Comments on: Guardian 25,242 / Paul

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:15:53 +0000

Thanks Roger, now corrected.

By: Roger

Roger — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:00:24 +0000

Hi Gaufrid, if you’re within earshot, this is puzzle number 25242 (not 25252). Just for the record.

By: Carrots

Carrots — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:55:44 +0000

I was looking forward to this but had completed only half (or so) in over 90 minutes. Cuisine Francais is the second love of my life, but helped me not at all.

mhl`s blog was very useful in reminding me of my shortcomings. I will go to the Savoy Grill for lunch with the Eumenides by way of atonement.

By: guybles

guybles — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 23:34:25 +0000

I lose track of how long I’ve been attempting to solve the Guardian cryptic – three years now? – yet this is only the second one I have managed all by myself. Tragically, the last one was 24,870. Still, I got there with no need to resort to anagram solvers, dictionaries, missing letter tools or – no offence intended – having to consult you lot.

I did smirk at the cheek of 25a, nearly blew it on 21a (wrong homophone) and only really got 14a from patient assembly as the very last answer, but delighted in getting this one in the end.

Of course, it’ll be about another 400 crosswords until I can say that again.

By: Qaos

Qaos — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:39:58 +0000

A thoroughly enjoyable crossword with 12,1 being the pick for me.

By: Davy

Davy — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:13:36 +0000

Thanks mhl,

This was a very entertaining puzzle from Paul and on first reading of the clues, I thought that I probably wouldn’t get anywhere with this but then I saw SARKOZY and most of it just fell into place. Took me ages to get DISCO (a horrible place of my youth) and SADDLE (I was trying for SETTEE or SETTLE till DISCO crept in).
As Derek says at 16, sometimes I can lose the plot with Paul but this puzzle was very accessible. My French is very basic but the expressions here were fairly well known and not too difficult to suss out. My favourite clue was definitely INSANE which amused me.

Congratulations to Mr Halpern and Taline (unusual name) and I hope you will be happy together as The Turtles used to sing.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:21:14 +0000

Sure a few smiles but not nearly as many as the blog has supplied!
G’night all, Martin and Sue

By: Paul8hours

Paul8hours — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:14:49 +0000

Congrats all round & relief again that French is the preferred language of Guardian setters. I see ‘Frogs Legs’ made it into the Quick today as well !

By: yogdaws

yogdaws — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:28:02 +0000

Thanks mhl and Paul

Concur with Ian W on crustiness of French oaths…but what the hell. It’s kind of in keeping with the stuffy old frog-bashing theme.

Plus, I can forgive Paul almost anything for providing so many chuckles over the years.

And he’s getting married.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 14:19:47 +0000

Hi Robi@21, you’re quite right. It didn’t occur to me to look for such a (p)rosaic letter, once I’d identified the usual candidates – and yesterday I missed the pangram altogether, until you pointed it out.