Comments on: Independent 6883 by Phi

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:15:49 +0000

As an Indy solver since near the start back in the 1980s, I think I can remember only one instance where a setter appeared twice in the same week (daily puzzle only referred to). By coincidence, I think it was Phi. However, I think what seemed to be two separate setters (pseudonyms ALBIPEDIUS and LUCIFER) were one and the same and they would have have appeared together in many weeks – the late Richard Whitelegg.

By: eimi

eimi — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:05:59 +0000

Re: 3

No one has appeared twice in the daily puzzle from Monday to Saturday under my editorship, although Phi could appear 3 times in the same week if he sets the Inquisitor as well as the Beelzebub.

By: Phi

Phi — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:15:17 +0000

In response to Eimi at comment No. 2

1) Nor me
2) How should I know?
3) That’s what you think!

By: Fletch

Fletch — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:18:48 +0000

Thank you. It’s something I’ve often wondered.

By: eimi

eimi — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:01:11 +0000

I inherited a team of setters, some of whom appeared weekly, and I was happy to continue this as they are consistently good, although Virgilius has since opted to go fortnightly. I also inherited some other setters and have introduced twelve new ones and have to juggle their appearances among the weekly ones.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:45:24 +0000

Is there any particular reason why some setters, e.g. Phi and Dac, have a weekly slot and others appear less frequently?

By: eimi

eimi — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:10:18 +0000

1) Not as far as I know; 2) That would be telling; 3) No one appears twice in the same week.

By: Testy

Testy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:28:44 +0000

I had three (minor) quibbles with this:

24A for the cryptic reading to be grammatically correct this would need to say “are gutted” to indicate that they are both separately gutted to give ES and PY. If the two words were treated as a single entity then gutting it would just give EY

19D if TRUSTY were “timeless” it would be RUSY: “timeless initially” might have been fairer.

14D I wasn’t keen on the whisky anagrind but I can see where it’s coming from.

Otherwise typically good from Phi.

BTW, does today have some special Sci-Fi relevance? Or is something afoot for tomorrow? Or does Phi have the Saturday slot and Eimi doesn’t want to give him two days running?