DA Confusion for the 28/29th of January, 2011

Posted on by AS

It’s a DA, so no doubt there are some perplexities that need sorting out.

Here’s where you ask the questions that get answered.

54 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 28/29th of January, 2011”

  3. I’ve got a few, (including a couple of guesses) but hints on 7A and 9A and 2D and 8D for a start would be nice! Is 14D the name of a US Television show? Thanks,
    Alison

  4. Alison – 14D – yes a US Show
    the only bit of help I can give
    9A – – for current don’t think of dried fruit or now .

  5. 7a: “wings” is DA’s way of indicating first and last letter of something. There’s an anagram in there too. They crush things there.
    9a: Xena was a big strapping warrior woman in a Greek mythology context, wasn’t she? Is there one of those in Brazil? (or online?)
    2d: convert 3.05m into feet.
    8d: it starts with an anagram of “inwards,” and it holds plenty of beer.

  6. Thanks! – got 7A. And 9A (now that I added the word ‘greek’ to google).
    Still can’t get 8D, but I may have 11A wrong. Still no idea on 2D. Ten feet, huh? Is 15D the obvious, i.e. one like in Pisa? And is 16A a modified version of a saying for something that is the spitting image of something else?

  7. I found 17d an easy anagram. And 24a is bit oblique, think whip.
    I need help with the missile?

  8. A very poor effort from me, even by my standards, could be the newborn baby. Anyway, I’d appreciate a few hints on 16A, 24A, 3-21D and 19d.
    Thanks,
    Stephen.

  10. Stephen, In order of your request 16a. Think vegetables. 24a. Think whip. 3. 21d. Think crying wolf
    As for 19d I am stuck , have got 2 letters across but all my “researching”. With a computer has left me confused.

  13. Thanks CraigO. I have an answer for 3,21D (also in his quick crossword) but can’t see the wordplay. And the same for 15D. Any hints?

  14. My first go giving hints instead of asking for them, so apologies if they’re too hard/obvious!

    19D: “Heads” indicates the leading letters of more than one of the preceding words.

    8D: Apparently they drink a lot in the NT (the phrase is not in common use here in NZ).

    2D: Convert the metric measurement to imperial. This (in the singular) is the outside of the answer.

    Can I beg a hint for 12A,20A? I am all done apart from this pair.

  16. 12a, 20a: four letter word for a fruit, then a six letter word for cream with one letter changed.
    3d, 21d: male with sides removed, and a four letter mammalian swimmer, inside a synonym for till (as a verb)
    15d: the archer is Willam Tell; the T is shifted, and inserted inside a small group of trees.
    2d: you have the ten foot already; now insert three letters denoted by redback.
    19d: what Rupert said

  17. Thanks, Ian. I have the whole thing now. Two hints from the lovely people here and no Googling is a personal best!

  18. 12, 20 across… Don’t you just love DA……centre as a clue for letter position and model for an old car….when you know the result it all falls into place

    I still am missing 18 Across Umpteen comets???????????????? otherwise got the rest , thanks to all the helpers.

  20. Hi, is 4D Falun Gong? If so, I don’t get wordplay or definition. And despite David’s help, I can’t get 18A. Ta

  22. Never heard of an Oort Cloud. Like the anagram indicator.
    Liked 22 A.
    Don’t get all the wordplay in 3, 21 D. Get the ’till’ bit. Is the rest an anagram of a male swimmer?
    And 5D is downright mean – a cryptic definition and an abbreviated dog.
    Bit of a blokie one this week I reckon – space junk, bomb cars, amazing virgins, big drinkers, rodeos, hairless men and hairy dogs.

  24. Gayle, the Oort Cloud is a huge cluster of comets outside the Kuiper Belt. Mars was a nice hint of the astronomical nature of the answer, as well as being the anagram indicator in its other sense.

  25. Thanks Ian for Male Seal. I see you’d signposted that earlier but missed it.
    Agree Rupert. 18 A was a great clue all round and led to an interesting trip on google.

  26. Am down to the last 2 clues – 12 ac and 20 ac. Despite hints can still not get it. Help, please. Am going cross-eyed

  28. Only one to go, 5D. It seems no-one else is stuck there so guess I’m missing the obvious (as usual!) Help, please!

  32. There are hints further back in the thread to most of those. Others:
    26A is an anagram of the first word of the clue without ST (for street -a way off).
    23D is a hidden word.

  33. despite all the above hints I still have no idea on 12, 20a.
    Nobody mentioned 10A but it has me stumped too.
    Don’t understand what pine and stone have to do with 1D answer.

    Loved 18A
    22a not bad either, although it took me a while to get the answer and somewhat longer to understand the wordplay.

  34. nn, re 12/20A, this was the very last one I solved.
    “Vegetable” is the definition. It might be a bit obscure, if you’re not a “foodie”. You should get the second word, but might struggle with the first.
    For the wordplay, Ian’s hint above was “four letter word for a fruit, then a six letter word for cream with one letter changed”.
    If you want more help, here it is: the letter to be changed is the third letter T (“model”) and it is “covered” (i.e. replaced) by N (“tanning centre”).

    10A: “Secondary tracks” is the definition and refers to the flipside of a vinyl record.

    1D: I take it you have the answer? “Pine” refers to the first 4 letters; “stone” refers to the last 4 letters. Do I hear you groaning?

  35. thanks rb
    have never heard of that vegetable! Several times I’d decided that this was the only thing that would fit, but it didn’t make sense to me. Should have googled it!

    10a thanks, but don’t understand the rest of the clue, I’m guessing close to jungle is jingle, but further lost???

    1D yep, you should have heard an almighty groan!!!

  36. No, I didn’t really understand 10A either.
    And yes, I groaned when I finally solved 1D!

  38. No, STILL don’t get it! Unless ‘close to’ means both ‘next to’ AND last letter?

  40. Got all except 18A, of which I’d never heard. But can’t get the word play in 13A.

  41. @Jill: ‘CLOSE’ is like to to come to the end, or just the end or conclusion – i.e. that last letter of JUNGLE.

    @Dave R: 13A is just a (cryptic) definition: VIRGINITY is the quality of a maiden, it’s not lost to anyone.

  42. Jill, if you’re still puzzled by “close to” in 10A, think of “close” as a noun (pronounced “cloze”). So the meaning is simply the last letter. See also Jonathan’s post just before yours.

    Dave R, re wordplay in 13A, neither could I at first! Then I realised that it’s just a cryptic (or pun) definition. Since one meaning of maiden is “virgin”, it follows that a maiden cannot yet have lost her virginity! On anyone!

  43. Not my best effort on this one. I do think 9A is technically incorrect, since Xena was never a member of the tribe in question (but her sidekick Gabrielle was, in an honorary fashion).

  44. Hi,

    Can someone please help me with the wordplay for a couple of clues.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have today’s Age with me, so can’t reference by position.

    The ones I’d like help with are:

    1) “Cambodian rose …” with answer Pol Pot;
    2) “Thrice quake …” (I thought answer was triple, but may be wrong!).

    Thanks a lot.

    Grant

  45. Grant, Pol Pot is top lop in reverse (kill, execute – presumably by guillotine) – rose indicates reverse.

    Quake is tremble which becomes treble without its epicentre (ie the letter m in the middle, not p as in the centre of epi, which threw me for a long while).

  46. Thanks JK – that’s great.

    One question – regarding Pol Pot – what is it about “rose” that suggests reverse? Is this a standard indicator for reversal? (I thought rose may have referred to the Khmer Rouge)

    Thanks again.

  47. @Grant: “rose” is used in the sense of came up. In a down clue that’s a reversal.

  48. Grant, “rose” would only work for a down clue: instead of the word being written into the grid downwards, you start at the bottom and “rise” to the top.

  49. RB – not sure that DA always sticks to this rule. I seem to recall him using “up” indicators in across clues previously.

  50. You’re right GB. I’m pretty sure I’ve complained about DA ignoring this “rule”. But, as even the most ardent DA fan would admit, not all of DA’s clues “work”.

  54. Thanks, JD. Silly me. I have eaten and pickled these, but the jewelled part completely eluded me this time! I found this week’s puzzle easy like the fabric week’s, must be something to do with age and occupation.

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