Comments on: Independent 8016 by Bannsider (Saturday Prize Puzzle 23 June 2012)

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 17:57:23 +0000

Following the recent S&B Meeting a fellow blogger asked me whether meeting the setters might influence the way you blog their puzzles thereafter. I said that it hadn’t had that affect on me.

However, I have always struggled to put in more than a few clues in a Bannsider and discussed with him at the gathering whether it was him that was hard or me that was hopeless. When I started last Saturday’s puzzle I could only fill in a few, but I persevered on and off all day and into the evening and I finished it. My conclusion is that it is probably a bit of both – he sets hard puzzles and I ought to try harder. Thanks to him for stretching me good and proper and mcrapper for the review.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:17:37 +0000

Cheers Mike & RR, great stuff indeed.

Let me rant. Where some compilers are difficult because they use the wrong parts of speech, obscure bits and bobs in SI, single-letter indication unknown to all but workaholic lexiocographers, or indicators in general that only half make sense, some others, perhaps like the Bannsider, are tough through sheer inventiveness or unexpected use of the usual. So as you go through you are delighted as things unfold, never perturbed. I was beaten fairly here a few times, and didn’t mind at all.

Gems for me today include ‘pairs regularly seen in’, ‘in case of’, and ‘swapping tips on’, all of which are going into my How To Do It Properly book.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:05:07 +0000

And I suppose I ought to be pedantic about #2 and point out that between re-reading the clue and typing my response, “part for” got changed to “part of”.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 11:41:33 +0000

Cracking puzzle, this. Very difficult and very enjoyable. Favourites BLOOMER, HASSLED, UNIT TRUST, CANDID but all very good.
I don’t think there is a Liverpool connection – Bannsider is a fan of Coleraine (The Bannsiders!) in his homeland and Arsenal in England where he lives now. Thanks for the excellent blog mc_rapper67 and to Bannsider of course.

By: mc_rapper67

mc_rapper67 — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:45:50 +0000

Thanks for the feedback, Dormouse and flashling – perhaps my assessment of this as an ‘easier’ Bannsider was misplaced…maybe I was just on a roll last weekend, on a high for having won one of the previous week’s prizes!

And I have updated the definition of ‘FIPPLE’ as per Dormouse at #2, thanks. Pedantry welcomed, in fact I think it is ‘de rigueur’ on a site like this…

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 08:58:31 +0000

Didn’t quite finish this. I’d heard of Bobbie Gentry but couldn’t see how the clue worked and guessed “Bobbie” to be the answer, which prevented me from getting 11ac.

Incidentally, to be pedantic, the definition part of 16dn is “part of wind instrument”, which is what a fipple is.

By: flashling

flashling — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 23:19:08 +0000

Actually I think the Bann man is from N.I. although he may well be a Liverpool fan/ Finished it but a real struggle as was expected when I saw the setter. Ta MC_R, you Saturday bloggers do tend to get some real pigs to do.