Comments on: Financial Times 13,598 by Cincinnus

By: Jack Aubrey

Jack Aubrey — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:53:51 +0000

Returned from a week in the Alps to find a copy of the Good Word Guide on the doorstep courtesy of the FT. I think it was probably this one where I fell lucky but I may never know!

By: bamberger

bamberger — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:00:51 +0000

Demotic was new to me and never heard of Menton.
Got about 2/3 out .

Thanks for the explanations for the ones I couldn’t crack.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 01:23:46 +0000

9A, LOADS of course. What was I thinking? Thanks, folks.

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:48:41 +0000

A lovely puzzle – thanks Pete and Cincinnus.

Like Sil, I had LOADS for 9a.

By: Cincinnus

Cincinnus — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:33:47 +0000

Re 4 down: nmsindy has found the key.

The definition is cribbed from Chambers (11th edition), which has as definition no. 15 of crib: “A key or baldly literal translation, used as an aid by students, etc”.

Regards to all.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 19:10:54 +0000

I think CRIB = KEY refers to a literal translation that was sometimes given to, say, Latin texts when they used to be taught in schools quite a while back.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:33:31 +0000

Thanks Pete.
Usual good stuff from Cincinnus.13 across – I first thought PNDIT was a misprint,very clever clue!
I also thought CRIB = KEY was perhaps pushing the boundaries but came across this definition on WordWeb –

A crib is a section of an encoded or enciphered message that can easily be rendered into plain text, thus providing a tool whereby a skilled cryptanalyst can crack the entire code or message. A famous example of a “crib” from outside the world of espionage is the Rosetta Stone, used to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:33:37 +0000

Yes, another good Cincinnus.
As if it doesn’t take any effort.
Last Saturday (in Derby) I had the pleasure to meet Cincinnus, but unfortunately I was not yet in a talkative mood at that time of the day.

Pete, I’m sure you mean to say that NON-USAGE is ‘pundit’ (SAGE) with the U removed. Well, you say it more or less.
In 9ac, though, we differ.
The answer must surely be LOADS (dd).