DT 31007 (Hints)

69 comments on “DT 31007 (Hints)”

1. A most enjoyable solve today and, if I’m not mistaken, not a NYDK production. However, I am often wrong when it comes to setter spotting. The south went in first with few problems but I had to tease the north out of its hiding place. The one I don’t fully understand is 6d. I simply cannot see how the clue relates to the answer so I hope it is hinted. If not, I will have to await the review. I liked the knight at 9a, the soldier with fish paste at 12a and settling under a tree at 17d. The tip at 21a was a great clue and nearly made the podium but along came the amorous Romeo at 2d and that gets the accolade.

   Thank you, setter for a most enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, CeeSue for the hints. I can’t see a typo in 17d but I’m missing something obviously. Thank you for hinting 6d, which I now understand.

   1. I think it is a kind of pig, but I haven’t seen the hints yet.

      1. Apologies, of course you meant the parsing. I will go quietly away again.

         1. No apology, necessary, Leif but thank you, nevertheless.

   2. 6d anagram

2. For me and I stress… nope, wrong day again… *Good to see SuperSue back in charge.

   Great guzzle, not easy – I had to keep hammering away at it. Last one in was 10a.

   H is out at the hairdressers. The youngster is out for a run. The house is so quiet it is rather unnerving.

   Thanks to the setter and PC Security (anag)

3. Good fun to cheer up what is a cloudy morning so far in my part of Shropshire. 30a was my final entry and my top clue today was 1a.

   Thanks as always to our Saturday setter and Sue.

4. If you substitute Kent for Shropshire, I can just say “ditto” to YS’s comment @3.

5. Much like Terence, I had several dips at this. Eventually it all came to mind and a satisfying solve was had. Thanks to Setter and Sue.
   I wondered if the typo in 17d is just on electronic versions, but as the paperboy has just arrived I see it is there too.
   The vintage today is interesting and full of clues that are recognisable but with a “twist”. I look forward to seeing how it is hinted.

6. Quite tricky I thought and I got a bit stuck in the middle though with crossers in place I sped up and got there in the end. 8d, 21a and 27a my favourites with the last two being LOIs. Very enjoyable despite (? because of) the challenge. Thank you CS and setter.

7. An enjoyable collection of four just-about-connected mini puzzles, for me gentle other than in the NW which took a few moments longer.

   Did not notice the typo, but did notice that it was the same answer in the same location and with nearly the same clue as featured in a puzzle yesterday!

   Honours to 13a, 16a & 1d

   Many thanks to the setter and to CS

8. Well up to standard as a Saturday puzzle. 28a raised a chuckle but favourite is 12a if only because the contents of the bag were in the Quickie as well so sprang instantly to mind.
   Thanks to CS for demysterfying some parsing and the setter for the fun

   Don Watson

9. I found this tricky. 5a my fav. Thanks for the hints.

10. I didn’t understand 6d either until I realised that a particular breed was involved .I found the north east section a tad difficult and needed e help to finish . Otherwise straightforward and enjoyable.Thanks to all .

11. I have now seen the typo! Talk about hiding in plain sight.

    1. Well I am blowed if I can see it in my paper. It looks like a perfectly OK clue for the answer. Am I missing something?

       1. Keep looking, DG.

       2. D’oh, DG I have only just now noticed the omission in 17d.

       3. You are missing som_hing for sure…

          1. Actually “some-ing” but you get the drift.:-)

             1. some-hing!!!!

                1. Oh for goodness sake!!! Fancy that. I looked at it again and again. It just shows what the brain (even mind) is capable of filling in.

                   1. I tnhik smoonee ocne risleead taht jsut aubot any snibmalcrg of lttrees was dheapicerelbe as lnog as the fsirt and lsat leettrs of ecah wrod rmeeniead cecorrt,

                      1. Neat, Sloops. Very neat.

12. An enjoyable ‘medium’ cranial workout on my Friday evening. Probably not the work of NYDK and I am half wondering if it might be a rare appearance by Cephas, perhaps indicated by 21d.

    Candidates for favourite – 9a, 16a, 30a, 7d, 11d, and 21d – and the winner is 21d.

    Thanks to whomsoever and CS.

13. The typo has now been fixed on the Puzzles Site.

14. Found the NW corner particularly tough, but she really nice clues through the rest of the puzzle
    Thanks to all for the help

15. Found this quite tricky. Got nothing much until the south then worked back up from there quite slowly. Last to fall was the entire NW. got there in the end and enjoyed it immensely just in time before going to play crown green. Thanks to CS for the 21a hint as I would’ve put a different and wrong answer in there.

    Thanks to the setter who I’m sure will not be NYDK.

16. These grids always take a bit of work but I managed to get the job done without too much fuss.

    I haven’t heard of 28a as an expression or 22d.

    My podium is 19a, 21a and 30a.

    MT to the setter and she of the crypt.

    2*/4*

    1. I see you sort of have a mention!

       1. You’re quite right, Day Zee.

          It’s where the name originated.

17. Perhaps not my favourite puzzle of the week but at least it’s solved and behind me now. Top clue here concerned the character witnesses.

    Thanks to our setter and to CS for the hints.

18. I responded to SC’s comment earlier but it seems to have disappeared.
    I read 17d 5 times on my printout before seeing the typo. Our brains are wonderful things showing us what we expect to see but that’s not so helpful with the cryptics.

    I liked the Quickie pun and top picks for me were 21a, 16a and 13a.

    Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.

    1. Same here re the typo – just showed it to the hubby who didn’t spot it either.

19. A dullish sort of day here in Cambridgeshire but it means I can get on with some tasks. A very satisfying guzzle, I don’t understand 1a but George says it is OK. Crickety I dare say. I rather liked the Greek Hero and the time locks, 2d my last one in. I cannot parse 4d but, oh yes I can. I’ve got it. Very smart. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & CeeSue, to whom welcome back.

    1. Well I’m disappointed Daisy – I’d have bet good money that was firmly embedded in your crickety lexicon.

       1. Sorry I don’t come up to scratch!

          1. I doubt Huntsman plays off scratch either

20. Yes, as always a most enjoyable Saturday crossword. However, I’m stuck on 14a. I’ve been through the alphabet three times but can’t find anything to fit the clue, so I’m guessing it’s a proper name. I know I’m going to kick myself when I get the answer!

    1. It’s not a proper name, J.

    2. “did you say” is an indication that you need a homophone of the second word to get a synonym of the first word in the clue.

    3. It’s easily missed

21. Well, for this Saturday puzzle it does not appear to be a NYDK production this week. I too, like Senf, was thinking this might be a Cephas production as I believe last time he was out and about he had four 4 letter words in the centre of the grid. I found a couple of answers in the grid hard to figure out the parsing on, but they had to be what they were.

    2*/4*

    Favourites 9a, 28a, 30a, 7d & 22d — with winner 9a
    All the favourites made me smile or chuckle, so that was good too.

    Thanks to Cephas(?) & CS

22. Had to dip in and out of this over a few hours, distracted by Mrs P ‘s job list and finding the puzzle decidedly tricky in places. Thought the vote loosing President amusing as was 13a, but my vote for cotd goes to 9a. It may possibly be an oldie, but it works well with me. Thanks to compiler and CS.

23. An interesting puzzle with some very witty clues, but no linked solutions: another puzzle as to who set it, then.

    Several here I really liked, but the old pagan in me has to plump for 23D. Lovely image.

    many thanks setter, and Sue too.

24. I too found this tricky so it was slow and steady solve . My last in was 30a , and with unfavourable checkers I had to look at the hint , and as always it was really obvious. Have to say my knowledge of cricket grows everyday with these puzzles ! Thanks so much to the mystery setter and CS.

25. Ah yes. Of course. Thank you Steve and Crypticsue. I’ve been doing the DT crossword for years, but I still get caught out.

    1. Don’t we all?

26. Managed to unscramble all but the NW which, as for Mustafa, did cause a bit of a headache. Needed to jog my memory for 1a component. Thanks setter for a fun solve and CS for hints without which I did manage today.

27. Trying to think what I’ve added recently to my diet, as my solving seems to perked up. That does not mean I finished unaided, but I did do better than most Saturdays so content with that. Of course the crickety 1a was always going to (redacted)(????) me, and the only pig I knew about was the saddleback so not help in 6d. But enjoyed from start to finish. Thanks to setter and CS.

28. Gentler than Donny’s prize puzzles of late but entertaining. Having tackled Karla’s Toughie late last night there was an immediate sense of been there before & even more coincidentally (as MG pointed out) in the same place on the grid. Wouldn’t have known the county name of the oinker breed if it had been a pub quiz so glad of the fodder but otherwise straightforward. The sporty ones at 1&30a + 23d can have the podium spots with 21a just missing out.
    Thanks to the setter & to Sue.
    Ps After two sparkling rounds to open up a 5 shot lead very much looking forward to seeing if Bob MacIntyre, from Oban can out score the world number one, Scotty Scheffler, in the 3rd round of the BMW FedEx Cup.

    1. The excellent Meles NTSPP deserves a wide audience.

29. Very neat puzzle. 13A gave the best laugh. VMT Setter and Sue.

30. I print the crossword every day and do it when I have nothing else to do. Earlier in the year I got three weeks behind and today, I finally caught up! It took me quite a while in amongst cutting grass, trimming trees, doing some washing and snoozing in the sunshine, held up mainly in the top left by the knight and the bowler but, having solved it, I wondered why. Didn’t know the pig was black but enjoyed it anyway.

31. Thanks to the setter and CS. We left the puzzle until much later in the day than usual. Slow going at times but we managed to solve without resorting to hints. Hard to pick out favourites but Val as usual picks out and enjoys the anagrams. 6d especially. Gary and Val

32. I didn’t notice the typo at 17d but then I have enough problems reading through ny own comment and finding the typos. It was an absorbing and interesting solve, blessedly free of linked clues. Thank you, compiler for the most enjoyable Saturday puzzle for a whiile. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed the two geographical clues at 5a and 10a. The anagram at 25a and rhe crickety clue at 23d were rather good too. Thanks to CS for the clues. Its been chilly all day in rural Oxfordshire, no sign of the high temperatures that were apeomised.

33. Well, it was the unlinked me. I have this un-multi-lit version of myself.

    Thanks Sue and all commenters.

    That was weird about the 5,3 clue though. Some mind-transference meld-Spockness affair methinks. Nick! What was it?

    Cheers
    NYDK

    1. Well I never! I could have sworn it was not your good self, NYDK and not because of the absence of linked clues. A fine puzzle, sir and many thanks for it. Also, thank you for popping in.

    2. It is not usual to have much crossover between the Friday Toughie and the SPP. maybe you were comparing notes at The George?

    3. Well that’s another wad in the satchel of my bookie. Thanks for popping in.

34. 2* / 4* Not easy but very enjoyable prize puzzle, also liked the quickie pun. Favourites include 9a knight, great shot at 1a and the sporty type at 24a
    Thanks to Sue and NYDK

35. A puzzle which due to lack of time I could not do justice to, I needed to look at a couple of hints as I wanted to complete it. I did not know 1a and 6d was not obvious to me, I still enjoyed it very much.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS for the hints, I am glad 17d was incorrect

36. Completed this in the pub after it came together more readily than I imagined at the start. Last one in was 6d and favourite 2d for the schoolboy humour. Thanks to Cryptic Sue and NYDK

37. Completed in bed this morning with the obligatory cup of tea, having spent some time yesterday attempting to finish it. All was going well until the NW corner where I came to a sudden halt, so had to refer to CS’s hints. I had guessed at 1d but did not know the name. Shame on me for struggling with 9a, a major failing on my part. I was surprised at the synonym for amorous in 2d, as ‘Another Brian’ has said above, memories of schoolboy humour, so one of my CsOTD, along with 6d.
    As always, thank you to the setter and to CS for the hints.

38. A very enjoyable non linked NYDK production, on the easier side of his spectrum to me at least.
    1.5*/4.5*
    Not familiar with the phrase at 28a but with 23d in place it can be nothing else.
    Thanks to Sue and NYDK

39. A cosy comfort blanket to be doing the crossword again. With the pig allusion I was off with Bertie Wooster. Overthinking clues can be as bad as under thinking them. Particularly liked 21a and 22 d. Last one in was 30a which was very clever. That is why it took so long.
    Thanks to CS and NYDK

40. This was a delightful NYDK puzzle.
    I thought there was a lovely mixture of clues. Some fell neatly into place and others raised chuckles. There were a few I found quite tricky. The challenge of teasing these out was most enjoyable.
    It is very difficult to choose which clues appealed most as they all deserve comment. I have chosen these few: 9a, 10a, 13a, 21a, 30a, 11d, 18d, 22d and 23d.
    Many appreciative thanks to NYDK for a most enjoyable cryptic.
    Many appreciative thanks to crypticsue for the hints and tips with lovely illustrations. I didn’t have recourse to these but have enjoyed reading them. It’s really valuable to have such help at hand if needed.

41. I was ‘caught out’ by 1a. Surely the clue was wrong?
    Should someone be shot or has the meaning changed?

42. Great one. Lots of fun. Only messed up on 1 across. 🙌🏻

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