Comments on: Independent 7902 (Saturday Prize Puzzle 11th February 2012) by Tyrus

By: Tramp

Tramp — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:02:24 +0000

Super puzzle from Tyrus. My favourite was the excellent 17/20

By: Tyrus

Tyrus — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:31:22 +0000

Thanks to all for the generous comments and to twencelas for another
great blog.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:23:21 +0000

Nice one. Thanks Tyrus and twencelas. But how dull can one get? – I got ARTY for 15d but just couldn’t see how AY could mean ‘discussion’ and never thought of ‘in discussion’ as a homonym indicator. COD has to be UNTHINKING – a really outrageous play on words!

By: Lenny

Lenny — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:16:44 +0000

Thanks Twencelas and Tyrus, this was a lot of fun with some outrageous clueing. My only grumble was at being expected to know Didier Drogba’s nationality. I scarcely know that he is a footballer. Last in was Nada where I had to think hard to get the correct definition of Zip.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:17:39 +0000

Yes, this was very good and a little easier than Tyrus usually is for me anyway. I also saw FAT CHANCE as Wanderer did at #3. And while there were many great clues, I will name a favourite – UNTHINKING which was also the last I solved. Thanks Tyrus and twencelas. And trier = judge all right from the verb try and trial I guess.

By: twencelas

twencelas — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:36:22 +0000

Wanderer – I think your parsing of 16dn is an improvement on mine. Chancery is a more direct representation of court and the question mark after the lines, I think, directs us to “ry”.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:24:27 +0000

Loved it. Normally I find Tyrus the toughest in the Indy stable, but this was a treat. The long across clues (the wife playing around, and the spoilt first night) were hilarious, and I felt that these two, combined with “I unfastened girl’s zip” did constitute a kind of saucy mini-theme. POD held me up for a long time.

I interpreted my Fellow at Court slightly differently — I thought he was F AT CHANCERY, with RY=railway=lines.

Many thanks twencelas and Tyrus.

By: Cumbrian

Cumbrian — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:56:24 +0000

Thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle, and many thanks for the blog. For some reason I struggled with 7d, deciding that “to name” gave TON as the ending, got the P at the beginning so decided it had to be PRESTON. Why? Aha – a homonym of PRESSED ON. So I missed PRESTO, overcomplicated it, but got the result and had a chuckle moment anyway.

Too many appealing clues to have an outright favourite.

By: flashling

flashling — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:47:37 +0000

Quite liked this puzzle, was surprised at the number of homophones, 1ac I took as being a homophone just being one of those reverse clues where the answer clues the clue as it were. Thanks both.