Comments on: Independent 7,821/Dac

By: Graham Pellen

Graham Pellen — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:42:40 +0000

I read 18A as per Wil Ransome @8.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:29:42 +0000

18ac: I read it as ‘DI’s orderly’ (DI has …), where the unskilled worker is an orderly and the officer is a D(etective) I(nspector).

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:06:23 +0000

Belated thanks to Ali and of course Dac, didn’t get the D in disorderly glad you spotted it. As for pangrams in clues well say Phi’s 1000th is of note but flukes are just flukes. Thanks to Duncan for covering for me on friday.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:04:47 +0000

Not sure about this ‘pangram in the clues’ thing: should it really be flagged up as some kind of achievement? We’ve already had Phi (very generously) admit that his was a total accident!

OTOH where the clueing IS deliberately involved (i.e. in the themed Guardian 25451), then yay! Let’s all celebrate.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:54:40 +0000

Thanks, Dac and Ali. A nice gentle solve after my struggles yesterday. And thanks, PB, for explaining 18a which I didn’t quite follow although the answer was obvious.

Btw there were two well-known physicists by the name of Rankine (19d). William Rankine who gave his name to the Rankine temperature scale , and Alexander Rankine , Professor of Physics at Imperial College, London

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:00:55 +0000

Thanks, Ali. I do know what you mean about Dac – sometimes you finish and think ‘that was another good one’, but then never really spend two minutes to reappreciate the surfaces.

I did like this one as usual, especially BIOPIC and DISORDERLY (although I think the A-E socioeconomic scale is less in favour these days). I liked INFO too, although was less keen on SAILORLY and RAGER. I’m sure they’re both words, but not ones I’m likely to be dropping into conversation any time soon.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:11:28 +0000

Lynette @1: It just shows how tastes differ. I thought 16ac was one of the best clues in the puzzle, and should really have mentioned it in my previous posting. I particularly liked the use of one informal term for “information” to define another.

Incidentally, I see that the blog is missing 18ac:

DISORDERLY D (unskilled worker – social class on A to E scale) IS ORDERLY (assistant to officer). Definition “in mess”.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:39:28 +0000

Thanks Dac for an enjoyable crossword and Ali for the blog. I particularly enjoyed 20dn.

There is a pangram in the clues today, but none of the clues including J, Q, X, and Z look particularly contrived, so it is probably not deliberate.

By: Lynette

Lynette — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:39:09 +0000

A quick solve, but wasn’t impressed by 16 or 23.