Comments on: Guardian 25,716 / Brendan

By: Uhudla

Uhudla — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Again spotting the answer is occasionally easier than parsing the cryptic part. With E—N, spotting 12a “Looter of antiquities” as Elgin was easy; figuring out that mild complaint = “niggle” was not. (Reminiscent of Richard Pryor’s pointing out that by electing Reagan the US had a backwards nager for President.) Similarly 25a “Penelope” was far more obvious as “warrior’s faithful wife” than covering suggested envelope. 16d rehearser was tough but fair, and once I realized 23a did not begin with “g” (stirring conclusion) I could get both 19d and A-A-ING, which through brute force led to awaking.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:15:58 +0000

Hi KeithS

It’s very good to hear from you. Thank you for your comment – please come again soon!

By: KeithS

KeithS — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 08:09:30 +0000

This is the first time I’ve ever commented on fifteensquared, but I couldn’t resist the chance to say how much I enjoyed this entertaining puzzle from Brendan. particularly the way the theme was handled – not too much of an ask for non-classicists like myself, and not forced unnaturally into every single clue.

And, might I add my thanks to Eileen and all of you. Despite years of enjoying crosswords on an occasional basis, I don’t claim any great facility with them, and generally only attempt the Guardian on a weekly basis, and on real paper – I have a subscription to the Guardian Weekly here in Australia. It was discovering these blogs some time back that made me appreciate just how clever some of the clues I’d given up on really were, and encouraged me to see these as tractable after all!

In this one, I started with Grenade and Elgin – sorry, but I leapt there as soon as I saw the definition, he does have that reputation, deserved or not – and ended up with Theta, reflecting that science at least teaches you your greek letters. I suspect that before I discovered fifteensquared, I’d have given up rather earlier and then looked in irritated disbelief at the solution the next week. Thank you all again.

By: Huw Powell

Huw Powell — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 01:04:43 +0000

I’m running behind on my Grauniad puzzles (I just print them and solve them before and after work, sometimes at least), hence my late comment.

This puzzle is almost perfect. I’d say a 99/100. It should be enshrined in a museum somewhere. A lovely theme, that was not pushed to the point of horrible strained clues to involve every single one, that seems to touch every important aspect of the topic one way or another.

As people have said, it ran a bit easy by Brendan standards, but I think that was to make it fair – some of the themed clues might be obscure, but the clue gets the solver there eventually – like 1A for me.

The ellipsis at 1/2D is exactly how such a gimmick or tool should be used.

TEA LEAF, my penultimate answer, took an hour on its own to convert to ink I swear. I had to read pages and pages about tea on wikipedia before “gunpowder” came up (thank you Eileen for making me fix the capitalisation there!)… and then the rhyming slang suddenly became clear!

Anyway… this puzzle deserves some sort of prize.

Thanks for the delightful and enthusiastic blog, Eileen, and congratulations. What can I say that I haven’t already said regarding this wonderful accomplishment from our friend Brendan? Cheers, and for me, you just raised the bar for what a cryptic puzzle can be.

By: Smoz

Smoz — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 22:48:17 +0000

Very late to finish as usual, but a great crossword inspiring me, a scientist to look at the classics. Loved 13a and 17a and beware of Greeks. Whole made me smile.

By: brucew_aus

brucew_aus — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 01:25:08 +0000

Thanks Brendan and Eileen
Enjoyed this a lot – a good theme mixed in both clues and answers. Am not all that strong on Greek mythology and needed help with parsing of 4, 20 and 23.

Last in was Penelope whom I didn’t know and a tricky clue until the ‘penny’ dropped.

Great work!

By: Paul B

Paul B — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:48:28 +0000

Pre-Elgin comes Prospero. Go figure.

By: johnmcc

johnmcc — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:39:28 +0000

Great puzzle – but I stuck on 23. Got it into my head that it was “amazing” and couldn’t get past it. Everything else went quickly. Thanks to B & E.

By: nametab

nametab — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:21:31 +0000

Rob @22: No you weren’t alone concerning EPIGRAM; I gradually realised it couldn’t be, when I solved all the crossing clues separately.
Thanks to Eileen and Brendan – took me back to studying Latin which for some reason included lots of Greek mythology. Lovely crossword.

By: Brendan (not that one)

Brendan (not that one) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:10:23 +0000

Graham H @38. I find you protestation on behalf of Lord Elgin rather surprising.

Whether he was a “looter” or not there is at least one complete nation that seem to believe he was. (As well as several British nationals including “Brendan” it would seem) This would seem to make the cluing fair.

By the way this is from the British Museum site, who of course would never call Elgin a looter!

“It is a popular misconception that Elgin purchased the antiquities. In fact the firman was granted to him as a personal gesture after he encouraged the British forces in their fight to drive the French out of Egypt, which was then an Ottoman possession.”

Thanks eileen for the blog and thanks to Brendan for the crossword. Enjoyable if not a little easy for Brendan!