Comments on: Guardian Prize Puzzle No 25,394 by Paul

By: Denis Twomey

Denis Twomey — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:26:37 +0000

Yesterday’s Courier Mail (Brisbane) had the following clue for 20d : ‘Show was incorporated into the night before’, the answer being ‘evince’ (inc in eve).

By: Pat O'Brien

Pat O'Brien — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:20:59 +0000

Hi bridgesong.

Further to maarvarq at 27, this puzzle appeared in this mornings Brisbane Courier Mail. 20d was clued as “Show was incorporated into the night before”, the answer again being EVINCE. The on-line version now has 22a as “Bear shot, bizarrely, stealing computer”, the answer being STOMACH. This correction was made on August 16, of course well after you published your blog, but made for great confusion when I checked my answers with the on-line version. Thought you may be interested.

By: maarvarq

maarvarq — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:09:33 +0000

Interesting. In the version published today in Australia (The Canberra Times), 20dn reads “Show clearly where Vincent is found”, with the obvious answer of EVINCE. Not a great clue, but presumably some subeditor knew about the problem with the original and decided to patch it.

By: bridgesong

bridgesong — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:09:11 +0000

Thanks all for your comments and apologies for my own schoolboy howler at 22 across, which I’ve now belatedly corrected.

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:33:43 +0000

Robi,

Some other time then

By: Robi

Robi — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:51:40 +0000

Stella; this is a bit deep for me – you say chamæleon and I say chameleon; let’s call the whole thing off (with homage to Louis Armstrong.)

By: Stella Heath

Stella Heath — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:59:15 +0000

Thanks robi@20. So a ‘voth’ is a chameleon Is that a short ‘o’ or a diphthong?

By: Davy

Davy — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 12:26:01 +0000

Thanks bridgesong,

I enjoyed this and like others, I didn’t think it was that difficult. Some marvellous anagrams here as in B&HA and MARK L. I also liked WHISTLED (nice surface), SPELLBOUND and MIDGET (very misleading).

Before Paul’s comment on this blog, I even thought he might be having a bit of fun with Erioca as an Eroica Variation but there again, the word isn’t valid is it !. Thanks Paul for an interesting puzzle.

By: scchua

scchua — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:06:59 +0000

Thanks bridgesong, and Paul (naturally, you would have done some diving/snorkelling among the “9D without start of honeymoon” – beautiful as ever, I hope).

A great prize puzzle, not the most difficult, but most enjoyable – a not so common mix of football and classical music and an error thrown in. Even though I’d forgotten about the start of the league, the many football references in the clues – referees, boot, headers, season, scorers… gave the first theme. Funnily enough, I was led to 16,7 by “Britain” = ALBION, which then led to BH&A, clearly remembering its glory days of yore. The other thematic answers were also cleverly clued. My favourites were 23A FIDELIO, 15D SPELLBOUND and 11A EMPEROR.

By: Robi

Robi — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:06:45 +0000

Thanks, Paul, despite your mea culpa it was a good solve.

Although not an avid football fan, I did know MARK LAWRENSON and the club. Thanks bridgesong – I agree with you that SPELLBOUND was great!

Stella @14; see a belated comment in yesterday’s blog about your ‘voth.’