Comments on: Independent 7431 by Tyrus

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:38:49 +0000

Thanks for the link, Scarpia, but I’ve a feeling it’s a bit much for my little notebook to handle. I started the download, but stopped when it was obviously taking too long, before giving a chance to shut down my system, as has happened to me before.

Pity!

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:00:08 +0000

The theme and nina totally passed me by, but I got everything except ‘noted’, never having watched the series. Sitcoms with gales of canned laughter every few seconds aren’t my scene – I prefer subtle humour that makes one laugh without being prompted.
I knew the correct pronunciation of dáil but thought the ref to 10d 19a was to the apparent pronunciation of 19a as ‘dale’ – so the heroine (?) of a 1950s radio soap (showing my age there!) and a Jack Dougal that I’d never heard of had me totally mystified at 25d.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:43:15 +0000

Stella.
If you want to see Father Ted it is available on 4oD –
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/father-ted/4od

By: Paul B

Paul B — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:35:57 +0000

You might not have liked this puzzle at first. But ye will, ye will, ye will, ye will, ye will (cont. p. 94) …

By: flashling

flashling — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:45:16 +0000

Thank for the kind reception and corrections, I should have said about the Dail pronunciation in hindsight in 25 but thought that teaching Grandmother to suck eggs could be bad form.

Father Ted albeit set in a Catholic priest house could certain be rather rude as especially if Fr Jack could get any alcohol but was genuinely funny.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:41:25 +0000

That pronunciation equivalence (Dáil = Doyle) is perfectly correct, confirmed by dicts.

Not sure if that TV series is totally ‘unbawdy’, Stella.

It’s repeated quite a bit, tho the main actor, Dermot Morgan, passed away prematurely quite a while back.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:07:22 +0000

Yes, well done flashling on your debut – thanks for the blog, which I needed! Found this very hard, not being familiar with the series (but to be fair, in TV comedy terms, it’s been very successful apparently). Couldn’t get DOUGAL or NOTED, but managed the rest. Some unfamiliar stuff, certainly, but fair; for me it was just a bit too tricky for a weekday solve, but others have obviously enjoyed the challenge.

DAIL is, I think, the Gaelic word for the Irish house of parliament (it should have an accent on the A but I can’t do them on this machine). To the best of my knowledge it is pronounced as a homophone (or close homophone …) of DOYLE.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:30:56 +0000

Thanks Gaufrid. As I say, I’ve never seen it. I’m beginning to wish I had, it sounds fun.

I do miss British comedy – other types seem so bawdy!

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:10:22 +0000

Stella
“… and can’t for the life of me see how ‘dail’ can be a homophone of ‘Doyle’ …”

The setting for the series was a remote fictional island off the west coast of Ireland and I think if both words are pronounced with a broad Irish accent then there is some similarity.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:47:39 +0000

I’ve been away too long!

I’d never heard of the series, have no idea of English football these days, and can’t for the life of me see how ‘dail’ can be a homophone of ‘Doyle’ – unless for some obscure reason they’re both pronounced ‘dial’.

Anyway, congratulations on your début, flashling. It’s not your fault, or Tyrus’s, that this puzzle was largely double Dutch to me.

Thanks also to Gaufrid for expanding on the theme.