Comments on: Guardian 25,333 / Gordius

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sat, 28 May 2011 19:48:20 +0000

It’s been a while since I completely finished a Grauniad puzzle, so this one was a bit refreshing in that regard. Proceeded on a quarterly basis, mostly – had all the NE, then the SW, then the SE, and finally the NW, probably due to the quadrants being so isolated from each other, but heavily checked within themselves – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a puzzle grid with four checks in a row! I did “cheat” slightly (used OneLook to search “antena?a?”) to get ANTENATAL, though I might have got there on my own with a bit more patience.

The “bug” thing didn’t bug me at all – sure, I was thinking of beetles and such, but the other insectual clue/answer helped me veer away and when AMOEBA came out it made perfect sense – a person suffering from dysentery would certianly be said to “have a bug” – although perhaps that is more of a US usage?

Thanks for the blog, Gaufrid, since there were a few parsings I was weak on, and to Gordius for this less-than-usually tangled knot to unravel!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Sat, 28 May 2011 18:43:03 +0000

Yes, this morning I was thinking about what RCWhiting’s point re 23ac might be. At the same time, I reconsidered my criticism on the use of “the new” in that clue.
Mike04, I agree with you now!
‘Nude is’ could be ‘the new’ form of UNDIES (the answer).
Not much wrong with that (that said, I’m still not sure what RCWhiting meant )

By: mike04

mike04 — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:15:50 +0000

Hi Sil @24
re 23dn

For “the new” Collins Dictionary gives “(to be) set to replace the current vogue”
with this example: comedy is the new rock’n'roll.

Is that not OK as an anagram indicator?

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:18:23 +0000

Gaufrid #27
You are, of course, right to correct my 23ac to 23down.
In all other respects you have completely missed the point!

By: Carrots

Carrots — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:33:03 +0000

Fairly easy fare from Gordius but not without quite a few Gordian “liberties” spicing the pot. I couldn`t wait to get home to see what the usual suspects made of these, expecting Sil, Tupu and NeilW to be dancing with indignation at his affrontery…but `twas not to be. I fell among some old cronies hell bent on reliving times past, hence this late post.

I`ve a sneaking suspicion that Gordius seeks out stretched and inappropriate definitions, clumsy parsing and obscure usages just to wind the usual suspects up. I like a maverick and G. is the nearest we`ve got to one.

Not looking forward to the hangover tomorrow.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:14:43 +0000

Hi RCWhiting
There is no 23ac so I assume you are referring to 23dn. Why do you consider this risqué? Is it the ‘knickers’ or the ‘undies’ or the ‘nude’? All of these terms are in common usage.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 27 May 2011 21:00:53 +0000

I have waited until late but I am sadly disappointed that none of you have fainted at the use of such “risqué” language as 23ac.

By: Martin H

Martin H — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:29:39 +0000

Hi Sil – I liked 29a too, one of the nicest &lits I’ve seen for a while, with both heaven and the alternative giving the H – take your pick.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 27 May 2011 19:58:25 +0000

It was tempting to compare this crossword with yesterday’s Philistine – more or less the same level of difficulty. In that sense, I have to agree with NeilW @1 (though his ‘any day’ wouldn’t have been part of my verdict).
Yet, it is fairer to compare Gordius with Gordius. And then one must conclude that it was rather enjoyable.

We weren’t happy with 9ac (HERBICIDE), for two reasons. Firstly the ‘her’ bit that Geoff brought up, and which has now been justified by Eileen. Secondly, the ‘short on ideas’ for IDE. But on second thoughts, that’s OK too. When you’re short on ideas, you don’t have enough ideas, so you’re missing something: IDE[as].

Despite what’s been said about ‘a bug’, I’m not convinced yet.
Apparently a certain AMOEBA might be seen as a bug, but that doesn’t make ‘a bug’ a good definition for AMOEBA, in my opinion.
Example: some felines are ‘a pet’, but that doesn’t make ‘a pet’ a suitable definition for FELINE.

Even so, as Geoff said @5, there was more right than wrong.
Nevertheless, I find it hard to single out a Clue of the Day.

The only really annoying thing in this crossword was 23ac.
“Is nude the new knickers?”
The word ‘the’ is completely out of place here. Strictly speaking, as it is now, it means (IS NUDE THE)*.

29ac (DEATH) was surely one of the most amusing clues, but I wanted to tweak it immediately: “Uncertain date for introduction to hell!!” (either !! or a question mark)

Thanks Gaufrid for stepping in, and Gordius for filling in another hour or so of my life ….

By: muck

muck — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:44:16 +0000

Thanks Geoff#21: I stand corrected