Comments on: DT 26158 http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/ Putting the words to lights - crossword clues explained in plain English Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:33:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Derek http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13385 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:34:42 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13385 Finished the puzzle this afternoon as am a day late – shall do today’s tonight! Not a difficult one this time. I liked all four of the 13 letter borders also 11a & 18a. For 26a, I presume that tall was the opposite of little by little? The cheese of 2d is becoming like Ur of the Chaldeaens!. 4d was a laugh.

]]> By: Jezza http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13341 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:05:38 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13341 The tongue in cheek comments made my gnomethang, and myself, refer to the regularity and repetitiveness with which some clues and answers appear in cryptic crosswords. When I was at school over 30 years ago, everybody knew the joke, “what cheese is made backwards?” I regularly see variations of this, and conifer (as an anagram of fir cone), and others, appearing in daily newspaper puzzles. Irrespective of one’s solving ability, from time to time I’m sure we all recall seeing the same clue reappear a few days later, under a slightly different guise.

]]> By: petebiddlecombe http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13340 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:53:00 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13340 In 22A, I’d go further than “unnecessary”. In the cryptic reading, “are” is just plain wrong. There’s a well-known example of the same thing in Ximenes’s book (p. 50) – “I am in the plot, that’s clear (5)” as a clue for PLAIN. X points out that we really mean “I is in the plot”. Likewise, in this clue, Rufus really means “The Spanish is after”. X also provides examples of how to get round the problem. “The Spanish must be after …” does the trick, for example. Leaving out “are” works too, but produces a clue with newspaper headline grammar.

]]> By: mary http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13339 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:30:48 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13339 Yes gnomethang, I agree with your point of view too, whoever said that only one point of view is right :)

]]> By: Will http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13338 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:04:04 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13338 I liked the range of clues and I liked the way words like oppose forced one to think through various meanings.
Using oppose as it is seems to me perfectly legitimate; it is not always used with the sense of competing or taking a contrary position – as is the case with, say, opposite.

]]> By: gnomethang http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13335 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:44:18 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13335 Kram/Fi/Mary – It is a very valid point that you all make.
It’s probably just that familiarity breed contempt! As you have noted, after a certain length of time behind the ‘thinking stick’ it just gets a bit dull . However, as anax noted when I asked in this blog a few weeks ago, there are some words which crop up simply because they are hanging around at the end of the grid and require a definition.

]]> By: mary http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13334 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:35:42 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13334 Very well said Kram, as you say 6 months ago i was really struggling with clues like those now i see one and i think Ah yes i can do that and its a great feeling :)

]]> By: mary http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13333 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:33:18 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13333 well there you go Newbie, I had lots of help from the anagram solver so you see, if i hadn’t i would have used the blog too :)

]]> By: mary http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13332 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:31:19 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13332 thanks Vince

]]> By: NathanJ http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13331 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:14:35 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13331 Hi all

Thanks to Rishi for the review and also to Rufus for his puzzle.

A nice start to the week. I got through this in good time except for 31a. I needed Rishi’s hint to solve that one.

It was nice to hear from Rufus who is a crossword setting legend. 47 years of compiling – that is remarkable. In three years time we should send him 50th anniversary best wishes through this blog.

]]> By: marian and Joanne http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13330 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:05:23 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13330 Worked hard at today’s crossword, but we completed it in the end. Loved 8d, 16d and 31a…

]]> By: Fi http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13329 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:23:39 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13329 Well said Kram – 3d was one of the few clues I got today without help. It’s clue’s like this which keep this novice encouraged.

]]> By: Caravaggio http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13328 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:15:12 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13328 As I mentioned last week, I rarely have time to attempt the Monday puzzle but I’ve done it again today without any difficulty but I’m not posting a comment to gloat. 18a is one of the cleverest clues I’ve come across in recent months and how the compiler resisted the temptation to use the words ‘run out’ to indicate the last two letters has left me bemused…

]]> By: Libellule http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13324 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:15:56 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13324 Rufus,
Ahh Phil McN’s fault then :-)

]]> By: shrike1313 http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13323 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:03:52 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13323 I actually quite liked 1 across – it reminded me of Eric Morecambe in “The Magnificent Two”.

]]> By: Little Dave http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13322 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:47:28 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13322 A nice start to the week – 1a is a new one for me. I liked 9d. Enjoyable time with a cup of cha. (10a is becoming a regular).

]]> By: Kram http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13321 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:44:44 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13321 Hi GNOMETHANG and JEZZA, whilst your comments regarding the banning of such answers as EDAM and CONIFER in DT cryptic crosswords could be lauded within the Toughie ranks.Surely part of the reason for this sites popularity is that it encourages novices into the world of solving cryptic crosswords. I am sure that when you started solving crosswords Gnomethang, 20 plus years ago, that you would have patted yourself on the back in solving such a mouthwatering easy clue as todays 3d!. People in the CC etc. need such fodder for encouragement, and I for one want the pupose of this site to continue with the explanation of the reasoning behind such more’ish CC clues and others!.

]]> By: Michael http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13320 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:22:28 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13320 I liked 14a, 8d, 15d and 16d. I also liked 10a when we had it last week!
I did not like 29a (shouldn’t it be carriage rather than coach?), 19a (where’s the crypticism?), 22d (I thought snip meant bargain) or 5d (misuse of English IMHO)

]]> By: Rufus http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13319 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:08:16 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13319 Thanks for the comments – after 47 years of setting I can see I still need to try harder!
Notes: OPPOSE. In the “big red book” (if that described Chambers) the first meaning is given as “place in front of”.
OVERACT. The crossword editor informed me that a similar clue was being used shortly beforehand and I supplied him with a different one – which tried to mislead by using cricket terms – but although I understood it would be used, my original one appeared, and it was very similar. However I shall be able to use my new one in the future!

]]> By: Newbie http://bigdave44.com/2010/02/08/dt-26158/#comment-13318 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:49:56 +0000 http://bigdave44.com/?p=9266#comment-13318 Oh, very good, Mary. Most impressed. I wouldn’t be able to get nearly as far as I did today without the blog, although I did manage without the anagram solver.

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