Comments on: Guardian 24632 / Gordius

By: Ian Payn

Ian Payn — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:47:56 +0000

“I thought the literal definition of 26 (ICONIC) was rather weak – got the solution quickly enough, but is “once seen never forgotten” a good def?” – Barnaby Page

++++No, it’s rubbish. Your qualms are justified, in my not-desperately-humble opinion. It’s a shame, because despite my lack of respect for Gordius there’s a lot that’s good in this puzzle, spoiled by things like this definition and the rightly derided obscurity which does indeed look like the compiler had to catch a train.

By: Barnaby Page

Barnaby Page — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:21:46 +0000

Derek, Mark – I’m glad we weren’t alone in going for THATCH. (Then I suddenly saw ANTISOCIAL and FEDORA came quickly, not to mention PRAYER BOOK, because we’d been thinking 7d was a specific revolt, and racking our brains for some kind of peasants’ revolt in the year of the Reformation…)

I thought the literal definition of 26 (ICONIC) was rather weak – got the solution quickly enough, but is “once seen never forgotten” a good def?

By: mark

mark — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:05:54 +0000

Didn’t enjoy. Overly complicated in places but also some weak clues and obscure answers.
I too put Thatch for 5A and that was one of the only answers I had for ages. So now I know that a hat is a cover…hmmmph.
17A is terrible – didn’t write that in because “there must be something better”!
15A – what does the “find” do?
Is Gordius always like this? If so that’s 90p saved every so often.

By: stiofain_x

stiofain_x — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:24:27 +0000

I agree John, Chambers word wizard gives SAKIEH as the only word that fits the crossing letters indicating something bunged in at the end.
Too many ill-defined obscurities and weak clues for my liking. I suppose good clues for 3 letter word answers are hard to come up with but VIC was terrible. I did like the Beryl Cook clue though I thought a 3 letter word instead of late would have gave a nice bit of anagram misdirection.
Stiofain

By: Roger Murray

Roger Murray — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:36:45 +0000

I was really tripped up by putting in Thatch for 5a, couldn’t really justify it but there was that question mark! Had to cheat on a couple here, and I do mean cheat, by using Chambers online Wordwizard. A week of solving every puzzle without cheating still eludes me,still it is something to aim for I suppose.

By: John

John — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:34:08 +0000

Too many obscurities for me. “Sakiel” is lazy compiling in my view, finding something/anything that fits the last solution, however obscure, rather than trying to find a completely different and solvable corner. Pity because most of it was VG.

By: Dave Ellison

Dave Ellison — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:09:22 +0000

Thanks, Bob (#38). I had in Vic, but like mhl, I didn’t think it was very cryptic, and I was also querying that.

By: petero

petero — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:51:48 +0000

Don ‘euphobia’ is in my Chambers (2003) which is about as standard as references get

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:34:21 +0000

EUPHOBIA isn’t in the SOD, which is the largest dictionary I have on my shelves, but it IS in my 1994 Chambers. A rather misbegotten word, in my view – looks more like ‘good fear’ than ‘fear of good (news)’. Don’t know who coined it, but they get no prizes.

By: Shirley

Shirley — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:31:16 +0000

Paul (not Paul) I think the dots are to indicate the theatrical link – Old VIC & LYRIC, but as regulars know dots between clues can mean nothing at all and just there to mislead.