Independent 8353 / Scorpion

16 comments on “Independent 8353 / Scorpion”

1. Although ROALD DAHL led me to the theme of this puzzle, I found it quite difficult, and I failed to solve 24d. I needed help from Wikipedia to work out some of the BUCKS place names. Although I had heard of Pinewood Studios, Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes and Chequers, I did not know that they were located in BUCKS.

   New words for me were TWOC, LEV as well as Marlow, Chiltern Hills & Eton Dorney of course.

   I liked 17d, 14d, 15d & 8d and my favourites were 25d TROY & 20d SEIZED.

   Thanks for the blog, Duncan. I needed your help to parse 22/28.

2. I found this a bit odd, really. The gateway clue was my third in, so then all the themed clues were pretty much write-ins, since I used to live in Buckinghamshire. And I guess that’s the problem with puzzles with specific themes like this: people who have the knowledge will complain they’ve been swizzed out of a proper crossword because they wrote in the answers; and folk who don’t will complain it’s too obscure. Who’d be a setter?

   It’s such a bizarre theme and a strange grid: I’m sure we’re missing something.

   Any road up, thanks to Scorpion and Duncan.

3. Thanks Duncan, Scorpion has a bit of previous in puzzles like this with a least two I can remember including a Saturday prize one, quite easy in hindsight although COLLAR took me a while to see and I doubt I’d have got ETON DORNEY before last years Olympic rowing.

4. I found this an enjoyable if straightforward puzzle. I solved the gateway clue very quickly so some of the themed clues were write-ins, although I had to use the wordplay to be sure of ETON DORNEY, and CHEQUERS was my LOI. I didn’t spot the pangram, and I can’t see a nina, but then I rarely do.

5. Just a little more taxing than yesterday. Being born in England I was able to nut out the Bucks place names. TWOC and ASBO (the latter used twice in the last month or so) are UK abbreviations I have picked up through Indy crosswords. “Hills” in 24A had me puzzled for a little while with the first word in the clue being Downland, though I should have twigged immediately as I was born and bred in Sussex.

   Michelle and other antipodeans, I note we can finish the on line crossword before the paper edition is even on the streets or the blog has been posted. I finished at 1.15 pm Adelaide time (4.45 am London time).

   Thanks to Scorpion and duncanshiell.

   Does anybody know if there is a way I can access on line versions of cryptics 8334 – 8351 inclusive? I don’t like missing out on these after publication of the puzzles was suddenly ditched over here. Instructions would need to be as simple as possible.

6. Fairly straightforward once the theme became apparent (and like Michelle I got the gateway clue via ROALD DAHL). LEVY should have been obvious but was one of my last ones in when I was looking for a V to complete the pangram. TWOC was unfamiliar but I guessed it was an acronym for something though wasn’t sure of what.

   Among some well-crafted clues my CoD is RHOMB.

   Thanks, Scorpion and Duncan

7. Hi GWEP @5

   Regarding your final paragraph, I’ll email you with details of how this can be done.

8. I hope I’m wrong but could the theme be connected to where a certain new mother comes from?

9. It could be! I think like others this is a crossword that lays the compiler open to the ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t ‘ sort of crit, and the grisd was a mare!! Agree clues were ‘b itty’.

   Rowly.

10. I sincerely hope not, Paul A … now that the brood mare has pupped I have imposed a media blackout chez nous because the fawning would make me puke and I’ve just had the carpet cleaned. But even the Indy i – once, together with the Indy, a royal-free zone – has it all over the front page (although there is an excellent and very clever Virgilius as the cryptic, recommended).

    Oh, no, hang on – I’ve got it. Scorpion is asking us to rearrange all the letters in the unches to describe the new birth. Let me see … yep, ANACHRONISTIC IRRELEVANCE fits perfectly.

11. KsDad@10
    your post made me laugh (in a good way).

    But where is the Virgilius cryptic? (and does Virgilius = Brendan in the Guardian? I love his puzzles). I guess it is not available online.

12. No, michelle, the Independent i is a sister paper to the Independent, priced at only 20p but using many of the same journalists as the Independent itself. It’s only available as a paper copy, and the cryptics are recycled from previous Independents. Virgilius was one of my favourites too, but I think pressure of work meant that about a couple of years ago he ‘retired’ from the Indy. But yes, he is Brendan too, so you can get all his new stuff in the Guardian.

13. You are fuhnny, K’s D!!

14. Paul A – I can reassure you that the new mum comes from Berkshire not Bucks. Much more royal don’t you know!

15. Looking back, I realise there were a lot of answers I’d entered because it could only be one thing from the crossing letters where I then hadn’t bothered to work out the parsing. I, too, had trouble getter 4dn and resorted to a word search.

    My gateway was Mr Dahl, too, once I’d looked up where he lived – no I didn’t know he lived there. I think I was only vaguely aware that Chequers and Eton Dorner were in Buckinghamshire.

    I suddenly see Marlow and Milton in the grid and they were the names of two schools in my home town, the former now the site of a Tesco.

    I discovered when I had a medical problem a couple of years ago that TWOC has a medical meaning. Friends found it amusing that I was having a TWOC, when I don’t even drive a car.

16. We also had a media blackout for most of the day but not a crossword ban!

    Many of the clues were a write-in once we had the theme but it was enjoyable despite that.

    The comments on the blog made us smile so there was enjoyment even after the puzzle was complete!

    Thanks Scorpion and Duncan.

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