Comments on: Independent 7,769 / Phi

By: RatkojaRiku

RatkojaRiku — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:05:50 +0000

Well done to those of you who spotted the theme that most of us probably didn’t even realise was there to be spotted I am not sufficiently familiar with the author and his work for this particular theme to leap off the page at me, alas.

By: ele

ele — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:44:57 +0000

Thanks RatkojaRiku for the blog. I was puzzled by ARROW too. Never knew before that pelviform meant basin-shaped. When will that come up again in a x-word I wonder. Thanks to Phi for a great puzzle – and no, I didn’t spot the Nina either.

By: caretman

caretman — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:12:29 +0000

Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the blog and explaining ARROW to me.

For me, this was a puzzle in three halves. I fairly quickly filled in the solutions running from the NE to SW corner, but the NW and SE were frustratingly empty. I finally got into the SE corner with AIRLINER, which led to AMPHIBIAN and SHREWDNESS. But with that corner solved, it looked to me as though this was going to be Zeno’s Crossword–I would always end up solving half of what is left (and, as mathematicians know, that means I would never solve it completely).

But I finally got into the NW corner with LIBERTY CAP followed by ICE PICK, and to my relief I was able to complete the puzzle.

My favorite clues were ICE PICK and SUCCESS. A definitely challenging but solvable puzzle from Phi.

Oh, and I didn’t see the nina, but I’m not familiar with the author and Time’s Arrow is the only title provided by Wanderer @4 that I recognize.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:40:03 +0000

Took me rather longer than usual to finish the Phi today, missed the theme/nina as I’ve not read any of his works. Thanks RR for getting some wordplay sorted for me e.g. REE in release.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:30:57 +0000

I was thinking as I struggled through this that Phi must have had a dose of magic mushrooms before he set this one – miles harder than his normal Friday puzzle. No law against that, of course. Didn’t spot the theme, although I have read a number of Amis novels.

Pleased to finish it really, after failing with Anax yesterday; but needed you for several explanations, RatkojaRiku.

As nms said, ARROW wouldn’t have held many people up once you’d got the crossing letters, but I’ve only ever heard it as a NE dialect word and have always pronounced it (and seen it written) as MARRA. And I never knew that MARROW was the derivation, although a bit of dictionary research suggests it comes from Old Norse. There’s a surprise for a NE dialect word …

Thanks to Phi for an enjoyable toughie.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:40:47 +0000

Thanks for the tip, Eimi — would never have spotted it without your nudge.

AMIS appears hidden in the row below CARRIAGE AND PAIR, and several of his novels — TIME’S ARROW, LONDON FIELDS, SUCCESS, MONEY and possible others make an appearance.

Lovely stuff.

By: eimi

eimi — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:15:47 +0000

Keep looking

By: MikeC

MikeC — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:07:39 +0000

Thanks to both setter and blogger: a tough, but fair and entertaining, one that I was very pleased to finish. I especially liked the economy of 20.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:30:15 +0000

Many thanks, RatkojaRiku, for this excellent and so comprehensive blog. Like you I found this quite a bit tougher than usual from Phi with quite a few answers that were new to me. The wordplay as always from Phi is so precise that I was able to work them all out, verifying after. The only item I had to look up was the comedian at 3 down. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen MARROW (in 21A wordplay) referred to in a crossword. The answer was clear and I doubt if anyone was held up for too long. As familiar with that part of England (the NE) I knew it, and Phi hails originally from around there too. Marked quite a few clues as esp good, HAPPINESS, AMPHIBIAN, PROTOPLASM, IMITATOR, APIECE. Many thanks, Phi, for the puzzle. The unusual vocab made me wonder if there was a theme/Nina as quite often with Phi. If there is, I’ve not spotted it so far!