Comments on: Independent 7,530 by Klingsor

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:59:17 +0000

Hi Anax I’m sure you know more about this than I do, but so far as I can see I think the papers should abandon their stock grids if they’re so bad, rather than expecting setters to accommodate their clues to these faulty grids. You don’t get any bad grids in The Times, and the FT seems to have abandoned the worst of the old ones, so it is possible for the Telegraph/Grauniad/Indy to adjust.

And do setters take stock grids, or do they just set the crossword on a grid constructed by themselves (I’ve read that nowadays not having to set in hot metal (?) and having more freedom, setters can produce their own grids and nobody minds)? I can’t believe that dreadful grid of Punk’s the other day was a standard one.

By: anax

anax — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:04:27 +0000

Hi Wil

To be fair there are a lot of stock grids out there (especially Tele/Graun) with a generous smattering of overunched lights. That doesn’t mean they’re popular, of course, but the point should be that the setter tries to write clues for these which aren’t overly difficult – or at least he should try to place cross-checkers which offer very few answers. -E-A-E- is bad; -Q-I-F- is good.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 23:41:10 +0000

The other day I criticised a Punk crossword because of its appalling grid, and the post (from an eminent setter) that followed mine said the same thing. This one is almost as bad: 10 out of 26 clues have less than 50% checking. One can accept this if there is a Nina, and there may well be one, but I can’t see it. Anyone?

If there is no Nina and The Independent is simply becoming un-Ximenean in this respect, what a pity. Because the rest of the crossword was really good. Repeatedly there were clues of a very high standard.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:43:29 +0000

Yes, a toughie today, glad I changed my routine to tackle it early. Lots of help required from Google (where a lot of time wasted on F Scott Fitzgerald), word finder and Chambers. One or two musical references as one expects from Klingsor. Thought 17d had to be either MORAVIA or BOHEMIA but couldn’t see for ages how either of them fitted the clue. Last to go in were PEYOTE and MAGENTA. Peyote was new to me; for anyone else wondering about it, Chambers gives it as “a Mexican intoxicant made from cactus tops – also called mescal”. I think mescal may have cropped up in crosswords before now.

By: Stella

Stella — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:44:33 +0000

Thanks Simon et al. for the clarifications, which were sorely needed

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:41:04 +0000

I too found this very tough and very enjoyable, favourites GHETTO, SABOTEUR, HEADLAND. Thanks, Klingsor, for the puzzle and Simon for the blog.

By: scchua

scchua — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:12:03 +0000

Thanks Simon for the blog and Klingsor for a tough one.

Finally completed it after a long slog. Quite a few tricky references, but all were clear after you got the answers.

Favourites were 2D SABOTEUR, a great surface reading, and aha! when you understood why the Champs Elysees; 4D PARAMOUR, a sufficiently ambiguous definition on first reading; and 17D MORAVIA.

By: Simon Harris

Simon Harris — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:31:23 +0000

Thanks for the clarifications, guys. It’s reassuring that others found it a toughie too.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:51:59 +0000

Thanks, G. Now I understand why I didn’t get it (nor would have, even if I’d kept trying till it got dark).

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:51:12 +0000

Yes, K’s D but apologies [especially to Simon] for the capitals missed in my haste – and Gaufrid’s just beaten me on MORAVIA!