(archel bupkes is ex-ilx)
― koogs, Sunday, 25 August 2019 14:41 (four years ago) link
Rufus is sorely missed. I do enjoy the extra challenge of the special instruction ones; often they actually aid in the solving, the alphabetical ones especially. "Not further defined" can always fuck off though. Gonna give this a go but will be leaning hard on anagram solvers et al.
Chances of being able to sit down and watch something live on a sunday are basically zero, unfortunately.
― The Pingularity (ledge), Sunday, 25 August 2019 14:58 (four years ago) link
https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/guardian-crossword-hidden-bollocks-to-brexit-1-6266121
― wasdnuos (abanana), Friday, 13 September 2019 12:28 (four years ago) link
How common is this? Is it something that slipped past the editor?
― wasdnuos (abanana), Friday, 13 September 2019 12:29 (four years ago) link
Hidden messages like that crop up now and again, & they’re always sneaking in naughty/political content, it’s not common to see both at once - I’m in favour of it even if it is eyerolly Lib Dem kinda stuff
― YouGov to see it (wins), Friday, 13 September 2019 14:02 (four years ago) link
I’d got out of the habit of doing crosswords since the person I used to do them with at work quit, but a few weeks ago I was in the pub and a group of people at the next table were doing the listener together. I was trying to read my book but I couldn’t help eavesdropping - scornfully at first like “get a load of these posh ninnies” but eventually I just had to (politely) butt in and supply and answer, and they invited me to join themLast night I went back to that pub and they were there again so I asked if it was a weekly thing they did & would they mind if I joined from time to time. Despite my initial unkind thoughts they are a nice bunch & taking on the listener in a group is pretty fun! I like the satisfaction of figuring out what the deal is: the one we did yesterday was titled “don’t tell” and it was Burroughs-themed, with one aspect of the puzzle relating to the Vollmer incident and several of the clues having been subjected to the cut-up technique!I will say tho that these people are a bit too quick to cheat for my liking
― YouGov to see it (wins), Saturday, 14 September 2019 14:10 (four years ago) link
TIL that hidden messages as discussed above are called 'ninas' and are both fairly common and a longstanding tradtion: https://www.crosswordunclued.com/2009/10/what-is-nina.html
― The Pingularity (ledge), Thursday, 24 October 2019 14:42 (four years ago) link
last clue i need in everyman xword from january
Draws a tableau originally with expanses of land (8)
a.t.a.t.
nothing in the standard mac /usr/share/dict/words that matches. all the letters are correct. looks like it'd be an anagram of 'a tableau' but...
― koogs, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:08 (four years ago) link
a _ t _ a _ t _
― koogs, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:09 (four years ago) link
attracts?
― koogs, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:10 (four years ago) link
Yes
― What fash heil is this? (wins), Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:11 (four years ago) link
thanks for all your help 8)
(of course, it being an old puzzle i can just hit 'check this')
― koogs, Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:13 (four years ago) link
Well you got it! But yeah A T tracts = draws
― What fash heil is this? (wins), Wednesday, 20 May 2020 21:18 (four years ago) link
So have the guardian just stopped doing the big bank holiday weekend puzzles? There wasn’t one earlier this month but I assumed that was to do with the VE Day fuckery in some way. None again today - fuckers can keep begging for the price of a cup of coffee till they’re blue in the face afaic if they’re gonna serve me up a standard issue Paul grid in a fuckin lockdown 😤
― What fash heil is this? (wins), Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:13 (four years ago) link
I stopped caring when Araucaria died tbh :(
― come out you melts and bams (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:16 (four years ago) link
He was good but I’m not partic invested in the cult, plenty of inspired clues out there still. I have phases where I’m more or less into doing these but they are a good way to pass the time, especially now
― What fash heil is this? (wins), Saturday, 23 May 2020 09:55 (four years ago) link
Serbians detest commerce? At heart, I don't care. (4,2)
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:34 (three years ago) link
rude
― neith moon (ledge), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 20:10 (three years ago) link
Democrat gripped by hysteria prevalent everywhere (8)
― wasdnous (abanana), Friday, 6 November 2020 22:56 (three years ago) link
Good one
― Michael F Gill, Friday, 6 November 2020 22:59 (three years ago) link
From 2002!
― wasdnous (abanana), Saturday, 7 November 2020 02:46 (three years ago) link
Partly reveals orange loser in an election (4-3)
― Wayne Grotski (symsymsym), Saturday, 28 November 2020 22:20 (three years ago) link
nice
― knowing for certain the first touch of the light will finish you (fionnland), Saturday, 28 November 2020 22:50 (three years ago) link
Wild social do - put easy chair away (4,5,5)
― paolo, Tuesday, 13 April 2021 12:55 (three years ago) link
Acid house party all night long
― Michael F Gill, Tuesday, 13 April 2021 13:06 (three years ago) link
Hell yeah
― paolo, Tuesday, 13 April 2021 13:30 (three years ago) link
apologies to fluent french speakers but a) i am not one and ii) this one came to me when i was half asleep:
'vous regrette rien, ne regrette pas' translated for a keepsake.
― Scheming politicians are captivating, and it hurts (ledge), Monday, 19 April 2021 09:09 (three years ago) link
Wait, is this an anagram?! Gonna need number of words and their lengths, at least!
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Monday, 19 April 2021 13:52 (three years ago) link
oops, was still half asleep at 9 this morning, or wishing i was anyway.
(8)
― Scheming politicians are captivating, and it hurts (ledge), Monday, 19 April 2021 14:08 (three years ago) link
got it, nice!
― Neil S, Monday, 19 April 2021 14:14 (three years ago) link
I got the answer and I *think* I parsed it.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Monday, 19 April 2021 14:26 (three years ago) link
I thought Mondays were supposed to be gentle, but Vlad offered up this:
ROTTEN ROW Shabby Italian rider’s content to go up bridle path (6,3)
A reversal (‘to go up ‘in a down light) of WORN (‘shabby’) plus dETTORi (Frankie, jockey, ‘Italian rider’) minus the outer letters (‘content’). Rotten Row is a bridle path in Hyde Park, London.
I'm supposed to know that "Italian rider" = some jockey I've never heard of, and then take the outside letters off that? GTFO
I'd never heard of Rotten Row either, but that's my shortcoming I guess.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 18 August 2021 16:02 (two years ago) link
Seems a little too indirect, but his wiki page seems to indicate he has been very popular in the UK for a long time, and he’s got an MBE.
― Michael F Gill, Wednesday, 18 August 2021 21:45 (two years ago) link
With a clue like that the thing to do is focus on the definition. It can only be 'shabby' or 'bridle path'. A little research might have led you to Rotten Row, which you then have to retrofit around the other stuff.
― joni mitchell jarre (anagram), Wednesday, 18 August 2021 22:10 (two years ago) link
For what it's worth I'd say Frankie Dettori is perhaps the most famous jockey in the UK and probably the only one that a lot of people (i.e. non horse racing fans) could name (myself included). The only other contender I can think of might be Lester Piggott. I'd never get a clue like that though.
― brain (krakow), Thursday, 19 August 2021 17:34 (two years ago) link
My biggest problem is that it's a vague definition by one example. "Italian rider" doesn't denote "Dettori" any more than "New York slugger" would lead me to "Ruth" vs. say "A-Rod." Maybe it'd be more likely to a non-American? I do think the setter needed "ROTTE" to make the answer work and, as anagram says, retrofit the jockey in there.
Sorry all, I'm not *that* salty about it, but I was so close to completing a very difficult puzzle.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 19 August 2021 19:39 (two years ago) link
Rapper has blood transfusion for heart related thing (6)
― ledge, Wednesday, 3 May 2023 09:50 (one year ago) link
lol
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 3 May 2023 13:21 (one year ago) link
American here. So the bits and pieces clue "Brussels" = EU?
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:19 (ten months ago) link
Yep, it's where the EU headquarters is.
― a holistic digital egosystem (ledge), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:32 (ten months ago) link
Yeah, but that's sorta like "Washington" = USA. Just hadn't seen it before, filing with my knowledge of RA, AB and TT.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:36 (ten months ago) link
I guess it's referring to the governmental not geographical entity, which makes a bit more sense synecdoche-wise. Probably inspired by endless references to bonkers brussels bureaucrats in the tabloids.
― a holistic digital egosystem (ledge), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:41 (ten months ago) link
I also had never seen "uppers" for broke either, but I think I learn a new British slang term every couple of days.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:50 (ten months ago) link
i'm brassic mate, i'm skint, i'm on me uppers. i can't even qualify for my pension.
― a holistic digital egosystem (ledge), Friday, 21 July 2023 14:54 (ten months ago) link
Okay, brassic just blew my mind.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Friday, 21 July 2023 15:00 (ten months ago) link
it threw me a bit the first few times i heard it irl. you're what?
― a holistic digital egosystem (ledge), Friday, 21 July 2023 15:07 (ten months ago) link
Most posh wine shops getting into alcohol-free (8)
TOFFIEST. I actually got this one with a little guessing, but it cracked me up because both parts of the clue, plus the answer, are three things that an American who has never encountered a cryptic crossword would be flabbergasted by.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Monday, 31 July 2023 14:21 (ten months ago) link
(narrator) I was still flabbergasted.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Monday, 31 July 2023 14:22 (ten months ago) link
That is funny, but I although I could work out what “toffiest” means I’ve never heard it used. For that matter, I’ve never heard anyone say “toffy” meaning posh (or manifesting as posh). Toff, by all means.
― Tim, Monday, 31 July 2023 14:37 (ten months ago) link
https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.3906317085.6465/st,small,507x507-pad,600x600,f8f8f8.jpg
― koogs, Monday, 31 July 2023 15:22 (ten months ago) link