Comments on: Independent 7621 by Crosophile

By: ele

ele — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 07:46:35 +0000

Plants are said to ‘set’ seed so 17d does seem OK.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:52:56 +0000

Some good stuff here but the six clues with bad checking led me to believe that there was a Nina there. There wasn’t. In which case they can’t be justified, in my opinion at least (although evidently not that of several others). I felt that in 11ac d = penny was unsatisfactory, since p = penny and 40 years after decimalisation shouldn’t the old penny be signposted? I felt 11dn was a very weak cd, unless I’m missing something. In 17dn how does sets = runs to seed? (It’s probably there in some dictionary, not to hand.) 20dn seemed a bit loose: how does it work exactly? I can’t see what ‘to’ is doing.

By: Crosophile

Crosophile — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:55:07 +0000

Thanks, nmsindy,for the blog and thanks for all other comments, too. Helpful, to one just starting to break into ‘straight’ cryptic setting (at least, I hope so), to know what goes down well and what doesn’t. I’ll take note.
And I’d better start putting in some ninas!
Incidentally, 20d Italic. I was a bit having my cake and eating it with the Pisa ref. since Italic is also ‘relating to Italy’.
And yes, Kathryn’s Dad, there was a subliminal nod to Descartes in 19a (I think…!)

By: ele

ele — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:43:11 +0000

Thanks nmsindy and Crosophile. Liked this one, although zoo keeper, tightwads and amigo took time. Zoo keeper was last in – thought of lots of unlikely keepers (loo keepers, dog keepers!) before the penny dropped, but needed your blog to explain the wordplay completely. Didn’t see the &lit until right at the end.

By: Lenny

Lenny — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:25:16 +0000

This was enjoyable and not too taxing apart from my last two, Contradict and Zoo keeper. I was contemplating going through all 676 possibilities for ?O?. This might have taken me a long time given that the answer is Zoo. Instead I had a hot bath and the answer came to me by osmosis. Clearly it was the T’ in contradict and the O’ in Zoo Keeper that threw me. These are more often seen in barred crosswords but they are not particularly obscure and I cannot see any particular objection to them.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:49:12 +0000

Thanks, nms.

When I was doing this, I was saying to myself ‘this is solid, but not particularly inspiring’, but when I’d finally finished and then read your blog, I revised this opinion. There was indeed some inventive clueing; I also liked SWEETTALKS and SEQUENCE. Nice to see plenty of scientific abbreviations in as well – Kelvin, Angular Momentum and Mass – and perhaps an unintended nod to Descartes at 19c.

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:35:29 +0000

Have to agree that 17d doesn’t quite work for me, orders almost had me beat expecting a deeper wordplay.

Thanks NMS and Crosophile.

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:13:40 +0000

PS and I thought “is unlocked briefly” is more reflective of OPE rather than OPES in 15D.

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:04:25 +0000

Thanks for the blog nmsindy and Crosophile for an enjoyable puzzle.

Favourites were 10A SWEET TALK, 13A SEQUENCE and 25A TIGHTWADS. I thought there was a bit of over-reliance on single letter abbreviations: 18A COWARDLY: C(ombined) O(perations), 25A CONTRADICT: T for T(he), notwithstanding its Northern usage, and 5D ZOO KEEPER: O for O(n), but I guess that’s setter’s licence.