Comments on: Independent 7,840/Monk

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:33:43 +0000

Hi Monk
Thanks for dropping in and for confirming that I hadn’t missed something. I spent as long looking for the ‘extra’ as I did solving the puzzle but fortunately I have plenty of spare time.

By: Monk

Monk — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:56:43 +0000

Thanks for the blog and comments. To Gaufrid @ #10, the Nina is merely the connected anagrams on the first and last row. i.e. nothing very inspired, I’m sorry to say!

By: Ali

Ali — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:43:38 +0000

Thanks all for the pointers and apologies for the ommissons. I blogged this one in a hurry.

I’m not sure I like the RIG dismantled in MADRAS wordplay. For me, MADRAS has to be entirely contained for the word ‘in’ to make sense, and that initial R is sticking out like a sore thumb. Hey ho, horses for courses.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 23:27:53 +0000

We really enjoyed this one. Some original wordplay including ‘laid back” in 10ac. Brought a smile to our faces, just like “fed up” as mentioned @17. Similarly we thought 25ac was another good piece of clueing.

We look forward to a challenge on Thursdays. Mind you we also had Anax earlier this week which was a real but enjoyable struggle as well.

Thanks to Ali and Monk.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:27:53 +0000

Thanks Monk for an enjoyable crossword and Ali for the blog.

I had 19ac the same way as Gaufrid @2. This seems a perfectly fair device to me.

10ac: We have to take “relaxed” = “laid back” and then turn the word “back” into a reversal indicator. I could only do this because we had recently had “Bored?” = “fed up” = DEF (in a down clue). I said at the time that I thought that was unfair, and here we do not even have the ? to help us. To my mind, crossword solving should be about deducing devices from the wording in the clue, not a series of conventions to be learned. End of moan.

By: redddevil

redddevil — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:07:31 +0000

Mr A W @15 “In 2d of course you meant HE’S (not HE) in TAURUS.” That’s what I meant but somehow failed to say correctly!

By: Mr A Writinghawk

Mr A Writinghawk — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:02:31 +0000

‘Asleep’ is a euphemism for ‘dead’ (popular on headstones).

In 2d of course you meant HE’S (not HE) in TAURUS.

By: redddevil

redddevil — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:51:35 +0000

2D needs the ‘sign’ part included to make thesaurus!
Thought anagram at 1D was easy and that gave me a good start. Got extrapolation after spree – not that many 13 letter words beginning with e and meaning inference!
Took a while for the penny to drop with Chinese but enjoyed it when it did.
Thanks to Monk and Ali.

By: PeterO

PeterO — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:37:12 +0000

23A: alternatively, a GONER is one who is asleep. Permanently.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:09:37 +0000

Thanks, Ali.

I got off to a flying start with this one, but soon came to a halt. I wasn’t too enamoured of the OPTIONAL EXTRA/EXTRAPOLATION clues, because you have no way of solving them independently except by guessing at the definitions. I liked the headless hamster in AMSTERDAM. Haven’t seen much of Monk in recent times, so it was good to grapple with one of his offerings today.