The official bored-at-work cryptic crossword pass it on thread.

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I suppose enough time has passed for revelation

ledge mine upthread is The Red Shoes

show me love alamuddin (qiqing), Thursday, 27 November 2014 00:45 (nine years ago) link

enjoyed that posthumous Araucaria, thanks ledge. Liked the theme a lot though it took me a while to get it.

I didn't understand how some of the ones at the bottom worked, even after I filled them in according to what fitted or the magic of the Cheat button, so I went to fifteensquared to look. The one I was particularly puzzled by was 2 alternative definitions and 4 wordplays in one clue! Completely didn't notice that, I had no idea what any of the clue except the theme indicator/first def and final wordplay were doing in the clue. (smacks forehead)

Also for ILXy lols I got the last letter of 23D wrong (still fitting the def) and tried to convince myself it might be a reference to Manda Rin of Glaswegian 90s indie combo being a bit annoying.

club mate martyr (a passing spacecadet), Friday, 28 November 2014 10:30 (nine years ago) link

Porcine life form found in craft trapped in white hole at first, then zero gravity (7)

Kelly Gang Carey and the Mantels (ledge), Monday, 1 December 2014 14:16 (nine years ago) link

nice

Ratt in Mi Kitchen (Neil S), Monday, 1 December 2014 14:18 (nine years ago) link

i liked these from the everyman this week

Rim around gold dish (5)

'Stub' - no clue for it, cryptically (11)

koogs, Monday, 1 December 2014 14:20 (nine years ago) link

xp But not taxing, clearly. I'm destined to be a Rufus.

Kelly Gang Carey and the Mantels (ledge), Monday, 1 December 2014 14:20 (nine years ago) link

the zero gravity bit at the end gave it away

Ratt in Mi Kitchen (Neil S), Monday, 1 December 2014 14:26 (nine years ago) link

^^^ yeah I worked backwards too. Here's an easy one I made up:

Singer staples most of map and half of visa. (5)

Deliciously hard yet very accessible (Dan Peterson), Monday, 1 December 2014 16:21 (nine years ago) link

Ah, crap, make that 'most of map and most of visa.'

Deliciously hard yet very accessible (Dan Peterson), Monday, 1 December 2014 16:22 (nine years ago) link

nice def. 'most' tends to be frowned upon, too vague (not really a problem in this case but...) - you could go for last letter deletion instead, incomplete visa or something.

Kelly Gang Carey and the Mantels (ledge), Monday, 1 December 2014 17:20 (nine years ago) link

I was happy to work this one out in today's Grauniad

Weapon offering promise of American woman? (10)

Ratt in Mi Kitchen (Neil S), Saturday, 13 December 2014 22:46 (nine years ago) link

Not 100% sure this works, but I wrote one for Merriam-Webster's 2014 word of the year:

Huge rut luckily consumes backward social group and its beliefs. (7)

The Thelonius Monk of nu-ki? (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 16 December 2014 19:28 (nine years ago) link

^ Culture, yeah that works fine.

Little bleeder's reported break in to Electronic Arts' outpost in Devon (8,3)

ledge, Saturday, 20 December 2014 13:24 (nine years ago) link

No idea!

Is there a prize xword in today's guardian? It isn't on their (increasingly shit & buggy) iPhone app.

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Saturday, 20 December 2014 18:15 (nine years ago) link

yes, it's two grids so the app wouldn't be able to handle it.

koogs, Saturday, 20 December 2014 18:27 (nine years ago) link

Ah ok, worth getting the paper for or no? I have a train journey later but ample reading...

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Saturday, 20 December 2014 18:34 (nine years ago) link

it looks a bit convoluted "however, one letter must be added to one of each pair of solutions before entry into the grid"...

koogs, Saturday, 20 December 2014 19:08 (nine years ago) link

Oh I hate those ftmp

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Saturday, 20 December 2014 19:17 (nine years ago) link

"Forge the mine path". Primarily used in Minecraft when building a path into a mine.

ledge, Saturday, 20 December 2014 22:16 (nine years ago) link

It's tough but I'm enjoying it, clues are pretty straightforward and the instructions are clear and not a huge stumbling block.

ledge, Saturday, 20 December 2014 22:18 (nine years ago) link

I mean I'm like less than a quarter done.

ledge, Saturday, 20 December 2014 22:18 (nine years ago) link

Director of films to include head of penis? Almost - pianist

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Saturday, 20 December 2014 22:49 (nine years ago) link

(4,4)

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Saturday, 20 December 2014 22:49 (nine years ago) link

nope... gonna add an extra hint to mine.

Little bleeder's reported break in to Electronic Arts' south Devon seaside office? (8,3)

--d--t--/---

ledge, Monday, 22 December 2014 13:41 (nine years ago) link

I'm stumped

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Tuesday, 23 December 2014 15:10 (nine years ago) link

Got it. (not sure why it's office though?)

oppet, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 15:29 (nine years ago) link

Oh, 'outpost in Devon' makes sense though.

oppet, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 15:31 (nine years ago) link

I threw a question mark in there to indicate something fishy but I think it's ok, if EA had an office in T------ you'd just call it EA T------. Like errrrrr DKNY?

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 17:40 (nine years ago) link

r-d--t--/k--

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 17:45 (nine years ago) link

Guardian prize now the usual war of attrition, was hoping the parents would help but they'd completed less than me.

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 18:30 (nine years ago) link

Omg just got it

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:41 (nine years ago) link

radiator key!

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:42 (nine years ago) link

:)

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:53 (nine years ago) link

That kind of cryptic definition would normally have me decrying the compiler as a scoundrel.

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:54 (nine years ago) link

It gets by because we like "little bleeder"

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:56 (nine years ago) link

Did you get mine?

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Tuesday, 23 December 2014 20:56 (nine years ago) link

Nope, give us letters!

ledge, Tuesday, 23 December 2014 22:03 (nine years ago) link

Given up on the guardian in a huff, if anyone can explain how "comrade - stan's" is at all cryptic for "oliver" - well it probably won't change my mind.

ledge, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 20:45 (nine years ago) link

yeah but like

idgi

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 21:43 (nine years ago) link

btw

--n-/-a--

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 21:45 (nine years ago) link

those chuckleheads were the first thing I thought of, that still ain't no cryptic clue.

ledge, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 21:48 (nine years ago) link

Yeah unless "Oliver" is another word for "comrade" or sth

tl;dr, gukbar, morbis detrius (wins), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 21:49 (nine years ago) link

sth to do with the Song of Roland or...?

(don't even know if I'm overreaching here; did not attempt said crossword as the gimmick was beyond me, by which I don't even mean adding letters but the whole not knowing where to split the clues thing)

club mate martyr (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 24 December 2014 22:04 (nine years ago) link

Cromwellian perhaps, but that kind of "guess which Stan this refers to" isn't unheard of in cryptics

Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 24 December 2014 22:05 (nine years ago) link

not especially hard but i always appreciate arachne and her politics:

Ends of Rice, Brown and Garner? Time for anger (6)

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:10 (nine years ago) link

nice

Gombeen Dance Band (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:32 (nine years ago) link

(talking of hard, i don't think i've ever been as irritated with a crossword as that maskarade prize one from the other week)

lex pretend, Thursday, 1 January 2015 15:38 (nine years ago) link

There was a pop at ukip voters in the Boxing Day one, can't remember the setter

Gonna post this once more & then give solution

Director of films to include head of penis? Almost - /pianist/ (4,4)

--n-/-a--

bife claro (wins), Thursday, 1 January 2015 23:52 (nine years ago) link

Oops zing

Director of films to include head of penis? Almost - pianist(4,4)

--n-/-a--

bife claro (wins), Thursday, 1 January 2015 23:53 (nine years ago) link


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