Comments on: Guardian 25,230 – Crucible

By: Anne A

Anne A — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:03:36 +0000

“Too good” is used quite commonly in Australia. Sorry for delayed post – we are quite a bit behind in the Guardian crossword we get in the Courier Mail (Brisbane), and I’m a bit behind in my stockpile! Really enjoy the posts, and they have been very helpful.

By: rfb

rfb — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:01:19 +0000

Have to agree with #42. Also with the previous comment re S being used as an abbreviation for sea. There were some nice clues, and the theme was good, but only a B+ in my opinion.

By: Ken

Ken — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:13:13 +0000

Scout is not only an expedition leader but has an archaic sense of mocking which is a behaviour lacking restraint!

By: maarvarq

maarvarq — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 06:35:16 +0000

"Current" as the definition of a river name? "Amaze" as a purported synonym of "electrify"? This and the wildly out-of-date chestnut of there being only five senses (move past Aristotle, guys) adds up to pretty sloppy cluing in my book.

By: eldee

eldee — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:49:49 +0000

In case anyone ever sees this, and notwithstanding Crucible’s apology at 21, doesn’t “Golden” remove the alleged ambiguity? “Sixtieth” in the implied context would be “Diamond”.

By: Gordon Roy

Gordon Roy — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:25:35 +0000

I have to agree with Andrew and not Thomas99. Porter is NOT Stout today, and may never have been from what I have been told. I know this from having worked as a consultant for the excellent Ringwood Brewery, before it was bought by Marstons, and from three other breweries also. Stout uses roasted barley, Porter uses malted barley. That is why Stout tastes richer and more chocolatey, but Porter tastes deeper and sweeter [when made properly]. By the way I would not touch Guinness with a bargepole. Why would anyone want to drink beer served via Nitrogen, barely better than with CO2. Unfortunately this makes it all but impossible to get any real beer in Ireland.

As for 22A I think an alternative clue would have been “Her letters are primarily about usual nephew troubles. The connection with nephew would make it a nicer connection.

By: Dynamic

Dynamic — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:30:07 +0000

Only did this today. Struggled to get a start and got a few answers at a time, but enjoyed some interesting constructions and liked the theme. Struggled dreadfully in the NE corner and resorted to this blog.

I guess a “perfect interval” would more clearly define it musically as either a perfect fifth or a perfect fourth thanks to the near-perfect ratios 3/2 and 4/3 between the frequencies (and the latter is ruled out here by not being spelled forth), whereas sixth could be either a minor or a major interval (as could a third, commonly).

As to the ‘French art’, I like it. They retain both familiar and formal versions of YOU, tu and vous, while we’ve dropped the familiar form from English except in biblical passages and a few dialects such as in Yorkshire. The most common verbs, to be and to have are where the verb forms often differ most between the types of “you”.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 06:11:57 +0000

A very uneven one! There were a few really lovely clues — I hadn’t met this lovely use “French art” before, and 15a was also short and sweet — and the theme (along with other hidden bonuses) was great fun; but several other clues left a bad taste in my mouth: the ambiguities of 50th/60th/90th and scout/Scott, and the refuge to obscure meanings of “road” and “current” was distinctly unsatisfying. I found myself hitting the “check” button on almost every other answer, which I usually avoid like the plague…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:32:54 +0000

aka Redshank in the FT

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:32:15 +0000

So Crucible is aka in the FT – What a surprise!

Judging by the double bill that was served up on the same day. I guess that the FT pays a lot more than The Grauniad?