Comments on: Guardian 25,219 / Brendan

By: paul8hours

paul8hours — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 10:25:01 +0000

An excellent & educating puzzle that I got to late in the day, which is probably why I was happy to put in Rave Band for 20A like one or two others. Many thanks to setter & blogger.

By: William

William — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 09:29:59 +0000

Double thanks to you, Duncan. Firstly for the excellent blog, and secondly for the top tip you shared recently (Bonxie’s LEFT) for solving this sort of themed puzzle. I wrote a list and had BILLIE JEAN, HEROD & MARTIN LUTHER together with some chess references, before I read the clues.

Good puzzle, Brendan.

By: slipstream

slipstream — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:23:14 +0000

In 12 across and 22 across, I think “King’s names” refers to “Martin” and “Luther” as names for “Martin Luther King.”

By: Carrots

Carrots — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:09:10 +0000

Very beguiling puzzle….and one I would have finished if my impulsiveness hadn`t shot me in the foot. BOND MARKET indeed instead of BOND STREET…which had the knock-on effect of trying every which way to get BECKKER (sic) (a la Boris) into 17 across instead of FEDERER. One of the driving convictions (got another today) was that I refused to believe INGATHER was a legitimate word.

No complaints Brendan (and thanks Duncan): it wuz a fair cop!

By: muck

muck — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:59:23 +0000

Thanks to Brendan for an entertaining solve, as always.
And to Duncan for a stylish blog

By: Dave Ellison

Dave Ellison — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:34:55 +0000

Daniel @22. I thought that, too, but wasn’t convinced; another anagram of “and brave” is “vane bard” which makes even less sense.

The multitude of kings seemed much less jarring than the lefts of Bonxie last week.

By: Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:01:11 +0000

Are you sure 20 across can not be Rave Band:

King, for example, and brave jester (and brave – jester (?) – anagram) – King the band being a New Wave or perhaps Rave Band…

By: Robi

Robi — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:55:25 +0000

Thanks Brendan and Duncan for an entertaining puzzle.

Not sure I would ever use incase rather than encase or ingather rather than gather in.

I thought the primate was bonobo at first until I saw the light. 19d raised a smile, although it took a while to get it.

Rather late in the day due to many distractions.

By: Roger

Roger — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:39:24 +0000

Thanks tupu and Stella for nudging me into Googleland and the discovery of more travel quotes than I know what to do with !
I rather like this from Robert Louis Stevenson: “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign.”
A bit like solving crosswords sometimes, I guess. Happy wanderings !

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:36:36 +0000

Many thanks, Duncan.

Probably my fastest Brendan solve ever but no less enjoyable for that. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I did ‘Ozymandias’ for A level and thought the anagram was great, and liked the two tennis references.

I’m afraid I never even thought of looking for King Martin or Luther!

[Hi tupu - you contrived to link yesterday's puzzle to your going to see 'The King's Speech. That's where I have just as appropriately just been! ]

Many thanks, Brendan, for an excellent puzzle.