clever part of the clue was starting it “Withdraw soldiers…” obviously the work of a devious mind Robyn?

    Thanks to him and extra thanks for the last time to Pommers

22. Huge thanks to Pommers. You really put a great shift in and what a cracker of a puzzle to wave you off. Happy retirement.

23. A couple needed some greater teasing out, 24d in particular, than others in what was another delightful Robyn production and spot on for a damp and miserable Monday. My podium, from many ticks on my page, are 1a, 23a and 14d in top spot. Thanks to Robyn and many thanks Pommers for all the sterling past blogging done for our benefit.

24. I found this one to be a little tricky in places, prompting me to use aids for five clues (here and Chambers Crossword Dictionary). No reveals needed today, which was nice.

    Been trying the Grauniad cryptic over the past month but I am finding them too difficult.

    I would say this was a ** for difficulty rather than the * that the blogger gave it, but I do agree with the enjoyment rating given.

    Good start to the week.

    1. Stick at it with the Graun. I’ve noted your comments as it’s nice to see BD commenters over there. I used to find them impenetrable but now manage more than my fair share. I trust you use Fifteensquared to understand those that beat you – it’s a great facility though not a patch on this site as here you have the option of a hint rather than just the answer – plus there’s no banter & invaluable tips for storing 🍞. The Quiptic puzzle is good too.

25. I was another who confidently inserted the wrong answer for 15a until 3d didn’t fit. The rest was fairly straightforward apart from the less commonly used 17d.

    Good mixture of types of clues with 19d my COTD.

    Just home from taking drone pictures for a local farmer in mild sunny conditions. Is this really mid-October?

    Thanks to the setter for the entertaining puzzle and Pommers for the hints over the years.

26. Happy that I’ve solved this at a decent hour today, in time to say a massive thank you to Pommers for all your work over the years. The fact that I solved this unaided is purely down to the progress I’ve made thanks to this wonderful site and all of the dedicated bloggers.

    Thanks to you all and to the setter

27. I’m sorry to see pommers leave the blogging team — we’ve been together for a long time. I believe we started together on Wednesdays, later moving to Thursdays. For a time, Kath joined us on Thursday. Our final move was to Monday with Kath getting a new Thursday blogging partner. It has been great working with pommers for all these years and I especially appreciate his willingness to accomodate my rather irregular schedule. Because of the time difference between the UK and Canada, I write the blog the evening before and must therefore work around my other evening commitments and he was always willing to adjust the schedule as necessary.

28. As is normal for a Monday a very approachable puzzle with little to trip over.

    1.5*/4*

    Favourites include 16a, 18a, 3d, 5d & 24d — with winner 3d.
    Smiles from 26a, 27a, 7d & 14d … which could easily have been favourites too.

    Thanks to setter & pommers
    Sorry to see you leave the group of hinters and bloggers

29. Very pleasing puzzle, thanks to the setter and pommers.

30. What a splendid start to the week. I see my favourites coincided with the votes from others. Joined the band who also fell into the 15 a. trap. Sometimes I think I am Mrs. Average as I get the most common illnesses, drive a Ford car and spend wisely. My actual life has been far from average and quite wonderful but today I really felt totally AVERAGE in agreeing with everyone else. Many thanks to Pommers and our entertaining setter.

31. Diolch yn fawr iawn Pommers for helping me transform from a hopeless cruciverbalist into a not so hopeless one.

32. I thought 26a was a really clever clue and overall a fun puzzle. Thank you Pommers for all the hard graft with the hints and hope you will continue to blog alongside all of us

33. As per my norm I don’t anticipate this will be the smoothest ride of the week but it was “fun” (seems to be a well used word on this site – can’t think of an appropriate synonym?) to fathom. As for unparsed 20d I needed prompt for 14d which then became my Fav. Thanks to Robyn and a special appreciation of all pommers’ hinting over the years – best wishes and good luck to you for the future.

    1. How about amusing. Although I didn’t find it that amusing. Thought it was a little bland but passable

       1. Yes BonH, I have used that but somehow it seems to be more about making one smile/laugh which isn’t necessarily the case – perhaps pleasurable but that’s a bit stuffy. Think I’ll stay with the numerous “fun” bloggers.

34. Hard to imagine the blog without pommers in the big red chair on one day of the week but our setter certainly gave him a jewel of a puzzle for his send-off. Far too many ticks on my paper to mention them all and have to admit that the 15a trapped me nicely for quite a while – you would think I’ve been around long enough to correctly parse an answer by now!

    Thanks to Robyn(?) for the Monday treat and to dear pommers for this and all his reviews. I do hope that both you and pomette will continue to comment in your ‘retirement’.

    1. I will definitely continue to comment – you can’t get rid of me that easily.
       We supposedly retired in 2006.
       Pommers took to blogging – I took to building websites.
       I tried to retire on his 70th – but a few of my clients almost had a heart attack. But at least I’m only maintainig sites now – not building them from scratch.

       1. Snap websitewise!

35. Thanks Pommers. I too fell into the 15 a trap. Enjoy your retirement.

36. Yes, fell into the same trap as you but I hadn’t been convinced by my answer anyway. Correcting it gave me 3d straightaway and that only left me with 26a to need a hint on. I liked 8d with its double reference to the same sort of thing. Enjoy your retirement and I hope you continue to do the crosswords but in a more relaxed way. Thank you.

37. We fell into the 15a trap but couldn’t parse it eventually deciding it was wrong then all became clear. The setter has definitely upped the ante but not massively so whilst maintaining the enjoyment level. Favourite was 4d. Thanks to the setter and Pommers for all the help over the years.

38. Yes, * for difficulty is about right, however, that didn’t stop me bunging in two wrong answers which made this a DNF for me at 3d. I, too, had a wrong answer at 15a, pommers, and I also had 21a incorrect … yup, cocky me thought I knew it and didn’t bother looking up the Rwandan and had the last two letters transposed. No worries, I had a lot of fun along the way. I didn’t know the Hancock at 1d but it had to be; I could only think of Tony, doesn’t that date me? I choose 10a, only because I had a friend who always said “nastertiums” which I thought was funny.
    Thank you setter, lovely start to the week. Oh, pommers, what can I say? You were so kind to me when I first started commenting and made a few boobs, I’ll always love you for that. I hope that you and pommette continue to keep in touch and keep us up to date of your corner of Spain.

39. Many thanks to everyone for all the thanks!
    I really have enjoyed it over the years and am very glad that I seem to have been of service.
    I think I started losing the enthusiasm when Big Dave died last year. He lived only about 5 miles from my mother and pommette and I visited him only a few weeks before he died. His passing seemed to take the edge off the enjoyment and the Monday bit of fun slowly became a Monday chore.

    Still, I’m not abandoning the blog and will stick around to keep an eye on you all so play nicely children!

    1. Completely understandable, I would feel very much the same. All good things come to end. I know I could not do what you have done, week in week out. Thanks for all your help over the years.

    2. Thank you for all you have done for crossword solvers, experienced or not, over the years. You have helped me tremendously and I have always liked your owning up to difficulties like today or in finding things more tricky. Best wishes to you and Pommette in joint retirement and may it be a long one.

       1. My first comment after lurking for years. I started doing the DT crossword as a teenager xxxx years ago. My first clue? Drunken grip
          On a conductor’s orders. (4, 5). Hold tight!

          On retirement we turned to BD and Pommers has been a family friend! Sorry to see you go.
          15a completely mucked us up.

          1. Welcome to the blog, Jennie.
             Now that you’ve de-lurked I hope that you’ll become a regular commenter.

    3. Thank you Pommers and thanks to everyone who keep this fine blog going. It is much appreciated.

    4. Thanks for your contributions and help since I discovered the blog.

40. BTW, told you I wouldn’t be the only one to fall into the 15a trap!

    1. Thanks for your hard work on the hints over the years Pommers and Sorry to see you go

41. Just for once I didn’t fall into the 15a trap – probably because I already had the right answer.
    I’d have to give it a 2* for difficulty if only because I’m quite slow with crosswords – it’s not a race!
    I liked 12 and 13a and 8 and 19d. I think my favourite was 14d.
    With thanks to whoever set today’s crossword and to pommers for the hints.

    Thanks, pommers, for putting up with me, particularly when I first started doing hints with you – I was SO terrified and couldn’t do anything!! You were very patient!! You’ll be missed!

42. A great start to the week, although sorry to hear you are retiring Pommers. You’ve helped me hone my solving skills over the last few years so many thanks for that. Enjoy your free time! I also almost put ‘retreat’ instead of ‘retract’ for 15a but otherwise everything was clear cut. So many good clues it’s difficult to pick favourites but I will go for 12a, 28a and 17d. A big thank you to both Pommers and the setter.

43. I found this a bit of a mixed bag, and a bit more chewy than the friendly Monday I would have liked. I too fell in the 15a hole, and even managed to get 28a wrong, which made 17d my LI. But overall quite enjoyable as I managed mostly without hints, or to verify my answers. Thanks to setter and to Pommers as he bows out with all our thanks and appreciation for a job well done.

44. A gentle return to crosswordland today, thankfully. I ticked a favourite, then ticked quite a few more, so couldn’t tell you what the original one was. Only held up slightly on 27a where I had the wrong type of band. All sorted when I reread the clue. Thank you setter, and a huge thank you to Pommers for all of your hard work over the years.

45. A nice gentle and pleasant solve to start to the week . I did fall into the 15a trap – good to see I wasn’t alone , so was held up a bit on 3d. Thanks setter for the fun , and goodbye Pommers and thanks .

46. An enjoyable puzzle though it didn’t stop me putting in the wrong answer at 15a and spending far too much time puzzling over 3d!
    Many thanks to the setter but especially to Pommers. Your years of devoted service to this site have been very much appreciated. Time for a well-earned rest in some nice sunshine with a few good glasses of wine 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

47. Late to the blog today but wanted to say a big thank you to pommers for all his help over the years🤗 Lovely start to the week **/**** Favourites 18a & 14d 😃 Thanks to the Compiler

48. Absolutely right – I too fell into the 15A trap. Although a lurker, I have benefited greatly from this wonderful blog and all who contribute. Thank you enormously to the Pommer team. I do not underestimate the commitment and am truly grateful. Enjoy your well-earned retirement.

49. Good evening

    Many thanks to our compiler first of all; it was a enjoyable solve and perfectly pitched for a Monday afternoon/evening.

    Sorry to see you step back from your role as hints and tips man, Pommers, and I wish you well.

50. Thank you, Pommers, for 13 years of diligent blogging. You can see from the comments above how much we all appreciate your efforts. If my arithmetic is correct, you have done over 650 blogs. Remarkable.
    A lovely puzzle for you to blog on your retirement. As RD says, this proves the point that a puzzle does not have to be hard to be enjoyable.
    1a probably takes first prize for me today, but plenty of others should be mentioned in dispatches.
    Thank you setter.

51. Very late to comment but thanks pommers and hope to see you amongst us commenters in future! Loved the guzzle today by the way and glad Hudson on the mend.

52. Many thanks to Pommers for this blog and all the others over the years. Also to the setter for a gentle but excellent puzzle. I’m curious to know what wrong answer many put in for 15a.

    1. Hi ‘Post-22:00’

       Even though it doesn’t quite parse, ‘retreat’ is what came to mind for a lot of solvers: RE (soldiers) and ‘treat’ (delicacy).

53. A very enjoyable crossword today, although being one of the many falling into the 15a trap until solving 3d caused a re-visit to correct the soldiers falling back. I needed the hint today for my last one in 24d, which passed by my ‘thinking cap’.

    Many thanks to the setter, and many more to pommers for the brilliant service you have provided over the years. Enjoy your retirement and being able to solve future crosswords at your leisure with no deadline to catch.

54. Mike, thanks for all your hard work and attention to detail in producing so many entertaining and enlightening blogs (and for covering for me once, if memory serves!).
    All the best.

55. Thank you Pommers. I too fell into the 15a trap. I’m so gullible. I’ve not commented much lately
    as I’ve been busy doing other things. Hope I’ve not missed anything of import and hope the Birthday Bash is still on in January. It would be good to have a full house of oldies and newbies

    1. The Birthday Bash has been on the Events Calendar at the bottom right of the page for some time

56. Pommers and pomette. All the best for the future. I don’t comment much now but I do read the posts. Cheers Andy

57. 2*/4* …
    liked 24D “Extremely tough crossword compilers like this (4)” , amongst others …
    many thanks and best wishes to Pommers.

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