Have your confusions sorted out for our excellent DA March Hare.
45 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 3rd of March, 2023”
All done, dusted and understood.
FOI 8D.
LOI 2D.
Nothing exciting to me about today’s offering.
Thought 2D and 10A a bit tricky.
Liked 22A and 1D.
Did not know 4A – nor part of 4D.
SW in first. NW last as had no idea of 11A or 3D. Had been enjoying it up till then. Said to self, take your time, don’t cheat, it’ll be worth it. Was so annoyed to find it was one of DA’s pets, and it took up so much space!!
Liked 10A, 12D, 22A, 15D, 8D.
Not really grabbed by 14/17. Yet to parse 2D and 16D.
Gayle,
14A/17A – yes – but OK attempt at &lit.
2D – my last in for same reason – hint: “get” gives 3,4,5.
16D – hint: good Beach Boys.
Fairly fast one this week, but I had to cheat the first 4 letters of 4A – I thought I knew all of those varieties but clearly not!
FOI 1A, 9A. LOI 21D, 26A.
A good wholesome DA today. Some tricky parsings, which just meant the smile upon cracking them was a tad broader. I’d not heard of 4a, and having worked out the last three letters, I tried for some time to work out how the much more common variety could possibly fit. Elsewhere I hadn’t heard of a certain fish, and 3d took a bit of googling, as I’m only distantly aware of 11a. 14a/17a was a valiant attempt at an &lit that doesn’t really work, I thought.
A very easy starter for anyone so doing is 21d.
I meant 20d.
First pass 28a,8d,12d,20d (yes easy Graham M as long as any old word will do for an anagrind),24d. LOI 14a/17a (one of those clues you just have to slog your way through)
Also had to look up the fish and the 4a.
Thought 11a was a cracker, ha ha.
11A had me in Fitz!
Yes Tim C and Jack, fond but distant memories of panhandle & co ……
I reckon that was the best non-theme DA for a while, as measured by clue quality and fairness, and wordplay comprehensibility once solved.
On that front, 2A remains a mystery to me (as for Gayle above). Anyone?
PS. 2A no longer a mystery. Decent disguise, I guess, but a bit of a piecemeal construction.
AG, break it into 5, 1, 3.
Are we talking 2D??
If so, how about “the blues occasionally” 1,2,6,7 – and 3,4,5 as per my earlier reply.
No idea DAJ. I think they’re doing a different crossword.
Shouldn’t 14/17a be ‘unit receiving’ rather than ‘unit transmitting’?
“Transmitting” is serving as an anagrind, which perhaps is marginally more suited than “receiving”. As I said earlier this is all supposed to be an &lit, but not one of DA’s finest.
Methinks AG may have been a little befuddled. I assumed s/he meant the second across clue, so perhaps I was befuddled also.
I thought ‘material’ was the anagrind, Graham. Whatever &lit or not the def is wrong.
Yes it is wrong, no argument, but I thought “material” “essentially” was just part of the anagram fodder, which would disqualify it as the anagrind. Whatever …
Yes, basically a dud clue.
Another possibility is that just the first word is tge definition. But this would be very sloppy. I’m convinced the second word is part of the definition — as you say, wrongly — and doubling as anagrind.
Done it! Very easy until it became very hard. The 4s had me blocked but finally cracked. Had to confirm 4a and the 4d fish.
10a 22a and 1d 5d my favourites.
All done. Not too bad.
FOI- 12D
LOI – 2D, which I’m struggling to comprehend. Presumably the definition is the first word in the clue. I guess the letters around the ‘get’ is perhaps a nickname for a (blues) guitar? Am I wrong? Am I overthinking an easy clue? (Sorry if I gave too much away.)
TIA ????????
(The question marks after the TIA above were actually a thanks emoji, lol.)
Palindromeda – 2D Yes defn = first word.
And I presume you saw my entries re 2D above.
As a follow up from there I will expand upon it a bit more:
“ThE bLuEs, occasionally” = 1,2,6,7 .
That help you out?
Thanks DAJ for the parsing of 2D and 16D.
Only really started today. Came to Trippers with bottom half completed after FOI. 1A and 10A and 8D
Agree with DAJ I liked 22A and thanks for parsing 16D
I haven’t solved 13A but will keep at it finding today’s DA an enjoyable challenge.
Like Phil, I thought this one was very easy until it wasn’t.
Never heard of 4A. Looks just the same as the more common variety to me, but what do I know.
Thanks to those who explained 2D – I would NEVER have got that on my own.
I’m pretty sure I have 13/19A but I can’t parse it at all. Little help?
DAJunkie, I didn’t see your reply to IanS.
That’s a d’oh! from me. So obvious, but my mind always goes to the ant when I see worker.
Carol… “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Ps 6) :)
Today’s clue of the day from DS… “Pick up consumption and consume pulse (9)”
Agree Tim C re DS’s COD. 3D.. We’re probably both old enough to know about that consumption.
Anyone else held up by presuming WIN for 4,5,6 in 15D? ????
Also, does anyone else experience sudden clarities after extended fogs? I went to bed last night worn out by the NW corner but everything came in minutes when I returned to it this morning!
4A is distinct from other similarly shaped pastas in its larger size.
Re 14/17A, I don’t think DA intended it to be an &lit. No ‘!’ to go with the ‘?’. However, if he did, 17As do ‘transmit’, as in ‘send out’, to us, i.e. what we see.
johnno2 – re 15D, not sure what you saw to possibly clue WIN as 4,5,6.
And re 14A/17A, in the paper version there is an “!” but no “?”.
.
Tim C and Gayle – yes DS 3D was very good.
.
But then 17D not so much ie:
“In a catstroPHE NO MAN Accepts the facts” (9).
Think he just made an error.
Maybe could have been:
“In a catstroPHE NO MEN Accept the facts” (9).
.
Or am I missing something?
DAJ,
* Oops, wrote that without MY paper copy in front of me!(…er…?)
* COULDN’T find the clueing! I’d marked it for my post-completion Tripper visit, for parsing help or the very off chance of a DA slip.
That error also exists in the paper copy, DAJ. The definition also seems a bit poor.
I don’t think you’re missing anything DAJ. I had a big question mark next to that one and it looks to be an obvious error.
I would be grateful if someone could explain how the letters 4-7 (or possibly 3-6) in 4D are derived.
Tried Google and got nothing.
Thanks
If you Google 7,6,5,4 (fish served up), you will find that it is a fish, GeoffD.
It’s in Chambers GeoffD as another name for a Pike. It comes from the taxonomic name for the Pike, Esox lucius
Thanks Jack and Tim.
Not something I’d ever heard of and not in my (old) Oxford. Took two Google searches to find it !!
Stuck on 21 and 22. Any last minute clues before I start cheating proper?
Harry Watson:
21D – As a start, “Upstart” gives 3.
22A – pretty clever. “Daydream” gives answer if read as 6,8. “divisions” gives as all 14.
Does that help?
All done, dusted and understood.
FOI 8D.
LOI 2D.
Nothing exciting to me about today’s offering.
Thought 2D and 10A a bit tricky.
Liked 22A and 1D.
Did not know 4A – nor part of 4D.
SW in first. NW last as had no idea of 11A or 3D. Had been enjoying it up till then. Said to self, take your time, don’t cheat, it’ll be worth it. Was so annoyed to find it was one of DA’s pets, and it took up so much space!!
Liked 10A, 12D, 22A, 15D, 8D.
Not really grabbed by 14/17. Yet to parse 2D and 16D.
Gayle,
14A/17A – yes – but OK attempt at &lit.
2D – my last in for same reason – hint: “get” gives 3,4,5.
16D – hint: good Beach Boys.
Fairly fast one this week, but I had to cheat the first 4 letters of 4A – I thought I knew all of those varieties but clearly not!
FOI 1A, 9A. LOI 21D, 26A.
A good wholesome DA today. Some tricky parsings, which just meant the smile upon cracking them was a tad broader. I’d not heard of 4a, and having worked out the last three letters, I tried for some time to work out how the much more common variety could possibly fit. Elsewhere I hadn’t heard of a certain fish, and 3d took a bit of googling, as I’m only distantly aware of 11a. 14a/17a was a valiant attempt at an &lit that doesn’t really work, I thought.
A very easy starter for anyone so doing is 21d.
I meant 20d.
First pass 28a,8d,12d,20d (yes easy Graham M as long as any old word will do for an anagrind),24d. LOI 14a/17a (one of those clues you just have to slog your way through)
Also had to look up the fish and the 4a.
Thought 11a was a cracker, ha ha.
11A had me in Fitz!
Yes Tim C and Jack, fond but distant memories of panhandle & co ……
I reckon that was the best non-theme DA for a while, as measured by clue quality and fairness, and wordplay comprehensibility once solved.
On that front, 2A remains a mystery to me (as for Gayle above). Anyone?
PS. 2A no longer a mystery. Decent disguise, I guess, but a bit of a piecemeal construction.
AG, break it into 5, 1, 3.
Are we talking 2D??
If so, how about “the blues occasionally” 1,2,6,7 – and 3,4,5 as per my earlier reply.
No idea DAJ. I think they’re doing a different crossword.
Shouldn’t 14/17a be ‘unit receiving’ rather than ‘unit transmitting’?
“Transmitting” is serving as an anagrind, which perhaps is marginally more suited than “receiving”. As I said earlier this is all supposed to be an &lit, but not one of DA’s finest.
Methinks AG may have been a little befuddled. I assumed s/he meant the second across clue, so perhaps I was befuddled also.
I thought ‘material’ was the anagrind, Graham. Whatever &lit or not the def is wrong.
Yes it is wrong, no argument, but I thought “material” “essentially” was just part of the anagram fodder, which would disqualify it as the anagrind. Whatever …
Yes, basically a dud clue.
Another possibility is that just the first word is tge definition. But this would be very sloppy. I’m convinced the second word is part of the definition — as you say, wrongly — and doubling as anagrind.
Done it! Very easy until it became very hard. The 4s had me blocked but finally cracked. Had to confirm 4a and the 4d fish.
10a 22a and 1d 5d my favourites.
All done. Not too bad.
FOI- 12D
LOI – 2D, which I’m struggling to comprehend. Presumably the definition is the first word in the clue. I guess the letters around the ‘get’ is perhaps a nickname for a (blues) guitar? Am I wrong? Am I overthinking an easy clue? (Sorry if I gave too much away.)
TIA ????????
(The question marks after the TIA above were actually a thanks emoji, lol.)
Palindromeda – 2D Yes defn = first word.
And I presume you saw my entries re 2D above.
As a follow up from there I will expand upon it a bit more:
“ThE bLuEs, occasionally” = 1,2,6,7 .
That help you out?
Thanks DAJ for the parsing of 2D and 16D.
Only really started today. Came to Trippers with bottom half completed after FOI. 1A and 10A and 8D
Agree with DAJ I liked 22A and thanks for parsing 16D
I haven’t solved 13A but will keep at it finding today’s DA an enjoyable challenge.
IanS – 13A/19A – “Worker” = 1,2,3. “sprinkling” = 4,7,8. “salt discontented” = 5,6.
Hope helps.
Like Phil, I thought this one was very easy until it wasn’t.
Never heard of 4A. Looks just the same as the more common variety to me, but what do I know.
Thanks to those who explained 2D – I would NEVER have got that on my own.
I’m pretty sure I have 13/19A but I can’t parse it at all. Little help?
DAJunkie, I didn’t see your reply to IanS.
That’s a d’oh! from me. So obvious, but my mind always goes to the ant when I see worker.
Carol… “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Ps 6) :)
Today’s clue of the day from DS… “Pick up consumption and consume pulse (9)”
Agree Tim C re DS’s COD. 3D.. We’re probably both old enough to know about that consumption.
Anyone else held up by presuming WIN for 4,5,6 in 15D? ????
Also, does anyone else experience sudden clarities after extended fogs? I went to bed last night worn out by the NW corner but everything came in minutes when I returned to it this morning!
4A is distinct from other similarly shaped pastas in its larger size.
Re 14/17A, I don’t think DA intended it to be an &lit. No ‘!’ to go with the ‘?’. However, if he did, 17As do ‘transmit’, as in ‘send out’, to us, i.e. what we see.
johnno2 – re 15D, not sure what you saw to possibly clue WIN as 4,5,6.
And re 14A/17A, in the paper version there is an “!” but no “?”.
.
Tim C and Gayle – yes DS 3D was very good.
.
But then 17D not so much ie:
“In a catstroPHE NO MAN Accepts the facts” (9).
Think he just made an error.
Maybe could have been:
“In a catstroPHE NO MEN Accept the facts” (9).
.
Or am I missing something?
DAJ,
* Oops, wrote that without MY paper copy in front of me!(…er…?)
* COULDN’T find the clueing! I’d marked it for my post-completion Tripper visit, for parsing help or the very off chance of a DA slip.
That error also exists in the paper copy, DAJ. The definition also seems a bit poor.
I don’t think you’re missing anything DAJ. I had a big question mark next to that one and it looks to be an obvious error.
I would be grateful if someone could explain how the letters 4-7 (or possibly 3-6) in 4D are derived.
Tried Google and got nothing.
Thanks
If you Google 7,6,5,4 (fish served up), you will find that it is a fish, GeoffD.
It’s in Chambers GeoffD as another name for a Pike. It comes from the taxonomic name for the Pike, Esox lucius
Thanks Jack and Tim.
Not something I’d ever heard of and not in my (old) Oxford. Took two Google searches to find it !!
Stuck on 21 and 22. Any last minute clues before I start cheating proper?
Harry Watson:
21D – As a start, “Upstart” gives 3.
22A – pretty clever. “Daydream” gives answer if read as 6,8. “divisions” gives as all 14.
Does that help?