rowid,clue,answer,definition,clue_number,puzzle_date,puzzle_name,source_url,source
643914,"the answer to the clue of 6d, pushed me further back to the years 1977 and 1978, when I learnt both shorthand and typing at St. Ann’s Commercial Training Centre. I had passed the secondary examination in 1976, but could not continue further studies at that point of time due to acute poverty at home. I was under the care of my maternal grandmother since my early childhood and it was she only who nourished me and brought me up and even bore my educational expenses upto the secondary level. Since she could no longer afford to pay for my further education, I started giving more tuitions in order to earn some extra money which I accumulated and which helped me to take admission in Class XI, but only after two years, that is in 1978, but in the meanwhile, I had completed and passed the course in shorthand and typing that cost me only five rupees per month which I could easily afford to pay out of the money I earned. The skill certificate helped me to get a job in a small firm and again I hopped to another firm offering a better pay before I earned a secured job as a stenographer in a nationalised bank through a competitive examination and was appointed in February 1981. I worked thereat for my entire tenure of thirty-nine years; the last fourteen years being in the supervisory cadre including holding assignments in three branches as branch head and finally retiring in January 2020. But shorthand and I were made for each other. Post-retirement, I was able to secure another job as a senior private secretary on a contractual basis in a state government undertaking through a stenography test and an interview.",P,,‘Shorthand’,2022-10-28,Daily Telegraph 30125,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/28/dt-30125-full-review/,bigdave44
644894,"the nose’, the answer to the clue of 15d, reminded me of one of the days of 1974 when studying in Class IX I came across in a poetry book the lines, “With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well sav’d, a world too wide” in a poem entitled, ‘All the world’s a stage’ by William Shakespeare, which later on, was found by me to be a speech of Jacques in his play ‘As You Like It’. ‘All the world’s a stage’ is regarded as one of the best speeches written by the poet laureate of Europe.",P,,‘On,2022-10-19,Sunday Telegraph 3181,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/19/st-3181-full-review/,bigdave44
643913,"part of the answer to the clue of 15a, took me down memory lane as I reminisced Monsieur Trojak teaching me the difference between ‘en’ and ‘dans’, the prepositions, both meaning ‘in’ in French, in one of the classes of my first semester at Alliance Française, Calcutta where I had enrolled myself for learning that language. The year was 1979 and it was really a struggling time for me when, for the first time in life, I found myself getting engaged for eighteen hours plus from Monday to Friday. I used to come out at around 5.30 am so that I could reach school well in time to attend my classes of the higher secondary level which would start at 6.00 am. I used to come out of the school at around 9.00 am; missing at least two classes so that I could attend office which was fortunately a ten minutes’ walk from the school. In the evening, after office was over, I used to attend my French classes or watch French movies in the auditorium at Alliance Française and after that, I used to go to a far-off place to give tuitions to some students, only to return home always after eleven o’clock at night. Saturday used to be a half day at office. I used to spend the rest of the time on Saturday and the whole of Sunday by giving tuitions and by revising my own lessons pertaining to the higher secondary classes. Although those days were very tiring, but today I feel glad that I was able to keep myself engaged and make the best use of my time. Now, coming back to the rhythmic ‘en’ and ‘dans’, both signify time and location, but their usage relies on both meaning and grammar. ‘En’ indicates the length of time an action happens or when an action happens that is related to month, season or year or followed directly by a noun not preceded by an article. ‘Dans’, on the other hand, denotes the amount of time before action will occur or refers to something that occurs within or during a decade or when followed by an article plus noun or with some states and provinces preceded by an article.",N,,‘En’,2022-10-28,Daily Telegraph 30125,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/28/dt-30125-full-review/,bigdave44
660076,of “my old friend”. The whole clue acts as wordplay and definition.,M,,sensed,2023-04-20,Daily Telegraph No 30279,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/20/169736/,bigdave44
639098,"clever — rang uni for graphic representation of progress (8,5)",LEARNING CURVE,graphic representation of progress,Worryinglyd,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
640742,"so many fine clues, how does one choose a favourite? The image of the college chap’s surreptitious rendez-vous with the geisha did draw a smile so I will go with it.",Q,,Withd,2022-07-11,Daily Telegraph 30036,http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/11/dt-30036/,bigdave44
661673,"it, you and I",A,,Withd,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
644094,"no clue really stood out for me, I will give top marks to 5d where the true meaning of the words was well camouflaged in a military setting.",Q,,Whiled,2022-10-31,Daily Telegraph 30132,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/31/dt-30132/,bigdave44
661671,a still performance.,A,,Wered,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
660077,"done, the answer to the clue of 21a, reminded me of all the six stages of steak doneness, or the degree to which the steak is cooked, namely, blue, rare, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done that I learnt earlier during the process of writing a review for this blog after coming across the word ‘rare’ as a wordplay in a crossword puzzle clue that refers to still dark red in colour of steak not cooked for very long.",A,,Well,2023-04-19,Sunday Telegraph 3207,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/19/st-3207-full-review/,bigdave44
642063,"back to Widdersbel who continues the high standard established in their first crossword.  Apart from a wobble in the first two down clues, there is very little to comment on technically.  The cluing was of a high standard and nicely misleading.  The commentometer reads as 1/28 or 3.5%,",M,,Welcome,2022-07-25,Rookie Corner 433,http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/25/rookie-corner-433/,bigdave44
656785,"to JayKay with, I think,  the first Rookie crossword composed by a duo.  At one point, I wondered if the couple had split the clues between them with one doing the across clues and one doing the down clues as there are far more comments on the down clues than the across.",T,,Welcome,2023-01-09,Rookie Corner 457,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/09/rookie-corner-457/,bigdave44
661756,"back to Avtaar.  I found this a lot more approachable and enjoyable than our setter’s first crossword.  It was still on the tough side but less impenetrable and the clues were a lot better in terms of accuracy.  My only comments are minor ones and all are points that can be overcome with practice and experience.  Interestingly, all of the comments relate to the down clues and increase towards the end, which is often the sign of a long setting session where you are beginning to lose focus or trying to race to the finishing line.  The commentometer reads as 3/28 or 10.7%.",A,,Welcome,2023-02-13,Rookie Corner 462,http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/13/rookie-corner-462/,bigdave44
656969,both sniggered out loud when we solved 11d so that is our favourite today.,Q,,Wed,2023-05-10,Daily Telegraph 30296,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/10/dt-30296/,bigdave44
658477,rather liked the topical name use in 9a.,Q,,Wed,2023-01-11,Daily Telegraph 30194,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/11/dt-30194/,bigdave44
659269,"were impressed with how the surface reading was so appropriate for all the anagrams, so they can share the podium this week.",Q,,Wed,2023-04-05,Daily Telegraph 30266,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/05/dt-30266/,bigdave44
662030,can’t decide which of 1a or 14a to choose for today’s favourite.,Q,,Wed,2023-01-25,Daily Telegraph 30206,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/25/dt-30206/,bigdave44
663652,have so many ticks for this one we won’t even try to pick a favourite.,Q,,Wed,2023-06-21,Daily Telegraph 30332,http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/21/dt-30332/,bigdave44
645049,were racing through this one until we came to the SE quadrant and then slowed down considerably.,P,,We,2022-11-02,Daily Telegraph 30134,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/02/dt-30134/,bigdave44
658446,found this a relatively gentle solve and enjoyed it.,P,,We,2023-01-11,Daily Telegraph 30194,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/11/dt-30194/,bigdave44
639104,"over gun mainly carried by established model (5,5)",STAND GUARD,,Watchd,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
656298,"enjoyable, my favourite clues were 9a and 7d. Which ones curried favour with you?",Q,,Veryd,2023-05-04,Daily Telegraph No 30291,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/04/dt-no-30291/,bigdave44
656424,"enjoyable indeed, thanks to the setter. My table toppers today are 22a plus 1,3,8,18&19d. Which ones sat at the top of yours?",Q,,Veryd,2023-05-18,Daily Telegraph No 30303,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/18/172380/,bigdave44
659978,"enjoyable, my top three are 29a plus 7 and 23d. Which ones took the honours for you?",Q,,Veryd,2023-06-08,Daily Telegraph No 30321,http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/08/173213/,bigdave44
639108,out jokes when judge leaves for time (5),TESTS,,Triesd,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
659360,"jam, the answer to the clue of 13d, reminded me of a strange dream that I had one night some decades ago. The dream featured a night itself that was starless and the sky intensely black. I was standing on the terrace of a skyscraper, gazing at the vehicles flying in the air just above me. They were not illuminated but could be easily seen despite a black background. It was known to me that the whole world had become so densely populated that there were no roads or avenues left for the movement of vehicles from one place to another. Moreover, all the road vehicles of the world had already been dismantled and flying vehicles of different kinds had instead come to occupy as the only means of transport among places of short to long distances within each country. While most of the time they remained operational above the ground, they were not required to go as immensely higher as the aeroplanes did, but definitely their routes were above the tallest building of the city or town. The drivers and pilots were well aware of and used to all the routes that were themselves thoroughly defined and controlled by experts. On the ground, however, there were millions of specified places from where these flying vehicles could take off; each of them having a nearby place meant for their landing. While I was enjoying watching the flying cars and other vehicles plying on different routes in the air, suddenly, there was a loud siren and I could see vehicles of one particular route slowing down their speed and moving either left or right and stopping in the air. The siren made me realise that a minister would be passing through that way. He should not face any difficulty in reaching his destination in time and that was the reason why the vehicles started to clear the route for him. What followed was too colourful! A beautiful fleet of three vehicles passed that route; the siren still continuing. That led me to guess in the dream that the minister was travelling in the first vehicle and his armed guards were in the two vehicles that followed. The vehicles looked like mats woven out of plastic straws and exactly rectangular in shape, almost similar to the Pathfinder that went to Mars many years later, though the Pathfinder looked as if a big rectangular piece has joined a smaller piece at its one end. All the three vehicles had each hundreds of lights fitted below that were glowing and having one particular colour. Hence, the vehicles looked almost like three cuboid-shaped mats with glowing lights of three different colours. That really exhibited a spectacular view! But they were also soon gone! Now the road was clear for the halted vehicles to continue their journey. From left and right, they came to the exact route in the air and started moving ahead. Incidentally, three of the vehicles due to mechanical failure could not do so. They were tilting a bit left and then a bit right and again a bit left and again a bit right, but remaining where they were. There were no mechanics in the air who could repair those vehicles and put them back into operation. I was aware something terrible was going to happen, but all the more frightened seeing one of the vehicles right above me though at a height. Soon the vehicles started rolling and simultaneously falling down. There were explosions one after another. One of them fell on a far-off building; the second on a building not very far-off. I was experiencing death at that moment, but heaved a sigh of relief when the third vehicle fell on the building that was adjacent to the building of our immediate neighbour but on the other side. Then I woke up, but still felt tensed for some time.",P,,Traffic,2023-07-12,Sunday Telegraph 3219,http://bigdave44.com/2023/07/12/st-3219-full-review/,bigdave44
638363,line:     DELI     +     GAY     +     SHUN     =     DELEGATION,B,,Topd,2021-05-17,Daily Telegraph 29677,http://bigdave44.com/2021/05/17/dt-29677/,bigdave44
639768,line:        PRY     +     FIR     +     TIES     =     PRIVATIZE,B,,Topd,2022-05-02,Daily Telegraph 29976,http://bigdave44.com/2022/05/02/dt-29976/,bigdave44
641916,line:     GREENE     +     GAUGE     =     GREENGAGE,B,,Topd,2022-03-21,Daily Telegraph 29940,http://bigdave44.com/2022/03/21/dt-29940/,bigdave44
642376,line:      STALK    +     HEAPING     =     STOREKEEPING,B,,Topd,2022-10-03,Daily Telegraph 30108,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/03/dt-30108/,bigdave44
642648,Line:     AUTUMN     +     ATTICS     =     AUTOMATICS,B,,Topd,2022-10-10,Daily Telegraph 30114,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/10/dt-30114/,bigdave44
643974,line:     STAY     +     TUSK     +     WOE     =     STATUS QUO,B,,Topd,2022-11-21,Daily Telegraph 30150,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/21/dt-30150/,bigdave44
644476,line:       PURE     +     AISLE     =     PUERILE,B,,Topd,2022-10-24,Daily Telegraph 30126,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/24/dt-30126/,bigdave44
644684,line:      GAIT      +     KEY     +     PURR     =     GATEKEEPER,B,,Topd,2022-11-07,Daily Telegraph 30138,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/07/dt-30138/,bigdave44
655647,line:      SIGH     +     DEFECTS     =     SIDE EFFECTS,M,,Topd,2023-02-27,Daily Telegraph 30234,http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/27/dt-30234/,bigdave44
656854,line:      PURSE     +     WEIGHED     =     PERSUADE,B,,Topd,2023-03-06,Daily Telegraph 30240,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/06/dt-30240/,bigdave44
657123,line:       CHOIR     +     CHEWED     =     QUIETUDE,M,,Topd,2023-06-19,Daily Telegraph 30330,http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/19/dt-30330/,bigdave44
657273,line:        INNS     +     PECKED     =     INSPECT,B,,Topd,2023-04-17,Daily Telegraph 30276,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/17/dt-30276/,bigdave44
657363,line:   MILL     +     TUN     +     ESK     =     MILTONESQUE,M,,Topd,2022-12-05,Daily Telegraph 30162,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/05/dt-30162/,bigdave44
657787,line:        WRAPS     +     OWE     +     DEE     =     RHAPSODY,B,,Topd,2022-12-19,Daily Telegraph 30174,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/19/dt-30174/,bigdave44
658091,line:         BLING     +     CURD     =     BLINKERED,B,,Topd,2023-07-10,Daily Telegraph 30348,http://bigdave44.com/2023/07/10/dt-30348/,bigdave44
658978,line:     WHEN     +      SLID     +     AIL     =     WENSEYDALE,B,,Topd,2023-01-23,Daily Telegraph 30204,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/23/dt-30204/,bigdave44
661460,line:       YEW     +     GANDER     =     UGANDA,B,,Topd,2023-06-26,Daily Telegraph 30336,http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/26/dt-30336/,bigdave44
661547,"three today for me are 2d, 11a and 8d in that order.",Q,,Topd,2022-12-26,Daily Telegraph 30180,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/26/dt-30180/,bigdave44
661548,CHATTER     +     NOUGAT     =     CHATTANOOGA,B,,Topd,2022-12-26,Daily Telegraph 30180,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/26/dt-30180/,bigdave44
661755,line :        SHIRE     +     WEIGH     =     SHY AWAY,B,,Topd,2023-04-03,Daily Telegraph 30264,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/03/dt-30264/,bigdave44
662154,line:        MISS     +     QUEUED     =     MISCUED,B,,Topd,2023-05-15,Daily Telegraph 30300,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/15/dt-30300/,bigdave44
662246,line:     WAUGH     +     QUAYS     =     WALKIES,B,,Topd,2023-02-06,Daily Telegraph 30216,http://bigdave44.com/2023/02/06/dt-30216/,bigdave44
662306,"three for me today were 11a, 16a and 1d with 16a on the top step of the podium.",Q,,Topd,2023-01-09,Daily Telegraph 30192,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/09/dt-30192/,bigdave44
662307,Line:     CELL     +     FIZZ     =     SELFIES,B,,Topd,2023-01-09,Daily Telegraph 30192,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/09/dt-30192/,bigdave44
662340,2 for me the witty surface read at 17a & the misleading one at 30a. Which ones got your ticks?,T,,Topd,2023-05-30,Daily Telegraph 30313,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/30/dt-30313-2/,bigdave44
663235,line:     GOAL     +     DONE     +     REIGN     =     GOLDEN RAIN,B,,Topd,2023-05-01,Daily Telegraph 30288,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/01/dt-30288/,bigdave44
641857,"Osmosis felt a bit easier than some of his recent puzzles. Once again, he omits eleven letters of the alphabet in his grid. I appreciated the clues more on writing up the blog than during the solve, which often happens. There are some lovely surprise definitions, and the wordplay is precise as always. Osmosis is true to the convention of ON meaning following in across clues – I remember that by thinking “added ON to”.",P,,Today’s,2022-04-01,Toughie 2828,http://bigdave44.com/2022/04/01/toughie-2828/,bigdave44
659857,"I will single out two clues, 12a and 7d, for special mention. These clues share the same structure, with the entire clue forming the definition in which the wordplay is embedded.",Q,,Todayd,2023-05-08,Daily Telegraph 30294,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/08/dt-30294/,bigdave44
661672,meet as far this morning,F,,Tod,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
661674,tell us we are:,T,,Tod,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
640641,was the highlight of the recent Glastonbury festival. I’ve watched it so many times!,D,,Thisa,2022-07-07,Daily Telegraph 30033,http://bigdave44.com/2022/07/07/dt-30033/,bigdave44
643631,was the clue that gave me the greatest pause for thought – I needed a few crossers – even though I could see it would hinge on something skaters must do.,D,,Thisa,2022-11-15,Daily Telegraph 30145,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/15/dt-30145/,bigdave44
641671,is Sparks’s second Toughie and the first one that I’ve attempted. I made slow but steady progress until I hit a brick wall in the shape of the last clue (27 down). I have finally come up with an answer for it but I’m not convinced by it. I have assigned the stars by considering the puzzle without 27 down. If I were to include 27 down I would add a star to the difficulty and deduct a star from the enjoyment.,P,,This,2013-12-05,Toughie 1096,http://bigdave44.com/2013/12/05/toughie-1096/,bigdave44
641704,"is a nice straightforward crossword today, although some will be disappointed by it, new cruciverbalist’s should enjoy it. From a personal point of view a number of weak cryptic definitions made this crossword a bit of a let down. As usual comments are appreciated, and please let us know how much you actually liked or disliked it by voting.",A,,This,2009-08-14,Daily Telegraph 26007,http://bigdave44.com/2009/08/14/dt-26007/,bigdave44
655583,"time, I wanted to know more about Ella, part of the answer to the clue of 19a and the first name of Ella Jane Fitzgerald, the American jazz singer (1917-1996). So I explored the net and got to learn that she earned many sobriquets in her lifetime, namely, ‘First Lady of Song’, ‘Queen of Jazz’ and ‘Lady Ella. She became famous all the more for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation and a ‘horn-like’ improvisational ability, chiefly in her scat singing. After an initial setback, she achieved stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing far and wide across the country. She was most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ shot both Webb and her to national fame. She took over the band when Webb died, but soon left it behind to start her solo career. She recorded some of her more widely noted works with ‘Verve Records’. Later on, she acted in films and appeared as a guest on popular television. Her musical collaborations with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and ‘The Ink Spots’ were some of her most notable acts outside her solo career. These partnerships boosted her career and they produced some of her best-known songs such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, “Cheek to Cheek”, “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall” and “It don’t mean a thing”. She gave her last public performance in 1993 and three years later, she died of deteriorating health. Needless to mention, 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP’s inaugural President’s Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom were among the several accolades that she received.",P,,This,2023-04-05,Sunday Telegraph 3205,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/05/st-3205-full-review/,bigdave44
661670,are amazing: each,J,,Thesed,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
638910,"are lots of nice clues today. I rather like the cryptic definition at 25a and 27a has an very smooth surface reading. Notwithstanding all that, my favourite clue has to be 1a.",T,,Thered,2011-06-01,Daily Telegraph 26567,http://bigdave44.com/2011/06/01/dt-26567/,bigdave44
640299,Daily Telegraph Quick Crossword clues are mostly definitions with a little general knowledge and possibly an anagram,D,,Thed,2022-06-02,Daily Telegraph 30003,http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/02/dt-30003/,bigdave44
641849,answer is the first three words of a nursery rhyme about a poor cat put in a well.,T,,Thed,2021-08-10,Toughie 2693,http://bigdave44.com/2021/08/10/toughie-2693/,bigdave44
641850,last word of the answer was the second part of the pseudonym used by Anne Bronte,O,,Thed,2021-08-10,Toughie 2693,http://bigdave44.com/2021/08/10/toughie-2693/,bigdave44
642106,Quick Crossword Pun:,WEIGHT,,Thed,2022-09-23,Daily Telegraph 30100,http://bigdave44.com/2022/09/23/dt-30100/,bigdave44
642137,clever use of ‘rails’ in 2d puts it in gold medal spot for me.,Q,,Thed,2022-10-05,Daily Telegraph 30110,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/05/dt-30110/,bigdave44
642228,Quick Crossword Pun:,SOW,,Thed,2022-09-30,Daily Telegraph 30106,http://bigdave44.com/2022/09/30/dt-30106/,bigdave44
642767,Quick Crossword Pun:,HEIR,,Thed,2022-10-07,Daily Telegraph 30112,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/07/dt-30112/,bigdave44
643586,Quick Crossword Pun:,FILL,,Thed,2022-11-04,Daily Telegraph 30136,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/04/dt-30136/,bigdave44
643851,Quick Crossword Pun:,TERROR,,Thed,2022-11-25,Daily Telegraph 30154,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/25/dt-30154/,bigdave44
643880,Quick Crossword Pun:,WHIRLED,,Thed,2022-11-11,Daily Telegraph 30142,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/11/dt-30142/,bigdave44
644331,Quick Crossword Pun:,CAP,,Thed,2022-11-18,Daily Telegraph 30148,http://bigdave44.com/2022/11/18/dt-30148/,bigdave44
644359,Quick Crossword Pun:,PALLY,,Thed,2022-10-14,Daily Telegraph 30118,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/14/dt-30118/,bigdave44
644801,Quick Crossword Pun:,FLIGHT,,Thed,2022-12-02,Daily Telegraph 30160,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/02/dt-30160/,bigdave44
644985,Quick Crossword Pun:,WEAL,,Thed,2022-10-21,Daily Telegraph 30124,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/21/dt-30124/,bigdave44
645016,Quick Crossword Pun:,SINGER,,Thed,2022-10-28,Daily Telegraph 30130,http://bigdave44.com/2022/10/28/dt-30130/,bigdave44
660170,top two for me were 1&26d with the lurker at 27a pinching the last podium spot. Which ones were ticks for you?,T,,Thed,2023-06-20,Daily Telegraph 30331,http://bigdave44.com/2023/06/20/dt-20395-3/,bigdave44
660899,Quick Crossword Pun:,SUNG,,Thed,2022-12-09,Daily Telegraph 30166,http://bigdave44.com/2022/12/09/dt-30166/,bigdave44
661669,poem referred to in the title of the crossword is:,J,,Thed,2023-03-27,Rookie Corner 468,http://bigdave44.com/2023/03/27/rookie-corner-468/,bigdave44
663359,"top three, in no particular order, for me were the surface reads at 12a along with 4&19d. Which ones were ticks on your sheet?",T,,Thed,2023-05-23,Daily Telegraph 30307,http://bigdave44.com/2023/05/23/dt-20307-2/,bigdave44
641763,"puzzle was certainly not enhanced by the use of one of the Telegraph’s cornery grids – these should have been consigned to the scrapheap many years ago.  Take a look at any Times puzzle and you will see what I mean.  For me the puzzle broke down into those four corners – the North and South East were very easy, but I got bogged down in the other two.",F,,The,2010-06-03,Toughie 365,http://bigdave44.com/2010/06/03/toughie-365/,bigdave44
642009,"good news for QuelFromage is that this crossword marks a substantial improvement on the first crossword.  The commentometer is down to 12/27 or 42.9% and, save in a few cases, the definitions match the solutions.  The cluing was clearer and fairer to the solver.  However, there is still a lot of room for improvement particularly with the technical aspects of the cluing to achieve the level of precision required in setting a clue and avoiding repeating wordplay indicators.",A,,The,2022-06-06,Rookie Corner 426,http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/06/rookie-corner-426/,bigdave44
656786,commentometer reads as 5/36 or 13.9%.,A,,The,2023-01-09,Rookie Corner 457,http://bigdave44.com/2023/01/09/rookie-corner-457/,bigdave44
661070,rain forecast for today was late arriving so we were able to have our regular beach and estuary walk before settling down to solve and blog.,W,,The,2023-04-19,Daily Telegraph 30278,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/19/dt-30278/,bigdave44
641917,"to Amoeba for this week’s Rookie puzzle.  Overall, the cluing was good but badly let down by by 1a.  The commentometer reads as 1.5 / 28 or 5.4%.",A,,Thanks,2022-05-23,Rookie Corner 424,http://bigdave44.com/2022/05/23/rookie-corner-424/,bigdave44
638448,you to Alchemi for this month’s Prize Puzzle.,I,,Thankd,2018-12-16,MPP 079,http://bigdave44.com/2018/12/16/mpp-079-review/,bigdave44
639109,in second gear? (4),SKIT,,Take-offd,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
640297,Quickie Pun Fourth + Wright = Forthright,M,,Straightforward,2022-06-02,Daily Telegraph 30003,http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/02/dt-30003/,bigdave44
663389,"at this for a bit then started with 21a which gave me SW and the long down clue. Then progressed steadily anticlockwise, a quadrant at a time. Osmosis again provides us with a near pangram, this time Z is missing.",P,,Stared,2023-04-14,Toughie 3044,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/14/toughie-3044/,bigdave44
658979,"part of the wordplay to the clue of 20d, prompted me to take a trip down memory lane. I reminisced about my days when I was in my late teens and studying English literature as one of the subjects for graduation. I came across words like spoonerism, malapropism, hamartia, nemesis etc for the first time and found them absolutely enthralling! Other than spoonerism, I would like to discuss malapropism, too. A spoonerism is a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect. It is named after the Oxford don and ordained master, William Archibald Spooner, who was notoriously prone to this mistake. I now learnt from the net that The Oxford English Dictionary recorded ‘spoonerism’ in 1900 and the word was well established by 1921, both well before Spooner’s death in 1930. Although Spooner got the credit, spoonerisms of a different variety were already in use as early as the sixteenth century in France. At that time, there lived in France a writer by the name François Rabelais. In his novel Pantagruel, he wrote, “Il n’y a qu’une antistrophe entre femme folle à la messe et femme molle à la fesse” in which one can clearly see the transposition of the words “femme folle à la messe et femme molle à la fesse“. These are known as contrepèteries. There are a lot many contrepèteries as there are a lot many spoonerisms. However, the best of the spoonerisms according to me is “You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted a whole worm. Please leave Oxford on the next town drain.” Well, one can easily decode the transpositions. On the other hand, a malapropism is the blundering use of a word that rhymes with, or sounds like, the original word. ‘The Rivals’ of Sheridan was one of the plays that I had to study for the bachelor degree course. A fictional character, Mrs. Malaprop is in that comedy of manners. Mrs. Malaprop frequently misspeaks by using words which do not have the meaning that she intends but which sound similar to words that do. Sheridan chose her name in humorous reference to the word ‘malapropos’, an adjective or adverb meaning ‘inappropriate’ or ‘inappropriately’, derived from the French phrase mal à propos, which literally means ‘poorly placed’. The first person known to have used the word ‘malaprop’ specifically in the sense of a ‘speech error’ is Lord Byron in 1814. Some of the celebrated malapropisms spoken by Mrs. Malaprop are “Illiterate him quite from your memory”, “She’s as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile”, “He is the very pineapple of politeness” and “Sure, if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!” If not malapropisms, the sentences would have had the actual words like obliterate, alligator, pinnacle, apprehend, vernacular and epithets respectively.",P,,Spooner,2023-07-07,Daily Telegraph 30341,http://bigdave44.com/2023/07/07/dt-30341-full-review/,bigdave44
641976,"often has some kind of Nina, and I did spot 3 answers in the south that create a phrase. Lo and behold, we see similar in symmetric positions across the grid.",P,,Sparks,2022-06-10,Toughie 2868,http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/10/toughie-2868/,bigdave44
661754,"good stuff here but my podium is 9a,12a and 8d with 9a on the top step.",Q,,Somed,2023-04-03,Daily Telegraph 30264,http://bigdave44.com/2023/04/03/dt-30264/,bigdave44
639085,worried about main cause of sickness (7),DISEASE,cause of sickness,Sidea,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
639102,"call for change — and a fresh start (5,5)",CLEAN SLATE,fresh start,Senated,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
639090,fences in church? That’s improper (8),INDECENT,improper,Requisitiona,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
639100,head of government’s got nothing on (5),NUDGE,,Reminderd,2014-10-01,Daily Telegraph 27609,http://bigdave44.com/2014/10/01/dt-27609/,bigdave44
639259,Pun (Middle Row) : LOGGER + RHYTHM = LOGARITHM,Q,,Quickied,2022-03-14,Daily Telegraph 29934,http://bigdave44.com/2022/03/14/dt-29934/,bigdave44
640038,Pun  Eyed + Sum + Arch =  Ides of March,I,,Quickied,2022-05-26,Daily Telegraph 29997,http://bigdave44.com/2022/05/26/dt-29997a/,bigdave44
640328,Pun Crow + Asian + Whine = Croatian Wine,G,,Quickied,2022-06-03,Daily Telegraph 30004,http://bigdave44.com/2022/06/03/dt-30004/,bigdave44