Comments on: Independent 7,667/Nimrod – Be afraid…

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Sat, 14 May 2011 06:47:36 +0000

Seems like a lot of us got the ‘triskaidekaphobic’ part of the nina and then were stumped. I was trying to make it into “A triskaidekaphobic’s –igg” having got everything except 16a and 19a.

When Z, then X and K emerged fairly early I wondered if we were going to have a pangram for the third day in a row.

Favourites: INTERBREED and BREADCRUMB

By: Quixote

Quixote — Sat, 14 May 2011 05:51:09 +0000

Fun — and relatively easy for a Nimrod after I woke up on Saturday.
Go for his cryptic definitions, that’s my advice. RADICES the last one in and I only understood the FRIGGA bit after coming here. The Telegraph Toughie by the same setter on a similar theme was quite a bit harder. Well done, colleague!

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:29:06 +0000

Thank you to Pelham Barton and Mustyx for your explanations of BELLADONNA. Much better than my feeble offering at 4. Some of this went over my head, but I greatly enjoyed it.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Fri, 13 May 2011 16:17:04 +0000

bamberger @17:

That is the essence of a good hidden clue, and why I dislike the alternative term “embedded”.

By: bamberger

bamberger — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:53:01 +0000

I got well over half way with but even with more time I don’t think I would have got amniote, radices and lexemes. How did I miss the hidden word at 22d?

Thanks for the blog

By: Mick H

Mick H — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:37:09 +0000

What a great Nina – someone had fun coining that one. Frigging tricky psychedelica I call it.
I wonder if TOMB gave many people problems. Being of a similar age to Nimrod, I quite quickly thought of Jon Pertwee and knew Tom Baker came next, but only because that switch came at the point when I was glued to Doctor Who every Saturday evening.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:21:54 +0000

Nimrod warned me he was on today so was prepared for a tough fight and got one, thanks Nimrod for the puzzle and thanks to unlucky Ali.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:09:14 +0000

Aha! Thanks, Gaufrid.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:03:26 +0000

Thomas99 @12
See the FAQ page.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:00:04 +0000

Perhaps this is as good a time to ask as any -
Why is it called a “Nina”?
and
What exactly does it mean? Just something around the edge, or is the definition broader?

Today’s Nina was outrageously clever and I was nowhere near spotting it.
I think my favourite clue is 2d – but as usual there are quite a few contenders.