Comments on: Guardian Quiptic N° 637, by Hectence

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:42:13 +0000

Yeah, a bit of stretch for a Quiptic, but do-able.

A couple of decades back The Times used the most succinct clue for 8d, to whit “Sammoc”. A serious groaner!

By: crosser

crosser — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:48:05 +0000

Thanks, PeterO. I thought this was more difficult than the usual quiptic. I needed your explanation of 13a which I had got but couldn’t parse, mainly because I had never heard of Edward Very.
I loved 8d.
Thank you, Hectence.

By: PeterO

PeterO — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:14:12 +0000

K’sD – Certainly the puzzle was solvable; I just feel that many complete beginners would lack the confidence to go with half-understood answers, and there are enough of them here to make life difficult. Incidentally, the above is the second published version; in the first, I threw up my hands over SHAGGY in 1D. After a break for Downton Abbey, I returned to sort that one out, and noted that I had described the wordplay in 10A as an anagram rather than a reversal. Of course, that is not wrong – a reversal is a particular case of an anagram.

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:19:51 +0000

Nice crossword, considerably easier than today’s cryptic. Perhaps next time I should start with the Quiptic to get my brain working.

Thanks, PeterO; I had some trouble with RESURGE until I gave up on dr, mb etc for doctor in the clue and realised it was SURGEon. I thought the ‘up’ in 6d was nicely misleading.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:46:04 +0000

Thanks, Peter. Not so sure I agree about the difficulty level; I thought it was eminently solvable because of the clear definitions in most clues, as well as in some cases with the enumeration. I do agree though that it was a Quiptic where you arrived at the answer through crossing letters and the definition more often than through teasing out the wordplay, which in some clues was tricky. I needed you to explain a couple today, and I didn’t see that SLOE GIN is in fact a reversal and not an anagram.

I laughed at SHAGGY DOG STORY and also liked INVERTED COMMAS.

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:19:07 +0000

Thanks PeterO and Hectence. Yes, agree – a nice crossword, pitched for a not-so-beginner.

COD 8D INVERTED COMMAS, liked the definition – when it dawned on me.
7D UPGRADE, I think the position of “in” is okay if one reads it as “Argued about {comma or pause} small change in {comma or pause} improved software” – just a bit convoluted, as you say.