Comments on: Independent 7,707 / Crosophile

By: eimi

eimi — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 08:58:13 +0000

I should have spotted the envelopes/envelops thing, although it’s not completely wrong. As Brian Greer told me, from his experience of living in the US, “there isn’t a noun that can’t be verbed.” Also, the OED has envelope as a colloquial verb.

By: E. Keith Owens

E. Keith Owens — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:51:06 +0000

One part of the clue is a definition which usually exactly matches the tense and number of the answer. The other part the subsidiary indication or wordplay provides an alternative route to the answer this part would be a second definition in the case of double definition clues. One of the tasks of the solver is to find the boundary between definition and wordplay and insert a mental pause there when reading the clue cryptically. American cryptics usually require all words in a clue to be used in service of the wordplay or definition whereas British ones allow for more extraneous or supporting words.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:21:31 +0000

Hoped that a new setter would see me getting an elusive Indie unaided completed solve but nowhere near with this. At least it wasn’t me who found this hard.

By: Charybdis

Charybdis — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:19:43 +0000

Thanks RatkojaRiku for your excellent blog – hope I wasn’t too scary! – and thanks for all other comments too. Pat, you’re right of course with your spelling of envelops. At least it wasn’t a misspelling (mispelling? ) in the grid – every setter’s worst nightmare. Hope I didn’t offend too many fashionistas (or is that fascinistas?) with the appearance of the dreaded magnolia…

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:15:47 +0000

Cor I struggled with this one especially NE and dresser where I spent a while looking at delists for cross off.

So thanks RatkojaRiku for explaining some stuff and Crosophile for the crossword

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:52:32 +0000

Your usual fine blog, RatkojaRiku, for which thanks. First hurdle cleared by Crosophile: this made me smile. NOOK, REEDS and DRESSER hit the spot in that department. Beyond that, some intelligent clueing elsewhere and just the right degree of difficulty for me today.

But Crosophile has committed a bit of a faux pas with 16dn, I’m afraid. MAGNOLIA is just so passé, dahling – it’s bamboo white these days, please …

By: RatkojaRiku

RatkojaRiku — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:03:08 +0000

@Pat – thanks for spotting what must be a misprint in the online version at least, where the plural noun is used instead of the verb! I certainly hadn’t noticed it when either solving or blogging the puzzle. Nor had I picked up on the use of GEN – I’m sure purists would share you view.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:50:27 +0000

Thanks for the excellent blog, RatkojaRiku. I too enjoyed this puzzle which I found quite hard, esp the NE quarter in which as it happened my favourite two clues today were, SPACESUIT and HITHERTO. As weak on films did not understand 19 down completely but the wordplay left no doubt about the answer. Hardest clue and my last entry, MAGNOLIA. Many thanks, Crosophile.

By: NealH

NealH — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:20:35 +0000

I think envelopes in 2 down must be a misprint because the clue works just as well with envelop as envelope. I also found this tricky to start with, but managed to complete it in reasonable time (for me). There were a few like 5, 6 and 23 where I wasn’t completely sure I’d parsed the solution correctly, but RatkojaRiku has come up with the same thing. There were lots of inventive clues – I liked 1 across and the use of the film titles in 19 down was very clever.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:58:16 +0000

I enjoyed this, too. But two weaknesses for me were, 1) the use of GEN as information in intersecting clues 26ac and 20dn, and 2) use of “envelopes” as a verb in 2dn “Ruin envelopes cleric and Mendoza finally in The Mission”. It has to be a verb for the surface, but if so surely “envelops”? Perhaps it’s a misprint.

Good fun, for all that.