Comments on: Guardian 25,690 – Bonxie

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:05:36 +0000

What a brutal puzzle. I know there were moments of joy scattered over the last 3 or 4 days, but whew!

I think this grid made things a LOT harder. Having every single answer lack either the first or last – especially first – letter slows things down a lot. Heck, I blew through yesterday’s prize in an hour this morning before settling down to try to bulldoze through the last half of this.

“R” for “red” surely can’t be controversial – ROY G BIV, for example.

I missed CARDINAL in favor of NATIONAL, which is weaker in its application to the definition, but close enough, and it parses just fine – “queeN the last” and “to be beheaded” = “rATIONAL”. Meaning I couldn’t get the lovely ADZE.

I really wanted the “move” in 5 to be “OO”, but it was not to be.

My favorite was TANKARDS. Completely missed the theme, but that’s partially because the solving was spread out over so much time.

Thanks for the puzzle, Bonxie, and all the clarifications in the blog, Uncle Yap!

By: rhotician

rhotician — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 21:44:10 +0000

RCW @29: Thanks for replying. I have since read Robi properly, @11. He talks of previous moans, welcomes the return of red=R, and also alludes to RGB. This suggests that he would approve green=G. It also suggests that here is a sleeping dog that I should let lie.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:53:35 +0000

Sorry if I overstepped the mark. I wasn’t recalling a personal comment from you – just treating you as our archivist supreme.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:29:31 +0000

I’m replying only because I’ve been quoted: I don’t remember ever seeing / commenting on R = red

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:20:07 +0000

Well,yes,but only in the sense that it has been chewed over thoroughly on previous MBs.
Someone like Eileen will give you references, I recall one solution was the colour TV use RGB.
Others thought it outrageous!

By: rhotician

rhotician — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:53:13 +0000

Is it too late to ask how ‘red’ means R, in the clue to SCARAB?

By: tupu

tupu — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:55:37 +0000

Thanks UY and Bonxie

I came to this late in the day and too tired to it justice.

I missed ‘beetles’, and did not get 9a and 24d. Could not parse ‘alter ego’ and ‘colorado’ and missed part of the sense of ‘clearing’.

Liked several clues such as 8a, 23a, 6d.

The wrong puzzle on the wrong day for me, I’m afraid but that’s not Bonxie’s fault.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:58:17 +0000

I found this very hard, but finished, with little sense of satisfaction or pleasure I’m afraid, though.

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:56:56 +0000

RCW we just crossed – twin souls again?

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 20:55:38 +0000

Richard – VAN is an instruction to put EX-ACER (old tree) in front of (in the van) BATE

Nice crossword from Bonxie that took me much of the day to complete in instalments.

Thanks for blog UY.