Enigmatic Variations 1691 (Hints)
Column 1 by Shark
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Shark is familiar to me as being at the harder end of the spectrum – he’s a frequent contributor to the Usual Cryptic Suspects. The title probably meant that something thematic was going to show up there and might be of some help while solving. Though I’ll admit I usually only manage to decode titles ex post facto. I didn’t bother consulting my Gemini advisor since I couldn’t imagine even him/her having anything useful to contribute given that particular title. Also, I didn’t wonder (though I should have!) whether Easter Sunday might be thematically relevant.
Continue reading “EV 1691 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1689 (Hints)
Good Buddies by The Ace of Hearts
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
If nothing else, I’m loyal to Gemini (I’ll admit to being somewhat biased, so I don’t flirt with ChatGPT and Claude). I asked him/her: “In an advanced thematic crossword, we are asked to find the real names of two GOOD BUDDIES that have ‘better-known aliases’. What do you make of this?”.
He/she coughed up “Batman and Robin” (yes, they have real names and aliases indeed) and “Holmes and Watson” (real names but no obvious aliases). And I was finally advised to: “crucially, understand the theme of the crossword”. Oh, OK. Will do. Not helpful.
Continue reading “EV 1689 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1687 (Hints)
I Am What I Am by Artix
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Inspired by the title my first thoughts led me to Dr Seuss. I wasted a bit of time rereading “Green Eggs and Ham”. Jigsaw puzzles are somewhat daunting at first since a lot of cold solving invariably lies ahead. Also, we immediately realised that this is a semi-carte blanche.
Continue reading “EV 1687 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1685 (Hints)
Entry by Craft
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
For me Craft is a new setter, at least of the EV series. But I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong. Perhaps it’s an alternate identity of a well-established compiler. In any event, I must say the title didn’t provide much context. The preamble does indicate parenthetically something “broken” – perhaps that’s a way in (apropos “entry”)?
I didn’t bother Gemini – who’s probably obsessing about “Majorana fermions” anyway as I was when I solved this and doesn’t have time for cryptic archaeology. Unclear whether understanding topological quantum computing would help me with ENTRY or not. To be honest, I didn’t understand it.
Continue reading “EV 1685 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1683 (Hints)
Parking Offence by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Chalicea is another prolific setter encountered in all the usual places. For instance, in the Magpie series where she invariably sets at the A-grade level. This typically indicates fewer degrees of freedom and an accessible endgame that doesn’t suffer from GWIT (“guess what I’m thinking”). This puzzle is no exception.
In true Phibs style, I told Gemini: “in a thematic crossword puzzle, we are asked to identify a parking offence and the person performing it” to which they responded laconically with:
“Offence: OVERTIME
Person: METERFEEDER (someone adding money to extend time)”.
Was that helpful? You decide.
Continue reading “EV 1683 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1681 (Hints)
Not Mentioned by Kcit
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Kcit is also Phi and is based in NZ – thus the pseudonymic inversion I assume – and a prolific setter (e.g. Listener, Inquisitor and the dailies). He tends to be very fair, rigorous and on the harder end of the spectrum. The title is tantalizing and it only made sense once I had made some sense of the theme. Actually that’s pretty typical for me. Some people though seem to be able to telepathically infer the theme from the title alone which of course accelerates the solving process. I invariably find that it’s the last piece of the jigsaw that clicks into place. In this case, I speculated that it had something to do with “unmentionables”.
Continue reading “EV 1681 (Hints)”
Enigmatic Variations 1679 (Hints)
No Introduction by Gaston
Hints and tips by Gabriel
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
I often wonder how pre-”everything is available online” generations managed to solve thematic puzzles. I suppose that the answer is that puzzle construction and puzzle decoding have co-evolved. Compilers must now assume that “full text” searching is at their solvers’ fingertips but in the past could only rely on access to hardcopy indexes. Or perhaps our ancestors were simply better educated and certainly had better actual libraries.
Continue reading “EV 1679 (Hints)”