Comments on: Guardian Cryptic 25698 Araucaria

By: Michael Gwinnell

Michael Gwinnell — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 18:44:07 +0000

I found this quite hard, but although I hadn’t heard of 14D Shadowless as a sword, I got it from the remainder of the clue which was familiar from the quite recent Cinephile 14,047 10D,1D
Thanks for the pictures!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 06:53:47 +0000

Good idea! See you at the next one perhaps?

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:09:45 +0000

“Amen” before “Time Out”?

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:47:50 +0000

Well not really SC, and that’s the point, or even the two points: first, that there IS a definition part to A’s clue (‘afterward?’), and second, that there is something of a quite possibly neutral and matter-of-fact accusation of the equivalent of Bardolatry (whatever that is for St A-ists) implicit or explicit in some remarks, facile or not, hence the (in my view entirely justified) comment from whoever-it-was at 50. I love that bloke.

You, or any of us, might not like that definition part, but it is unarguably there for ROB/ E, and (although perhaps not quite so unarguably given the content of the thread), typically Araucarian (and therefore not requiring acceptance from those expecting such typical tropes, i.e. Araucaria solvers, and not those who live in wigwams).

(Time out.)

By: scchua

scchua — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:52:49 +0000

Hi Paul, hope you’re still feeling generous? Yes, I am looking at
Take point afterward?
To get WARDROBE, one takes the set of “(bloody awful Guardinist)” cryptic instructions, as I wrote in @64.
To get ROBE, doesn’t one take a similar set of “…..” cryptic instructions, with a little more indirectness, given again in @64.
Both cases are definitionless and no trace of &lit, but one is saved by it being Araucaria – and I say the latter in a neutral, matter-of-fact way.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:36:37 +0000

Everyone knows that Araucaria is the mayor of Cruciverbia, a charming village that is the capital of Crosswordland.

Because that can be a boring job, he every now and then allows himself to have some fun as a stand-in for the village idiot.
He really likes this role, it keeps him alive.
We like it too, but only because we know he likes it.

But remember, as per definition, there’s no point in trying to understand or justify the escapades of a village idiot.
Just shake you head or smile, then go on with life.

Long may he be the mayor of Cruciverbia!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:23:25 +0000

Thing is, SCC, no clue can be definition-less. Perhaps I have this wrong, especially as I’m finding it rather difficult to understand your reasoning, but were you not looking at

Take point afterward?

as a clue of some sort for WARDROBE? If so, it has no definition part as an &lit or anything else that I can spot. By which I mean, in terms of wardrobe-ness, it’s as far away from Narnia as one can get. As a set of (bloody awful Guardianist) cryptic instruictions it does, or could, lead to WARD/ ROB/ E, I’ll grant you that. But then I’m feeling quite generous today.

In all, we’re miles away from the original point about A’s clue for ROBE, aren’t we, which some people thought to be typically Araucarian, and so nothing out of the ordinary. Which in my view is exactly what it was.

By: scchua

scchua — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 02:31:11 +0000

One last comment.
Paul B@61. Can’t one have a (however slightly) cryptic definition without it having to be an &lit?.
For WARDROBE : What is the word given by “Take point” placed after “ward”.
For ROBE: What is the word given by “Take point” that placed after “ward” gives another word.
No &lit (nor partial &lit) in either case.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:45:50 +0000

Thanks, Andrew.

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 00:18:26 +0000

Thanks John @ 50 for explaining how ROBE was defined.

I got Clara at 24 (it is a drink and a play), ruining all my hard work on DADO, which I should have researched (I was not familiar with the architectural term).

Never in a lifetime would have got SHADOWLESS, it required knowing at least one of two obscure things. At least SLIMBRIDGE might have fallen – I could have guessed it from the clue and looked it up.

16 came slowly as an alien in an alien land. SLEUTH was removed, researched, and reinserted.

23 was excellent, and quite a few others were very nice, like 14.

Got messed up early with 15, by marking the grid with a bar for (4,6)! Didn’t get it until I resorted to brute force at an anagram server and realized my mistake.

I nice “one clue at a time” puzzle, though if I had known the theme answer, perhaps a bit fast to solve then. I don’t like themes where once you “get it”, the rest of the themed clues become trivial. For a while I had “tester” at 3, which seemed to go nicely with SLEUTH, since I had no idea what I was looking for.

Thanks for the blog, scchua, and those of you who aren’t fighting; and for one more in a series of fascinating puzzles, Doctor.