Comments on: Everyman No. 3408 (29th January)

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:34:25 +0000

To Tokyo Colin,

From an English perspective, the rivers that you mention are not just in crosswordland and would be familiar to many English people whereas I suspect the Allegheny would not. The river Fal flows into Falmouth which is a famous Cornish resort ; the river Exe flows into Exeter which is a well-known city; the Ure flows into the Ouse in North Yorkshire which is where I live; and the Wear flows through Tyne and Wear which is a well-known metropolitan county.

I’m surprised that I wasn’t aware of Allegheny pale ale though, as I like my beer.

By: Robi

Robi — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:48:06 +0000

Davy @5; I think you have to consider the difficulties of the setter. With A?L?G?E?Y, there really was only ALLEGHENY to fit in, if he left this clue to the end (even without the ‘Y,’ there is the same problem.)

By: Chas

Chas — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:46:01 +0000

No more obscure rivers please!

By: Tokyo Colin

Tokyo Colin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:41:37 +0000

Thanks Lorraine,

In response to Davy’s question I would have said it is much better known than rivers such as Fal, Exe, Ure and Wear that I have only encountered in crosswordland. The name Allegheny also refers to a county, a mountain range, a college, hospital and a very good Pale Ale. So it is hardly obscure.

But you seem to be in good company based on the other contributors so it appears that none of those uses is well-known in the Guardian’s heartland. So score one for the “foreigners” I suppose.

Last one in for me was 11dn. Now that’s obscure from where I sit, but gettable.

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:46:44 +0000

Thanks Lorraine,

I enjoyed this very much and even if it’s allegedly on the easy side, I find it so much more enjoyable than many more difficult crosswords. My best guess for 22a was ALLYGHEEN which was close but not right. I found the correct answeer using Find and Fit but have never heard of the river. Is it famous in any way or was this just Everyman being obscure ?.

The thing with Everyman is that his clues nearly always have good surfaces and never seem contrived.

I’ve ticked the following clues as being worthy of mention and these are ADD-ON, COLD CREAM, A BIT OF ALL RIGHT (mabye sexist in some people’s eyes), NEGATIVE EQUITY, EVEN, EN FAMILLE and UNCLE.

Thanks a lot Everyman.

By: Hughr

Hughr — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:26:57 +0000

Thanks. I got 17/28 this week. I knew 22a was an anagram but I just didn’t know the river.

By: Robi

Robi — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:45:55 +0000

Smooth surfaces, as ever.

Thanks Lorraine; I dredged up ALLEGHENY from somewhere in my subconscious. I had ‘ARISE’ for 4d, and according to the solution, that is correct.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:30:46 +0000

For 13a I had B?e?k and bill in the sense of a beak rather than in a brown envelope just didn’t come to mind. Even with a solver I didn’t know that a bleak was a fish.
For 22a I had a?l?g?e?y and ehln to play with. Without knowing the river there was no way of getting it right. Several anagram solvers denied such a word existed.

Those two were taxing for me.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:35:52 +0000

Thanks, Lorraine. You’re right – a fine all round puzzle from Everyman as always (including, as is often the case, the old film). Nice surfaces, good range of devices.

(You have a tiny typo in 2dn, btw – I’m sure you meant to say that it’s a reversal of GAB for ‘talk over’.)