Salon 1

I'll be aiming to knock off/over today's Times at least. Or The Guardian, if Rufus takes a breather. [Not a huge fan.]

By the way, is anyone else having grief with Internet Explorer? I'm needing to use Firefox as my back-up browser as the other is going haywire.

Times 9148 is a gentle canter. First time I've seen 'well' used this way in 15dn, and thought 19ac could have a container clue, keeping the QPR device.

Nothing sublime. Just tidy. First day back at studio today, so will be calling on my 9/12...

Today's Guardian from Brendan is one of those self-referential ones that'd be awful for a first timer.

A gentle canter on a horse that's gone lame, I'd say. 1 across didn't impress me, unless there's some miraculous wordplay involved. 25ac wasn't brilliant either, though at least the setter tried for a cryptic clue with a diverting surface there.

Another one down...makes my record run reach 14. Not that I'm superstitious!

Agree with the CLASSROOM clue, Anthony - though I guess the '10 goes into one' had a ludicrous maths vibe, which was the pun's point.

To oil your raging waters, get a load of 9149 - a bottler at first glance.

Just found the site with the Guardian's cryptics. Tried today's and well alright. I like the interactivity.

Welcome One Wheel. Today's G is Paul with his usual box of trix. I swear he's pulled that 8dn stunt before. He also seems a legman if 5/21, 6 and 16 are any guide.

Best clue is 14, with 28 good for a grin.

Haven't done a Guardian puzzle for a while, but when I saw that it was a Paul I couldn't resist. It was a good mix and brought some smiles. I agree with you, DA, about 14ac. I also liked the Madoff component of 26, which I only understood post-solve.

I like being able to do the Guardian puzzles online for free, but it's so tempting to cheat. That little button just sits there so enticingly.

Resist temptation, RK - and print the puzzle out. Works every time.

Nice to see your byline about the traps again.

The last two Times have been interesting challenges - in today's, I managed to justify what I believe to be two incorrect answers. I hate having errors in pen, when they looked so certain...

...and then today's offering looked like they'd got mixed up and put in the Woman's Day crossword. The easiest ever, I suspect.

Which explains why I made a daft and inexplicable error. Perhaps subconsciously, I was ashamed to claim victory on this one! So my streak stops at 16. Not quite in your league yet DA!

9151 is no brain-boiler, I agree. Though still haven't polished off 4ac or 6dn.

Thought 14ac was an excellent clue, while 5dn is a huh (what's the joke?) and 10ac seems lax.

Appears a genteel Orlando today for those with any G-time.

The minute you moan...just solved 4/6 in the Times. (The word to confound me was fly - really?)

Agree, DA. Def for 4A is awry. I liked the misdirection in 13A. Never seen 27A in the singular.

OED uses 'fly' in the definition - must be an older, broader sense of the word. I was tempted at one point to see if I could squeeze POLITICO in!

5dn was my miss on one of the letters; apparently there's a Sinbad reference involved here.

4 and 6 were my last two as well. Can I say I'm not surprised?

Orlando y'day was a lively test. A good tussle. Especially admired the polish of 11 (with an Alistair Cooke shout), 17 (lovely clue) and 16.

Weird to see such heavy-duty Pom slang implied in 3dn, then such an Aussie word declared in 4dn.

You'll need your scholarship to nail 9/23 too.

Skip 9152 - a cheerless drudge.

Enjoyed Tramp in the Guardian today. Not familiar with their work but some fairly fresh clues.

Got about half the Guardian out before chucking in the towel. I like 14A

I'm liking Tramp's brevity, at first glance.

(Been @ the studio all day, with another stint tomorrow - so will post Cup trifecta on Sunday, with your good grace.)

While I'm not a massive fan of the subject of Tramp's theme-ette, liked the undemonstrative way it was worked in.

Agreed, X - if this is Tramp's renegade and contemporary style, I'm keeping my eyes fixed for a reprise. Good thing being, you can dive into the archive and summon up his/her priors.

For mine, Tramp announced his groove back on September 1 with this opening clue:

SHIFT jams — almost hit OK + CANCEL for dead icon … (7,7)

If you want to know the answer, beat it.

Some specialised knowledge needed for today's Araucaria (luckily in my field). Tricky but doable once you get the theme.

I don't quite get 28. Is it just to do with pronunciation? And is that an indirect anagram in 5dn?

I'm thinking that theme may be musical? Just a hunch. Will have a crack tonight. (Taping Series 4 finals all day today - great games so far.)

RK - I think its a yes to both of your questions. Despite not being a buff of the theme, enjoyed this one. 9 & 11 both quite clever.