Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31318
Hints and tips by Mr K
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BD Rating - Difficulty **** - Enjoyment ****
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Friday. Todayâs enjoyable solve involved recalling several words first learned on Big Daveâs Usual Suspects webpage, along with one or two Google searches.
In the hints below most indicators are italicized, and underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions. Clicking on the answer buttons will reveal the answers. In some hints hyperlinks provide additional explanation or background. Please leave a comment telling us how you got on.
Across
1a Dead end that is restricting motorway progress (7)
IMPASSE: The Latin abbreviation for âthat isâ containing (restricting) both the single letter for motorway and a synonym of progress
5a See 18 Across
See 18a:
9a Thomas, or Bob, or Lynda going out (5)
DYLAN: An anagram (going out) of LYNDA connects Bob and Thomas
10a Get French cheeses picked up for doctor (3,6)
SEA BREEZE: Homophones (picked up) of get or understand and some soft French cheeses. Read about one example of the definition here
11a and 20d: With everything considered, when to retire? (2,3,3,2,3,3)
AT THE END OF THE DAY: The answer, meaning âwith everything consideredâ, could, whimsically, also be the time at which one retires to bed
12a Variable edge not hard in metal (4)
ZINC: A usual letter that can stand for a mathematical variable is followed by a verb synonym of edge minus (not) the pencil abbreviation for hard
14a Dramatist appears to embrace supreme dynasty (12)
ARISTOPHANES: A synonym of appears containing (to embrace) both another word for supreme or best and a Chinese dynasty ARISES containing TOP + HAN . Read about the definition here
18a and 5a: Zonked Handel saw dandelions 11 Across 20 Down (4,4,4,3,4)
WHEN ALLâS SAID AND DONE: An anagram (zonked) of HANDEL SAW DANDELIONS
21a Moving south east, wise person is getting on (4)
AGES: A word for a wise person, with the single letter for south moving to the end of the word (east, in an across clue)
22a Fine athletes trained to save energy set out at night (5,5)
FALSE TEETH: The single letter for fine with an anagram (trained) of ATHLETES containing (to save) the physics symbol for energy
25a Inaccurate summary in Times exposed (9)
IMPRECISE: A French word meaning summary is inserted in TIMES minus its outer letters (exposed)
26a Water nymph heard near a delta (5)
NAIAD: A homophone (heard) of an archaic word for near (as in âthe end is âŚâ) with A from the clue and the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by delta
27a Capital once managed by board (7)
RANGOON: Managed or operated with a (2,2) phrase that could mean board (a ship, perhaps)
28a Style with pen shown in Blaise perhaps (7)
MODESTY: A synonym of style with a pen for pigs. The perhaps indicates that the definition is by example. Read about the definition here
Down
1d Funds raised in pub for vindaloo? (6)
INDIAN: The reversal (raised in a down clue) of funds given as assistance inserted in another word for pub
2d Courteous drunk Edgar Allan entertains (6)
POLITE: The last name of Edgar Allan the writer and poet contains (entertains) an informal word for drunk
3d Twinkling, a son's green eye? (5,5)
SENSE ORGAN: An anagram (twinkling) of A SONâS GREEN. The ? indicates that the definition is by example
4d Some sausages sent for German city (5)
ESSEN: The answer is hidden in (some âŚ) SAUSAGES SENT
5d Similar articles on record: ring us (9)
ANALOGOUS: Concatenate two grammatical articles, a record or list, the ring-shaped letter, and US from the clue
6d Mysterious brunette (4)
DARK: A straightforward double definition
7d Good old criminal keeping cash in chips (8)
OBEDIENT: The single letter for old is followed by a slang adjective synonym of criminal containing (keeping) what âcash in chipsâ means informally O followed by BENT (criminal) containing DIE (âcash in chipsâ)
8d Queen no longer duty-bound to use gym? (8)
EXERCISE: The Latin Abbreviation for a queen who no longer rules is inserted in (⌠-bound) a duty thatâs a tax
13d Church resident possibly given title (10)
CHRISTENED: The map abbreviation for church with an anagram (possibly) of RESIDENT
15d Pavlovian response leaving one in religious hope? (9)
SALVATION: The response observed in Pavlovâs dog experiments, minus (leaving) the Roman one
16d More sticky as it were when dancing (8)
SWEATIER: An anagram (when dancing) of AS IT WERE
17d Play safe with hammer (5,3)
PETER PAN: An informal word for a safe with hammer or criticise harshly
19d Prodigy at first ignored in class (6)
GENIUS: The first letter of IGNORED inserted in a class or taxonomic category in biology
20d See 11 Across
See 11a:
23d Stop harnessing atomic energy (5)
STEAM: Stop or staunch containing (harnessing) the single letter for atomic
24d Plastic bricks on order initially (4)
LEGO: Another word for the on side of a cricket pitch is followed by the first letter (initially) of ORDER
Thanks to todayâs setter. Which clues did you like best?
The Quick Crossword pun: PROPHET + HEARS = PROFITEERS
This took a bit of work, as it should at the tail-end of the week, and was therefore satisfying to solve.
My LOI was 14a. I had the parsing very early on but couldn’t get the synonym for ‘appears’. I couldn’t get away from ‘seems’. When 3d dropped (my SLOI), all was well.
I think ‘zonked’ is an excellent anagram indicator but I’m struggling with ‘twinkling’. Can anyone help? I managed to dredge up the water nymph from the deepest depths but didn’t know the Blaise reference.
‘Duty-bound’ is genius and my cricket knowledge helped with this West Australian wind in 10a that was a nice homophone
My picks are 21a (neat), 1d and 17d.
Many thanks to Mr K and, I’m guessing, our resident weekend sprawler who may be filling in for Mr Smooth? If it ain’t him then I’ll go with Karla.
4*/4*
Thanks for the heads-up about BD’s Usual Suspects, Mr K.
Very useful.
Twinkling, you ask? OK, I’ll have a go. With anagrams we have some fodder and the letters need to be rearranged/moved or moved about. Ideally, an anagram indicator should give some sense of rearranging but sometimes it offers only a sense of moving (the letters). Twinkling does do that – flickering, shimmering, blinking. Moving letters is also rearranging them. That’s how I see it, old chap.
For example, my friend is very house-proud and fastidious about how everything is positioned in her home. If I removed the cushions on her long sofa and replaced them willy-nilly, she might say “Who’s moved my cushions?” She probably wouldn’t say “rearranged”.
Thanks for that, J.
Twinkle toes mean fleet-footed, i.e moving quickly. So, I suppose that’s the angle.
I don’t think it’s the best and should be used when the other 1,500 or so fail.
Ta muchly, again.
But, twinkle and twinkling are in the list of ‘1,500 or so’!
Numbers 1499 and 1500, no doubt.
Twinkling stars! That’s the kind of movement I’m referring to.
Fair enough and thank you.
I don’t like it but can’t get enough of zonked!
Beat by two today, the dramatist (don’t reckon I’ll be the only one!) and the ‘good’ word.
My favourite today was 17d, brilliant clue!
Ouch. That is all I have to say.
Double ouch.
I thought this was quite difficult and took longer than I was hoping for to complete.
My top three were all down clues, namely 13, 15, and 17.
Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K
4*/3*.
I hope the Luxor toughie, which I am about to look at is not too tough.
I could tell it was Friday without looking at the calendar, certainly, for me, the stickiest of the week and about the peak of my ability
I used to believe that if all else failed it must be a lurker but I think Iâll add anagram to that maximâŚ18a?
Having owned a difficult rescue collie for many years I knew what a Paviovian Response was otherwise 15a would have been a total mystery.
I was grateful that the two long âuns were linked and proved to be gettable with a few checkers in place.
My COTD is 14a which took an age to figure out.
Thanks to todayâs setter and Mr K for the hints.
On the subject of Pavlov, there used to be a bar in Reading called Pavlov’s Dogs which my mate went to.
I once asked him what happened when they rang the bell for last orders, he replied ‘well, we had to drink up and leave’
Well, at least I tried!
A great anecdote.
4*/3*. I found parts of this very challenging. It was made a little easier by the two very obvious phrases in the multiple word clues, despite the setter’s use of a misleading and unfair enumeration for 18a.
7d had a very clever definition but 17d was my favourite.
Thanks to the setter and to Mr K.
Hi RD
Regarding the numeration of 18a…you mentioned on a previous blog that you’re okay with the possessive apostrophe being ignored but not one that is a contraction. Is it really that bad? I assume it is accepted crossword etiquette as the powers that be at T Towers haven’t amended it.
Unindicated Americans and anagram indicators are grey areas but my guess is that this one is black and white, i.e it’s allowed or it isn’t?
I’d love to know. So, I’m hoping you have the inside track on this one.
18a. Here’s what I reckon. All’s is a 1-word contraction of the 2-word phrase all is. All’s counts as a single 4-letter word (including the ‘s) for cryptic clue enumeration. It’s been like that for decades and to include apostophes in clue enumeration is quite rare in the DT but does occur occasionally.
That’s what I thought, J.
I recall seeing ”All’s well that ends well” in a crossword once (across two answers) and All’s wasn’t enumerated as (3’1).
I really enjoyed that challenge, which felt fresh and didn’t feature any orchestras etc. (although our favourite city Ruhr had a run out). As others have said, the two linked long ‘uns provided a welcome base camp from which Greek playwrights (new to me too) and other more esoteric delights could be explored. 9a was my favourite, perhaps because I’ve been going through a 9a (music) phase recently. Thanks very much to the setter and to Mr K.
I saw Dylan at Blackbushe in 1978, me and 200,000 other people.
I saw him at the IOW in 1969, only about 150,000 there. We slept, under the stars, for 3 nights in a hay field with only the clothes we wore and a large sheet of polythene.
Me too! Perhaps I was sleeping next to you!
I saw him in Swansea last year ⌠not so great đĽ
A cracking Friday puzzle – many thanks to our setter and Mr K.
My ticks went to 22a, 7d, 8d and 17d.
Hmm, an NYDK SPP a day early or another setter emulating him? I have no idea. In any event the two ‘paired’ clues gave up their secrets quite quickly which helped considerably. ***/****
Candidates for favourite – 11a/20d, 28a, 1d, 17d, and 24d – and the winner is 24d.
Thanks to whomsoever and Mr K.
This is why I like doing crosswords.Pleased that I knew the dramatist straight off. With a name that long it had to be Greek. I did finish but could not parse 7 down and even with Mr. K giving the explanation of â cash in chipsâ it felt as if my life had been too narrow. If it is to do with card games I only do whist and bridge. That N.E corner was difficult because it needed detailed knowledge of weather for 10 across.
Double ticks for the brilliant 15 down. Thanks for such a rewarding crossword and the explanations .
Typically Fridayish and, for me, a bit of a tough one. For once, I solved the linked clue at 11a and 20d first and that opened the grid a bit. I needed help with the dramatist so not an unaided finish. Apparently, he is known as The Father of Comedy but I doubt a play entitled âThesmophoriazusaeâ would tickle the ribs of todayâs audiences. I could, of course, be wrong â it may be one of the funniest ever written. I am going to need Mr. Kâs excellent hints to explain the parsing of a couple such as 12a and 17d. My COTD is Thomas and Bob going out with Lynda at 9a.
Thank you, setter (the linked clues make me go for Big Apple Door Fittings) for a suitable puzzle for a Friday. Thank you, whomsoever if not NYDK. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints, which I will now peruse.
A lovely puzzle full of humour and baht drop moments with only a smattering of GK required but with enough in the clue to have a good stab at the solution without having the GK. 10A held out until the end despite me having a good idea which cheese was required but unable to use that knowledge to solve the clue. So many contenders for COTD but 22A is on the podium due to it raising the widest smile. Thanks to Mr K for the hints which I needed for the parsing the latter part of 27A being a case in point. Thanks also to the setter for a great puzzle.
Thai corner.
I’ve mentioned previously that the English phrase, ‘how are you’, doesn’t sit well with the Thai culture and although they will politely respond to it and teach you how to say it in Thai, it jars with their world view, seeming intrusive and overly personal. I received some very direct feedback from a shopkeeper today that emphasised the point. I was in a shop that is well off the beaten track for europeans and the shopkeeper would probably not encounter any in the course of a year. Despite my awareness that the phrase doesn’t work, I was nervous and there was a bit of dead air so I dragged the phrase out of my Thai toolbox and asked the guy how he was and if he was well, in Thai. He looked at me as if I had two heads but politely replied, I’m fine thanks, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t be working here I would be seeing the doctor.
You have to love Thai logic. đ
Superb!
Actually the Thai people have got this right. Itâs been my experience that people who ask âHow are you?â either (a) really donât want to know or (b) hope that you will ask them back so that they can then regale you with the gory details of their latest malady âşď¸.
That is so true, BL. đ
Never heard of Peter; Johnny, yes, I know him.
Nor me (I?), but *****man as a safecracker yes.
Me neither.
Having watched every episode of The Sweeney (several times), I am well acquainted with the synonym of safe.
What a brilliant series that was! The standard bearer for cop shows though Kojak gave it a run for its money.
The Wire, as good as it is, ain’t a patch.
I try to avoid ITV4 early evening, because if The Sweeney or The Professionals is showing, that’s me in the chair until the end of the episode!
Completely fair.
Hill Street Blues was great in its day
Ooof. That was tough but enjoyable. I agree with Chris M that is felt fresh. I did not finish unaided, so I am most grateful to Mr K for the hints for those and also for the ones I got without knowing how I got there. Thank you also to the setter for the enjoyment and challenge. Have great weekends, everybody.
I started off well with the two long multi word clues going in very early so I thought I was going to sail through. Although I eventually got answers to the all the clues ( with a bit of help from the digital edition telling me when I was wrong) I had several I could not parse or understand eg 10a , 17d, 14a and 28a. Mr K has helpfully patched up the gaps in my knowledge and we will see how long I retain the information. I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle and 15d was my favourite, it is Friday and this seemed very appropriate and I enjoy learning about new things. Hats off to all of you whose knowledge spanned all the required areas.
Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints and the more detailed explanations.
Although I completed the puzzle, I had to check that some of my inserted words were in fact actual words (5d for example) I think DOCTOR as a definition, without a reference to it being an Australian shortened term for an Australian phenomenon (actually THE DOCTOR) was a bit of a stretch.
I hear what you’re saying, D. Maybe the setter should have added ‘in Australia’.
I found it a testing crossword but good fun. Did you like it?
I’d have gone for “flying doctor” – from the 80s Australian TV series.
Perhaps the setter is relying on the entry in a certain dictionary which uses the generic ‘in some warm countries.’
I’ve just looked online and it says it’s a cool 10a blowing in some countries, e,g the Cape doctor.
They use ‘doctor’ because they believe it had healing properties due to it sweeping away urban pollution, heat, and disease-carrying air.
So, I think using it in a clue is fine.
Every day and all that malarkey…
This was a really good workout for a Friday with a couple of testing clues that drew out my solving time. 14a was my favourite.
Thanks to both setter and Mr K.
Re the doctor in 10a: whilst in Fremantle a few years ago, a ship’s captain told me that the doctor was a modern take on the 18th and 19th century name for the docker, a wind that would help blow the sailing ships to the dockside once the boat was facing the right way, making it easier for the captain to tie up.
A DNF for me with 14a. I got 10a but had to check on it’s connection with doctor. There were some great PDMs though.
My top picks were 7d, 22a, 12a, 2d and 17d.
Thanks to Mr K and the setter.
Luckily I remembered the dramatist at 14a, having once studied Lysistrata, in which the women come up with a novel way of persuading their menfolk to end the Peloponnesian war.
Many thanks to the setter for a fine puzzle, and to Mr K for the hints.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata
Love it!
Natalie Haynes is a classicist & comedian (or comedienne if you prefer) who presents a superb series of half-hour stand up pieces on BBC R4. If you want to find out more about 14a, including the Lysistrata, it’s worth listening to this:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b076bz3h
Thanks MG, Iâll have a listen.
Natalie Haynes is also fantastic live: the knowledge of an academic, presented by somebody with the stage presence of a comedian. We (including the children) saw her at Hay, talking about Jason and the Golden Fleece (which was originally purple).
At one point she got distracted on an â interesting â aside, and, realizing she needed to get back to the main story in order to finish on time, blamed the audience for distracting her, and said that meant there wouldn’t be time for questions, adding: âBut to be fair, you might have asked terrible questions anywayâ. Having sat through questions from the public at other talks, she has a point!
This was a great puzzle , and as others have said I agree it felt fresh and was a satisfying and nicely chewy solve. I had to look at the hint for doctor as did not know that , so I too thought it was a bit of a stretch. I spent a while on a few at the end. 14a. I was convinced the definition was a supreme dynasty , In the end I started messing about with letters and got aristo .. and then managed to parse the rest to get the answer even though I had not heard of the chap. Last one in was 7d which I just couldnât figure the parsing but got it in the end , learning a new expression âcash in chipsâ ! Some really excellent clues and parsings. Thanks to the setter (was it NYDK a day early ?) and Mr K
A cracking Friday puzzle, from Z? Great clues, a toughish challenge and a satisfying solve with a sense of achievement at the finish. I’ve ticked a fair few and will opt for 17d as my favourite. With special mention to 18a/5a – a sublime anagram! 4*/4.5*.
I thought Zandio also
PhewâŚ. Almost beyond me but doable with the wonderful hints thank you . Thank you setter for such a challenge.
I agree – the hints were very helpful. I would have argued for apostrophe being signalled in the breakdown for 18a. By the time I got to solving the clue I had worked out what was going on. Show the apostrophe by all means. I agree about 14a – appears is a bit too approximate for me. Three stars rather than four.
For me this Friday puzzle seemed like it was a NYDK type of offering, but a day early.
For a Friday puzzle, it did not seem quite as tricky as normal either.
Who knows who the setter may be though??
Favourites include 1a, 9a, 11a/20d, 2d & 3d â with winner 11a/20d
Thanks to NYDK(?) & Mr K.
Not the most enjoyable puzzle I have ever done, largely due to the linked clues, which I left until last for as long as possible. However, I had the satisfaction of completing it, albeit with gritted teeth. On the plus side, I thoroughly enjoyed puzzling out the lego clue playwright’s parsing, retrospectively and theclecer Pavlov’s dogs clue at 15d. It would be nice to see more of this type of clue from the compiler but thank you for a challenging crossword. Thankstoo to Mr K for the hints.
Absolutely cracking puzzle despite the two long peripatetic clues, both of which were forgiven as being so very good. Initially thought this was going to be a sticky stumper, but after the first few the pace quickened and the solve was relatively brief for a Friday, with all GK coming to mind without trouble.
Lots of superb clues but for me the highlights were 10a, 14a, 26a, 28a, 15d & 17d.
Many thanks indeed to the setter – surely Donny, with a second excellent puzzle in the week – and to Mr K for the blog.
Bloomin’ hard – but bloomin’ brilliant.
Thanks setter and Mr K
Enjoyable and I thought easier than yesterday, with the linked clues could this be a NYDK offering? Thank you Mr K
Terrific puzzle & best of the weekâs back-pagers by some margin for me. Canât say Iâd heard of the homophone at 10a ever referred to as a doctor but Mr G gave the âcouldnât be owt else answerâ the đ. Ticks all over the pitch & 5* entertainment – 17d was my pick of âem & also particularly liked 9,14&25a + 5,7,8&15d along with the linked multi word answers.
Thanks to the setter & to Mr K
The Freemantle doctor rings a distant bell, from GCE geography c.1964 ? A tough guzzle but by no means as tough as yesterday .Foiled by the greek comedy writer, I kept putting phone in and I couldn’t shift the idea , dynasties and phones don’t mix but eh ho .I really enjoyed this 17 ,22 and 28 my picks . Thanks to all
I managed a fair bit of this, including some bung-ins whose parsings totally eluded me; for the rest I needed Mr K today. Very many thanks to him for the blog and extra information and to the setter.
Well, my sense of dread after yesterday’s puzzle was justified! Needed a few pointers but thoroughly enjoyed it. Sense of achievement for a Friday! Thanks Mr K for your guidance.
How long should I stare at the last four clues of the puzzle before throwing the towel in. Too long! (I kept nodding off).
Re: the unwieldy 14 across, I tried and tried to fit something inside Grossmith. Obviously with no success.
An almost enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks setter and hinter
Oh dear I think it must be the heat but I did struggle with this. Could not have finished without the hints, though I did guess the dramatist straight away and bunged it in – it fitted but I didnât know why. The doctor at 10a was hard for me, in fact it was an odd mixture of bolt of lightning as in 11a then a real struggle at 18a. Thanks to the setter and to Mr K – I shall now lie down in a darkened room
I thought I’d turned to the Toughie page in error, but in the end it turned out to be a very satisfying challenge. After the second pass, enough checkers appeared to enable a near completion. I plucked Miss Blaise and the water nymph from the nether regions of what grey matter I have left and, benefiting from Mr K’s parsing for the dramatist and the dog’s response, together with the hint for 17d, I stuttered over the line.
Thank you setter and MrK
3.5*/4*
Mea culpa!
I’m glad this one went down okay for most posters despite its Friday chewiness, as my Toughie in the week was seen as being composed mainly of gristle.
Cheers all esp Mr K
Mr NYDK
Thanks for your very tricky but enjoyable challenge
So I was right in my prediction, NYDK. Not often that happens. Thank you for a tricky but absorbing puzzle.
Thanks for this Friday puzzle!
Damn it – I always defer to others who are much better setter spotters – but I had a strong feeling it had a Saturday vibe – if a bit trickier, but I was too wimpy to state my hunch!!
Thank you sir for an ace puzzle – I look forward to what you have in store for us tomorrow!
Youâre forgiven for that Wednesday brain mangler Paul when you deliver a bobby-dazzler of a puzzle like this a couple of days later
3* / 4* A most enjoyable and educational challenge.
Liked the linked clues and but some reason the prodigy at 19d gave me the most trouble!
Best of a great bunch of clues are 22a falsies, 27a capital and the 8d gym use
Thanks to MrK and setter
Took me the entire journey down to Aldeburgh to complete this on my iPhone. It then told me I’d taken just over an hour to finish. I wish!! More like double that. Carnival here this Monday which is apparently great fun, we will see. Hope the puzzle tomorrow is not as brain mangling. Thanks to setter and hinter
I surrender!
Buzz.
Sturges, Birmingham.
Rainbow.
Correct.
Taxi!
You’re going to have to explain that, Tom! đ¤
I surrender is a song by the heavy rock group Rainbow and I was pretending it was a question on University Challenge.
Not my best, it has to be said. Hence me hailing a taxi to get outta here.
You are becoming weirder, me old mucker!
We on Little Dave better have words!
Its a very fair comment that I cannot disagree with.
đ¤Łđ¤Ł
As you are a wordsmith and have the ear of the Great Susie Dent is it not “My hailing a taxi?” đ
An extremely fair correction, me, sorry, my old cocker spaniel.
I can picture Susie rolling her eyes at me, shaking her head and tutting.
Oh how I would love miss Dent to roll her eyes at me! đ¤
Oh, stop it, SC.
Conceded defeat after listening to Bob Dylanâs Infidels album đ¸ About 70% done. The two long phrases 11a and 18a were fabulousđ
Anyway EFL is all up and running now. Big Walesâ North v South clash on Monday.
Good evening
I see from the above that I’ve crossed swords today with NYDK – and I have to admit defeat. The sponge has been hoyed in, it’s a DNF.
My stumbling blocks were 14a, which I did deduce from the hintingtons; I figured out the synonym for ‘appears’ and guessed from there; Mr K then serving to confirm the answer. But 7d eluded me – swift self-administered kick up the hint-end to follow once I’d clicked to uncover the solution.
10a was an educated guess, but I didn’t know the reference, so thank you again, Mr K.
And, of course, thanks to NYDK for the challenge.
Completely beyond my abilities today. Solved five clues before calling it a day.
Kudos to the mega brains who finished this.
Off to play with some lego. đ
Thanks to all.
Just been through the hints and I had solved eight clues in total. Would never have solved the rest in a gazillion years. Including 24d as it is cricket related…
Started late last night, had several left unsolved in fairly quick time for a Friday (helped by the two multi-clues), finished the SE corner this morning and it left me with a combo foursome of 7D, 14A, 15D and 27A. My wife assisted the finale via some GK on Pavlov and the capital city, Chambers helped with 7D. LOI was our dramatist, thanks to Chambers (for âtopâ) and internet.
I certainly found some of the parsing tricky, plucking the right synonyms etc. I wouldnât have nailed âcash in chipsâ without working backwards.
Pody picks – 15Aâs Pavlovian splendour, 10Aâs homophonic doctor (new to me), and 18A because zonked is ace – and both that phrase + 11A remind me of Nessa in Gavin & Stacey.
Many thanks NYDK for the workout (and reminder I must read more), and Mr K for the reassuring hints, including the further reading links (doctor, dramatist) đđťâď¸
Bit tricky; very fun. Thank you NY Doorknob.
Highlights included: Bob and Thomas in 9a (with extra thanks to Mr K for the BBC news article linking them, something I didn’tlknow); the 10a Spoonerism, which went straight in for once; moving south east in 21a; the 13d church resident; and the 15d Pavlovian response.
I didn’t know the 26a nymph (I tried hard to make âdryâ mean âheardâ), and thank you to Mr K for explaining how to parse âboardâ in 27a: I couldn’t get Spike Milligan and friends out of my head!
4*/4* …
liked 22A “Fine athletes trained to save energy set out at night (5,5)”