Comments on: Financial Times no.14,078 by LOROSO

By: Ernie

Ernie — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:21:15 +0000

Not for the first time I have been thrown by a single two-letter word for the definition as in ‘by’ for 23D.
Thanks for the blog, Ringo. Your efforts are appreciated.
In 18D there are two A’s in the answer. You have inadvertently omitted one in your narrative – a h(a)ut inside NL.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 18:26:11 +0000

Very well done with the blog Ringo. I took this to the pub with me this evening as I had no time to look at it earlier in the day.

If you think 19 letter anagrams & Aztec charades are a challenge in the morning, I can assure you that they are too challenging to be an entertaining way to relax at the end of the day!

By: MikeC

MikeC — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:39:49 +0000

Thanks Ringo and Loroso. I just about got there but found this considerably tougher than the Anax in another place – needed more word finder help with this one. Both really good challenges.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:03:03 +0000

I always thought Loroso was friendly Anax but not today. They were both equally difficult, or is it that my cryptic grey matter is on its holidays?

By: Hamilton

Hamilton — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:50:56 +0000

Au contraire, I haven’t tackled a Loroso for some time, but liked the look of this one, even more so when ‘Whoopee cushion’ and ‘Autograph album’ went in straight away – ‘No purchase necessary’ followed from the word lengths alone, and from there on it was relatively plain sailing. ‘Times’ was my last one. As an occasional Thursday setter I’d say it was on the more difficult side, but very enjoyable, thanks Loroso, and Ringo for the blog.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:01:01 +0000

This was my first puzzle of the day and a relatively tough one
The bottom half came up very quickly. The impossible NAHUATL was one of my first entries, purely from construction.

As always, Loroso excels in original anagrams that make sense within their surfaces: 25/26ac, 3/4d, 13/14d.

It took me some time to parse 8d (ROYAL FERN) and 1ac (PARODISTS), the latter mainly because I do not know anything about cricket (therefore not knowing what ODI meant).

Many thanks Ringo for your blog.
To me PICTORIALS (11ac) is a homophone (‘heard’) of PICKED (which can mean ‘opened’ (of a lock, for example)) + ORIELS (windows).

Clever stuff.

By: flashling

flashling — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:05:39 +0000

A second dose of Anax / Loroso today then. Got there but it was hard work to break into especially the long anagrams with deceptive definitions.

Thanks DM & Ringo