Putting the words to lights – crossword clues explained in plain English
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This week I gave Bard a bit more to go on, asking “What might be the theme of a crossword entitled ‘Residence’ where shading three blocks of letters shows what a particular person was famous for and completes an approximate illustration of the theme?” The response was:
The theme of a crossword entitled “Residence” where shading three blocks of letters shows what a particular person was famous for and completes an approximate illustration of the theme could be:
Famous homes of artists: Shade three blocks to reveal the person’s name and complete an approximate illustration of their home. For example, shade the blocks “MO” in “MONET’S HOUSE” to reveal the name of the artist Claude Monet and complete an approximate illustration of his home in Giverny, France.
This was followed by similar suggestions for writers (the example being Hemingway), musicians (Beethoven), scientists (Einstein), and historical figures (Lincoln). Based on these examples, Bard doesn’t seem to know any famous Britons, but I wonder how well he (I asked, and Bard told me “I do not have a gender preference. You can refer to me as he, she, they, or any other pronoun that feels comfortable to you.“) has done this time around.
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The Ace of Hearts has been producing crosswords for the Magpie, Listener, EV and Inquisitor series since 2015.… Continue reading
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Hoping to make my task a little easier, I asked Bard “What is the theme of a crossword puzzle called Footsteps likely to be?” The response was:
To narrow down the possible themes, it would be helpful to see the crossword puzzle itself. However, based on the name of the puzzle, the theme is likely to be something related to movement, travel, or exploration. Here are some examples of theme answers for a crossword puzzle called “Footsteps”:
We shall find out later how helpful this proved to be.
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For anyone who struggled with the rather astonishing and spectacular Shark compilation in September’s Magpie, the name will produce anticipations of ‘shark-infested waters’ – no gentle paddling here.… Continue reading
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Solvers who have previously encountered Chalicea will know that they can expect a fair and entertaining – but not too tough – challenge, and an endgame which will leave no room for doubt that it has been successfully negotiated.
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Kcit needs no introduction for EV solvers. Dave Hennings’ crossword database tells us that he has been setting them since 1993.… Continue reading
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This is my first encounter with Gaston, whom I initially thought might be so named because of a resemblance to the character in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, one of the ’13 Reflections of Evil’. Slightly disturbed by that idea, I preferred to believe that the pseudonym might reflect a happy association with La Belle France, or a particular affection for Gigi (ah yes, I remember it well).
However, I learn from the Editor that Gaston has already revealed himself in the Setter’s Blog for EV 1458 – it turns out that he is not a setter, rather a cocker spaniel who (assisted by his ‘partner in crime’, Rémy) is apparently not averse to introducing a French theme to his puzzles. Let’s hope that il fait plus de bruit que de mal…
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We have a new EV setter name: welcome to Ovid. We met Ovid in a Magpie B crossword, ‘Pieces of Eight’ last year.… Continue reading
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Rudyard Kipling kept ‘six honest serving-men’, three of whom appear in the title of this puzzle – we don’t have to worry about ‘What’ or ‘Why’, and ‘How’ is by solving it.