Comment – Apr-Aug 2009 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Comment – Apr-Aug 2009

by Big Dave  

Archived Comments – Apr-Aug 2009

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27 comments on “Comment – Apr-Aug 2009”

  1. I would like to know how the top scorers on the leaderboard are repeatedly able to get the timed bonus for archival puzzles. If I go just a few seconds past the 45 minutes I lose the 400 bonus points in the cryptic puzzle.

  2. Hi.

    Firstly I have to say this site is a huge relief and I’ve been lurking for several months now. The Daily Telegraph cryptic crossword is published in the paper here in Wellington, New Zealand and I am great fan. Aside from the normal problems with doing cryptics crosswords I struggle with huge array of information taken for granted by those in the UK that is lost on me down here. I’m constantly caught out by clues that require knowing the name of your monosyllabic rivers and fish and references to places where the answer is a compass reference. Hence this site is great to improve my knowledge of such arcane things.

    As we are about six weeks behind I have not left any comments before and I can’t work out how to make a comment specifically on 25948 which is where we are up to. I just wanted to say that after years of complaining about clues referring to British birds I finally get a clue with reference to a NZ native bird (the kakapo) and the answer is an archaic term that I’ve never heard used for it. I had to look it up on the internet as the answer was not in either of my NZ dictionaries. Oh the irony.

    One suggestion I did want to make is that your habit of posting the answers to the Saturday crosswords twice makes sense for you, but is frustrating for me as they appear on a Tuesday here and the second post show up on a different page of your archive. I can find it, but I do wonder if you can’t somehow put the two posts together?

    1. Iain

      Welcome to the blog.

      Comments are left open for ten days to cut down on the amount of spam. I will consider extending this period. Ironically,I have to keep changing the date of this comment page in order to keep it open!

      With regard to the two posts for Saturday, the Review post is not published until after the closing date for competition entries, which is the following Thursday. To find a particular puzzle, just key the puzzle number into the search widget in the sidebar.

      1. Thanks. I think 6 weeks old comments are even less use than three day old newspapers are for fish and chip wrappings, so don’t change the expiry date on my account.

        I land on your site using http://bigdave44.com/category/dt-cryptic-crosswords/page/3/ as this takes me close to where we are in sequence relative to where you are. I didn’t realise there was a search box as it is so far off the bottom of my screen I’ve never scrolled down that far. I may try that in the future.

        On the suggestions front, a list in “the mine” of UK rivers and fish, especially the ones with short names that show up as part of longer words would be really helpful. Wikipedia is a great help but I imagine that rivers and fish crop up more often in crosswords than others.
        Iain

        1. I have started a list of rivers, but the problem, as ever, is where to stop.

          I have extended the open period for comments to 50 days, and will monitor the amount of spam. As of today there are 2160 comments on the blog, and 474 spam comments have been deleted. If the ratio stays the same, then I will leave it at 50 days.

  3. Enjoyed this but at 23a we needed your explanation re ‘guild’ for us to see how it fitted.

  4. Hi there! Just to tell you that we down here in sunny South Africa really enjoy your crossword blog! We are four weeks behind you so cannot post our comments in time but anyway …

  6. any help today?
    I am stuck on 9a, 4d, 20d
    I know i will probably kick myself when I get the answers!! frustrated…Mary

    1. re.
      9a – there are two types of investors – Bulls and Bears.
      4d – What would a King or a Queen sit on?
      20d – Think of a river of the underworld that caused forgetfulness to all who drank of it.

      1. thank you Libellule, you are brilliant!
        Dragonflies have particular poignat meanings for my sister in law, is there any reason for your name??
        Being extra nosey what part of France do you live in? My other sister in law lives in Callac in Brittany, we will be visiting in Sept. meanwhile my brother who is ‘training’ me to do the DT crosswords has gone on a river boat cruise to Paris, I am definitely going to miss his help this week!!
        Thank you once again

        1. Mary,
          There is no specific reason for the nom de plume, I just chose it because I like it :-)
          In terms of where I live in France, well, lets just say I live in the Touraine. Lots of nice wine around here. Not sure what’s happened to Big Dave’s hints and tips today, but I am sure they will turn up eventually.

          1. cheers Libellule, I got a reply by email somehow!!! from Dave ******….. do you think that is Big Dave??? Not sure how the reply came by my email and not on the site!!!
            grateful anyway

                1. No apology required. I thought you would have realised. Your original comment was posted before I had started the hints, so I just sent you an advance copy of the relevant clues.

  7. I’m working on the Tuesday regular cryptic number 26010 and am finding it very tough. Have spent an hour on it and have only managed to solve 19 of the 28 clues – failed to solve 9a, 11a, 14a, 17a, 22a, 4d, 5d, 6d and 18d. This represents my worst ever performance on a Tuesday puzzle. Who set this?

    I will have to wait for Tilsit’s blog to see how I was supposed to solve the ones I missed. Feeling a bit disappointed and shaken by this one. Puzzles like this make me wonder if I am making much progress at all.

  8. I’ve just managed to eke out 17a, 22a and 18d so I am down to six unsolved clues – hopefully can solve some more before Tilsit’s blog appears.

    I would like to say that I read Tilsit’s blogs on the fifteensquared website and now I am really enjoying reading his contributions here. I think he is one of the best crossword bloggers in the UK and it is great to have him as a blogger on this site.

    1. Nathan

      Today’s puzzle is by Ray T. You can identify his puzzles by looking at that day’s Quick crossword – if all the clues and most of the answers are single words then it is almost certainly one of his.

      9a Recall article in periodical (6)
      This is a synonym of to recall with an indefinite article inside. The synonym is defined by Chambers as “to reduce to nothing, to abolish” rather than “to recall”, but it does come up in the Thesaurus.

      11a Batman appears after detective’s confused (10)
      Not the Batman from Gotham City, but another name for a valet. This follows “Detective Inspector’s”, crossword shorthand for this common prefix. Confused is the definition, and is misdirecting because it is often an anagram indicator.

      Let’s hope that these two kick-start this corner for you.

    2. Nathan, it’s not often i can help out but 4d, shaven is the definition, if you are shaven you have no hair, close, meaning no air,
      a word for no air with H from hard ……you have no hair ;;; your answer i think, hope i haven’t confused u more :)

  9. Hi all

    I have been working on Donald Manley’s Friday puzzle Number 26,013 and it is a beauty. Quite challenging but very rewarding. My lunch hour has now ended and I have solved 29 out of the 32 set clues. The only ones I haven’t solved are 1a, 2d and 3d.

    I would welcome any hints on these three as I hope to complete this puzzle tonight while watching the cricket.

    I think this is one of the best Don Manley puzzles I have done – even though I didn’t quite finish it I really appreciated the clever clues Mr Manley set. I am sure Libellule will give this puzzle a deservedly favourable review.

    1. Nathan

      1a The stones are the ones found in fruit, and the singer used to partner Sonny!

      2d The contemptible person is a main character in The Wind in the Willows

      3d The sport is played with sticks used to hit a ball – just drop the C(entury)

  10. Hi Big Dave

    Thanks for your help with those three clues.

    I am pleased that Libellule and you both liked this puzzle. Certainly was Don Manley in top form.

    I am still in mourning over the cricket. But congratulations to England – they were better during the vital times in the series.

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