Comments on: Independent 7,726 / Nestor

By: RatkojaRiku

RatkojaRiku — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 09:25:53 +0000

@Cumbrian – I hadn’t heard of a flip-flop unit, actually; as you say, not knowing it makes the clue easier to “see through”, although the other meaning is crucial to the smoothness of the surface reading.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:41:09 +0000

Thanks Nestor for an excellent puzzle and RatkojaRiku for the blog.

All clues very well constructed. So often one sees two word answers clued by an overall definition coupled with definitions of each word separately. This mundane device has been completely avoided.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:49:48 +0000

Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the blog and for pointing out the double word aspect which I did not notice at all! Excellent inventive clues, quite tough but fair in all respects. Took me a while to finish but I did. My favourite was SPACE INVADERS too and I also found A FEW the trickiest and admired the subtly concealed definitions throughout. Re flashling at #3, there’s no problem IMHO with 13 down – this is common informal usage if perhaps a little dated now, not signalled as offensive in dicts. Thanks Nestor for the puzzle.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:39:20 +0000

An excellent, and very cleverly-constructed puzzle.

By: caretman

caretman — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:15:57 +0000

Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the blog. I found this a fairly easy puzzle, with A FEW holding me up the longest and SMALL FACES going in solely from the punny definitions and crossing letters so thanks for explaining that. I particular liked ‘shells in Fertile Crescent’ for F(ertil)E C(rescen)T and I agree on the COD for SPACE INVADERS. Thanks, Nestor!

By: Lenny

Lenny — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:24:38 +0000

I noticed from my records (yes I am that boring) that I have only successfully solved two of my previous seven attempts at Nestor puzzles. I was quite pleased to finish this quite quickly, apart from the 10 minutes it took me at the end to get A Few. I originally had On-line for 2 but fortunately I revisited it. I did not understand the wordplay for Too-too on account of my sheltered upbringing. Lots of fun, thanks Nestor and RR.

By: Cumbrian

Cumbrian — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:05:12 +0000

Thanks RatkojaRiku for the blog, and Nestor for a very enjoyable puzzle.

I hadn’t heard of TOOT as a quantity of cocaine (sheltered upbringing), but the answer went in anyway. Too-too many really good clues to have a particular favourite, although I can understand the plaudits for 8d.
20ac has an interesting aspect; as well as a flip-flop being a type of sandal, a flip-flop unit is a type of electronic circuit which involves transistors. Probably easier to solve if you didn’t know that……

By: anax

anax — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:13:51 +0000

As semi-&lits go 8d is probably the best I’ve seen, truly brilliant construction, and just one of many excellent clues in a marvellous Nestor outing.
The grid fill was very cleverly done. Phrases of 4 letters aren’t in particularly generous supply but Nestor wisely gave them closed-off corners to reduce the pressure – I’d guess these went in before the 6- and 8-letter fills.
TDF indeed – it gets my vote.

By: flashling

flashling — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:01:44 +0000

All the 2 word answers seemed a little off utting but got there in the end, tricky but all perfectly fair – no complaints here.

8d is a masterful clue, not too sure how our Irish friends will take 13d though.

Thanks for the blog RatkojaRiku and Nestor for a fine way to occupy myself whilst commuting.

By: scchua

scchua — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:50:10 +0000

Thanks RatkojaRiku and Nestor.

I liked this, as solving went at a steady rate, and there were a lot of nice surface readings. Favourites were 11A AFTER-TAX, 21A LOOK TO, compact but effective, and 20A STAND-ALONE. And 4D AT IT, could have been another risque one if the word break was somewhere else.