Comments on: Financial Times 13,981 by Monk

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:57:54 +0000

Monk, thank you very much for dropping in, it is always always nice to hear back from setters. No problems with 19ac, I knew Irides so IRIDACEAE was an easy guess from there. A rather pleasing word I think.

I see that ‘win at a canter’ is not listed in my hardback Chambers either, so you are absolutely corect there. My apologies. Odd, as I have never heard ‘winning in a canter’ spoken. One lives and learns!

By: Monk

Monk — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:29:30 +0000

Many thanks for blog , PeeDee, but just to point out re comment at #6 that the phrase "win in a canter" --- but not "win at a canter" --- is in both (my electronic version of) Chambers, Tea[2.10] and Sympathy[3.3]. As for your 2nd point at #6, apologies for the obscure 19ac, which was indeed forced in by the Nina(s!).

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:08:36 +0000

Tarka The Otter is a novel by Henry Williamson. It has spawned various spin-offs, though as a character Tarka is now a bit dated I think.

By: Tony Welsh

Tony Welsh — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:46:38 +0000

Can someone please explain why TARKA is an otter? Kind find that word anywhere.

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:47:48 +0000

I see them now, there are four NINAs in here. This explains why Monk didn’t use “win at a canter” which seemed a much more natural choice. I thought it seemed funny at the time.

Personally I would rather have the cleaner word choices and do without the Ninas etc, but I know many people really like them.

By: Pandean

Pandean — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:43:45 +0000

There are also some hidden NINA anagrams, presumably deliberate.

By: Pandean

Pandean — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:33:34 +0000

I thought I wouldn’t be more specific, in case anyone else wanted to find them for themselves. They are however NINAs rather than Ninas, and are hidden within symmetrically placed solutions.

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:21:55 +0000

Thanks for letting us know Pandean. I’m glad somebody can.

By: Pandean

Pandean — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:08:26 +0000

Thanks for the blog PeeDee.

After a while contemplating the completed grid, I have now spotted the four hidden NINAs.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:38:05 +0000

don’t ask me to spot a Nina – I usually miss them even when I remember that I ought to be looking for one. Very enjoyable the LH side took ages but I got there in the end. Thanks to setter and blogger.