DT 30946

58 comments on “DT 30946”

1. Got three and very nearly gave up right then.

   Very, very, convoluted clues in a style that I can’t remember seeing ever before, could this be someone new? or if not, I’m intrigued to see just who set it.

   Struggled to the end with a good few ‘why does that work’s, so will need to see the hints (and good luck to whoever the hinter is today, they’ll certainly have their work cut out)

   Can’t really pick any favourites today as it seemed too much of a struggle to think of anything else, roll on tomorrow……

   1. Just seen the hints and I’ve got the wrong answer to 10a, and as for 22a, I still don’t get it.

      1. I still don’t get 22a either, – but it was a bung in once I had some checkers.
         I recognise ‘Alley’, ‘Throw’ and ‘Down’ all relate to the answer, but I have no idea what ‘Cats’ has to do with it or how the individual words parse into the answer

         1. I think ‘cat’ is used to express the term for an enthusiast, (jazz cat etc), so the whole clue is the definition as in a game for people who throwdown (bowl) in an alley.

2. A diabolically clever crossword today and I found it hard to get a foothold. Having got one clue wachh in the NW and NE corners, I finally got going in the SE and the checkers helped a lot. Oblique synonyms with subtle misdierection werre the order of the,day but the ccklues were totally logical. I liked the petty complaint at 1a, the reverse lurker at 9a, the Lego clue at 12a and the cryptic definition at 22a but there amwere other clever ues, even the 4-letter words. Thanks to Mr K for the hints; that must have been a job and a half. Thanks to the compiler, I got much satisfaction and enjoyment out of today’s guzzle

3. I enjoyed this puzzle, putting it at a similar level to Ray T’s yesterday. It probably helped that 1a & 6a leapt from the page and rest of it followed without too much difficulty.

   Like Tipcat I couldn’t really parse the “alley cats” clue, presuming that this is slang for keen fans of / participants in the 22a game, but the answer was clear even if the reasoning wasn’t. I wouldn’t consider the 27a fruit in any way exotic, but I loved the preceding homophone. Honours to 1a, 10a, 12a, & 21d.

   Many thanks to the setter (I’m thinking Zandio) and especially of course to Mr K.

   1. I googled “alley cats” and couldn’t find any reference to tenpin bowling???

      1. I just took it as being (very) cryptic, Vince: bowlers throw the ball down a bowling alley and, if they’re really into it they might be extremely keen afficionados, or fans, or ‘cats’, hence “alley cats”.

         I’m sure the setter will be around later and will hopefully explain!

4. Even for a Friday, quite a challenge. If it is the work of a member of the Friday Triumvirate then it is most likely a Zandio production – ***/***.

   Candidates for favourite – 12a, 25a, and 11d – and the winner is 12a.

   Thanks to Zandio, or whomsoever if it is not he, and to Mr K. A kitty pic I have used before but then we have had 8d before:

   

5. I found some of the cluing and several of the definitions rather loose, but that’s obviously just a personal opinion and there were still some goodies to be found. Top three for me were 12&25a plus 11d.

   Thanks to our setter – Zandio would be my guess – and to Mr K for the review.

6. Quite the challenge is right for this puzzle. Parsing hard to figure out even with the answer in place. Needed e-Help to get this done today. Seemed more like Toughie to me. I would agree likely a Zandio as I often have difficulty with his clueing

   4*/2.5*

   Favourites that made sense to me 10a, 24a, 25a, 2a, 7d & 20d — with winner 20d

   Thanks to Zandio(?) & Mr K

7. The trickiest back-pager of the week as Friday should be and very entertaining – thanks to our setter and Mr K.
   Top clues for me were 1a, 12a and 11d.

   1. I agree with you, Gazza, in all respects, so won’t repeat the comments.

8. I didn’t get on with today’s offering. Like TC above, I don’t get 22a. Where does the moggie come into it? I needed far too many hints for it to be enjoyable but it is Friday.

   Thank you, setter for the brain mangling. Thank you Mr. K. for the hints. They were needed today.

   I think I’ll go and lie down now! 😊

   

   1. Hip people who went bowling in the 60’s/70’s may be. I found this one easier than yesterday’s. I’d have given it a ***

   2. I asked Google and this is what it told me:

      Yes, “alley cat” is a slang term that can refer to tenpin bowling. The term “alley cat” is often used to describe a person who is good at bowling, or to describe a bowling alley.

9. Like Tipcat I did not get 22a and got 10a wrong.
   I can see it was my fault with 10a but I’m still struggling to see what the cat is doing in 22a.
   If it is an expression meaning someone who is nuts about the activity it has passed me by.

   Very tough for me, so consequently little enjoyment.

   Thanks to Mr K and to the setter whoever they are ( but can you make it less difficult next time, please?)

   Off for a week in Northumberland tomorrow with a detour to Durham. Looking forward to seeing Durham Cathedral at last after seeing it from the train so many times. Vindolanda and Lindisfarne also on the list of places to explore.

   1. Did you have ‘article’ for 10a Ora?

      1. I had attache for 10a. A politician’s assistant? Who maybe writes his speeches?

         1. In North America I believe teleprompter is the equivalent of autocue.

   2. Enjoy your trip, Ora. Durham Cathedral is well worth visiting, as is the impressive Lego model of it.

      On Holy Island we found the priory more interesting that Lindisfarne Castle, because so much of the latter is taken up with information about the Country Life editor who bought the place in the 1900s, rather than the reason it was built in the first place. Can recommend the ice cream from Pilgrim’s Gelato, though — we went twice!

   3. Hope you enjoy Northumberland and the weather’s kind to you

10. I had to work for this but it was worth the effort with my LOI being 10a.

    Some excellent cluing with some reverse engineering required here and there.

    I’m okay with 22a as a throwdown is a musical term often used in DJ contests. So, an alley cat’s throwdown could be a term for someone who’s a street-smart rapper (possibly an alley cat).

    My podium is 4d, 11d and 20d.

    MT to the setter and Mr K

    4*/4*

11. 22a is an odd one. For cricket lovers, and indeed tenpin bowling addicts, the terms bowling and throwing are certainly not synonymous. I cannot see an obvious answer as to why ‘cats’ is in the clue, other than alley cats, and the American term for cool kids? Who knows. That rather strange clue aside, I enjoyed the challenge, which was generally stiff but fair, with 11d my favourite and 16d my final entry.

    Thanks setter and Mr K.

12. I don’t normally comment but I was somewhat surprised to be able to complete this without any assistance and I rather enjoyed it. I must confess to not fully understanding some of the clues but try not to worry about it.
    The bowling alley cat is a short Tom and Jerry film according to google.

13. I was fortunate today in seemingly being on the setter’s wavelength from the start with the N falling into place in near-record time. Nevertheless, I slowed down considerably in the SW, with 17a and 13d the last in. 11d and 27a were my favourites. Thanks very much to the setter for an enjoyable puzzle and to Mr K for helping me get to the bottom of some of the parsing.

14. I think ‘cat’ is used to express the term for an enthusiast, (jazz cat etc), so the whole clue is the definition as in a game for people who throwdown (bowl) in an alley.

15. 4*/2.5*. This was tough, but OK in that respect for a Friday back-pager. However, I did find it a very mixed bag in terms of enjoyment. 12a, 25a & 11d were at the top of the pile with the awful 22a bringing up the rear.

    Thanks to the setter and to Mr K.

16. re 22d

    Am i restating the obvious here?

    A throwdown is an informal cricketing term for a loose/poor/easy delivery by a bowler.

    One performs ten pin bowling at a bowling alley.

    Does that not explain it?

    1. No

       1. Hi TC

          Does my explanation for cat further up pass muster?

       2. Hi TC

          Does my explanation for cat further up pass muster?

          I learnt the term from my daughter when we were watching the Pitch Perfect trilogy which I’m a big fan of.

          They call it a ‘riff off’ and a throwdown is a more aggressive version.

          I could well be wrong as I’ll be impressed if the setter knows this meaning.

          1. Hi Tom, still far too convoluted to my way of thinking, I think we’re trying to make ways of explaining a clue that might well have had a mistake in it from the get go, I’ve shown the clue to my two cats, and even they’re none the wiser 🤔

             1. Great shout 😄

                I think Jose has answered it, further up the blog.

17. I enjoyed this offering and found it less tricky than yesterday’s. I too wondered about the 22a cats though.

    Top picks for me are 12a, 21d, 10a and 18d.

    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

18. Found this much speedier solve than yesterday. Agree with some about 10a and 22a – not great clues in my humble opinion. Other than that all fine and dandy. Thanks to the setter and to MrK whose hints I shall now have a butchers at.

19. Fiendish but it is Friday I suppose. I needed a fair few hints to get me over the line and, like Steve C, I now need a lie down and a damp towel over my eyes. That said there was much to admire, especially 13d, 12a and 11d. 22a once told the parsing was too clever by half. Thanks to compiler and Mr K.

20. I agree with several comments above regarding one or two fairly loose clues, which I find annoying. I only seem to come across them on a Friday and wonder if the setter is trying too hard to be overly cryptic. (Mustafa G identified a couple in last Friday’s Elgar toughie).
    Still, I don’t want to sound negative as I enjoyed this, despite being held up for a while in the SW.
    My ticks today are against 13d, 18d and 21d.
    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

21. Good fun, got there eventually.thank you

22. Tough, but I got on better with this than with yesterday’s mind-bender. Quite a few bung-ins that required a long ponder to justify, but got there in the end. Favourite was 2d because of the clever use of anagram indicators – several parsings possible. I started by trying to take N and SPAS (resorts) out of SPANIARDS, which held me up for a while. ***/****

    1. Regarding ‘cats’ the OED lists one usage as “an appreciator of jazz (mainly US)” but also lists it as slang for “A ‘regular guy’, fellow, man.” which is presumably the meaning in use here. There is no mention of the US for that definition. No idea what the BRB says, but its use seems justified bother cryptically and in the surface read.

23. I loved this — lots of fun, with just a few answers at each pass, but building up to a full grid, with no obscure answers, and the whole thing completed in a fairly typical time for me (and actually slightly quicker than a couple of other crosswords this week).

    My favourites were 12a with The Shadows, the 11d Disney kid, and the cunning definition in 26a, which I’ve only finally twigged since starting this comment. Thank you to Zandio for providing the entertainment and Mr K for the safety net, ready to come to the rescue if it all gets too much.

    This must be the first Friday when commenters have been complaining about too many cats!

    1. Wonderful clip, Smylers, thank you – one would have to be stone-hearted indeed not to be smiling by the end of that!

       If I tried it with my spaniels, one would pinch the ball(s), another would chew some of the pins such that they would never stand upright again, and the third would walk around proudly with as many pins as possible in his mouth…

24. A good, toughish challenge – just right for a Friday back-pager. Felt like a Zandio production to me. Many great clues and I’ll go for 11d as my favourite. 4*/4.5*.

25. Needed the hints to parse 27a and 3d my French is non existent and can’t really see 12a but it had to be what it was. I did enjoy this though. Favourite was 24a. Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

26. Well I definitely enjoyed this challenge and give it a 3 .5* / 4*. Favourites petty complaint at 1a, tip at 12a and the much maligned 22a (not sure why previous posters don’t like it)

    Thanks to setter and Mr K

27. Very tricky but then it’s Friday. It took me ages to get some of the cryptic definitions but when I did they made me smile. Once I got it 10a was my favourite. I also did not understand 22a.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints

28. Hello, compiler here. Thanks very much for taking the time to solve, analyse and discuss. Always appreciated.

    1. Thanks for the workout, Z.

       There were plenty of well-crafted clues that made it an enjoyable tussle.

       Keep up the oh so splendid work.

    2. Thanks for popping in Zandio – enjoyed the puzzle & giving us a clue that prompted Smylers to post the kitten clip.

29. Mr. Google and I found this tough going with particular mms for 12a, 22a, 2d, 4d and 23d. Thank you setter and MrK.

    1. By mms I mean uncertainties not pleasurables!

30. Very enjoyable challenge, with some great clues … 13D and 27A my favourites.

31. I have been doing crosswords for 65 years, and have books of word lists to help me. There are of course online word lists now and without one I could not have completed this one. I had three letters for 22a and the word list came up with answer! I actually thought it was cleverly constructed.

32. No feline issues here.
    Tricky puzzle, but it is Friday, so no problems there.
    Thank you Zandio and Mr K.

33. I knew it would be a Zandio , being a fan. I zoned in and found it a chewy , steady solve and an enjoyable workout. Thanks to all for the alley cat info , which also had left me wondering. Thanks Zandio and Mr K.

34. One of my apropos of nothing posts but I came across this and it tickled me. What a fusion!

    1. Loved this Steve!
       Thanks for sharing!

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