Comments on: Guardian 25,729 – Araucaria

By: brucew_aus

brucew_aus — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:05:04 +0000

Thanks Araucaria and Andrew

Only picked this one up today and hence very late to blog and will probably never be read – at least recorded. Like most others I enjoyed this and got 9 as a write-in and challenged myself not to look up references for the other PM’s.

For 17 – interpreted it as [O]S as in extra / oversize with the briefly taking off the O.

I lazily went down most of 21 meaning THATCHER but think that the MAJOR – ITY argument is better.

Needed help with parsing of 11 and the 9-song part of SHINER.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:16:00 +0000

I’m entertained by it too!

By: JollySwagman

JollySwagman — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 12:14:49 +0000

@rho #39 – I like your 27,25 theory.

By: rhotician

rhotician — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 02:05:07 +0000

re “most of 21″:

16ac – I’ll go along with most of majority(21) and Major, after whom came BLAIR. That this is a bit iffy is signalled by the ?

27,25 – In the general election of 1992 JOHN MAJOR won a majority(most) of 21 for the Conservatives.

15dn – In the twentieth century the UK had 21 prime ministers, of whom Mrs Thatcher served longest(most). CALLAGHAN was PM before her.

By: vikki28

vikki28 — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:49:25 +0000

Well, as an L, thanks very much rhotician! That had been bothering me all day!

By: rhotician

rhotician — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:28:48 +0000

vikki28, RY is an abbreviation for railway, which is something line can mean. There’s a lot of this two-step stuff goes on with abbreviations in crosswords. One of the most common is L for learner for beginner, novice etc.

By: vikki28

vikki28 — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:11:42 +0000

Thanks Andrew for the blog and everyone for answers! I’m fairly new to crosswords, and can’t work out how RY = line in 29ac. I’d be grateful for any insights.

By: rhotician

rhotician — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 14:39:09 +0000

Well done, chris. Can you help on “most of 21″?

By: chris

chris — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 09:59:02 +0000

Re 17 across, I think s is short (briefly) for second as in the bible “to go the second mile” Matthew 5 41 If a man compels you to walk with him one mile, go with him two

By: Wolfie

Wolfie — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:44:58 +0000

Thanks Araucaria and Andrew. I found much to enjoy in this crossword despite some eccentric, not to say wayward, clueing (e.g. 17 and 23)

I assumed that Black-eyed Susan was the love-lorn maid in the 18th century song by John Gay, which features in his ‘Beggars Opera’, rather than the girl in the 50s pop song.