Comments on: Independent 6722 – Phi

By: Steve Banjo

Steve Banjo — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:08:37 +0000

Ripped through most of it pretty quickly after getting 7/3/16/11 early on. But then annoyingly ground to a shuddering halt right at the end in the SE corner, not helped by a hasty RAMPAGE at 18d without having read the clue properly (although it almost works…)

I also struggled with MARX as MARA… now I feel very silly. Odd how sometimes your brain avoids spotting a familiar word or name in favour of inventing one out of thin air!

Oh well. A nice little Friday puzzle. I liked the elegant simplicity of 19a.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 02 May 2008 13:31:48 +0000

Good to know those Man U and Chelsea fans will have something historic to look at…

By: Testy

Testy — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:35:17 +0000

13A has both S’s removed from the anagram fodder (“lacking ANY hint of scruples”)

I found this one nice and straightforward. I was helped by getting the first R in the first MIRROR very early on (from OVERTURE) and guessed the long answer from the word “reflective” and the enumeration. It made the rest easy and allowed me to forgive the <50% checking in several answers that normally bugs me. I guess the low checking was as a result of the mirrored grid which, I have to admit, had me squinting at it initially trying to spot any space-invaders again but I twigged once I got the long one.

Re: “Mirror, mirror…” in the original German version “wall” and “land” rhyme (“wand” and “land”) but in English translations it was a judgement call as to how to get it to rhyme and so some versions have the mirror in the hand and ask who’s the fairest in the land and others its “wall” and “all” (and in some they just don’t bother keeping the rhyme at all). (This is what comes of having a Snow White obsessed daughter!!)

By: Michod

Michod — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:09:03 +0000

But not that many people march by his figure any more!
Bless the mall, very nice.

By: eimi

eimi — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:03:05 +0000

Marx is still in Moscow, in statuary form at least. I think the long answer is reflected in the unusual grid, which uses mirrored left-right symmetry rather than the more common form used in crossword grids.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:43:19 +0000

Got MARX in the end too – but I thought they’d abandoned communism, and he ain’t Russian either…

Good puzzle as always from Phi – a bit frightened when I saw the long phrase, but it was reassuringly familiar, and nicely and helpfully clued esp with no massive or even partial anagram.

By: John H

John H — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:07:51 +0000

Mar for March + X for by = multiplying = MARX