Comments on: Guardian 24217: Brummie — Aspiring (expiring) divas, take note

By: Testy

Testy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 11:45:47 +0000

As Ciaran pointed out in the first comment, this is surely a cryptic definition just referring to the iconic scene in the film not the entire plot. The scene is the one where Gene Kelly dances (and sings) in the rain before being moved on by a policeman. The misleading surface is obviously intended to make you think it is talking of a much raunchier kind of movie.

I didn’t see the clue itself so if it did mention “musical” then that might indeed make the supposed cryptic reading more obvious than the intended surface reading. IMAO “Film with tempestuous shower scene ended by a cop” would have been sufficiently misleading and a perfectly good clue without having to include the word musical.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:34:05 +0000

12ac: Thanks, jetdoc – I was stuck on “look” as a verb. As a noun “look” = AIR makes perfect sense.

6dn: Although the correct solution came to me almost immediately, I didn’t insert it until later, not realising at the time that the first word in the film’s title is SINGIN’ and not SINGING. The other possible red herring is that “tempestuous shower scene” might be construed as a pointer to (SHOWERSCENE)*. But almost none of the connecting letters are consistent wlth this, so it doesn’t work as a serious misdirection. Strange allusive clue – very un-Ximenean!

By: jetdoc

jetdoc — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:42:14 +0000

Re 12ac: one of the definitions of ‘air’ in Chambers is: ‘bearing, outward appearance, manner, look’. Re 6d: I assumed that the apparent references to Psycho were a deliberate red herring. I am not familiar with the plot of Singin’in the rain, and Wikipedia’s summary doesn’t mention anything that relates to the clue, but the answer was obvious from the checking letters so I didn’t check it out any further. Maybe there is a ‘fiendishly clever &lit’, but I didn’t spot it either; I suspect that this isn’t really a cryptic clue as we understand it.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:02:05 +0000

My comments crossed with those of bensand.

I’m also a bit puzzled by the clue to 6d. “Film with tempestuous shower scene ended by a cop” might decoy the solver into thinking along the lines of “Psycho”, but Brummie apparently spoils this misleading surface by inserting “musical”. I’ve been trying to find evidence of a fiendishly clever &lit in here, but without any success so far.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:45:31 +0000

8dn is READING MATTER

I put LAIRD for 12ac – “into line dancing at first” is presumably L…D (intitial letters), but that leaves look = AIR, which seems a bit abstruse. Any better ideas?

By: bensand

bensand — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:39:07 +0000

12a is Laird. “air” for “look” in initial letters of line dancing.

8d is the town of Reading plus matter for “assume importance” to give reading matter.

I’m still hoping that there’s more to 6d than a description of the plot? Anyone got anything else to offer?

By: Fred Dowson

Fred Dowson — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:49:13 +0000

Sorry, that should have read “didn’t mention the two I didn’t get”
Sorry,
Fred the even more bewildered.

By: Fred Dowson

Fred Dowson — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:47:42 +0000

AAgghh! You have mentioned all the ones I got, and mentioned the two I didn’t get!
8dn and 12a. Is 12a “Laird” and if it is, why?
Fred the bewildered.

By: jetdoc

jetdoc — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:28:55 +0000

18d: Not sure why you’re talking about ‘earring’. Surely the definition is ‘medicine introduced to the listener’ – giving eardrop?

Yes, I did get that when I solved it — another consequence of having to finish a blog too quickly! Blame the people who turned up 2 hours earlier than expected to do some work on my house…

By: David

David — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 18:20:00 +0000

18d: Not sure why you’re talking about ‘earring’. Surely the definition is ‘medicine introduced to the listener’ – giving eardrop?