So it’s happened here a week later than it did for our New South Welsh compatriots: DA is now Saturday’s beast.
Sure, DS is a pretty good crossword compiler, and today’s clue regarding Kublai Khan and blank verse was DA-esque in quality, but DS ain’t no DA.
Although me and the crew don’t usually attempt DA on Fridays, I will miss having the opportunity of sizing DA up before the weekend hits, of staring in amusement at a bunch of indecipherable clues — and often indecipherable instructions — in gleeful expectation of what was to come over coffee with mates.
And perhaps most worryingly: waiting until Monday for the answers will hurt.
Still cancelled my subscription. I love making a statement. And a better deal: I get the papers at school for next to nothing.
Wondered why it felt a little wrong today, didn’t actually notice the compiler had changed. Tunnel vision or something!
Good for you TT! I would cancel my Age subscription too, but the sort of grand statement you’ve just made can only be made once…..and I’ve already done it! (about a month ago, when I couldn’t get any response from The Age to an email query – I tried half a dozen times over the space of three months).
Since then, I’ve been printing out the online crossword, but The Age and SMH online crossword service is about to close down in a couple of days.
Anyway, my subscription was for Mon to Fri, so I would still have missed out on the Saturday DA. And I refuse to buy about 10kilograms of newspaper to feed my DA addiction. Somehow, I need to find a more environmentally-friendly option. The library perhaps?
Did anyone do Friday’s DS? A few really nice clues, but IMO some dodgy abbreviations (bomb=B, international=INT), some singular/plural mismatches (old beasts=MASTODON, vote=REFERENDA), and a dodgy use of “end” (end of military=RY).
Also some innovative anagram indicators (swimming, confederacy, lucky) – as someone pointed out last week, it seems that just about any word can now be used as an anagram indicator.
If my interpretation of 18A is correct, then it rivalled DA at his darkest:
Peter out to dip his lid, when boxing that is (3,3) DIE OFF
15A I think you’ll find that the B from Bomb comes from Bomb “launched” (the first letter)
Yes, you’re right – I hadn’t accounted for “launched”. Thanks.
Sheesh! DA was tough this week. Google was useful, and I have a couple of whinges, but I’ll wait till the appropriate discussion is started.
Yes RB, DS certainly has his moments and 18A was one of them. A beautifully constructed clue I thought.
As for this week’s DA: a real arm wrestle for a while (just how I like it) and some gems in there.My picks:19A (a bit of fun) and 8A 27A (very clever) and 22D
Still not happy Jan! And that’s despite getting it all out.
As with nearly all DA themed crosswords, once you have the theme there’s a few easy gets here and there.
Lots of entertaining answers in this one:11A; 19A; 19D; 22D; 27A; 29A-14D
The letter writers in the Age are not happy. Hard to believe there are so many Anti DAs out there. This website has us coccooned into believing that everyone is a fan. If only they could see the light!
It is too small on Saturday, ’nuff said…
Well, it seems all has now been resolved and DA is back to Friday in SMH as of today 18 September). Being in Queensland, I won’t know what The Age is doing until tomorrow.
DS in today’s Age.
The Age was a week behind with the shift to Saturday, so it might work with any shift back, too.
The shift is on.
More here.
A pity.
I’m now used to, and prefer, the Saturday/Sunday/answers on Monday rhythm.
Now I have to change back.
As Brian (and Jesus) said in LoB: “No pleasing some people.”
Likewise TT. A whole weekend to tinker with the crossword was good, with the added bonus of being able to take the crossword to work and try to finish it off on Monday if needed (sadly , usually yes).
Although I haven’t quite lost the hollow feeling on Fridays of there being no DA.
A thought just came to mind. Does anyone know how long DA has been doing the Friday crossword? I’m thinking at least 10 years. I can’t remember the time that it occurred to me that the Friday crossword was always provided by the same setter.
At least 13 years with the Friday spot, as I’m pretty sure I started doing them regularly from 1996.
JD et al – the whole Friday/Saturday thing is/was NOT about being anti-DA. It was about just leaving things as they had been for the past 13 years. I don’t see anywhere on this blog where there has been any pressure to get DA to move to Saturday. What was the rationale for the change? You trippers were happy with the Friday slot and those of us for whom a DS is as tough as we are ever going to solve were equally content with Saturday.
Seems that the greatest fuss was made about DS having been moved.
Haiku, on the second comment, has the evidence.