Comments on: Everyman No. 3426 (3rd June)

By: Ben Tombs

Ben Tombs — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 10:03:44 +0000

I’m afraid we finally succumbed to searching for Fabia, who we in New Zealand are not familiar. The Yellow Press also required a deal of southern hemispherical imagination!!!
Many thanks.

By: Donna

Donna — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:43:05 +0000

There were several new (to me, at least!) words in this enjoyable puzzle, and yet I was able to solve it in one sitting, with the aid of Chambers, of course! I’d never heard of a “beanfeast,” and will strenuously avoid further familiarization with said event! Not my idea of a party! Just like many others, I’d never heard of “tarpaulin” as hat, but what an interesting picture it conjures up! Same goes for “aigrette” and our friend Fabia (the female Fabio?) At 16 Down I fought off thinking that “auberge” was a partial serving of eggplant!
Thank you, Everyman and Lorraine! By the way, I am struggling with this week’s Everyman, but at least I have a whole week to work on it! Best wishes to all!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:44:34 +0000

Well, FABIA was definitely a new word for me (!), but with FAB I A pretty much a giveaway I agree with The Trafites. A nice puzzle and an enjoyable solve.

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:42:24 +0000

I agree with Kathryn’s dad, half the fun is using the dictionary and learning new words or meanings.

Thanks for all your comments always good to get feed back.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:18:29 +0000

Thanks, Lorraine.

I too didn’t know skillion, or tarpaulin in that definition, but as Robi says, sometimes the pleasure is in solving the clue from the wordplay and then looking up in the dictionary. Aigrette I vaguely knew, but if you’d worked out that the first three letters were VIN, then there aren’t many dressings that fit that word pattern.

The Ugly Betty clue … well, perhaps not. But again, it couldn’t be much other than FABIA.

But there was much to enjoy: APPLE and ARMOURY are good examples of clues for a puzzle that’s intended for less experienced solvers. Have they been around the block a bit? Yes. Does that matter? In an Everyman, in my opinion, no.

By: rhotician

rhotician — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:12:47 +0000

On board = in SS.

By: Robi

Robi — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:17:45 +0000

Thanks Lorraine; I didn’t have time to look at this last weekend.

In reply to Bamberger – I don’t know skillion, aigrette or tarpaulin as a hat. There are often words I don’t know in the crosswords and some of the charm, I think, is to use a dictionary to look them up and find what they mean. I wouldn’t have known FABIA from Ugly Betty, but given the F?B?A and a precise clue, I don’t think it would have been difficult to guess FABIA. On board=SS is a standard crossword abbreviation, unfortunately. I hope this is of some help.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 08:02:22 +0000

Either Everyman is getting harder or I’m getting worse. I made even less progress with this than the week before which I described as the hardest I could remember.
For Everyman I don’t use a dictionary/solver or anagram solver so if I can’t solve a clue that is that.
1d I had no idea what a skillion was . Did everyone else know?
5d How common is bean =head? Again something I’ve never come across.
10d Plumed headdress =aigrette
11a I knew a tarpaulin to be something you cover a hay bale with but not a hat. When did anyone last say “Wow does that tarpaulin suit him/her?”
12a I think this is the worst clue I have ever seen. I had no idea Ugly Betty was a TV programme and even if I did why should I know the characters? Whatever next ? Characters from East Enders?
15d To me far too obscure for Everyman
18d I guessed sevens but while I know that a ship is SS , how does on board =SS please?

Now I am fully aware that there is little sympathy in crosswordland for not knowing a word. But this is Everyman and I think that there should be a sporting chance that the weaker solver has heard of it. if Everyman wants to toughen up, I’ll do the Telegraph instead.

By: Davy

Davy — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 07:46:21 +0000

Thanks Lorraine,

Sorry Everyman but I didn’t particularly enjoy this offering although I thought GALLOWS was great.
My initial impression of the grid was “where’s the rest of the crossword gone ?”. The four large
dark areas certainly gave it a strange look and disappointingly, today’s grid is similar. Please
bring back a more normal grid. Thanks.