Comments on: Guardian Quiptic 620/Arachne

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:22:13 +0000

Well, my father was called George, but not that one! I would have retired somewhere sunny if he was!

Don’t fret overly if the class dummy struggles. Most of the regulars on this particular blog do appreciate that it is the hardest thing to create a deliberately easy cryptic.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:01:45 +0000

A bit too quiet here? OK, let me join in then!
While several clues were too quiptic for me [but, rightly so, because it is a Quiptic after all], I ticked four of them that would lighten up any crossword.
The Erasmus anagram was very fine, probably done in days gone by, but one I hadn’t seen before.
The clue for WIMBLEDON is just magnificent.
And the imagery of 22ac (SHOPLIFTER) very amusing – perhaps my CD of the Month [me and CDs ... ?].
But the absolute winner is 17d’s DECEASED. Not only such a natural surface, but it took me back in time. Cryptic, isn’t it?

Thanks Pierre for your blog. Your last was my last.

And love and hugs in return.
Hope to see you soon in the paper!

By: Arachne

Arachne — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:23:20 +0000

Many thanks, Pierre, for such a spiffing and amusing blog (sometimes I worry that you bloggers are more entertaining than us setters) and thanks to Eileen and PeterO too for kind comments. Derek – sorry it was a bit hard: it’s really quite difficult to judge the level right, but I’ll keep working on it and your feedback is invaluable. And I just can’t restrain myself from asking – are you related to James Bond? I rather hope so. It is a bit quiet here isn’t it? I do hope the passengers and crew of the Marie Celeste are merely lying insensible in the scuppers and will be in sooner or later.
Love and hugs
Arachne x

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:28:18 +0000

Well, the class dummy is going to exercise his perogative of being closer than you lot to the target audience to say it was a bit tricky for a Quiptic. For example, I can’t remember the last time I used OTIOSE, largely due to having never used it.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:34:16 +0000

Thanks, Peter. The clue is fine, since it’s supported by dictionaries, but certainly for me a ‘cordial’ would be something like ‘lime cordial’ or ‘blackcurrant cordial’, the kind of syrupy stuff you’d stick into lager and lime or lager and black (if either exists any more), or that you’d dilute to make a soft drink.

Feels like the Mary Celeste in here today …

By: PeterO

PeterO — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:25:07 +0000

Thank you, Pierre and Arachne.

There seems to be quite a wide variation between dictionaries concerning the alcoholic version of cordials. Some get no closer than the definition you quote; some stress the sweetness of the drink; some (but surprisingly few) indicate that it is a spirit flavoured by infusion. This last jibes with my understanding.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:50:15 +0000

Merci bien, Pierre.

Lovely puzzle, as usual from Arachne. I agree with you about 7dn but have to add 5dn as joint story-telling favourite – not to mention 28ac! [10ac is rather sweet, too.]

Re ‘cover for’ in 8dn: it’s actually an anagram of TRIED round SAS, so it does work.