86 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 4/5th of May, 2012”
Pretty straightforward this week, I think.
16A seems a gift for Arthur C, though I don’t get how “info” is cluing what it appears to clue.
I’m also confused on the wordplay for 17A, 20A and 24D.
Favourite clues were 13D, 12A, 27A and 22A.
26A seems to have the first word doing double duty?
16A info = last four letters
17A borderless, exclude initials of former Aus. cricket captain
I too am confused with 20A & 24D
can’t see the double duty in in 26A,
17A: Thanks.
26A: I had binding as the directive and the fodder, but the directive is actually the third word. My bad.
16A: Yes, I got that part. But why?
16A colloquial, defn 27 in the Macquarie
Any luck with 20A & 24D ?
Re20A: 2nd last letters!
Forgot to delete website again.
24D , a handy tool for verification.
Will ponder 20A while i’m wetting a line
re24D: life in the sense of ‘get up and go’.
Re28A: only one word fits my grid, but I don’t see the definition or the wordplay in the clue. Anyone?
The definition is the whole clue: someone who cares how much energy is used transporting their food. Armed with that information, you can read the clue again as a standard cryptic clue with the first word as definition and the rest as wordplay.
Thanks Rupert. It’s a new word to me (and my dictionary!)….. It’s hard to remain loyal to my trusty Oxford these days.
4 letters away from completion – stumped on 23 down & 24 down. Is “eye” the clue for 24 down? Any hints?
23D: is not really new – they’ve been around for ten years or so. It’s a brand name of a device for recording television. The drip is the middle two letters, and is the sort of drip they hook you up to in hospital.
Thanks Rupert – a trade name I’ve never encountered before!
Oh yeah, that just leaves the first & 3rd letters of 24 d. Anyone with hints for parsing 24 down? I have an answer (a word for “eye” that fits) but can’t reconcile with the rest of the clue.
Re24D: think search engine minus go.
24D: Mike H gave a few hints above, but I still don’t get it. I also have “eye” as the definition, with lecherous overtones.
There he is again, while I was browsing the thesaurus!
Thanks, Mike.
Done but only after using a search engine for confirmation of 11d 23d and 28a (I’ve not heard of any of them). And thanks to JJ and Mike H for explaining wordplay in 17a and 20a.
Gil, you should look to JJ and Mike H’s comments above regarding 24d.
In Melb. 80% done but a few sticking points awaiting the Qantas Club and Crown Lager.
DA newbie.
Only solved 13 clues so far. Hard going.
Can I please have a hint for 14d.
Just figured it out. All done.
At last I get to do a DA on a Friday. It has been a bit busy lately (last week’s didn’t get done until Wednesday!).
Not too bad this week, but still need a kick along from this site every now and then, and also the ‘search for’ place in 24d. Loved that clue when I got it. Is DA having a little dig at those of us who need to search there?
Also loved 25a– great misdirection (particularly when I had just cracked 5a). It was the last clue I got, needed all the cross letters. But I laughed when it came through.
Also like the &lit in 22a.
Just signing on. Went through th clues carefully, have solved only two. 7 & 21D were easy. Nothing else striking a chord atm. Rupert, you have overestimated me, I can’t see anything in 16A as yet.
For 11D, I looked at list of fabulists, no name stood out, and my lack of knowledge of wines may be a handicap. Apart from Rupert’ comment in first post, haven’t looked above. But if something doesn’t break soon, may have to.
Can’t get 16A. Have only two choices, it seems, a Chinese puzzle (favoured atm) or what I watch on TV. Can’t fit clue to either of those. Did get 23 & 24D thanks to clues above. Eleven solved (?), but stuck for the moment.
Arthur C, for 16a think of someone who is an expert on ‘felt’.
Depressing to read that so many of you are done or nearly so. I’m with Arthur C – after an hour I’ve solved only 5 clues for certain, plus a couple of maybes. Is the see in 9A ecclesiastical? I think I have 26A though the Oscar winner in question has 3 words, the first being the definite article.
Ann, your hint there suggests that one of my alteernatives may be right, or at least the first three letters? But that would rule out my ‘holiday 8D in 6D, where I’m sure I have the right word. So, for the moment, I’m stuck with my Chinese puzzle. Which I can’t explain in terms of the DA clue or your hint. Further elucidation frequired.
Victor, the ‘see’ in 9a is not the ecclesiastical see. Its a verb. Way’ in cryptic clues, is often road, street, etc. Only just got this one, takes me to twelve.
Sudden burst filled NW corner, except for last letter of 2D. So, 10/11 to go. The ‘fabulist’ of 11D would help, can’t find a name on a list of fabulists that fits. May be on wrong tack?
Arthur C – the fabulist is a modern Italian writer. The “felt expert” – think of a game played on a felt surface.
9A – my first thought was an anagram minus the “st” for way, then I got side-tracked, having thought of BISHOPRIC (the RIC coming from the surname.
Down to last four or five. Last letter of 2D, the Italian in 11D, 17, 20, 28A. But my 20A may be wrong, I cannot connect my answer with all of the clue. As to the felt expert, as a regular snooker/pool player, I would never have dreamt of calling the baize ‘felt’. I think DA has gone astray there.
Arthur C, if you have grandchildren they may help you with 2d. I can’t get the wordplay in 20a either. For 28a ‘worry’ over coal.
I’m with Arthur, got a few quickly then slow going. Have the “felt” expert, but don’t get how info clues the last 4 letters, presume some sort of slang with which I’m not familiar.
28A escapes me completely despite above hints, I have letters 4, 6 and 8 but they aren’t helping. Suspect it is something I’ve never heard of.
Victor, 9a, your first thought was right.
Off to google oscar winners in the hope that it will help with 26A, but knowing DA I’m probably wasting my time!
Amazing, I wasn’t wasting my time!
Victor, thanks for the writer, would never have got it without your hint and google. But did have a laugh at the wordplay once I had the answer. Had spent ages messing around with “house cabernet” before this.
11d finally gave me the last missing cross letter for 28a. Worked out what it must have been from the wordplay but never heard of that either. Google to the rescue again. Have most of SE corner but not much else so far.
Lots of help from above hints thanks but still struggling with SW and NE; missing 2nd word of 12a and first word of 14d; not sure about 18a; don’t get 19d or 25a, or 8d but think it might have a k.
Any subtle hints welcome.
finally got 22a, very good!
sb I am stuck on all of those too except 8d. It is a double def. Love and email extra (think of what extra thing might be with the email message). No k in it
sb, I don’t even have either word in 12a or 14d, can you give me a hint for them?
Have several answers for 13d (all basically the same root but different endings), As I have no idea of 25a and 27a I can’t decide which one to use. Wordplay in 13d completely escapes me so that isn’t helping to decide either. Am going out as soon as I’ve finished my cup of coffee, so will be shredding it if I can’t make any more progress by the time my cuppa is empty
confetti time! 14 left, no idea.
Have all but 10A, and can’t work out the word play for 27A. Loved 11D (had heard of the fabulist, but it took a while, and a few cross letters, to sink in.) Also liked 22A, 25A and 28A.
nn, 13D contains a 3-word synonym for journal within a (rough) synonym for lyrical. The first letter is also given in the clue.
nn thanks for 8d hint. 12a first word is made of a razor edging in indigenous – hope that helps;
14d I think involves duty, grappling. 13d is sorry, made of lyrical around journal.
plodding on
Aha! Just got the word play for 27A. Does ‘retiring’ do double duty? sb, 8D doesn’t have a ‘k’. It’s a double definition: love and something which is an email extra.
Thanks Dave. My NE is almost there; still missing 10a.
Dave, I don’t think ‘retiring’ is doing double duty.
I’m thinking I might be on the wrong track with 18a (leading me astray on 14d and 19d) – my guess is that it is advice on avoiding gross stuff. Hm.
sb: A word for ‘gross’ plus a word for ‘stuff’. The first one is more likely to be a synonym for ‘gross’ when used in the sense of morality or character. And you’re right about 27A. I got confused there for a while because I’d been thinking that ‘retiring’ was an indication to read a word backwards. Even when that didn’t work, it still stuck in my mind.
And I still don’t have 10A.
Ah of course! thanks Dave
… which now gives me 14d (an expression I hadn’t heard before but google confirms)
… and 19d
Nearly there
At last, 10A! I certainly wasn’t 10A.
I finish with two missing. For 28A, the only word in my wordfinder that fits the letters produced by the down answers suggests a state of semiconsciousness. (or my own lower digits!). Cannot in any way fit that to the clue. I had an answer for 22A, Google agreed there was such a term, but then the obviously correct 11D destrpyed the second part of 22A. So there it rests, will probably leave till i see the answers on Monday, unless someone can point out where I have gone wrong.
At last! 28A!- just had to have a break, come back, and rethink “top secret”. Nice.
Arthur – rethink “top secret”.
Ah, Dave R, you’ve given me 10a thanks. Now left with 2d; and still don’t get the word play for some eg 20a
sb, I think the top secret you discovered is for 25a, not 28a. It is lovely misdirection. But, Arthur, the word you are looking for for 28a is not in most dictionaries as it is very knew. It is a combination of a word for “around here” (with its last letter removed) and o common ending to do with what people eat (as in those who eat meat are…). I hope that helps. I confirmed with Google.
That should have been “very new”, not “very knew”. Doh!
Arthur, 22a is &lit. ‘Ultimate airing’ gives the first letter. ‘Kinky’ is an anagram indicator with ‘compulsions’ as the fodder. The whole thing is an oblique description of the answer.
Sandy – yes of course, I meant 25A. So of course that wasn’t going to help Arthur at all!
Mixed bag, as usual. The last dozen or so answers went in very slowly indeed. A few too many obscurities for my liking (esp 14D: the uni and the phrase both new to me). Google has become an essential prop for DA.
But some lovely misdirections and DAisms: 16A, 17A, 25A, 19D were my favourites. And a couple of good &lits.
Finally realised what was wrong with my 22A! I originally had gaslit cinema in there, fitted most of the downs, but not the clue. Now I have the correct (?) answer, I still didn’t see much connection with the clue’ till I read Sandy’s contribution above (1635 yesterday). Still baffled by 28A, (as above), there must be another word somewhere my wordfinder doesn’t know about. Will have all the answers in 24 hours time, when the paper arrives.
Just to add weight to my previous criticism, this from Wiki:
I rest my case!
Hi Arthur,
What from Wiki? I think you missed something vital in your last post.
Arthur, I agree – felt would hardly last one game. But it’s necessary as a disguise, or the clue would be too obvious.
I’m having a very busy weekend, so only have odd snatched moments for DA this week. So far I’m only half-way there, and have run out of spare time.
Fresh look this morning, rethought top secret as suggested and the rest of the sw corner fell into place – should have seen 19d yesterday! But am still puzzled by the wordplay for 2d, can’t see any connection with the clue at all. Can anyone enlighten me?
Ok,
Does anyone else think the “oscar winner” answer as publised in the solutions has any sense to it?
Word for binding (sort of, think chain) with love inside
BrianB:2d, There are times when having been brought up on Brit imperial measurements helps. It’s upside-down and it’s also called a pole or a perch.
Thanks Mary. Actually I am of that vintage but was well off track with the whole clue – it’s so obvious now you point it out that I’m embarrassed!
28 A had us totally stumped – knew all along it was an anagram, but just couldn’t get it until all the above hints. Thanx all.
A good challenge this week. All done, although it took me a lot longer than usual. Knew the fabulist and eventually got the felt expert after getting stuck on a tangram tangent. Wasn’t bothered by the erroneous felt reference – that’s what it’s called colloquially in Australia. I’m a snooker club member and no-one calls it baize in general chit-chat.
28a has to be the toughest. It’s a very young neologism and even though I read an article on the topic this week, the eureka moment only occurred after I guessed the last four letters of the word – a suffix for various types of eaters – and the remaining letters fell into place.
Some very witty misdirections this week. Loved “top secret”.
PB, I think it won the Oscar that year for best song. Certainly wasn’t for any of the actors, and Forrest Gump was best film.
Thanks Mike H for explanations of 20a and 24d. All happy now :)
The definitionn from Wiki which I posted (which later vanished – is it against house rules to post from Wiki?), was backing up my statement that the cloth on a billiard table is baize not felt. Sandy, I still hadn’t worked out 28A, despite your hint. Looked in my 21st Century dictionary, nothing there. But, based on diet, had followed your suggestion, then checked with Google. So, have a new word in my vocabulary, and have (with some help) finished another DA.
The oscar winner threw me. I went for Tom Hanks – anagram of Sham Knot – short for Shamrock Knot – also known as lover’s knot.
Despite comments above still not clear on word play for 20A
bernie, look at the first 7 words of the clue and apply the last three words to their letters.
Woops, sorry, didn’t mean first seven words, because the first one is the definition! Should have said words 2-8
Thanks Mary, I was a bit slow on the uptake.
Well, I seem to have had it all OK. But that car horn clue I couldn’t fathom, until now. I only applied the ‘next to last’ to June, but now I see (Amazing Grace: “I once was blind, but now I see”. Mata raishu!
Needed lots of help with this one. Thanks to all the hints above and various internet tools I’ve completed the grid. My preferred method is to solve the puzzle without any peeks at this site, and without any use of internet tools or hard-copy helpers. Recently, however, I’ve found that I’m only getting halfway through the puzzle before I get stuck and come here for help.
Nice to learn some new words/phrases (12A, 14D, 28A). Good mix of new (2D, 8D and 24D) and old (16A). Great range of techniques used by DA, although there was no hidden this week. (Pls correct me if I’m wrong.)
Pretty straightforward this week, I think.
16A seems a gift for Arthur C, though I don’t get how “info” is cluing what it appears to clue.
I’m also confused on the wordplay for 17A, 20A and 24D.
Favourite clues were 13D, 12A, 27A and 22A.
26A seems to have the first word doing double duty?
16A info = last four letters
17A borderless, exclude initials of former Aus. cricket captain
I too am confused with 20A & 24D
can’t see the double duty in in 26A,
17A: Thanks.
26A: I had binding as the directive and the fodder, but the directive is actually the third word. My bad.
16A: Yes, I got that part. But why?
16A colloquial, defn 27 in the Macquarie
Any luck with 20A & 24D ?
Re20A: 2nd last letters!
Forgot to delete website again.
24D , a handy tool for verification.
Will ponder 20A while i’m wetting a line
re24D: life in the sense of ‘get up and go’.
Re28A: only one word fits my grid, but I don’t see the definition or the wordplay in the clue. Anyone?
The definition is the whole clue: someone who cares how much energy is used transporting their food. Armed with that information, you can read the clue again as a standard cryptic clue with the first word as definition and the rest as wordplay.
Thanks Rupert. It’s a new word to me (and my dictionary!)….. It’s hard to remain loyal to my trusty Oxford these days.
4 letters away from completion – stumped on 23 down & 24 down. Is “eye” the clue for 24 down? Any hints?
23D: is not really new – they’ve been around for ten years or so. It’s a brand name of a device for recording television. The drip is the middle two letters, and is the sort of drip they hook you up to in hospital.
Thanks Rupert – a trade name I’ve never encountered before!
Oh yeah, that just leaves the first & 3rd letters of 24 d. Anyone with hints for parsing 24 down? I have an answer (a word for “eye” that fits) but can’t reconcile with the rest of the clue.
Re24D: think search engine minus go.
24D: Mike H gave a few hints above, but I still don’t get it. I also have “eye” as the definition, with lecherous overtones.
There he is again, while I was browsing the thesaurus!
Thanks, Mike.
Done but only after using a search engine for confirmation of 11d 23d and 28a (I’ve not heard of any of them). And thanks to JJ and Mike H for explaining wordplay in 17a and 20a.
Gil, you should look to JJ and Mike H’s comments above regarding 24d.
In Melb. 80% done but a few sticking points awaiting the Qantas Club and Crown Lager.
DA newbie.
Only solved 13 clues so far. Hard going.
Can I please have a hint for 14d.
Just figured it out. All done.
At last I get to do a DA on a Friday. It has been a bit busy lately (last week’s didn’t get done until Wednesday!).
Not too bad this week, but still need a kick along from this site every now and then, and also the ‘search for’ place in 24d. Loved that clue when I got it. Is DA having a little dig at those of us who need to search there?
Also loved 25a– great misdirection (particularly when I had just cracked 5a). It was the last clue I got, needed all the cross letters. But I laughed when it came through.
Also like the &lit in 22a.
Just signing on. Went through th clues carefully, have solved only two. 7 & 21D were easy. Nothing else striking a chord atm. Rupert, you have overestimated me, I can’t see anything in 16A as yet.
For 11D, I looked at list of fabulists, no name stood out, and my lack of knowledge of wines may be a handicap. Apart from Rupert’ comment in first post, haven’t looked above. But if something doesn’t break soon, may have to.
Can’t get 16A. Have only two choices, it seems, a Chinese puzzle (favoured atm) or what I watch on TV. Can’t fit clue to either of those. Did get 23 & 24D thanks to clues above. Eleven solved (?), but stuck for the moment.
Arthur C, for 16a think of someone who is an expert on ‘felt’.
Depressing to read that so many of you are done or nearly so. I’m with Arthur C – after an hour I’ve solved only 5 clues for certain, plus a couple of maybes. Is the see in 9A ecclesiastical? I think I have 26A though the Oscar winner in question has 3 words, the first being the definite article.
Ann, your hint there suggests that one of my alteernatives may be right, or at least the first three letters? But that would rule out my ‘holiday 8D in 6D, where I’m sure I have the right word. So, for the moment, I’m stuck with my Chinese puzzle. Which I can’t explain in terms of the DA clue or your hint. Further elucidation frequired.
Victor, the ‘see’ in 9a is not the ecclesiastical see. Its a verb. Way’ in cryptic clues, is often road, street, etc. Only just got this one, takes me to twelve.
Sudden burst filled NW corner, except for last letter of 2D. So, 10/11 to go. The ‘fabulist’ of 11D would help, can’t find a name on a list of fabulists that fits. May be on wrong tack?
Arthur C – the fabulist is a modern Italian writer. The “felt expert” – think of a game played on a felt surface.
9A – my first thought was an anagram minus the “st” for way, then I got side-tracked, having thought of BISHOPRIC (the RIC coming from the surname.
Down to last four or five. Last letter of 2D, the Italian in 11D, 17, 20, 28A. But my 20A may be wrong, I cannot connect my answer with all of the clue. As to the felt expert, as a regular snooker/pool player, I would never have dreamt of calling the baize ‘felt’. I think DA has gone astray there.
Arthur C, if you have grandchildren they may help you with 2d. I can’t get the wordplay in 20a either. For 28a ‘worry’ over coal.
I’m with Arthur, got a few quickly then slow going. Have the “felt” expert, but don’t get how info clues the last 4 letters, presume some sort of slang with which I’m not familiar.
28A escapes me completely despite above hints, I have letters 4, 6 and 8 but they aren’t helping. Suspect it is something I’ve never heard of.
Victor, 9a, your first thought was right.
Off to google oscar winners in the hope that it will help with 26A, but knowing DA I’m probably wasting my time!
Amazing, I wasn’t wasting my time!
Victor, thanks for the writer, would never have got it without your hint and google. But did have a laugh at the wordplay once I had the answer. Had spent ages messing around with “house cabernet” before this.
11d finally gave me the last missing cross letter for 28a. Worked out what it must have been from the wordplay but never heard of that either. Google to the rescue again. Have most of SE corner but not much else so far.
Lots of help from above hints thanks but still struggling with SW and NE; missing 2nd word of 12a and first word of 14d; not sure about 18a; don’t get 19d or 25a, or 8d but think it might have a k.
Any subtle hints welcome.
finally got 22a, very good!
sb I am stuck on all of those too except 8d. It is a double def. Love and email extra (think of what extra thing might be with the email message). No k in it
sb, I don’t even have either word in 12a or 14d, can you give me a hint for them?
Have several answers for 13d (all basically the same root but different endings), As I have no idea of 25a and 27a I can’t decide which one to use. Wordplay in 13d completely escapes me so that isn’t helping to decide either. Am going out as soon as I’ve finished my cup of coffee, so will be shredding it if I can’t make any more progress by the time my cuppa is empty
confetti time! 14 left, no idea.
Have all but 10A, and can’t work out the word play for 27A. Loved 11D (had heard of the fabulist, but it took a while, and a few cross letters, to sink in.) Also liked 22A, 25A and 28A.
nn, 13D contains a 3-word synonym for journal within a (rough) synonym for lyrical. The first letter is also given in the clue.
nn thanks for 8d hint. 12a first word is made of a razor edging in indigenous – hope that helps;
14d I think involves duty, grappling. 13d is sorry, made of lyrical around journal.
plodding on
Aha! Just got the word play for 27A. Does ‘retiring’ do double duty? sb, 8D doesn’t have a ‘k’. It’s a double definition: love and something which is an email extra.
Thanks Dave. My NE is almost there; still missing 10a.
Dave, I don’t think ‘retiring’ is doing double duty.
I’m thinking I might be on the wrong track with 18a (leading me astray on 14d and 19d) – my guess is that it is advice on avoiding gross stuff. Hm.
sb: A word for ‘gross’ plus a word for ‘stuff’. The first one is more likely to be a synonym for ‘gross’ when used in the sense of morality or character. And you’re right about 27A. I got confused there for a while because I’d been thinking that ‘retiring’ was an indication to read a word backwards. Even when that didn’t work, it still stuck in my mind.
And I still don’t have 10A.
Ah of course! thanks Dave
… which now gives me 14d (an expression I hadn’t heard before but google confirms)
… and 19d
Nearly there
At last, 10A! I certainly wasn’t 10A.
I finish with two missing. For 28A, the only word in my wordfinder that fits the letters produced by the down answers suggests a state of semiconsciousness. (or my own lower digits!). Cannot in any way fit that to the clue. I had an answer for 22A, Google agreed there was such a term, but then the obviously correct 11D destrpyed the second part of 22A. So there it rests, will probably leave till i see the answers on Monday, unless someone can point out where I have gone wrong.
At last! 28A!- just had to have a break, come back, and rethink “top secret”. Nice.
Arthur – rethink “top secret”.
Ah, Dave R, you’ve given me 10a thanks. Now left with 2d; and still don’t get the word play for some eg 20a
sb, I think the top secret you discovered is for 25a, not 28a. It is lovely misdirection. But, Arthur, the word you are looking for for 28a is not in most dictionaries as it is very knew. It is a combination of a word for “around here” (with its last letter removed) and o common ending to do with what people eat (as in those who eat meat are…). I hope that helps. I confirmed with Google.
That should have been “very new”, not “very knew”. Doh!
Arthur, 22a is &lit. ‘Ultimate airing’ gives the first letter. ‘Kinky’ is an anagram indicator with ‘compulsions’ as the fodder. The whole thing is an oblique description of the answer.
Sandy – yes of course, I meant 25A. So of course that wasn’t going to help Arthur at all!
Mixed bag, as usual. The last dozen or so answers went in very slowly indeed. A few too many obscurities for my liking (esp 14D: the uni and the phrase both new to me). Google has become an essential prop for DA.
But some lovely misdirections and DAisms: 16A, 17A, 25A, 19D were my favourites. And a couple of good &lits.
Finally realised what was wrong with my 22A! I originally had gaslit cinema in there, fitted most of the downs, but not the clue. Now I have the correct (?) answer, I still didn’t see much connection with the clue’ till I read Sandy’s contribution above (1635 yesterday). Still baffled by 28A, (as above), there must be another word somewhere my wordfinder doesn’t know about. Will have all the answers in 24 hours time, when the paper arrives.
Just to add weight to my previous criticism, this from Wiki:
I rest my case!
Hi Arthur,
What from Wiki? I think you missed something vital in your last post.
Arthur, I agree – felt would hardly last one game. But it’s necessary as a disguise, or the clue would be too obvious.
I’m having a very busy weekend, so only have odd snatched moments for DA this week. So far I’m only half-way there, and have run out of spare time.
Fresh look this morning, rethought top secret as suggested and the rest of the sw corner fell into place – should have seen 19d yesterday! But am still puzzled by the wordplay for 2d, can’t see any connection with the clue at all. Can anyone enlighten me?
Ok,
Does anyone else think the “oscar winner” answer as publised in the solutions has any sense to it?
Word for binding (sort of, think chain) with love inside
BrianB:2d, There are times when having been brought up on Brit imperial measurements helps. It’s upside-down and it’s also called a pole or a perch.
Thanks Mary. Actually I am of that vintage but was well off track with the whole clue – it’s so obvious now you point it out that I’m embarrassed!
28 A had us totally stumped – knew all along it was an anagram, but just couldn’t get it until all the above hints. Thanx all.
A good challenge this week. All done, although it took me a lot longer than usual. Knew the fabulist and eventually got the felt expert after getting stuck on a tangram tangent. Wasn’t bothered by the erroneous felt reference – that’s what it’s called colloquially in Australia. I’m a snooker club member and no-one calls it baize in general chit-chat.
28a has to be the toughest. It’s a very young neologism and even though I read an article on the topic this week, the eureka moment only occurred after I guessed the last four letters of the word – a suffix for various types of eaters – and the remaining letters fell into place.
Some very witty misdirections this week. Loved “top secret”.
PB, I think it won the Oscar that year for best song. Certainly wasn’t for any of the actors, and Forrest Gump was best film.
Thanks Mike H for explanations of 20a and 24d. All happy now :)
The definitionn from Wiki which I posted (which later vanished – is it against house rules to post from Wiki?), was backing up my statement that the cloth on a billiard table is baize not felt. Sandy, I still hadn’t worked out 28A, despite your hint. Looked in my 21st Century dictionary, nothing there. But, based on diet, had followed your suggestion, then checked with Google. So, have a new word in my vocabulary, and have (with some help) finished another DA.
Just got back from a successful book launch (just in case anyone’s interested, check link
http://www.lulu.com/shop/mary-jones/lines-dancing/paperback/product-20080916.html ), and finished off a heavy weekend by finally (or strictly penultimately) twigging parsing of 20a. Exhausted but happy!
The oscar winner threw me. I went for Tom Hanks – anagram of Sham Knot – short for Shamrock Knot – also known as lover’s knot.
Despite comments above still not clear on word play for 20A
bernie, look at the first 7 words of the clue and apply the last three words to their letters.
Woops, sorry, didn’t mean first seven words, because the first one is the definition! Should have said words 2-8
Thanks Mary, I was a bit slow on the uptake.
Well, I seem to have had it all OK. But that car horn clue I couldn’t fathom, until now. I only applied the ‘next to last’ to June, but now I see (Amazing Grace: “I once was blind, but now I see”. Mata raishu!
Needed lots of help with this one. Thanks to all the hints above and various internet tools I’ve completed the grid. My preferred method is to solve the puzzle without any peeks at this site, and without any use of internet tools or hard-copy helpers. Recently, however, I’ve found that I’m only getting halfway through the puzzle before I get stuck and come here for help.
Nice to learn some new words/phrases (12A, 14D, 28A). Good mix of new (2D, 8D and 24D) and old (16A). Great range of techniques used by DA, although there was no hidden this week. (Pls correct me if I’m wrong.)
Hi,
Can I get some help with wordplay in 4D please.
Thanks
Letters 1-4 unrecorded, 5-7 classic (ie Latin) king, 8-12 treatise
Thanks Mary.
The unrecorded had me flummoxed. You’ve shown me the solution.
Regards,
Grant
Loving it today. Clever clues. About 3/4 done so far.