Comments on: Guardian 25,345 – Chifonie

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:26:27 +0000

I would say: just let the next Chifonie pass you by.
Better for you.
Better for us too.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:55:03 +0000

If Polly Toynbee wrote a grammatically perfect and correctly spelled column which I could skip through because it contained no interesting facts, no stimulating thoughts or insightul ideas, I would feel justified in saying that the editor had done a ‘poor’job.
So, crossword editor……………

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:53:17 +0000

Found this pretty plain sailing, and had it finished by 7pm (I tend to start doing the odd clue when I start work at 7am, and then ponder and steal glances through the day before trying to finish once I get home and the kids are in bed!). Found this week’s puzzles to be entertaining, with Rufus and Araucaria both completed. 3/4 of Gordius and not one of Brummie!

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:37:41 +0000

However, ‘poor’ is a fair comment on The Guardian presenting us with a crossword which is disappointing to many of its regular readers. If Polly Toynbee produced a grammatically correct and correctly spelled column which I could skip through, find no interesting thoughts or ideas I would blame the editor for falling down on the job. Why shouldn’t the same apply to a crossword?

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:59:45 +0000

One may find this crossword too easy (for a Friday, that is) or not challenging enough (to use RCWhiting’s words) which I do understand.
But walruss #16, why do you think this crossword was “a very poor effort”?
We all know that Chifonie’s style is one with a limited number of devices and he’s not really hard, but the vast majority of the clues is well-written (wasn’t keen on GUERILLA though for reasons mentioned by others including you yourself).
The surfaces are generally smooth and sound.
Technically speaking there is not much wrong with this puzzle (only the level, perhaps), so how can you say “a very poor effort” then?
Easy isn’t the same as poor, is it?

By: BrigC

BrigC — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:50:13 +0000

1) Angela Rippon had a distinctive way of pronouncing guer(r)illa. I think I read somewhere that the BBC was leading a crusade for the correct pronunciation of foreign words at the time. A.R did the same thing, a sort of nano-second pause and a concerted run-up to the names of several African leaders, Ndabaningi Sithole amongst them.
2) The Guardian crossword site was taken out from behind a pay-wall some time ago. All the Guardian/Observer crosswords are available on publication day (archived too). Most can be completed on-line as well as printed out. Once a month the “Genius” crossword is an on-line only competition crossword. This month’s was/is beyond my patience level.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:41:31 +0000

Thanks Kathryn’s Dad -I’ve been on exactly the same mission!

Carrots, you must remember!

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:34:17 +0000

Eileen’s referring to the following:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,353899,00.html

I’ve tried to find a clip of Not the Nine O’Clock News with Pamela Stephenson taking the mick out of it, but have failed. It’ll be out there in cyberspace somewhere.

Good weekend to all.

By: Carrots

Carrots — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:21:25 +0000

If Grauniad puzzles continue to be as easy as this, my beer consumption will reach levels I associate with drought.

It`s been much more fun reading the foregoing comments….and I still have to figure out why Auntie E. associates GUERILLA with Angel Rippon. All I can remember about her is her legs on the Morecambe & Wise Show.

By: walruss

walruss — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:52:06 +0000

Not the Talk = GU Talk, then!!