Comments on: Guardian 24,173/Pasquale – Tuesday toughie

By: Al Streatfield

Al Streatfield — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:47:14 +0000

The Guardian doesn’t seem to understand that daily puzzles are, more often than not, solved on the train, bus, in the pub etc. where solvers don’t have access to reference books.

The obvious solution to satisfying compilers’ and solvers’ fascination with the arcane, unknown and difficult would be to introduce, as the other “heavies” (for want of a better word) have, a barred weekend puzzle…

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 10:23:42 +0000

“Some very unusual words and difficult wordplay” – almost word for word, Pasquale’s comment about someone’s recent Bank Holiday puzzle.

(Just thought I’d get that one in.)

By: Stan

Stan — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 09:23:44 +0000

Yeah – I got hung-up on the wrong sort of “soil”

By: beermagnet

beermagnet — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 04:26:33 +0000

Stan, I reckon that 14A is SPIT.
“Hole” = Pit; (produced by) “spades” = S; and a SPIT is the depth of ground dug, effectively the length of the spade’s head, thus “amount of soil shifted”.

I thought 12D was also a nice homophone “Baker’s treat” for “An extra No 13 heard?”.

By: Stan

Stan — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:39:19 +0000

Nice one Fletch – I’ll have to look out for that construction.

Also, I got S-POT for 14a, am I definitely wrong ?

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:29:22 +0000

Unknown to be impressive is an instruction to substitute one for t’other.

By: Stan

Stan — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 21:54:52 +0000

12d Baker’s Dozen and the London 13 bus goes down Baker Street (I’m a Northerner : had to look it up)

Had the same vague idea about 3d – unknown is the “Y” missing from GREY, but couldn’t quite make the wordplay happen