Comments on: Guardian Cryptic 25521 Rufus

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:01:25 +0000

I find I am enjoying Rufus much more since the interview I read a month or so ago. Knowing the intent of the setter helps me appreciate his achievements. Keeping the CD and DD alive, and having very smooth surfaces as a goal is admirable, and simply being told that is something that matters to him a lot has changed my whole approach to “judging” his puzzles.

This made it seem just fine to me that although I solved the whole puzzle, nine answers were still in pencil (meaning I wasn’t sure of the justification for them). Some would have been easy to ink in with verification research, but to me part of the fun of the “easier” puzzles (everyman, Rufus, some Tuesdays…) is not cracking the laptop open even once.

On the controversy at 12, I think 3/4 of the purpose of the word “state” in the clue is to make the surface work. The other 1/4 is to make “rotten” and “and his” work double duty. That makes the clue 3/4 def+anagram+anagrind and 1/4 DD. Considerably easier to parse than some Araucaria clues which require operating in five dimensions.

Thanks whoever pointed out “PA(1)R”!

And thanks for the blog, scchua; and the nice early week relief from some of the other more brutal puzzles I have been working on lately, Rufus!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:57:56 +0000

Describing Hamlet and his rotten state (6).

I actually said this clue is ‘best described’ as a dd: in fact it’s more a single def with two examples, since DANISH describes both Hamlet (he is Danish) and his rotten state (Denmark is, indisputably I would suggest, Danish).

All I’m adding, in the case that the clue is intended to be, as suggested, ‘a semi &lit’, is that there might be a problem with the tense of ‘rotten state’ as an anagind when what’s really meant is ‘in a rotten state’.

But that wrecks the surface, doesn’t it, and we can’t have that.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:17:52 +0000

Hi Paul B

After seeing the anagram [or, rather, having it pointed out!] I took the anagrind as being ‘rotten’, which is the appropriate part of speech. Surely this is totally &lit?

[I completely fail to see 'Danish'as a double definition!]

By: john goldthorpe

john goldthorpe — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:53:56 +0000

A delightful puzzle – as ever with Rufus smooth, elegant and often witty surfaces in contrast to the gobbledygook that setters of more ‘tortuous’ crosswords often come up with. I think I saw it reported somewhere that Rufus is asked by the Guardian crossword editor to prepare relativelty easy puzzles especially for a Monday. Couldn’t he be also invited to produce something more testing from time to time – while of course keeping his admirable setting style?

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:29:24 +0000

12ac is probably best described as a dd: the anagram seems to be an accidental, more so perhaps if you agree with me that ‘rotten state’ doesn’t function too well (in the cryptic reading) as an anagind in that part of speech.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:51:23 +0000

Allan & Eileen
You both rate 12ac highly. And yet you both admit that you solved it by definition only (ie not cryptic).
This is one of my regular complaints about Rufus (and others) who might very well create beautiful cryptitude but waste it completely by over precise definitions.

By: chas

chas — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:41:36 +0000

I have thought about it some more and I now see it: Bo and Dudley were in a film which used the music of Ravel’s Bolero

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:30:27 +0000

Thanks for the blog, scchua.

I don’t see your double definition in 12ac: ‘Danish’ has the same meaning when describing both Hamlet and his state. [I can't believe, though, that, like Allan_C, I didn't spot the anagram!! That makes it my favourite clue, I think.]

There is no ‘e’ in Scotch whisky!

Thanks to Rufus for another pleasant puzzle – and for reawakening memories of my grandpa sharpening his cut-throat razor, which fascinated me as a child: I haven’t come across that meaning of ‘strop’ for years!

By: chas

chas — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:12:40 +0000

I find I am still in the dark over the second set of pictures. Bo Derek, Maurice Ravel and Dudley Moore: how are they linked to each other? What is the link to this crossword?

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:49:16 +0000

Hoped to get more out given the comments about it being easy. However I couldn’t get
6a Just couldn’t see muff from ??f?
9a Only had b???r? and would never have got this
16a Thought it might be par but couldn’t justify it.
24a Even with ?a?e?t couldn’t see it.
25a Only had ????i??? which meant I couldn;t have a stab at it.
6d With only ????e?e I tried an anagram of set & Rome but couldn’t see it. I’d never heard of Moliere so wouldn’t have guessed it even with more letters.
18d I had ??s???l and thought it was an anagram of still in. Backed the wrong horse.
22d I had e???t. Didn’t know eclat and wouldn’t have guessed talc for powder.
23d Never thought of pi for good.

I was pleased to get 26a but only because I’d encountered it before.

Derek@14 you are spot on. I once knew a professional horse race punter and he never backed favourites or anything under 2/1.