DT 30868

48 comments on “DT 30868”

1. An enjoyable guzzle and just right for a Friday. It took two cups of coffee and I did need electrons for a couple. 1a fell immediately so I got off to a good start. I knew the second word at 26a but not the first. No wonder because I’ve never heard of the term having always used “big”. There was an old friend at 6d and I liked the creative sweetheart at 22a. My COTD is the iconic model at 21a.

   Thank you, setter for a great Friday challenge. Thank you, Mr. K. for the hints.

   1. Here’s a pusskit.

      

      1. We had one who looked just like this, he adopted us on the way back from the pub once, and we found that his real owners wanted rid of him, so we took him on. We re-named him King Vidor.

      2. That looks like the AI cat on Facebook which sings “don’t you want me like I want you baby” spookily seductive.

2. I found this extremely tricky to get into and only managed about half a dozen to start with. Once I had got a few checkers it all filled in quite nicely. Several were bung ins which I then had to parse. For some reason had difficulty spelling the Bavarian trews! Anyway thanks to the setter and Mr K.

3. For me, and for a Friday, much of this puzzle went in smoothly. Like Steve C, I’ve never heard the phrase in 26a and dithered before entering it in the grid. I particularly liked the double Germanic clues at 2 and 3d, but my podium comprises 22a, 9d and 8a in top spot. Thanks to compiler for a fun Friday puzzle and Mr K for the hints.

   1. 2&3 took me right back to Fraulein Knurr and learning things like aus, bei, mit, nacht, zeit, von, zu, gegenuber – which all did something.

      1. You did German at school? At my school girls learnt French and the boys learnt German. I never understood why we were co-ed as we never in fact shared any classes after the first year. Boys did engineering, girls did cooking… that would not go down well these days.

         1. Girls Grammar School in Wimbledon with the formidable Miss K. F. Wade from Girton our Principal. Oh boy, were we ‘gels’ brought up proper! And no needlework or Domestic Science for us, I even did a year of Greek until I decided French and German were enough.
            Wot swots we were.

4. I know it’s Friday, but this was tougher than an orphan from 1950’s Govan.

   First go through yielded one answer, and I considered putting it down then, but as Nimrod had just jumped up onto my lap it felt a bit mean to chuck him straight off again.

   Glad I kept with it, as turn turned out to be wonderfully devious (maybe apart from 26a, good grief!)

   No real standouts for me today as there’re all pretty good, ta to our setter (I never know) and Mr K, great fun.

5. A remarkably approachable guzzle for a Friday, with the topchalf going invmore east rhan the bottom half. I likwd the geographical lego at 9d, the 1a cryptic definition and my COTD, the Lego clue at 21a, which reminded me of my time at London University in the Swinging Sixties. Thanks to Mr K for the hints and to the compiler for a nicely balanced guzzle.

6. A very enjoyable Friday not too challenging Friday challenge which, if I can find one, a shiny new King Charles Toonie will be saying that this is the work of the ‘smooth’ member of the Friday triumvirate – 2.5*/4.5*

   Candidates for favourite – 8a, 22a, 2d, 12d, and 20d – and the winner is 8a.

   Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever if my Toonie goes down the drain, and thanks to Mr K. An intense game of 10a in progress:

   

7. Started in the NE and made steady and swift progress AC, finishing with 9d. A lot of fun, no esoteric GK, nice balance of clues and good surfaces, with a refreshingly modern feel, although my nieces might claim Ms Cyrus is more a golden oldie. Pah. & Bah. & a bit of Pish thrown in for good measure.

   Really enjoyed this. Podium for 25a, 20d and 2d.

   Many thanks indeed to the setter and to MrK

8. I was sorry to miss yesterday’s great guzzle, I did not tackle it until late last night and finished it this morning. I’ve definitely noted the salmon for scrabble use and loved Terence’s tirade. Do hope the cataract operation went well, both of mine worked spectacularly, I think the dread of having any intrusion into the eye is the worst part. Anyway I wanted to say thank you for yesterday and I am well on the way through today, but going out to lunch so hope to comment later.

9. I thought this was tricky but nonetheless whizzed through it after 1a got me off to a flying start….

10. Took a bit longer than yesterdays, I was stuck for a while in the SW corner until I twigged 21a, and we laughed and laughed. Like Steve I have not cone across that first part word for conceited in 26a. I actually liked 21a and the reverse lurker at 2d. Thanks to the setter and Mr K for hints.

11. Another tricky Friday puzzle this week that didn’t really float my boat. Some awkward clueing for me and even with the answer it was hard to reverse engineer.

    3*/2* for me

    Favourites 1a, 10a, 14a, 12d & 15d — with winner 12a

    Thanks to setter & Mr K.

12. An excellent Friday puzzle – thanks to our setter and Mr K.
    I’ve never heard the conceited synonym in 26a with that first word so needed to check the BRB.
    I loved the ‘small and wrinkled’ 6d as well as 21a, 25a and 20d.

13. Strangely found this much easier than a ‘normal’ Friday. Like others, not heard of 26a with that first word. Everything pretty, much fell straight in except for 16a, where I had the answer and could parse it but couldn’t quite convince myself that it was a synonym of “spring”. Favourite was 7a. Thanks setter and Mr K

14. Good fun for a sunny Friday. 26a a new expression, 16a hmmmm, 9d – I’ve been unaware of the correct spelling of this state for a lifetime.
    3*/3*
    Thanks to setter and Mr K.

    1. And me

15. 3* / 4* Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, pitched just at the right level for Friday. Lots of excellent misdirection and top clues.
    Favourites 17d, 9d and 21a
    Thanks to Mr K and setter
    Ps Couldn’t get the quickie pun but obvious when I saw the answer

16. Perfect for a Friday with just the level of difficulty, not entirely straightforward but not mind numbingly difficult. Didn’t have a problem with 26a. How do you pick a favourite from these clues? I’m going to go with 20d but it could have been almost any of them. Thanks to the setter and Mr. K.

17. I needed Mr K’s help parsing 16a and the first part of 26a was new to me.

    Top picks for me were 21a, 12d and 19d.

    Thanks to Mr K and the setter.

18. Another rarity, one I actually enjoyed. Most days I complete it, but it’s a slog to keep the brain cells active, and I envy my fellow contributors to whom these crossies regularly give pleasure

    1. Keep slogging. Enjoy the ones you can do and the ones you can’t – well, at least we have this wonderful opportunity of getting a hint, and then if light does not dawn, do a reveal.

       1. I agree, DG. That is the way I did it when I first found the blog. Finding out how clues work is half the battle and BD certainly helps with this.

          Keep at it, Alistair. 👍

       2. Thanks for the encouragement. I usually enjoy the blog and the comments much more than the crosswords!

19. Lovely puzzle briskly solved in between teeing golfers off on another gloriously sunny day. No real problems although last in 16a required the full complement of checkers & my instinct is always to spell the US state with 3Ts & only 1C but the wordplay prompted me otherwise. I saw Cyrus at 17d & Jimmy Carter’s Secretary of State sprang to mind before the singer. Ticks against 8,21&26a plus 2,3,6&9d.
    Thanks to the setter (Silvanus maybe) & to Mr K

20. So many good clues today, discovering the truth and raising standards as my favourites, but needed Mr Ks help with the emojis. Thank you compiler

21. A busy day meant a late start on this one.
    I found it an excellent puzzle.
    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the write-up.

22. Found this too tricky to be enjoyable. Got a few answers on first pass, and then most came from the checkers. On a different planet from the setter. Not heard of 1d trucks, couldn’t parse 16a, and totally befuddled by 26a. Need to stop now as dry eye syndrome is making solving too difficult today. Thanks to setter and Mr K.

    1. We tend to call them tippers for 1d, BL.

       

23. Pretty tricky in places but I got there and enjoyed it very much. The Lego clues were my favourite today. I did benefit from the check answer option which meant a couple of my less certain answers were confirmed which really helps with clues like 26a.

    Many thanks to the setter and to Mr K for the hints.

24. Many thanks to Mr K and to everyone solving and commenting.

    I hope RD’s eye procedure went well.

    May I wish everyone a great weekend, certainly a welcome hint of Spring this week for those of us in the UK.

    1. Thank you for great Friday entertainment, silvanus and have a good weekend yourself.

    2. I thought quite a nice puzzle

       Thank you

25. Thank you Sylvanus , for a great guzzle. I think I need Tomdisappointing etc to give me a mnemonic to remember the cheese and the state! I had trouble with 18a as I thought pace was replaced by r for run and hence race. I agree that the sunshine makes everything seem more bearable. Thanks also to Mr Kay and all kitty contributors, you must look at that cat singing; it is quite horribly fascinating.

    1. Hi Day Zee and brethren.

       I am currently overseas so have no access to a paper, meaning I’m out of the loop. (I will NEVER go online – you can hold me to that).

       I managed to look at yesterday’s bloggeroony and solved the crossy with no grid, a challenge I relish. But, I’ve been in the air today and therefore had no internet access.

       So, today’s has passed me by.

       I have just landed and had to reply to you, Splitseez.

       A surgeon in Hartford (or should that be Heartford) says to the junior surgeon….’You CONNECT, I CUT’.

       Mascarpone:

       Doing a ‘count up’ after the family fishing contest:

       MA’S CARP – ONE

       Pa’s carp – two

       Pip pip!

       PS Jose loved working out a grid. Has anyone heard from him lately?

26. I too found this easier than a usual Friday although being away with friends and distracted at times by chat it was a fairly slow solve. Thanks to Silvanus and Mr K – never heard the word lovely word ‘commentariat’ before and I feel a warm and fuzzy feeling to be part of that collective ! 😀

27. Good evening

    By the cringe! That was a struggle, and up until two minutes ago, I was prepared to hoy the sponge in and call it a DNF with six clues to go. I took a break to cook dinner, with which wor lass and I put ourselves outside a bottle of wine, and thought “no way am I going to finish this crozzie!”

    But it’s done! I have beaten the Brain Of Silvanus, even though I thought that I couldn’t. The only solution I was unsure about was 16a, so thank you to Mr K for putting me straight. Thank you also, of course, to Silvanus for the challenge.

28. Like others, at first I struggled with this one and could only solve a few clues. But gradually over time, admittedly with a few electrons to help me, it slowly all came together. Never heard of the cheese and must remember that middle C in the long US state. Enjoyable but well into four star time.

29. Hi…still dont get 4 down…the explanation didn’t help me…a cube is six sided..lovely puzzle though…26a I enjoyed..cheers guys…
    Doug.

    1. The cube of 2 is ? 😊

30. Apologies if it’s already been mentioned elsewhere (if it was I must have missed it), but I’ve noticed that photos taken at the Little Venice Birthday Bash in January have now been uploaded to the Blog. The can be found under the “Features” tab, then by selecting “The Gallery”.

    Thanks to those who took the photos and uploaded them.

31. A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle – challenging but doable after some head scratching. Can’t pick a fav clue as there were so many good ones. Thanks to Sylvanus and Mr K.

32. Looked very difficult on a first pass but got into it yesterday evening when I solved 90%. Looked again this afternoon and finished it with the help of my wife for 7a but did not fully understand all the parsing (although I do now with the hints). Thought that 4d was “cubs”: eight year old scouts with an award! (I know, it doesn’t work). COTD 21a for the parsing and surface. Thank you to Sylvanus and Mr K. ***/***

33. 3*/4* …
    liked 25A “Pariah in public company (7)”

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