Comments on: Guardian 25,544 / Paul

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:31:40 +0000

Thanks, mhl.

I followed exactly the same reasoning as Tupu – hexagon, then nonagon – until the deceased bird raised it’s head!

All in all, an enjoyable puzzle.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:54:40 +0000

Thanks all
Nice to see a prize puzzle which lives up to the name (although today’s Crucible surpasses it).
Plenty of tricks and misdirections. I was a nonagon thinker although I resisted writing it in and discovered my error through the ‘dead parrot’.
I,too, admired ‘the noted hole’ and the ‘Leicester’ homophone.
A very satisfying exercise (the dementia remains delayed).

By: r_c_a_d

r_c_a_d — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:31:19 +0000

Thanks for the blog. Good to see that I was not alone in confidently entering NONAGON at first.

I found quite a few of these hard, returning several times before finishing. Great! Exactly what I want from a prize puzzle. Well done Paul.

LEICESTER and CIRCULAR were my favourites, amongst many, with POTTY nearly driving me potty.

By: Robi

Robi — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:58:04 +0000

Pretty difficult but entertaining crossword. ATM=noted hole is outrageous! (ly good) Paul had me running around in circles with this one. TEN-ALL for tie was clever. His trademark bottom made a usual appearance.

Thanks mhl; I assumed the ‘TH’ in 4 came from oath, although that would mean double-duty. I didn’t know APPETENCY and EVOCATE, although the clu(e)ing was faultless. The LEICESTER homophone was OK, I thought, once I had considered it afresh.

By: tupu

tupu — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:49:26 +0000

Thanks mhl and Paul

A very good puzzle. Unaccountably ‘sole’ proved a bit harder to see than several other more difficult entries.

28a was teasing but entertaining too. My first thought was hexagon (before I had 19d) on the very dubious basis that Planck’s H constant might be thought of as an unknown + >axe + gon. Then I tried nonagon and lastly saw the joke along with 27,24.

Ticked 16a, 19a, 29a, 3d, 4d. Good fun overall and also liked the ATM in 1a (Some feminists might well not like the He!). I saw 4d and 8d as Biggles A @2.

By: Paul Wolfarth

Paul Wolfarth — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:41:16 +0000

Thanks for the blog MHL. I didn’t finish this till Tuesday – you’ll be pleased to know that your were not the only one to enter NONAGON – I made the same mistake, which left me struggling with 15d until the penny dropped.

An excellent challenge from Paul. Thank you.

By: mhl

mhl — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:01:42 +0000

Thanks for pointing out my couple of silly errors (now corrected) – I parsed them fine at the time, but just wrote the post in a rush a few days later…

By: brucew_aus

brucew_aus — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:54:53 +0000

Thanks mhl and Paul
Well … this was a puzzle – what a cracker!!
Struggled with 16a and 19a for most of the week – and as it turned out because I had put in PENDULANT downwards (anagram of PAUL around END) with an (A)NT as my ‘not entire crawler’ … aggghhh. Penny finally dropped this morning (Oz time)… when I discounted some of the crossings and ‘aha-ed’ LEICESTER Square.
Did parse 1a slightly diffently A T-H-E (hole in TE, note) ISM – but your version is much better – ATM is a gem !
Unfortunately Paul still wins … had HEAVE TO rather than HEAVE HO
Filled with excellent, clever and humorous clues – 1a, 12a, 16a, 27-24a, 9d, 15d were stand outs.

By: NeilW

NeilW — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:54:53 +0000

Thanks, mhl. I agree with Biggles A about 4 and 8 but, in the context of the whole clue, the homophone worked for me – if I say “less to” it sounds like “less too” but if I say “less to say” it sounds like “less t’ say” – still that’s the dangerous world of homophones for you!

By: Biggles A

Biggles A — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:28:31 +0000

I thought the TH in 4 was the first half of THIS. What is the significance of RE in 8? Is not ENGINEER an anagrind ?