Comments on: Independent 8118 (Sat 20-Oct-2012) Nimrod

By: OzBron

OzBron — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 02:31:02 +0000

Re comment 2: I’m not sure that this makes clear that El John is an unfashionable performer because he’s missing the ‘ton’, as in ‘prevailing mode, fashion; fashionable style or society’ (Concise Oxford) – from the French, as in ‘bon ton’.

By: John H

John H — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 10:51:11 +0000

My original submission did have “discolouration” but, admittedly, it looked wrong to me – as evidently it did to Eimi.

By: beermagnet

beermagnet — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:32:18 +0000

Thank you Polly.
That does explain it (though it still looks wrong to me)

By: Polly

Polly — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:08:56 +0000

This is probably too late for anyone to notice and be enlightened by, but ‘discoloration’ is the first spelling given in my Chambers (2003) and the preferred form in ODWE.

By: MikeC

MikeC — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 22:50:59 +0000

Ouch!! Thanks bm and N. V tough and a bit beyond me. Still fun, nevertheless.

By: beermagnet

beermagnet — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:47:24 +0000

I seem to have woken up with a stiff neck this morning. Must be the extra hour. No, it’s the failure to see a theme hidden in plain sight in the clues.

By: John H

John H — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 09:10:50 +0000

In Ripponden, my friend Samuel John Pamphilon (he of McNeil & Pamphilon stand-up comedy fame) married Chloe Jane Constance Summerskill on October 20th 2012.

Just to set the record straight, you understand. I’d never have used PHILO otherwise, at least not on its own…

Nimrod

By: Richard

Richard — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 08:51:45 +0000

I agree with Thomas99. In fact, while I was working on this (very hard) puzzle I went so far as to google “Chloe Jane Summers” and “Philo Rippon” (and again with surnames switched), but came up with nothing. I wonder if the honeymoon is taking place by Lake Constance?

By: Ian SW3

Ian SW3 — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:15:33 +0000

Thanks, Nimrod and Beermagent. A challenge indeed. I managed to solve it without aids, but cannot claim to have been able to parse all my answers without the blog.

Thomas99 @7, if it is some sort of epithalamion, the inclusion of Dr. Johnson, who had not many nice things to say about marriage (e.g., “A second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience”) seems mischievous.

By: crypticsue

crypticsue — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:53:18 +0000

I was obviously on the mythical wavelength as I solved the majority of this without too much trouble, my main hold up being justifying why JANE was JANE, apart from being the very nice lady married to our setter, of course. Tricky but fun, thank you Nimrod and beermagnet.