Comments on: Inquisitor 1120 – Name the … by Phi

By: Hi of Hihoba

Hi of Hihoba — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:02:04 +0000

I know it’s a bit late to comment, but I am one who did get Spy Wednesday. I spotted that the Lent days were on the left and Holy week on the right. A simple lookup of “wednesday before easter” in Google gives a Wiki page with alternative names for the day. I was unsure whether we had to write three letters in one square for each day abbreviation or just use the initial. I plumped for the former.

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:01:37 +0000

re: books – thanks mr Biddlecombe.

Jake,

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 07:54:20 +0000

I obviously don’t know about future plans but there have been three or four previous books of these puzzles (produced before the change of name to ‘Inquisitor’). The most recent can be seen at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chambers-Independent-Weekend-Crosswords-v/dp/0550101772/

But as these puzzles can in principle “do anything”, it’s not certain that previous puzzles will help that much. From this puzzle, you’ll know that putting something other than a single letter into a square is within the range of gimmicks. You could get information about possible gimmicks from blogs about previous Inquisitor puzzles.

On the abbreviations: they should all be justified by entries in Chambers.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:17:02 +0000

So I can acclimate myself with the style.

By: Jake

Jake — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:14:35 +0000

OK.

I really struggle with the Inquisitor puzzle. I must say Mr Laws that your puzzles are very distinctive from other thematic puzzles.

I find a lot of abbreviations that I am unfamiliar with, so one thing I will ask…

Is there any plan in the near future to release an Inquisitor book?

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:13:26 +0000

So it is – a place I’d not usually think to look for barred grid puzzle material.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:59:36 +0000

SPY WEDNESDAY is in Collins.

By: petebiddlecombe

petebiddlecombe — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:13:58 +0000

HolyGhost: No he hasn’t – very slack! (I think you meant to include the fact that the three at the beginnings of rows were at the beginning of Lent, and ditto for ‘end’.)

Colin: I have student memories of someone (not me!) who used to warm up for London Colleges League cross-country races, carrying a Times or other broadsheet crossword on a bit of cardboard.

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:30:21 +0000

Another one who missed SPY - never come across it before. (Maybe the Listener would have noted a non-Chambers reference?) So, we have three consecutive days indicated at the start of rows (and Lent), and three at the end … nicely constructed, Phi. (Has Pete noted that he can publish these blogs on Wednesday nowadays?)

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:18:38 +0000

Thanks for the explanation about SPY, I missed it completely. I spent a good while looking for HOLY WEEK or EASTER. There were a surprising number of almost-Easters in the grid in egg-like shapes! As you add, Peter, the position now makes it obvious.

It certainly was a puzzle that could be solved mostly by anyone who could do a broadsheet daily. I did this puzzle while XC skiing in Norway (well, not at the same time!) and did almost all of it without needing Chambers. Even the tougher answers were guessable given a few checking letters and the word play.