Comments on: Independent 7,000 by Virgilius

By: Peter Biddlecombe

Peter Biddlecombe — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:36:50 +0000

Started while cooking the supper, so no time to compare with Don’s, but a typical Virgilius puzzle. In their own way, fresh-seeming clues to words like INDIANA and LAGER are a bigger feather for his cap than the theme. With INDIANA he also manages to fool you by making the indication for INDIA (On the radio, I) MORE helpful than usual.

By: Ali

Ali — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:42:33 +0000

Despite clocking the theme about halfway through, I found this quite tough, and am in awe of Don for polishing this off in about the same time it took me to find the pen in my bag! Some great clues as ever from Virgilius. Loved 14D.

By: Quixote

Quixote — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:05:43 +0000

I did this very quickly — about a 5-minute job. Virgilius is an excellent clue-writer and with the extra help of the theme everything slides in beautifully. It’s the light refreshment I seek in the middle of a busy morning writing loads of clues!

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:09:22 +0000

For a change I spotted the theme early, as soon as I had 1ac and 10ac. I felt that 10ac was almost clued as a hint to the theme.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:45:48 +0000

Re 2, Colin, well-spotted – I looked at the completed grid for quite a while, but did not notice that theme at all. Great puzzle and clues as always from V.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:31:07 +0000

Ooh he’s clever isn’t he, I hadn’t spotted the doubling up of letters. Loved 8d.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:24:19 +0000

I mean >=8.

It looks like an attempt at a pangrammatic grid too, with J, Q, X and K in there. There is, though, no V or Z.

From the central unchecked line across you could say it was a FINE RETURN for Virgilius.

These second two may well be just coincidences.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:15:08 +0000

The longer across answers (>8) are all MIXED DOUBLES, ie they contain the same set of letters twice.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 10:44:30 +0000

Hi Simon

2dn: INDIA [Nato phonetic alphabet I] round A + N