Comments on: Independent 6718 by Scorpion

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:07:20 +0000

I agree with other PB - not really a comp anag.

I’m seeing it as ‘answer* plus e gives armistice’ - the ‘close to police’ is at the end of the referred word.

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:15:46 +0000

SCIMITAR - I don’t think it’s quite a comp. anag, as one of the elements is only one letter long - not many choices of anagram there! And ‘indirect’ normally means that you get a synonym for the anag. fodder - in this case the indirect version would be something like

Weapon that’s moved close to police for peace (8)

with the solver required to convert peace to armistice before taking off the e and jumbling (which would be really vile of course).

By: Mick H

Mick H — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Tough indeed, but tasty as a PIKELET, which is another name for you might know as a drop(ped?) scone or griddle cake.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:56:08 +0000

SCIMITAR: isn’t this a comp. anag., so beloved of Azed? (scimitar)*+e = armistice? Not sure, since it’s an indirect anag., but perhaps that’s OK in comp. anags, which one so seldom sees in broadsheet cryptics that I wonder.

By: Testy

Testy — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:32:29 +0000

I would read it as a kind of reverse anagram. The answer (SCIMITAR) is something that if it was “moved” (i.e. anagrammed) with “close to police” (E) it would give “armistice”

By: Al Streatfield

Al Streatfield — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:25:14 +0000

Thanks! It begins to make more sense on reflection, but still looks a bit indirect. In other words, it doesn’t look as if you are being told exactly what is to be anagrammed. Surely “for armistice” implies that the answer is a word meaning “armistice”.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:49:41 +0000

Weapon that’s moved close to police for armistice (8)

By: Al Streatfield

Al Streatfield — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:31:44 +0000

V. difficult. I did manage to finish it without help, but it took well over an hour. Some very good clues, and some, along with other people, I didn’t understand. I can’t remember the exact clue to SCIMITAR but it took me ages to realise that it was an anagram of ARMISTICE minus E, and was convinced this was the compiler’s fault rather than mine. Anyone remember what the clue was?

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:13:58 +0000

This was as difficult as the Indy gets, but very satisfying to solve (though I’d not have time for it every day). Like others, I did not get PIKELET which was tough with just the three vowels as crossing letters and a meaning new to me (it’s in Collins).

While I’m not an expert on grids, I think this was made harder by being almost four separate puzzles, linked only by the two words in the central row and column.

Some very inventive, rigorous clueing which I ssociate with Scorpion who, in terms of solving time taken, is the hardest Indy setter for me.

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:11:26 +0000

Also found this very tough - 6, 1, 18 and 19 in that order took 10-15 mins. Small correction at 9A: you need old = O between sLeEp and MINOR.
19’s “Vacation in Tenby” and 3’s “National’s leading” for N (or “leading colt” for C, though I really hope not) were just the wrong side of the line, I thought. Ditto the factual detail behind 13. 15’s wordplay eluded me but I think it’s OK. Hadn’t noticed before that there’s an ALTO* lurking in Meatloaf!