Comments on: Financial Times 12,935 by Cinephile

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:47:09 +0000

Eileen
It’s no secret. When I first started to post here I used the diminutive of my forename, as everyone does apart from my late mother (when she was cross with me) and an elderly next-door neighbour. I soon found that someone else used the same name in Guardian blogs so, to avoid confusion, I changed my identity to include my surname.

When I started to blog myself the arrangements were done in rather a hurry (within 24 hours) and on being asked by what name I wanted to be known I chose one of the derivations given in Chambers, hence Gaufrid.

It would all have been a lot easier if there hadn’t been another another ‘Geoff’ posting here and I could simply have used my forename, as you do.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:19:54 +0000

Hi Gaufrid – what a relief! I’ve been on eggs – I thought I might be drummed out.

It’s not rocket science though, is it? If I can guess, I’m sure anyone can!

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:57:23 +0000

No need to apologise Eileen. You are not the first, it’s been done before, and I’m sure most people know my double identity by now.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:47:25 +0000

A thousand apologies – I got the address wrong!!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:46:07 +0000

Hi Geoff

Several times lately I’ve thought Araucaria [as I more usually tend to know him] was slipping, only to find that he was right all the time!

I was quite taken by the theme of this puzzle and thought the neatest of the related clues was 3dn, which is nice, because 3dn Day is mon anniversaire!

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:04:12 +0000

Hi Eileen
Thanks for your comment re 4d. It’s been so long since I last heard that term that I completely overlooked the possibility that ‘nine’ might be correct. My apologies to Cinephile for doubting him.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:02:20 +0000

I’ve been out most of the day, too.

I certainly remember Long Lartin because of its IRA connections.

I took 4dn as a reference to the cat o’ nine tails, which fits the penal theme.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:46:03 +0000

Hi Smiffy
I have been trying to find a reason why we should be more familiar with Long Lartin. So far as I can ascertain, its only claim to fame is that it held a number of IRA suspects back in the ’80s and more recently has been home to a number of gentlemen being held indefinitely, without charge or trial, under the terrorism laws. There are some references on the web that refer to it as the British Guantanamo Bay.

By: smiffy

smiffy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:00:01 +0000

Seems like we have a consensus of opinion on the “artistic merit” front today. Some decent touches but nothing to really get the juices flowing.

I would also question the low profile of Long Lartin; it’s was a new name to me too. And was a tad disappointed that there was no room to include the (grid-friendly) Slade!

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:51:45 +0000

Hi Octofem
I was beginning to wonder where everyone had got to today!

“I suppose it is like the estuary slang :’Innit?’”

At least ‘innit’ is in Chambers.

“And who had heard of ‘Long Lartin?’”

Former inmates perhaps? I suppose it would be more well known if there had been similar problems to those that caused Strangeways to have a name-change some years ago.