Comments on: Guardian Prize 25,430 / Araucaria

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 21:55:50 +0000

Thanks all

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 18:48:39 +0000

Thank you, everyone.

I’ve been keeping my head down today, rather than weighing in after the first comment or two, as I usually do.

I did invite your frank comments. I’m relieved to see that most [?] of you agreed that this was comparatively easy for an Araucaria prize puzzle, which, I think, is what I said in my preamble. That’s certainly what I meant to say, or imply, so I was rather surprised by the vehemence of Thomas99′s comment @10: I don’t see any mention anywhere of this being a ‘bad puzzle’, nor any evidence of ‘the boot having been put in so much’. This was, indeed, a first for me, to be less than rapturous about an Araucaria puzzle: my concern is usually not to overdo the sycophancy!

On a lighter note: tupu, my Grandpa [he was from Birmingham] used to call me ‘my old flower’. No one else I knew used that expression and I never heard him use it to anyone else, so all through my childhood I thought it was his [made up] pet name for me!

Hi chas

Thanks for the reminder of that great Araucaria clue, which I dimly remembered. I’ve managed to track it down [from August 2007!]: ‘Send parcel to a needlewoman’ – brilliant!

I hope you all enjoyed today’s Paul puzzle as much as I did.

By: liz

liz — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:07:42 +0000

Thanks for the blog, Eileen. I agree that this was easier than yesterday’s offering, for example. It didn’t bother me too much at the time, but I do remember thinking it was a bit patchy, with many more easy (and familiar) clues than you might expect. TYRANT I thought was the toughest.

Thanks for explaining PETAL, which I got but didn’t understand…

(Incidentally, due to pressures of work, I have been lurking more than contributing lately. Thanks to all the bloggers…)

By: tupu

tupu — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:19:45 +0000

Thanks Elspeth and Coffee for the correction. As a Lancastrian originally, I should know better than to stick my nose into ‘tyke’ affairs.

By: Davy

Davy — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:07:13 +0000

Thanks Eileen,

I thought this was quite enjoyable although I didn’t know the quotations. I guessed certain words which was enough to find the applicable quotes using my friend Google.

The term of endearment ‘petal’ is quite common in the north. When I go into the chemist in Whitby, one of the ladies often says “What can I do for you, petal ?”.

By: Coffee

Coffee — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:42:47 +0000

Oops, sorry about the double post!

By: Coffee

Coffee — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:42:07 +0000

I’m with Robi and Thomas99, thought the clues were fine. Thank you Elspeth, I was about to google Charlie Williams, as I know he’s not a Bradford lad- I was thinking Sheffield way…
Dead Spit is quite common, I thought, (up north anyway) surprised some hadn’t heard of it- or is it a northern version of “spitting image” ?
Anyway, Araucaria Lite indeed but quite fun.

By: Coffee

Coffee — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:41:43 +0000

By: Elspeth

Elspeth — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:53:57 +0000

I agree with Thomas 99 that the criticism was harsh. We often manage to solve Araucaria puzzles (including the recent double August Bank Holiday one) but we got stuck with this. We missed Oflag, Dead Spit and the Hamlet quotation, plus one or two others. We didn’t have any problem with the definitions for ‘art’ and ‘path’. But I suppose it just goes to show that what’s easy for one is difficult for another.

Incidentally, tupu, Charlie Williams was from Barnsley, not Bradford.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:35:23 +0000

Is this the same Eileen? There are some really weird criticisms here! What difference would it make if Art Malik were African? It’s part of the wordplay, not the definition! The definition’s “called Art” (and no, it isn’t literally a definition…) What is it, compulsory &lit day? And how on earth could you not notice the definition in 27d? And the new rule that you can’t have “against” in a down clue (24,25)??? I do agree that there were some easy clues thrown in, but it wasn’t a bad puzzle. I liked the suggestive way he used the two balancing quotations, with Art in the centre – that really could only have been Araucaria.

By the way, on the Guardian site the clue that came in for most stick was, incredibly, PETAL.

Not one of his best, but I don’t see why the boot has to be put in so much, and on such eccentric grounds.