Comments on: Independent/7,874 – Punk

By: MikeC

MikeC — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:10:22 +0000

Thanks Allan_C. All is clear – and, as you said previously, very groanworthy!!

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:59:52 +0000

It’s strange how people solve puzzles so differently! Before I had time to even look at the first clue, Bert had put one of the book titles in which then led to the author without even looking at the clue for it!
The rest is history….. but enjoyable none the less.
It’s such a shame though that Punk couldn’t fit in Arty Blartfast or Zaphod Beeblebrox or however you spell them. Sorry it’s too late to google.
Thanks Punk and Ali.

By: flashling

flashling — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:51:33 +0000

@Wil re Douglas that’s what I thought anyway. I think in hindsight having such long anagrams of well known books that really gave away the rest of the grid was a mistake, sorry Punk, making your hard work futile and a facile solve for us. (Well except Ali, as a blogger I’d have hated to spend time trying to sort it out.)

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:28:47 +0000

It hasn’t been said by anyone, but I thought the Douglas in the author’s name (Man’s man) referred to the Isle of Man. Is this so?

Like several above I didn’t bother to work out the long and tortuous anagrams once I had the titles.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:14:47 +0000

DECANTER: A cantering horse is faster than a trotting one, so to slow to a trot one would have to de-canter.
NOSTRUM: you can pluck the strings of a guitar or strum the instrument. If there is instruction NO STRUM(ming) so then you will have to pluck it.

By: redddevil

redddevil — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:13:57 +0000

I also don’t really see the point of this. The 2 long anagrams were pretty much insoluble taken alone (i.e. without the author) but then everything was too easy once you had the author. Like others I didn’t bother parsing the anagrams after getting the author as the answers were obvious. Is today any special date to do with DA?

By: MikeC

MikeC — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:00:53 +0000

Thanks Ali and Punk. I enjoyed this one but I’m still feeling a bit thick about both NOSTRUM and DECANTER. For me the word play seems to imply NOWSTRUM and DEC CANTER. What am I missing, anyone?

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:36:52 +0000

Have to agree that two (very) long anagrams and a related answer don’t leave too much else to do. Having said that I didn’t bother working out the anagrams; I got a few checking letters in 27a which led to “So long and”, and googling just that phrase led me via Wikipedia to the rest of both anagrams and the author.

NOSTRUM and DECANTER prompted groans when the pennies dropped.

By: spb

spb — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Agree with the above comments. Really liked 1d for the image of an ‘elf stud’.

By: flashling

flashling — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:21:31 +0000

Somewhat have to concur with Prolixic and K’s D even down to the well it must be an anagram and enter it anyway – if I was blogging I’d do a check but… Fell apart for me probably under ten minutes with a heavy cold! quite like the clue for the author though.