Comments on: Guardian Quiptic 604/Nutmeg

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:24:14 +0000

Yeah, took ages for all the above reasons.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:23:56 +0000

Thanks, Thomas, you’re right about LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED. I still don’t like the definition, though. I’ll amend the blog. My recent Quiptic blogs seem to have been more edit than blog – either my solving’s going downhill or there have been some tougher ones lately.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:53:18 +0000

9,7 – I think “on course” supplies “unturned”. “Leave no stone” is what the jewel thieves do. I think it’s a rather sophisticated clue for a Quiptic. The definition is a bit remote but the wordplay left no doubt so I didn’t mind

3d – I agree it’s an &lit – putting up with the experience of one’s teeth appearing

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:14:49 +0000

Much more difficult than today’s Rufus and not really appropriate for a Quiptic. I had to resort to a word search to get GANGRENE.

Thanks Pierre; I also failed on the parsing of LEGAL AID – I thought the upper-class young lady was DI again. I also noticed at the end that I had failed to complete BEVY.

I thought AUTOGRAPH ALBUM was a good clue; I was misled by thinking it must have been astro- something at first.

By: grandpuzzler

grandpuzzler — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:16:04 +0000

Thanks to Nutmeg and Pierre. Much more difficult for me than today’s Rufus but I’m not complaining. Learned a new word – bevvy and a new phrase at 11ac. Still not sure I understand TEETHE but that’s ok. Thought 5d was quite clever.

Cheers…

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:44:31 +0000

Thanks Pierre for this.
I more or less agree with canalonly @6 that the whole clue at 3dn gives the definition. I cannot see any other reading of it, so would call it a cryptic definition not an “& lit”.
I think you have a typing error in 25ac: should not the enumeration be (4,3)?
Finally a minor point about 23ac which to me works more naturally as (LONE CHAP)* plus L.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:39:32 +0000

Thanks, canalonly. I had the same thought, but then decided against that because you bare your teeth, not bear them. But on reflection, I think you’re right – it’s an &lit/all-in-one clue. Perhaps a bit tricky for a Quiptic, but I guess if you’re learning, then you’ll need to get used to all the clue types eventually.

By: canalonly

canalonly — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:10:08 +0000

i think bearing with canine appearance is teething so the whole clue is the definition

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:35:25 +0000

Thanks Pierre. I share your qualms about some of the definitions, and actually found this quite a bit harder than today’s Rufus.

I did laugh a 12d though, and there were some great clues here. IMO a bit tough for a quiptic.

Thanks Nutmeg.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 09:00:14 +0000

Thanks, both. I was fixated on reducing ‘beverage’ to ‘bevvy’.