Comments on: Guardian Cryptic 25850 Rufus

By: SuzeeMoon

SuzeeMoon — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:41:27 +0000

Oh, RC – I’m sure you’re as lively as ever! I’m still in practice for growing old disgracefully and enjoying life.

“Little”! was annoying…!

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:00:50 +0000

I frequently check back after the day of publication.
Just to see whether there are any interesting late postings, unlike this one.

Good to see you are still active, SM. I am, just.

Further thought on ‘little’; if acceptable it does open up a totally new, very widely applicable and hardly cryptic, class of clue: antonyms.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 16:48:47 +0000

@sppaul @44 – Here am I reading the blog the day after. Like SuzeeMoon, I print them out and solve them when I have time. I will often printout several puzzles at a go and solve them, in one sitting, many days after their newspaper appearances.

I confess that I don’t relish Rufus’s puzzles but it is more often his dds rather than his cds which defeat me. I’m only commenting because I know the word CALUMET but I didn’t get it. I thought of a peace-pipe in response to the clue, but it’s one of those words that I know when I meet it but would never think of when needed.

By: tutu

tutu — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:20:04 +0000

I am a bit at odds with 24a. On this basis different anagrams could produce apples, pears and bananas etc as a tomato is a fruit.Vegetarian is unnecessary in the clue. Very enjoyable crossword though.

By: nodracol

nodracol — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:21:36 +0000

Thanks Rufus – I always look forward to tackling your puzzle with the knowledge that I stand a chance of completing it! I regularly tackle the G crossword, but rarely finish it. I’m probably one of many who fit into this category and enjoy, some of what the expert solvers consider, the easier puzzles set by the likes of Rufus et al. This was a typical Rufus challenge for me with many of the answers only confirmed from the “macro” view as scchua rightly noted. The last one to go in was in fact calumet which I had to look up!

In answer to sspaul yes someone does read the blog the day after. Me! I’m sure there are many others too, just to check out why the answers are what they are!

By: SuzeeMoon

SuzeeMoon — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:48:28 +0000

sppaul@44
I usually read later as I have irriegular habits with my x-word activity! I too don’t really get “little” – it fitted the x-word and “sort of” made sense at best for me so got written in reluctantly…

By: sppaul

sppaul — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:57:37 +0000

Hello Thomas99 at 39 – I accept the rebuke but you could have helped by further explanation! I still don’t get it. Admittedly I ignored ‘yodaspeak’. But now I have looked it up and I still still don’t get it!

Does anyone reads these blogs the day after?

By: tupu

tupu — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:26:23 +0000

Hi John @42. cd = cryptic definition introduced to me by Uncle Yap’s blogs – see his list of abbreviations at the end of today’s.

By: john McCartney

john McCartney — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:01:14 +0000

Not sure of “cds ” meaning, but I always find with Rufus is that I have simply to guess answers then see if the guess fits. Very little working out. Has too much in common with “quick” crosswords for my taste. Sorry for naivety of expression!

By: SuzeeMoon

SuzeeMoon — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:54:04 +0000

RCW@40
One and the same. I tend to print, save and do puzzles a while after publication so miss the dialogue here, but always check for the clues that confuse or annoy me and have noticed your comments when I’ve lurked. Actually did this one on the day and didn’t like a few and thought “calumet” a bit of a swizz but see the puzzle brightened your day…