DT 30999

93 comments on “DT 30999”

1. I have to disagree with our blogger, I would not say that today’s puzzle is the work of a ‘mystery setter.’ There is enough smoothness in the clues to more than suggest that this is the work of Silvanus. It is hardly worth searching at the back of my sock drawer for any remaining half crowns.

   Stand out favourite – The Pun!

   Thanks to Silvanus, or whomsoever in the very unlikely event that it is not he, and thanks to Shabbo.

2. A very enjoyable addition to a midmorning cuppa. For a moment I did wonder what a quarter of Doris’s pay might have been, before I read the clue again and the answer biffed me between the ears. The abrasive old comedian raised a smile, but my podium comprises 5d, 17a and 21d in top spot. Thanks to compiler and Shabbo

3. A very enjoyable puzzle that I found a little tricky in places. With a handful left to ponder over, I switched to the toughie channel, and then came back to this later to finish it off.
   Nice to see Chelsea get a mention, and I’ve been smiling to myself remembering the old “comedian”, Oh, you are awful…..

   Many thanks to the setter (Silvanus perhaps?), and to Shabbo for the write-up.

   1. I forgot to say, nice misdirection at 12a… 1/4 indeed!

   2. I seem to remember that the comedian was an avid motorcycle fan, and rode a BMW in his later years.

      1. Yes – One of his characters was called “Ton-up boy”.

      2. He also had a pilot’s licence and owned a Tiger Moth (I think) which he based at Fairoaks Aerodrome in Surrey.

4. Even though I’ve got the answer to 12a, and read the hint, I still can’t see for the life of me where 1/4 comes into it.

   Am I missing something really obvious here?

   1. Numerical expression of a date?

      1. Ta Senf, a ‘wood for the trees’ moment.

         Off now to look in the mirror to see if I can see the nose in front of my face!

      2. Had the answer, thanks for the explanation, doh!

   2. Me too! The “quarter day” is March 25th!

      1. Hi LNL

         Can any of yooz spot a cool way to learn the Quarter Days that are:

         March 25th
         June 24th,
         September 29th
         Christmas Day

         Obviously, the last one is a given but there’s a link with the other three.

         On your marks. Get set. Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

         1. Well June 24th is my birthday so I always remember that!

            1. Fair enough.

               It’s a really cool link which is staring you in the face.

               Just look at the last digit of each number.

               1. Five plus four is nine.? That would work for me but I’m sure it’s not the answer. I’m not really a figures person despite having spent my life juggling them!

                  1. You’re virtually there.

                     The number of letters in each month is the last digit of the date:

                     March 5 letters = 25th
                     June 4 letters = 24th
                     September 9 letters = 29th

                     It’s as if it was planned but it wasn’t. It’s all to do with certain feast days in Christianity that’ll interest Brian.

                     1. Accountancy training teaches that for the quarters (at least it used to)

         2. The number of the day corresponds to the number of letters on the month
            March 25th – 5 letters;
            June 24th – 4 letters;
            September 29th – 9 letters; and,
            You’ll remember Christmas Day!

            1. Forgive me. I’ve only just seen this, T2.

               Good work!

               Love the alias, btw.

         3. Last digit is the number of letters in the month.

   3. First of the fourth .. I thought this was a brilliant clue in so much as was totally convinced that a quarter was involved someone .. my cotd. Other than that I played a 6d today.
      Thanks to setter and Shabbo. I needed the hint to explain the first part to 11d .. it was a “bung in” for me.

      1. I also fell for the ‘quarter’. It’s a great clue.

         1. Agreed, even though I had solved and only just seen the explanation.

5. A good crossword with lots if variet to it. I really liked the 13d22a but cryptic definition/ double meaning clue, the geographical anagram at 3d, the geographical Lego clue at 17a and the lurker at 5d. Being ignorant about soccer, I couldn’t figure out where Chelsea came into 22a but the worsplay gave the answer. Thhankscro the compiler and to Shabbo for the hints

6. A sheep in wolf’s clothing! On looking at the first few clues I wondered whether this was going to be a severe test, but 8d leapt from the page and from that moment it was more like a gentle Tuesday offering from the Prof.

   Quite superb, and while I could have ticked most of the clues, but my favourites came down to the clever misdirection of 12a, the cryptic definitions of 22a and 13d, and the subtractive wit of 20d.

   Lovely puzzle, thank you setter (Silvanus or possibly Hudson? I’m probably wildly wrong) and Shabbo

7. What a fantastic puzzle but by no means a walk in the park. I’ve got ticks all over my page. I loathed 8d’s comedian but loved the clue.
   Top picks for me were 12a, 8d, 25a, 20d and 18d.
   I also liked the Quickie pun.
   Thanks to Shabbo and the setter.
   .

8. A cracking puzzle – many thanks to our setter and Shabbo,
   I liked 9a, 7d and 20d but the Oscar for the star of the show goes to the clever 12a (with the Quickie pun in a supporting role).

9. This was a hugely enjoyable puzzle that I powered through in a heartbeat. I haven’t solved a crossword at the business end of the week so quickly.

   I never thought that the synonym for in 6a is actually a lie. But, I suppose it makes sense.

   My hotly contested podium is 12a, 17a and 8d.

   MT to Sade and Shabbs (no need to get your coat. I loved it even though I hate the expression)

   1*/5*

10. Very good puzzle with a nice mix of difficulty. My LOI was 8d, but quite satisfying to get as I had never heard of either the abrasive or the old comedian, but after looking at a list of old comedians, there was only one answer possible. 12a was also nice. Took me a while, and some checkers, to get it. Thank you to Shabbo and the setter.

11. A super puzzle with my only slight gripe being 27a or more specifically the last part of it – does it really mean younger? Hmmm.

    Aside from that small quibble lots of fun and super smooth. I forced to pick a favourite I would plump for 20d. Thank you setter for a stellar offering and to Shabbo for the hints which I look forward to reading now.

    1. At the risk of annoying at least one member of our company, younger is in the entry in The Crimson Tome for the last part of 27a.

       1. Grr…..

          James the ****, meaning younger, was an apostle.

       2. Thanks for that – I guess if it’s in there – who am I to say otherwise! I always thought that a synonym should be swappable (sorry for that word!). Every day’s a school day and why I love this site for all the enlightened folk on here

          1. U betcha!

             He was also known as ‘James the Younger’. So, the words are swappable.

             If it isn’t a word, it sure is now!

12. 21 down was last in for me. Don’t know why as I get through enough of them. Very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to all involved.

13. Great fun today. I couldn’t stand the comedian either Madflower. Some of the clues were very clever indeed and were lost on me at the first pass but then suddenly all the penny drop moments came. Many thanks to the setter and to Shabbo. Loved the quickie pun. Another milestone tomorrow as we are start our 31000 guzzle.

    1. Crude, rude and offensive.
       (Not you, him)

       1. I seem to recall Mary Whitehouse objecting to him, but he wasn’t the only one to incur her displeasure! I think some performers saw it as a badge of honour to be singled out by Mrs W.

          Of course, like most TV comedians of his generation, he used a little smut and innuendo in his shows, but I don’t think he would have had a BBC One comedy series for almost twenty years, in a prime family-viewing slot, had his comedy been that offensive. Even my own comedy favourites like The Two Ronnies were not averse to using some smut and innuendo either, it went with the times.

          1. Yes you are right, of course. He wasn’t that bad! I take it back.

          2. Well said.

          3. Gosh times have changed. I was thinking only the other day about what Mary Whitehouse would think of programs like Love Island or worse – Naked Attraction. I don’t watch these myself (honest) but sometimes I stumble upon them when switching on , and am truly …stunned

14. Very enjoyable puzzle. I also wasn’t sure why Chelsea was in 22a. Fortunately online it does check the answers.

15. Mr Smooth rides again – all’s right with my crossworld!
    Like Shabbo, I tried unsuccessfully to fit a different old doctor into the parsing of 25a and I was also ridiculously slow to collect up the 21d boxes – think I’ll join tipcat to look for my nose! The red rosette goes to 12a with the other colours handed out to 27a plus 8&13d. Smile award to the Quickie pun which I thought might raise a few titters from the back row.

    Many thanks to Silvanus for another of his excellent puzzles and to Shabbo for the review.

16. A step up in difficulty today, with the south proving troublesome.
    I was unaware of the film but had the answer so failed to parse 20d. Both the river kwai and madison county didnt seem to work!
    2d and 12a favourites today
    Thanks to ?Silvanus and shabbo
    3*/4.5*

17. 1.5*/4* Really enjoyed this one, lots of varied clues and misdirection. Favourites include 1a once Senf explained it, 17a African and the contract at 20d, also a cracking quickie pun.
    Thanks to Shabbo and setter

    1. I assume Senf’s assistance helped with 12a, not 1a?
       I admit that my hint for 12a did not really help at all, so I have expanded it to include a hint for the definition part of the clue.
       Senf – I will send you half of my blogging fee for this week.

       1. Yes 12a, my mistake

18. Did nobody else have 14a as outset???!
    Can’t say I prefer the answer to this….

    1. Yes -I did!

    2. Yes I had outset. Enjoyed the puzzle, but really it took me ages to complete. I loved 12a.

    3. Tennis umpires never call “set” on its own, unfortunately. It’s always “game and set” or “game, set and match”.

       1. Many thanks for the reply!
          My goodness… An ingenious response!! Have you improvised that on the spot, or was it obvious to you right from the outset (pardon the pun)?

          1. I’m quite a keen follower of tennis, so that helped when formulating the clue!

19. Well, I shall just fall in with everyone else and say very enjoyable. 5d is a lovely word and the pun made me laugh. Thank you Sir Setter and Herr Hinter.

20. For this off week from RayT, I found this one more challenging and head scratching in many areas.
    However, I always look forward to RayT puzzles and I have to say he always constructs awesome grids. Very disciplined and very, very smart.

    2.5*/3.5*

    Favourites include 9a, 25a, 2d, 3d & 13d — with winner 3d

    Thanks to setter & Shabbo

21. A little late coming to the puzzle this afternoon as we have just driven back home from a flying visit to Essex. Well worth the wait, though, as this was a real cracker with a terrific clue mix, none better than 12a.

    Thanks to the genius who compiled this little gem, and to Shabbo.

22. Oops my thanks to the setter and Shabbo.

23. Firstly, I confess to a sleepless night and a bad stomach. I would think that’s why anything makes me grumpy today. In an otherwise enjoyable and largely but not totally gentle stroll, 23d activated my ‘grump’, it’s the kind of clue that can’t go in until checkers are there as the homonym can ‘go both ways’. Do we want the purchase or the cricket? This held me up with the 25a alcohol free zone and the 21d containers, both of which were lovely but quite difficult clues.

    Put ticks against 11d furniture and those 21d containers. In fact, given the state of politicians of all colours, perhaps the 11a answer (or “office furniture”) is a good description of them as a whole ☺!

    Thanks to the setter and Shabbo.

    1. I hope you feel better soon.

       I profoundly disagree with you about 23d, it can only be a homophone of purchases making (“to be”) extras as the solution, the phrasing of the clue means that it cannot be read the other way round.

       1. I’m afraid I must join the ‘reads both ways’ camp.

          It was only when I cracked 25A that I knew which way to go.

          Lovely puzzle anyway and I enjoyed the challenge.

       2. Thank you, Sir! I shall try to apply the logic you outline to determine the ‘direction’ in future but I feel it probably won’t hold across all setters.

          Many thanks for a great puzzle!

    2. I thought it could be read both ways as well for what its worth…

       1. Me too!

24. Many thanks to Shabbo and to everyone solving and commenting.

    Hope to see you all again soon.

    1. You had jolly well better, we want more!

25. I knew we were going to pay for the last few days. After two nights of little sleep this puzzle proved more difficult than it should. Not helped by a TV show way after we moved across the pond, a couple of sports clues, and being totally befuddled by 12a. Not my best effort. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo. Electrician here today to fix some problems, but just left for approximately an hour to get a replacement part so here we are. I think a nap is in order.

26. I enjoyed this today. There were many smile moments. Spending time watching tennis this week 14a dropped in easily! I think 20d was my overall favourite, clever I thought. So many thanks to Shabbo for the help when needed and also to our setter for an enjoyable guzzle.

27. Re 10a, “prosecute” and “sue” are legal terms which are not synonymous. You prosecute a criminal case but sue in a civil action.

    1. Hmm, an interesting shout, G.

       Silvanus is, like all setters, extremely thorough, But, it looks like you’re correct.

       Or can it be used casually, away from its technical use in court, maybe?

    2. Sue and Prosecute are synonyms in my thesaurus.

       I very much doubt that Silvanus will plead guilty?

       1. Like it, Stan. Like it.

          And thank you!

          It would be nice to know a non-criminal sentence (excuse the pun) where they are synonymous.

    3. Chambers defines “sue” as “to prosecute at law”.

       It would be nice if, just occasionally, you could say whether you liked or disliked the puzzle when commenting, but I suppose then you’d have to change your pseudonym?!

       1. OK. I’ll change it. What do you suggest?

28. Thoroughly enjoyed this one that seems to be the work of Silvanus. I thought 21d the leaves container was an excellent clue. I did wonder about the parsing of my last one in 9d thinking maybe the without power meant ‘co-paster’ – who maybe could take proceedings in church but thought it rather tenuous ! Thanks to Shabbo for elucidating – kind of obvious actually. Excellent Silvanus , thanks so much.

    1. Hi Jenny

       You were not alone in 9a, where I also wondered if P(ower) fitted in somewhere.

29. I found today’s tough but enjoyable
    Certainly needed some help so thank you Shabbo
    16d took me right back to my school days but my favourite was the very clever 12a
    Would someone tell me where I can find the quickie pun?

    1. The first two or sometimes three answers in the Quickie crossword if said together give another word. Today’s is rather cheeky. 1a = Wife. 4a gives Runts. Said together they give “Y-Fronts”

30. Thank you Silvanus and Shabbo. Late onto the puzzle today. Solved fairly quickly and enjoyed. Gary and Val

31. I loved today’s puzzle and completed it eventually after a very slow start in the NE. Lots of excellent clues, with my favourites being the film at 20d, the leaves container at 21d, the situation at 15a and my LOI the superb 12a. Not only did I get misdirected by 1/4, but I also assumed Doris referred somehow to the last word of the answer!
    Thanks to the setter and to Shabbo.

32. Have to admit that was a struggle, only about 65% completed before I had to use the hints. A couple of clues I would not have got without said guidance. That said some very enjoyable clues, 25a, 2d and 21d each brought a smile.
    Thank you to the setter and to Shabbo for the hints, certainly needed today.

33. Brilliant puzzle from Silvanus. Can’t choose between 12A, 20D, 21D – great laughs from each. And VMT Shabbo too.

34. An excellent puzzle but a few that I needed help for today with either a hint or an explanation of the parsing eg 25a and 22a

    Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo for the hints.

35. A bit of a pedestrian foggy brained solve early doors with one or two requiring post completion parsing. Would happily have gone all in that was a Smooth production (easy to say now you know….) & as ever a hugely enjoyable solve with ticks aplenty. Tough to select a podium from a raft of contenders – 12a has to sit atop & 1,5&20d can fight it out for the other spots.
    Thanks to S&S
    Ps tonight’s homework is re-familiarising myself with the correct pronunciation of the names of some of entrants playing in the Ladies PIF London Championship – fortunately there’s an app with them saying their own name.

    1. I shall be listening out as will be in the gallery tmrw! ????

36. Really enjoyed this, despite many struggles. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.

    13d my COTD – made me laugh.

37. I have been on a seven mile walk today along the Jubilee River near Slough and then having found the trains all messed up I have returned home definitely wanting to drop off. But I just had to do the crossy and I managed it, maybe in four* time, without the hints so guess my brain is still addling. A nice crossword if a little tricky in places and confused about you lot and quarter days (but that matters not, I solved 12A regardless) so a nice prelude to Friday which no doubt will be a stinker.

38. Needed the hint to parse 12a, the subtilty of it passed me by, and the first word of 11d, just couldn’t see it. Re 27a astronauts are obviously not that, they just appear to be as they and their spacecraft are falling towards the earth at the the same rate as it curves away, hence orbit. It didn’t stop me writing it straight in though. I really enjoyed this crossword. Lots of contenders for favourite but I’ll go with my bung in at 12a for the cleverity of it once it was pointed out. Thanks to Silvanus and Shabbo.

39. Very late on parade today because of domestic issues. That is, interviewing cleaners to put my house in order. I found a pair who are a couple of rough diamonds – tattoos all over and kept calling me “Darling” but they came recommended in the local FB group.

    They blitzed the house! Everywhere is clean, smelling fresh, cobwebs gone and the sweet smell of polish pervades.

    I loved the puzzle but, in the euphoria of a clean house, I can’t recall much of it.

    Thank you, setter whom I believe to be silvanus. Thank you, Shabbo for the hints.

    1. .. you’ll need to treat yourself to a pair of marigolds, a pinny and feather duster and spend less time crossword solving????

40. That was a lot of fun and not too taxing although I do have to admit to lacking a few parsings. Can’t believe I didn’t see where the quarter came from in 12a. Thank you Silvanus and Shabbo.

41. Enjoyed this, although my brain feels mangled! Finished it on my own though, so feel pleased with myself – couldn’t have done so a couple of years ago and this site has been so helpful. Many thanks to Silvanus and to Shabbo for the hints (not needed today, but the explanations were much appreciated). 12a and 21d were my favourites but enjoyed many more.

42. 3″ /4* …
    liked 13D “Glow in William’s cheeks ,say, having great poker hand (5,5)”

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