Comments on: Independent 7905 by Dac

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:56:27 +0000

Sometimes you get a ‘presumably?’, sometimes you just get a question- or exclamation-mark. In a much-talked-about Times Crossword Chamionships puzzle, some clue or other for PIMENTO used the cryptic build-up of ‘miners’ for the PI(MEN)T bit, raising some eyebrows apparently. But that just had a ? at the end of it, IIRC.

By: NealH

NealH — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:42:55 +0000

I found this fairly easy with just crustacea and core store holding me up a little. I’d always thought shellfish were a subset of crustacea, but looking at the dictionary it doesn’t appear so, since all crabs and lobsters can be categorised as shellfish. The bread bit also held me up because I was convinced it was going to be some word for money such as a currency. I vaguely remember core store from somewhere – even though it’s a bit obscure, it’s justified because it was quite a neat, deceptive clue.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:18:23 +0000

Thanks to all of you for finding the errors in the blog! I’ve made the changes.
Pelham Barton@9 We tried to imply what you have indicated for 5ac but I think you have parsed it better! Thanks

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:51:07 +0000

Sorry I meant Paul A@7 not Paul B.

While I am back in, I should comment on 5ac. I took this as “after retiring” = “in bed”, with the “presumably” telling us that we then have to reinterpret the “in” as an insertion indicator.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:46:26 +0000

Thanks Dac for your usual enjoyable puzzle and Bertandjoyce for the blog.

1ac: I took this the same way as UncleAda @6.

14ac: I took this as “work with others” = “company” = CO “to” = “joined to” and “repair” = RESTORE, but I think your parsing is better.

3dn: This could be anagram of S A BIT KEEN, but I prefer the parsing given by Paul B@7, keeping the abbreviation apart from the anagram wherever possible.

11dn: As well as the ancient land between the Tigris and the Euphrates, Mesopotamia also refers to an island in Oxford between the two branches of the River Cherwell. See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia,_Oxford

By: Paul A

Paul A — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:41:16 +0000

Also 3d should be S(on) + anagram of A BIT KEEN, I think

By: UncleAda

UncleAda — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:22:53 +0000

Thank you Bert&Joyce for the blog. For 1 ac. I read it as KS for ‘bor
ders of Kansas’, rather than KA.?

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:51:01 +0000

I need one, AAMOF, for my currently redundant Rega Planar, which is still quite nice to look at nonetheless. Or at least a new cartridge. (Such nice things, decks: I always dreamed of a Linn Sondek.)

http://www.petertyson.co.uk/ebuttonz/ebz_product_pages/linn_majik_lp12.shtml?fshop&gclid=COSSkL_0n64CFQcRfAod_m9m7A

MESOPOTAMIA is still current as a region, according to Collins, so while it was arguably at its greatest in the time of Uruk, Tell Brak etc, ‘ancient’ doesn’t actually need to help the definition.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:21:34 +0000

@K’SD seems MikeC beat me to 5a as I was going to say the same, a nice Dac all round, not knowing the US state capitals I thought Augusta was in Georgia, oh well. Thanks B&J for doing a better job than I ever did.

Does anyone still use tone arms?

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:13:31 +0000

Of course, Mike, thank you.