Comments on: Financial Times 13,585 / Mudd

By: bamberger

bamberger — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:15:21 +0000

Thanks jmac -one for me to remember -brilliant misdirection.

By: jmac

jmac — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:37:22 +0000

Bamberger @ 10, re 2dn, the type of “number” is not of the 1 to ten variety, but an anaesthetic, i.e. “makes you grow numb”, thus “ether”.

By: bamberger

bamberger — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 08:03:30 +0000

If I’d got 1a , it would have opened up the NE. As it was I got about 40% out.
20a a new word for me
24a I didn’t know a flageolet was a flute as well as a bean.
2d I’m sorry but I still don’t get this. Release is untether. A whole number is a unit and we take i out-but how do we get ether, please?

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:53:51 +0000

Thanks to you all.
Got it now.
[and learnt something today]

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:38:25 +0000

N = November, Sil van Hoek at 5, further to Gaufrid’s comment at 6, it’s under November, not N, that you need to look in dicts for it. It’s the reverse of an abbreviation in a way.

By: jmac

jmac — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:00:38 +0000

For me an ideal sort of weekday puzzle – fun clues, all very fair, testing but not difficult. Thanks for your helpful blog Shuchi.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:56:47 +0000

Hi Sierra India Lima

Regarding N=November, try the NATO phonetic alphabet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICAO_spelling_alphabet

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:17:52 +0000

Indeed, a nice and not too challenging puzzle from Mr H.
Last one to go in was UNTETHER (2d), after which I was looking and looking and looking why. But your blog, shuchi, made it all clear – in fact, a very nice clue.

“November = N is in the dictionaries, so it’s fair I think”?
Whén it’s in there, yes.
But in which dictionaries?
I cannot find this abbreviation in Chambers 11th, nor in the Oxford Dictionary of English [nor in Collins Online].
I am not saying it’s wrong, especially since Ramasamy suggests that it is a radio code [but I've never heard of it], also knowing that Mr H is usually very precise.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:32:32 +0000

Very entertaining.

By: Ramasamy

Ramasamy — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:27:06 +0000

Shuchi

Sorry for the previous comment. N=November is perfectly fine, as it is a radio code! Remembered just now.