Comments on: FT 12497/Mudd – nourishing

By: Rufus

Rufus — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:33:08 +0000

My puzzles appear on alternate Mondays under pseudonym Dante. I hope I am learning from the Guardian blogs although I have sent off puzzles well into the autumn for both so any changes rewsulting from the blogs will take time! It’s the only way I can keep on top of the Gdn, FT and a weekly DT, plus other minor outlets. Possibly you may see improvements – or possibly not!

By: Bradman

Bradman — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:22:22 +0000

Thank you very much. I don't have any friends at all to give me feedback on my FT puzzles (though a surprising number in Oxford take the FT), so never have any idea how they are going down!

By: smiffy

smiffy — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:14:23 +0000

I found the use of "in waiting"=elect very innovative. Incidentally I suspect that the junior senator for New York might take exception to your example of "the GUY who'll be waiting to take over from Bush"! (With the Spice Girls having just re-formed, we'd better not write-off Girl Power quite yet?)

I belatedly solved yesterday's Bradman's puzzle this morning. So, if he's still checking in here, I offer my plaudits for a real humdinger of an offering - albeit, one that featured a couple of TV/radio "Britishisms".

By: ilancaron

ilancaron — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:37:45 +0000

Yeah — i hate it when I miss hidden clues — they’re so obvious thanks!

By: Testy

Testy — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:33:36 +0000

I would have liked to see a post for yesterday as I'm afraid I struggled with it.

Regarding today's Mudd - 22D is a hidden word: "claP IN CERemony"

I solved 14D with a groan (of appreciation).

However, I thought that CLIMATES seemed to require a pretty minimal amount of anagramming to get CLEMATIS.

This is also one of those dodgy FT grids again with the four corners looking fairly isolated and the four central clues linking them being less than 50% checked. As a result I struggled to get into a couple of the corners. Although the theme was admirable it unfortunately didn't assist me at all with the solving.

By: Bradman

Bradman — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:56:05 +0000

'Accidental' would mean that it was hit and miss which days were omitted, depending on the vagaries of solver availability. Your answer (for which many thanks) suggests that the omissions are 'systematic'. In answer to Ilan's question, Bradman appears cryptically once a month, usually on a Thursday or Friday.

By: neildubya

neildubya — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:40:30 +0000

I'm not sure what you mean by "merely accidental". We have 3 FT bloggers plus myself. One person can only do the Saturday prize puzzle which he blogs on a Thursday; I assign the others on a rotational basis so that each bloggers gets to do a different day each week. I don't know which setters will appear on a given day, if that's what you mean.

By: ilancaron

ilancaron — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:39:58 +0000

Bradman: does the FT have regular days? (e.g. is Thursday alway you?)

By: Bradman

Bradman — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:33:59 +0000

Pity - but I'd be interested to know whether the missing days are merely accidental

By: neildubya

neildubya — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:18:22 +0000

No. We don't have enough bloggers to cover every day of the week for the FT.