Comments on: Independent 7436 by Quaiteaux

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 08:27:30 +0000

One of the satisfactions for me of crossword solving is physically filling in the answers on paper, so I don’t usually look at the online version. On occasion, though, such as when the paper fails to arrive or the wrong grid is printed, I have needed to go there. It’s a bit of a long-winded business but you can print out a useable version using “Print Screen” to capture it and paste into, say, MS Paint. But it takes a number of passes (as you can’t get the grid and all the clues on screen at the same time) and then involves more cutting and pasting to arrange everything into a covenient layout for printing. The printed quality of the clues isn’t brilliant but they’re readable. Better than nothing in an “emergency”.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:59:22 +0000

By convention, certainly this is the case. But … but … from a cryptic reader’s POV, ’tis hard to fault.

Enjoyable crossword from m’colleague, with some witty moves.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:42:41 +0000

22dn: ‘Cable put on…[e]‘ would suggest to me Vincee. It’s a down clue, and weren’t we told once that in a down clue A on B had to be AB, whereas in an across clue A on B was BA? Or perhaps I’m remembering it wrongly.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:18:11 +0000

Thanks nms.
First time I’ve come across this setter and it took me a little while to get on his wavelength.Still found it pretty tough once I had.
Good puzzle though with some clever clues,1 and 6 down in particular.
2 down; I’ve come across similar wordplay before and also for 4 down.
Enumeration for 6 across held me up but once check letters were in place it could only be ACTS UP.I couldn’t find a definition that would fit CATSUP!

By: sidey

sidey — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:09:31 +0000

Thank you mhl, it’s not meanness, I do buy the Indie when I want a physical version, but due to various factors I find the online version almost impossible to use. I have the kit to ‘fill-in’ PDFs so I’ll have a play. Thanks again.

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:27:28 +0000

Quite a struggle for me but that could be due to hangover from night before…
Liked Eunuch when it finally twigged and stared at styles for ages before seeing why it was right. Compiler’s pseudonym? Character from the Pink Panther films who was Clueso’s assistant who keeps attacking him?

By: mhl

mhl — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:52:16 +0000

Thanks for the post nmsindy – a very enjoyable puzzle. We also found the NW quadrant the most difficult, not knowing FURLOUGH and failing to remember the Court of CHANCERY.

sidey: I wrote a script that converts the CCJ format to PUZ, which helps with generating PDFs of the Independent crossword:

http://longair.net/blog/2009/07/24/avoiding-crossword-applets/

… but that’s deliberately only likely to be of use if you’re a Linux user with a reasonable amount of programming experience. eimi pointed out before that not having a printable version online may have an effect of encouraging to people to buy the paper, so I don’t want to make the process of generating PDFs any more accessible.

Since we moved to Switzerland I don’t think I’ve seen a real copy of the Indepedent at all – you can sometimes get the Guardian, but always a day late and at a quite extraordinary price.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:18:48 +0000

You’re right, Neal – I’ve just filled in the grid with letter As and it’s congratulated me. It hasn’t always been thus: I remember it not letting me put MADAME BUTTERFLY in a bit ago but insisting on MADAMA BUTTERFLY. The site has been a bit glitchy recently though, I’ve noticed – and there was a case a month or so ago where it allowed you to reveal the answers to Eimi’s Saturday prize crossword on the day it was published.

Oh for the life of a crossword editor … good puzzle, praise the setter; anything remotely wrong, give the editor some grief. But the quality of the puzzles is unfailingly good, which is the main thing, so thank you to both editor and setters.

(And yes, I too wanted to put LAND???? for 5dn.)

By: Myrvin

Myrvin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:07:45 +0000

NealH. That’s scary – I might have got some of it wrong!
FURLOUGH was tough for me, but only because I can’t spell the Irish for lake.
7d, Didn’t we have the platypus in something else recently?
I think the echidna needs an outing.

By: NealH

NealH — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:54:27 +0000

I rather carelessly put bustle for 3 down because it was the first word I thought of that matched the anagram and I thought maybe it was some obscure synonym. The online site accepted this and flashed up the message to say the puzzle was completed successfully (it does the same with subtle). On investigation, I see that it has regressed to flashing up the message as soon as all the squares are filled in rather than when they are filled in correctly.

I found the NE corner most difficult. For 5 down, I was convinced that it must be land???? because it was port (=left) + and. Styles was also quite tricky, as the only word I could think of that seemed vaguely to match the definition “forms” was “stalls”.