Comments on: Independent 7647/Dac http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/ Never knowingly undersolved. Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:51:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Gaufrid http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157086 Gaufrid Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:11:56 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157086 Hi Andvari
There is no need for a homophone indicator in 13ac. Chambers has – volt or volte: “a sudden movement or leap to avoid a thrust (fencing)”.

]]> By: Allan_C http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157085 Allan_C Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:00:23 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157085 ORTANIQUE was one of my first ones in. It was one of those clues where you get a hunch as to what’s going on. In this case ‘or’ and ‘tan’ came quite easily then it clicked that “from france” referred to ‘que’ and
Good point, Andvari, about VOLT being a homophone of ‘vault’; why didn’t I think of it? I was thinking of ‘la volta’, a dance popular in the time of Elizabeth I which involved some high leaps.
I had a vague idea I’d heard of an ortanique. A quick check in Chambers and there it was.
Favourites? ORTANIQUE, PLAIN JANE and AS THE CROW FLIES.
But I failed to spot that we had a pangram.

]]> By: Andvari http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157061 Andvari Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:34:23 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157061 I liked this one a lot, never heard of an ortanique, so learnt something too. Loved 2d and 24 – misleading and lateral definitions always make a good clue for me.

Re: 12 – I wouldn’t describe it as an &lit. there is the definition and then after the colon the fodder and “if relaxed” as an anagram indicator.

Re: 13 (a good clue), I didn’t think of volte face, though yes it could be related to that; to me it was as a homophone of “vault”, though whether “to make” is enough of an indicator I don’t know but I made the connection and am certainly nowhere near the top of the solving spectrum so it couldn’t have been too bad.

]]> By: spb http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157039 spb Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:08:13 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157039 Excellent puzzle and a satisfying solve. My favourite was ‘guesthouse’ until John explained the parsing of 12a which was so smooth a surface it completely escaped me.

]]> By: Kathryn's Dad http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157029 Kathryn's Dad Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:40:07 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157029 It was a good puzzle, but I failed on a couple in the SW corner. PLAIN JANE was the one I appreciated today for its misdirection, but plenty of other goodies as well. You’re right, I think, John: I’ve said myself before that the fact that comparatively few comments come in is a reflection of the quality of Dac’s clueing and elegant surfaces.

]]> By: Wanderer http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157028 Wanderer Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:38:14 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157028 Thanks John and Dac, this was lovely. North East corner held me up as I had never heard of Ortanique. But when I finally realised this was going to be a pangram (which I only noticed when solving PLAIN JANE, after already having such solutions as ZIDANE and AXIS), I started looking for the only letters I didn’t have: Q and V. This got me ORTANIQUE, LIQUOR and VOLT to help me finish. Not sure I’d have ever done so otherwise! Great stuff.

]]> By: nmsindy http://www.fifteensquared.net/2011/04/20/independent-7647dac/#comment-157018 nmsindy Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:47:04 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=28619#comment-157018 Yes, this was very good even by Dac’s exalted standards, thanks to him and to John for the blog. Favourite today ANALYSED (great misdirection), also TOY SPANIEL, GOING TO THE WALL, AS THE CROWS FLIES, LIQUOR, UNREASON, ONUS.

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