Comments on: Financial Times 13,735 by Mudd

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:16:34 +0000

I too initially had DINING SET for 7D.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:51:48 +0000

Oh, and I think for 22d I should have been a bit more precise:
GO (try) inside ANY (a small amount of). So, with “of”.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:47:36 +0000

I agree with scchua about 12ac.
Just saw that I also had SHED (for the same reasons).

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:02:42 +0000

Thanks to Scchua @ 4, I now see that I had DINING SET for 7d and SINK for 12a.

I’m sure that everyone (including Mudd) will agree that my solutions are better.

By: scchua

scchua — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 07:03:37 +0000

Thanks Pete and Mudd.

This was a relatively easy Mudd, and enjoyable as the solving was at a steady pace. Favourites were 14A DISAPPOINT, 7D DINNER SET and 3D OESAPHAGI. I thought “live”=”breathing” and “surfacing” as an indicator were okay. Also, I think that 12A is SHED, double definition of “drop” and “something in the garden”.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:40:53 +0000

Many thanks Pete & Mudd

This was so easy for a Prize Puzzle that, once again, if I’d been able to beg, borrow or steal a stamp from somewhere then I would have really fancied my chances of a prize.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:05:49 +0000

So, “any” can mean a small amount? Oh, right — it can indeed! Thanks, Sil.

I remain not too happy with “surfacing” as a reversal indicator but I find “breathing” okay for LIVE: Here is a live specimen. Here is a breathing specimen. Not perfect but okay.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:45:08 +0000

Hi Pete, once more thanks for your blog.
I have to say that I didn’t enjoy this Mudd that much.
Especially in the SW there were so many of these annoying double definitions (BATTERY, BARGE, TENDER, SMASHING) that I almost threw in the towel.

Your probably last one (EVERTON – 24ac) was for me the Highlight of the Crossword.

Also good to see that INGRESS (8ac) wasn’t, for once, that French painter + S.

In 15d (DAREDEVIL) I have no problem with ‘surfacing’ as a reversal indicator. It is a down clue and therefore ‘surfacing’ means ‘going to the surface’, so upward.
However, in that clue I am not very happy with ‘breathing’ for LIVE. I think, when you’re ‘breathing’ you are ALIVE.

Re your problem with 22d (AGONY):
it is GO (try) inside (cutting) ANY (a small amount).