Comments on: Guardian 24012/Araucaria – this is a really hard week!

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loonapick — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 09:47:30 +0000

linxit – what a coincidence! I too used to be a Ladbrokes betting-shop manager – wonder if there’s a link between the ability to do crosswords and the ability to decipher some of the weird combinations and spellings that drunk Saturday afternoon punters used to put on their lines??

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Mike M. — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:06:47 +0000

PS great blog!

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Mike M. — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:37:32 +0000

Ahhhhhh!

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BenIngton — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:33:27 +0000

“I think there is there is no typo involved.”

I meant in the clue, not in my own erroneos sentence. I should have gone beer-drinking…

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BenIngton — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:30:09 +0000

Thoroughly enjoyed this, to the extent I’ll forgive the use of the ghastly FABBY.

Re 22d, I think there is there is no typo involved. Cryptic part is fix = RIG + altitude = HT (height), giving definition (‘no mistake’)

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linxit — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:25:08 +0000

Mike M., I think you’re right about RIGHT. I didn’t really think about it when I solved what looked like a straightforward double definition clue, not worth commenting on.

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Mike M. — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:14:20 +0000

Im rather new to this cryptic crossword business, and found this one tough but a lot of fun.

A question though… 22D is RIGHT, yes? In which case the clue looks a little off – RIGHT obviously means “without mistake”, and the cryptic bit is “fix altitude”. However, the term RIGHT (as in righting an aircraft) is usually used to mean correcting its angle (roll, heave or pitch) rather than its altitude. However, the term “attitude” incorporates roll, heave and pitch, so I wonder if this is a Grauniad typo, and the clue should have read “Fix attitude without mistake”? (Or have I got the answer completely wrong??)

Interestingly, the reference to Salisbury continues (perhaps inadvertently) the horse racing theme – the first race run at Newmarket was a contest between horses owned by Lord Salisbury and the Marquis of Buckingham. Cool.

Hope tomorrow’s is easier, my brain hurts.

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ilancaron — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:41:42 +0000

Fabulously, Chambers has FABBY!