Comments on: Financial Times 13725 Neo

By: scchua

scchua — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:44:34 +0000

Thanks Neo for looking and writing in. IMHO Setters can be forgiven any indiscretion (if any) just by dropping in!

By: Neo

Neo — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 00:38:42 +0000

Thank you Sil. I’ve been trying to turn up for a meet that you might be at recently, but whilst one is expected to do 1.33 recurring jobs, it’s bloody tricky.

I’m being told that sleep is the next thing to be taxed – there’ll be a special online Dreamgate beyond which we’ll not be able to progress unless payment is made – so I’m off now to get the last remaining free zees.

Bon nuit.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:26:23 +0000

Neo, I would say: thank You for dropping in (the capital Y is only there to emphasise the word … ).

I found this perhaps the easiest Neo that I have solved so far.
But as one cannot fault the setter on precision – no sloppiness whatsoever – I’m fine with it. Always one of my main criteria in ‘judging’ a crossword.

I liked, in particular: 18ac (PHENOMENA) [the use of names/titles is right up my street], 25ac (WETTISH) [natural silliness], 8d (E N A T) [splendid anagram fodder] and 22d (EDWIN) [just a perfect clue - Clue of the Day].

BTW, nice to see ABSORBENT in this puzzle, which I used in my ‘recent’ Christmas Crossword (at work). It is an anagram of (Mike) Sabberton, one of the few colleagues with an eye for cryptics and the one who – secretly looking over my shoulder – found THE POWERS THAT BE …. (also a very nice anagram).

Thanks. Neo (& scchua)

By: Neo

Neo — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:37:07 +0000

Coo! My nads are still a-janglin’ after that, Bamberger! Bah, phooey bloomin’ Daily Hate. Pah. Phtah.

However, thanks too from me also as well to commenters (all), and to scchua for an excellent blog with lots of luvverly pix, which I looked at. Great clue breakdownery ‘n’ all. You nailed the lot apart from ‘and not’ = NOR, and crosswordy nerdy Niall had that anyway.

Stonshing lair (geddit?), that speller in 19 is down to me, having been submitted in the original CC file. Not an easy one to pick up either (unless you’re scchua), so many apologies to all concerned for that.

Thanks for dropping in,
luv Neo.

By: scchua

scchua — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:02:20 +0000

Thanks, commenters.
Hi walruss, afraid it’s neither a nuclear explosion (associated with destruction) nor a sunset (beautiful as it is, but signifying decline). When I started blogging, I surfed the Net for a picture of a sunrise. For some reason (probably because more people are up and about at sunset than at sunrise), lots of sunsets but very few sunrises, and the latter looked very much like the former! Picked what I thought looked least like a sunset, but apparently not far enough (sigh).

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:09:18 +0000

A very rare unaided all correct for me -but it did seem like a Daily Mail with very long anagrams.

By: Jezza

Jezza — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:12:23 +0000

Having got the longer clues early on, the rest fell into place without much of a struggle.
Thanks to Neo for the enjoyable puzzle, and to scchua for a most comprehensive review.

By: Ferret

Ferret — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:57:25 +0000

I wonder if the Edwin is a reference to Edwin van de Sar, the recently retired Manchester United goalkeeper?

By: walruss

walruss — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:10:42 +0000

Wonderful blog Scchua, although I wasn’t sure whether your picture shows a beautiful sunset or a nuclear explosion. But I really like the detail, it makes for a good read and helps me if I haven’t actually had a chance to solve the puzzle I’m reading about. This is one of two I’ve got through today, and quite easy for the reason MMS mentions, but there were still some good challenegs among the very well-written clues. PHENOMENA and ILIAD faves, C.O.D. EXTOL.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:41:45 +0000

Yes, this was a pleasing puzzle, not too difficult I found esp with the 15-letter perimeter entries where the letter-count helped a lot.
A v minor point, I think that in NORSE N0R is ‘and not’ rather than just ‘not’. Many thanks, scchua (incredibly detailed blog!) and Neo.