Guardian 24,270: Puck - “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!”
Posted by stan on December 28th, 2007
linxit has reported in sick, so I’ve thrown the following last minute blog together.
I’m something of a Beckett nut, so this puzzle was a joy.
Quotation above from “Waiting from Godot”, but could be most people’s review of his work.
ACROSS
1,4 SAMUEL BECKETT - (MUSTTAKECELEB)* He left Dublin to do his best work in Paris, in French.
9 JAMES WATT - JAM = stick : E,S = ends of loosE wireS : WATT = a unit of power. “WATT” is also a Beckett novel : not part of the clue, but can’t believe it’s an accident
10 D(RYE)R
11 ULRIC - moutnfUL RICercata
12 OMELETTES - MELLEe is the brawl, and SET-TO (reversed) around it
13 NASTASE - NAS is Sanitorium abbreviated and reversed with (SEAT)*
15 SUBWAY
17 CO-RR-IE - Company, Rolls Royce, That is. Whole thing is what the unwashed call Coronation Street
19 ME-L(IS-S)A
22 Left out on purpose - hey, I had to work out the anagram, so should you
24 GOGO-L - Twice 25 is 50 = L : Gogo Dancer. Whole thing is a Russian writer
26 LOCKS - Sounds like LOX (salmon)
27 ASHAMEDLY - (HESALADY-M)*
28 YARD-AGE - American football term combining scotland YARD with AGE
29 AS(I)TI(S) - Asti being the nasti drink you get at cheap Christmas parties. THe word “IS” is half inside and half at the end. Cunning wordplay, Mr. Puck.
DOWN
1 SO(JOUR)N - “son” is French from “his” and “jour” is French for “day”
2 MIM-ER - “MIM” is Roman Numerals for 1999, E.R is the TV series
3 EASY CHAIR - as opposed to “Cheesy Air” as Spooner would have it
4 BATTERS - my favourite clue, BATTERS are the two cricketers who are “in”
5 Left out on purpose because I know you can do the anagram yourself.
6 E.G - YPTIANS - (PAYISNT)*
7 T(H)RASH
8 MALONE - Beckett character who is dying. Reference to Molly Malone
14 SPORT-SCAR
16 Another straighforward anagram to leave as an exercise for the reader
18 ENDGAME - Beckett play, Chess ending
19 MURPHY - Beckett novel, type of potato (also slang)
10 ALLE-YES - ELLA (rev)
21 MOLL-O(nl)Y
23 AT SEA - oddly means take the odd numbered letters ArTiStEwAs
24 GOD-OT - DOG (reversed) + OT for Old Testament. Godot never comes in Beckett’s play. Poor Godot …