Comments on: Guardian No 25,243 by Arachne

By: crosser

crosser — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:10:12 +0000

Sil @55
Many thanks for your full answer to my question and certainly no hurt feelings. Since the two parts of the clue are distinct from each other, I don’t sense any reference to America in the second part. This means that I don’t agree with your interpretation, political or otherwise. But, as you suggest, we all have our own perception and we can all be right or wrong. Thank goodness, since otherwise the world would be very boring!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 18:57:33 +0000

crosser @54, sorry to hurt any feelings (if I do), but the answer to your question can only be based on my interpretation of Arachne’s thoughts on politics (in which I may be completely wrong, of course).

But when you would take, let’s say, the last 10 Arachne crosswords, you will find that in each puzzle there are several surfaces referring to politics, and America and/or Conservatives in particular. Always with a light left-wingish undertone.

So, when I see ‘State’ in one of her clues, like in this puzzle, my mind more or less automatically goes in the direction of the US, certainly when the rest of the clue is not that neutral [one might even think of the death penalty, for example]. Whether that’s right or wrong, is another matter.

Yet, I have a feeling that Arachne in a way puts something of herself in the clue-writing.
It is this personal touch that gives her crosswords just that little bit extra.
As I said, it’s only my perception.
Maybe I see things that aren’t there.
But I like it.

By: crosser

crosser — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:54:51 +0000

Hi Sil
It’s a bit late so you may not see this, but why do you say @51 “Even if the State in 2d (UTAH) has nothing to do with the surface of the clue, that surface is in a way referring to something American.”?

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:07:40 +0000

Martin, your “U” = sexless makes the only reasonable parsing I have seen for 24a, and explains why I never would have got past pencil on it. Like ABH. And GS. Britishisms too far away for me here in the USA. Also penciled COMMISSION, though I “buy it” now; SEE RED due to the typo in (6); CUCKOO; AT HOME; ROMAN NOSE, though I was fairly confident of it. Got nowhere near some novelist I have never heard of and probably never will. For 12d I had THINK AGAIN or THINK TWICE, but lacked checks to decide, and never caught the “think” x 2 device.

So a very mixed bag here – some very delightful clues and surfaces and tricks, some I simply never would get due to cultural gaps, and some I think shouldn’t have got past an editor.

Thanks Arachne and PeterO and everyone else who helped parse some of the odder clues!

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:39:47 +0000

Ouch! This crossword hurt my brain. Thanks PeterO for helping me out.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:31:53 +0000

Hi tupu,
when I say: “As always, political references (one of the things I like in her clueing), often pointing at the US” are part of Arachne’s crosswords, I’m not referring to specific things nor do I say she’s right or wrong [I do have a preference, though].
Look at Arachne’s previous crosswords, and there are always clues that have a political surface. That’s what I wanted to express.

Even if the State in 2d (UTAH) has nothing to do with the surface of the clue, that surface is in a way referring to something American.
Like it or not, but it is one of the reasons that I want to kiss her, the spider woman …

By: Martin H

Martin H — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:24:59 +0000

Evening Sil – my problem with 22d is that ‘presentiment’ is not ‘about time’: part of presentiment ie ‘presennt’ is. ‘About’ doesn’t mean ‘contains’. Perhaps something like ‘Presentiment involving lifespan’ would have been closer to what was needed. But, as you say, we got it. Hmmm, is that enough?

By: tupu

tupu — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:39:40 +0000

Hi Sil

I’m a bit unsure about a US political point. Tea Party, though the reference is American, is clued pretty neutrally, and ‘kettled students’ – potentially the most controversial reference – is home based.

The political edge of the Utah axe went past me but you may well be right there! Google reveals that there is a strong contemporary effort to axe public education there. If this is referred to, you and the puzzle are very up-to-date indeed! see
http://utahlegislaturewatch.org/2011/02/10/education-facing-the-budget-axe/

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:25:34 +0000

Martin P, your post wasn’t on there when I started writing my (long) post, so I couldn’t see that there was someone out there with the same idea. A nice idea, isn’t it?

By: Martin P

Martin P — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:19:10 +0000

Hi Sil so you didn’t like my “u” equals film classification meaning no sex then?