Comments on: Guardian 25,015 – Brendan

By: TRIALNERROR

TRIALNERROR — Fri, 21 May 2010 06:02:10 +0000

Um, has Brendan (Virgilius) read this perchance?
http://www.amazon.com/Empowered-Leader-Keys-Servant-Leadership/dp/0805410988

By: Macca

Macca — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:31:49 +0000

Another excellent Brendan – The (true) Master.
I expect we’ll see that other guy before the week is out.

By: brendan

brendan — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:15:40 +0000

Andrew @29

Thank you.

By: scarpia

scarpia — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:24:43 +0000

I’ve sometimes been less than enthusiastic over Brendan/Virgilius puzzles but this one I really enjoyed,with the theme sort of falling nicely into place as I went along.One of those puzzles where you fill in the answer and then work out how the wordplay leads to it.e.g 26 down.
Please send me an application form for the Brendan fan club!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:51:57 +0000

Hi tupu

No problem: I think we’re all agreed, really! A few weeks ago, I commented that that day’s Rufus was rather lacking in his usual sparkle and then had to excuse myself to him by saying that that was, actually, a kind of back-handed compliment!

By: tupu

tupu — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:35:22 +0000

Eileen @17. Hi. I’ve only just got back on line and seen your comment. My remark was misleading I’m afraid, as I hope my final sentence indicated. The dissatisfaction was specific to 12a based upon the logic of my almost certain misreading. I didn’t altogether like that reading but, as I said, ‘inertia’ took hold, and I felt that if it’s right the clue is not the best. The trouble with the reading is of course that it is, I think, just about a possible if somewhat inelegant one that gives no significance to ‘v’ beyond its position at the ‘heart’ of the word Noel which seems a fully acceptable spelling.

By: Stewart Holden

Stewart Holden — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:16:28 +0000

Regarding the V in NOVEL, if you slice the top half off a heart then it leaves a V.

By: Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:14:07 +0000

Heavens. Where do I start. Yes, enjoyable, Yes tricky in parts – so I suppose one ought to congratulate Brendan for a testing time (in parts). Needed some clarification (here) to fully appreciate the definition for Pair (easily captured by “Bridge Pair” and also of course “Two” within the clue but, despite this just hadn’t seen the Golf parlance – well disguised. As for Novel – yes, indeed, something new but I totally missed the V element being half W, caught me on the hop. Thorn meanwhile – ok it’s part of a Rose.. but again, the UoE threw me right off, coming here to clarify why the answers to 3-4 of the clues were exactly as they were. Many thanks for the clarification – a tough ride today… with the origins for UNBUTTON almost eluding me until I realised the Non-U element.

By: crosser

crosser — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:59:56 +0000

Thank you Brendan and Andrew. I enjoyed this puzzle – it was thanks to GASKELL (I always thought of her as Mrs Gaskell then as Elizabeth Gaskell, too, Eileen) that I solved several others. I got NOVEL from the letters and from “unusual” but, like a lot of other solvers apparently, I didn’t understand the rest of the clue. I should be ashamed of myself because I live in France where W is “double v”. Sackcloth and ashes.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 20 May 2010 14:12:54 +0000

Brendan, you can’t edit comments yourself, but as the blogger I can do so, and I’ve edited your comment #20 (just to remove the excess of italics).