Comments on: Inquisitor 122 – Papa by Phi

By: Telberts

Telberts — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:28:18 +0000

A very enjoyable puzzle.

I don’t suppose it matters (but it gave me palpitations thinking I had entered something wrong before I checked this blog) there is a misprint in the solution as printed in the Indy today for 27 down.

By: Hihoba

Hihoba — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:12:43 +0000

I loved this puzzle! I had the list of hidden words for some time, and (as a practising violinist) was shamed into having to ask Ba (of Hihoba) about the connection and he instantly came back with the Papa Haydn information – though he hadn’t done all the double clues.
I agree that it is London which is “specific” rather than generic to give a single number.
I was also a bit worried by UG, but didn’t bother to look it up as the answer was so clearly right!
From Hi

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:50:51 +0000

Re comment 4 above, have gone back to the puzzle now and can confirm I was wrong re generic v specific. A strength of this puzzle was that even if one was not familiar with the works (like me), it could nonetheless be solved.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:40:07 +0000

Not got the puzzle with me now, but I think from Peter Mabey’s comment at 3 and also the original blog, that I got the generic v specific issue the wrong way round in my comment at 2.

By: Peter Mabey

Peter Mabey — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:43:40 +0000

As I got MIDI first, and have been listening to the Radio 3 commemorative programmes, I immediately thought of ‘Papa’ Haydn, and it wasn’t necessary to Google for likely symphonies for the other double clues, except LAUDON, which I’d not heard of.

I think that generic v specific refers to the fact that all of the last 12 are called his London symphonies, having been presented at his visits to England.

MIDDLE C was brilliant!

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:59:18 +0000

Brilliant puzzle and brilliant blog! Getting into the thematic area took me a while but the penny dropped when I’d two, LE MIDI and LONDON. Phi’s interest in music made me suspect Symphony numbers tho I’m not personally very familiar with the works. Did not know about PAPA till verifying and had thought maybe something to do with the alphabet where than stands for P.

Did understand how the clues worked – it was very good that an example was given in the preamble – ‘straddle’ alone would not have made it clear to me.

Really liked MIDDLE C.

Re the generic v specific, I thought this might refer to, the one Symphony (Bear, I think) which was in the Paris symphony group i.e. to use the specific name rather than Paris.

Thanks, Phi, for a great puzzle.

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:47:08 +0000

Even when I’d solved all the clues, it took me a while to realise exactly what it was that had to be entered, i.e. BOTH solutions to the double clues, with the spanning word replaced by a single letter. (Having spent the last month or so setting exam questions & checking them for ambiguity or vagueness, I guess I was reading the rubric the same way …)

And yes, I agree about UG in 10a.