Comments on: Financial Times 13,538 / Armonie

By: bamberger

bamberger — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:57:57 +0000

After some early progress, had to use an anagram solver to get 1a & 5d which got me going.
Would never have got 6d -why does crosswordland always have obscure poets and painters rather than scientists and mathematicians?
8d couldn’t get order.
19d decided slipped was the answer as I without conviction decided joked =being lippy
Failed also on 14d & 26a
As seasoned Eye solver I got and enjoyed 20a.

By: smiffy

smiffy — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:06:09 +0000

Yes, a good, cohesive puzzle with a consistent ‘feel’ (it seems that Armonie tries, in the spirit of economy, to work with a self-imposed limit of eight words per clue max; and a much lower overall average).

I don’t recall encountering the anagram at 5D before, which raised a smile. And I assume that 23D is an intentional innuendo, rather than “lost in translation” (I can’t really figure a viable alternative for the surface). Have to concur with your pick of the bunch being 28A.

Thanks Agentzero.

By: Tony Welsh

Tony Welsh — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:55:19 +0000

10a was the last one I got. It was just about the only word which would fit, but it still took me a while to understand the clue. Unusual for words in the clue to do double duty like that.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 14:52:46 +0000

Thanks Agentzero. This was only a little harder than the puzzle by Armonie’s alter ego Chifonie in the Guardian today. I agree about the missing A in 22ac – I originally thought it must be the incorrectly-spelt RAINMENT (for RAIMENT), with firm = MEN.