Comments on: Guardian 24,542 – Rufus

By: muck

muck — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:26:30 +0000

Thanks Geoff for news of the repeat. I did check whether it is possible to record from iPlayer and it seems not, legally or practically

By: Geoff Moss

Geoff Moss — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:55:23 +0000

Muck
“Unfortunately, I didn’t record the programme. Is it possible to do this from iPlayer?”

I don’t know but I doubt it. However, the programme is being repeated on BBC4 next Sunday (16/11) at 2130, which is just as well because we had a two hour power cut yesterday evening which began five minutes before the programme was due to start

By: Bogeyman

Bogeyman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:20:45 +0000

Just watched the crossword programme on iplayer – what a delight! Some lovely anecdotes and interviews. Thanks for the plug Rufus – I enjoyed seeing you on it and putting a face to a name that has provided so much fun on Mondays over the years. It was great to see again Araucaria’s appearance on University Challenge, although I seem to remember the Crossword Compilers being soundly thrashed by the British Librarians!

By: muck

muck — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:13:52 +0000

Further to comments by Rufus (#10), Mhl (#11) & Eileen (#12), I do have BBC4 and the crossword programme at 900pm tonight was great. I especially enjoyed seeing some of my favourite setters. Unfortunately, I didn’t record the programme. Is it possible to do this from iPlayer?

By: Jaybee

Jaybee — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:36:13 +0000

Being new to this lark it’s great to find somewhere to guide me through the puzzles. Particularly impressed that compilers get involved too! Can’t say that i finished this one, but i thought 11Ac was brilliant. I look forward to trying more.

By: John

John — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:11:43 +0000

Dear Muck: Thanks for your comment on my question. Of course I perefctly well understood “c” in “danes”, but my point, underlining yours, was that there is no satisfactory definition within the clue. I’m afraid I still don’t understand even after Rufus’ clarification. The clue doesn’t talk about holding dances, it talks about holding a number, which appears to mean a number of dances. And who are the “we”? The British nation? Sure some of us “hold dances”, but it’s hardly a national trait, either here or in Denmark.

By: Judy Bentley

Judy Bentley — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:04:18 +0000

Hear, hear to Muck’s comment.

By: muck

muck — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:57:44 +0000

Hi Rufus! It is always great when setters reply to queries on 15sqd. I always enjoy your puzzles, and you have no need to apologise.

By: Rufus

Rufus — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:45:25 +0000

Hi Muck! I don’t go to many dances nowadays but in the halcyon days of mn youth the phrase was “to hold a dance”. Perhaps the modern idiot, sorry, idiom, will use a different phrase. “So do we” was meant to continue from “The Danes hold a number” of dances, and “so do we hold a number of dances”. I could have been clearer. Sorry!

By: Al Streatfield

Al Streatfield — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:09:20 +0000

I love retsina, although for some reason it only tastes nice in Greek restaurants!

On the other hand if someone suggested how awful most grappa was, I would be forced to agree…