Comments on: Financial Times 13,592 by Mudd

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:37:08 +0000

Wil, Thank you for that. I felt strongly that it could not be a mistake on Mudd’s part and your confirmation makes my confidence very strong.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:02:53 +0000

Pete I think you’re absolutely correct on nutmeg, despite Sil’s fervent pleas.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:35:42 +0000

When this indeed was once a point of discussion, I’m glad I wasn’t part of it.
And I think, Mudd would have been be pleased too.
I think he was so much focused on “Spice (+) Girl” that he made a mistake.
And a mistake it is, in my perception.
I just do not want to understand what you’re saying in #8.
If we allow this, then up=down, above=under, before=after – and so on and on and on.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:43:51 +0000

Well, perhaps it comes down to the fact that such things can be understood to depend on the viewpoint of the observer. If MEG is moving from left to right across your field of vision and NUT is pursuing MEG then you will observe them with NUT on the left relative to MEG. Thus NUT+MEG. And perhaps it does not help, in this case, to think of pursuing as “following” since “following” has a broader meaning.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:15:30 +0000

Pete, when you say ‘it works okay’, then I’m very curious to know how.
Until then I can only read “MEG pursued by NUT” as NUT following/going after/chasing MEG.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:42:06 +0000

Sil, I realize I was wrong about 24ac (MARGARINE). I was thinking of MARE (as in Weston-Super-Mare) but there would need to be an extra insertion indicator for that to work! Thanks for the correction.

I have seen discussions before about the use of “pursuing” as in 27ac (NUTMEG). I understand the reasoning of those who object to it but I think it works okay.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:18:03 +0000

I guess that competition puzzles, with more time to solve them before the deadline, can be allowed to be a little bit harder and, esp looking at bamberger’s comments at #4, I think that is what happened here. The clues seemed to me to be fair, but it took me quite a bit longer to solve than the FT normally would do on average. Have seen various US States used in the S US device in the past eg Florida (14 Across). Must admit that in 8dn when I saw ‘foreign newspaper’ Le Monde was the first that occurred to me. GURNARD was new to me too, but, when I’d the crossing letters, I guessed it tentatively from the wordplay and was then pleased to confirm it when verifying and have put it in my memory bank.

By: bamberger

bamberger — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:41:16 +0000

I solved the fewest amount of clues in this than any other FT Sat/Mon puzzle since I started doing them last year.
11a Out of all the fish in the world, ling is quite obscure and then you have to pick the correct shellfish. Hard.
14a SUS new to me
15a Very difficult having to get the correct author and the correct alternative to fat.
18a Not a word I’ve come across.
24a I would hardly call margarine an item of food-though I did once know someone who ate half a tub with a spoon rather than throw it out. And even then gar and mare aren’t obvious.
20d Corsage new to me
26a It wouldn’t have hurt to let us know if we wanted a male or female singer.
8d Of all the foreign newspapers , you need this one. Surely we could have been told it was french or if that was too obvious, european

Well done Pete-clearly a tough one.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:43:22 +0000

Thanks Pete.
A good,fun puzzle from Mudd.
Like you,I wasn’t keen on mummy for EGYPTIAN but I suppose mummys are most closely associated with ancient Egypt…what I call an allusive definition.
I agree with Sil,whichever way I try to read it,27 across is wrong.Also read 14 across in the same way as Sil.
I think the question mark in 14 across makes it o.k.
21 down was my favourite.

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 22:53:19 +0000

Thanks, Pete, I share your reservations about MUMMY – it’s the only one I circled. I now remember that I was also unhappy with the clue for NUTMEG, as was Sil.

I remembered the verb ‘to chin’ someone from way back when but it isn’t in my Chambers – I must treat myself to the new edition. It doesn’t have pes, either, from the other week. I haven’t checked Collins.

I thought it was ‘gar’ in ‘marine’ and BEGRUDGE was particularly good.

All in all a very enjoyable puzzle – thank you Mudd.