Comments on: Independent 7,655 by Morph

By: redddevil

redddevil — Mon, 02 May 2011 07:51:59 +0000

Will at #18 don’t see why ‘almost half’ has to be less than half. Surely 5/8 and 3/8 are equally ‘almost a half’?
Personally I enjoyed the cleverness of fitting the clues into the theme but then I enjoyed the pageantry of the event too so you’ll all probably cast me as the ogre!

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 08:16:41 +0000

scchua – “Enjoyable as a crossword on its own merit” – hear, hear!

By: scchua

scchua — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 23:53:06 +0000

Thanks for the blog flashling and Morph for a reasonably difficult puzzle. Last two in required a night’s sleep thus the late comment.

Can understand the quandary Morph was in and imho he’s done a good job. Enjoyable as a crossword on its own merit on any other day. Studiously stayed away from the tube today avoiding anything to do with The Event, which was a Big Yawn to me, which even the BBC couldn’t stay away from. Seems that I was totally outnumbered in a pre-broadcast opinion poll.

Also seems that one of the prerequisites of being an Indy solver is to be a 31A! Or is that going too far? (smiley here)

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:28:38 +0000

Awful lot of talk about the events of the day. Can I raise a comparatively trivial point to do with one of the clues in this crossword, or would that be seen as off topic? At 27dn the wordplay is ‘almost half the country’ and it’s a reversal of the Urug of Uruguay. To me this seems like ‘more than half the country’.

And I thought 17dn was brilliant.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:28:31 +0000

@Phi #16 or do a certain crossword rather than another? Bed time now, painkillers calling. Night all.

By: Phi

Phi — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:00:29 +0000

There are those of us who, with tongue more-or-less firmly in cheek, claim to avoid partisan crowds (dressed in colours and flags, faces painted, chanting inarticulately, and corralled by a massive police presence) because they’re only off to watch the football or a pop-group…

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:41:20 +0000

Well PB you did yesterday’s FT not here, so I missed it. Would like to be in on the joke(s) though.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:27:39 +0000

Well, I think Morph’s done at least as well any any of us who had a crack at something which through sheer force of mindless tabloid (and tabloid tv) coverage warranted a nod.

If I can remember as far back as is necessary, I tried to be rude about this yesterday by pinning the protagonists’ identities to those of characters in one of Snakespeare’s most deeply offensive and misogynistic plays, but no-one seemed to dig that route into it either.

It’s frigging well cursed, this gig, that’s what it is.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:50:48 +0000

@Sil #12 Kate&Will spoonerism. Marvellous! Well it worked with Diana. (allegedly )

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:38:56 +0000

What I liked about this crossword was Morph referring to That Thing Today in his clues, so nót in the solutions.
Just like Gaff in the FT and unlike Paul today who had one great topical clue but didn’t make it clear why he wanted for once the (this!) Friday spot.

Well done Morph!
Don’t be too grumpy, eimi.
And Paul B, I fully understand what you mean.
A lot today was pathetic, including screaming girls as if it were the sixties (anachronistic?).

Well done flashling, too.
Luckily there wasn’t the obvious Spoonerism for Kate & Will today …
Or am I going too far now? [I hope (referring to the smiley)]