DT 30813

54 comments on “DT 30813”

1. A delightful offering from Ray T with all the usual trademarks along with a few curveballs. I needed internet help with a couple but, on the whole, a satisfying solve. I couldn’t get “cash” out of my mind for 31a but could see it was incorrect. I didn’t solve it until 22d fell. The extensive hamper at 4a raised a smile and so did the joined-up orchestra member. I always forget the term for a power cut so 13a took a while to fall. My COTD is the prophet on a pilgrimage at 15d.

   The Quickie pun was a delight.

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

   Cold but bright and sunny in The Marches today. Mind you, nothing compared to our friends in Canada.

   1. I’m sure we weren’t alone but me too with cash for 32a but couldn’t parse the CA.

2. A big 4d when the lady eventually waved her flag when 21a went in via the app.

   Toss up for my favourite between the grand 21a and the 13a shock.

   Couple of inches of overnight snow here in NE Scotland but a bright and sunny morning.

   Thanks to Ray T for the puzzle and to Shabbo.

3. Oh, what a lovely day in crosswordland with both a RayT back-pager and a Silvanus Toughie to enjoy!

   This one was a 2*/5* for me with 15d my last one in and favourite.

   Many thanks to RayT and Shabbo.

4. Undoubtedly great joy on Ynys Mon today! The Master of Brevity at his very best.- **/*****

   Candidates for favourite – 10a, 23a, 25a, 6d, and 22d – and the winner is 22d.

   Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo.

5. RayT has set the bar very high for himself for the year. It was excellent.

   Even though he used the word ‘raised’ with two crossing clues and the root of 17a is voice, I have to give him top marks.

   He could have added ‘For you’ at the start of 21a but his reads perfectly well.

   My podium is 13a, 18d and 22d.

   Many thanks to the aforementioned and Shabbs.

   3*/5*

   1. I forgot to say how totes hilaire 20a is 👏👏

6. I thought at one point that this was going to be a complete breeze and then I hit the wall. A break to bake some bread and, subject to checking the parsing of a couple with Shabbo’s hints, I managed to solve this elegant and tricky puzzle. I liked the cheeky 20a and this, with 22d and 15d in top spot form my podium today. Thanks to Ray T and Shabbo for the confirmatory hints.

7. Just brilliant from first to last, a superb puzzle to enhance a beautiful sunny morning. The skill involved in creating these little masterpieces is quite breathtaking when you consider the self-enforced brevity. I had to use my pin to pick a favourite, and that provided me with 15d.

   Many thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

8. Mr T is on top form today. Thanks to him and Shabbo.
   My ticks went to 20a, 21a, 30a and 8d.

9. 4d – a puzzle where one encounters both a female in the buff & the missionary position. Struggled to peg a couple of the required synonyms extending the solve comfortably into **time. Fav was 15d. Very enjoyable.
   Thanks to Ray T & to Shabbo.
   Ps the Quick pun took me to You Tube for a reminder of Bonnie’s hairdo

   1. Have you seen this version — the original video but with Bonnie Tyler’s vocals replaced so the lyrics describe what we’re seeing in the images? It really highlights how ridiculous much of the video is!

      Credit: David A Scott Jr

      1. That’s brilliant, Smylers. Best laugh I’ve had in ages. (Well, at least this year 😉)

      2. Very good 👍

10. I also noticed that all solutions were one word only. Not sure if this is another hallmark of RayT. Anyway, thanks for a nice crossword. Like Steve I also kept thinking cash for 31a until 22d went in. 9d is my favourite for today. Also thanks to Shabbo for the hints which were needed for my LOI 23a.

    1. Rabbit Dave kindly reminded me a couple of weeks ago that single word answers are another one of RayT’s trademarks:

       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. Shabbo, nothing to do with that, but just wanted to say how refreshing it was to have images with the hints, rather than endless YouTube clips of musicians!

          1. Thank you. My knowledge of popular music is very limited, so you won’t see any music clips from me. It is often tempting to play a little loose with some of the images. I was tempted to show a flock of bats rather than a block of flats, but I thought that might be a step too far!

11. Tearful farewells here as my little IOW gang set off on their long trek back home so I really needed my dream team to cheer me up.
    Mr T certainly gave me a few things to think about, not least of which was the second word of the Quickie pun, so goodness knows what Mr Smooth has in store on the other side!
    So much choice for the podium – in the end I settled on 20&23a plus 9d.

    Devotions as ever to Mr T and many thanks to Shabbo for the review – all good wishes for 2025 to both of you.

    1. Thank you, Jane and HNY to you too.
       I hope your “empty nest syndrome” is not too severe.
       Our three granddaughters went home yesterday after 8 days here. We miss them, of course, but it is blissfully quiet!!
       I have just done Silvanus’s Toughie. You are in for another treat!
       It is a beautiful day here in Welwyn Garden City – time for a stroll this afternoon, methinks.

12. Ya what? Superb guzzle but ‘pon my soul, that was a tricky task to complete. 22d last one in because I am an eejit.

    It’s The Youngster’s birthday, and a dozen or so gals are arriving here shortly. As a consequence, H and I intend to bolt it out of here as soon as possible.
    Luckily, last year, we had a log cabin installed in the garden, mainly for the youngster to use as a hang out zone, and with luck, most of the carousing will be confined within. I understand a walk to a local beauty spot and an afternoon in the public house are also to feature. It is going to be a long day.

    Thanks to RayTee and Shabba-Dabba-Doo

13. RayT at his succinct best! My podium is 20a, 21a and 30a with the latter on the top step.

    Many thanks to RayT and Shabbo and a Happy New year to both.

14. Lovely puzzle thank you. I had 21a as although (even) cut in half. Any thoughts?

    1. Interesting idea, but I’m not sure “half cut” could be used as an indicator to remove the first two and last two letters of the word? As ever, I am quite happy to be corrected!

    2. That’s how I parsed it. Clever I thought. Good old engineering measurements. I still have a few sets of rusty feeler gauges. Of course they may come in useful one day….!

       1. You definitely need to keep them…along with six sticks for stirring paint.

    3. I, too, had parsed it that way before experiencing a last minute (check your bingo card) PDM.

15. Best RayT puzzle of the year!
    Seriously though, this was a joy to solve, too many good clues to pick an outright winner, though if pushed possibly 30a
    **/*****
    Thanks to RayT and Shabbo

16. A DNF for me as 15d eluded me. A fine puzzle though as ever from this setter.

    Top picks for me were 30a, 20a and 5d.

    Thanks to Shabbo and Ray T.

17. Typical Ray T but there are two clues I still cannot understand. 21a using the hint where does the s fit in? Also 15d is a complete mystery.
    Apart from that an ok puzzle.
    Thx to all
    ***/***

    1. 15d prophet goes outside pilgrimage, and 21a half a word mean a grand, hope that helps

    2. I read it as “the answer (it) is grand..” etc

    3. Thx Guys for trying to help but I am still at a loss. I have the right answer which is half of the slang word for a thousand but still can’t see any definition for the answer. Ah well move on.

18. Another good puzzle, a step up from yesterday, last one in 15d and favourite 20a, made me smile

19. Well it is clear with the sweetheart, the queen and that fact it has been a fortnight since his last puzzle, that this is a RayT production. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

    2*/5*

    Favourites include 1a, 20a, 28a, 30a, 4d & 27d — with winner 30a

    As always, thanks to RayT for another superb puzzle & Shabbo for hints

20. Fun puzzle, but I needed hints for parsing of 21a it brought my late engineer father to mind.
    Thanks to Shabbo and RayT.

21. Completed but without much joy and I needed the hints to figure out sone of the parsing, especially 21a.
    No cotd for me and last in was 8d which was a red herring as a tuba is not an orchestral instrument.

    1. You do surprise me, BE. I always thought a tuba was part of the brass section.

       1. I agree Steve “an orchestra usually had one tuba”!

    2. DNF! Not our best effort. quite the worst for a while. Back tomorrow for more headaches. Gary and Val

22. I got there I the end but needed the hints for 15d and 21a, as I just could not see the answers. The rest of it was a delight with many smiles, particularly 20a.

    Many thanks to Ray T and to Shabbo for the hints.

23. Evening all. My usual thanks to Shabbo for the elucidation and to everybody who left a comment. I hope that you all have an excellent 2025!

    RayT

    1. Good evening, Mr T. Thank you for another most enjoyable puzzle and may I wish you a very Happy New Year. Hope your young man celebrated sensibly!

    2. Thank you for an excellent puzzle, Mr. T and the very best to you for 2025 as well.

24. Ray T gives us a puzzle that is pure elegance. Take my hat off to him if only to scratch my head. Proud to have got through with just looking up a synonym for prophet. My father ran a precision engineering business and would talk of working to 21 a. and in those days that meant being very accurate. Grateful today for some sunshine and another fine crossword.

25. I found this one to be hard work but managed a successful completion (eventually) without the hints. 4d was my response to finishing also. 30d raised a smile. Thanks Shabbo and RayT
    ***/****

26. I really wouldn’t grumble if Ray T set the puzzles every Thursday! An absolutely brilliant puzzle, full of clever clues and the usual wit and humour.
    Thanks to Mr T and Shabbo.

27. There was a fair bit of head scratching done in solving this excellent puzzle but well worth it. LOI was 15d. As usual one of the most difficult parts of a Rayt puzzle is picking favourite but I’ll go with 20a. Thanks to Rayt and Shabbo.

28. Really enjoyed this challenge despite a dnf due to 4d. My brain had decided peek was the answer but was struggling to parse, not surprisingly…

    Another good result with a RayT for me!

    Thanks to all.

29. A busy day so a late finish for me. Gosh 21a , what a clever little beast , which was my last in (having looked at the hint for 15d ), and for which I just checked the parsing having bunged it in. A superb and slightly chewy offering from Ray T today. Thanks so much and to Shabbo.

30. An entertaining challenge for threequarters but in spite of dipping in and out of SE during the day I was left with 15d and 21a as too hards so thanks Shabbo for facilitating my finish. Synonym indicators become increasingly obtuse e.g. 10a “taking on”. 17a had to be but can’t say I have ever seen it used and likewise 23a as branch? Joint Favs 30a and 26d. Thank you RayT and Shabbo.

31. All done except 21a which I’d never have got, even with the hint. The answer to me means “you” and has nothing to do with a number. For me this spoilt an otherwise enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to Shabbo.

32. Laconically brilliant.

33. 3*/3* ….
    liked 16A “Someone called, alternatively blackleg initially (4)”

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