Comments on: Independent 6291 / Math – You only solve once …

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nmsindy — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 18:20:12 +0000

I’ll have to admit I did not see the theme until reading this blog. So I now know why I could not understand OOMPAH and SPECTRE and made a mistake in 1 down, settling for ROOD = screening with it being D off (Edwin) Drood who, I thought might be a doctor. Was away from the Internet that day so could not check, but would still not have got it, I’d say.

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ilancaron — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:30:42 +0000

I think that in the spirit (no pun intended) of the latest (Casino Royale) the setter would respond as James did when asked if he wanted his drink shaken or stirred, “Do you think I care?”

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neildubya — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:44:32 +0000

Very nice puzzle. Although I think Math missed a trick by not having “shaken” or “stirred” as an anagram indicator.

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eimi — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:41:48 +0000

The CD ROM version of Collins (my weapon of choice) gives “Don (a Spanish title)” as the 8th definition of D.

Interesting that Peter had the same thought that I had about Mass and Math when I was checking the puzzle – that in the language of 3 Down, Math is Mass in disguise. There are many other setters with similar names, not all on the Independent panel: Dac/Doc, Monk/Punk (the latter of whom has promised some more puzzles soon), Scorpion/Scorpio.

Loosely on the subject of confused setter’s names, I received the following email on Tuesday:

“I finished Mildred before bedtime, not that difficult in my opinion, although I guess you don’t put in any old letters or colour the empty squares in pink crayon.”

No, they must be thinking of the Listener crossword.

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Miss Pedant — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:29:59 +0000

Peter’s note to 3dn – o ho ho!