Comments on: Guardian 25,494 / Paul

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:46:16 +0000

I agree with the difficulty comments, and I ascribe it mostly to the seven two part clues – leaving us with far fewer clues to work on once bogged down – but also to the very artfully tricking cluing in many of them.

I spent a long time staring at little more than the easy TROWEL, LINNET, ONE-ON-ONE, and LONG ISLAND and NAKED LADIES.

Then I broke down and used OneLook to identify WINDBREAKS, and noticed that these were going to be tricky – “bats” for WINKS. Sadly I had to return there several times, it takes some of the pleasure out when one picks up a handful of checked letters the “easy” way. Luckily, so many were delightfully intricate that made up for it.

The usual Paul wit may have been lacking, but I think it was here in a drier way, with the copious devices and general deception. I think 6/26 went in last, once there were only a few places the unused letters could function. I’ve never heard of the answer in this case of course, as an ex-pat.

Thanks for the blog as usual, Eileen, and Paul for a nice head-twister!

By: Tony Pay

Tony Pay — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:19:32 +0000

I find the comments here very easy to read on an iPhone. The interface is very smooth, and really quite large in sideways mode. Did you mean the comments on the Guardian page itself? (I never look at those.)

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:38:15 +0000

I’m sure someone must have pointed out that peach melba is a sweet.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:52:31 +0000

I think this was hard, because the possible definitions were so many in most of the clues, and the devices were not easily apparent either.

However, much credit to the setter for not resorting to “Call My Bluff”-type virtually unheard-of words.

Well done to the finishers though. Other half and I were worn out with one to go, “airborne”, though I’d got “strain” as a song, perhaps, and was on the way (I claim):)

By: Joan Miró

Joan Miró — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:05:38 +0000

Comments are completely unreadable on an iPhone. Given that I come to this website to read comments/discussion AFTER solving the puzzles – a total waste of time

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:51:29 +0000

Well well, dear RCW @18, I/we are completely with you in your judgment of this Paul puzzle (even if AGORA was our, er, first entry ).
Where others were looking for wit and/or fun, we weren’t.
One of Paul’s best efforts of late.
As Eileen (many thanks, m’dear) said, some fine ‘lift & separate’ clues [16d, but also 20ac: 'end up'].
A splendid anagram for NAKED LADIES in 25,22d.
Exquisite misdirection with ‘Bank, say’ in 2,17.

Not sure whether the word ‘this’ in the clue of 6,26 is needed, but it doesn’t stand in the way either.
We thought the ‘Sweet singer’ of 5d (Melba) also referred to ‘melba sauce’ being sweet (let alone our Melba Toast).

22ac’s LINNET did remind me of the 10-0 in a return match a while ago.
There’s a lot very good in this puzzle – 24,21 and 4,19 being certainly great examples of that.

A puzzle hard to get into, but eventually solvable within the hour (for us, quite good, ya’know).
And one that we completely finished, something that we weren’t able to do for a while ….

For us, Paul on top form.
But I am sure not everyone will agree.
We’re all different, arent’we?

By: gm4hqf

gm4hqf — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:10:40 +0000

Paul B@22 As a subscriber to the Guardian online I won’t bother with the Times crossword

I don’t have the same problem as stiofain, above, as I always print out the puzzle.

By: stiofain

stiofain — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:41:39 +0000

I too felt this was a bit stodgy and lacking in humour for Paul though i did like ICEBERG LETTUCE.
I find the double clues annoying for a different reason – in the online version the clue numbers overwrite the first letters of the clue meaning I have to change browser or open the pdf or print version, a minor quibble maybe but also easily fixed by having a break space after the clue number(s). My mails to the xword ed. pointing this out and offering a remedy were of course ignored.

By: dunsscotus

dunsscotus — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:27:04 +0000

Thanks Paul and Eileen. Like others I started slowly (not getting ‘fete’ means I was seriously off form, in fact) but picked up eventually. I may be in the minority but I really liked the cross-referencing and (therefore) the long answers. I suppose my feeling is that, once you’re in, you’re likely to get really noticeable progress in a short time.

Perhaps, as some have said, there was a relative lack of humour, but as a devotee of ‘I’m sorry … ‘, I had to smile at Mornington Crescent.

By: claire

claire — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:24:30 +0000

I haven’t posted for a while as I’m always rather late to the party, though I do enjoy reading the comments.

I thought I’d add my two penn’orth on this occasion, though, as I could not believe this was one of Paul’s – I found it rather tedious and lacking in his usual fun. I don’t mean that it was difficult, though it was, but there were no ‘aha’ moments at all for me.

As I’m only in a position to look at the crossword when I get home from work, this felt like putting in another shift at the coalface. On the whole I’d say I’m disappointed. I can’t remember the last time I gave up without finishing, but this evening I did – and I really don’t like doing that.