Comments on: Financial Times 14,221 by Mudd

By: Keeper

Keeper — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:35:17 +0000

As a Yank, I find nothing wrong with OMELETTE as a breakfast food. Indeed, most Americans would think of it exclusively as such. I’m sad for those like Bamberger who have never enjoyed a tasty Denver omelette in the morning. You don’t know what you’re missing.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:54:38 +0000

Sil, Thanks for your comments and confirmation about 12ac.

Bamberger, A few months ago we had a clue that included ‘breakfast food’ as a definition and had the answer CRUMPET. I noted in the blog that I thought few if any people ate crumpets for breakfast; I enjoy them at afternoon tea. The same thing struck me about OMELETTE although this time I was not sure enough of myself to mention it. (I am allergic to eggs and don’t eat omelettes at all.)

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:15:31 +0000

I couldn’t get 5a, 8d and 27a.

Not happy about 8d . While I have eaten many omelettes, I can categorically state that I have never had one for breakfast nor would I wantone for breakfast. Lunch yes, dinner yes but breakfast absolutely no way. Definitely not breakfast food.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:37:02 +0000

A fine puzzle by Mudd.
Only a shame that he repeated himself with CLARET (19d).
Yes, Pete, you’re right, rather familiar.
In Mudd’s previous prize crossword we had “Blood college spilt in the end” (31ac).

Unlike you, I do not like clues like 9d.
“Ecl” is, of course, literally a ‘partial eclipse’.
But as “Ecl” as such doesn’t mean anything, I find this clue rather pointless.
I know that John Halpern every now and then throws in clues like this for fun (especially in the Guardian), but they are not really my cup of tea.

Nothing wrong with your parsing of 12ac.
U (university) inside a reversal of INNE (which is almost ‘inner’, ie ‘private’).