Comments on: Independent 7862 by Nimrod

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:39:44 +0000

Phew!
Had to finish this in the morning. We could blame it on having to entertain family but actually it was dificult – and it’s not even Thursday! We realised that some of the clues were very obscure having worked out 2d and 16d with a few checking letters but thank you flashling for explaining 9a.
Thanks to Nimrod as well – you certainly woke up a few brain cells after the Christmas festivities!

By: flashling

flashling — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:14:55 +0000

Thanks to Pelham for seeing the wordplay on Jones The Steam – I usually miss at least one somewhere and suspected there was more to it. @Trebor – well NMS pretty much beat me to my own defence – I didn’t mean to criticise the puzzle or setter – rather to backhandedly compliment on (for me) a real workout.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:07:26 +0000

Re Trebor at #7, I didn’t think the blog was critical of the puzzle – I think it was just saying the puzzle was hard (which has not been disputed!) – and included a couple of “tongue-in-cheek” comments if I read them right.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:22:20 +0000

I was defeated by 13a but once I had the theme in place the rest were filled in a reasonable time (for a Nimrod anyway!!). I did wonder when I got Jones the Steam whether Ivor the Engine might be in there somewhere but sadly not. Thanks to Nimrod for the fun and flashling for the blog. To those of you who thought this tough, you should have tried Nimrod’s alter ego Elgar’s double size online only Telegraph Toughie on Christmas Day. This train set theme was a pussycat after that one.

By: Trebor

Trebor — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:01:58 +0000

Really enjoyed this puzzle, only a couple (inc Jones The Steam) beating me in the end. Corset was my favourite.
Hate to be ungracious but I have to add that I did not enjoy the blog. Criticism and challenge is fair enough but I think this goes over the top.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:09:31 +0000

With all due respect to Nimrod I thought the theme a bit tenuous, although the gateway clue, 8a, was brilliant. As sidey has pointed out steam locomotives don’t have engine rooms – the nearest equivalent term is footplate. And Jones the Steam comes in a different set of stories from Thomas. As for 12/20… Grrr!

Thanks, flashling, for the blog – there were a few answers I got without being able to parse them.

By: Cumbrian

Cumbrian — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:16:02 +0000

I raced through this, but unfortunately without solving any clues…… Managed SNOG on my second pass, then chipped away at it and finally managed to finish, but with a lot of answers I couldn’t follow so many thanks for the blog! 9a was particularly convoluted; I don’t think I’d ever have worked that one out.

An extra part to the theme in 22a WATERCRESS, which is the name of the railway line between Alresford and Alton in Hampshire where Thomas and friends can sometimes be found.

By: sidey

sidey — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:24:24 +0000

I would say thank you flashling but I think you need to shunt to the washdown stand.

For some reason I spotted the theme instantly but failed on almost every reference. And to be spectacularly brutal, engine rooms are not to be found on railway locomotives which is why I wanted to write shed, ho hum.

And I won’t mention 12/20…

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:37:19 +0000

This was a fine puzzle which I too found very difficult and rewarding. My knowledge of the theme was scant to say the least so I was v pleased to work it all out with my last answer being JONES THE STEAM which I got from the wordplay PB mentions at #1, and then Googled to confirm that there was indeed such a character. The clues were very intricate. Thanks Nimrod and flashling.

By: MikeC

MikeC — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:06:19 +0000

Thanks flashling and Nimrod. Very tricky. I filled in all the squares (as they say!) but without much idea why, in several cases. 2 and 9 were the most opaque for me.