Comments on: Independent on Sunday 1,196 – Kairos

By: Kairos

Kairos — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 20:09:52 +0000

Many thanks to Ali for his encouraging review and to those who left kind comments on my IoS debut. Wanderer @1 is spot on with his additional analysis of the clues. The ‘religious’ theme was not deliberate but may reflect another part of my life as a worker priest. Oddly, my occupation as a lawyer does not feature as much in my clues!

Big Dave has provided some background to my past (and present) life as a setter. Indeed, it was he who encouraged me to try my hand at setting for his blog.

Eimi has been more than generous in welcoming new setters to the pages of the Independent in recent months and I would like to thank him for including me in the team. With such a galaxy of stars setting for the paper, I cannot say when I will next appear but I look forward to entertaining you again.

By: Dormouse

Dormouse — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 13:05:13 +0000

Don’t recall having any trouble with this last week, except for 1ac. The answer was obvious, but I couldn’t see how the clue worked. Kept thinking that the evil doctor was Dr. Cyclops, but I suppose that 1940 film is a bit obscure.

By: Big Dave

Big Dave — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:53:19 +0000

Kairos is indeed a new name to crosswords in the National press, but regulars on my blog will know him as Prolixic and many of his puzzles can be found there. He has also had a number of puzzles published in the Church Times.

This is a well-deserved debut, and I’m sure it will be the first of many.

By: allan_c

allan_c — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:53:04 +0000

With Kairos meaning the right or opportune moment could this setter be someone well-known elsewhere deciding it’s time to venture into Indy-land?

At 1dn I didn’t know that particular song but it was easily got from the wordplay. (Btw there’s a typo in the blog- should be CECILIA).

Thanks, Kairos and Ali. Hope your connection problems are now sorted, Ali.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:37:20 +0000

Further to comment 1, wikipedia tells me that Kairos is a Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment. Before the Divine Liturgy starts in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, the Deacon says to the priest “It is time (kairos) for the Lord to act.’ So there is no doubt more to the religious theme than I have spotted.

By: Wanderer

Wanderer — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:18:23 +0000

Thanks, Ali, for the blog. Kairos is a new name for me too and I enjoyed this very much, while finding it quite a bit tougher than normal for a Sunday. ‘Cracking’ describes it very well.

In 9a, I read it as COLLEC+(MISERTOTS)* and I think the ‘brief entreaty’ means the first part is actually a shortened version of COLLECT, which is a type of prayer. (The Collect for the day, for example.) This would chime with 3d, OVERLORDS, where I think the intended homophone is LAUDS, a religious office.

If this is right, there seems to be a bit of a religious theme throughout. We have St Cecilia at 1d, the patron saint of music (see also PIPE ORGAN at 13d), then there’s the APOCRYPHA at 12a, and ABEL as second child at 10a. The clue for 15d, “Need rib surgery’, also conjured up a biblical image, referencing the creation of Eve from Adam’s spare rib.

Thanks to blogger and setter.