Comments on: Financial Times 14,083 by Aardvark

By: mike04

mike04 — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:40:38 +0000

Thanks for the blog, PeeDee.

Cliff’s hit “Tough Enough” was released in 1962 and he took part in the Royal
“Command” Performance of 1981. Rather tenuous I admit, but with a question mark
at the end, I’d be only too happy to give Aardvark the benefit of the doubt!

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:17:32 +0000

Hi Lenny @7. I agree with the “face of rock” meaning cliff, I didn’t see that. That doesn’t really change the overall reading of the clue though, whole clue still has to be the definition (&lit).

By: Ferret

Ferret — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:50:43 +0000

Is 16d a typo? “Break down” would make sense in a farming scenario where a tract of land is broken down or poached?

By: Lenny

Lenny — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:32:18 +0000

I quite enjoyed the mid-20th century feel of this puzzle. I stopped watching cricket in the 1960s so Peter May is one of the few cricketers that I know.

In 20 you have to do the lift and separate after Rock. A cliff is a face of rock and roll originally is R so the clue is not necessarily an endorsement of Sir Cliff’s status

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:48:56 +0000

Oops! Should have been the river USK in 1 across. Sorry about that.

By: Neb

Neb — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:35:46 +0000

1 across makes no sense – I got Tusker, but still can’t fathom the cryptic. Your explanation makes no sense, I’m afraid; it yields TERR. Too many proper names – who the hell is(was) Peter May? The whole thing feels like it was lifted from an old paper – Cliff Richard as the face of rock and roll, mods, sago pudding. I don’t see “poach” as a synonym for track down, either.

By: malc95

malc95 — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:17:10 +0000

Blimey! Peter May & the mods – back to the ’50s & ’60s.

Yes, yes – I remember them as well.

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:46:04 +0000

Thanks MikeC and crypticsue. I couldn’t see that, I really should have been able to.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:37:52 +0000

Very enjoyable indeed thanks to setter and blogger. It did help that I am old enough to remember the cricketer!!

6d I can’t remember exactly and my Chambers is at home but I is an abbreviation for some sort of electrical current (I had to blog a puzzle with it in recently) which is inserted into PER (through).

16d the office dictionary doesn’t have poach as track down either.

By: MikeC

MikeC — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 11:35:23 +0000

Thanks PeeDee and Aardvark. 6d is I (current) in PER (through), I think. I’m afraid I’m in the same boat as you on 16d. An enjoyable puzzle but quite tricky, imho.