Comments on: Independent 8109 / Dac

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:44:38 +0000

Got it all eventually, and I think I was able to parse every clue. I quickly noticed that “deadhead” and “deathcap” could both fit the crossing letters for 3dn, and I could fit neither to either definition or wordplay for a very long time – it was nearly the last one in. Needed a word search for 7dn, which was a phrase I was vaguely familiar with, and that gave me the final crossing letter for 15dn.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:07:20 +0000

Thanks, Dac and Duncan. I found this a bit harder than usual for a Dac puzzle with the NE corner the hardest – possibly because of some less familiar (to me) answers. All completely fair with, as others have said, excellent surface readings all through.

By: duncanshiell

duncanshiell — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:48:44 +0000

Paul A @ 5 and MaleficOpus@6

Thanks for the improved parsing of . I’ve updated the blog.

By: rowland

rowland — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:32:33 +0000

My only even vaguealy negative though with this was the use of ‘in the end’ at 24. Otherwise what a great puzzle! Here is the master of smooth surfaces, and I loved every minute of the 20 I spent on it!

Great stuff Dac and Duncan.

By: MaleficOpus

MaleficOpus — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:55:10 +0000

Thanks Dac and Duncan.

I needed your explanation for NOISE ABROAD, which I wrote in without understanding.
I did, however, parse MANDATE simply as M AND ATE, which seems fairer.

By: Paul A

Paul A — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:50:39 +0000

13a – I parsed it as ‘M’ and ‘Ate’, being the components of ‘mate’

By: allan_c

allan_c — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:09:37 +0000

Yes, an excellent offering from Dac and relatively easy after the last two days.
I concur with K’s D on the parsing of AGA SAGA – but I couldn’t parse ADO (I thought of ‘Adonis’ as a ‘poster boy’ but couldn’t equate the removal of ‘nis’ with ‘unclothed’), so thanks, Duncan, for that.
Re 3dn, I always thought the ship’s toilet was ‘heads’ but I see that under ‘head’ Chambers just says “often in plural”.

By: Ian SW3

Ian SW3 — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:04:11 +0000

Thanks, Dac and Duncan. The eyeball in Un Chien Andalou is of course not cut out, just cut across.

By: duncanshiell

duncanshiell — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:00:09 +0000

Kathryn’s dad @ 2

Thanks for solving my problem with 7 down. I have updated the blog.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 07:30:13 +0000

Thank you, Duncan. You are right, this was another excellent puzzle from Dac – seldom any bells and whistles, but always a sound crossword with plenty to enjoy. BELLADONNA was clever, I thought, and I was pleased to remember MARSHALSEA to give me MARSHALS.

AGA SAGA is A GAS A GA[S], with the second A GAS being ‘almost complete’.