Comments on: Guardian 25,088 / Crucible

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:51:15 +0000

Couldn’t do any crosswords last weekend-plus.
Therefore we thought it was a good idea to do this Crucible today instead of Quantum [which we are reluctant to do nowadays, just like Rover].

What a delight!

Apart from the Ulster thing, we only asked ourselves: Is a hill really a mountain? [or vice versa]

This was probably the best Crucible so far.
Lovely surfaces, original devices, no throwaway clues.
Not even that hard, too. Dictionaries & Internet weren’t needed.
And what’s very important: no superfluous words, everything’s just right (like e.g. in 9ac). And dare I say: a bit un-Guardianesque.

Agree with Paul B when he says “A theme of ‘good clues’ is just as welcome” [as a 'normal' theme].

In a recent Alberich blog I stated: “Some crosswords are better than others, and this was not one of the others”.
I would like to repeat it here.

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:43:53 +0000

I agree with most that this was a very agreeable puzzle, with some wonderful clues indeed.

Sadly I missed PEAK (shouldn’t have, I was on the right track) and PAPILLA, which I doubt I would ever have managed, although I was working with ILL, pope = PAPA would never really have popped for me, and of course the surface was keeping me from interpreting “minor eminence” in the appropriate manner.

The only clue I put a question mark next to was VIOLA, but that’s because I didn’t bother to check if it was a river or plant.

Thanks Crucible and Eileen!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:28:05 +0000

Glad to hear you have no personal problems, Scarpia. Don’t know what you mean by ‘many too clever for their own good’: examples?

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:37:14 +0000

Hi DippyD

I thought there might have been more objection to this clue but I think but you need to think YEW = [type of] wood and then add the S!

By: DippyD

DippyD — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 18:16:28 +0000

Thanks Eileen – I just didn’t get the YEWS as woods! By the way, I really liked LETHARGIC too!

By: Myrvin

Myrvin — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:31:33 +0000

Fancy us all missing 5d.

El Stano. It looks to me as if it’s just there to allow the second use of ‘base’ in the clue. Not very satisfactory if that’s so.

By: El Stano

El Stano — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:03:26 +0000

Hi DippD
It’s E(nglish) + YEWS (woods) with [I (one) + TNES (sent backwards)] inserted between the W and the S (of YEWS).
IYSWIM!

BTW what is the use of “Yes” in 7d anybody?

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:40:20 +0000

Hi DippyD

Apologies for the omission – and no one else noticed!

It’s I [one] + reversal of SENT in E[nglish] YEWS [woods]

By: DippyD

DippyD — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 11:35:28 +0000

Sorry to come late to this but could someone explain 5dn please – the answer given is ‘eyewitness’ which I got but I don’t know why!

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 22:27:11 +0000

Thanks Eileen.
As generally agreed a super puzzle from Crucible.Personally had no problems with any of the points debated here – ADULT/indecent:FI/Fiona:investigates as insertion indicator:foreign as anagrind; allfine by me.
Ulster/NI has become standard usage in “crosswordland” so I guess we should be used to it by now and just have to put up with it.
PaulB @43 – totally agree a puzzle crammed with good clues far outstrips “many too clever for their own good” themed efforts.