Comments on: Guardian 25,594 – Puck

By: brucew_aus

brucew_aus — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:10:45 +0000

Only had a chance to look at this one today – and even though it only took a short time to do, it is a puzzle that had a number of clues that I didn’t parse properly – and got CAMBER wrong with CAMDEN . Needed help with 11a, 26a (doh), 2d and 7d.

Only twigged to the theme whilst I was working on the last clue LAKE … and don’t think that I would have worked it out if I hadn’t seen the JUSTIN TIMBER bit. Brilliantly disguised theme and a good variety of very clever and devious clueing.

Well done Puck – and thanks UY for setting me straight with some of the “how did I get it, again!”

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:07:13 +0000

Just to give you a clue as to why this one left me cold, am I to presume Ms Jackson is related to Michael? And who on earth is this Justin character? Complete mystery to me!

By: morpheus

morpheus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:19:46 +0000

Challenging xword. Lake was extremely difficult if you didn’t spot the Justin Timberlake link as I’m afraid to say we didn’t.

By: stiofain

stiofain — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:54:39 +0000

Great cheeky xword thanks Puck and UY probably the best concealed theme ever ( unlike Janets notorious nipple ).

By: mrs t

mrs t — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:22:29 +0000

Thanks for the elucidations UY – especially on 11a.

Great fun, Puck. I just `peeked in` at midnight and was happily intrigued until half one – my personal acid-test of a successful crossword – “just too good to leave.”
Loved 18 – a favourite word of mine and first in. Good to read you here, too. Thank you.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:56:41 +0000

Johnny doesn’t contain an ‘S’.

By: NeilW

NeilW — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:18:11 +0000

Cosafina, I’m curious to know: how did 9ac help you?

By: Cosafina

Cosafina — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:38:55 +0000

Thanks to both UY and Puck.

I enjoyed this, but as I didn’t realise Justin Timberlake was the perpetrator of the malfunction I was held up in the NW corner through having put Johnny (-come-lately) for 1d, which didn’t help at all!

Once I’d twigged what 9a had to be, the rest came easily.

By: tupu

tupu — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:31:54 +0000

Thanks UY and Puck

I only got to look at this enjoyable puzzle this afternoon. It is very good to get Puck’s comments.

The theme went past me but the clues were all solvable without – the mark of a good themed puzzle for me.

I missed the parsing of ‘noses’ as I was keen to get on and thought it must be about newly opened wine bottles! This might have been a nice change for ‘flowers’.

My quick take on wardrobe malfunction was that malfunction was both the anagram indicator and part of the answer.

I ticked several as I went along 10a, 12a,27a, 8d, 13d!, and 17,14!.

By: gm4hqf

gm4hqf — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:40:50 +0000

Thanks Uncle Yap and Puck

Took a while to solve this one and even after getting WARDROBE MALFUNCTION, I hadn’t a clue why.

Very nice puzzle however.