Comments on: Independent 6889/Scorpion

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:07:23 +0000

I think it’s another area in which setters find themselves under creative restriction. And you know what that means …

By: Al Streatfield

Al Streatfield — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:48:13 +0000

“Pouring out”. I agree with the objections to this as a homophone indicator.

Although as has been pointed out, it can mean “recount volubly”, in my opinion, taking this meaning doesn’t work for homophone indicators.

Would anyone accept “snapped”, “retorted” etc. as a homophone indicator?

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:23:07 +0000

Re Eileen’s comment at 14 re ‘restored’, if two crossword editors accept it, it can’t be too bad.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:19:06 +0000

I have to disagree about the likes of ‘detailed’. In order for it to work in word play, for it to say what it means, it requires the solver to construct a word that does not exist. Yes, the de- suffix is known and has as one of its meaning ‘remove’, but in English, as it is normally used, such a neologism would almost certainly be written de-tailed to distinguish it from the commonly used detailed. I have no problems, in crossword clues at least, in seeing words (ab)used in this way. It is an indirection I accept in order to allow clues to be enjoyable. It is also an indirection that does not make the clue unfair. I feel that the same applies to restoration. Yes, it does not literally mean written backwards but the level of indirection is fair and acceptable. I’ll shut up now.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:43:32 +0000

I found this to be a difficult, but enjoyable, puzzle, and was somewhat astonished to be able to complete it without using any reference books (although it took me a long time to do so). Many thanks, Scorpion, for giving us such a good challenge.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:33:49 +0000

I can see Testy’s point about what is and isn’t ‘too indirect’ though, especially with regard to reversal indicators – for they are few on the ground, and setters (if they’re as bored as I am with the usual across- and down-specific suspects) are grasping for whatever they can.

As remarked, de-tailed (and dis-tressed) or even stuff like ‘deiparous’ (expect to find a god of some sort or another inside your containing word) do not seem to me to break Afrit’s Injunction (if you like, or are somehow goaded by crosswording rules) because, however thick the disguise, they say what they mean. But where we are at one remove, with the possible exception of anagrinds (shurely a speshial case), the situation can become much more tricky.

All the same, I enjoyed Scorpion’s puzzle. He is, and has a reputation for being very tough, but he’s also brilliantly inventive.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:14:18 +0000

More importantly I’m glad that when I get drunk all my body parts remain in their usual places, usually

By: Testy

Testy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:09:34 +0000

I’m just glad you lot aren’t doing restoration work on my house otherwise the living room might end up facing north rather than south or the bedroom might end up in the basement;)

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:45:46 +0000

Interestingly, Scorpion’s alter ego Aardvark uses ‘restore’ as a reversal indicator in today’s FT puzzle.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:11:57 +0000

I agree with Geoff here. If detailed etc isn’t good enough then how about drunk as an anagram indicator. It has no literal meaning that suggests jumbling, it figuratively means something like, ‘all over the place’. There are many more examples of indicators that are not literal.