Don’t be confused by your DA: have it solved with the help of the internets!
51 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 21st of January, 2022”
Done and dusted.
Typical DA today I thought.
FOI 8D.
LOI 23A.
Some tricky wordplays (eg: 3D, 7D, 14D etc)
No clue really impressive for me today – maybe 1D my pick.
Enjoy.
Agreed, done in bang on my usual time, went fairly smoothly throughout.
FOI 1A, 1D. LOI 13A, 14D. Other good starters might be 22D, 8D, 15A, 16dD.
I didn’t find it such plain sailing, mostly because of getting snagged on the misdirections, eg wrong artless maestro , wrong Olympic head, thought that ‘wheel’ was an indicator, so off to a bad start in the NW, but 2D and 11A gave me an in.
Old enough to know both the money and the motorbike so that was a gimme.
Liked 11A, 13A, 18A, 24A and 12D and 16D for the surface. Yet to parse 14D.
Gayle – 14D – took me a while as well – as an early hint, construction is 1,2,3 and then 4,5,6,7,8,9.
Hope helps.
Ah, got 14D’s parsing now.
Yes, thanks DAJ, I got it that way. Had to look up 1-3.
I enjoyed today’s. Quite a few smiles, including 18a & 9a. My first in was 10a.
Easy starters for me were 17a,26a,16d,21d. LOI 23a. Favourite 22d.
Some may find 25a unfamiliar
All done (thanks from me too, DAJ, for that 14D parsing) … except for 7D. Will continue to mull before begging for a clue.
Otherwise, good honest DA with some chuckles and no cavils.
…aaand just saw it.
I confidently wrote in the lover from Much Ado About Nothing for 18A, which would almost be defensible if one thinks of the author Anne Rice.
1-3 of 14D is new to me also. A good crossword overall
Where is everyone? (Everyone else, that is.) I too enjoyed this. Thanks to DAJunkie from me too for 14D parsing. FOI 4A, 8D, 17A; LOI 15A; liked 15A, 18A and 19D. All out but a few wordplays not fully understood: 1A, 5D, 7D (though I get last 3 letters)
SB – 1A DD.
5D – construct – 2,3,4 then 6,5,1.
7D – just a starting hint – “Bureaucracy” gives 1,2,4,5,6
SB, 1a Artless maestro is letters 1-3, letters 3-4 abbreviations, letters 6-10 a homophone (judge for announcement. I work in a paralegal capacity and it’s not a term that is commonly used in Australia.)
Woops, you asked for 1a SB.
I think 5d is a bit over the top. I get the ‘flip’ but not the ‘flip flops’. I note there is a ? but I don’t think that’s excusable. I was going for ‘thongs’, same letter count.
For 1a think Winter Limps.
SB, I’m impressed. The last 3 letters of 7D were the last ones I got.
As far as where everyone else is, I hope Trippers are okay. It’s concerning that we have fewer comments. I’m recovering from covid and I imagine many others are as well. Grateful for the DAstraction. Stay well everyone.
Avoided it so far Gayle. Booster next week. Enjoying the Grauniad, Spectator and DA on a Friday. Keep well yourself.
FOI 17A, LOI 7D (and I may have cheated)
Unlike last week I found most ok, and ultimately only had trouble with 7D.
Thanks DAJunkie, even after finding the answer, I wasn’t sure if I couldn’t parse it, or just didn’t like the parsing. Now I think it’s the latter.
I too have managed to avoid covid so far, mostly by being even more antisocial than usual.
Hope everyone is ok and stays safe
Easier than last week finished while watching women’s matches.
FOI 8d Loi 12a
Liked 1d 7d & 18a
Not confident about word play for 14d & 23a.
Stay well everyone I was fortunate to have my booster mid December and limiting outings.
I have an answer to 4D but can’t get the wordplay for the first three letters.
Also does 6D refer to a particular Mary? (I don’t have the solution)
GeoffD the first 3 letters of 4d come from the second word of the clue minus the journalist. Yes 6d refers to a famous Mary in film.
Week 4 of DA for me and a PB, got 11 by myself before looking here for hints. Now working through the rest. ?
Belated thanks to Richard for last week’s welcome and link – very helpful?
I’ll respond to call for posts. Completed pretty efficiently for me yesterday after work, but still unsure of some parsing not referenced above.
1d (3rd letter),
9a,
18a definition is Hit??
22a – bound is 1,3,6,7?
Any explanations gratefully received, for closure
Penny dropped for 18a like magic after posting!
Artless maestro is 1-3 in 1d Phil. Take a 6 letter maestro and remove ‘art’
9a Olympic head is 1,2,6,7, a is 3 and watch is 4,5
23a bound is 1,2,3,4,6,7
Thanks HandM. Took me quite a while to think of the film Mary.
All done and no collegial consultation needed this week.
Triple jabbed and apparently clear. Sorry to hear (and not hear?) of others’ trials.
Maybe it’s my age but I knew 14D, 1-3. Originals from Disney era sell for tens of thousands.
Gayle, re 5D, I think he needed “flip-flops’ for the indicator to also work in the surface.
I like(?!) how DA leads one by the nose into the wrong pasture: in 1D, ‘maestro’ was shouting out to be the word from which those letters were to be removed! Do you think he sees those possibilities in advance or just stumbles onto them? Ditto(ish) 10A, which was also one of a few well-hidden definitions today, with 18A, 16D, 22D.
Argh I get it… 1D 1-3. Was stuck on taking art out of maestro rather than thinking of a maestro. Thank you Tim C and Johnno D
Hmm just got 25A …. is “registered” a homophone indicator?
Indeed so, Snaily. All’s fair in love and war and DA.
Thanks Tim C
All those are nice and clear.
I also fell for Maestro minus arts
OK nearly there, 4 to go. Any subtle hints for 12D, 21D, 24A, 26A????
Me too, Phil! And is that word for judge still in common parlance?
Three to go, but I’m still gnawing on them so I won’t ask for help yet.
Snaily …
12d, “one’s drink” gives 2-6.
21d is an anagram of 26a.
24a you start with a five-letter dog and a four-letter “quickly”.
26a “Said” is a homophone indicator.
Got it! Thanks Graham M, great hints ?
Hadn’t heard of 12D as an adjective, only as the verb which didn’t quite seem right so looked it up after your hint and sure enough?
Was almost there with 24A but thinking of the adjective (which didn’t fit) rather than the noun.
All done now and, even better, understood ? Looking forward to next week. ? Keep well everyone.
DA Confusion for the 28th of January, 2022:
Guess AS has yet to update page – so continuing from last week’s thread.
What a slog. About half way. And all over the place.
Some answers I have never heard of and some wordplays really tough.
Have 2 of the 15 letter clues which has helped – but only got them recently.
Will battle on. Maybe will get a run.
DA Confusion for the 28th of January, 2022:
OK – completed. Did get a move on once I got 3D.
A lot of really tricky wordplays I reckon,
In fact, still have one to understand – 1A.
Thought 23A, 24A, 5D (and maybe 2D) were clever.
Thought wordplays of 9A, 12A, 22A, 3D and 14D were tough – for me they all had to be figured out once I got answer.
Hope others enjoy.
Just finished Quick Crossword. Back to DA and sussed 1A.
All done and understood.
Agree. Saw the long’uns and thought this’ll be pretty quick, but no, this is DA.
Ended up cheating on 9A, never heard of. Did know 24A though.
Lots of retroparsing but can see it all in hindsight. A bit contrived for my liking as I prefer to solve from wordplay and enjoy a good surface, which I think suffered a bit. Also the wide definitions don’t help much.
I was thinking of you DAJ with 5D, but DA used a different indicator this time, which I did like.
1a was confusing, all reversed with an embed.
This site just crashed on me a couple of times. It might be a while before we can all play.
Enjoyable today (Jan 28). Had never heard of 9a, but the wordplay was sufficient to suss it out. First in was 16a, but there are other easy starters such as 7d, 16a, 4d, 8d, 17d, 19d, 20d. 6d was tricky, but brought a smile when it clicked.
23a.. a little naughty when you look it up in urban dictionary
I got to 23a and stopped. If I understand it properly, the definition is inaccurate and offensive (and no, I’m not Catholic).
23A – From Dictionary, the primary meaning is:
noun
1. the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose ……
Yes, there is a slang meaning, which is not applicable here.
Yes, I know that definition DAJ and I understand the (non-offensive) wordplay. I may have been too quick off the mark, but I find it hard to to believe some prejudice wasn’t intended.
@TimC,
> I find it hard to to believe some prejudice wasn’t intended.
I think that says more about you than DA. TBH, I’d never heard the slang definition. IMO, you have been way, way, wayyyyyyy too quick to draw offence, let alone mutter a vaguely defamatory allusion.
Done and dusted.
Typical DA today I thought.
FOI 8D.
LOI 23A.
Some tricky wordplays (eg: 3D, 7D, 14D etc)
No clue really impressive for me today – maybe 1D my pick.
Enjoy.
Agreed, done in bang on my usual time, went fairly smoothly throughout.
FOI 1A, 1D. LOI 13A, 14D. Other good starters might be 22D, 8D, 15A, 16dD.
I didn’t find it such plain sailing, mostly because of getting snagged on the misdirections, eg wrong artless maestro , wrong Olympic head, thought that ‘wheel’ was an indicator, so off to a bad start in the NW, but 2D and 11A gave me an in.
Old enough to know both the money and the motorbike so that was a gimme.
Liked 11A, 13A, 18A, 24A and 12D and 16D for the surface. Yet to parse 14D.
Gayle – 14D – took me a while as well – as an early hint, construction is 1,2,3 and then 4,5,6,7,8,9.
Hope helps.
Ah, got 14D’s parsing now.
Yes, thanks DAJ, I got it that way. Had to look up 1-3.
I enjoyed today’s. Quite a few smiles, including 18a & 9a. My first in was 10a.
Easy starters for me were 17a,26a,16d,21d. LOI 23a. Favourite 22d.
Some may find 25a unfamiliar
All done (thanks from me too, DAJ, for that 14D parsing) … except for 7D. Will continue to mull before begging for a clue.
Otherwise, good honest DA with some chuckles and no cavils.
…aaand just saw it.
I confidently wrote in the lover from Much Ado About Nothing for 18A, which would almost be defensible if one thinks of the author Anne Rice.
1-3 of 14D is new to me also. A good crossword overall
Where is everyone? (Everyone else, that is.) I too enjoyed this. Thanks to DAJunkie from me too for 14D parsing. FOI 4A, 8D, 17A; LOI 15A; liked 15A, 18A and 19D. All out but a few wordplays not fully understood: 1A, 5D, 7D (though I get last 3 letters)
SB – 1A DD.
5D – construct – 2,3,4 then 6,5,1.
7D – just a starting hint – “Bureaucracy” gives 1,2,4,5,6
SB, 1a Artless maestro is letters 1-3, letters 3-4 abbreviations, letters 6-10 a homophone (judge for announcement. I work in a paralegal capacity and it’s not a term that is commonly used in Australia.)
Woops, you asked for 1a SB.
I think 5d is a bit over the top. I get the ‘flip’ but not the ‘flip flops’. I note there is a ? but I don’t think that’s excusable. I was going for ‘thongs’, same letter count.
For 1a think Winter Limps.
SB, I’m impressed. The last 3 letters of 7D were the last ones I got.
As far as where everyone else is, I hope Trippers are okay. It’s concerning that we have fewer comments. I’m recovering from covid and I imagine many others are as well. Grateful for the DAstraction. Stay well everyone.
Avoided it so far Gayle. Booster next week. Enjoying the Grauniad, Spectator and DA on a Friday. Keep well yourself.
FOI 17A, LOI 7D (and I may have cheated)
Unlike last week I found most ok, and ultimately only had trouble with 7D.
Thanks DAJunkie, even after finding the answer, I wasn’t sure if I couldn’t parse it, or just didn’t like the parsing. Now I think it’s the latter.
I too have managed to avoid covid so far, mostly by being even more antisocial than usual.
Hope everyone is ok and stays safe
Easier than last week finished while watching women’s matches.
FOI 8d Loi 12a
Liked 1d 7d & 18a
Not confident about word play for 14d & 23a.
Stay well everyone I was fortunate to have my booster mid December and limiting outings.
I have an answer to 4D but can’t get the wordplay for the first three letters.
Also does 6D refer to a particular Mary? (I don’t have the solution)
GeoffD the first 3 letters of 4d come from the second word of the clue minus the journalist. Yes 6d refers to a famous Mary in film.
Week 4 of DA for me and a PB, got 11 by myself before looking here for hints. Now working through the rest. ?
Belated thanks to Richard for last week’s welcome and link – very helpful?
I’ll respond to call for posts. Completed pretty efficiently for me yesterday after work, but still unsure of some parsing not referenced above.
1d (3rd letter),
9a,
18a definition is Hit??
22a – bound is 1,3,6,7?
Any explanations gratefully received, for closure
Penny dropped for 18a like magic after posting!
Artless maestro is 1-3 in 1d Phil. Take a 6 letter maestro and remove ‘art’
9a Olympic head is 1,2,6,7, a is 3 and watch is 4,5
23a bound is 1,2,3,4,6,7
Thanks HandM. Took me quite a while to think of the film Mary.
All done and no collegial consultation needed this week.
Triple jabbed and apparently clear. Sorry to hear (and not hear?) of others’ trials.
Maybe it’s my age but I knew 14D, 1-3. Originals from Disney era sell for tens of thousands.
Gayle, re 5D, I think he needed “flip-flops’ for the indicator to also work in the surface.
I like(?!) how DA leads one by the nose into the wrong pasture: in 1D, ‘maestro’ was shouting out to be the word from which those letters were to be removed! Do you think he sees those possibilities in advance or just stumbles onto them? Ditto(ish) 10A, which was also one of a few well-hidden definitions today, with 18A, 16D, 22D.
Argh I get it… 1D 1-3. Was stuck on taking art out of maestro rather than thinking of a maestro. Thank you Tim C and Johnno D
Hmm just got 25A …. is “registered” a homophone indicator?
Indeed so, Snaily. All’s fair in love and war and DA.
Thanks Tim C
All those are nice and clear.
I also fell for Maestro minus arts
OK nearly there, 4 to go. Any subtle hints for 12D, 21D, 24A, 26A????
Me too, Phil! And is that word for judge still in common parlance?
Three to go, but I’m still gnawing on them so I won’t ask for help yet.
Snaily …
12d, “one’s drink” gives 2-6.
21d is an anagram of 26a.
24a you start with a five-letter dog and a four-letter “quickly”.
26a “Said” is a homophone indicator.
Got it! Thanks Graham M, great hints ?
Hadn’t heard of 12D as an adjective, only as the verb which didn’t quite seem right so looked it up after your hint and sure enough?
Was almost there with 24A but thinking of the adjective (which didn’t fit) rather than the noun.
All done now and, even better, understood ? Looking forward to next week. ? Keep well everyone.
DA Confusion for the 28th of January, 2022:
Guess AS has yet to update page – so continuing from last week’s thread.
What a slog. About half way. And all over the place.
Some answers I have never heard of and some wordplays really tough.
Have 2 of the 15 letter clues which has helped – but only got them recently.
Will battle on. Maybe will get a run.
DA Confusion for the 28th of January, 2022:
OK – completed. Did get a move on once I got 3D.
A lot of really tricky wordplays I reckon,
In fact, still have one to understand – 1A.
Thought 23A, 24A, 5D (and maybe 2D) were clever.
Thought wordplays of 9A, 12A, 22A, 3D and 14D were tough – for me they all had to be figured out once I got answer.
Hope others enjoy.
Just finished Quick Crossword. Back to DA and sussed 1A.
All done and understood.
Agree. Saw the long’uns and thought this’ll be pretty quick, but no, this is DA.
Ended up cheating on 9A, never heard of. Did know 24A though.
Lots of retroparsing but can see it all in hindsight. A bit contrived for my liking as I prefer to solve from wordplay and enjoy a good surface, which I think suffered a bit. Also the wide definitions don’t help much.
I was thinking of you DAJ with 5D, but DA used a different indicator this time, which I did like.
1a was confusing, all reversed with an embed.
This site just crashed on me a couple of times. It might be a while before we can all play.
Enjoyable today (Jan 28). Had never heard of 9a, but the wordplay was sufficient to suss it out. First in was 16a, but there are other easy starters such as 7d, 16a, 4d, 8d, 17d, 19d, 20d. 6d was tricky, but brought a smile when it clicked.
23a.. a little naughty when you look it up in urban dictionary
I got to 23a and stopped. If I understand it properly, the definition is inaccurate and offensive (and no, I’m not Catholic).
23A – From Dictionary, the primary meaning is:
noun
1. the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose ……
Yes, there is a slang meaning, which is not applicable here.
Yes, I know that definition DAJ and I understand the (non-offensive) wordplay. I may have been too quick off the mark, but I find it hard to to believe some prejudice wasn’t intended.
@TimC,
> I find it hard to to believe some prejudice wasn’t intended.
I think that says more about you than DA. TBH, I’d never heard the slang definition. IMO, you have been way, way, wayyyyyyy too quick to draw offence, let alone mutter a vaguely defamatory allusion.