Posted by Simon Harris on 2nd September 2012
This felt like a relatively mid-paced week, but a handful took quite some effort to explain. 10ac still has me beaten, so I’ve reproduced the clue in the hope that a passing reader may be able to elucidate.
Posted in Beelzebub | 1 Comment »
Posted by Simon Harris on 2nd September 2012
A fairly swift solve this week, although I’m sure I’ve struggled a little with Hypnos in the past. I liked that Hypnos managed to work some quite involved wordplay into several clues, without making life unduly difficult for the solver.
Posted in Independent | 1 Comment »
Posted by The Trafites on 2nd September 2012
Posted in Everyman | 12 Comments »
Posted by Andrew on 2nd September 2012
As the instructions say: “All clues are normal [phew!]. Half of the 28 solutions must be turned round and entered in the grid backwards.” This meant filling in answers in pencil until their direction could be confirmed by crossing letters. In addition “ambiguities about the orientation of on quarter of the solutions are resolved by ensuring that the final grid contains an appropriate thematic wish (made by one of the clued solutions).” The ambiguities (which in fact were all the 5 and 7 letter answers apart from the poet at 19dn) were answers such as 15ac, GENESES, where the checked letters are _E_E_E_ and so don’t determine which way the word is to be entered. With help from the unambiguous answers it became clear that the “wish” was in the squares around the perimeter, which spell out the vaguely-appropriate “Because I do not hope to turn again”, the opening line (previously unfamiliar to me) of the poem Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot (who appears, reversed, at 19dn).
Posted in Guardian Genius | 7 Comments »
