Comments on: Financial Times 14,116 by Mudd

By: Keeper

Keeper — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:24:42 +0000

Thanks for the blog, Pete. Needed help parsing 7d; stumped by 16d.

First time through, I confidently wrote in “HOLE” for 23a (a different meaning of “shaft”). Of course, when I came to 21d, I realized the H couldn’t be correct if I was looking for an anagram of “planes”…

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:10:21 +0000

Failed on 24a, 25a (guessed it might be epee but couldn’t see why), 29a, 31a & 19 d (thought it must be “my” something). All clear now.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:41:39 +0000

John, Ah, yes, perhaps I should have mentioned that connection. There is a fairly well known expression, “See Naples and die”. This is, as far as I know, a statement created by Neapolitans themselves (and intended to convey the beauties of their city, not its dangers).

I wondered about LIMEKILN versus LIME KILN myself. My Chambers does not list the single-word version but my Compact OED does. From this and other sources, it seems clear that both versions are deemed proper and acceptable. It is unclear which version is more used. Googling the terms provides what is probably a skewed view since there is a place called Lime Kiln.

By: John Newman

John Newman — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:09:01 +0000

I can’t agree with you Sil. If we solvers are to take part of a word or phrase, that is any undefined part, then the setter can choose any phrase he likes that fits the canvas. Might be clever to fit the canvas, but not very clever if we are to guess how many and which of the letters from the phrase were are to use.

I had wondered here whether Mudd had deceived his eyes and saw a reverse hidden word.

Pete, can you enlighten me in what way the “dying to see it” refers to Naples, please?

I also wondered whether Lime Kiln should be two words.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:29:02 +0000

I do not think 7d is “rather sloppy”, it is Mudd sticking his neck out and trying to do something new.
It is a double device that I haven’t seen before during my stay in Crosswordland.
First, one has to take a part of “wrote diary” ['to a certain entent'] ie [w]ROTE DI[ary], then we have to take an anagram of it (‘badly’).
For me, it works.
For others, it’s perhaps one step too far.