Comments on: Everyman 3423/13 May 2012

By: Pierre

Pierre — Sun, 27 May 2012 08:26:16 +0000

Whoops! Puzzle number now corrected, thank you.

By: Iamwretched

Iamwretched — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:48:15 +0000

Surely this is Everyman 3423?! (not 3243)

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:07:29 +0000

And let’s not forget PEN as a container-ind either, especially in a misleading context such as writing a rude note. The definition is very clear there too, which is a help when you are faced with the likes of R?D?E.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:52:26 +0000

Morning, Bamberger. If I remember well, you said a while ago that you managed an Everyman more or less on the first pass, so in the end it’s about practice and getting used to some cruciverbal conventions. PENS for ‘writers’ or even ‘writes’ is pretty common, because PEN(S) is a frequent letter sequence. And a bit of Dickens, a bit of Shakespeare, a bit of Hardy (look out for TESS), a bit of Austen (look out for EMMA) … it’s the ‘five miles wide and one foot deep’ description of the stuff you have to know for cryptics.

And keep commenting! I think it’s always interesting for setters and bloggers to hear why someone couldn’t quite manage a puzzle rather than how someone managed it easily.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:31:53 +0000

I couldn’t get 3d & 6d . For 3d, left with r?d?e I guessed rude+e=rudee . If you don’t know it you are stuck.
For 6d I had p?n?a?o?a and couldn’t think of any US city with that pattern. Even if pens passed through my mind, I’m sure cola didn’t.

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 20 May 2012 07:52:14 +0000

Thanks Pierre,

I thought this was a lot easier than usual but still very entertaining.

As to MOUNT OLYMPUS, I think it’s just a charade ie MOUNT=rise and OLYMPUS = a poetic word for heaven (according to dictionary.com).

I particularly liked ROSTRUM and RAGLAN (all the ones). Thanks Everyman.

By: Pierre

Pierre — Sun, 20 May 2012 06:20:09 +0000

Thanks, Sil and flashling, for pointing out the coincidence. I don’t do the Saturday crossword, so I hadn’t seen Paul’s clue. As for editors, I think they are different beasts for The Observer and The Guardian, aren’t they?

By: Miche

Miche — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:59:53 +0000

Thanks, Pierre.

Agree with your reading of MOUNT OLYMPUS. I think 19d is a charade of SEE (watch) + SAW (cutter – the carpenter’s tool, not a boat).

Also had a déja vu moment at 11d.

By: flashling

flashling — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:20:55 +0000

Ok Sil got in just before me…

By: flashling

flashling — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:19:23 +0000

Slot machines… almost identical clues 2 days running with Paul yesterday, I’d have thought the editor would have pulled at least one of them – not accusing anyone of plagiarism though.