DA Confusion for the 7th of April, 2023

Posted on by AS

Deconfusify yourself with this week’s DA Confusion thread.

In previous years, a Good Friday DA has appeared — hopefully the same this year!

74 thoughts on “DA Confusion for the 7th of April, 2023”

  1. All out, early start as I am AEST -8h rn. FIO 7A, LOI 16D and don’t get that wordplay. I have the brief skirmish but not sure of the rest. Also 14D and 17A yet to understand wordplay. Fave 23D.

  2. All out and understood.
    And started off quickly – then stalled a bit towards end in SE corner.
    FOI 1A – immediately.
    LOI 16D.
    Really liked 8D.
    And thought the “mini-theme” was pretty clever – which I got very early and assisted with speed of solution.

    Henson – re 14D, 16D and 17A – for fear of causing issues, will not help yet unless you ask.

  3. An interesting little “themelet”, which only helped me with a couple as I already had solved all the other relevant clues. Good fun, plenty of smiles, and nothing too obscure. After getting the intersecting clues I put the only thing that seemed to fit into 27a, but I don’t understand it. Also haven’t parsed 5d & 6d. But don’t help me yet; I’m sure they’ll hit me soon.

    Likewise, Henson, if you need a nudge in about eight hours, ask us again.

  5. 27A – def’n is cryptic / punny – a reason for the ending “?”.

  6. First pass 1a,7a,13a,19a,22a,24a,4d,6d,21d,23d so either a good number of easier ones like last week or I was just on good form. Early finish as all done at the first sitting whereas usually I’d go off, have breakfast and come back to it.
    All out and parsed and a clever theme which helped with a couple. The usual few question marks and LOI 27a. Favourite was 17a.

  7. Quite liked the mini theme, although I was looking in all the wrong places from the definition alone, and didn’t get it until late. Couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Then saw another component of the theme after it was all over. Good one DA!
    Last two in and parse were 16D and 27A.
    Liked 5D, and a lot of the giggle-some surfaces.

  8. All done and understood.

    Got stuck on the word play for 8d then had an “Aha” moment.

    I did like the mini theme. Some quite nice misdirects and word play as well.

  9. Happy Easter weekend to all, bit rainy, coffee in bed and solved quickly, but a few not fully understood
    Will see what zin Zan says

  10. Finished it in a good time (for me), though 27A took quite a while – nice one!
    I too liked the mini-theme.

  11. Not finished but haven’t got this far this early for a very long time.

  12. Not happy!!!
    No SMH (hard copy) available in our area (was it published today?), and puzzles are locked behind a paywall!
    Anyway best wishes for Easter to all the DA Trippers

  13. Andrew C, I’m reminded of the days that I subscribed to the dead-tree Herald, which was never delivered on Good Friday because the newsagents in our area refused to do home deliveries. They did deliver to petrol stations and convenience stores though, so my Good Fridays consisted of spending most of the morning driving around trying to find one that hadn’t sold out. I always demanded a refund amounting to one day of my subscription, because that’s the kind of guy I am.

    A couple of years ago the papers that used to arrive around 7am started arriving around 11am, due to a change of contractors, so at that point I abandoned the hard copy editions and became digital-only. It’s nice not to have to wash the right-hand side of my right-hand little finger after doing the crosswords each day.

    I’m ashamed. At the time of my last post this morning (8:11 am) I still hadn’t twigged to the clever pun in the definition for 27a. It hit me just now as I drove home from my Muttonbird Island walk. And now that I’ve finally got the definition and the wordplay, may I put on record that I thought it was a brilliant clue. Well done, DA!

    I now understand 5d & 6d too, so I’m happy as Larry, and off to dip my too into the Pommy puzzles.

  15. FOI 1a,19a,22a,4d,23d
    Pause to walk dog, weed garden
    Now for tea and crossword
    Happy Holidays

  17. Yes, Victorian, Melanie. The interstate terminological variation extends to more than the instances here.

    Really enjoyed today’s. I’d note, though, that DA has recently been making a lot of use of wordplays that involve the first and last letters of a word in the clue, either included or excluded. It’s flagged by a seemingly inexhaustible range of code words such as jacket, boundaries, etc. There are five instances today, which I reckon is a bit repetitive.

  18. Chambers has 7a as (Aus, NZ and Irish) for that meaning. I’m sure it’s familiar from my days in England as well.

  19. Yes I recognise it
    But not used in Sydney or Hobart (too cold here)
    Is 2d a local sport clue? Not so good on sport which isn’t tennis…

  21. With just five clues unsolved this is my best DA score in SEVERAL YEARS (!! ) without seeking any help. (the bar is set very low )
    In all five missing ones I haven’t been able to work out the definition.

  22. I am from Sydney and I have heard 7d used. In my youth rather tacan lately. I think it is not just a Victorian term.
    I am still struggling with three clues. 15a, 16d and, like many, 27a. If it is late enough I would love a hint or two.
    Grandchildren are about to descend, so it may be a while before I am back here to check.

  25. As I read it, Sandy, for 15A the def is last four words, saying somewhat obscurely that the word is clued by an instance of itself.

    27A: try to re-parse “super-duper”.

    16A: “about” is a reversal indicator affecting a slightly old-fashioned term for argument.

    Hope the above are sufficiently gentle as hints go.

  26. Happy Easter all. Off to a very quick start with 21D, 22D, 2D and 19A – had to check whether it was in fact DA – then slowed right down. Twigged to the theme very late, which helped a few on LHS. Don’t understand wordplay for 5D, 14D, or first word of 24A, or def for 15A. Just 27A to go. Looking forward to the aha moment.

  29. SB –
    14D – “can” = 1,2,3. “start to thin” = 5. “salts” = 4,6,7,8,9.
    24A – first word is given by first word.
    15A – as per AG above – (self describing).

  30. Hmmm
    Ground to a halt
    Could I please have a hint for 10,7d please?
    Thank you

  31. I took the definition in 15a to refer to the the practice which happens on some reality TV series (on show), but that’s not wholly convinced me.
    I also realise I had a slightly different answer to 20a which I think works just as well.

  33. Thanks DAJ. 24A is new to me.
    Tim, I like your theory for 15A.
    Still waiting for the penny to drop for 27A

  34. SB, pronounce the second part of the first hyphened word as if the first part wasn’t there.

  37. Definition in 15a is meta: it refers to the wordplay being used to solve the clue.

  38. Of course another clue for DELETION is “Cancellation of offensive teen idol”

  39. Thanks AG (3:57 pm). Very fuzzy def for 15a. I had actually solved the other two just before the grandchildren arrived. Just come back to this after wrangling them to bed and then chilling with some tv. Happy Easter everyone.

  42. I was unable to get an SMH yesterday due to being in the wilds of Queensland, has anyone got a blank copy they could send so I can get my weekly fix ? Thanks

  43. Dear Pommy Al – I share your pain, and I’m only in regional NSW!T he more I read of the comments, the more I miss my Friday fix!

  46. Wow it worked! (Years ago I had a chat with AS about a similar situation and whether it was okay to post. I can’t remember the discussion, but I think it was okay, in certain situations. )

  47. WARNING WARNING WARNING
    ]If you’re printing, don’t look at or print page 2 of the interactive grid. It’s the solution.
    If you want to print off to solve and can’t close your eyes, I’d print the ‘Today’s Paper’ version.

  48. Gayle – I am not sure it works for anyone but you.
    I know the link doesn’t word for me when I tried.
    I think it only works for you because you are already logged in to subscriber site.
    I may be wrong.

  52. Gayle, I saved the facsimile crossword (not the interactive one) as an image the other day. I could share a link to it in the cloud but I don’t know about the legality of this. I’d be OK with sharing it by email but that info isn’t available (no profiles).
    The other alternative as has been mentioned in other threads are the local libraries and the State library of NSW (all free, get a library card). I have an SMH subscription but have just bee on the NSW library site and it’s easy to access on there.

  56. Thanks Patrick, but Google Drive won’t let me in either! Anyway, only 5 days to go until next Friday!

  58. Hi Patrick

    Many thanks and happy Easter! Looks like my Monday will be busy!!!

  59. Have I waited long enough to ask for an explanation of 27A. I understand the synonym and possibly the ‘shop is’ but not the rest. I feel like I am missing out! Thanks

  60. Peta – 27A – it is a play on the word “DUPE”.
    So if you are a “Super-DUPEr” than you could / would be a SCAMARTIST.
    And yes, “shop is” gives MARTIS.
    And “dropping” (as in bird or animal droppings) gives SCAT.
    “purchases” (as in obtains) works as container indicator.
    Hope clear / helps.

  62. Please help with 15A. I understand from the hints above that the definition clue refers to the wordplay. However, I’m embarrassed to say that I can’t get the wordplay even though I know the answer. So frustrating. Thanks

  63. PeterW – it is just a cryptic / “punny” description – with the consideration that “super” I guess implies “higher ability” and therefore is an “artist” of the practice.

  64. Veronica – 15A – the way I read it, to get DELETION (the answer) from DELEGATION (“Contingent”) the G and A (“oddly glad”) have to be removed / deleted – which is “this formula on show?”
    I know this is a bit weird but hope clear enough for you – and I hope I have it right.

    And if you were referring to Patrick’s reply to 15A above, I was also unsure of what he meant, so I looked up “meta” to find:
    “pertaining to or noting an abstract, high-level analysis or commentary, especially one that consciously references something of its own type.”
    which fits.

  65. So a scam artist is in a higher class than just a scammer? I don’t think artist used in this way signifies any special quality, just a user, like with BS artist

  66. PeterW – you asked about why the word “super”. I tried to give you something that might explain it.
    But guess not to your satisfaction. Oh well.

  67. Thanks DAJunkie. We had thought of delegation first but the complicated definition left us too muddled. All makes sense now.

  68. DAJunkie, you’re the greatest, thank you. Had not thought of scat for dropping, darn it. As for ‘purchases’ I was thrown off the scent by the ‘theme’ of the clue and didn’t even think of it as a container type trigger. Wow! Another one I’ll now remember in my dreams! Misery no more. Cheers.
    Thanks to you all, lots of little tips here and there has seen me gradually do better with these DA puzzles.

  69. And I’m saying the super part of super-duper is integral to the deception in the clue, but a scam artist is not a “super” scammer, just as a con artist is not a “super” con man.

  70. RE: 27A

    PeterW: A duper could be anyone who tells fibs, who deceives. A scam artist is someone who deceives in a highly organised way to steal large amounts of money. Given the ? hint at wordplay, hiding the definition in a term like ‘super dooper’ seems highly regular.

    DA Junkie: I still don’t get the construction?
    I’m guessing “shop is” gives MARTIS but I can’t see the rest.

    Also don’t get the wordplay in 8D.

    Also, is there a prize for being the first to announce the solve on Friday morning? Maybe we can take it as a given that you’ve solved it before brekkie unless otherwise stated ;)

    I do DA at my leisure during the weekend, this time in bed on Monday night.

  71. Muntz, the union member in 8d is a groom. Swap sides from right to left (so R becomes L) and you have “depression”.

    In 27a, the remaining letters are “scat”, a term for an animal dropping. “Purchases” is an inclusion indicator.

    [We all do our DA at our own pace. Sometimes, if I wake early I’ll have finished before sunrise, other times I mightn’t start till afternoon. By Monday, though, it’s usually in the recycling bin.]

  72. Thanks Graham. Union member threw me, totally need to remember to distrust all familiar phrases!

    I get that everyone does it at their own pace. Just seems like some people make a point of announcing that they’ve solved it at 7am. This thread is DA Confusion (i.e. queries) not DA I Solved It Before Everyone Else ;)

  73. All out. Clicked with the “super-duper” aspect of the 27A clue, but needed GrahamM’s explanation of “purchase” to understand the wordplay

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