Comments on: Guardian 25,662 – Chifonie

By: rompad

rompad — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 10:58:20 +0000

More extraneous words:

12 – “in”
15 – “in”
27 – “for”
1D = “gets”
14 – “of”
22 – “of”

None of these words is used in the analysis.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 07:39:34 +0000

Apologies to those who found this blog excessively terse. This was partly because I thought a lot of the clues were so simple that they didn’t need much explanation, but also because I was a bit pushed for time. There’s always a balance to be struck between clarity and verbosity, but I appreciate that things that are obvious to seasoned solvers may seem less so to novices, many of whom come here looking for explanations of why an answer is what it is.

By: Lloyde

Lloyde — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 06:31:37 +0000

As a relative newcomer to the blog and a far from competent solver, I’ve been pleasantly surprised about the lack of exclusivity demonstrated by the contributors; today’s contributions left a bad taste, particularly Paul B’s snide remark about merit badges. I thought today’s blog could have been more helpful to beginners like me; we all have to start somewhere.

I’ve always assumed that the Scot’s use of “hen” was a vulgarisation of “honey” as a term of affection.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 01:02:21 +0000

I thought the blog perfectly adequate, at least for solvers who have progressed beyond their Quiptic Merit Badge. That is to say, persons who are aware of the difference between a surface and a cryptic reading.

By: Trailman

Trailman — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:54:52 +0000

On the sleeper train from Inverness, and my first paper for a week. Much enjoyed 24a, perhaps because I climbed one on Saturday.

By: PeterJohnN

PeterJohnN — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:01:45 +0000

Just got back from watching Croatia draw with Italy at the pub!

NeilW @23. I had read the definition of “hen” in Chambers (incidentally, I should have said “Scots” rather than “Scot’s”). That is why I thought Andrew (Scottish?) should have explained it more.

Re para 3, I know that such devices are common, but inexperienced solvers might not know that “scold” can be used as a noun as well as a verb, or that it is synonymous with “shrew” in the sense of a nagging woman.

My argument is that if someone accesses the blog to parse a solution, but then still does not understand how it’s arrived at, the blogger has failed in his task! What’s obvious to us experienced, i.e. old, solvers is not necessarily so to less experienced ones!

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 18:09:42 +0000

We’re entertaining ourselves a bit today, but yes, Mike04, ‘pet’ is used either way between the sexes in Geordie (and f-f, but not m-m). ‘Pet lamb’ is the version if you really want to show affection.

By: mike04

mike04 — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:47:31 +0000

I should’ve checked. “hen” can be used m-w and w-w!
See
http://caledonianmercury.com/2011/02/14/useful-scots-word-hen/0013927

By: mike04

mike04 — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:21:56 +0000

PeterJohnN @14 and NeilW @23

“hen” is a very common term of endearment in Scotland, similar to “pet” in Geordie.
However, I have only ever heard it used by a man, when addressing a woman.
Am I correct in saying that “pet” can be used m-w and w-m?

By: harhop

harhop — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:54:24 +0000

eileen@1 – I respond to you with trepidation, but the A-Z confirms my memory that an island in the Thames is usually referred to as Chiswick Eyot. It was where the swimmer interrupted the Boat Race this year