Have your confusions sorted out for this week’s DA.
38 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 10th of March, 2023”
All done and (pretty sure) all understood.
Was all over the grid with answers – absolutely no flow.
FOI 13A.
LOI 4D – tricky wordplay IMO.
Liked 28A and 8D.
And 14D pretty clever.
I think a “tradesman like” DA today.
Same – a few up the top, one or two in the middle, then worked up from the bottom, then back down again.
FOI 10A, 13A. LOI 15D, 14D.
Found myself overthinking some clues and needing to ratchet back a bit, eg NW corner, but had to supercharge others. Revealed 2d and 14d. Not sure how any one could get 28a except by crossers and guesses.
Lots to like though. I really enjoyed DA’s surfaces this week. Amongst others, 13a,25a,15a, 16d.
First pass 13a,18a,20a,26a,1d,23d. Didn’t know 9d (I suspect more available here than in the UK when I was young). LOI 28a and that was enjoyable when the penny dropped. No real gripes and some sensible and deceptive surfaces for once. Favourite was 10a.
I have everything but 21a – I feel like I’m missing something, can’t seem to crack it. Pretty confident I have 7/14/22/23d correct – any tips without totally giving it away please?
Oops – 28a, not 21.
Noel, 28a is entirely cryptic and humorous, as indicated by the question mark. Need to step back from attempts at usual wordplay.
28a was my last in, and I’m still deciding whether to laugh or groan. Probably a tad on the harder side of average for DA today, and quite enjoyable. I wasn’t aware of that meaning of dynamo in 23d. Didn’t know 9d. If I have 15d correct, I can’t parse it. Perhaps I don’t. It might have been your first in, DAJ, but I’ve never heard of 13a.
1d and 22d are good starters.
Graham M – 15D – “University” gives 4,5,6,7.
Ah, I see. Thank you, DAJ.
Thanks Gayle, it took a while before I twigged. It tired me out, think I need to go back to bed now……
@ Noel LOL.
I’m at a loss – entire RHS missing save 11, 13 and 28A. Gentle hints welcome. I have a possible answer for 21A (meaning ‘under’) but can’t see the wordplay for it. Also missing 20A
Also, not sure of wordplay for 3D or 4D. FOI 13A, 18A, 1D.
20A: def is first word of clue. Second word of clue gives letter 1 of answer. Then a word for visitor minus the case of ‘suit’.
5A: def is last 3 words of clue, a historical reference. First word of clue gives letters 1-4, second word letters 5,6.
19A: def is first 2 words of clue. Last word of clue gives letters 3-9.
21A: def is first word. Last word is the anagrind, the grist being ‘the spy in’ and regular letters from ‘bond’.
Thanks Andrew – progressing – I now have 7D, and 26A. Will work on your hints.
All done and dusted (with a few duh moments). Very enjoyable. Thanks again Andrew
All done. Not too bad today. A few needed a bit of work on the word play.
I must be missing something – what does “Manchester” have to do with 25A?
I think it’s meant to indicate that it’s Engligh slang for mad, although it’s not limited to the North of England. It’s debatable that it’s restricted to English or British usage anyway. Chambers just lists it as “slang”, Collins lists it as British, other sources list it as British and Australian. It’s not in The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary. Don’t have Macquarie.
Found this. Assume accurate:
‘In the town of Barking , in England, there was attached to Barking Abbey an asylum for the insane. That is where the expression comes from. If someone come up with an idea, for instance, sailing the high seas in a rubber boat, then someone who doesn’t like that idea would say. “you are Barking mad”. ‘
If it’s not too soon could someone explain 28A please? I’ve been pondering it for half the morning but cannot connect the clue to the answer. I’m sure it will be obvious when I know.
The key to 28A, Geoff D, is the word ‘queen.’ Think in terms of your mattress.
Geoff D – 28A – think of the “queen” as a ‘queen bed’.
Ergo to relish it more is to sleep in.
Thanks – the penny has finally dropped! Manchester sent me along the line of bedding – classic misdirection!
Yes I went down that path for a while Andrew C. It’s ironic that if you refer to Manchester (bedding) in Manchester, they won’t know what you’re talking about.
Thanks Jack and DAJ. It is obvious now I see it, but I might never have thought along that line.
Almost done – started last night.
Warning – 3d is NOT thread test. That had me agonising how to make 12a work – ready to blame DA for getting it wrong.
Sometimes knowing something can be a disadvantage!
Not sure I’ve got 4d
“7 Jan 2023 — Thread testing is defined as a software testing type, which verify the key functional capabilities of a specific task(thread).”
I didn’t like 28A. If you’re doing that thing, you’re not relishing anything (you’re unconscious). And ‘a little longer’ doesn’t capture the element of excess. Something like ‘Spends too long with the Queen?’ might have been better.
Another gripe: 11A is a N American term, and never heard here (at least by me – we have a perfectly good Aussie equivalent). I think Americanisms ought to be flagged.
If anyone is still around, could they explain Whitechapel meat to me?
Carol – HAM becomes AM. East ender speak.
Whitechapel Meat, means “cockney speak” ie east London, for meat (as in ham). This gives 4 and 5. 1, 2 and 3 are “consumed”
Of course. I’d forgotten that Whitechapel had that connection.
Why ‘Manchester’, DA? Barking, and the abbey, are in East London. Could just as easily have said ‘Melbourne’; we’re as likely to say it as a Mancunian! It’s not relevant clueing as ‘Whitechapel’ or sundry continental Europe cities are.
(p.s. Noel, did you satisfy yourself on 7, 14 22 and 23D?)
Here’s today’s 1-across written by RM:
Celebrity has supper with sailor then softly slips away (9)
Can someone parse this for me please?
PeterW – re today’s RM 1A – in the paper the clue actually is:
“Celebrity has suppers with sailor then softly slips away (9)” (note “suppers” is plural).
Then wordplay is to remove “p” (“softly slips away”) from SUPPERS –> SUPERS and add TAR (“with sailor”) to give SUPERSTAR – which equals “Celebrity”.
Hope helps.
The clue isn’t the same in the online version, it’s as I wrote it. How can this happen? Surely someone doesn’t type in the online version by hand? How many suppers does someone usually have? Nonsense.
Can anyone explain the 23D wordplay?
I’m fairly certain of the answer being a synonym for the topic of Dynamo and I have 3 checking letters. But ‘(yellow) increased tenfold at the outset’ has me confused as to how to get the answer I suspect.
Anthony, start with the word “lemon” for “yellow”. The first letter represents fifty in Roman numerals, which you multiply by ten.
All done and (pretty sure) all understood.
Was all over the grid with answers – absolutely no flow.
FOI 13A.
LOI 4D – tricky wordplay IMO.
Liked 28A and 8D.
And 14D pretty clever.
I think a “tradesman like” DA today.
Same – a few up the top, one or two in the middle, then worked up from the bottom, then back down again.
FOI 10A, 13A. LOI 15D, 14D.
Found myself overthinking some clues and needing to ratchet back a bit, eg NW corner, but had to supercharge others. Revealed 2d and 14d. Not sure how any one could get 28a except by crossers and guesses.
Lots to like though. I really enjoyed DA’s surfaces this week. Amongst others, 13a,25a,15a, 16d.
First pass 13a,18a,20a,26a,1d,23d. Didn’t know 9d (I suspect more available here than in the UK when I was young). LOI 28a and that was enjoyable when the penny dropped. No real gripes and some sensible and deceptive surfaces for once. Favourite was 10a.
I have everything but 21a – I feel like I’m missing something, can’t seem to crack it. Pretty confident I have 7/14/22/23d correct – any tips without totally giving it away please?
Oops – 28a, not 21.
Noel, 28a is entirely cryptic and humorous, as indicated by the question mark. Need to step back from attempts at usual wordplay.
28a was my last in, and I’m still deciding whether to laugh or groan. Probably a tad on the harder side of average for DA today, and quite enjoyable. I wasn’t aware of that meaning of dynamo in 23d. Didn’t know 9d. If I have 15d correct, I can’t parse it. Perhaps I don’t. It might have been your first in, DAJ, but I’ve never heard of 13a.
1d and 22d are good starters.
Graham M – 15D – “University” gives 4,5,6,7.
Ah, I see. Thank you, DAJ.
Thanks Gayle, it took a while before I twigged. It tired me out, think I need to go back to bed now……
@ Noel LOL.
I’m at a loss – entire RHS missing save 11, 13 and 28A. Gentle hints welcome. I have a possible answer for 21A (meaning ‘under’) but can’t see the wordplay for it. Also missing 20A
Also, not sure of wordplay for 3D or 4D. FOI 13A, 18A, 1D.
20A: def is first word of clue. Second word of clue gives letter 1 of answer. Then a word for visitor minus the case of ‘suit’.
5A: def is last 3 words of clue, a historical reference. First word of clue gives letters 1-4, second word letters 5,6.
19A: def is first 2 words of clue. Last word of clue gives letters 3-9.
21A: def is first word. Last word is the anagrind, the grist being ‘the spy in’ and regular letters from ‘bond’.
Thanks Andrew – progressing – I now have 7D, and 26A. Will work on your hints.
All done and dusted (with a few duh moments). Very enjoyable. Thanks again Andrew
All done. Not too bad today. A few needed a bit of work on the word play.
I must be missing something – what does “Manchester” have to do with 25A?
I think it’s meant to indicate that it’s Engligh slang for mad, although it’s not limited to the North of England. It’s debatable that it’s restricted to English or British usage anyway. Chambers just lists it as “slang”, Collins lists it as British, other sources list it as British and Australian. It’s not in The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary. Don’t have Macquarie.
Found this. Assume accurate:
‘In the town of Barking , in England, there was attached to Barking Abbey an asylum for the insane. That is where the expression comes from. If someone come up with an idea, for instance, sailing the high seas in a rubber boat, then someone who doesn’t like that idea would say. “you are Barking mad”. ‘
If it’s not too soon could someone explain 28A please? I’ve been pondering it for half the morning but cannot connect the clue to the answer. I’m sure it will be obvious when I know.
The key to 28A, Geoff D, is the word ‘queen.’ Think in terms of your mattress.
Geoff D – 28A – think of the “queen” as a ‘queen bed’.
Ergo to relish it more is to sleep in.
Thanks – the penny has finally dropped! Manchester sent me along the line of bedding – classic misdirection!
Yes I went down that path for a while Andrew C. It’s ironic that if you refer to Manchester (bedding) in Manchester, they won’t know what you’re talking about.
Thanks Jack and DAJ. It is obvious now I see it, but I might never have thought along that line.
Almost done – started last night.
Warning – 3d is NOT thread test. That had me agonising how to make 12a work – ready to blame DA for getting it wrong.
Sometimes knowing something can be a disadvantage!
Not sure I’ve got 4d
“7 Jan 2023 — Thread testing is defined as a software testing type, which verify the key functional capabilities of a specific task(thread).”
I didn’t like 28A. If you’re doing that thing, you’re not relishing anything (you’re unconscious). And ‘a little longer’ doesn’t capture the element of excess. Something like ‘Spends too long with the Queen?’ might have been better.
Another gripe: 11A is a N American term, and never heard here (at least by me – we have a perfectly good Aussie equivalent). I think Americanisms ought to be flagged.
If anyone is still around, could they explain Whitechapel meat to me?
Carol – HAM becomes AM. East ender speak.
Whitechapel Meat, means “cockney speak” ie east London, for meat (as in ham). This gives 4 and 5. 1, 2 and 3 are “consumed”
Of course. I’d forgotten that Whitechapel had that connection.
Why ‘Manchester’, DA? Barking, and the abbey, are in East London. Could just as easily have said ‘Melbourne’; we’re as likely to say it as a Mancunian! It’s not relevant clueing as ‘Whitechapel’ or sundry continental Europe cities are.
(p.s. Noel, did you satisfy yourself on 7, 14 22 and 23D?)
Here’s today’s 1-across written by RM:
Celebrity has supper with sailor then softly slips away (9)
Can someone parse this for me please?
PeterW – re today’s RM 1A – in the paper the clue actually is:
“Celebrity has suppers with sailor then softly slips away (9)” (note “suppers” is plural).
Then wordplay is to remove “p” (“softly slips away”) from SUPPERS –> SUPERS and add TAR (“with sailor”) to give SUPERSTAR – which equals “Celebrity”.
Hope helps.
The clue isn’t the same in the online version, it’s as I wrote it. How can this happen? Surely someone doesn’t type in the online version by hand? How many suppers does someone usually have? Nonsense.
Can anyone explain the 23D wordplay?
I’m fairly certain of the answer being a synonym for the topic of Dynamo and I have 3 checking letters. But ‘(yellow) increased tenfold at the outset’ has me confused as to how to get the answer I suspect.
Anthony, start with the word “lemon” for “yellow”. The first letter represents fifty in Roman numerals, which you multiply by ten.