FT - setters page updated
Posted by petebiddlecombe on 20th July 2007
I’ve updated the setters page today with details about the FT setters.
Posted in FT | No Comments »
Archive for July 20th, 2007
Independent 6477 / Phi Pleasant stroll
Posted by tilsit on 20th July 2007
Solving Time: 19 minutes
Another reliable enjoyable puzzle from Phi. Nothing too taxing today, although 4 across held me up for a little while. Not too many anagrams today, either.
ACROSS * = ANAGRAM CD = CRYPTIC DEFINITION (R) = REVERSAL
1 PLUS P + LUS(T) “and” is the definition!
4 CIRCA A CRIC(K) / (R)
7 DIDO Refused to work = Did 0 Nothing
9 OMERTA The Mafia code of honour. ROME* + TA
10 SPYGLASS S(TO)P Y(OUN)G + LASS
11 TEENAGER TEE + REGAN (R)
12 NOT BAD TBA in NOD
13 FORBIDDEN FRUIT CD
16 TAKE FOR GRANTED TAKE FOR + GRANT + ED
18 AFRICA A + FR + I CA
20 TREATISE A + ITS* in TREE (plane, etc.)
22 COUPERIN COUP + ERIN
23 NORWAY NO WAY + E
24 KNOT Two defs.
25 STAYS Two defs
26 LUKE (F)LUKE
DOWN
2 LUMME LUM + ME
3 SPRINGBOK SPRING + B + OK
4 CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES CHARGED + AFFAIRES
5 RESERVE Two defs
6 ANYONE FOR TENNIS Two CR DEFS
7 DELFT L in DEFT
8 DISMANTLE MEND TAILS*
15 UNNATURAL U (Core of bUm) + N + NATURAL
17 ROTUNDA TUN in ROD + A
19 INPUT Hidden reverse answer
21 SWANK SWAN + K
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Independent 6472 (14-07-07)/Nimrod
Posted by neildubya on 20th July 2007
The first thing you noticed about this puzzle was that some of the clues were prefixed and suffixed with “(see [another clue number])…” - one clue referred to another and that one to another and so on until we got to 3/2D - so cracking that clue was the key to the theme. Luckily enough it was the first one I got and the others followed quite quickly. I couldn’t really see the point of doing this though - the theme is easy enough to spot so why bother to signpost it like this?
As usual with me and Nimrod, there’s quite a lot I don’t understand and one answer I didn’t get; comments and suggestions welcome.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | hidden reversed in “ForemoST FUR-Clad” - brilliant hidden and &lit clue, which I only got once all the checking letters were in place. “Entrants” just about does the job of indicating the hidden elements though so it was a tough word to spot. |
| 5 | MESODERM - the wordplay is ODE inside something indicating “writer’s wife” reversed. If MESODERM is right then that something is MRSEM which could be MRS EM but I am at a loss as to who this might be. E.M.Forster perhaps, the famously gay and unmarried novelist? I’m a bit puzzled about the definition too - “cells maturing”. In both of the dictionaries I have to hand right now (Concise OED and Chambers online), MESODERM is basically defined as a middle layer of cells so I don’t see where “maturing” fits in. |
| 9 | (OF TZAR SO)* - SFORZATO. “Stressful command” is a nicely misleading definition. |
| 10 | COMING - the (6?) at the beginning of the clue must be a reference to 6D, to which the answer is SECOND. The rest of the clue is “on the way here, what’s projected time for entry?” I can see how the first part of that might define COMING but not the rest. |
| 13 | BLANK PAGE - the “….” in the clue indicates BLANK. |
| 15/22 | FIFTH COLUMN - the first thematic clue, but not the FIRST, if you see what I mean. The Concise OED defines it as “a group within a country at war who are working for its enemies” so I’m not really convinced that “sympathetic group” is an adequate definition. The rest of the clue - “seen more than half-way across this page” - is (I think) a reference to the column in the grid where 5D appears. |
| 18/7 | (HEROISM DIDNT IN)* - THIRD DIMENSION. |
| 20 | A,T,(I DARENT)* - I thought “cross” would indicate X rather than T. |
| 23 | A (OLD)*, MORO(n) - ALDO MORO was the Italian PM who was kidnapped and then killed by the Red Brigade. |
| 24/29 | FOURTH ESTATE - I only got this because of the “press” definition and the fact that I knew it had to be FOURTH something. Don’t understand the rest of the clue. |
| 26 | hidden in “sarcasM I LIE Uneasily” - not the easiest word to hide but I liked how it was done here. |
| 27 | IN IT in A BIO - excellent misleading clue. |
| Down | |
| 3/2 | FIRST REFUSAL - I liked the device used in this clue with three “no’s” and the first one emphasised. |
| 5 | (NOTTINGHAM OSLO A)* |
| 6/19 | SECOND HELPING - double definition and a reference to Oliver Twist. |
| 8 | (NEUTRAL)* - I’m not really convinced by “difficult to get out of” as an anagram indicator. |
| 14 | (ROMANTICS)* - Great clue. “New Romantics” was probably too hard to resist as an anagrind/fodder combo. If you don’t know what I’m on about, seek enlightenment here. I liked the definition of New Romantic I found somewhere on the internet: “a bloke who walks around wearing his sister’s make-up, pouting”. |
| 17 | HALF-LIFE - not sure about the wordplay here. Lithium (Li) and Iron (Fe) accounts for LIFE but Uranium is U. Maybe I’m reading this wrong and it’s a cryptic def clue? |
| 21 | (ATTIRED)* - another good ‘un. Misleading surface and an a great anagrind in “in a kinky way”. |
| 25 | U?I?T - don’t know about this one. |
Posted in Independent | 11 Comments »
Inquisitor 28/Schadenfreude - Changing Places
Posted by loonapick on 20th July 2007
There aren’t many things more satisfying than that moment when solvers of the Inquisitor or The Listener experience when the device the setter has used to complicate the puzzle reveals itself. A light-bulb moment which is only amplified by the relief that flows over the solver who is also a blogger.
I had completed most of this puzzle - I had solved all of the “straight” clues. I had solved most of the mapped twelve clues, but couldn’t immediately see the link between the answers and the grid entry. Clues in the title and blurb (”places” and “map”) had passed over me. Then it came - that Eureka! moment.
OMER is an anagram of ROME and LAITY an anagram of ITALY. A quick check over the other “special” clues/entries/answers and all was revealed, as the actress said to the bishop.
Overall, this wasn’t terribly difficult, and had I twigged earlier, I’d have finished the puzzle in less than na hour. As it was, I wasted at least 45 minutes trying to see the “capitals” link. Unforgiveable, really, as capital cities must be one of the most common ruses used by quiz and crossword setters over the years.
Those “mapped” answers:
ACROSS
12 ANAS (A-(<=SAN.)) (table gossip) - anagram of SANA, capital of YEMEN, entry - ENEMY
14 ORGAN-ON (principles for philosophic or scientific investigations) - anagram of RANGOON, capital of BURMA, entry - UMBRA
17 MAIL (homophone of “MALE”) - anagram of LIMA, capital of PERU, entry - PUER
20 A-N-THE-R - anagram of TEHRAN, capital of IRAN, entry - RANI
31 DIR(e)-DAM - anagram of MADRID, capital of SPAIN, entry - PAINS
39 O’-MER(lot) (an ancient measure, equivalent to app half a gallon) - anagram of ROME, capital of ITALY, entry - LAITY
42 LAND-AU - anagram of LUANDA, capital of ANGOLA, entry - ANALOG
DOWN
1 G-AIR (Scots word for a strip of land or cloth) - anagram of RIGA, capital of LATVIA, entry - EVITAL
2 (c)AROUSE - anagram of ROSEAU, capital of DOMINICA, entry - DAIMONIC
10 SAMARA (with “nice” makes an anagram of “Asian cream”) (winged tree-fruit) - anagram of ASMARA, capital of ERITREA, entry - TEARIER
13 MOLE (om le)* - anagram of LOME, capital of TOGO, entry - GO TO
22 LEA-RIGS (a girl’s e)* - anagram of ALGIERS, capital of ALGERIA, entry - REGALIA
The blurb also askes you to rearrange the third letters of the ANSWERS. In clue order, this would be AGITRENIOMLA, which is an anagram of EMIGRATIONAL. This word can be traced out in the completed grid, beginning with the sixth square down in the last column and ending with the unchecked central letter (L)
If anyone needs any explanation for any of the other “straight” entries, please ask.
Posted in Inquisitor | 2 Comments »
Guardian 24134/Brendan - musical
Posted by ilancaron on 20th July 2007
I think the theme might be music since 26 clues out of 26 are related to music. Typical fine Brendanian surfaces: sensible and consistent.
In order to understand themes, PeterB always recommends taking note of the date… OK, it’s July 20 – the only thing that occurs to me is the attempt on Hitler’s life in 1944. Don’t think that’s relevant though.
Since the surface theme was so obvious, and knowing Brendan’s slyness, I wonder whether there’s another more subtle theme.
Across
| 5 | CREDOS – scored*. Easy anagram – hard word: CREDOS is music related to the Nicene creed. |
| 6 | [s]HARPER – not a real quibble but isn’t the person playing the harp an ist? This was my last clue. |
| 9 | MODES,T – ref. MODEST Mussorgsky whose “Pictures at an Exhibition” I was forced to learn on the piano. |
| 18 | BAND=”banned”,MASTER=”original recording” |
| 21 | OBOE – initial letters: “Of Bank Of England”. Nice deceptive surface – well, not really that deceptive since the theme was glaringly obvious.. |
| 22 | RECORDER – nice double definition. |
| 23 | T(AB)LAS – AB in rev(salt). |
| 24 | SNATCH – chants* - fortunately the theme was music and not pornography. |
| 25 | PLANET – ref. Holst’s “The Planets” (who by the way was British – I would have thought N. European). |
Down
| 1 | TE(LEMAN)N – “half-score” is TEN and LEMAN is an archaic term for lover (beloved of cryptic setters). |
| 3 | C(ANTIC,L)E – from the context I’m going to deduce that ANTIC is also an archaic term for “grotesque”. |
| 4 | S(P,IN)ET |
| 5 | C,HOP,IN |
| 7 | RONDOS – hidden in “patRON, DO Special”. I think that the hidden indicator is “pieces of” and “music” is the definition and “as required by” is syntactic-candy. |
| 8 | BASS GUITARS – (a big Strauss)* - what I call an anti-&lit – i.e. the whole thing defines the opposite of the answer since I don’t think Strauss scored BASS GUITARS (e.g. I just can’t see John Entwhistle playing Strauss). |
| 14 | TEAR=”hurry” [con]DUCT[ing] – wow – defining TEAR DUCT a “passage conveying emotional response” is brilliant! |
| 16 | RAVEL,S |
| 17 | M(OZ)ART |
| 19 | DVORAK – (r, vodka)* |
| 20 | RATTLE – two meanings: ref. Sir Simon RATTLE who even I’ve heard of. |
Posted in Guardian | 5 Comments »