Comments on: Inquisitor 1251: Two Setters in Search of Two Characters (and An Author) by ?? http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/ Never knowingly undersolved. Mon, 20 May 2013 04:54:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: chesley http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-213621 chesley Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:08:53 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-213621 Starburst @ 11 : a bit unfair to Lato, I think. He has been one of the most profilic contributers to IQs over many years.

]]> By: starburst http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-212239 starburst Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:14:20 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-212239 I quite agree about the unfairness of the “and Lato” bit. I’ve only recently started doing the Inquisitor again after a few years off the Indy, and I think it’s a little de trop to require the solver to know all the setters. A pity, because until then I thought this was great stuff

]]> By: Hi of hihoba http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-211165 Hi of hihoba Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:23:56 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-211165 I too enjoyed this puzzle. I like alphabetical jigsaws anyway, and this one seemed relatively straightforward if you started (as I did) with BACH and BAHAMAS at the top left.

The rest was more tricky!

Like Duncan I failed on the X to Y part of the message, and like HG missed EDGAR and RICE. But a superb puzzle and thanks to our two ?? setters.

]]> By: duncanshiell http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-211151 duncanshiell Thu, 25 Oct 2012 06:13:49 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-211151 HolyGhost @ 8

I think ODE is a reference to the Oxford Dictionary of English.

I found this the hardest Inquisitor for some time. I failed on understanding the XTOY bit in the message and only got it when kenmac and I met in a coffee bar in Hawick in the Scottish Borders earlier this week.

Like Ross, I was trying to fit Hergé to one of the clues.

An excellent puzzle.

]]> By: HolyGhost http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-211107 HolyGhost Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:33:58 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-211107 A tough one this week. In many(/most?) cartes blanches, the small number of longer entries (here two 9s & two 7s) intersect and that helps — not so in this puzzle, and for a long time I had only CURIOUSER & BAHAMAS so I struggled to begin the fill even with a host of shorter entries I’d discovered. But it was fair game and an enjoyable ride. (Nimrod‘s style came through, but I agree with the blogger that the hunt for that & Lato would have been a bit hard for irregular solvers.)

Many positives here, but …
I do agree with kenmac that the clue leading to his 5d is rather lax: “bUsH (occasionally trimmed)” losing the U in order to yield the single letter H is not that great!

In response to Ross (comment 4): the location of the cells containing the letters of BURROUGHS happens to consist of the first occurrences of B, U, etc. in the grid reading left to right, then top to bottom; I suspect no more, no less, than that.

And finally …
I stupidly forgot to look for EDGAR & RICE in the completed grid. I guess I’d have achieved a correct submission (there was no requirement to highlight them), but in spirit I have to mark myself as a fail on this score.

PS (so above wasn’t “finally”): what’s the reference to “the ODE” in the preamble? What is this? I didn’t need it, whatever it is.

]]> By: Ross http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-210976 Ross Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:47:28 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-210976 PeeDee – you should certainly give the Inq a go. Generally it is easier than the Listener but still has those wonderful ‘aha’ moments when everything falls into place.

]]> By: nmsindy http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-210898 nmsindy Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:13:34 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-210898 I thought this was a superb puzzle esp as the quote would be familiar to most. When I saw the carte blanche element, along with everything else, I thought it might be almost impossible but, rather, I made progress steadily from the start. I agree the real words gave excellent confirmation and I finally tracked down that Belgian comic artist. Many thanks, Nimrod, Lato and kenmac for the blog.

]]> By: Ross http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-210896 Ross Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:05:18 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-210896 (I should also note that I spent so long trying to make the answer to 5d HERGE that I barely spotted PEYO before sending it off!).

Thanks for the blog.

]]> By: Ross http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-210895 Ross Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:03:58 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-210895 This Inq was a great solve, although I do question the carte blance element – did it really add anything to the puzzle?

Anyone have any idea of why the letters in BURROUGHS are in their respective places in the grid? I wondered if they were supposed to help with filling in the grid, but I didn’t find them helpful in that respect, since I didn’t really know what I was looking for them to say until I had pretty much worked the whole thing out, by which point I had completed the grid in draft anyway.

]]> By: PeeDee http://www.fifteensquared.net/2012/10/24/inquisitor-1251-two-setters-in-search-of-two-characters-and-an-author-by/#comment-210854 PeeDee Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:52:03 +0000 http://fifteensquared.net/?p=50321#comment-210854 Thanks Liz, I’ll give it a go on Saturday.

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