Comments on: Financial Times 13,614 / Sleuth http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/ Never knowingly undersolved. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 11:45:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Scarpia http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/#comment-150112 Scarpia Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:08:59 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=26333#comment-150112 Thanks smiffy.
A very good but difficult puzzle.As you say a lot of famous names featured,so a bit of general knowledge was required.Maybe some of the clues were a bit vague – actor,composer,novelist,writer – but I think the definitions were clear enough to compensate.
Struggled with 11 across by trying to fit S or N in there,don’t think I’ve come across the po abbreviation before,made a nice change.
FLAUBERT was brilliant.

]]> By: Tony Welsh http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/#comment-150086 Tony Welsh Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:11:24 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=26333#comment-150086 Re. FLAUBERT, I think that was my favorite clue! Though I did not get it until I had most of the cross letters. Interestingly, the one I did not have was FOSTER. Sleuth could have perhaps made it a bit easier by saying “French writer” in 1d in the same way as he said “English writer” in 1a. Since one’s natural assumption would be English it seems odd to mention the nationality when it is the “default” but not when it isn’t!

]]> By: Tony Welsh http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/#comment-150085 Tony Welsh Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:04:21 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=26333#comment-150085 Finished it all bar one, STIR. Should have got this. Didn’t understand 11a wordplay and still don’t. I guess BUM is POOR, but is PO an accepted abbreviation of POLE?

Got stuck on 6d thinking the composer had to be BACH, until I got CYPERCAFEand all was clear. Got 18d without understanding why. Never heard of Anthony Sher I am afraid.

]]> By: bamberger http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/#comment-150083 bamberger Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:02:51 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=26333#comment-150083 Thanks Smiffy.
Had a two hour train journey to try to unpick this and got about half way through.

Would never have got Flaubert.

Not happy about 18d -never heard of Sher but even if I had, actor hardly gives much of a hint.

10a I toyed with boardwalk until 10d scuppered that. Then thought about coastline until 7d scotched that.

]]> By: Nestorius http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/02/10/financial-times-13614-sleuth/#comment-150067 Nestorius Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:25:16 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=26333#comment-150067 Not fiendishly difficult but plenty to chew over. Not a quickie.

It did help once I spotted the setter’s predilection for cultural references.

I particularly liked 20 down with the fine misdirection of “one inside”, 23d with nice smooth surface.

Thanks to Sleuth & smiffy for the fun.

]]>