Comments on: Guardian 24,588/Rufus

By: Paul B

Paul B — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:27:53 +0000

Smutch! Re yr 31, nor do I. I went below the waterline for my quib.

By: steven164

steven164 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:09:04 +0000

Fair enough,Rufus might have met Bunter in the “Magnet”but I’ve never heard of the”magnet”,and without the red herrings of Rufuses past I’d have got “magnet”not that I’m tart!

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:37:32 +0000

Don, mate, it is only a a c in disc here. The stats page indicates there are US users of this site. They presumably use the online version of the crossword. So I was just feeling sorry for them. But that has more to do with the season of goodwill, any other time I’d tell them to learn to spell.

Rufus, don’t feel bad, nit picking is half the fun. Yours are the only ones I dig out of the archive!

By: smutchin

smutchin — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:51:29 +0000

Rufus, many thanks for the explanations/clarifications and no apologies needed – or perhaps it’s the Times crossword editor who should be apologising to you? As for 12a, the “ambiguity” seems to be entirely of my own devising – everyone else got the correct answer, after all.

Paul B, I’m usually the first to complain about nonsensical surface readings but I see no cause for complaint in 1a.

Phaedrus, surely you know that crossword enthusiasts take having fun very seriously indeed? (When I worked on a daily newspaper, I soon learned that nothing provokes readers to write in and complain so much as a mistake in the crossword.)

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:47:55 +0000

Rufus: a delayed response, as I’ve been out. As you see, the only reason I commented on 25ac was that it was so unlike you – and you were right in the first place, so no apologies needed – the Editor should have known better!

Thank you for the puzzle and the explanation – and Happy New Year!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:08:29 +0000

Rufus, thanks for your explanations, and Happy New Year to you.

By: don

don — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:51:25 +0000

Paul B, Is ‘Ego vado’ the answer to Brian’s 18 Across or Eileen’s 25 Across? I didn’t get either of those.

By: TwoPies

TwoPies — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:44:54 +0000

Wow, what a website! We all quibble about an answer then the setter himself comes on and explains it. Fantastic!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:20:10 +0000

Or the odd redundant word. After all, there is a recession on.

By: Phaedrus

Phaedrus — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:09:55 +0000

What’s the odd imprecise tense amongst friends. Enjoyed this puzzle a lot – nice one Rufus!