Comments on: Guardian 23,938/Arachne – Caught in a web

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David Forbes — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 11:59:57 +0000

11A – Atalanta, Atlanta + A. She’s a mythical Greek runner apparently.

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Dennis MacKinnon — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:41:12 +0000

RONIN is quite a famous Frankenheimer film about a bunch of mercenaries/robbers/cia/ira types, starring DeNiro, Reno, McElhone et al, built around the theme of wandering samurai (presumably equalling the apparently leaderless group of toughies).

I didn’t like this puzzle very much at all to be absolutely honest (possibly something to do with the fact that we are being spoilt pretty much every day of the week in The Indy), but on the basis of the popularity of the film alone I wouldn’t penalise this particular reference.

The Guardian, more than ever before, needs new blood.

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ilanc — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:56:41 +0000

TAIPAN is also a fairly well-known novel by James Clavell — he of Shogun and King Rat fame.

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BenIngton — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:36:26 +0000

Glad 3 dn is explained – came up with TAIWAN as only thing that would fit but only TAIPAN I knew of was the venomous snake.

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petebiddlecombe — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:41:01 +0000

Rowan & Martin: Brits of the right age would know about them. Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in was on British TV in about 1970 – must have been after my bedtime, as none of the stuff about them on Wikipedia rings any bells – except the catchphrase “Easy for you to say!” – Morecambe used “That’s easy for you to say!” for exactly the same purpose. No idea who used it first. Vaguely remembered Dick as a name but not which one it belonged to – Dan R and Dick M apparently. “Little Ern with his short fat hairy legs” was the sort of mocking description used by Morecambe, and “More tea, Ern?” was a fairly regular gag (pun on “tea urn”).

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petebiddlecombe — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:02:06 +0000

Sorry, should have checked more of the puzzle – I thought you meant MARATHON was the answer!

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ilancaron — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:20:47 +0000

but didn’t get: Macheath, Carman, larrikin…

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ilancaron — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:13:05 +0000

now for the American perspective: i’m patting myself on my American back (Pilates has helped me after all it seems) on getting 4D: NORTH+ERN(ie) — somehow I knew that Eric Morecombe’s partner in comedy was Ernie Wise and I’m assuming that he was known as Ern (?). Would you Brits know about Rowen and Martin (and their first names)??

And anything north of London is northern.

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loonapick — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:08:36 +0000

20dn – a lambert is a unit of luminance or brightness

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loonapick — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:06:48 +0000

3dn – According to dictionary.com, a taipan is the head or owner of a foreign busness establishment (foreign to China, that is).