Comments on: Guardian 25,619 – Gordius

By: James

James — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:02:10 +0000

We are about a month behind you here in Australia but, this had to be the easiest puzzle the Guardian has published in all the years (almost 50) that I have been doing Cryptic (Times & Guardian)puzzles. It made Rufus seem very hard.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:26:07 +0000

There’s still a difference between Libertarianism and sloppiness, old boy.

By: JollySwagman

JollySwagman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:25:58 +0000

@PB #17 – it kind of spoils a joke if you analise (sic) it too much but it works like this:

Where awkward types may be taken in hospital?

The QM indicates that it’s a question – so answer it.

Answer: Unto the ward.

Telegraphically – UNTO WARD

Didn’t need them to be awkward for that did we?

Oh hang on UNTOWARD means awkward – haha.

It’s prolly easier for people who don’t view the cruciverbal world through ximlenses.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:30:43 +0000

Surely the introduction of Shirley is rather untoward?

By: aztobesed

aztobesed — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:08:07 +0000

Confound it! Shirley! Why not? Tasty…

By: William

William — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:05:28 +0000

Thanks Andrew.

Rather bland stuff, I thought. Not a great fan of this setter. Surely RELISH could be clued better than the using the first bit of religiously? Partial anagram of Shirley for example?

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:51:19 +0000

Swagman appears to be quibbling about quibbles – how very post-modern. Or simply funny. Yet:

Where awkward types may be taken in hospital?

for UNTOWARD is surely worthy of mention, and criticism. We might legitimately ask ourselves, for example, in what part of speech is the definition? Or, why has the compiler chosen to include the words ‘where’, ‘types’, ‘may’, ‘be’ and ‘taken’? Or, why would ‘untoward types’ necessarily need to be taken unto a ward? Are they ill?

Et cetera. And it’s a wet Wednesday. Blooming Henry.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:40:46 +0000

You could all be right but if somone asked me “Which vegetable have you planted there?” I would probably answer “Parsnips”.

By: chas

chas — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:54:49 +0000

Thanks to Andrew for the blog.

I am another, like Robi, taking issue with singular/plural on 7d. Gordius could perfectly well have written Vegetables and changed nothing else.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:39:23 +0000

Gervase-
That (“Demon Lover” meaning Lothario) is another matter, and you seem to be right. It isn’t in Chambers or Collins (as far as I can see – I looked rather cursorily) so it’s pushing things – but I should add that it didn’t seem to make the clue too difficult. Using the adjectival definition in Chambers, “Demon lover” (no hyphen, presumably) means someone who is very good at “loving” (their example is “demon cyclist”) so the definition works well enough (for me anyway), it’s just that the combination is non-dictionary so I assume it wouldn’t be acceptable in an advanced cryptic or similar. The Guardian cryptics quite often allow non-Chambers phrases, however.

Forgot to say – thanks to Andrew for the blog.