Comments on: Inquisitor 148 – POST-MORTEM by Dysart

By: Andy Stewart

Andy Stewart — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:13:12 +0000

Thanks to HolyGhost (rather appropriately named on this occasion) for an impressive bog and thanks to others for your comments.

Completing the grid in a number of my previous puzzles has been fairly difficult but the final stage has been relatively straightforward. I decided to make most of the clues for this puzzle easier but the finale rather tougher. I realized that finding the letters to swap was going to be a tall order, especially for those to whom Ibsen’s Ghosts did not come readily to mind, but I think it proved more difficult than I anticipated. Perhaps I should have included in the preamble a comment to the effect that the letters to swap occurred in the same row or column, but as my final test solver did not appear to have serious difficulties in this respect I left the preamble as it was.

The clue for IMPISH wasn’t based on the Scottish word for ‘piss’. PISH merely represented the slurred sound of a drunk saying ‘pissed’, hence the question mark after the clue.

Dysart

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:41:00 +0000

Ray – before finding QUINT, I did chase up the SITH possibility from Star Wars, but decided it wasn’t sufficiently thematic and it didn’t sit well with Dysart’s style (so omitted it from an already lengthy blog).

By: RayFolwell

RayFolwell — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:31:07 +0000

I’m another who finished the grid but not the puzzle. I saw Caesar and Banquo but thought SITH might be the 3rd ghost – the Ghosts of Sith have some Starwars connection according to Google (but I’m not a Starwars fan).

By: Simon Harris

Simon Harris — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:49:52 +0000

I’ll put up my hand as another one who filled the grid yet didn’t finish the puzzle. Hovered over “astral” but then spotted “Quint” – it felt odd to have two from Shakespeare and one from elsewhere, but it must be right. The final author and character remained undetected until I read this post.

By: George Hill

George Hill — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:34:17 +0000

Now you’ve explained it I am very impressed by the ecotypes clue! Like kenmac I’m glad it wasn’t my week to blog!!

By: Fletch

Fletch — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:14:51 +0000

Same here … as kenmac said, the rest of it looked too much like hard work.

By: IanN14

IanN14 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:26:48 +0000

Finished the grid, but too literary for me to sort out the rest…

By: kenmac

kenmac — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:23:50 +0000

Well done HolyGhost. I’m glad it wasn’t my week to blog it. I found BANQUO but like you, I couldn’t find the two clued entries and I couldn’t see the author or work. As it wasn’t my week I gave up at that point – too much like hard work .

I did get CAMEO but like George, I didn’t really know why.

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:11:39 +0000

George – as I tried to indicate in the blog (by [SPECIES NOTABLY – IN LABS]*), if you use the answer, ECOTYPES, to replace “these organisms” in the clue then what is “adaptable from” ECOTYPES + “in labs” is “species notably”.

By: George Hill

George Hill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:44:00 +0000

Sorry HolyGhost about the naming confusion! I was carried away by the colourful presentation which is normally Duncan’s hallmark!
Re QUOT – I assumed it was just quot(e) – rather than a true abbreviation, so didn’t even look it up! It could be read either way.
I must be being dim about 21D as I don’t see the composite anagram. Could you elucidate please?
Relatively easy to fill in the grid but the final step – I agree with nmsindy – hard!