Comments on: Guardian 25,673 / Brendan

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:51:26 +0000

Ian et al, thanks for partly spoiling a puzzle I haven’t started yet. Please don’t discuss the future…

For my part, I kind of clunked through this, less than charmed, sadly. I had seven isolated answers before my first checked solution, this of course due to trying to get as many “unthemed” things in as I could so I could take a crack at the linked solutions. I think BRUISING was what opened it up for me.

But I found too many clues/answers to be a bit lumpy to really enjoy the sublety buried within – like 14, for example. The foreign word at 12 (I know, it’s probably in my Chambers…). The awkward UNHOLILY.

While there really is a lot of “fun” here, it didn’t feel like it as I labored my way through it.

Except for ERG, which I starred. Lovely surface, sneaky double HA, very nice!

For some reason the theme just left me flat. Oh well. Actually, it probably was fun, just not as much fun as the last Brendan or two.

So cheers, and thanks Brendan, and Eileen, and everyone else who didn’t mention the next puzzle in my stack.

By: JollySwagman

JollySwagman — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 05:24:48 +0000

@52 – yes but he (Mr Jobless) reveals so much about himself in so few words.

A career as a setter may beckon.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 21:13:20 +0000

Thanks Toni,that’s better.

How out of place CJ seems.

By: stiofain

stiofain — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:49:22 +0000

This is the first time in several years of reading here there hasnt been a Guardian blog in good time.
Totally ignorant chrisjobless@43.
I too thought thro=through/by.
Did Crucible get bannned for his inaccuracy of NI/Ulster in his last 2 attempts? I thought it was going to become his signature and ran through the clues first to check.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:17:05 +0000

It must indeed be frustrating.

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:51:26 +0000

Yes Toni – that was what I thought too. I was a bit dubious about THRO but Chambers allows it (without the apostrophe even) so who am I to query it?

Pity there was no blog today – a most entertaining puzzle from Crucible with lots of potential talking points.

By: ToniL

ToniL — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:27:56 +0000

As in musical beat – pulse/throb.

By: ToniL

ToniL — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:25:05 +0000

Beat (throb) by (thro’) beat at the beginning (b)

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:22:56 +0000

Ian @45
I am in the same situation so your post encouraged me to do a little Chambers mining.
This is very unlikely and unsatisfactory but ‘beat’ is given a US meaning of ‘to swindle’ which might mean ‘rob’ – no – no, nor do I!

By: Ian SW3

Ian SW3 — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:07:22 +0000

Since today’s (June 28) blog is obviously delayed, can anyone explain 23d (“throb”)? The rest is very straightforward. Lovely long anagrams.