Comments on: Independent 7921 by Phi

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:11:24 +0000

Chambers gives RR as an abbreviation for Right Reverend, which I guess is the correct title for a bishop.

By: pennes

pennes — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:52:14 +0000

Definitely harder , and it seemd to me a bit less inventive than Phi’s usual.
Could someone explain why in 8 dn that “rr” is represented by Bishop?
thankyou

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:57:15 +0000

16a was the first answer I got as I remember reading books about how to make a cat’s whisker radio reciever when very young, except I kept thinking it should be something like The Cat’s Pyjamas meaning most impressive.

I’d taken 24a as a triple definition but I agree about the Chambers definition.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:25:18 +0000

Thanks NealH for the blog. We completed it but couldn’t parse 22 and 24a so thanks for filling in the gaps.
Some good puzzles from Phi recently but this was trickier in our opinion. After having missed themes recently we kept wondering whether we had missed another with the inclusion of some unusual words but can’t see anything.

Thanks Phi for the entertainment!

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:30:25 +0000

Thanks Phi for a pleasant crossword and NealH for the blog. 8dn: I am not sure about this one. Chambers 2008 gives "starry adj abounding or adorned with stars; consisting of, or proceeding from, the stars; like, or shining like, the stars". Collins 2000 gives us "1 filled, covered with, or illuminated by stars. 2 of, like, or relating to a star or stars". I am not sure that any of those quite justifies "with famous actors" instead of "like famous actors", but am very ready to be persuaded that "with" works. 24ac: When solving, I took this as three meanings, but both dictionaries quoted above support the view given by Neal and nms@6 that "Fresh, cold" is really just one meaning.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:51:10 +0000

Thanks, Phi, and NealH. Yes, I too found it a bit harder than usual for Phi – esp SW quadrant. I think in 16 A the ‘most impressive’ refers to another meaning of the THE CAT’S WHISKERS ie something very good. CRISP took me ages to get – not 100% sure but thought it might split at “Fresh/cold, fried food” as the double definition.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:31:12 +0000

Works now. Some IE update problem I’ll wager, involving Java.

Nice puzzle from Phi, who is, as you say, getting in a good run of appearances, with a couple of clues (16 & 18) that slowed me down due to a requirement for specific knowledge (in particular about radio transmitters and The Bible). They were both dd clues, so certainly I had half a chance, and each was gettable from the crossing pattern in any case. Plus, of course, now I know! Couldn’t see any shenanigans.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:14:12 +0000

It’s working fine for me as well, Paul.

By: NealH

NealH — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:11:59 +0000

Just tried it through Firefox and IE and I don’t get any problems.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:07:39 +0000

Is anyone else having trouble opening the Indy crossword online? IE keeps crashing it, or vice-versa.