Comments on: Independent 7956 by Monk (Saturday Prize Puzzle 14 April 2012)

By: Speo

Speo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:00:32 +0000

Thanks to Allan_C for bringing back some wonderful memories with the Mr Benn comment.
Ah, they were the days!

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:37:07 +0000

Just coming in on this very late (having had a very busy weekend) to comment on the nice surface of 13a: “Mr Ben fantasised……”. Mr Benn (with two n’s) was the character in the children’s TV series who had fantasy adventures in a magic costume shop, in which he always managed to solve a tricky problem. Pretty harmless stuff you might think but incredibly the Beeb suspended one of the re-runs of the series when a certain real-life Mr Benn was standing in a parliamentary by-election!

By: Monk

Monk — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 10:16:25 +0000

Many thanks for the very thorough blog, mc_rapper67. The Nina was small but heartfelt; "Sandy" was very old and 13ac to our dearest friends, for whom this was set. Other than 13ac and the central column, nothing else was intended to be Ninoid (Ninaic?).

By: Speo

Speo — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:19:31 +0000

Thanks to Jan for raising a smile on what was an otherwise mournful day.
The POINTER [spike] above the MARTINI was a bit ominous as was the TORSO lying underneath the AXMINSTER.
Now we know that the MARTINI has been imbibed there are some empty cells in which we can detain any suspects.
Of course there is always an ALIBI @23d to be used.

Let me try to remember. Now just where was I on the day in ………

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:07:55 +0000

Thank you for the blog, mc_rapper67, with its insight into the possible nina.

I have only just done the puzzle (courtesy of Crossword Solver. Chuntering through quite quickly, I enjoyed the clues with their smooth surfaces and then you made me look again.

Oh, dear! RIP Sandy. I now have visions of a man’s best friend; a pointer with cloth ears who was overfed in a circumspect manner. After his Martini, Ann’s husband, his owner, took him out in the extremism of subzero temperatures to go about his business and answer his needs on the side of the road.

There are other words which I don’t want to include but if, in truth, this was a tribute crossword it was well done, albeit mournful.

By: Speo

Speo — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:48:10 +0000

Things could have looked really grim if 24 across had read ON THE OTHER SIDE
especially with TORSO at 26 across.

By: MaleficOpus

MaleficOpus — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:08:56 +0000

Thanks mc_rapper67 and Monk.

I never see ninas until they’re pointed out, but given RIP SANDY, I saw EMBERS down the previous ‘unlit’ column. I hope that is a coincidence, otherwise it’s a bit morbid.