Comments on: Guardian 25,558 – Arachne

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:37:54 +0000

Hi Matt

There’s an example in today’s Anax:

11ac: A Latin word for “separate” is one of several [9]

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:27:23 +0000

Pangapilot

I’ve never seen a ruling that it’s not ok to have a definition in the middle. I’ve seen a number of solver’s guides that suggest it’s best to look at one end of the clue or the other for the definition, as that’s where 99% of them are to be found, but you don’t have to look too far to find exceptions to this rule. In the 2 years that I’ve been doing crosswords I’ve come across several instances where a clue is constructed “X results in D, when Y is added / subtracted”, where D is the definition.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:55:31 +0000

pangapilot
Quite recently I raised the same issue but was rapidly told by the crossword gods that there was no such rule.
It is surely true that almost all setters follow, and have followed for decades, such a rule. It must be just a coincidence.

By: pangapilot

pangapilot — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:56:22 +0000

Very late to be commenting on yesterday's puzzle, I know, but why were Kayoz@11, Mr Jim@26 and DROPO@54 the only people to query the structure of 14? Spooner's kinkajou is BUNNY HAIR. Since when has it been OK to have the definition in the middle? Kinkajou is Spooner's rabbit fur would have been kosher.

By: DROPO

DROPO — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:41:09 +0000

I agree with Kayoz in #11: since “rabbit fur” is at the end of the clue, then the answer should be BUNNY HAIR; “kinkajou” is in the middle of the clue, oddly for a definition. But I was able to figure out what was going on once I figured out LACHRYMAL. Lots of other good things, though – I laughed when I saw NAPPIES, I don’t know why, just silly fun.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:39:19 +0000

Yes indeed. Pilloried and deservedly so.

But Pandean, as well as argus-eyed, is extremely kind in allowing that I might have changed my views since the original publication of this, ooh, ancient piece. G from George, I mean, pshaw.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:25:31 +0000

Pandean,

Good find!

By: Posterntoo

Posterntoo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:09:43 +0000

Thanks, NeilW. I didn’t make myself clear. I do have them both opened, but I hate going from one to the other. Not that I much like scrolling up and down to read the comments on the official Guardian site, either! It’s amazing how fast I’ve become with the one-letter entry, though.

By: Pandean

Pandean — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:37:43 +0000

Paul B @ 45

I’m not wild about abbreviating George on its own as G either. Oddly enough though, that very device cropped up in the clue for 5dn in yesterday’s i puzzle by yourself as Tees. The clue reads ‘Move George into Cornish town’ giving BUD(G)E. Unless I have the wrong end of the stick, of course, and have the parsing wrong.

Presumably that puzzle has previously appeared in the Independent and you have changed your tune on acceptable abbreviations since it was first published?

By: tupu

tupu — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:01:51 +0000

Thanks UY and Arachne

A good blog of a good puzzle eventually finished after a late morning session with the dentist and an afternoon and evening with extraordinarily energetic grandchildren.

My last clue in was Wallis. I tried soemthing with Taylor (t(/) + *royal and then Carlos (and Elizabth de Valois in Verdi) and only then did the penny drop.

I failed to parse pickle though the answer was clear enough.

re ‘roses’ Chambers gives under rose plural: (in white-skinned peoples) the pink glow of the cheeks in health, erisypelas (!!).

I ticked 10a, 11a, 12a, 16a, 25a, 27a, 8d, 14d, 20d, 23d as I staggered along.

and thanks Cholecyst (@13) – I wondered if anyone might notice.