Comments on: Guardian 25,416 / Tramp

By: Ste

Ste — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:49:12 +0000

I find Tramp’s puzzles witty, entertaining (to the point I got a few surprised looks as I laughed aloud in the doctor’s surgery waiting room, funnily enough on solving ‘sanitary towels’) The themes are superb. I failed with Duckworth Lewis but, hey! – life’s for learning. And laughing. As for the vulgarity complaint, it’s prevalent in literature, theatre, film dare I say it the press (not excluding The Guardian) so let’s not get carried away. Once again: Super, Tramp

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:04:32 +0000

(I mean ‘ref 63′ as in ref 61, as you may have noticed.)

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:03:47 +0000

Ref 63: indeed!

Ref vulgarity I can’t see you in that light at all: and even if anyone could, you would be far behind the Guardian’s leaders in that field.

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:51:39 +0000

@62 – sorry, I meant ‘now feeling’ not ‘new feeling’

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:49:19 +0000

Sil @58 – I think you have hit the nail on the head regarding the ‘new’ feeling. I couldn’t put my finger on what makes Tramp crosswords different, but that’s it.

By: Tramp

Tramp — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 07:57:40 +0000

I suspect people aren’t checking this now but in case someone does, here’s a summary form me.

I’m pleased with the comments, especially the ones about my surface. A comment on the Guardian talkboards talked of my “inelegant surface” which I was surprised at. I think my clues tend to be long because I try my best to make a good story without superfluous words that just help the surface. I dislike clues that do not evoke some kind of picture on the surface and could only be crossword clues.

I’m really surprised at the offence some people have taken to SANITARY TOWELS. Always is a UK brand of sanitary towel and they are inserted into knickers; I don’t see what’s “vulgar” about that. I realise it’s “non-sitting room material” but I clued TOILET ROLL in an earlier puzzle and nobody complained. I am not vulgar: a little saucy at times, perhaps.

I posted my Haagen-Dazs clue on Paul’s cryptica site a few years ago. I was surprised nobody had already used it so I tip my hat to Paul B for beating me to it – fools seldom differ!

Thanks again Tramp

By: rfb

rfb — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:18:47 +0000

Well, almost everybody loves this, except me. I agree that the clues were ingenious & very well constructed. But I found it very frustrating because of the number of references that were obscure to me:
Frankie Dettori
Noddy Holder (I have heard of Slade, but that’s all)
Eric Bristow
Sid Waddell
Duckworth-Lewis (I knew there was a double-barrelled name to do with deciding the winner of a rain-affected limited-over cricket match, but to remember it??)
Mel B (I had heard of the Spice Girls, but their individual names??)

I think it would have been tough for me in any case but …

Trying to solve this felt like being with a whole bunch of freemasons when you don’t know the secret handshake.

By: Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 01:09:56 +0000

I am totally stunned by the beauty of some of these clues. There is some quite stunning word play – so well constructed – in many of these clues. It is hard to choose between them the best of so many.. The smooth use of Dettori to indicate Antipasti whilst weaving a story amongst the sentence to suggest a racing related answer for 12 across is superb. The use of Haagen Daaz! The imaginative 1 across for Michael Jackson. The quite brilliant word play to arrive at Ovulation. The wonderful use of cricket terminology to clue D-L. Orbison.. Bristow.. the weaving of one answer to another clue.. and so on. Top Marks Tramp I salute you.

Also United’s home (= Manchester)

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:25:08 +0000

I haven’t commented that much on Tramp’s recent crosswords, but today I will be more specific about why I like these.

We loved 17,14ac (HIDDEN AGENDA) [despite Paul's comment - but then great minds think alike], CHEST (11ac) [our last entry] and SANITARY TOWELS (8d). They were some of the best.

As I said before, this time I would also like to make clear why I think Tramp is different from a lot of other setters:
it is all about the surfaces – they are really exciting and what I would call (in Crosswordland) new-fashioned …..

This is something that I already wanted to say a while ago when Tramp had his second (excellent) Genius puzzle published.
These surfaces are just so good. A lot of brand names and well-known people come along, yes, but as long as they do not form the actual solution, it’s fine (and even better) by me. They make this crossword so “now” and therefore not “then”.

A big plus!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:45:35 +0000

Yes, good ‘un from Tramp, with some very amusing sanitary towels.

Have to say he’s not the first setter to use the ‘agenda hidden in Haagen-Dazs’ idea though: FT had it from me on one occasion, and I wondered then whether anyone else had already nabbed it. When the boot was on the other foot, I marvelled at my genius in having come up with ‘Features editor?’ for PLASTIC SURGEON, only to be informed of my place in a very long queue.