DT 30713 (Hints)

84 comments on “DT 30713 (Hints)”

1. A great Saturday diversion. I struggled with the two long ones until I had checkers to help and I have not heard of 12d or 15d and I had to check with Mr. G that they were correct. Plenty to like and I have ticks all over the paper. The one in the china shop and running out of gear both raised a smile. However, I am awarding COTD to the great ship at 5d.

   Thank you, setter for a great guzzle and another shot at The Mythical. Thank you, CS for the hints.

2. I bow in respect to anyone who completed this puzzle without reference to Mr Google. There was at least one word and phrase which were new to me.

   Favourites for me 14a and 21a.

   Fog along the NE Scottish coast but hoping to bask in sunshine this afternoon as I watch Keith v Lossiemouth in the Highland League.

   Thanks to setter and crypticsue.

   1. I started solving crosswords in 1969 when the only help was a dictionary and so I always go there first before even considering Google – I only checked one solution in the BRB this time

      1. Unfortunately, my edition of the BRB dates back to 1993 and our language is evolving so quickly that it does not contain many words in modern usage.

         However, I have a birthday coming up and my wife has been looking for present suggestions. 🙂

         1. A word of caution, especially as you commented that language is evolving so quickly, the most recent print edition of the BRB is 10 years old. However, Chambers do publish an on-line ‘list of missing words’ – but there is no indication if ‘missing’ means new or overlooked when the ‘latest’ print edition was prepared.

            Have you thought of getting the App version?

            1. Thank you for the suggestion of the app. I will give it a try.

               Shonagh will have to find something else for my birthday. I am in the happy position of having my birthday shortly before hers. The thoughtfulness of her present to me governs what she gets.

               1. I’m going to tell her what you said!

      2. Which one out of interest?

      3. The same year that I started Sue, but you have obviously a lot more aptitude than I have. I did only have sporadic access over here from 1982 onwards until the crosswords became available on line, but I doubt I would ever have reached your level.

         1. I was lucky, the puzzles were printed in our local paper, The Daily Gleaner. My Mum used to cut them out and mail them to me, so I’ve had uninterrupted solving since I was about 16. You just can’t help it if you have a tiny brain.

      4. I am in awe. I would never have got going without all the help (including Mr Lancaster ‘s excellent book)

   2. I needed google to confirm the miner’s daughter.

      1. … oh! My darling … how could you?

      2. I suspect that had ALP had done the review we’d have had Neil Young’s (with Crazy Horse) rendition – it certainly prompted me to play it at high volume

         1. Ha, you know me too well.
            I hope this isn’t flirting with trouble too much but I’m quite fond of this fella too – and the intro happily reminds me a certain film..

3. Struggle to start but gradually yielded if started from the bottom half. 12a and 15d are both new terms for me, 10a was clumsy but enjoyed 21a & 25a.
   Overall a decent Saturday concluding what for me was a good crossword week.
   So thx to all the setters and for the hints.
   ***/****

4. An enjoyable stroll through Crossyland that should tick most of the solvers’ boxes.

   The two excellent long anagrams kicked things off nicely and I learnt some new GK with 8a, 1d and 15d.

   My podium is 8a, 3d and 9a (Nicky Koskoff in Wolf of Wolf Street was superb).

   Many thanks to the setter and CS.

   2*/4*

5. An entertaining guess the setter challenge worthy of being an NTSPP – 2.5*/4.5*

   So, as NYDK claimed ownership of yesterday’s back pager, two of my increasing number of shiny new KIng Charles Loonies are saying that this is a Chalicea production.

   It took some time to convince myself of what they have to be for 8a and 1d.

   Candidates for favourite – 8a, 9a, 23a, 5d, and 21d – and the winner is 23a.

   Thanks to Chalicea, or whomsoever if my Loonies go down the drain, and thanks to CS.

6. A very swift excursion for me today, but there were some enjoyable clues. I’m going with Steve C to award the gong to the Bounty clue, which I thought very neat indeed.

   Thanks Myster and Super Sue.

7. I had not heard of 1d but it is in my copy of the BRB. Too many anagrams to make the rest much of a challenge, but a pleasant solve with the morning cuppa. (Apparently, according to a new survey, Yorkshire Tea isn’t the best tasting UK tea. All I can say is I think these professional tasters have got their tastebuds in a twist!)
   COTD 9a. Thanks to setter and Sue for the blog.

   1. I’ll say they have! Always Yorkshire in the Cowling household. 👍

   2. I didn’t realise that tea is grown in Yorkshire!

      1. Hand picked by Bettys of Harrogate 😋
         Who is so well known she has dropped her apostrophe

         1. But, reading the history of the company, on its own website, there never was a Betty or several Bettys.

      2. You’d be surprised what Yorkshire can do, Senf. 😊

8. Really enjoyable and I was pleased to complete, though I’ve never heard the nautical term that is a best basket, or the particular hissing reptile, the word in 15d, that 25a was about a miner’s daughter and that 5d can be spelt with only one ‘e’. So quite tough and back to front as usually I know all the words but just can’t work them all out! Thanks to setter and Cryptic Sue

   1. Agree with you about 5d! (Having lived in Frogland for 50+ years that’s unsurprising!)

      1. Yes, I have never seen it spelled like that, and initially disregarded my immediate solution, thinking it couldn’t be that!

9. A somewhat disturbed night – Yorkshire Water woke me at 11pm to move my car which was parked over the stop valve they needed to turn off the burst main outside my door. Much banging and digging ensured I got an early start on the crossword where most difficulty was in the NW, soon sorted when I checked how an archdeacon can be addressed and the final 1d went in
   Thanks to CS and Setter
   Peace has been restored and no brewery traffic either as it is going to be the back end of next week before they backfill and restore the road😮

10. The obituary of Ann Tait in the DT today is interesting. She compiled the Wednesday cryptic for many years under the pseudonym “Wednesday”. Some good clues included.

    1. Thanks for that tip Steve, a very interesting lady.

    2. I thoroughly concur with your first sentence, however “Wednesday” was merely an epithet, not a pseudonym. Roger Squires was often known as “Mr Monday” in the same vein.

       1. Thank you, silvanus. 👍

    3. I shall read that with interest. I was somewhat alarmed this morning in reading the magazine article about the Emily Maitlis interview, to come across the word coronated. Is there really such a word? It wasn’t in my dictionary.

       1. It is in the BRB, DG.

          1. I wish to object, it shouldn’t be in any respectable dictionary. Horrid non-word!

             1. Well the entry does say “see under corona”

                1. Forgiven!

                   1. Ta! 😊

          2. Thank you for putting me right, Steve. I would never, ever use it!

11. Some tricky clues with solutions that I hadn’t come across before (1d and 8a) made the NE corner difficult. So I started at the bottom and soon found the miner’s dughter and, since 1d and 8a were great clues, gettable from the wordplay, worked my way back to them2d and 6d were greatanagrams too. Thanks to the compiller and to CS forthehints

12. A few newbies slowed things down a bit, e.g. 1d, 5d (spelling), 8a (although clue clue says it all), 9a and 15d however they didn’t cause too much hassle and altogether it was a fun solve. 2d food rather unspecific. Thank you Mysteryone and CS.

13. Enjoyable Saturday puzzle and a new phrase learned in 1d. 15d was the last to fall and I did have to check on the variant spelling of 5d. No particular favourite to mention but a definite ear worm firmly embedded!

    Thanks to our setter – think I’ll back Senf’s hunch where that’s concerned, and thanks to CS for the hints.

14. Love puzzles that expand my vocabulary! Didn’t know 1d, and had forgotten 12d. And nice to have the geography reminders in 22a and 19d. Liked v much 18a and the humorous 9a and 23a. Oh my darling 25a was nice too, but I’ll go with 23a as cotd.
    Many thanks to the setter and CS.

15. Enjoyable puzzle, marred slightly by excessive anagrams and a random bloke?
    1d, 12d, 15d had to be checked once solved as new terms for me
    23ac COTD
    Thank you for hints

16. A very enjoyable guzzle today with 1 new phrase and 2 new words for me. They were gettable from the cluing and just needed confirmation. Can’t think that I’d ever use them so doubtful I’ll remember them if they appear again.
    Top picks for me were 23a, 9a, 25a and 20d.
    Thanks to CrypticSue and the setter.

17. Not heard of 1d, 12d or 15d before, but Lego type clues revealed all. I also struggled a bit with the long anagrams and needed quite a few checkers in place before they revealed themselves.

    Enjoyable all the same

    Thanks to setter and CS

18. Tuned in today from the get-go after yesterday’s wavelength problems. Much to like but I’ll plump for a podium of 8a, 10a and cotd 5d. Thanks to compiler and CS.

19. At The Oval having watched England collapse. I shall spend the lunch interval posting this comment and tackling the NTSPP.

    Apart from the unnecessary vague bloke in 4d, this was good fun. My rating is 2*/3.5*.

    23a was my favourite.

    Many thanks to the setter and to CS.

    1. It’s looking gloomy there as it approaches tea. Hopefully the weather holds out…

20. This was a steady solve and enjoyable. I just checked the hints for the parsing of 10a , and wondering if I have the wrong answer. I ll muse on that. Thanks setter and CS.

    1. No sooner had I pressed send on the post when the archdeacon bit of 10a came to me 🙄, so think I have it right .

21. A great Saturday puzzle this week. Almost a R&W for me except for about a half dozen clues. A pleasant filling of the grid.
    A new word for me in 15d … not a word in my everyday conversation.

    1.5*/4* for me

    Favourites include 3a, 23a, 4d, 6d & 20d — with winner 3a
    Liked the two long down clues too.

    Thanks to setter & CS

22. Can’t see any comments about 3a. I was hoping for a hint because although I’ve completed the puzzle, I can’t see anything very cryptic about my answer and I’m wondering if I’ve got the right answer or not

    Enjoyable puzzle, some new words for me, 10a was my last in, I didn’t know enough about archdeacons to get it on my own so came here for a pointer

    1. 3a is a cryptic definition for something you’d use when wanting to get up a wall

23. John has a very chesty cold ( non Covid) so we are a quiet household today. That made the crossword very welcome and it did not fail. New terms learnt, which is no bad thing for the retired personages. The pun had to creep in. Favourites were 8 and 25 across. Thank you CS for the Pete Seeger rendering. Delighted that I knew the words from those long ago folk club days. Hoping to be well for Wednesday when we host a garden party for Macmillan. Thank you to our fine setter and CS

24. Very enjoyable Saturday PP and I shall be challenging Steve for the pen. Also, Brian is a happy bunny so smiles all round. Not sure I have a favourite although 25a did remind me of long journeys down to Le Lavendou all singing lustily from the Hackney Scout Song Book. I know all the words to all the campfire songs, backwards! 1d is the only one which made me ponder but I think it must be so, altogether another first class week. The Rugby season has begun and George is at the game in Hertford, I’m off to the garden centre. Many thanks to Messrs Setter and SeeSue.

    1. That’s why I never win The Mythical, DG. Everyone else submits their entries. Could I ask that nobody submits for just one week so I am the only entry! 🤣

       I wouldn’t get it even then because it really is a myth. 😊

       1. Ok. I won’t submit this week.

          Nothing else seems to have worked…….

          1. Grateful thanks, Ora! 😊

25. Add me to those who needed Mr G for a couple of post completion verifications at 1&12d. I also didn’t think the synonym for deplore at 15d was necessarily the first to spring to mind. 9a immediately made me think of a scene in Millers Crossing (great Coen Brothers prohibition film) – Rug Daniels is killed & his slumped corpse is found in an alley by a kid with his dog & the kid pinches his hairpiece which is askew on his head. In a subsequent exchange the crime boss Leo says Jesus Tom they even stole his hair. Who’d do such a thing? Injuns maybe comes the sarcastic reply. Otherwise a fairly straightforward & enjoyable solve.
    Thanks to the setter & the ever busy Sue

26. Slightly weird but mostly enjoyable puzzle. Had to verify a few answers on Google. A few too many anagrams for my taste, especially the very long ones.

    Favourites are 19a and 20d.

    Thanks to the setter and CS.

27. We’re back to fun Saturdays, whoooppee! I’d never heard of three but my dictionary had them; 1d, 12d and 15d, all easily worked out from the clues. I didn’t see any churchy clues, maybe 21a, but that’s barely churchy! I liked so much, I’m going to choose the top three, 25a, remember long car rides when we all sang that? Then 2d, yum yum, and 5d.
    Thank you setter for the fun, and to CS for her tireless work to keep us entertained, your are, indeed, a star!⭐️
    (Imagine, I just noticed the star, I clicked on it and it worked! How long has that been there?)

    1. P.s. that should, of course, be “you” are a star!

28. Just too many answers I didn’t have the GK for.

    1. I did wonder if you were an Archdeacon for a while

29. Like others we hadn’t heard of 1d or 15d or know the spelling in 5d. Apart from those mainly straightforward. Favourite was 23a. Thanks to the setter and CS.

30. This has taken me quite a long time but now I can’t see why – maybe I’ll go through it again!
    There are several answers that I don’t quite ‘get’ although I’m fairly sure they’re right.
    I liked 9 and 19a and 7 and 21d. My favourite was the 3a because the implication was that someone was going a bit loopy – made me laugh!
    With thanks to today’s setter for the crossword and to CS for all the hints.

    1. For me, it was one of those puzzles that’s almost too easy, and you spend a lot of time overthinking things, looking for clever wordplay that isn’t there. Then you look back afterwards and it all seems so obvious,

31. A couple of these didn’t seem to be particularly cryptic, 3a and 14a for instance. Didn’t know 1d, otherwise straightforward.

32. Liked 20d and 9a especially the picture! A pleasant solve for a Saturday. Thanks to setter and hinter.
    I’ve changed my email address so this might not post.

    1. Thankyou!
       So good to be able to still comment 🙂

33. Good clean fun.

34. Very enjoyable – 5D and 23A my faves. VMT Setter & CS.

35. Had not heard of 1d or 8a, so was grateful for the hints.

    Struggled for ages with the archdeacon, but got there in the end.
    Thanks to the setter and to CS.

36. Like others a few new words or phrases which needed checking but very enjoyable and entertaining. Some top notch anagrams too.

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

37. I’m slower than the rest of you, but the hints got me to the end without Google. 8a gave me the shivers as we encountered a number of them when surveying for an archaeological site in the desert. An enjoyable puzzle 13a reminded me of my university which had only the second version of a double in Europe.

38. Ok, I give up. I googled “brb” with no meaningful result that would relate to a book that helps solve crosswords. (Be right back? Belgian retail banking?)

    1. Welcome to the blog, we hope that we see more comments from you.

       BRB decodes to Big Red Book otherwise known as Chambers Dictionary – Big referring to its size and Red referring to its colour.

       

39. Would someone please indulge me and explain 8a a bit further. I got the answer by assuming that I was looking for xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I am struggling to understand the explanation given.

    1. Welcome to the blog – we do ask that people don’t include solutions in their comments on Prize Puzzles

       A player of a wind instrument (musiian)into which is inserted (squeezes) the Roman numeral for one and the abbreviation for a ‘box’ found in many a living room

40. 25a [redacted – please take note of the instructions in red at the bottom of the hints)

    1. Welcome to the blog

       What did you think of the crossword?

41. Pleasant and light, with the two unusual answers being so fairly clued that one could be confident they were correct, as was found to be the case post hoc; only 21a felt weak; the high anagram ratio rather took the edge off the enjoyment, but at least they weren’t used to clue the obscurities.

    Thank you to the setter and to CS

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