Comments on: Independent 7,420 by Dac

By: scchua

scchua — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:33:02 +0000

Thanks Simon, I’m new at this. “Trunnion” was the only one I didn’t get, though I had doubts about 1D…can’t find any reference to a plural for “modicum” (is there one?). Still, an enjoyable one – not too tough and not too obscure

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:00:41 +0000

Thanks Simon.
I found this a bit tougher than some of Dac’s puzzles,with some quite devious clueing e.g. 9 across.
TRUNNION was new to me as well,don’t imagine I’ll be using it in everyday coversation but it’s always nice to learn new words.
Paul Weller is known as “The Modfather”.
Stella@8 – I don’t doubt your translation of “bon ton”(I’m not a French speaker) but there was a French fashion magazine called La Gazette du Bon Ton.

By: sidey

sidey — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:32:04 +0000

An excellent puzzle. Not particularly difficult [no ridiculous references to obscure quotations] but beautifully clued.

By: walruss

walruss — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:48:33 +0000

Yes, very good stuff, burning with wit!

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:12:58 +0000

Now I’ve read others’ comments, 17dn is in fact perfectly clued; previously I was struggling to exactly understand it. ‘Keep the fire in’ was certainly an exhortation from my mother when I was younger and we had an open fire.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:54:31 +0000

OIC, thanks, Gaufrid – though ‘ton’ or ‘tonus’ still sound to me more like what is acceptable than fashionable. Still, I suppose they could be construed as being basically tha same thing: when I was young, no girl would dream of letting her bra straps show; nowadays they make different colours to match or contrast with your outer garment!

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:46:46 +0000

Hi Stella
In 2dn the answer is the title of an Iris Murdock novel. The wordplay is HE ([high] explosive) B (book) in TELL (brief).

Ton = fashion etc appears regularly in crosswords. Collins defines it as “style, fashion, or distinction [C18: from French, from Latin tonus tone]“.

By: Myrvin

Myrvin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:36:18 +0000

Ta again CC. There it is.
It’s in the OED too. “Of fire or light: Burning, lighted.”

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:30:52 +0000

The only explanation I can think of for ‘ton’ meaning ‘fashionable’ – which I’d never heard before – would be French ‘bon ton’, being what is socially acceptable. I think it works in German, too, without the ‘bon’, but I’m not sure.

I’m afraid I still don’t understand 2d, despite the parsing, but for the rest, many thanks, Simon, you’ve cleared up a few doubts.

By: Conrad Cork

Conrad Cork — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:26:25 +0000

Myrvin

It’s there in Chambers (11th edition) – on the 14th line it says ‘alight’.

It’s a term I associate more with my old grannie than my own ultra cool hip persona.