Comments on: Independent 7814 by Bannsider

By: Bannsider

Bannsider — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:51:25 +0000

I must agree with Quixote that (F)ELON(S) was a bit sadistic (I hope you weren’t travelling from Inverness and back, Don!). So was TREASURE ISLAND, although with that one I wanted deliberately to be a bit obscure as I thought some solvers might be looking out for that as one of the answers.
Arguably, if the cross-checkers shout the answer, then perhaps a little more deviousness may occasionally not go amiss.
I have only recently, to my shame, read the book and damn fine it is too. Hence it was fresh in my mind, and hence the theme.

Pleased to have helped celebrate the fifth birthday and sorry to hear about the website problems!

By: Quixote

Quixote — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:37:31 +0000

A bus journey to and from Oxford for this one — and a bit more besides. Clever and enjoyable stuff but with the subsidiary indications so tricky one may get several answers from definitions and intersecting letters. For example, ELON for ‘body of criminals’ strikes me as just a bit too hard for this sort of puzzle, whereas John with E as the first letter shouts the answer. But then five-letter words beginning with E are something all of us setters get fed up with. I thought TRY was extremely good.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:11:47 +0000

Arrr, twas pity she did’n ‘pear on Sep 19th, me hearties.

By: flashling

flashling — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:37:04 +0000

@Richard #9 so it is, thank you, good spot, t = cross didn’t occur, makes it a much better clue.

By: Richard Heald

Richard Heald — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:03:59 +0000

As flashling says, surprising to see Bannsider on a Tuesday but always a pleasure to delve into his treasures whatever the day. Great puzzle, and blog – though you missed the & lit. at 20Ac: T (cross) + RY (line).

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:28:48 +0000

Yes, this was a very good puzzle, extremely tough I thought, some very inventive clues. Did not see the theme until eventually solving TREASURE ISLAND. Not that familiar with it, but it is so well-known that most of the references I’d heard in one way or another over the years. Thanks, flashling and Bannsider.

By: BC

BC — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:53:24 +0000

Indeed. My wife and I like to split the newspaper over breakfast. The old Indy split (broadly news/comment) wasn’t as good for us as the Times/Guardian (broadly news/lifestyle) but it was acceptable. With no pullout section the new format means I’ll be ordering a different paper. Maybe we’re too untypical to matter but this looks a “mistake defending” to me.

Entertaining puzzle but I didn’t remember TI well enough to get Israel Hands and didn’t know coho.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:33:04 +0000

E-mail received from the Indy today:

“We have had far more than just teething problems since our updated site was launched yesterday and issues remain. Huge efforts continue in an attempt to speed pages and prevent the delivery of incomplete articles. We thank our users for bearing with us and apologise profusely.”

Invites the comment, methinks: If it wasn’t broke why fix it?

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:03:18 +0000

I know we get it for nothing online, but I live in the middle of nowhere without a newsagents nearby and I’m getting withdrawal symptoms …

By: Alberich

Alberich — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:39:39 +0000

Thanks for the tip Thomas – I may well take that one up!