DT 31069

47 comments on “DT 31069”

1. Another wonderful production from The Professor along with the usual humour. I seem to recall we had the goat at 4a not so long ago but he is still welcome. For some odd reason, I thought 27a was an anagram of “into base” and “n” and I came up with “sanbenito”, which is a garment worn by a condemned heretic. A top of sorts but not, I think, a worktop. I’m not sure how feet fit into 5d but I’m probably missing something. My COTD is 4d with its grooms accompanying horses.

   Thank you, Professor in the library for a most enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, Hintsman for the hunts.

   1. I think keeping both feet on the ground means you have your act ********

      1. Hm – a bit tenuous but I can see the point.

2. 1*/4*. You can’t beat Senf’s wonderful phrase typically Tuesdayish to describe this very enjoyable puzzle.

   My podium comprises 1a, 4a & 4d.

   Many thanks to the Prof and to Hintsman.

   PS, I too took 5d as a double definition but with the split being before and not after the “with”.

   1. So did I – just got my underlining wrong.

3. An enjoyable puzzle with the only hiccup for me being the parsing of 5d.

   Top picks for me were 4a, 9a and 4d.
   Thanks to Huntsman and Mr Plumb.

4. For me, etc^©, Mr Plumb somewhat more than a tad trickier than usual but the Quickie grid confirms that he is the setter – ***/****

   Candidates for favourite – 10a, 12a, 18a, 27a, 4d, and 16d – and the winner is 27a.

   Thanks to Mr Plumb and Huntsman.

   P.S. The Floughiest of Floughie Toughies from Chalicea!

5. Good morning. This was a solid crossword and not a read and fill. The first pass got me half way through with the Northern half falling first with only a smattering of fills in the South. The SW was trickier but perfectly doable. Plenty of worthy clues for COTD and the following are my stand out clues 9a, 13a, 18a, 27a, 8d, 21d and 22d. And the winner for me is 27a. Thank you to Huntsman and the setter. Also, I love the Pun in the quick x word

6. A very gentle Tuesday workout.
   That said, there were many pleasingly polished surfaces, none better than the manoeuvres afloat described in 13a.
   My thanks to Mr Plumb and Mr Sky Blue, hope you feel better soon, mate.

7. At the tough end of a typical Tuesday(tm)
   5d held me up in the NE, but when I considered the double definition it released the minor blockage.
   Thanks to AP and Huntsman – top music again.

8. Pretty straightforward but elegantly clued as always from our regular Tuesday setter. If I have to pick one favourite it has to be 4a. Great fun.

   Many thanks to AP and The Hintsman. The Toughie is highly approachable today too.

9. For me, tougher than others found it – had to start in the bottom half and slowly work my way up. But all fair and above board, enjoyable and satisfying tonfinish.

   1. Ditto.
      I couldn’t make head nor tail of the first few clues so I retreated to the depths of the puzzle and got on much better.
      By the time I read the top clues again my brain had started working properly and I filled with grid in a reasonable (for me) time.

      4A was the pick of the bunch for me. Thanks to the setter and Huntsman (hope the back gets better)

      1. You weren’t alone retreating to the bottom & working up

   2. Me too. And once I put recount for 3d the NW became impossible.

      1. Hear, hear!

      2. Good to see someone else did

10. Thanks to the Setter and Huntsman. Most fell into place quite quickly. NW held us up for a while. COTD 4a. LOI 9a.

11. I thought this was typical Tuesday fare with a sprinkling of hardish clues on offer amidst a relatively easy grid .4d and 18 picks of the day . Last one in 4d .Thanks to all .

12. A gentle solve for a Tuesday , much welcomed by me ,as my brain is still feeling fried. I too couldn’t parse 5D so just checked the hint – does having one’s feet on the ground mean ‘together’ , as they could be apart but on the ground. That aside , also pleased to see the goat , and what a surprise type of ‘stroke’ for me at 4a . Thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

    1. I just saw SJB comment … re 5d. Maybe that’s it 🤔

13. Unlike others, found this at the easier end of the AP spectrum. Pretty much read and write, light and humorous although forgot to tick any on the way through!

    Thanks to AP and Huntsman for confirming 3 parsings.

14. A very pleasant stroll through Crossyland with the prof in fine form.

    13a is a splendid effort as it’s a brute of a word to parse. My sister thought of a great acrostic to help people spell it:

    Yachts
    Always
    Catch
    High
    Tide

    I love the dual role of ‘brief’ in 12a though, grammatically, it doesn’t quite work (‘had’ twice). But, I understand why he did it.

    My podium is 9a (excellent construction), 10a (for its neatness) and 14d.

    MT to the prof and Hoots!

    1*/4*

15. A slight hesitation before entering my answer to 5d but no other problems encountered. Top marks here for the brief Tory leader with 4a plus 4&21d taking the remaining rosettes.

    Thanks to Mr Plumb and to Huntsman for the review.

16. A top-notch puzzle – thanks to our setter and Huntsman.
    I liked the juxtapositioning of 11a and the brief Tory leader.
    Top picks for me were 4a, 12a, 18a and 14d.

17. A Typically Tuesdayish puzzle again this week. A couple of tricky clues in the grid, but overall pretty clear.

    2*/3.5*

    Favourites 4a, 27a, 4d, 19d, 21d & 22d — with winner 21d
    Smiles for 27a, 6d & 22d

    Thanks to AP & Huntsman

18. I got hung up in the top LH corner as for 3d I had about = re and then the count. I cannot see the ‘ax’ but one I had checked the hints that corner quickly fell into place. My new all singing all dancing doorbell has arrived after 7 months of correspondence. Can I get it to pick up my WiFi?
    No. Of course not. Then come the problem of the matching camera which does not work either. Oh how I need I technical husband, could I get away with bigamy on the strength of not being of sound mind? Many thanks to Mr Setter and the Hibtsman.

    1. Love the ‘bigamy’ comment, Day Zee!

19. For ax read ac. !

20. For some inexplicable reason I made heavy weather of today’s puzzle. Too much of a trial to get much fun. Not the setters fault at all, just not my day. Thanks to AP and Huntsman.

21. I completed the crossword on the phone this morning while waiting in various rooms at Moorfields Eye Hospital. Consequently, I can’t remember much about the detail of my experience, although I did find it trickier than usual for a Tuesday and got nowhere in the N until I had a fair few checkers from the S.

    Thanks very much to AP and to Huntsman. The Dan clip caused me to chortle in Clinic 12. My youngest son and I have spent many enjoyable hours watching and rewatching that documentary and snickering along with Don and Walt as they recount tales of dismissing the fifteenth bass player who had failed to master a particular track to their satisfaction. I also appreciated the Jam’s arguably best-ever B-side, as well as the offering from Muswell Hill’s finest.

22. Quick go at the puzzle then the Arts Soc. lecture . Very late back and still 9 snd 26 across to find. Got finished unaided but got 26 a. wrong with a bung in. Have had such a great day so far that I don’t care about falling at the last hurdle. It was a fair and fun puzzle. Lots to love as always with the professor and thank you Huntsman for setting the wayward to rights.

23. The Prof in a trickier mood today with the north trickier than the south. Did not know the novelist for most dour but with checkers in place the answer was apparent.
    Thanks to Huntsman and PP.

24. A lovely puzzle with a few trickier clues than usual. Completed before going out so I cannot remember any details but I did enjoy 4a.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.

25. 4a was my favourite today as well. In fact I enjoyed it all. So thankyou setter and Huntsman too for your sterling work on the music front.

26. Much trickier than a normal Tuesday – but with the right amount of humour and superb surfaces. This is truly a setter at the top of their game. Thank you to them and of course Huntsman for the music

27. I enjoyed today’s puzzle but for some reason completed top to bottom, on the right half, first. My only delay was putting scorching for 9a which then led to some head-scratching for 2d LOI after checking the hints. Many thanks to the setter and Huntsman.

28. 1.5* / 4* A nice gentle Tuesday with plenty of wit and misdirection. Favourites include 5d in concert, 13a boats and 1d showed
    Thanks to setter and Huntsman

29. Quite tricky in places, so no hope of me finishing hint free today, and definitely more than a * for me. Could kick myself for not immediately getting 25d as I make myself an iced one every afternoon (can no longer drink tea) and enjoy it with a dark chocolate digestive, yummy. Not sure owners of 13a would appreciate them being called boats 😊. But lots of fun along the way. Thanks to setter and Huntsman.
    Can’t help thinking how distressed Merusa would have been today as Hurricane Melissa vents its fury on her beloved Jamaica. I hope everyone there, especially her godson Richard and his family, are ok.

    1. I wholeheartedly second that.

30. Like others here, it was a slow start for me, but once I got started it was quite smooth. Favourites were the goat at 4a and the paper content at 23a, very nice. I got stuck on 9a for a while and it was LOI. Thanks to the setter and to Huntsman……no clues needed today, but the music was appreciated.

31. Great stuff from the Prof as always. 14D and 4A my favourites. VMT also to Huntsman.

32. Good evening

    Another little belter from the Prof.

    I found today that the RHS fell into place reasonably well, while the LHS was a vast, inkless wasteland for a long time. Eventually I got there, not without a few stumbles in the NW quadrant. 5d kept me guessing right to the very end, and was my last to fall. A nice piece of misdirection.

    COTD: a tie between 12a, which was also a good example of misdirection, and 18a.

    Many thanks to Mr. Plumb and to Huntsman.

33. Another solve without the use of the hints, which I will now peruse, and any other reference. So feeling a little bit smug, expecting to be brought back to earth either tomorrow or Thursday. It was the SW corner which held out the longest for me with I think 17d the final entry.
    I found it reasonably challenging, so worth more than a one star imho. COTD for me 4a, 16d and 17d.
    Thank you to the setter and to Huntsman for the hints.

34. A pleasing solve, and in less time than the Toughie, so that at least was in order. Although neither were taxing, and the parsing here was more straightforward. I had 5d as a double definition, as per SJB and RD, and feel it works. I liked the surfaces of 7d and 12a, with the latter getting my prize.
    Thanks to AP and to Huntsman. I hope the back is sorted soon, and that the polygraph remains unused in the bag!

35. Got there in the end but have to admit I was minus several parsings particularly in NW. Wrong first two letters for 3d didn’t help. Fav was 4a. IMHO food is a rather unimaginative way of describing 11a.
    16d remained unsolved until hints were consulted and likewise 16d. Thanks AP and Hintsman.

36. 2*/3*
    liked 4A “Stroke goat then flee (9)”

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