Comments on: Financial Times 14,149 by Loroso

By: MikeC

MikeC — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 09:27:15 +0000

Thanks PeeDee and Loroso. I found this difficult: it took several goes, finishing this morning, to get there – and I was still unsure about some of the parsing. Although I did enjoy it, I think “TV show” is such a broad theme that it makes for rather unhelpful definitions. Very ingenious, as usual, nonetheless – and of course I completely failed to spot the pangram!

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:25:28 +0000

I think this is the first Loroso I failed on completely.
In a way it has to do with the common definition (TV show). I have a TV, but do not use it for watching these kind of programmes, unfortunately. Some I knew (Laramie, Fame, Glee and the inimitable Blackadder (my all-time British comedy hero)) but Lost, or Equinox? Tenko?

While the clueing was good as ever, I fear I didn’t like it that much today.
But I did like the non-thematic DRUMMER (21d). And FRIDGE-FREEZER. And a few more, including the ingenious thematic GLEE and 1ac.

Thanks, PeeDee, for the blog.
I think in 3d ‘in gray’ should be seen as ‘drably dressed for American’.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:55:30 +0000

One more from me. In 14dn, I took tumbler = JILL to be a reference to the Nursery Rhyme “and Jill came tumbling after”.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:18:25 +0000

PeeDee@8 re 23dn: I was certainly thinking of that general sense of "net". Going to Chambers 2008, I can find net² "(of eg a result) final or conclusive", which I think fits well enough to "overall".

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:10:42 +0000

Hi Pelham, I am not very happy about TANGO, TENKO sounds more likely. Are you thinking of NET in the sense of ‘net profit’? In that case wouldn’t overall be GROSS rather than NET?

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:03:08 +0000

Thanks Loroso for the crossword and PeeDee for the blog. I gave up still needing 13ac and 7dn. Seeing the answers I should have got 13ac, but 7dn was to me an obscure word and not the type where an anagram helps.

I already had all the letters except V when the possibility of the pangram occurred to me with 12 clues still to solve – and I already knew there had to be a V in 1ac, I just had not worked it out fully at that stage, so the pangram did not help me on this occasion. Favourite clue 28ac.

17dn: I agree with the inclusion of “as it were” for the device of “saves” = “two lots of save” = BAR BAR.

23dn: I think this should be TENKO (OK net reversed).

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:45:57 +0000

Hi Susan, an ingenious suggestion! For it to work fully ‘need’ would have to indicate ‘going inside’ or ‘surrounding’, I can’t see how this would fit.

By: Lynette

Lynette — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:39:21 +0000

Great blog, PeeDee. Shame about the crossword! (I thought 22 was a good clue, though).

By: susan

susan — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:37:36 +0000

I wonder if an alternative explanation for Blackadder could be “add” (interrupt casually)surrounded by “blacker” (less pleasant). It’s one of the only 2 tv-linked answers I got (the other was Laramie) and that’s how I worked it out.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:59:21 +0000

Many thanks PeeDee

I’ve never watched much TV so I felt totally ill equipped to tackle this.

Of course, I’ve heard of Jimmy Savile – who hasn’t? – so credit is due to Loroso for topicality.