Comments on: Guardian 25,347 by Rufus

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:32:22 +0000

Well done completing the crossword Smoz. I’m sure everyone here had to start somewhere, we know what it’s like!

By: Smoz

Smoz — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:53:31 +0000

It really winds me up when the ‘experts’ denigrate a crossword for being too easy. Do you not realise that there are beginners like me for whom completion of this puzzle is a notable event. Comments like ‘I feel cheated’ are just senseless and insult me as a cryptic ‘ baby’ and Rufus who is, I’m sure, aware that he is helping the ‘ babies’ get started.

By: bridgesong

bridgesong — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:23:21 +0000

Val, the definition is VERY.

By: Val

Val — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:54:52 +0000

Thanks, PeeDee, ans, as always, Rufus.

If anyone’s still monitoring this thread, could you explain 24ac? I got the answer and can see the word play clearly but what is the definition?

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:27:29 +0000

Hmm: YELLOW FEVER: hmm: it would seem churlish not to draw attention to it, with yesterday’s scourging of Gordius for an inclusion which some considered a bit tactless.

Or is today’s dread ague excused by the fact that virtually no-one in UK is suffering from it? Would anyone here be out off by extinct illnesses such as the black plague or smallpox? That line: where is it?

By: mumfish

mumfish — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:25:21 +0000

Thank goodness for the gentle Rufus!! If it wasn’t for him, and this excellent forum, I would have given up on cryptic crosswords a long time ago. A big “Thank you” to all the contributors here over the years who have helped me gain an understanding of parsing!

By: morpheus

morpheus — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:13:15 +0000

Thank you Rufus and Pee Dee. Rufus may be gentle but seldom to my mind dull and it helps to stretch the brain in a slightly different direction once a week.

By: Mr Beaver

Mr Beaver — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:53:23 +0000

Derek, no we didn’t know EFFETE’s definition as spent, but once we had the F from ADRIFT, and an obvious possibility for gala being FETE, it looked like it had to be.
Didn’t bother looking it up, as I could see a tenuous connection via the concept of weakness. Actually I could say this crossword made me feel a bit effete with the draining effect of unrewarding clues

By: Carrots

Carrots — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:52:24 +0000

Although this puzzle was a gentle stroll in the park, I do enjoy Rufus`s surfaces. I don`t even mind the odd redundant word or addition in a clue as long as it helps the flow. Not always needed, as 1 Dn. (“What on earth is he looking for?”) I thought when I first read it. They don`t come much better than “light sleeper” either!

Thanks Rufus….and PeeDee…..

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:36:11 +0000

Correction, I’m thinking of ‘idealism’, not ‘idealist’, which doesn’t work so well as a simple dd