Comments on: Independent 7943 / Phi

By: pennes

pennes — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:49:09 +0000

Yes I noticed Holmes too Will and i feel the same about cartoons in the papers, some are very well observed and beautifully drawn get 10 seconds glance and are forgotten the day after.
I’m late posting as assumed that the last two Double dealer and Deform would go in, but they didn’t. I didn’t like “def” for very good order, but then I hadn’t heard of it and it stopped me finishing so I would say that wouldn’t I?

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:27:31 +0000

Good crossword as usual from Phi. I quite failed to see 1/25, although it’s obvious now.

Did nobody think that 19d (HOLMES) was quite outstanding? It seems a pity that such brilliance is apparently taken for granted and will be forgotten tomorrow.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 19:31:11 +0000

I entered MARMALISE automatically without checking the letters of the anagram, meaning that 12ac was the last one in for me when I finally realised my mistake. Chambers on-line does indeed give the etymology as “turning to marmalade” but it’s not in the paper version. I well remember one of Ken Dodd’s Diddymen was Mick the Marmaliser.

22d was the first on in for me. It made me smile.

I’d not only heard of The Double Dealer, I think I’ve seen it, although the plot summary on Wikipedia doesn’t ring any bells.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:36:52 +0000

I’ve never seen marmelise spelled that way before although wordplay screamed it at me, the double dealer I’d not heard of the play so failed on that. Oh well first I’ve not finished this week

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:21:08 +0000

Collins agrees with the OED re MARMALISE. I’ve often wondered if this humorous coinage comes from ‘marmalade’, implying ‘make marmalade of’, similarly to ‘make mincemeat of’. In which case, of course, the Collins/OED spellings are the more logical.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:29:55 +0000

You are of course right, Conrad. As Eileen has previously and perspicaciously mentioned, if you know the answer, then it’s not obscure …

I too needed a second look for the spelling of MARMELISE; if I were to write it, I’d certainly use an A as the central vowel and not an E.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:49:18 +0000

Re 10a I was ok with it as it’s only familiar to me from Midsummer Night’s Dream – “That would hang us, every mother’s son!” – where, although the mechanicals are all men (albeit one in drag) Flute (?) clearly means something like “every single one”, as a way of emphasising “us”.

The interesting one for me was MARMELISE, as it seems to be a case where Chambers is in complete disagreement with the OED, which has MARMALISE & MARMALIZE as the only spellings.

Many thanks for the blog. It’s a good, harder puzzle which held me up several times, even if Araucaria’s tour de force is still my favourite so far today.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:22:58 +0000

Enjoyable puzzle and pleased to be able to work out the answers I’d never heard of (or forgotten) from the clear wordplay eg (pace K’s D) THE DOUBLE DEALER, HYADES, CROWN DERBY. Favourites TOODLE-PIP, DREAR. Thanks Phi and B&J. Just a shade more difficult for me than Phi usually is.

By: Conrad Cork

Conrad Cork — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:30:34 +0000

K’s D @1. One man’s obscurity is another man’s first answer in. )

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 08:38:10 +0000

Not as easy as some from phi, but solvable. I agree with you, B&J, about 10a; imho the clue could just as well have read “…. no man’s excluded” without giving too much away.

Is there a further slant to 20d? If one reads ‘the underworld’ as ‘down under’, i.e. the southern hemisphere then I’m guessing that the Hyades aren’t visible there and thus can be said to be unknown.