Comments on: Independent 7999 / Raich

By: Rorschach

Rorschach — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:52:09 +0000

Felt like I spent the whole time doing (very obviously indicated) anagrams. I also find it hard to be impressed that someone can arrange a certain amount of words in a grid if I don’t enjoy filling in the grid I suppose. Each to their own!

Thanks both all the same!

By: Raich

Raich — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:35:39 +0000

Thanks, Wil at #17, delighted you much enjoyed the puzzle. Would not see the less than 50% checking as a problem unless solvers thereby had difficulty solving the puzzle which does not seem to have been the case. I aimed in clueing to try to achieve that given the constraints of the theme.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:47:27 +0000

As usual from Raich much enjoyed, although predictably I had some problems with the grid. Perhaps it was necessary to have such poor checking because otherwise Raich would not have been able to fit the titles in, but 13 answers (or only 11 if you count the two-word answers as one) have less than 50% checking, and the top left and bottom right bits are only linked to the rest of the grid by one answer. I’m not of the view that one should always have ‘correct’ checking and to hell with any themes, but it did seem that this grid was a bit weak.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:28:16 +0000

Yes- we agree wholeheartedly but there are two brains working(?) on our blogs!

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:26:30 +0000

Hey B&J anyone who does perfect blogs isn’t really trying, you should see the number of oops moments I’ve had writing up today’s FT

Nimrod to Raich is quite a change methinks.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:17:41 +0000

flashling – we had ‘N’ for note originally rather than ‘TI’. Beginnerr@11 was correct in pointing out the mistake which we have now corrected!

Hope everyone is enjoying the Bank Holiday!

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:14:27 +0000

@Beginnerr #11 Indeed wordplay is BIN + I + TI(tonic solfa scale think “doe a deer”) all in ABO

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:10:13 +0000

Well done Beginnerr! We’d love to say you spotted the deliberate mistake to see who was awake but we both missed it! Many thanks we will change the blog. If you are new to 225 welcome and please drop in again!

By: flashling

flashling — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:07:56 +0000

Fine stuff from our good friend Raich. I saw the theme very early on and was looking for suitable grid entries for the rest, led to a very quick solve but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Nowt wrong with easy puzzles – but I note NMS didn’t include Raich/Gurney in his recent timings/difficulty discussion which may have skewed the results.

Thanks to Raich and B&J, NMSIndy was due to blog today but was busy on other duties!

By: Beginnerr

Beginnerr — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 21:04:47 +0000

The first cryptic where I’ve truly felt I came close to doing the. Whole thing by myself! Just one question, though: I got 14a on my own but could not quite justify all the letters, and I see even in the explanation above I and N haave been accounted for twice – surely it is ITI we need to get from “I note” somehow?