Comments on: Independent 7996 / Nimrod

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:51:42 +0000

I think OMNISHAMBLES was very much an exception, as a newly-coined word. While Chambers will usually have everything, it does not include proper names eg names of places. So I’d say Collins which does – and is a more mainstream dict – would usually reveal pretty much everything that is in the Indy crossword.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:16:38 +0000

Hi Ken! I don’t know how long you have been solving crosswords and also how long you have been following 225. We find the best dictionary to use is Chambers but even then, as we found in this puzzle, not all of the words are found there! The words that aren’t in dictionaries are often new words such as 1ac or proper names which we find acceptable. However, we do feel that the Indy has a good range of setters and you quickly find out which ones you are going to be able to solve more easily. We still don’t always complete them all without some electronic help but we don’t mind – it keeps the grey matter alive.

The recent letter in the i about crosswords complaining about Ninas and themes etc got us very worried as we really like the Indy puzzles and are prepared to pay the extra for them! We didn’t want the i to dictate the puzzles which we have been completing almost everyday since the Indy first started. Hopefully you will still enjoy the i puzzles and if you have a problem 225 is here to help!

By: ken riley

ken riley — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 11:58:17 +0000

I love the i crosswords as a challenge, but find some of the setters too obscure, and the use of words not in usage or in dictionaries is a bit too much for a daily paper where i expect to finish them , and often can’t!!!

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:10:58 +0000

This was tough indeed esp the Left Hand Side. I did have to look in dicts to see what might follow ORANGE – then got stuck completely on 1 across and wondered could there be a word OMNISHAMBLES. Not in any dictionary, also unknown to TEA and onelook. Google then revealed all.

Re Jordan Henderson, K’s D, I think he went with everyone’s good wishes, really, and was warmly welcomed on his return with Liverpool in March. In fact, it looked when he left and still does now like a very good piece of business. I wish him well but England in a big tournament is a further big step up.

Thanks, Nimrod, and B&J.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Thu, 31 May 2012 22:49:04 +0000

Well, it took me a while but I did complete it, and the only electronic help was checking that Eilat is a place. But I did use Chambers a bit. I’d guessed 1dn started “orange s” and looking up “orange” in Chambers supplied the rest, although I couldn’t parse the clue (and that was so for a lot of the other answers I got).

On two occasions this evening, I put the put the puzzle aside for an hour or so and when I picked it up again immediately got an answer that had eluded me. The first time was 1ac, which I had heard of even though I don’t watch the show. (I finally worked out the hoax might be “sham” and that suggested the rest.) The second time was 2dn, which I had worked out was an anagram but thought started “non”.

8dn reminds me of an old joke. What Science Fiction author is a source of mercury? HG Wells.

By: Robi

Robi — Thu, 31 May 2012 18:03:58 +0000

Had to cheat on a couple to finish, but an excellent crossword; thanks to Nimrod and Bertandjoyce.

I was just saying yesterday to John H that we don’t often get an Enigmatist puzzle in the Guardian.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:54:22 +0000

Well this was a crossword to sort out the men from the boys and I’m in short trousers. Relieved to get any -ultimately gave up with only 8d,15a,22a & 25a solved.
1a is a case in point as to why it was hard.I hadn’t heard of omnishambles so riot in Westminster was of no use. Ah but the top solvers say it doesn’t matter that you haven’t heard of the word, solve the cryptic. Well hats off to anyone who can look at the cryptic and spot simultaneously
Order =OM instead perhaps of anagram indicator
Nuts =nibbles ditto anagram indicator or mad
Crossed bishop meaning remove b instead of perhaps xb
Stop =shove in between instead of halt
Hoax=sham instead of false perhaps

By: Donk

Donk — Thu, 31 May 2012 15:54:10 +0000

Took me a while but delighted to say I got there in the end (with a couple of bits of help!). Loved the puzzle – 10a, 25a and 8d were my absolute favourites. Thanks to Nimrod and B&J.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:35:14 +0000

I have my de-baptism certificate on the living room wall, Lenny.

By: Lenny

Lenny — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:28:38 +0000

This was only my second ever Nimrod finish and a fluky one at that since I had never heard of an omnishambles but it was the only pronouncable combination of letters that I could come up with. It did not help that it crossed with Orange Squeezer that I could not justify and Sundari that I had never heard of.

I ought to add that, although this is my second successful Nimrod, I have never managed to complete a puzzle by his friends Enigmatist and Io. The only other significant setters that still elude me are Bonxie and Boatman.

Like KD, and for the same reason, the only gimme for me was Extreme Unction. I’m not keen on the term lapsed Catholic, though. I prefer to say that I resigned.