Comments on: Financial Times 13,381 – Crux

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:54:42 +0000

Great blog, Uncle Yap. Not a hard puzzle, but very pleasing with well-constructed clues all thro. Favourite WHEEL CLAMP. I think the AXIS clue refers to Italy and Germany, allied (‘in league’) in the Axis before and during WWII.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:36:41 +0000

Thanks Uncle Yap, for your fine blog.
A gentle start to the FT week?
Maybe, but I think Crux is quite a clever setter.
Very smooth, natural surfaces go together with intelligent constructions.
Only my second Cruxword, but I really liked it.

The last one to go in was AXIS (26ac), fine example of how Crux works.
A sports surface with a WW II answer.

Great clue for CODE in 7ac, I thought.
And an inventive cd for SERAGLIO (13ac).
Splendid way to make the defintion part of the clue in 19ac (TORRENTS).
And many many more.

I think 28ac (PIED-A-TERRE) is not a cd.
It is DATE (girlfriend) inside PIERRE (Frenchman).

This crossword is a good example of a happy marriage between thoughtful clueing and accessibility.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Thu, 20 May 2010 00:35:51 +0000

Hi Uncle Yap
In 4dn I think ‘symphony’ refers to Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World”, popularly known as the New World Symphony.