Comments on: Guardian 24,944 / Bonxie

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:37:22 +0000

‘Any number’ = N, shurely.

By: Mr Beaver

Mr Beaver — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:37:54 +0000

Thanks Eileen. That does ring a faint bell now, though I yield to none in my level of ignorance when it comes to sporting matters!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:27:27 +0000

Hi Mr Beaver

Re 5ac: I can’t believe I know this and someone else doesn’t – which is an observation on my areas of ignorance, not yours!
A dugout is also “a [usu. sunken] shelter or covered bench area beside a sports pitch in which players, etc wait when not in the game.” [Chambers]

By: Mr Beaver

Mr Beaver — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:05:11 +0000

Just finished this ! But then we didn’t start it until bedtime last night after a marathon with Paul’s Thursday effort .
Agreed with all the cavils, but I still don’t get 5a. DUGOUT is a type of canoe, but how is it in place of a sub ??

In fact, we were led astray by this as we’d originally written OCEANA =(A canoe)*, and had also tentatively put RESIGN for 6a (SINGERs)* – and some people resign in disgust… Not very good, I know, but no worse than 1d turned out !

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:14:24 +0000

Hi Stuart, as Eileen already suggested in her blo(g): that might indeed have been Bonxie’s way of thinking.

“For example” can be “say” , so A=B.
And “say” can be a homophone indicator, so B=C.
But, unfortunately, the laws of Mathematics – giving us A=C – don’t work here.
According to cryptic rules, “for example” is not a homophone indicator.
Therefore – although I see you point – I still think that it’s a (basic) mistake.

By: Sylvia

Sylvia — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:12:20 +0000

Didn’t get into this at all – my worst effort for a long time. Only got 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 25 and didn’t like some of them anyway. Obviously not on Bonxie’s wavelength.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:06:51 +0000

1 Down: perhaps

“for example” =say = sounds like

By: Paul (not Paul)

Paul (not Paul) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:03:45 +0000

My least favourite for some time. Unfamiliar words, misspellings, dodgy cluing and general obscurity. Too much for me. Give me Rover any day.

By: hoffi

hoffi — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:58:01 +0000

I thought it was great!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:23:27 +0000

John, of course, I know that the letter N can stand (and often does stand) for ‘number’ in e.g. statistics, but it is used as a variable (or parameter) rather than a symbol for a certain number. Thát was my point.
In statistics this ‘number’ of objects is indeed called N because of the first letter of the word ‘number’, but for me not enough to define N as ‘number’ in a crossword.
I don’t want to argue about it, but my intuition says so.

If we want to allow this, then F might be ‘Function’, r be ‘ratio’ and P be ‘probability’, to name a few.
I am not sure if we should want this.
[Well, I am sure I don't want this in Cryptic Land - but who am I?]