Rookie Corner 538

19 comments on “Rookie Corner 538”

1. An enjoyable solve for us and we appreciated the pangram. Quite a few had ticks beside them but we’ll go for 4a as favourite.
   Suspect that there is a slight error in 1d where the second word of the clue should have been ‘place’ or something similar.
   Thanks Rahmat Ali for another fine puzzle.

   1. Thank you so much, 2Kiwis, for pointing that out. Definitely, place was the ideal word. However, thank you so much also for finding the puzzle an enjoyable solve.

2. Thanks for an enjoyable pangram; a pleasant end to a weekend of cruciverbalism.

   Somewhat unfortunate that in 1d the second word of the definition features in the answer.

   Smiles for 16a, 21a, 2d, and 14d.

   Thanks Rahmat Ali and thanks in advance to Prolixic.

   1. Yes, Senf, I agree that was really unfortunate, but, nevertheless, thank you so much for finding it an enjoyable solve and a pleasant end to a weekend of cruciverbalism.

3. Welcome back, Rahmat Ali.

   As always with your puzzles this was very entertaining to solve, but I was surprised to see the construction “definition makes wordplay” in 14d and I’m not sure that 4d is cryptic at all. I think 18d would be improved by changing the word order to “Money in Guatemala that’s flying” and the use of “land” in 1d, as already mentioned, was indeed unfortunate.

   Thank you very much, RA.

   1. Thank you so much, silvanus, for finding the puzzle very entertaining to solve. I agree with you that in 14d, the definition has given rise to wordplay which should have been otherwise. I note to be more cautious in future; having already sent in my next puzzle to Rookie Corner. For 4d, I will patiently wait to see what Prolixic has to say. I can feel the improvement from your point of view you made for 18d, ‘in Guatemala’ coming in between taking care of both sides, but again when it comes to underlining, you can either have ‘money’ or ‘money in Guatemala’ as the first definition. In the first case, the first definition is only ‘money’ and in the second case, the second definition is only ‘that’s flying’. While ‘money in Guatemala’ makes it too easy as a general knowledge question, again ‘Guatemala that’s flying’ can mean either as it reads or ‘money that’s flying’. But with ‘money that’s flying in Guatemala’, I mean to say money that is overflowing in Guatemala, because one finds that money everywhere in that country, and ‘that’s flying in Guatemala’ also gives a complete picture and moreover the first has come into existence because of the existence of the second. So, ‘that’s flying’ takes care of both the sides. Again, when it comes to underlining, ‘money’ alone becomes the first definition like that in your clue, ‘that’s flying in Guatemala’ becomes the second.

4. Welcome back, Rahmat. I was somewhat saddened to see that you persist in the self-discipline of making every puzzle into a pangram but I guess that’s your decision to make.
   My favourite in this one was the image conjured up by 3d.
   Thank you for your continuing contributions.

   1. Thank you so much, jane, for your kind comments. I remember you as the first person ever to make me understand upon my query on something which came up in the review of one of the MPPs around a decade ago and which I could not understand. So, it saddened me to see you saddened just because my puzzles have all along been pangrams. But I thought solvers would appreciate a pangrammatic puzzle much more because more time is spent on its compilation than otherwise. In the meanwhile, I have already sent one more puzzle. But, jane, if you could highlight any one disadvantage of solving continuous pangrams from the same setter, I will discontinue with this trend of sending pangrams as a regular affair and instead come out with puzzles that are not pangrams. But still I would not choose to abandon completely the idea and compilation of a pangram, but to bring it out at least once in a blue moon.

      1. Hi Rahmat, my point is that unless a setter is either very experienced or extremely lucky, he is left with having to utilise little known or little used words to complete the grid-fill. I think it is infinitely preferable to demonstrate a setter’s increasing abilities through clever wordplay, an interesting selection of clue-types and a lively dollop of humour.
         I do appreciate that English is not your native tongue and you are bound to find some of our use of language confusing but I do believe it’s a necessary part of your learning curve where UK crosswords are concerned.

         1. For RC 522, my first choice was RAQUEL, some of whose movies I have seen when young; second choice was ABSCISSA, mathematics being one of my favourite subjects. For RC 530, my first choice was BARMECIDE, based on the short story that I studied at the primary level; second choice being BETHLEHEM, being fascinated in childhood by the story of three wise men from the east. This time it was PLASMA TV, thinking that it must have been a thing of the past to the westerners though most of us here still have it, second to it being AESOPIAN, having read a lot of fables in my childhood. The clues for these answers did not invite criticism in its true sense. I understand that as a setter I am not very experienced, but surely these choices as really little used words in crosswords have not been used to complete the grid-fill. These were my first / second choices and the start of grid-fill. Again, my next puzzle that I have already sent will also have a clue involving a heavenly name as my first choice and not as a grid-filler. But surely, the present puzzle on which I was working last Saturday and Sunday was a real ‘grid-fill’. So, I have now decided to shelve this project of the puzzle that would have been a triple pangram. All throughout my life, I have been happy at learning. At times, it had been a great learning for me at lesser time; at times, I could learn less even after spending a lot of time. All I can say here it that I am continuing to learn the various dimensions of crossword very happily.

5. Thanks for the puzzle Rahmat Ali – a straightforward, but very pleasant solve.

   4a was my favourite, with smiles for 8a and 24a. 13a was nicely worked too.

   Aside from the previous issues identified, I’d say including the answer to 6d as part of the clue for 15d is not ideal. There are plenty of other countries that could be have been used to fit the requirements for 15d.

   Thanks again, and in advance to Prolixic.

   1. Thank you so much, duncanjwitham, for finding the puzzle a straightforward but very pleasant solve. I was pretty aware of the connection between 6d and 15d, but still let it go as I thought that since the same word is not at all mentioned in both the clues, there won’t be any criticism. Indeed, there were plenty of other countries that could be have been used to fit the requirements for 15d. I could have instead used ‘the land of Kim Jong Um, say’, the opportunity which I missed.

6. Rahmat, this pangram was a pleasure to solve and my comments echo those of Silvanus @3.

   My favourite was 4a.

   Many thanks for the fun, Rahmat, and thanks too in advance to Prolixic.

   1. Thank you so much, Rabbit Dave, for finding the pangram a pleasure to solve.

7. What a delightful puzzle, and a rather clever pangram to boot – very well done, Rahmat! Yep, Silvanus’s comments above for me, too, likewise Duncan’s remark about 6d/15d.

   I wasn’t certain why “former” appeared in 10a, and see that their discontinuation was only very recent – they’re still quite modern and current to me! The political undertones to 19a might not go down well in some quarters; at 25a I wasn’t certain the answer (a noun) equated to “wretched” (adjective) but I was delighted that all those years of me remembering that term for an oriental sailor have not been wasted!

   Unless I’ve misunderstood the parsing of 17d the junior Miliband has always been known as Ed rather than Ted, and while Ted for Edward is strictly accurate it might have been better to use an MP more widely known as Ted, such as former Prime Minister Ted Heath.

   But what a fun and enjoyable puzzle, with so many good clues – highlights for me included 4a, 9a, 13a, 24a, 3d and 22d.

   Many thanks, and in advance too to Prolixic

   1. Thank you so much, Mustafa G, for finding the puzzle delightful, fun and enjoyable, with many good clues and for your encouraging comments of a clever pangram to boot and very well done. I regarded 19a as not to be too harsh enough to not go down well in some quarters. For 17d, right is actually misleading. It is actually Right, as Rt Hon. in Right Honourable or Rt Rev. in Right Reverend, thus Miliband is Ed.

8. Many thanks for the review, Prolixic, most informative as ever.

9. Once again, a big thank you to all the solvers and finally my special thanks to Prolixic for his splendid review. At observed from his comments, I have to be more cautious in future while selecting a word as the link word for any clue. However, his comments continue to encourage me. It gave me both surprise and joy when I read one such: ‘Bonus points for providing an attainable clue for an unusual word’. While 1d did really slip out of my sight, culminating in land for land and marring the pulchritude of my compilation, I had somehow noticed 14d going the wrong way and thought of ‘The Parisienne to go naked for washerwoman’ but I did not want to repeat the preposition ‘for’ and wanted to come back to it later, but, haplessly, became unaware of it during revision. Strange though it may seem, I am now imagining 14d as a scene where somebody is expressing his or her joy at the rare sight of a washerwoman and is wondering whether the lady from Paris (known to him or her) looking for such a woman will finally decide to give the washerwoman her clothes for washing or not. Washerwoman! The Parisienne to go naked?

10. Very late to comment but we were away until 12th and we do love your puzzles, Rahmat Ali. This one was as enjoyable as past ones, loved the pangram and we look forward to your next one. Many thanks to you and to Prolixic.

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