Comments on: Azed No 2074 “Forty Years On”

By: sidey

sidey — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:07:05 +0000

Really enjoyable stuff. I doubt we’ll get another forty years but here’s to many more.

By: Jan

Jan — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:12:21 +0000

Thanks for the blog, bridgesong. I couldn’t parse ALOE because I was taken in by the word bitter, thinking it was part of the definition (as, no doubt, Azed intended!).

It took me far too long to spot all 4 theme words. I became fixed on Arnold Bennett and Henry Moore. And I sang through the words of the Harrow School song (it was also our school song). It was only when Dudley M came to mind that the penny dropped.

I found it hard and it took a while but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you, Azed.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:15:20 +0000

Thanks Azed for a challenging puzzle that was highly satisfying to complete and bridgesong for the blog. I spent more than my usual solving time on the Sunday, getting stuck about half way through and with no idea of the theme. I woke up in the middle of the night with the theme in my head, and it was then fairly easy to complete the puzzle on the Monday evening. David@4 re 17ac: Chambers 2011 gives tinware n articles made of tin. This certainly includes the "cheap tin trays" from Masefield's peom, so to me the clue is completely accurate.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:19:39 +0000

Thanks all
I was really struggling here when I remembered previous examples where I failed to take proper note of the title.
Then,like bridgesong I was able to finish Bennett and the rest fell out pretty easily.
Nevertheless a good workout and the four different connections added a little fun to the puzzle.

By: Bob Sharkey

Bob Sharkey — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:10:43 +0000

Bad luck, Nick. Couldn’t we have an alternative best clue comp. here (for TREK), or is that against the rules?

By: The Trafites

The Trafites — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:50:13 +0000

Oh dear… I really messed this up. I misread the preamble and took ALL the last letters of the four ‘theme words’ to make ‘TREK’ (of which I thought indicated the 40 year journey).

So my brilliant ( ) clue to TREK will vanish forever

Nick

By: Bob Sharkey

Bob Sharkey — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:04:51 +0000

Regarding ‘reins’ in Wil’s comment, I read the entry in C. as possibly meaning that it is rare in its present use as a plural noun, but also obsolete as a singular noun.

By: David Mansell

David Mansell — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:43:00 +0000

17ac. To be utterly pedantic, the last line of Masefield’s poem is:

“Firewood, iron-ware and cheap tin trays”

so “tinware” is not strictly accurate.

By: chris

chris — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:44:18 +0000

ERASE and SALEP are not the only answers with no unchecked letters. I also noticed DIMORPH, GARIALS and AIT.

By: grandpuzzler

grandpuzzler — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 01:29:43 +0000

Thanks to bridgesong for the blog. This took most of the week for me to complete. Had to come here to see the derivation of YETI. Well done, sir!

Cheers…