Comments on: Everyman No. 3331 (1st August)

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:48:34 +0000

Thanks Everyman and Lorraine.

I actually found this one fairly easy, and finished it early last Sunday, almost unaided – I had to verify AMRITSAR, could have used an atlas to do so, but typing into the search box it wikipedia is so much faster.

While I got HAMFATTER, I couldn’t verify it, although it is the name of an obscure band – leaving me baffled as to why Everyman was calling them “third rate”!

Also, thanks for the rationale for RATIONAL.

Just as it’s nice to get badly stumped once in a while, it’s also nice to get a neatly filled-in grid all in ink at one sitting occasionally, in my opinion.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:58:06 +0000

Also never heard or the TATT acronym, despite having ME/fibromyalgia, but then I live in Spain…

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:54:44 +0000

I think normally when ‘er’ is required there is specific reference to THE queen, or, as in this case, no article – the article used in the clue was actually part of the word play.

Three new exressions for me, being unfamiliar with Art Tatum.

Thanks Everyman and Lorraine – BTW, I would call ‘remakable’ a typo, not a spelling mistake

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:29:53 +0000

Re #5 (myself), it seems that E.R. can refer to either king or queen as follows :-

E.R.?
1. East Riding (Yorkshire).
2. East River (New York City).
3. King Edward. Origin:
< NL Edwardus Rex
4. Queen Elizabeth. Origin:
< NL Elizabeth Regina
5. emergency room.

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:03:40 +0000

Thanks Lorraine,

I didn’t think that the puzzle was as easy as your good self and struggled to get HAMFATTER which is indeed a strange word. I searched for hamfatter on dictionary.com and it came back with no results. It asked ‘Did you mean hamster ?.’ which amused me. It’s probably in Chambers downstairs but I couldn’t be bothered looking.
I searched on Google and found an article on Peter Jones of Dragon’s Den fame. He has apparently invested money in a group called Hamfatter. Well I never !.

I created problems for myself by putting in AFTER for 9a (Following behind king) as this fits the clue just as well. In nautical terms, fore and aft (sorry Rufus).

All in all, a very entertaining puzzle with lots of good clues. Thanks Everyman.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 09:03:26 +0000

Thanks, Lorraine. Enjoyable as always, with one or two ‘quirky’ insertions like HAMFATTER (which I always like because you learn a new word). I liked MARGOT FONTEYN, and had also never heard of ON THE LAM.

Unless we’ve all moved to the other side of the pond, I think there’s a typo in your answer to 18ac, Lorraine.

By: tupu

tupu — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:56:44 +0000

Thanks Everyman and Lorraine

Generally a good puzzle. I noticed remakably but thought it was deliberate and had no difficulty ‘remaking’ special with an L in.
Hamfatter and on the lam were unknown to me and had to be checked.

By: Myrvin

Myrvin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:15:35 +0000

Thank you Traffites and Everyman.
Some problems for me. Never heard of HAMFATTER. 18a seems rather dull.
Not heard 27a for a long time. Same films as when they pussyfoot around.
INAMORATO (in its feminine form) brings memories of ‘Glorious Mud’.
17d. I understand doctors use TATT for their patients’ most common complaint. Pity it wasn’t in an ARUM lily. Lily: tired all the time inside backwards.
Everyman on Everyman Eh?

By: Everyman

Everyman — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:48:04 +0000

17 down
Collins gives TATT as an abbreviation for tired all the time, so ART TATUM is MU + TATT + RA (all rev).

1 down
I also hate spelling mistakes.
I missed “remakably” when submitting the crossword to the Observer, and again at the proof stage, so there’s nobody to blame but myself. Sorry.