Comments on: Independent 7,348 by Dac

By: Simon Harris

Simon Harris — Thu, 06 May 2010 10:14:51 +0000

I’ll similarly admit that that one took some working out for me on blogging, even though I was fairly convinced of the entry.

By: NealH

NealH — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:57:19 +0000

I can’t remember the clue, but I think the a was just an indefinite article. The mour[n] was from keen, which can mean to lament. I must confess that I didn’t follow it either until I read the blog – I’d forgotten that keen could take that meaning.

By: Merlyn

Merlyn — Thu, 06 May 2010 08:08:22 +0000

I had “bearding” (Bear ding[o]) for 25, which gave me “shooting brain” for 10d, and I couldn’t work out what the car referred to. I liked the Moliere reference too.

I didn’t like 3d – to count “a” as a common abbreviation of affair is questionable, and how do you get mourn from the rest of it? (I did get the answer from love, and A-O-R.)

By: scarpia

scarpia — Wed, 05 May 2010 23:25:52 +0000

Great puzzle with some cunning clueing.Particularly liked 11 and 21 across and 5 down. Using the playwright’s name in the anagram is the sort of thing that appeals to me!
Got 25 across without really understanding it,didn’t know ‘beardies’ were dogs – thank you Simon.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:35:56 +0000

I think the ‘dead’ = ‘really’ in DEAD HEAT would come from such as ‘he’s dead cute’ ie ‘he’s really cute’. It was hard tho and my last answer.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:07:55 +0000

1ac got me, convinced myself it was (tsar)a? and could not get past that, also being a simple minded soul, I don’t really get the dead bit in dead heat. chuckled at broadband though.

By: Derrick Knight

Derrick Knight — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:35:38 +0000

Superb elegant, apparently effortless, clueing

By: walruss

walruss — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:19:30 +0000

Very nice indeed. Good, but not hard.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:56:05 +0000

“Broadband” certainly raised a smile.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:22:45 +0000

Always look forward to Dac on Wednesdays, and enjoyed this one as usual. Despite the obvious anagram, couldn’t get OFFIE till last (and I did know what it meant). BROADBAND was cheeky and LE MISANTHROPE was clever.

Thanks for blogging, Simon. You might want to insert ‘edible’ in your explanation of 23ac to avoid upsetting our readers north of the border … or maybe you’re trying to tell them something?