Comments on: Guardian Prize 25,646 / Brummie

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:25:30 +0000

Thank you Eileen. I liked this very much, especially as a prize puzzle.

I was very dim and failed to get COCKTAIL until the very last solution. I got SNOW and and WHITE as the first pair and then confidently set off in the wrong direction looking for film refernces. Later (like others) I spent a while inventing some new tools try and finish the grid.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:04:19 +0000

Hi Trailman – if you’re still there.

Welcome to the site! I don’t know if I spoke to you on Wednesday evening – I don’t remember the name – but it was a good do.

In answer to your question, I don’t think so!

By: rrc

rrc — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 21:50:54 +0000

Sorry to disagree but this was not a puzzle I enjoyed and bearing in mind the number of people seeking help on this puzzle on other web sites I do not think I am alone. I personally dislike undefined answers which I do not think helps finding the solution. I also thought for bRUMMIE this was particularly difficult. Much prefer Aracauria today!

By: Rorschach

Rorschach — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 17:32:27 +0000

Afraid I’m another GOLF CLUB pretender. But then I got LADY and knew it COULDN’T be golf.

Fun puzzle I thought – thanks all!

By: Trailman

Trailman — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 14:03:01 +0000

Thanks Eileen
My first 15sq contribution … egged on a bit by the S&B crowd in Wapping the other night.
Great fun this was. Like many others, LADY DRIVER was an early distraction, but SCREW was the way in. I remember serving SNOWBALL many times during late-1960s bar work; never seen one since, but maybe I move in the wrong circles.
Just opened the Sat Guardian in eager anticipation of whatever pro- or anti-Jubilee theme might have been dreamt up. Oh what a shambles. Off to the laptop we go. Does any sub ever get bollocked for this sort of thing?

By: DtD

DtD — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 12:05:09 +0000

Bought a Guardian today to do the Prize crossword between acts at Field Day festival. Not impressed. Little or no care being given to the Crossword these days at The Guardian?

By: bagbird

bagbird — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 09:37:48 +0000

sil @3 – Conclusion: for me the theme had its optimal effect. It wasn’t helpful at all for solving the puzzle.
I second that. Having come up with SCREW and DRIVER, and the L of 1d, I was convinced for a very long time I was looking for Hand Tools, not Cocktails! Oh well, got there in the end, not sure how.
Thanks Brummie, and Eileen too.

By: Dinohippus

Dinohippus — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:42:49 +0000

Enjoyed this puzzle even though I didn’t manage to complete it. Got the theme early but convinced myself that 8D (back to front, mid-month) was Mary and so spent quite a lot of time trying to parse ‘virgin’ and ‘bloody’ elsewhere in the puzzle. Needless to say I didn’t find them!

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:32:46 +0000

Thanks for alerting me Eileen – I have just printed today’s Araucaria from the website.

Incidentally, my wife tells me that the Sudoku puzzle in today’s paper is a reprint of yesterday’s.

We both enjoyed last week’s Brummie, despite being mystified by the sew/sow confusion. It was SNOW BALL that unlocked the theme for us. Thanks for the excellent blog.

By: tupu

tupu — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 08:26:10 +0000

Thanks Eileen and Brummie

Like Eileen I was troubled by 13d and thought ‘broadcast’ was doing double suty.

White and Lady were the first theme answers I got and then I checked their combination in the dictionary which unfortunately revealed the theme a little early. I had wondered if WL was a butterfly. But the problem with 13d plus the high quality of the cluing softened the effect of this and the puzzle was still mainly quite enjoyable.

I liked 11a, 13a, 26a, 30a, 14d and 19d.