Comments on: Independent 8050/Monk

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 06:47:55 +0000

Thanks to all of you!

By: John

John — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:38:34 +0000

Sorry, nms, I didn’t need to bother.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:38:15 +0000

Wow! Three almost simultaneous answers.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:37:04 +0000

B&J @6, the anagram indicator is “Protean” as I read it. Proteus was a shape-changing sea god (and also the title of a chapter in Joyce’s Ulysses) so Protean means changing shape. And I was so familiar with Tethys being an ancient sea, I’d forgotten that she was also a goddess.

By: John

John — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:36:54 +0000

Bertandjoyce@6: In 21ac the anagram indicator can only be Protean, which Chambers defines as ‘readily assuming different shapes; variable; inconstant; versatile’, and that’s good enough for me. And it also says that Proteus was an ancient Greek sea god.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:36:38 +0000

B&J at #6, I think the anagram indicator in TETHYS is Protean (readily taking on various shapes). An appropriate one in the context (mythology).

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:32:18 +0000

Another day of failing to get the final two – 8dn and 12ac in this case. I can only think of one clue at a time, it would appear, and once I’ve got an answer, I’ll forget it, so I didn’t notice those reversals. And I don’t think I’ve ever come across “maiden” meaning a clothes horse.

Being a Lewis Carroll fan, and still being able to recite Jabberwocky from memory, I quickly spotted “galumpher” was an anagram of “large hump” but didn’t put it in at first because I couldn’t see what it had to do with camels. From the poem, I always took it to mean to run exuberantly – a portmanteau of gallop and triumph I see is suggested – wasn’t familiar with the “move clumsily” meaning.

By: Bertandjoyce

Bertandjoyce — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:16:54 +0000

It’s a bit late but can anyone explain Tethys in more detail as there doesn’t seem to be an anagram indicator?

Finished the tricky puzzle but looking back we are not sure why it took so long as all the clues were perfectly fair – apart from our query for 21 ac. We didn’t notice the palindromes unfortunately.

Thanks Monk and John.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:13:01 +0000

Thanks, John.

I was pleased to finish this, because Monk is usually pretty tough. Took a bit of inspired guesswork and the check button from time to time, but it was an enjoyable solve.

Thought OSTEND was clever (and being familiar with the setter a bit, one of my inspired guesses was that ‘cardinal’ would be a number) and I also liked LANDLESS. Missed the paired anagrams, but hey ho …

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:43:48 +0000

Thanks, Monk, and John. I found the NE corner v difficult, only resolving it when I saw, very late on, TENNER and RENNET in symmetrically opposite positions – this gave me REVILED and confirmed DESSERTS – that was not a dessert I’d heard of. Thanks esp for explaining MAIDEN which I did not understand tho I got it right, being distracted esp by ‘first’ being in there (which could be maiden) and also ‘horse’ (ditto). Not having heard of GALUMPHER did not help either so very glad of the straightforward anagram clue. Favourite clue OVERSHOOT.