DT 30855

78 comments on “DT 30855”

1. Tough and it needed some teasing out but I got there in the end. I will admit to asking Mr. G. for a couple – well three of the four-letter ones. I had the checkers but simply could not work out the answers. I thought the lurker at 25a was very well hidden. Blithely entering “Octet” at 23d messed up the Home Counties for a while. I have not heard of the term for a young bird at 7d but I have now. Whether I’ll remember it is another matter. My COTD is the dietary supplement for the boxer at 11a.

   Thank you, setter for the challenge. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints. The puzzle has no title.

   It has finally warmed up in The Marches but there is still rain about.

   1. Me too with ‘Octet’ but it always felt awkward as the ‘small amount’ didn’t fit, saw the error as soon as 28a wouldn’t go in.

      Dare say we won’t be the only two today!

      1. Nope. I fell into the trap, slightly uneasy as I didn’t ;like ‘tet’ as a small amount but – it fitted in!

         1. Moi aussi

            1. Me five!!

               1. A tad difficult there, and in a few other places.

      2. I fell for that one too…

   2. But as I’d never heard the word that is the answer it was hardly likely to come out.

2. Brilliant fun puzzle today, far better than the wooliness of yesterday’s offering.

   My last one in was 12a, and I would never have got that if I hadn’t realised it was a pangram, and one letter was conspicuously absent.

   All in all great clueing, although I can’t really say I like the word at 8d, many thanks to our setter today, eager to see who it may be.

   1. Pangram? I couldn’t find a W.

      1. Have you never heard of a plane waxiing down the runway, Jezza baby?

         1. Jonathan Ross might have got away with a W in the intersection of 1d and 9a…

            1. Surely, you mean Woss?

               Funnily enough, I thought about calling that one but I would’ve revealed two answers not one.

               Hence me swerving and going for waxiing.

      2. Lucky I didn’t stick ‘Wamb’ into it in that case 😄

         1. Like it, Officer Dibble. Like it.

3. All was going swimmingly well until I floundered in the NE! The six anagrams and two lurker type clues assisted throughout but 7d was a new one on me and I had to dig deep for 12a. My LOI was 8d which took a while. Overall I thought **/*** with my favourite being 28a. Thanks to our hinter and setter for an absorbing exercise.

4. Sublime. Perfection. One for the ages.

   Take your pick.

   Silvanus has never been smoother.

   I’ve never heard that term for a young bird and 23d was a new one for me.

   I am now up to speed with Leon Uris’ work, especially Exodus, which was an enormous hit. My literature knowledge is truly rubbish. Interestingly, or not, interestingly, his name is one letter shy of another anagram for the answer.

   Picking a pody is a pointless exercise as it has no value but the fortunate three are 28a, 2d and 19d.

   Many thanks to Sade and Shabbs.

   2*/5*

5. This was most certainly from out of the top drawer of the editor’s desk, full of excellent and beautifully compiled clues. 12a was my final entry, with 11a my favourite this morning.

   My thanks to Silvanus, I think, and to Shabbo.

6. An excellent puzzle. My last one in was 12a in an otherwise straightforward puzzle.
   It was all good, but the one I ticked at the time was 28a.
   Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo.
   2*/5* for me.

7. Good fun. Younger solvers may not know Hancock, 22a

8. 2*/5*. Impeccably smooth. What a treat! Once again my main difficulty lies in trying to pick a favourite, so I am going to make a long list of top picks – 5a, 11a, 22a, 26a, 28a, 4d & 13d.

   As requested by Shabbo:

   Many thanks surely to Silvanus and thanks too to Shabbo.

   1. Thanks RD!

9. Super puzzle, just the right amount of ‘chew’ for a Thursday morning. Great surfaces, as Shabbo rightly notes. 7d raised an eyebrow, as usual, but it’s fair & in the book; 8d “could only be” but to me is a game I have seen on shop shelves & advertised long ago, but never played – have never encountered it in today’s required sense.

   Honours to 5a, 26a & 15d – I have five of his novels on my shelf within reading distance!

   Many thanks to Setter and Shabbo alike.

   Many brickbats to the Daily Telegraph for failing yet again to fit a crossword on to a single printed-out page. Every other paper from which I print puzzles seems to get it right every time, but the Telegraph manages to cock it up with surprising regularity.

10. Brilliant! For me a puzzle of two halves with the west going in without too much effort and the east foxing me in places. I too entered the incorrect word at 23d and the correct answer is a new word for my vocabulary. I also tried to parse 5d in the way that Shabbo describes. That was after I’d stopped trying to justify ‘beanie hat’ as the answer, so I was held up for quite a while there. Lots of ticks on my paper today but I’ll nominate 22a, 27a and 8d for podium places. Thanks to our setter for the challenge and Shabbo for his informative blog.

11. Tough as Steve said. I liked the clever wordplay in the lego/missing letters combo at 13d and the cryptic definition at 11a. There were someclues in which the parsing eluded me, like 22a, where the answer was clear from thesecond part of the clue vut I failed to,see the significance of Hancock. I shall now look at the hints. Thanks to Shabbo for the hints and to the compiler possibly Silvanus.

12. Another absolute gem from Silvanus. Enjoyed the solve, which was surprisingly brisk for this setter, so much that I didn’t even twig it was a pangram. Couldn’t agree more with the second paragraph of Shabbo’s intro. Stick a tick against pretty well all of ‘em so impossible to pick a fav. The biggest smile was at 22a which prompted an umpteenth You Tube visit to watch the brilliant Anthony Aloysius St John in my fav of his Half Hours – remember being very disappointed that a phlebotomist didn’t seem to find it in the least bit amusing when I played it during a venesection. I know the answer at 18a probably involves some repair but didn’t think it was the first definition synonym to spring to mind.
    Thanks to S&S.
    Ps can’t stop playing this gorgeous title track off Isbell’s forthcoming new album which I heard at the Barbican last week & I spotted is now streaming pre the album release.

    1. Read the comments & now see it isn’t a pangram

       1. It fooled us both!

    2. Keep up with PSs like this. You are remarkably lucky to have had the opportunity to see Mr Isbell.

       1. It’s only the 2nd time I’ve seen him without the band & he is superb. Terrific acoustic playing, vocal enunciation & stage presence. We got a fair number of tunes off the new album that the audience was hearing for the first time but it didn’t detract in the least. Had the title track whirring about in my head for days afterwards – anyone that can shoehorn diphenhydramine into a lyric is a genius in my book. Worth making an effort to see.

13. A top-notch puzzle – thanks to our setter and Shabbo.
    I didn’t know that 7d was a young bird but the BRB does.
    I have lots of ticks including 5a, 11a, 27a and 16d.

14. I fell into the trap at 23d, slightly uneasy as I didn’t ;like ‘tet’ as a small amount but – it fitted in! Shabbo is right in saying all of the clues are sentences or statements in their own right as opposed to some of the rather tortured phrases we sometimes get. This was a nice guzzle to do before going out to lunch – a couple more to finish but I wanted to look in on BusyLizzie and tell her that I have looked up Will Harlow and may well ask him to marry me.
    It is now pouring with rain and the friend who is picking me up at the bottom of the drive is invariably late so I shall get WET. Many thanks to the impeccable setter and to Shabbo. PS love the word intransigent!

    1. Hi Daisy, I’ve been away for a few days and have just seen your comments about your arthritis. Another product which might help is Flexiseq. It’s a non medicinal cream which helps painful joints. It’s helped me in the past and is available over the counter. They sell it in Superdrug.

       1. I am all for trying Flexiseq – the pronunciation of that could be fun, I may well be too old for it despite being able to do the splits. I shall certainly try, thank you Madders.

    2. Oh Daisy, I am so glad you found Will Harlow. Peter found him for me a little more than a year ago and he is now my go to for all things PT (physical therapy) related. It doesn’t hurt that he is so easy to understand and quite good looking 😊.

15. There are not enough superlatives to describe this absolute gem which has to have come from the ‘pen’ of Mr Smooth – 2.5*/5*

    Candidates for favourite – 5a, 11a, 18a, 22a, 26a, 13d, and 24d – and the winner is 26a.

    Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.

16. This Thursday puzzle on Ray T’s off week I found harder than one of his. Two new words for me that I worked out with cross checkers in the end. Some good clues I thought in the grid with several that made me smile.

    2*/4* for me

    Favourites 11a, 21a, 22a, 13d & 20d — with winner 22a … and I still listen to it once in a while. Such good comedy.
    My runner up was in no doubt either … 11a … and I got a good chuckle from that one.

    Thanks to Silvanus & Shabbo

17. This has to be another little gem from our smooth operator, sadly short of his oppo in the other place today, although it has to be said that Kcit is on good form.
    Despite what the BRB may have to say on the matter, I’ve never heard of a young bird being referred to as a 7d nor did I know of 8d beyond it being a game. Also have to confess to looking up the required group of eight. Impossible as ever to narrow down the choices for podium places but the nod eventually went to 14&22a plus 13d with a sterling runner-up in 3d.

    Many thanks to Silvanus for the pleasure of his puzzle and to Shabbo for the review – bet this weather isn’t quite what you’ve become accustomed to recently!

18. Slowly, but surely I was doing relatively well on this gem of a puzzle but was undone by 7d. Couldn’t get a particular river out of my mind so completely failed to come up with a sensible answer. Resorted to the hints and all became clear. Whether I remember it is another matter. To pick a favourite from so many superlative clues seems wrong, but I can’t resist 11a for the giggle factor. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo for the hints.

19. I enjoyed this but I’m stuck as to where the ‘NG’ comes from in 8d, I get the parse for the rest of the clue but why ‘NG’?

    1. Welcome to the blog, Billy B.

    2. Take a word meaning “dim” and remove its tail (detailed). Then add a synonym of “attempt” upside down (to head north).
       Dim here is DINGY.
       I hope this helps.

    3. Welcome, Billy B. Please do keep returning. 👍

    4. You weren’t alone in just taking the M off dim. Fortunately the penny dropped here pretty quickly. Welcome & please keep commenting.

    5. Thanks

20. Excellent, 3* / 4* rating. Too many top clues to mention favourites were 13d and 8d. Nice to see setter didn’t use the usual supporter at 5d !
    Thanks to setter and Shabbo

21. Great puzzle. 11a was superb. Quite daunting at first but I quickly found myself with just a couple of clues remaining.

22. A fabulous puzzle that was right at my limit of solving ability. A great challenge and took more than one sitting. I loved 5a because the ‘award’ was the one given to my late father for his deeds in the Falklands. It was he whom introduced me to this site many moons ago.

    Thank you very much to the setter for giving me a happy memory and a brain work out at the same time! Thank you for the hints shabbo, not needed but always fun to read.

    1. Massive respect to your father, MW. You must be very proud.

       1. Thank you for your kind words – only just looked back in now.
          Good of you to take the time – and yes, I am very proud.

          Thanks again Tom

23. It’s all been said, a lovely puzzle with a couple of parsings needing explaining and the same initial mistake at 23d. 11a was my favourite but it could have been many others.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints

24. Thank you setter and Shabbo.

    Did any notice in the quickie, the answer to 13a is a bell pepper, not a spicy sausage? A spicy sausage would have double p. Was reliably informed by Graymattinha, our resident linguist.

    1. Chambers gives both spellings for the spicy sausage, other dictionaries (and resident linguists) may differ though!

       1. That’s the beauty of the evolution of language. Always open to interpretation. (Many a linguistic debate to be had in our multilingual household) And, for that reason, will happily accept your response 😀

25. I struggled with this one. Didn’t know the 23d term and my birding partner wasn’t aware of 7d, my last one in.

    Top picks for me were 13d, 22a and 6d.

    Thanks to Shabbo and the setter.

26. What I would describe as an interesting puzzle rather than an enjoyable one. Needed the hints to explain about a third of my answers. Never come across 28a before as it seems nor have most of us.
    Thx to all
    ****/**

    1. Did you really mean 28a, Brian, or was that a typo? All bar one of the comments above where it’s been singled out have been to include it in a list of a commenter’s top clues. No-one has made an adverse comment about 28a, and it seems to have featured in the back page puzzle once a year or so for the last 5.5 years, so you may well have come across “her” before.

       1. I can’t say I have … new word for me and not likely to remain in my noggin for long either!

27. Superlative stuff. A shame I had to rush it slightly as I need to head out again to listen to some VERY LOUD music in Brixton. As others have said, splendid surfaces and clever clueing throughout. If I was forced to pick a winner, it might well be drunk’s partner at 13d. Oh, and I also put in octet and then wondered what a tet might be, while being convinced that I was chasing a pangram. Thanks very much indeed to the setter and to Shabbo.

28. Many thanks to Shabbo and a welcome back to the blogging chair. Thank you also to everyone solving and commenting. Much appreciated.

    See you all again soon!

    1. Thank you, silvanus for a great puzzle and for popping in. I really enjoyed. your offering today but you caught me out with a few.

    2. Thank you so much Sylvanus, great guzzle.

    3. I know it is Thursday, but I still think this one belongs on the toughie page. I should have looked in the BRB for squeaker, instead of which I lazily looked in online dictionaries on my phone and none of them included young bird as a meaning. I think that “types” in 8d refers to the meaning of Dingbat as an ornamental piece of typesetting. I got Brazil nut, but had to look here to parse it completely. Likewise 1a.

29. Well it’s Thursday and Silvanus so I am more than pleased that this was another day when I got 75% done before I succumbed to the hints. And thank goodness for them as I had never run across 23d. 12a only went in as a bung in because it fit with 8d. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.

30. Great puzzle Silvanus with ‘the stuff that’s read out’ being my favourite clue … but as with some others was derailed for a while through assuming ‘octet’ as an answer …. thank you too Shabbo

31. I was pleased to have solved this unaided, but even more so now I know it was a Silvanus. Great solve.

    Thanks to all.

32. It’s all been said before and I concur. Needed the hint to parse 27a. 🤦‍♂️ Apart from that completed at a steady albeit pedestrian pace. Favourite was 22a. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.

33. Good evening

    Not even my Lucky Green Pen could save me from a DNF today. Beaten by the Brain Of Silvanus! In my defence, I’d never heard of 7d in this context; and I’ve joined others in the trap of entering OCTET at 23d, not being familiar with the true solution, thereby rendering 28a impossible to answer.

    Top marks for 22a and 13d for wit and style in clueing!

    Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo.

34. 5a eased by my younger son having been awarded tgat gong for his amazing community work during Covid lock down. So proud!!!

    1. Good for him! No wonder you’re a proud dad, Peter.

35. can someone kindly explain to me which part of the clue to 8 down equates to the NG in the answer?

    1. Welcome to the blog

       DINGy (dim without its ‘tail’ or final letter followed by a reversal of a STAB (attempt)

       1. OF COURSE! I was being particularly DIM and couldn’t see that I needed to use a synonym of dim as my starting place, crafty setter! Thank you for putting me straight.

    2. Welcome, Gerald. I hope you keep commenting. 👍

36. Had to come back to this today having been left with 3 to do. Also fell into the trap of thinking ‘octet’ for 23, which messed up 28. The last two in were 6 and 12, for which I needed help. Many thanks – a great puzzle.

37. Just thrown in the towel and looked at the hints.
    Very difficult puzzle but probably not quite a Toughie (I did most of this, but seldom finish the Toughie).
    I find Silvanus hardest to solve of all the setters, but this is definitely a great puzzle, so thanks.
    Also, thanks for the needed hints.

38. 4*/3* …
    liked 11A “Dietary supplement for a boxer ? (3,7)”

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