Comments on: Financial Times 14,119 by Gozo

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:48:59 +0000

I am certainly not suggesting that I could improve on Gozo’s cluing (or that of any other setter), but I had an afterthought about getting another FT setter in by cluing 28ac as

22 and 50 men playing this?

Then I realised that it would be a seriously indirect anagram, but I could not resist posting it anyway.

By: Neo

Neo — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:48:39 +0000

Thank you for my mention, Gozo – nice craftsmanship!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:05:10 +0000

Apologies for the further typo: Puzzles.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:03:33 +0000

Gozo, I’m so sorry: I completely misunderstood. I don’t remember ever seeing a puzzle by Highlander. From the 15² archive, I see that his last one appeared four years ago, which would explain it, as that’s about the time that I discovered, through 15², that FT puzzles were available online and began solving them. Highlander’s name is not on the 15² list of FT setters but I see he does appear in the Best of Puxzzles Who’s Who.

Great clue! Many thanks again for the puzzle.

By: Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 18:56:17 +0000

Just to clarify;
Redshank is the FT pseudonym for Duggie Anderson and Highlander that of David Shenton — I was attempting to point out that two setters were referred to in the clue!

Gozo

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:21:54 +0000

Or even pseudonym, sorry.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:19:40 +0000

Tom @5

PeeDee did point out the Highlander connection, which I didn’t know. As you say, Chambers gives this definition – but I see it also gives ‘Irishman’, which is what I would have thought was Duggie Anderson’s reason for choosing it as his peudonym

By: Lenny

Lenny — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:10:17 +0000

This was a lot of fun for me as a regular FT solver. It’s hard luck if anyone chose today to try the FT crossword for the first time but, if they did, they would probably never try it again.

The setters’ names made this quite an easy solve but Gozo balanced this with some obscurities: Palmetto, En Retraite, Spit(z), the mini-falcon, the seaweed and the indirect anagram.

By: Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:05:09 +0000

I am delighted that PeeDee, Conrad and Eileen enjoyed my puzzle without reservation. Congrats to Eileen for spotting the Flimsy and Crux references — but how about Redshank = Highlander too? Chambers confirms these two meanings.

Gozo

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 16:16:49 +0000

Indeed a remarkable achievement to get so many setters into one puzzle, but I share flashling’s concerns @3 about how this will have been received by irregular solvers. Still, I enjoyed it, so thanks Gozo for the puzzle and PeeDee for the blog. I can add my particular thanks for the explanation of 25ac to those expressed by Eileen @2.

13ac: This is the right side of where I like to draw the line, because all the letters are in the clue.

30ac: I took this as a triple definition: Dogs, “in the ring” (fighters) and “shorts” (underwear). My preferred style would have started the clue “Dogs, those in the ring …” but as usual I have no quarrel with those who take the opposite view.