DT 30698

84 comments on “DT 30698”

1. I struggled with today’s offering mainly because I found some of it somewhat obscure. That must be down to me because the clues were well constructed. It was the parsing of one or two that foxed me. For example, I could not get 14d for ages because I simply could not see what was needed. I sussed the mother but went after the wrong post. Once I had completed it, though, I thought it quite clever. My COTD is recently employed compiler at 30a.

   I bet 19a goes on The List!

   Thank you, setter for the brain mangling fun. Thank you, Tookays for the hints.

   BT are sending me a load of new broadband equipment today. I am not to open it but leave it until the engineer comes next week to install it. Apparently, it is fibre ready and I will be switched to fibre automatically when it arrives in our area next year. The equipment is being supplied by EE because BT will cease to exist by the end of the year.

   1. Steve, I have only just finished the ironing and sat down to this and as soon as I spotted 19a I thought of Terence!! Welcome home.

      1. I don’t iron. I fold the clothes and put them on top of the AGA. 😊

      2. By the way, DG – I haven’t been away unless you count my internet downtime. Today I received no less than four boxes of broadband equipment. Goodness knows what they’re setting me up with.

         1. No, I meant welcome home to Terence!😊

            1. 🤭

2. A splendid crossy that ticked many boxes with 160 of them being filled in. Any setter who uses the words shenanigans and clot gets an extra tick from me.

   I was surprised to see a word repeated, albeit with an s at the end, as there are two other four letter words that begin with an i and have an o as the third letter.

   That aside, it was an enjoyable solve with my podium being 1a, 5d and 9d.

   Many thanks to the setter and the 2 Ks (no apostrophe)

   2*/4*

   1. Golly Moses, did you count all the squares?

      1. In a way, yes.

         Derren Brown once showed me a way to count them in under two seconds.

         1. Wow! Are you allowed to share the technique with the rest of us?

            I did 8 × 14 – 2 (for the odd rows) + 7 × 8 – 6 (evens)
            = 56 × 2 – 2 + 56 – 6
            = 3 × 56 – 8
            = 150 + 18 – 8
            = 160

            … but that took considerably longer than 2 seconds!

            1. It took a while but….gotcha!

               It’s a complete lie (I’m so childish)

               I did indeed count them but only the black ones as there are fewer (not less!)

               Grrr…

   2. I reckon that ALP & MG sold you a pup with Chalicea’s supposed Floughie yesterday- today’s Dada puzzle far easier & well worth a gander

      1. Duly noted, Hoots. Thank you.

         I still can’t believe ALP gave it 1 star for difficulty.

         No wonder he doesn’t give ratings on the backpagers as we’d give up doing them.

         Saying that, he knows naff all about turnpikes!

         1. What arrant nonsense is this?! You name me one toll-paying turnpike in the UK today and I’ll eat my … rather nice M&S wrap. H does have a point though. Dada’s very gentle (for him) today in t’other place. Having said that, the peerless CS gave it a ***. And her *s are usually ***s for me! As ever, it’s horses for courses..

            1. U betcha!

            2. There were thousands although not so many now. The M6 Toll?

               http://www.turnpikes.org.uk

               1. “Welcome! This website is a hub for information on the HISTORIC turnpike roads of England and Wales”. I rest my case!
                  A valiant effort Steve but it’s a MOTORWAY!

                  1. I know that, Alps. It was very TIC. 😁

                     1. Sorry, I thought you’d fallen into Tom’s web of madness! I should have known better 😁

                        1. ‘Web of madness’?

                           I’d say that’s absolutely spot on.

                           Cluck, cluck. Jibber, jibber. My old man’s a mushroom.

                           1. Funny you should say that, TDS. I am at this moment looking up ceps. Your old man must look very strange.

                           2. You’re on the button, my old chestnut.

3. Very smooth, painstakingly fair. Doesn’t 24a (excellent) strictly need an indicator though? 1a’s great. 8d made me smile – very kind of the setter to give us “woman” not “female” – and 27a’s “price applied to all” is smart. Totally agree re 4d. Superb. Really enjoyed this. Many thanks to our setter and the 2Ks.

   1. For 24a, Chambers online says the gate is “historical” and the motorway “N Amer”, but in between those has a road with a barrier and toll system which is labelled neither, so I don’t think an indicator is needed.

      1. Not in my *proper* Chambers! But you’re right – it’s online there and in Collins. Pfft, I still don’t buy it..

4. A fun puzzle for the mid-week mid-morning coffee break – incrementally chewier than yesterday’s, as it should be, and I found the E/SE the slightly more challenging sector of the puzzle. So many anagrams I thought this was by Dada and almost had to check the calendar to confirm which day of the week it is … their superfluity rather took the edge off for me.

   A few odd surfaces but also some great ones, and certainly a need to read the clues carefully. Lots of ticks and for me the podium contenders comprise 17a, 9d & 8d, with 21d the runner-up.

   Many thanks to the setter (I’m inclined to say Twmbarlwm but will probably be wrong) and of course to the 2Ks

   1. No, this isn’t one of mine.
      Super puzzle and I wish I’d come up with 19a! 😄

      1. Certainly a great clue and a well-spotted anagram!

5. A very tasty puzzle accompanied by lovely pics at 12a plus 8&18d. Maybe a tad trickier than yesterday but a brisk completion & very enjoyable from start to finish. 21a last in & my fav.
   Thanks to the setter (T or Donny maybe) & to the 2Ks.
   Ps seem to recall some mention on the blog about a dog named after Jeff Skunk Baxter, the guitarist in Steely Dan & The Doobie Brothers. 17a prompted me to seek out a great clip of his prowess with the slide from the Midnight Special over 50 years ago

   1. That was me. Or should I say that was I? My Dirty Daughter 2 has a miniature schnauzer Baxter and a new puppy called Jeff. Barmy. The one that died a couple of months ago was Stanley.

6. 3*/2*. This was a curate’s egg for me with a lot of good parts coupled with some frowns. There were several repetitions, and a few dodgy surfaces. In addition, 24a should have had an American indicator.

   Thanks to the setter and to the 2Ks.

   1. No so on 24a. A word that’s British in the extreme but co-opted by those transatlantic colonials.

      https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/transportcomms/roadsrail/overview/turnpikestolls/

      1. Very true but for that parse, it still arguably needs an indicator, ie an “old” or a “once” etc. As ever, such things don’t bother me. But they do upset RD! And he is essentially right, of course.

   2. My aunt used to live on Turnpike Lane in London, I regularly drive along a stretch of the A350 called The Turnpike and the house three doors down from us is called Turnpike Cottage. I think the sensitivity on your ‘Americometer’ needs to be dialled down a bit!

      1. You’ve changed your alias so this needed moderation. Both your aliases will work from now on.

      2. You were ‘Rick’ when you commented recently. Both aliases will work in future

      3. Not at all, Rinteff! In the context of the definition for 24a, Chambers gives “A motorway on which tolls are paid (US)”.

         The various UK meanings of 24a (which in any event are irrelevant for this clue) are either historical or obsolete.

         1. “A tollgate or road with a tollgate (historical)” would work, but I’m pretty sure tis the American one that’s intended. Either way, yep, it should really be indicated. And a US indicator (for Biden/in Florida, etc) wouldn’t really dent the surface at all. I do sympathise with indicator omission if it ruins the read, but that’s not the case here. So it does seem odd to leave it out.

7. At first glance this looked tricky and whilst not straightforward did pleasantly unfold. I liked the well constructed 4d and somehow trawled 19a from the memory bank but my favourite was 14d. The misdirection in 13a cost me a bit of time but I agree with our Antipodean friends’ assessment. Thank you to them and our setter.

8. Some dubious surface reads and repeated indicators rather spoiled this one but I did enjoy 4d.

   Thanks to our setter – Twmbarlwm is my guess, and to our 2Ks for the review.

   1. Think I’m in your part of the world Jane. Arrived Holyhead this morning and returning from narrow gauge railway trip, excellent, lasted an Hour and a half. Shame about the Weather!

      1. Sorry about the weather, Manders! I was watching a recorded programme about secret hotels last night and it featured the mill in Cley – have you ever been inside it? The ‘room at the top’ looked like a good place for our bird-watching Shabbo to stay!

   2. Toombarloom has denied any involvement in this offering!

9. A lovely midweek puzzle, not without some significant challenges for me but all was fair. I did not know the term in 19a (just as well it was an anagram). I liked the mix of clues and when the puzzle is trickier the anagrams help me keep going, 4d was great and 30a my favourite.

   Many thanks to the setter and to the 2 kiwis for the hints.

10. I agree with RD concerning the curate’s egg, dodgy surfaces and repeats. Also, for me, somewhat anagram heavy. That said, I enjoyed the solve overall with 14d being today’s favourite, supported by 30a and 4d. Thanks to our setter and the 2Ks.

11. An enjoyable guzzle today.
    Top picks for me were 8d, 18a and 4d.
    Thanks to the 2Kiwis and the setter.

12. Very enjoyable with nothing to trouble the horses. Thanks to our setter and 2Ks.
    My ticks include 1a, 8d, 16d and 25d.

13. Just enjoyably right for me after what, by my standards, was a night on the tiles! I can’t award any stars for difficulty because I have no idea how long my solve took but I will give 3.5* for enjoyment.

    Favourite – a toss-up between 14d and 16d – and the winner is – oh dear, my old threepenny bit has landed on its edge.

    Thanks to Toombarloom for what seems to have been a straightforward challenge and thanks to the 2Kiwis.

14. This was a pretty comfortable solve with very few hold-ups to interrupt a speedy completion. 1a seems like a popular favourite, especially as I was listening to the test match from Old Trafford whilst filling in the grid.

    Thanks to our setter for the fun, and to the 2Ks.

15. Another fun cruciverbal day to add to this week’s two starters. 4d and 9d bunged in. 27a hint refers to phrase breakdown as being 2,4 but should that not be 3,4? I always overlook had synonym as per 15a. 22a Fav. Thank you to the Welshman (?) and 2 Kiwis.

16. Like Steve, I struggled with this one ,but it eventually all fell into place.
    A wavelength thing I suspect, so I hope as I solve more from this setter it will be less of a struggle.

    All very fair clues when I eventually unravelled them.

    Thanks to the setter and to the 2 Kiwis.

    Cold here today after beautiful early sunshine. Had to put the heating on! That’s Scotland for you, though.

17. A little more challenging than recent puzzles but very enjoyable.

18. I too enjoyed this, 22a is my go to Wordle word with four of the five vowels. Didn’t get round to the guzzle yesterday as I dashed off to Book Group but going in to Royston afterwards to collect the next book I saw the enclosed decor in the High Street, very pretty and scattered around other streets as well. I won’t bore you with all my photos of the fabulous Super moon photographed as we drove home last night. Many thanks to Messrs Setter & Hinter – off to U3A AGM now, who says retirement is restful?

    

    1. Me too with 22a for Wordl, etc.

       1. I never use the same starter word and limit it to two vowels, works for.me!

          1. I usually use a Waffle word if I find one suitable.

          2. I too use a different seed word every day. Daughter #1 thinks I am nuts. I cannot imagine using the same word every day.

19. On the whole a pleasant puzzle with a new word for my vocab in 19a. There must be a special weird word dictionary available only to crossword setters.
    Best clue by far was 1a. Off now to watch the rest of the test match.
    Thx to all
    **/***

20. I found the S chewier than the N, but other than that and a few where the parsing caused a second thought this was a pleasant solve. Cotd for me is 13a. Thanks to compiler and 2K’s.

21. A definite step up in difficulty today and I had to get a little bit of e-help to fill in one solution.

    19A together with the likes of onomatopoeia and alliteration, brings back memories of one English Grammar lesson that actually sunk in! I have no problem with 24A as I have read so many American books and seen so many US films that a lot of across the pond words and expressions seem commonplace.

    ***/**** Thanks to the setter and 2Kiwis

22. For me, this Wednesday puzzle was harder than the past few Wednesday puzzles have been.
    Struggled with this one.
    New words for me in 15a & 19a

    3*/3*

    Favourites 19a, 24a, 2d, 4d & 21d – with winner 4d
    Smiles and a laugh for 6a, 22a & 1d

    Thanks to setter & 2K’s

23. I really enjoyed today’s – quite tricky enough for me though.
    I’ve ‘met’ 19a before but couldn’t remember what it was – not helpful!
    Quite a few US words I thought, such as 24a and 21d (or they’re not and I’m wrong!)
    I liked 13 and 17a and 9 and 18d. My favourite was 8d, mainly because I love it!
    With thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to the K’s for their hints and pics.

24. When I read the comments, I won’t care how many say this was easy peasy, I loved it all. I was so on wavelength, I felt like yesterday’s brainbox! I’ve always wanted to slip 19a into conversation, never could … come to think of it, don’t know how to pronounce it anyway. Isn’t 24a an Americanism? If so, I’m sure we’ll be told. As for 17a, I’m sure there’ll be much discussion about that. I think it’s a pangram, all very clever. I can’t choose a fave, too many choices; maybe 14d?
    Thank you setter for a fun solve, and 2Kiwis for the hints and pics.

    1. Of course not a pangram, lots missing!

25. Much harder than Monday and Tuesday, but very enjoyable.

    Never heard of LITOTES but managed to answer it by messing with the three remaining letters until one looked right, then checked dictionary.

    Isn’t TURNPIKE an American version of what we’d called a turn off or junction on a motorway? I’m assuming not as I thought there would have been a part of the clue steering us toward an Americanism if that were so.

    I only got five answers on my first pass and needed Big Dave’s extra clue help with another five.

    I don’t time my attempts as that tends to put me under pressure and I give up.

    Agree with the blogger for a *** rating

    Don’t know the setter as I’m fairly new here, but it was a great puzzle.

26. Definitely not one from the mountain man, although I did think this was going to be above my pay grade at the start. But slowly it all began to come together, speeding up as I got under way. 19a was new to me, and couldn’t come up with the answer, which is pretty bad considering it was an anagram. The Florida 24a is about 10 minutes from our house so that clue was a gift. No cash payments here though; you either have their card on your screen, or they bill you by your number plate. Speeds things up a lot. Surprisingly enjoyable. Thanks to setter and 2Kiwis.

27. That was fun: enjoyable clues from start to finish, and tricky enough (for me) to prolong the entertainment, while still being almost finishable. The “almost” is because I used the Kiwis help with the coat in 25d to get me unstuck in the bottom-right corner. Thank you for that ­— though I feel like I should’ve managed it myself.

    My top few were 27a’s price applied to all, 14d’s post assembly, and best of all 30a’s recently employed compiler. Thank you to the compiler for the entertainment, whether you’re recently employed or have been doing this for years!

28. 4D still don’t get the explanation 🤷‍♂️

    1. Welcome to the blog, Chas.
       It’s JUR (jury, panel without its last letter, i.e. mainly) containing (welcomes) PE (exercise) which in turn contains IT (computer tech).

       1. Ah thank you now I see, it, I did get the answer as I had every other letter and it all that fitted.

    2. Welcome, Chas. Please comment again. 👍

    3. Welcome from us too Chas.

29. If you don’t usually try it, have a look at Dada’s Toughie today. It’s rather accessible. It must be because I managed 90% unaided. 😁

    1. I agree SC but didn’t mention it earlier as I still haven’t finished it. 4 to go and about to give up as off early to Castleton in the Peak tomorrow

30. Morning all.
    Interesting to see all the discussion on 24a. We don’t use the term in NZ and when we solved did wonder whether it was used in UK. Seems the answer is “Not usually.”
    19a is a word we both knew so not a problem for us.
    Cold again here this morning but not daylight yet so can;t see whether it is frosty.
    Cheers.

    1. Many thanks as always, 2Ks. Yep – 24A was a standard way that main roads were funded from mid-18th C onwards in England. There’s a good page on Wikipedia under 24A Trust.
       It’s always good to find a reference to this era as you travel around – the station on the Piccadilly line is perhaps the best known, but I always like the section of the A350 north of Shaftesbury known as The 24A.

       1. I agree. Lots in Wales and Devon. Some still with the old Tollhouses. Quaint.

31. Excellent puzzle – I especially liked 27A. Many thanks Setter and 2Ks.

32. Fairly gentle and very enjoyable. 1a is top of the podium for me, but plenty of contenders.
    Thank you mystery setter and the Kiwis.

33. Good evening

    Yesterday, I began by saying that it was necessary to dispute the 1* given to yesterday’s crozzie by our esteemed Hintsman; today, I find the equally esteemed 2 Kiwis awarding 2*, but by crikey, I must disagree! Today’s was a fourser!

    I was convinced that today’s grid was the work of the contorted braincells of Twmbarlwm, but I see that he has disclaimed responsibility. So whoever you are, Mystery Setter, I must say thank you for the challenge, because challenge it has been. 4d and 14d tie for COTD; both solutions lay written in the margin until the last minute, until I finally figured out the parsing. In general, the SE quadrant proved the trickiest.

    Thank you also to 2Ks.

34. Thanks to the setter and 2 Kiwis for today’s brain exercise. Thought it 2/3 on difficulty. Liked 19A , struggled with a few others! Oh well, looking forward to tomorrow’s challenge!

35. I’m afraid I was so far off wavelength as to be on another planet and I nodded off halfway through. Managed to complete with some electronic help but not one for me, I’ll leave it there. There’s always tomorrow. Thanks to the setter anyway and 2K’s.

36. More of a challenge today, but still enjoyed it. Thank you for the much-needed hints. This one kept me going into the evening, to the point that I nearly lost track of Only Murders In the Building season 3 episodes 7 & 8 (not that the plot is that taxing). Didn’t have time for the Toughie today.

37. 3*/4* ….
    liked 26D “Sort of look and stagger up (4)”

Comments are closed.