Comments on: Guardian 25,081 / Brendan

By: Gordon Roy

Gordon Roy — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:42:04 +0000

Hi Gaufrid.

This comment is a bit late I’m afraid but I do the crosswords from the Guardian Weekly here in the USA. They are always a bit behind and I do them a couple of weeks later than that usually too. Thanks for the very succinct blog.

The theme of films escaped me as I did not even know it was a Brendan. The Guardian Weekly for some reason excluded the compiler’s name for a couple of weeks in August; obviously a mistake as they have re-started it. They also often exclude additional instructions such as those that Auracaria gives. That makes it doubly difficult to do sometimes until I check at the Guardian website. I’ve asked my wife to cover over the compilers names in future crosswords to see whether I can work out who they are from the cluing.

Another bit of [useless] information about 12A. As a kid I used to planespot around Ringway [Manchester] airport. The term ‘Batman’ was given to the people [usually men of course] who held the large “table tennis like” bats at the gate. They use these by waving them as direction indicators to help the pilot position the aircaraft at the gate after landing. They are still often used today if you ever watch a plane come to a gate. This term was widely used and so I assume is a correct definition of ‘Batman’ although I have never seen it in any dictionary. Aviation has some other great words too, such as Okta, which means one eighth of the sky. This is used for cloud cover, such as 5 Oktas at 3,000 feet, 2 Oktas at 5,000 feet etc. One of the compilers could make a lovely clue from that.

Anyway thanks again

Gordon

By: scarecrow

scarecrow — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:27:25 +0000

That should be Sayers with a capital S, what a shame we can’t edit our own comments.

By: scarecrow

scarecrow — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:26:06 +0000

If you go back further than recent history, a batman would have been a serving soldier and a soldier who serves, eg Bunter to Lord Peter Wimsey in the Great War in Dorothy L sayers detective novels.

By: Carrots

Carrots — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:19:49 +0000

A bit late to confess that I put in BARMAN for serving soldier, having just been brought a delicious pinta (Harvest Pale)by one at lunchtime. Otherwise (!) things slotted in fairly easily, although the theme only emerged in my pre-occupied brain after the puzzle was complete. I warm to Brendan though: he strikes a nice balance.

By: easy peasy not

easy peasy not — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:49:16 +0000

I had “yeoman” instead of “batman” so messed up 1d. Chambers gives yeoman as “gentleman serving in royal or noble household, between a sergeant and a groom (hist)”; and “small farmers…often serving as foot soldiers (hist)”. So I was up the garden path but it was at least a plausible double definition. Smashing puzzle though, albeit unfinished.

By: Martin H

Martin H — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:07:12 +0000

Oh good, I thought, a Brendan without a theme, until I looked at the blog just now. Quite enjoyable, but for the feeble batman, and easy enough apart from what I had as ‘Banana Beat’, which seemed a bit odd but might have referred to such an area as a sentry’s patrol, with the vaguely derogatory slant ‘banana’ is sometimes given, and having no dictionary or computer with me I decided to leave at that.

I liked ‘blue jays’.

By: tupu

tupu — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:33:58 +0000

Hi Gaufrid
Thanks again.

Hi Myrvin
In Brendan’s case there might be a problem trying to decide whether a civil court or a court martial is appropriate.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:37:15 +0000

Thanks Gaufrid.
Nice puzzle from Brendan – I even spotted the theme,though only when I’d all but filled the grid.
BATMAN I thought was weak and I wasn’t keen on BANANA BELT.Although quite gettable from the wordplay,I do like to be able to check in a dictionary.I don’t have Collins so was unable to find it in any of my reference books – perhaps I’ll have to invest in a Collins!
I’m not usually keen on puzzles with a theme but this one wasn’t too narrow – there are a vast amount of films to choose from.

By: Myrvin

Myrvin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:13:57 +0000

So we can now have Paul arraigned because of SIDE, and Brendan because of BATMAN.
Will there be anyone left?

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:48:14 +0000

When I did my National Service with the 10th Royal Hussars in Germany (1951-1953), all the Batmen were serving soldiers.