Comments on: Independent 6317 / A warm welcome to Bannsider

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Independent 6352 / Bannsider - More Ashes! « Fifteensquared — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:04:56 +0000

[...] As far as I can see, which is not always far in such matters, no theme! If I’d read the comments on Bannsider’s debut I might have got one across more [...]

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John H — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:13:50 +0000

Wikipedia (often wrong, of course) is clearly referring to tinned spinach. And now the truth about Popeye’s strength emerges….

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eimi — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 10:46:52 +0000

They should search the plane. It’s amazing what people leave behind. They may also find Shevchenko’s footballing ability there.

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Bannsider — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 20:00:20 +0000

I knew my pseudonym would give me away. Thank you for kind comments.
You may like to know that the next Bannsider puzzle was accidentally left on a plane from Kiev today(!), so I hope I can remember the clues:-)

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conradcork — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:26:40 +0000

The only downside to spinach is that its high oxalic acid (the stuff that makes rhubarb leaves poisonous) content inhibits the absorption of the iron. You are better off using chard or Good King Henry, both of which have higher vitamin C levels too. (OK I know what nobody loves!)

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neildubya — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:16:29 +0000

According to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach, spinach is very nutritional; it’s a source of vitamins A,C and E, several antioxidants and folic acid. All good stuff. It used to be thought that it had high iron content, which is why Popeye ate it.

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nmsindy — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:09:28 +0000

One of the finest clue-writers around, as evidenced by this and his Listener in 2006 based on Samuel Beckett. This however was the first time I knew (subject to confirmation) that I was tackling him in a daily cryptic (because of the Times policy of not giving setters’ names).

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petebiddlecombe — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:01:57 +0000

Bannsider’s identity: Richard Rogan – Aragon in the Listener, and on the Times team. Richard was born in Ballymoney, which is on the River Bann. (Source: that Azed A-Z book again).

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John H — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 10:41:37 +0000

Some pedantry: only three quarters of Abba are Swedes. And I believe it’s the case that spinach has no nutritious value whatsoever, so is it a health food? (So where did Popeye REALLY get his strength from?).

However, a fantastic puzzle with brilliant cluemanship. And I know who you are, Bannsider.

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nmsindy — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 23:15:56 +0000

FEVERFEW I knew just because i’d met it in xwords before. WALLOON refers generally to Belgians in the Francophone area (which includes Liege). So the clue was v precise, though it did not specify the exact replacement letter (hardly necy). H Poirot would be a (fictional) example of a Walloon.