Comments on: Inquisitor 55 SLOPING OFF by Kea

By: Hihoba

Hihoba — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:34:16 +0000

Thanks for your comments. In particular it is nice to hear from the setter, correcting some of my misconceptions. There were a few typos in my answers (a couple of R’s instead of Ps and an A, unaccountably in HAD). I had to complete the blog in a couple of hours a fortnight after completing the crossword, so some dredging of memory was required, and there were a few proofreading failures! Good unusual crossword though, and fun!

By: Kea

Kea — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:28:24 +0000

33A: You’re right; the hyphenated enumeration is something else that disappeared from the clue as I wrote it (which I hadn’t noticed).

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:15:41 +0000

I agree that “(Ernie)” in 26D was supefluous, tho’ Shadenfreude did use something similar in Inquisitor 47 to clue ELS, the golfer, as part of the wordplay.

And a small quibble: in 33A, the length indication and non-notification of the hyphenation was inconsistent with the other clues that led to entries with spaces/hyphens.

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:02:50 +0000

Thanks to the Hihoba team for stepping in to blog this. I was down for it but started too late to get anywhere close to the phrases of instructions. I clearly missed a huge PDM!

By: Kea

Kea — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:03:15 +0000

In 19A the definition is “on[E] acting up at the Tron” (probably Glasgow’s best-known theatre).

Yes, 33A should have said “SF pioneer”; I don’t know why the S disappeared.

My clue for 26D didn’t have “(Ernie)”; the wordplay was [N + isle, all reversed]. I wouldn’t clue ELS as “Ernie”.

By: Mick H

Mick H — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:04:59 +0000

I had 10 down (ACCOUTERED) as ‘M(a)ine’s equipped’, on the basis that this must be a US spelling, though I didn’t check that in Chambers.
I thought this was extremely clever, with some of the extra letters very well hidden. It was also bloody hard – I finished it eventually, but after the posting deadline. In any case, my grid was such a mess of half-crossed out letters, it wouldn’t have been much good!