Comments on: Independent 7713 by DAC

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:15:26 +0000

Thanks, flashling, and Dac. I found this quite a bit harder than some Dac puzzles but got there in the end. LAMMAS I’d heard before but I struggled a bit in the SE quarter.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:21:33 +0000

According to Brewer, LAMMAS, 1st August, is a Scottish quarter day and a half-quarter day in England. Derived, says Brewer, from Old English “hlafmesse”, the loaf-mass. Presumably celebrating loaves made with the first grain from the year’s crop.

By: ele

ele — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:20:27 +0000

I found this Dac a little harder than usual but it all came out fine in the end, as always with Dac. Thanks Flashling for the blog. I liked 9d, and re Richard@8, is the wordplay really a problem here? Made me smile when I finally got it. Glad that Bamberger is making progress. Onward and upward.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:07:42 +0000

well thanks all, thomas99 and lenny you should join us bloggers, you’re better than me. Bamb you’re getting there keep going. you’ll get there now.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:23:43 +0000

LAMMAS is a word I learned from crosswords, lenny, but you’re right – cricket and the bible are two key areas of knowledge for the cryptic solver. And talking of christians nicking pagan festivals for their own ends, it’s only 171 days till Christmas.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:19:54 +0000

Thanks Lenny. I’m ok on cricket but religion and Shakespeare I have little knowledge of. I liked your comment “A couple of years ago I realised that a significant proportion of crossword setters are retired vicars supplementing their CofE pensions”.

By: lenny

lenny — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 19:31:17 +0000

Hi Bamburger @9, and apologies. I too get very annoyed when people say the wordplay is clear when it isn’t to me. In solving this clue I went for Mas(s) as short service. This made me think of Christmas, Michaelmas and, the only word that fitted the answer, Lammas. Then, I thought, is there a book of the bible called Lam? Well, yes there is. A couple of years ago I realised that a significant proportion of crossword setters are retired vicars supplementing their CofE pensions. Even though I am a devout atheist, I downloaded a list of books of the bible and their abbreviations (including the Apocrypha) and committed them to memory. So the book of Lamentations came to mind. Sadly, anyone who wants to improve their crossword-solving ability, does have to bone up on cricket and the bible.

The definition, harvest festival, was just a guess, but, as a heathen, the pagan harvest festival of Lughnasa may have been at the back of my mind. Many people know the term from Brian Friel’s play Dancing at Lughnasa. That’s the sort of sideways method that many people use to solve difficult crossword clues.

By: otter

otter — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Oops – should have previewed. Hang my head in shame at that dreadful piece of coding….

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Have only just discovered Indy crosswords online – hurrah. Actually found this the easiest of the ones I’ve attempted so far – must be starting to get used to the style.

Bamberger, Lammas was very well known in agricultural times, as it was one of the main feast days of the year, and a festival in the middle of one of the quarters (rent periods). See Quarter days (Wikipedia)

5d is ME in END (aim)
8d as others have pointed out, is AND (also) + E[astern] + SITE (location) = a rock/mineral named after the Andes.

Thanks for the blog, Flashling. I didn’t manage to parse 14a, so appreciate the explanation.

By: otter

otter — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:23:10 +0000

Have only just discovered Indy crosswords online - hurrah. Actually found this the easiest of the ones I've attempted so far - must be starting to get used to the style. Bamberger, Lammas was very well known in agricultural times, as it was one of the main feast days of the year, and a festival in the middle of one of the quarters (rent periods). See 5d is ME in END (aim) 8d as others have pointed out, is AND (also) + E[astern] + SITE (location) = a rock/mineral named after the Andes. Thanks for the blog, Flashling. I didn't manage to parse 14a, so appreciate the explanation.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:40:16 +0000

This was the closest that I have ever got to an unaided weekday Indie solve.

Failed on
1d. I think lammas is incredibly obscure and unlike Lenny at 4 I think the wordplay is very hard- never heard of lamentations.
5d Just couldn’t get it
8d sorry don’t get “ite”
13a Don’t think I’ve come across declass before.