Comments on: Independent 7525 (Saturday Prize Puzzle 27 November 2010) by Bannsider

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:14:53 +0000

Hi reddevil
Congratulations! I should be able to send you a copy of the puzzle. Just give me half an hour or so.

By: redddevil

redddevil — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:25:44 +0000

Apologies for resurrecting this thread but I have just had the most pleasant experience of the receipt of an Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus for having been drawn out of the hat as ‘winner’ for this crossword. Given that barely 6 months ago I was telling my better half not to bother buying the Indie if the crossword was by Bannsider “because they were too hard” it shows how far I’ve come with the help of the blogs and comments on this site.
So thanks to all the bloggers here and maybe you could tell me if there is somewhere whence I could retrieve the original puzzle itself as it has been ‘tidied’ here and I’d like to have a copy of it as a reminder.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:35:26 +0000

I found this v hard, v inventive and original – favourite clues HOLD ONE’S OWN, OPT, OCTAGONAL, LOBBY (best of all), THE OLD BAILEY,
Thanks, Bannsider, for the puzzle and Duncan for the excellent blog.

By: Bannsider

Bannsider — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:02:51 +0000

Thanks to Duncan for an amazing blog. These blogs enrich the experience for solvers and setters alike.
I don’t have the puzzle in front of me, but the clue for 1 across should have read “…good bye” or “good-bye” indicating that two separate abbreviations were called for, for “good” and “bye”. Also, in the DESPAIR clue, “for one” indicated “for example” as pants are an example of a PAIR of something, but I guess it could read equally validly the other way.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:25:51 +0000

Thanks, Duncan, for the explanations. There were several entries which I got because they couldn’t be anything else but didn’t completely understand; BREMNER and WAXWING aforementioned, also TOASTING FORK.
I wasn’t all that happy with GB as an abbreviation for “goodbye”, either – though I recall a feeble schoolboy-type joke many years ago: What does GB on the back of a car mean? – Goodbye!

By: Duncan Shiell

Duncan Shiell — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 09:07:35 +0000

anax

It was only whilst writing the blog that I realised that CLOSE-KNIT had the wordplay described.

scchua

The full wordplay from BREMNER also came late to me.

Thanks for the comment on 18 down. I was vaguely aware that ‘Brazilian’ had a another meaning. My wife tells me that I have led too sheltered a life.

By: scchua

scchua — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 08:20:00 +0000

Thanks Duncan for the blog, and thanks to Bannsider for an enjoyable puzzle. As mentioned many clues which were a pleasure to parse.

Missed out on one, 3D BREMNER, for some reason, I applied the “What ends” indicator to only “hubbub” and didn’t continue from then on.

Personal favourites were 23A IRAN-IRAQ WAR, 4D THE OLD BAILEY, and 14D SCOOBY-DOO.

By the way re 18D WAXWING, I felt that “giving, say, Brazilian” pointed rather more to “waxing” than “wax”, and you might be (or not) be familiar with “Brazilian waxing”.

By: anax

anax — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:57:24 +0000

As ever, Duncan, a stunning piece of comprehensive bloggery – there really should be some sort of award for efforts like this (like, er, comments?).

And, as ever, a testing and utterly satisfying crossword from one in the upper stratosphere of setters. IRAN-IRAQ WAR is just the sort of seemingly impossible-to-clue entries Bannsider relishes; and how smoothly he’s pulled it off!

I’m very grateful for your explanation of 6d because until now I thought it was an unusually characterless clue. Turns out it was another example of brilliantly concealed wordplay and I’m annoyed with myself for missing it.

Marvellous puzzle, marvellous blog – thanks both.