Comments on: Financial Times 14,251 by Cinephile

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 16:55:41 +0000

MichaelG, thank you, yes, as I just confirmed for myself in my Chambers, “v.” is short for “vide”. I have fixed the explanation of the clue to this effect. And I will try to remember this v versus viz distinction.

By: MichaelG

MichaelG — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 10:15:06 +0000

I found this one quite hard, with several gaps even after resorting to onelook.com – not helped by inserting SPORADIC in 4A! In 28,13 I knew it should be “dell” as Spooner’s version of 13A but missed the vowel shift rather than consonant when looking for a place in the West Midlands…
Thanks Pete for explaining 6D – an “aha” moment there, although I think “V.” is short for “vide” = see, albeit part of “viz.” = videlicet or namely.

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:33:16 +0000

Well that’s kind of what I meant about its being Cinephilic. There are several bits and pieces that are not totally satisfactory but I do not feel obliged to point them all out; the puzzle is still well solvable. For me, the only thing that goes beyond the pale is the SODI thing while MUNI is close. I think ‘quarterdeck twice’ works in that it means take two quarters of ‘deck’, that is DE. The trouble is that it could, I suppose, just as easily clue DD (taking the first quarter twice) or at a pinch, any two letters of DECK. As for 2dn, I agree that “Man bites dog” is a poor definition but I could not think of a better one.

By: Wil Ransome

Wil Ransome — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 01:06:05 +0000

As usual when Cinephile sets, quite apart from the excellent clues (like 14ac), which must be the ones that cause such hero-worship, I have a number of doubts:

a) In 1/25 it is very unusual for ‘some immunity’ to give ‘muni’ as only part of the wordplay. Mind you, I can’t see what is wrong with this device, but it is very seldom if ever used, so far as I know.

b) In 4ac yes I agree, the only way for sodi to be a lot of salt is for salt to be sodium, which it isn’t.

c) In 10ac the word ‘to’ grates. How can it work?

d) In 17ac first = A, and in 7dn second = B. Well …

e) In 1dn ‘quarterdeck twice’ to give de, seems remarkably tortuous. Indeed, I can’t actually see how it works.

f) In 2dn of course ‘Man bites dog’ may have news value but is it really a satisfactory definition of this?

I may well be wrong here and would be grateful if someone could point out how.