Comments on: Independent 7,140 by Nimrod

By: Uncle Yap

Uncle Yap — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:23:30 +0000

I sense some hostility about my criticism of the last two Nimrod puzzles. First, let me make it absolutely clear that I am a huge fan of John Henderson, whom I have personally met and with whom, I have exchanged drinks in a London pub.

That aside, I reflected how I honestly felt after solving the latest Nimrod – a sense of “no fun”. Too much convoluted trickery without a modicum of humour or any surface reading that could be construed as amusing. Am I not entitled to my opinion?

That said, I will still look forward to the next Henderson puzzle, be it Enigmatist, Io or Nimrod.

By: Mike Laws

Mike Laws — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 04:45:20 +0000

DOLL was simply the link between the five adjectival participles Cliff used to describe his notional squeeze, each linked with another word in the diagram. So it was unnecessary to have it in the diagram.

And for the information of Paul B Esq, I wasn’t moaning about ninas per se, just the prevalent expectation of them as a matter of course.

By: davey b

davey b — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:29:32 +0000

Re the NINA I can find LIVING But where’s DOLL?

By: Dave T

Dave T — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:19:29 +0000

I have a few of those in my stock if anyone wants them, mail me.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:45:47 +0000

I remember some jolly good puzzles in the 60s. A Grauniad speciality on Bank Hol weekends was the double puzzle – two identical grids with the 2 clues for each light run together. First of all you had to decide where one clue ended and the other began; then you had to decide which answer went in which grid! I don’t suppose the Indy would give you space for that, Eimi.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:50:39 +0000

Humour is subjective perhaps – the joke that has to be explained is never a joke – but having tackled every Nimrod puzzle since he began to appear in the Indy, humour is definitely a big feature of his puzzles, I’d have to say.

I would not mind going back to the 60s tho, Dave T, if that was possible…

By: Dave T

Dave T — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:16:59 +0000

I have been solving crosswords for a number of years and must take issue with Uncle Yap’s rather nasty comment. Nimrod in all his guises produces consistently entertaining, witty and original clues, and while he may be at the tougher end of the scale, long may he continue to do so.

I’d rather spend an hour tackling a nimrod puzzle than six or seven minutes tackling some other setters, whose clues are so hackneyed that you feel like you have steeped back into the 60′s to solve them.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:44:44 +0000

I note Mr. Mike Laws has not moaned about this Nina (if that’s what it is – I suppose anything hidden in the grid, by whatever means, could be): do you know, I think he’s coming around to the (daily) Indie’s way of thinking!

By: eimi

eimi — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:31:37 +0000

I have to admit that I missed the Nina too. I thought there was some sort of 60s pop thing going on somewhere with the Hollies and Crying Shame (Cryin’ Shames), but Mike Laws seems to have nailed it.

I find it a bit strange that Uncle Yap only appears on Indy blogs to accuse the setter of a lack of humour. As I’ve said before, perhaps it just that the humour doesn’t always travel as well as his whisky.

By: IanN14

IanN14 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:26:31 +0000

Uncle Yap,
Not even 12/25ac?
Of course everything is subjective, especially senses of humour, but what if, say, Paul had written that clue?
I personally look forward to Nimrod/Enigmatist puzzles. A challenge, yes, usually, but devoid of humour? I don’t think so.

And Mike; nice one. A nina that totally passed me by…