Comments on: Independent 7893 / Dac

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:44:43 +0000

Re’s Wil’s comment at #13, SWAN is given in dicts as a literary term (general) for a poet. I’ll have to admit I did not know this till I looked it up, nor had I heard of SWANS-DOWN so this was tricky but totally fair of course.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:37:35 +0000

Excellent crossword as usual, especially the quite nagnificent 7dn, but Swan’s Down? Nobody has yet totally justified the existence of the poet (unless he is indeed the swan of Avon, in which case well …): I was doing this on a bus and gave up.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:48:49 +0000

Sorry Dac I’ve just couldn’t remember seeing a comment from you before, nice to know you do follow us, but at least you know we do like your stuff. (Even if sometimes the praise seems fawning to a certain extent).

By: NealH

NealH — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:01:49 +0000

I’m afraid mahdi went right over my head – never heard of mardy (I’m obviously from the wrong region) and I’d always assumed mahdi was pronounced something like mak-di. It was fairly straightforward apart from that, although I did hesitate on swan’s down. I only knew Tiller Girls from its mention in relation to Betty Boothroyd.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:47:18 +0000

We’ve just finished the puzzle over dinner and a glass (or two) pf wine! We hasn’t heard of tiller either but we live in the East Midlands so knew mardy!
An interesting puzzle, pretty straightforward and good surface reading throughout as one expects from Dac.
Enjoyed 10a but I don’t know why! Maybe a bit like the product itself!
Thanks Dac and Duncan.

By: dac

dac — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:35:49 +0000

Flashling, please don’t think that my infrequent contributions mean a lack of interest or involvement. I follow all your comments carefully, and am usually embarrassed by your generosity! So thanks for positive comments on this week’s – and most week’s – puzzle(s).

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:02:59 +0000

Dac will go down as the first Indie that I ever solved unaided but todays answers of Morris, Joanna Trollope , Ingres , Tiller , Ingenues, Cremona and Swans down (the reference to a poet anyway) were all unknown. If I’d had other crossing letters I might have been in with a chance but I’ve decided to leave Dac to the better solvers with a wider general knowledge.
My favourite setter is the Don in one of his many guises.

Thanks for the terrific blog -the best there is.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:40:40 +0000

@K’s D surprised at the mardy comment even if I had to to a bit of brain racking for the answer itself, thanks Duncan for another excellent blog (damn you!! )

Put in Swan’s Down without fully understanding (I was on a train, my excuse for no research). TROLL keeps appearing recently – in my last two blogs and again here.

Thanks DAC as ever for a great puzzle, pity you never seem to reply here.

By: scchua

scchua — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:53:24 +0000

Thanks Duncan and Dac for an enjoyable crossword.

I think in 4D SWAN’S DOWN, “swan” is a common noun for a poet (or even someone who sings sweetly), used in a literary context – my last one in.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:43:57 +0000

Thanks Dac for a crossword well up to your usual high standard of entertainment and Duncan for your excellent blog.

Favourite clues 15dn and 7dn which I would mark as a complete “& lit”.

4dn: I took this the same way as Thomas @4.