Comments on: Financial Times 13,711 by Mudd

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:14:14 +0000

Wil, you bring me to second thoughts more than any other commenter. And as a result, I agree with you especially about 22A. Maybe Mudd thought he could get away with it because the surface is so good?

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 22:35:24 +0000

The usual good Mudd production I thought, with some strange exceptions: I thought two double definitions were weak — 10ac (Unspecific position) for GENERAL: how is general = position? It’s a rank in the army, but to call this a position seems odd. And 22ac (Open wide) for BROAD: it seems a bit feeble to have such similar senses.

But perhaps I’m missing something and they’re quite OK.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:23:29 +0000

I had at any cost for 28a which is why in part I couldn’t get 19d or 23d.

Copious use of my electronic friend for picot, fundi, reeve , chimera & beeswax but not gutta percha which came up in the Times Xword recently.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:49:32 +0000

Bryan, I had AT ANY COST initially as well. I had forgotten about that when I wrote the blog but that makes four (!) clues I thought up wrong answers for.

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 08:01:17 +0000

Thanks Pete
I was happy with the dd in 18dn since both ‘fairy story’ and ‘romance’ can have the meaning of ‘an imaginative lie’.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 05:20:20 +0000

Many thanks Pete.

This sure was a toughie but very rewarding.

Yes, I first assumed that 2d was a Polish composer but, when the penny finally dropped, this became by COD.

I made life difficult for myself in the SE corner by first opting for AT ANY COST but, eventually, common sense prevailed.

Regarding ROMANCE, I simply assumed that it was as straightforward as it appeared.

I knew GUTTA PERCHA because it was once used for making golf balls.

Very many thanks Mudd!

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 00:28:13 +0000

PICOT was new to me too. FUNDI I had some vague memory of while GUTTA PERCHA I know well. And I figure you are right about BIG DIPPER. Thanks!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:43:55 +0000

Thanks, Pete.
I found this quite a tricky Mudd, but maybe I wasn’t really on form (that weekend I found the Observer’s Everyman also harder than usual).
Some words like PICOT, GUTTA PERCHA and FUNDI were new to me.

I fear I cannot help you with ROMANCE, but on 12ac I have a different view. Probably the definition is just ‘Ride’. And then BIG = ‘monster’ (as an adjective) + DIPPER = ‘one which flies’ (a dipper is a bird).

Good crossword.