Comments on: Independent 8015 / Phi

By: Rorschach

Rorschach — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:09:09 +0000

Wonder if you could clue PIRANDELLO as “Four Characters in Search of an Author”?

PI + R AND ELL + O

Tenuous at best?

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 14:53:09 +0000

Not too many problems – 1dn and 12ac were the last in. Helps that as an SF fan I knew the Oort Cloud, and I’m a great Martinu fan (new production of Julietta coming to London soon), and I’ve even seen a production of Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Couldn’t parse 3dn, for the reasons given in the blog, and 8dn, for the reason given by NealH.

By: NealH

NealH — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 12:55:40 +0000

I was slightly hindered by putting Martino for 23 (mino[r] around art), which completely blew out the anagram in 4 down. Unfortunately, there is a composer called Martino, although I'm sure he isn't as famous as Martinu. Unable to think of any other explanation for 4 apart from an anagram but having too many Os, I eventually resorted to the check key and spotted the problem. I'm glad other people found Itself tricky - it took me a long time to get it. I didn't follow Flattery, as I thought it was something like flat tyre with some of the letters rearranged.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:47:22 +0000

Thanks, Phi, for a fairly tricky puzzle and B&J for the blog in particular for explaining FLATTERY as I thought the car problem was a flat = puncture and could make no sense of the rest. Favourite clue NOW YOU’RE TALKING but all excellently clued as always. In ECONOMIC MIGRANT I think the ‘me’ just refers to the answer.

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 10:33:54 +0000

I’m with Polly on the forward/back question. As far as crossword wordplay is concerned it seems simple to me – a letter moves forward towards the beginning (front) of the word and backward towards the end (back) of the word. But I accept that others may see it the other way round. It’s a similar argument to that about ‘reversal’ clues such as ‘vehicle backs into trading place (4)’; before you get any crossing letters is the answer ‘tram’ or ‘mart’?

By: Polly

Polly — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:10:44 +0000

K’s D: There has been argument here before about forward/back. Granted, as you look at the word the T seems to have been moved back (to an earlier position), but if you bring an appointment forward you move it from a later to an earlier date, e.g. from Friday to Wednesday, which looks like a backward move on the calendar.

By: duncanshiell

duncanshiell — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:59:12 +0000

There must be something about touring Europe that appeals to Independent bloggers.

Like Bertandjoyce and K’s Dad my last one in was ITSELF. When I put it in my first thoughts related to Franklin D Roosevelt’s inauguration speech in March 1933 when he said ‘the only thing we have to fear is fear itself’. That quote was made against the backdrop of a banking crisis, which fits well with the current situation.

This was another enjoyable puzzle from Phi. PIRANDELLO is the ‘six characters in search of an author’ guy and he crops up regularly as a solution or a theme in barred crosswords. I liked the clue to FLATTERY.

Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:04:47 +0000

Thanks, both, for a helpful and comprehensive blog.

Bit of music, bit of astronomy – must be Phi on the oche. I liked this one – just about the right level of difficulty with one or two less common words clearly clued. I had heard of PIRANDELLO – probably from crosswords, ‘cos I couldn’t tell you anything about him – and struggled also to get ITSELF, which was my last one in too.

I specially liked NOW YOU’RE TALKING – Phi doesn’t often do this type of clue, but it was a good one. The only one I had a quibble about was TRIO: surely you have to move the T backwards, not forwards?

Thanks to Phi for the puzzle; and B&J, spend those euros wisely, please … next time you visit you might not have that pleasure.