DT 30748

67 comments on “DT 30748”

1. For me, this was absolutely brilliant and exercised the grey cells well. It had just the right balance of write-ins and ponderers. I’ve never thought of 1a as a condiment but I suppose it is. To begin with, I tried to use “problem” with the symbol for lead (PB) removed. Trying to make a word for something that can be articulated from an anagram of “LROLEMS” didn’t get me very far. The penny dropped finally. The only one I didn’t care for was 13a, which was more a straight general knowledge clue to me. The ecstatic toilets at 24d raised a smile as did the poor incarcerated alien at 17d. My COTD is 5d with its sharp manners.

   Thank you, setter for what was, for me, a very enjoyable solve. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints.

2. Here is the late Perks for those with withdrawal symptoms.

   

   1. I have one of those!

      

      1. Little tinkers! 😁

   2. Doh! I was about to remark that Mr. K cannot gob us off with bunnies however cute.

      1. Gob? 🤣

         1. Fob 😊

3. Enjoyable and surprisingly gentle for a Friday. 13a rather weak but was on its own in that category and compensated for by the large number of very good clues. Some super surfaces helped to disguise the wordplay/definitions very well indeed. Honours board features 16d (took me ages to dismiss variations on “lingerie” from my mind, especially when 20a waved a related red herring in front of me), 21d (great surface and deception) and 23a.

   Thank you to the setter, to MrK for the blog (and excellent laugh-out-loud illustration at 21d), and to Steve for the lovely pic of Perks

4. Straightforward for a Friday.Very enjoyable but agree with S. C. re 13 : loathe to put the obvious answer in because it was more like a General Knowledge clue. 18a and 1d my favourites. Thanks to all.

   1. You will be in Kath’s bad books with TWO favourites!!!

5. Very gentle. Had to check my watch and make sure it’s Friday. 17d my favorite and unusually for me, an unaided finish.

6. 2*/3*. For me, this was a bit of a mixed bag both in terms of enjoyment and difficulty.

   There were some clunky clues and some excellent ones with 22d at the top of pile thanks in part to the mixture of ancient and modern.

   Many thanks to the setter. Thanks too to Mr K, particularly for the rabbit picture.

   All three definitions in 11a seem to me to be the same, and 13a is very weak indeed.

7. A fun Friday puzzle that was neither notably straightforward nor tricky — so just right! Thank you to the setter. My top few clues included 2d’s cricket, 3d’s splendid lurker, 6d’s croupier, and 12a’s rent trouble; my favourite was 21d’s articulate Liberal.

   And thank you to Mr K, without whom I wouldn’t’ve parsed 11a with its 3 definitions, nor 17d, where apparently I didn’t know the word for ‘detain’.

   PS: The Cross Atlantic has a neat twist in it today — worth having a look if you don’t always do it and you’re a fan of twists.

   1. Intriguing. I don’t normally touch the CA with a bargepole but you’ve hooked me, you swine!

8. Charming and ever so slightly quirky. I never knew rabbits ate 1d. Lucky them! The things you learn on here, eh? 9d’s Lego is elegant and 16d’s fun but 21d wins (its illustration too) for me. Nice quickie pun too. Roll on the finale! Thanks to our setter and Mr K.

   1. ALP, I was surprised by the answer to 1d as rabbits are not noted for eating them. However, I checked the BRB and was surprised to find there are actually three different meanings for 1d. One of these is a leafy plant and, as such, would doubtless be favoured by our furry friends.

      1. Ha, indeed. And you’d be the expert, I’d have thought! I’d only come across 1d as the delicious fruit and I certainly wasn’t aware of it as the “herb that can be a healthy treat for rabbits [as] part of their natural diet”. Every day’s a learning day, eh?

9. Nope, don’t understand the illustration at 21d. Please enlighten! Nice crozzie, didn’t understand 11a, nor 8d until I came here. Learned some biblical facts from this and the quick crossword. Thank yous to our compiler and Mr K 😁.

   1. 11a – something that is finished and is now history.
      8d – It’s a reverse lurker.
      21d – the object in the picture is often 21d.

      Hope that throws some light, Celia. I’m sure others will be more erudite.

      1. Thank you Steve much appreciated — it’s the “penny” bit that eludes me 🤷🏻‍♀️

         1. Does it not look as though the vehicle’s cab appears to be bending forward to peer closely at a small object on the ground, possibly a penny …. ? 😁

            1. Aha! 🤦🏻‍♀️ so it does, tvm

10. Much fun here with lots of PDM’s
    9d amused but 26a sent me to this

    1. Not heard that in yonks. A very good friend of mine lived in a flat immediately below Viv Stanshall in Muswell Hill – it was eventful to say the least & thankfully she’d moved out by the time of the electrical fire that killed him.

       1. I hope she kept her pink half of the drainpipe

11. Today is the first time in ten years that I have finished a Friday cryptic before breakfast. It makes me feel really good.

12. Fairly gentle for a Friday but good fun nevertheless, with 21d coming out on top of the pile ahead of 22 and 17d.

    Thanks to our setter and Mr K. I haven’t heard the Bonzos for a while.

13. For me this was a nice Friday puzzle considering it can be quite tricky at times.
    Lots to like and nothing too far out.

    2*/3.5*

    Favourites abound but top five are 4a, 25a, 7d, 21d & 24d — with winner 25a
    Smiles and chuckles for 13a, 29a, 6d & 24d … the last being my second choice for favourite winner.

    Thanks to setter & Mr K.

14. Not as tough as I expected it to be, though I did need help on several clues. However, no reveals, which is nice.

    Good end to the week.

15. A fairly straightforward puzzle for a Friday – thanks to the setter and Mr K.
    I concur with RD’s comment about 11a and I was also surprised at 12a which seems to be an example of the ‘definition makes wordplay’ construction which gets criticised in Rookie Corner.
    Top clues for me were 2d, 5d and 21d.

16. A surprisingly gentle stroll through Crossyland on this splendid autumnal day or, as a radio DJ said this week….autominal day.

    My pody is 4a, 22a and 21d.

    Many thanks to the setter and Mr K.

    2*/3*

17. Can anyone explain “leaves for the rabbit” in 1d?

    1. It’s also a herb (leaves) that rabbits eat!

    2. Plantain is also known as Bunny Bistro – who would have known !

       1. This blog is an educational institution! 😊

18. Quite enjoyed this one apart from the somewhat weak 13a and the third definition given for 11a. I also have reservations about that definition of a fence but realise that is just my problem. Tops for me today were 4a plus 1,18&21d.

    Thanks to our setter – any guesses? and to Mr K for the review.

19. A fine puzzle for a Friday. Thx for explanation of 9d, although I had the answer the wordplay eluded me.
    Thx to the setter and the DT for providing us with an excellent puzzle for a Friday.
    ***/*****
    Thx to all

20. A nice puzzle to end the week. Took me a while to get on wavelength but all good once I’d managed that.

    Top picks for me were 15a, 16d and 21d.

    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

21. That was an unexpected treat for a Friday as I was expecting to be soundly beaten. There was plenty to think about but I managed it all which was very satisfying and enjoyable. My favourite was 21d, the lurkers were well disguised and I did enjoy working out the multi word clues.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints and pics – your ability to find suitable ones most weeks is much appreciated.

22. Less trouble than yesterday, that’s for sure.

    13A seems to have annoyed a lot of people, but I thought it was quite clever and held me up until the checkers made the answer obvious. I agree with SC that 1A is not my idea of a condiment, but so be it.

    All in all, a bit underwhelming, but the ecstatic toilet raised a chuckle.

    ***/*** thanks to Mysteron and MrK

23. I too had girded my loins for a fight, Misty, but it was in fact a pleasant challenge. I had to check the parsing of 9d, it had to be that – but i had to be told why. George upset a new vicar’s daughter by saying her teddy bear was called Isiah. She stamped her foot and said his name was Teddy. But, said George, you can see one Isiah than the other. It was wasted on a 4 year old. Many years ago now but brought up yet again when they dropped in for a visit last month! I digress. 21d was great especially with Mr Ks illustration but 8d is favourite as it made me laugh. Many thanks to the Setter and Mr K – do hope this lovely weather lasts over the weekend.

24. Wonder if this is a new setter? As it was a lot easier that our usual Friday fare.
    Enjoyed it nevertheless although, being the pendant that I am, I had a problem with both 13a and 26a.
    13a – the currency of Canada is “the Canadian ******” – ie the singular not plural.
    26a there are actually 6 words after “Starts to”. You have to ignore the AND to get the answer.
    Told you I was a pedant.
    Thanks the MrK and possibly new setter

    1. You told us you were a pendant. (couldn’t resist)

25. Thought I was loosing my marbles yesterday. Today was so different. The pain to pleasure ratio was definitely on the happy side. Favourites were 6 and 21 down but there was lots of smiles and laughs in between. Last in was 22 d. Many thanks to Mr K and setter. Both did a fine job.

26. Good afternoon

    Sat sitting on a train (but not having to work it) en route to visit my gorgeous granddaughter; all three of my bairns will be there, and it’s pay day, so Billy Muggins here will be ponying up!

    Anyway, the journey means time with the crozzie, so it’s all done, albeit with a couple of hiccups parsing-wise; so my thanks to Mr K for explaining them.

    8d is a marvellously witty COTD, and there were too many contenders for runner-up to mention. Many thanks to our compiler today.

27. Hello, compiler here. Thanks very much for taking the time to solve, analyse and discuss.
    I was pleased that Mr K saw ‘base at the bottom’ in 16d as the bottom letter of ‘base’, rather than as an abbreviation for ‘base’ (E) placed at the bottom of the answer. Of course, it works either way, but I try to avoid the lesser-known abbreviations on the Telegraph list.
    I don’t think anyone’s chosen a tune today so I’ll nominate this one in honour of our brilliant Crossword Editor, Chris 3d. One of Chris’s favourite bands paying tribute to one of my favourite bands.
    Have a great weekend.

    1. Thank you, Zandio for a very entertaining puzzle and for popping in,

    2. Oh sorry, Sloop John Bee picked a Bonzo Dog song! I actually booked them for a gig in 1969. What a classic track, SJB. Hilarious.

       1. I almost went with Aztec Camera for 4a but the wrong ending

          1. For 2d I would have had to go for Jason Isbell’s wonderful song about the women in his life getting him off the pop – shame he’s now filed for divorce mind asI expect that’ll be the end of them playing together

28. Mild for a Friday and so for myself, and I emphasise for myself, a tad disappointing. Some fine clues but a few not so good. I didn’t care for 11a and 13a at all. I’ll plump for 21d as my favourite. 2*/3*. I’m a bit

29. Pretty straightforward for a Friday. I was fearing the worst as I’d struggled with a couple earlier this week. This was as good as any this week. Favourite was 16d. Thanks to Zandio and Mr.k.

30. Mixed bag for me but certainly easier than most Fridays’ offerings. I completed it but couldn’t parse 9d so thanks to Mr K for the hints.
    Like others and being a previous keeper of under-grounders (the term rabbit is considered bad luck by Scottish fiskerfolk) I was surprised to learn they eat plantain!

31. Sorry Kath two favourites(joint as in betting) Plantain one of our indigenous grass species, with parallel ribs in parts of the leaf. I’m sure most people have picked one up o their walks.

32. That was a shock – not what I was expecting at all for a Friday!
    I liked 18 and 28a and 8 and 16d. I think my favourite was 23a.
    Thanks to Zandio for the crossword and to Mr K for the hints.

33. Not as tricky as last Friday, but just as fun.

34. Very enjoyable with smooth clues – I thought 13a was a brilliant clue. Thank you Zandio and MrK

35. I notice Senf has been missing several times this week, (and that is unusual for him), but he did make mention in one of his posts this week of family concerns/issues.
    Just want to say hope things are going to be OK for you , Senf

    Regards

36. I find I am out of step with the majority as this was for me a thankless exercise. I agree with RD as to there being several dubious clues which perhaps I will refrain from specifying. Can’t actually believe I eventually managed to complete with exception of a couple in the SW. Think I will just draw a veil over it and hopefully look forward to more sympa solving tomorrow. Thank you Zandio and MrK.

37. A late finish for me as out today. It’s a Zandio so always a treat. Definitely not as hard as yesterday’s but plenty to enjoy and a good amount of challenge . I must admit I did stall at putting in 13a as thought it was too obvious. Last one in which caused me to smile having parsed was 21d. Thanks to Zandio and Mr K

38. Didn’t peg this as a Zandio production. Even though it was surprisingly gentle for a Friday I still found the east trickier than the west & the solve edged just into *** time. Had no idea 1d was a plant either. The surface at 29a was wonderfully ironic & I rather liked 25a so they can have podium spots along with 21d.
    Thanks to Zandio for an enjoyable puzzle & to Mr K

39. Busy day so just completed
    3*/3*
    Thanks to Zandio and Mr K for the parsing of 9d
    I will go with the humans face as favourite today

40. 4/1. Obviously I’m out of practice as I did not finish this without the hints – thanks Mr K. Thanks also to the setter.

41. Pleased with myself solving this Friday puzzle only to find out you lot thought it was too easy! Very frustrating but I’ll stick at it

42. 3*/4* ….
    liked 24D “Ecstasy after conveniences becoming free (5)”

    1. Yes, that one amused me as well!

       1. 😊

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