Comments on: Azed 2055/all’s fair

By: Jack Cook

Jack Cook — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:20:15 +0000

SO pleased that rapper and sortes gave most of the reasons for comments, and my thanks to Chris for clarifications. I was on a roll with Azed going back months and months and months until those damn two defeated me and I settled for waiting on the Observer site to reveal all. Frustrating when the other clues had been Ok, although by no means a breeze.
Wikipedia has: “The Road to the Isles” is a famous Scottish traditional song. It is part of the Kennedy-Fraser collection and it appeared in a book entitled ‘Songs of the Hebrides’ published in 1917, with the eponymous title by the Celtic poet Kenneth Macleod.”
Oh well, time to try getting the new run to three.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:54:32 +0000

I have been away from home, so unable to check CAPE HYACINTH (9ac)in Chambers until today. It is indeed given as two words, so I agree that it should have been marked as such. (Azed would not of course give the lengths of the individual words.)

By: sidey

sidey — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:20:28 +0000

Very good excuse, please show your working to gain full marks.

By: ilancaron

ilancaron — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:08:18 +0000

I have indeed moved on. And this week’s Listener has all but wiped out any memory of last week’s Azed — I honestly don’t remember this clue. Not sure why I skipped it in the blog. But I have a distinct memory of my grid being full so I must have answered it and understood it otherwise I would have remarked on it (do I really believe that?)

How’s that for “the dog ate my homework”?

By: Bob Sharkey

Bob Sharkey — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:06:31 +0000

Agreed. I had hoped that Ilancaron might be moved to correct his ommission, but perhaps he has simply moved on. I thought it a very good ‘uncher’ suggesting a ‘ripper’, i.e. a rip-roaring yarn, a real trap for the solver in a hurry to get finished.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:19:14 +0000

@Bob Sharkey
I had RAPPER at 26ac. – 2 mngs: (i) one who raises spirits at a seance, (ii) a big lie (“great romance”).

By: Bob Sharkey

Bob Sharkey — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:05:45 +0000

Do I detect a neat ‘swerve’ regarding R?PPER at 26 across?

By: ilancaron

ilancaron — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 04:16:39 +0000

Indeed. Mea culpa.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 01:37:41 +0000

Thanks Azed for another excellent crossword and ilancaron for the blog.

18dn: I agree with sidey both about the answer and the excellence of the clue: CAR PETS (wordplay for nodding dogs) CARPETS (definition: regularly trodden on)

By: sidey

sidey — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:35:14 +0000

18d Nodding dogs? They’re regularly trodden on. The answer is carpets, and I really like the clue, a neighbour of mine had a tiny car with thirty four nodding-dogs in it. Treading was too good.

The song in 27a http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_road.htm I suspect.