Comments on: Guardian 25,740 / Araucaria

By: KeithS

KeithS — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 00:39:33 +0000

Thanks to Eileen and Araucaria – and to the Guardian Weekly for putting in an Araucaria for what feels like the first time in ages.

My almost total ignorance of botany held me back here, and I struggled with both corolla and kingcup (ironically, we own a Corolla, but I think of it as something you drive to the shops in). However, last in was Italian, which I guessed from the Aquinas reference but failed to parse. I spotted ‘Ali’ in the middle but failed completely to think of (W)itan. (Thinking about it, that clue requires three bits of somewhat esoteric general knowledge, which is part of the fun but you can understand some people’s irritation.)

By: Rolf

Rolf — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:52:25 +0000

Ali — fourth caliph of Islam. Huh? An ordinary human being
is supposed to know that?

Also “lum” for chimney is ridiculously obscure.

Also I get sick of these pretensious wankers saying how “easy”
a (virtually impossible) puzzle was for them.

OTHO 26 A was pretty obvious, as was the parsing of 1 A.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:40:39 +0000

I should add that I did go back and read it carefully (?) but only after seeing tones post @31.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 10:37:52 +0000

Eileen
Yes,of course, but I hadn’t realised it because I had failed to read your blog fully.
How foolish of me.

By: rhotician

rhotician — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:44:34 +0000

Very witty, Paul. (Trope employed: irony.)

By: Paul B

Paul B — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:33:05 +0000

Yeah, thanks Phil, you’re such a help these days. Subsidiary Indication in Don Manley’s book, Silly Idiot at 15^2. AFAIK.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:13:29 +0000

RCW @35

“9ac I assumed ‘Tyre’ too,I hadn’t realised anyone had used anything other.”

I did – in the blog.

By: flashling

flashling — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:05:05 +0000

@ Rhotician 34 Subsidiary Indication, setter jargon I guess.

By: flashling

flashling — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:01:07 +0000

Not sure if it was as easy as pie, for solvers used to the Rev maybe it was. After my last battle with JG when I failed badly as understudy to Eileen, I finished it, but was left with several where I just didn’t really get why, just a feeling of that could be the answer.

Still don’t think I’ll desperately search for A’s puzzles.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:59:24 +0000

Systeme International (excuse lack of accents).

Message Board it is. In the old days before the ‘cuts’ I used to be a regular on the BBC boards, everyone used the term. I was surprised when I came here and someone asked what it meant.
That wasn’t, of course, the only thing which surprised me!

tones
9ac I assumed ‘Tyre’ too,I hadn’t realised anyone had used anything other. A.is fond of classical references.