Comments on: Financial Times 13,387 – Dante

By: Rufus

Rufus — Sat, 29 May 2010 10:37:04 +0000

Oops! Thank you for taking me to task Uncle Yap. The reason, I like to think, but still not an excuse, was that my wife wanted to visit her brother in N Zealand when she retired. When that happened she had a health problem and when that was overcome, it was my turn. Having had a pacemaker fitted in January we could make plans for almost a month away in April. This meant having to step up my production to cover my ouitlets for an extra month. Managed it, just, but obviously missed this repeat of clueing. Report: Must do better. Thank you Uncle Yap.

Regarding my files, I have worked for a particular Syndication since 1964, although its name has changed over the years. When I give up setting – shouldn’t be too long as I’m 78 – they will take over my files to continue producing puzzles, and are paying me a retainer each year for so doing.

Nice to see Paul B using his own pseudonym on the blogs.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:30:28 +0000

Oops, I forgot to say that I had BRICKS as well.
So, that makes three of us!

By: Ferret

Ferret — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:43:00 +0000

I agree with Mark here, 5a is certainly BRICKS rather than BRACES. A stretcher is a brick and to drop a brick is something that should’t have been done

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 27 May 2010 23:48:14 +0000

Oooh, I think that’s a bit harsh, Yap old bean.

By: Uncle Yap

Uncle Yap — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:38:49 +0000

Uncle Yap was actually fortunate enough to be invited to see Mr Roger Squire’s (aka Dante & Rufus) clue database which is like a cardex system where he meticulously records each and every clue that he has used in a puzzle with additional notations such as name of paper/puzzle and date. Without this database, there would be many incidences of duplication or repetition, given that this man is the most prolific compiler of all times. Even then, he has slipped up once in a recent incident when the identical clue appeared within days of each other in two different British publications (red faces all round

This cardex filing system is housed in a modest garden shed, together with his volumes of dictionaries, reference books and paraphernalia, including newspaper cuttings of his exploits and achievements over the years.

One day, all these ought to be donated to a Crossword Museum.

By: walruss

walruss — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:17:26 +0000

I remember something about Dante’s ‘clue database’ mentioned here a couple of months back. Perhaps that system cannot scan for duplications withing the subsidiary parts of clues?

By: mike04

mike04 — Thu, 27 May 2010 07:23:11 +0000

Thank you, Uncle Yap.

I had BRACES as the solution to 5ac as well. I decided later to change it to BRICKS.
(stretcher/drop a brick). Either way, it’s another poor clue.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:27:47 +0000

Thanks, Uncle Yap, and yes, I agree about SPA & PA (especially as SPA was clued ‘spring’ on both occasions).

I thought that SPARTA was an ancient city, or maybe a city-state, ‘ancient country’ though might be a bit too much.
And 17d DESDEMONIA’s must surely be Desdemona, or? Typo?

Apart from that, I did enjoy the crossword.
And again – for me – slightly harder than a Monday Rufus [I think because Dante has more constructions and less cd's].

Outstanding clues 23 ac (BASE METAL) with its nicely misleading surface and 9ac (REQUITED), another splendid surface.

Clue of the Day, for me: 28ac (LITTLE).
One might indeed qualify this as a very uncryptic cd, but I liked the magnificent natural surface of it.