Comments on: Guardian Quiptic 635 Arachne

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:33:22 +0000

Hi grandpuzzler@7. That is Bebe Neuwirth (pictured as Morticia in The Addams Family musical on Broadway) who played the splendidly uptight Lilith, wife of Kelsey Grammar’s Frasier Crane. Each of the actors played doctor (20As) in the respective movies/TV series. (Hannibal Lecter was a psychiatrist turned/cum chianti drinking cannibal)

Well done to you and PeterO!

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:06:10 +0000

All very reasonable stuff, when you see it explained. Beat me by a long way though. I can finish the easier Araucaria’s, I even finished one that everyone thought was on the tough side (and was duly gobsmacked by that assessment), but only half way with this? Can’t really be a Quiptic then can it?

By: grandpuzzler

grandpuzzler — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:20:50 +0000

Thanks Arachne and scchua. To elaborate on PeterO’s contribution regarding the second set of pictures: The first picture is Kelsey Grammar and the last is Bebe Neuwirth (I think). They played psychiatrists on the TV show Cheers. Ingrid Bergman’s movie was Spellbound and Anthony Hopkins was Silence of the Lambs.

Cheers!

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:15:30 +0000

Thanks PeterO for pointing out the typo at 26A, now corrected.

You’re tantalisingly close with the second picture set. The link is with 20A, but it’s more direct than what you’ve mentioned. Terry Gilliam is incorrect, and the Ingrid Bergman movie I’m looking for is not Gaslight. And btw, it’s not necessarily just movies

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:13:09 +0000

Many thanks for the blog, schhua, and Arachne for the puzzle.

I think this sat well as a Quiptic, although as others have said, it wouldn’t be out of place as an ‘easy’ cryptic. There were enough ‘gimmes’ to get you going, and then the slightly harder ones were all clearly clued. I liked RUMPLESTILTSKIN and TIGHTROPE in particular.

By: PeterO

PeterO — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:42:34 +0000

Thanks to Arachne for an entertaining piece; I agree with Eileen that, while it is of cryptic standard, it does not use any elaborate constructions to daunt beginners. And thanks to scchua for a fine blog; there is a minor typo in 26A. The picture puzzles I found easier this time. In the first group the connection is civet coffee; if you really want the details, they may be found in Wikipedia. The theme of the second group is suggested by 20A, and involves madness and mind games: we have Terry Gilliam (you name the film), Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight), Billy Crystal (Analyze this / that/ the other), Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lecter), Richard Dreyfuss (What about Bob?). The diva with the cleavage I cannot place; if diva is the right word, it would more likely be Lucia di Lammermoor than Miss Jessel.

By: stanXYZ

stanXYZ — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:13:19 +0000

My Monday morning gentle warm-up with the Quiptic, turned today into something of a struggle. I found this far more difficult than Today’s Cryptic.

However, well worth the effort once my brain had adjusted to the difficulty of the task.

Thanks to scchua for the blog, especially for explaining 7d and 16d.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:27:53 +0000

Thanks for the blog, scchua.

The usual classy stuff from Arachne, which I agree would not be out of place in the cryptic slot but the variety and accuracy of the cluing still make it an ideal puzzle for those setting out on the cryptic road.

My ticks were for HARLEY STREET [considering some of the operations carried out there, it qualifies as an &lit, I think - or WIWD, if you prefer] JETTISON and CHAIN-SMOKE.

By: pommers

pommers — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:15:29 +0000

A very entertaining puzzle from the spider lady but I thought it a bit tricky for a Quiptic. It could easily hold its own as a regular cryptic.

Thanks to Arachne for the fun and to Scchua for explaining where the INES comes from in 16d, never come across that one before!