Comments on: Guardian 25,455 – Orlando

By: Smoz

Smoz — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:47:51 +0000

Came back and finished this one after a couple of days away ( and trying unsuccessfully with Mondays ‘punk’ in the Indy). Only on now to express joy at completing a crossword that others found ‘tricky’; we are progressing……muhahaha!

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:02:48 +0000

Lots of fun, didn’t quite finish… tripped myself up for a while with CITY CENTER (lovely clue, btw). SUZIE I should have tried harder for, but had a lot of fun slowly cracking the codes.

One minor quibble: in 22 “making mess IN France” seems wrong. I think IN should have been OF.

Thanks for the blog to clear up a few things, Andrew, and for the lovely brain-tease, Orlando!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:35:38 +0000

NeilW @6, you know, I did not even make a link myself to my own post (in a recent Saturday Araucaria blog) about the ‘device’ used in 9ac (GO+GO) … … But well spotted indeed.
It’s not something that I find particularly ‘delightful’, but a thing that creeps up more and more (even if this one was, unlike in Araucaria’s puzzles, not part of an anagram).

Nice puzzle, as others said.
Personally I am not a big fan of these definitionless clues like 11ac, and I changed ‘idol’ only at the very last moment into ‘idle’ to save the puzzle. But 28ac (RARE EARTH) was a superb (simple, but oh so natural) anagram. And I liked the ‘what’s inside out?’ wording in 10ac. Clue of the Day? I don’t know. Perhaps 22ac? Or my first entry 7d (AHEAD) with another smooth surface? Or 23d?

And now for something completely similar …. the Quiptic!

By: Giovanna

Giovanna — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:00:25 +0000

Thanks, Orlando and Andrew.

Quite a rude awakening for a Monday, as I was expecting to relax into a Rufus.

Like the rest of you, assegai sprang readily to mind but 14d was an excellent clue and I think I was being too devious by half. Cotter pin was a breeze for me but I didn’t know the gun and the bottom half slowed me up. When the H was in place on 23d, I half expected to see myrrh to go with the frankincense!

Giovanna

By: FranTom Menace

FranTom Menace — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:29:41 +0000

This was a lovely puzzle! We’d never herd of a cotter pin, but got all the rest over tea. City centre was one of those I don’t like to stop looking at until I’ve got it, it did take a good couple of minutes but smiles all round when the penny dropped.

By: gm4hqf

gm4hqf — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:29:46 +0000

Thanks Andrew and Orlando

I never get to the crossword until afternoon on a Monday and I found this one pretty tricky.

A lot of excellent clues but never having been a wine drinker, I failed completely on 23d SYRAH.

Quite difficult for a Monday.

By: NeilW

NeilW — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:15:36 +0000

RCW – yes, you’re right: wrong conjunction.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:13:01 +0000

PS I too would have wasted time using assegais etc., but couldn’t remember that word, so saving me…I used to grow ornamental asparagus too.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:58:59 +0000

The words “cotter pin” had not passed through my mind, until now, since I was a kid, aged single figures working on a bike with an older lad, when I asked him what it was called. Ahh…

I found this easier, to get a purchase upon than some Rufus puzzles of late I have to say.

I enjoyed this satisfying solve very much. Thank you Orlando.

By: grandpuzzler

grandpuzzler — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:49:49 +0000

Thanks to Orlando and Andrew. Very tricky for me. Had IDOL at 12ac, SOLICITOUS at 3d and tried to make ASSEGAIS fit in 14d. Enjoyed the puzzle immensely nonetheless.

Cheers…