Comments on: Independent on Sunday 1166/Tyrus

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:13:39 +0000

Well ……… having been away for 2 weeks we came back to a pile of Saturday and Sunday puzzles to complete having accessed the daily ones online. The Inquisitors took first place and it was only today over lunch that we picked upthis puzzle from Tyrus.

One of us thought of Herman as well for 26ac and neither of us had even thought of looking for a nina. Joyce who completed the last ones over a cup of tea spotted Neuman as soon as she read that there was a nina – thanks Pierre for spotting that!

She kicked herself also for having to resort to a search or 2d. A really clever clue or did she think that because she couln’t do it?!

Anyway, thanks Pierre for the excellent blog (as always!) and also thanks to Tyrus for the puzzle.

By: Roger

Roger — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:33:01 +0000

26across. I had HERMAN, made Cardinal of Cologne in 1036

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:02:14 +0000

Yes, this was a tough puzzle (though not ferociously so) but I got there in the end and I learned something. Thanks, Tyrus, and Pierre for the excellent blog.

By: Tyrus

Tyrus — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 20:47:14 +0000

Thanks to Pierre for a very nice blog and to others for the comments.

Wanderer’s parsing of 4d is correct.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Wonderful puzzle. Tyrus defeats me more often than not, but today it all fell into place. I think you’re spot on, Pierre, when you say ‘when in doubt, follow the instructions’ — I had to check STEMMA and AINU, but only after working them out from the perfectly clear and fair wordplay. The nina helped me get ANNULI, my last in, and what an inventive nina it was.

In 4d, ‘Are boy and celebrity…’ I read Are as 100 square metres (abbreviation a), giving us the A before the S for son in AS ONE MAN. I don’t know if this was what was intended.

Thanks Pierre for an excellent blog and Tyrus for a great challenge.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:23:35 +0000

12 isn’t a homophone, but a charade. I think. At twenty past fourteen, it’s very early indeed.

Thanks Pierre, and to Tyrus for a great puzzle.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 07:30:26 +0000

Toyed with this while England were playing Italy but it didn’t even go to penalties. No, I didn’t finish it in normal time but stopped playing with only a handful in.
Well done anyone who got that out. I wonder how long it would have taken the Times speed merchants to solve without aids.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:20:13 +0000

I went back to this several times this week, but couldn’t manage it. Maybe got a third of it filled in. and despite working in computers for thirty years, I didn’t get “metadata”.

By: flashling

flashling — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:20:05 +0000

Must admit Pierre that I did a double take when I saw Tyrus on a Sunday, is Eimi trying to soften the IOS crowd up for Nestor Nimrod and Bannsider to appear? Very hard failed to finish – I just gave up and did an Anax instead for something I could do!

Must agree about the prizes are such that solvers won’t need and as such I never enter. The paper/ magazine often has a special interest and the prize could be altered accordingly although not the puzzle.

On second thoughts most crosssword solvers I’ve met have not exactly been fashion followers