DT 30801

48 comments on “DT 30801”

1. Considering it’s Thursday this guzzle was a delight to solve rather than the usual brain mangler. 21a has appeared a number of times recently so I am now able to spell the name correctly. In 28a, I read “character” as “creature” and spent ages going through mythical creatures such as dragons. I must get new glasses. My COTD is 8d because it fooled me with “pieces” – I always forget those particular ones.

   Thank you, Ray T for the fun challenge. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.

2. A lovely puzzle today. Like SC I feel I can now spell 21a but I still hesitate.

   Top picks for me were 14a, 18d and 24d.

   Thanks to Shabbo and Ray T.

   1. Hi MF

      If it helps with the spelling of 21a, the first three letters are also at the end of the word.

      1. That’s how I remember it now.

      2. Thanks Tom that’s very helpful.

         1. I’m here to serve, you crazy river, you.

            1. Oh, I see what you did there! 😊
               Reminds me of a great song by Robbie Robertson.

               1. From now on, Madflower will be known as Crazy River! 🤣

                  1. Sounds like a Native American.

3. No doubt that this is the work of the Master of Brevity but our favourite Anglesonian might be disappointed as the other half of the ‘Dream Team’ is not on Toughie Duty today. Very enjoyable, but it must be time for the ‘Serengeti’ of scientists to be retired or, at least, take a long holiday – 2.5*/4.5*

   Candidates for favourite – 12a, 25a, 4d, 22d, and 24d – and the winner is 25a.

   Thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

4. Did anyone else look up Auden’s poems? Nothing fitted and then the penny dropped. For a change a pretty manageable Thursday guzzle completed in bed. Mind you with these horrid dark mornings, I don’t get up till after 8! Thanks to the setter and to Shabbo. I still optimistically tick the ‘save my name’ box, but it doesn’t seem to work these days.

   1. I went though a list of Auden’s poems too.🤔

   2. …and Ezra’s too!

   3. Dark or light, 8am will do for me – or later if I get the chance 😊

   4. Of course not, that would be cheating 😛🤣

5. Solid fare from Milk Tray that all went in fairly smoothly.

   My podium is the amusing 25a and 5d plus the neat 7d.

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and Shabbs.

   2*/4*

6. A gentle puzzle for a Thursday. I parsed 29a differently – an alternative to film as in covering. Totally missed the Ray Winston film reference!

   Thanks to the setter and the hint provider

   1. Agree on 29a. The film reference is just too obscure, unlike the crosswordland favourite, “ET”.

      1. Well spotted on 29a. I never thought of that. I guess it could be either.
         Perhaps RayT will pop in to clarify his intention here.

   2. Having never heard of the cinematic production, no surprise there, I also interpreted 29a as a covering (per the BRB?).

      1. I also took 29a as a covering.

   3. Thankfully I missed the “film” reference and took the easier route. Otherwise I would have been up the creek.

7. Just brilliant. Every clue a delight, each a microcosm of the setter’s art. 25a is a superb example of his style and my favourite.

   Thanks to Mr T for a superb puzzle, and to Shabbo.

8. I too found todays puzzle fairly easy with no real parsing problems. My COTD goes to 18d, but there were a good number of candidates. Thanks to RayT and Shabbo for the crossword and hints.

9. 1*/5*. This was an absolute cracker albeit at the easier end of this setter’s range. I agree completely with YS @7 about 25a, my favourite too.

   Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo.

   P.S. Shabbo, your supposition about single word solutions is not correct. All RayT’s solutions, for Toughies, back-pagers and Quickies, have single word answers, and his Quickies just have single word clues too.

   1. Thanks, RD. That rings a distant bell now, but I had completely forgotten it.

10. What a lovely treat for a Thursday. Just a couple of minor delays. As ever many clever and brief clues. Having scrambled my brain for poems before realising the obvious I will go for 3d as my favourite.

    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo for the hints.

11. Groovy guzzle. Delighted to see the new Serengeti appear again. He turns up as readily and regularly as Emile Sande to a Royal Jubilee.

    Wotta night at the O2 with Sir Paul McCartney. Two and a half hours without a break (at 82); his voice in MUCH better shape than feared. We were so privileged to be by the side of the stage for the show. A night I shall never forget.

    Thanks to RayTee and Shabba-dabba-doo

    

12. Mr T provides his usual fortnightly entertainment – thanks to him and Shabbo.
    I particularly liked 12a, 25a, 5d and 20d.

13. As most others have said this was a gentle and enjoyable solve from Ray T. Had to check parsings on 8D and 25A. Like SC I too always forget chess references 🙄. Note to self ! I had assumed 29a was the Film , but excellent that it could have been the other meaning. Wonder which one was meant ? Thanks to Mr T and to Shabbo.

14. Found this to be on the tougher side, but must confess to being distracted by other things…ended up being good fun though.
    Have @5d, just because!
    Many thanks to RayT and to Shabbo.

15. Thanks to Shabbo for the blog and Ray T for the puzzle. This was a Goldilocks one for me, not too hard, not too easy, but just right. Very enjoyable indeed, too many great clues to pick a favourite. 14a threw me a bit until I got to the nub of it.
    ***/*****

    1. Like it, FC. Like it.

16. All systems go here as my little tribe from IOW are due to descend this afternoon. Thankfully, I found time for the master of brevity and was grateful that he was in soft pedal mode. Even so, 18d gave me the runaround as I got an incorrect answer firmly wedged in my mind and it refused to go away until the solve was almost completed.

    Devotions as always to Mr T and many thanks to Shabbo for the review.

17. A very benign Ray T today. The top went in relatively smoothly but the bottom took more time and consideration. So many good clues, but I’ll plump for 4 and 5d, with 29a as my podium. They can fight it out for top billing as they were all excellent. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

18. A mainly smooth ride combined with a few rather more taxing teasers. 18d was unparsed as criminal not noted. 26d rather far-fetched. Do dislike pants as in 30a context. Altogether an entertaining enigma. Thank you RAyT and Shabbo.

19. RayT’, fortnightly visit to the back page. I found this one a little more challenging than his last several … upped the ante a bit I thought. The usual signature clues of sweetheart and the Queen were front and centre too.

    2.5*/4* for me

    Favourites 19a, 21a, 27a, 29a & 1d — with winner 1d
    Several chestnuts in this one, but that was all good and helped the solving process

    Thanks to RayT & Shabbo

20. Could someone explain why buff is the clue to the answer to 12d? There is nothing in the BRB which gives it as a definition.
    Apart from that a reasonable Ray T.
    Thx to all
    ***/***

    1. A buff is a term you don’t hear much these days for an amateur expert

21. Evening all. Many thanks to Shabbo for the decryption and to all who commented. For anybody who is interested, the Quickie Pun a fortnight ago was STOCKHOLM…

    RayT

22. Unlike almost everyone above, I didn’t find this particularly benign, but instead thought it was one of RayT’s more challenging efforts. My stumbling blocks were 3d, and 26d, and also puzzled for a while over 8d, being not too bright about all things chess related. But it kept me out of mischief, on this surprisingly warmer than usual South Florida day. Going to be rather hot for our weekly Bocce game today, and yet a week ago, we were bundled up in jackets and scarves as a cold north wind tried to blow us off the courts. Anyway, thanks to RayT who may have brought a few of my brain cells back to life, and to Shabbo.

23. An enjoyable solve. Bit slow to get on wavelength & well into ** time at completion so found it more of a 7d than the previous three days. Good few years since I’ve seen Alan Clarke’s 29a & have no wish to ever see it again. Lovely weather up in Tigh Mor today so plenty of walking & glorious views.
    Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo

24. I do enjoy Thursdays when Ray T steps up to the crease ***/**** Favourites 21a & 9d Thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo 😃

25. I never cease to be amazed how we see things differently, some found the south tricky but for me it went straight in and the north more of a 7d, you say potato ….. Another excellent offering from my favourite setter. As usual hard to pick a favourite but I’ll go with 18d. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo.

26. Good evening

    I’m in the same camp as Busy Lizzie at comment no. 21! Despite the ** awarded by the esteemed Mr Shabbingtons, I’m putting today’s crozzie down as a definite fourser.

    Of course, I knew right from the off that I was crossing swords once again with the Mighty Mr T – but having found a way in at 11:00 this morning, I did not expect to be putting my pen away at almost 9:00 tonight!

    COTD, the pick of an excellent bunch, is 14a. It was my second last to fall, with the initial letter of the solution giving me the key to 1d.

    Many thanks to Mr T and to Shabbo.

27. Harder than ** but enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

28. Smooth puzzle but the majority view proved elusive, thank you Shabbo for explaining and Ray T for the usual quality

29. 3*/4* ….
    liked 6A “Spots around chin, nose, eyes, initially (4)”

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