Comments on: Guardian Quiptic 576/Hectence

By: Pierre

Pierre — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:00:07 +0000

Hi tmesis, good to hear from you.

In all the Quiptics we’ve blogged so far there has never been a truly ‘quick’ clue, but your quote from the NSOED is fair enough, so maybe I’m convinced after all that it’s just a double definition. But I think from the comments we’ve had it’s not one of the best.

Hope you’ll contribute again to the Quiptic blogs. We were hoping to encourage some new solvers to let us know what they thought.

By: tmesis

tmesis — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:18:04 +0000

Could it be that 14d isn’t cryptic at all. After all this crossword is supposed to be a mix of cryptic and quick clues. Maybe this is the obligatory single quick clue (usually ignored anyway)

NSOED gives a definition for digger of “A miner, esp. one who searches for gold”. This fits the clue perfectly.

BTW I thought this was the easiest Quiptic for a few weeks.

By: Pommers

Pommers — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:54:34 +0000

Oh! Seems to have put the link in automatically! Technology always seems to be one step ahead of me!

By: Pommers

Pommers — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:53:24 +0000

OK, I think we all seem to agree about 14d but it should not detract from a good puzzle. So again, thanks Hectence.
As to whether this was a good ‘starter’ puzzle I’m not so sure. I found the cryptic a lot easier today but maybe that’s just because I was on the right wavelength.
Starter puzzle can be found at http://www.bestforpuzzles.com. Free online puzzle every day. Sorry,I don’t know if I could put that in as a link – I’m a technopeasant!
Thanks for the review Pierre.

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:22:33 +0000

Forgot to say thanks, Pierre for your nice blog. I didn’t understand 23a until I saw your explanation.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:08:34 +0000

Thanks, Robi, for the GM link – that’s fair enough, and mine wasn’t a big gripe about the clue.

I think we’ve all come to the conclusion that GOLD MINER may just about work, but wasn’t one of Hectence’s finest. Didn’t stop it being an enjoyable solve overall, though.

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:34:30 +0000

Bonny little Pierre surfaces. I took 14d as in the phrase “mining for the truth” discovering what’s going on.

Aussies looked shell shocked after that game. Superb innings from the top 3.

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:06:31 +0000

P.S. GM is also an accepted abbreviation for genetic modification. See, for example: http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/gm/

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:53:46 +0000

Did this after eventual wrestle with the Cryptic. I think ‘miner’ may be used in the sense of data mining:
‘data miner’
(n.) A software application that monitors and/or analyzes the activities of a computer, and subsequently its user, of the purpose of collecting information that typically will be used for marketing purposes.

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 15:02:54 +0000

Finished after a small struggle. Pleased to see it isn’t just the fuzzy brain effect this time if the level is generally agreed upon.