Comments on: Financial Times 14,159 – Dante

By: John Newman

John Newman — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 05:52:26 +0000

Bamberger

I agree with you that buttoned up is not too common for concluding business but it is certainly used for not speaking. Usually when one feels that saying something might create problems. I can recall being told to button-up frequently at school. Got a bit of a shock when as a timid little boy going to school in Australia after migrating there, a teacher regularly told the class to “shut your noise”. Button-up sounds much more genteel.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 22:36:06 +0000

Did I say it was plain sailing?

Well, re 29ac, ernie and TonyP must both be right.
I thought that ‘arrested’ was the only (normal) word that fitted.
Then I googled a bit to find that there was a thing called “arresting gear”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arresting_gear.
And finally, I decided that it had to be “arrested” here – wrong!
Now rectified.

TonyP, Bohemia is a region in the Czech Republic and the word also means “A group of artists and writers with real or pretended artistic or intellectual aspirations and usually an unconventional life style” – unConventional people.

John @1, I did read your comment on the previous Dante puzzle.
No problem with your negative verdict there. That puzzle just had too many cryptic definitions (about a third!).

By: TonyP

TonyP — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:45:35 +0000

I also found the bottom half to be a real struggle and failed to finish.

My Chambers says that 29a is arrester. ‘arrester gear shock-absorbing transverse cables on an aircraft-carrier’s deck for the arrester hook of an alighting aircraft to catch on.’

I am afraid I do not understand 19d.

Statuary is a new word to me.

Thanks to Sil for the blog and to Dante for another enjoyable crossword.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:26:09 +0000

Just to prove that it is a difference of opinion that makes a horse race, I thought this was very hard .
19a I have heard of a deal being sewn up but not buttoned up and I have never heard of buttoned up as meaning a taciturn manner-so would never had got that.
23a Didn’t spot the anagram indicator. Silly me.
25a I haven’t come across statuary either. I was misdirected to think of numbers and thought of actuaries.
29a Like John Newman I just don’t get this at all.
14d Should have got this but didn’t.
19d Simply too hard for me.

Look forward to reading the explanation of 29a

By: ernie

ernie — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:19:42 +0000

I had arrester (gear) for 29A
This consists of cables on the deck of an aircraft-carrier to which the hook of an alighting aircraft attaches to assist with landing

By: John Newman

John Newman — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:05:46 +0000

Thanks for this Sil.

I agree with you that this is a much better Dante. Not quite plain sailing for me as I failed to see the cryptics STYE and BOHEMIA. I also couldn’t see the reasoning for OPERATION. And couldn’t get HOUNDS which thanks to your blog I can now see is a very clever clue.

I got STATUARY but Dante’s use of the word MEN rather threw me because women can be sculpturists as well.

I also do not like the construction for STRAFE.

I need some more help from you with 29A. What is arrested gear? Is Dante here referring to the arrest wire which pulls up landing aircraft?

I was late with my contribution to your blog for the last Dante (14,147) because I was on holidays. Perhaps you might like to take a look back. I rather let myself go because the puzzle annoyed me a little.