Comments on: Guardian Quiptic 642 / Arachne

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:08:22 +0000

Curta! – That’s the word I couldn’t remember. Thank you so much, big fella. I look forward to seeing you next time. xxx

By: Big Dave

Big Dave — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:50:19 +0000

@Jan

I remember meeting you in Derby.

The picture is of a Curta calculator. This one is a Type II, but I also own a Type I which is smaller and has a smaller range.

http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:31:25 +0000

BTW – I love the squid joke.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:25:58 +0000

Dave, I’m way after the main event – I love Arachne’s puzzles and your blogs are always a delight with their refusal to spell it out but with suggestions of how the solvers can get there.

I have a question which I meant to ask when we met but forgot – maybe I was overawed?

Knowing that this will get to you via e-mail and ducking under Gaufrid’s radar what is that thingie called which you use for your sig picture?

I’ve seen a real one and watched it calculating but I’m, b******d if I can remember what the thingummygig is called

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:21:21 +0000

A slog and got stuck with 5 to go. Given that someone is too thin skinned to allow dissent I shall fail to make to make the obvious inference too.

Before any of these Johnny Come Lateleys got into Windows, the whole idea of such a graphical interface was invented at the Parc Laboratories of Rank Xerox. So Apple suing Microsoft was just a tad on the rich side.

By: Arachne

Arachne — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:53:17 +0000

Evening all!

Warm and heartfelt thanks to Big Dave for an amazing blog (as ever) and an even more amazing joke: I hadn’t heard it before but it’s about to go round my ‘hood like the measles…Thanks for all the comments too.

The difficulty level for Quiptics is a tricky thing to judge, and it does tend to creep up imperceptibly over the months. Since submitting this one I’ve tried to recalibrate, so either the next one or the one after that should get back to basics. To add to my worries No2 Daughter has just started solving the Quiptics so I am now in dire fear of knee-wobblingly outspoken criticism in future (gulp). Perhaps a few squid will sort her out…

TTFN
Love and hugs,
Arachne

By: pommers

pommers — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:22:51 +0000

Definitely on the tricky side for a Quiptic but, as you say BD, Arachne is always enjoyabe.
Not keen on “I’ve” for “has got one” but it was fairly obvious.
Thanks Arachne & BD

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:11:34 +0000

Thanks, Big Dave.

Always a pleasing Quiptic from this setter, and the level of this was well-judged, with just a couple of more complicated constructions. BRACED and SQUID (apart from the joke, which is so rubbish it’s verging on good …) were my favourites this morning.

Thanks to Arachne too.

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:58:04 +0000

PeterO @4; I think it is the other sense of the whole word EARWIG, viz Chambers: ‘to eavesdrop, to gain the ear of.’

By: Robi

Robi — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:51:49 +0000

Doh! OK, I get the ‘in bed’ now!