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

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I think I knew Ledge's before he gave the hint, but I couldn't figure out why exactly.

Are you sure that 'l' shouldn't be in fourth position, Archel?

(xpost)

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Monday, 13 March 2006 16:30 (eighteen years ago) link

That *particular* l is where I wanted to put it...

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 13 March 2006 16:37 (eighteen years ago) link

OK, I cheated. Now I know what it is.

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Monday, 13 March 2006 16:45 (eighteen years ago) link

Iron Man or Ironman is right: fe=iron, male=man, whole is a punishing triathlon... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon

Ah that extra 'l' hint gave it away... Yellow Pages!

― ledge (ledge), Monday, 13 March 2006 17:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes!

I guess if I'd done a bit of elementary triathlon research I would have got yours...

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 13 March 2006 17:04 (eighteen years ago) link

I thought it was fairly well known but like all trivia I guess it's just a case of 'easy if you know it' :^)

― ledge (ledge), Monday, 13 March 2006 17:30 (eighteen years ago) link

Okay, so I explained the "iron man" thing to myself as "a man who does ironing i.e. a WOman"

I am not very good at cryptic crosswords. Though I did manage to half-complete two real crossword puzzles recently, which made me prouder than almost anything else.

― Markelby (Mark C), Monday, 13 March 2006 18:02 (eighteen years ago) link

I knew what the Iron Man was and after ledge gave the hint and I was sure, I could figure out how the cryptic part worked, but maybe there should have been an extra hint that "female" was supposed to be broken into two pieces?
"Female in two parts of punishing triathlon"?

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Monday, 13 March 2006 18:41 (eighteen years ago) link

"Female gets broken in punishing triathlon."

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 13 March 2006 19:08 (eighteen years ago) link

I've been seeing a lot of clues here where the clue includes a possessive ('s) that isn't actually functional: "Female's", "Dancer's", etc.

Do published cryptic crosswords do this? I have to admit it totally throws me off, I'd always assumed that every part of the clue had to be functional.

― lurker #2421, Monday, 13 March 2006 23:17 (eighteen years ago) link

I've been seeing a lot of clues here where the clue includes a possessive ('s) that isn't actually functional: "Female's", "Dancer's", etc. Do published cryptic crosswords do this?

(I have to admit it totally throws me off, I'd always assumed that every part of the clue had to be incorporated in the answer, with nothing extra left over.)

― lurker #2421, Monday, 13 March 2006 23:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Hey, I reloaded the page to check that my first post hadn't gone through! Boo to you, lyin' cheatin' ILX server.

― lurker #2421, Monday, 13 March 2006 23:22 (eighteen years ago) link

's could also mean "is," couldn't it?

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Monday, 13 March 2006 23:24 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes, "'s" often secretly means "is" in cryptics. The "Female" clue is fair.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 13 March 2006 23:25 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, I really like 's for is! I'm always kinda appalled by how many published newspaper crossword have some minor pronoun fluff going on, do people really not mind?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Monday, 13 March 2006 23:50 (eighteen years ago) link

minor pronoun fluff
??

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Monday, 13 March 2006 23:54 (eighteen years ago) link

I MIND.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 11:55 (eighteen years ago) link

New clue! I'll have a think over lunch...

― ledge (ledge), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 12:27 (eighteen years ago) link

I also mind when setters use [example of a thing] instead of [thing itself] in clues, wihout alluding to the fact. But that might be too much Ximenes.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 13:10 (eighteen years ago) link

You mean like "monet" as a clue for "painter" instead of vice versa? Yeah that's bad and wrong. I like when the definition is just an attribute of the answer though, e.g. (ropey example off top of head):

"painted waterlilies make bizarre memento, not me" (5)

― ledge (ledge), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 13:34 (eighteen years ago) link

minor pronoun fluff

Redd - I mean when instead of '[clue 1] [clue 2]' or '[clue 1] for [clue 2]' or '[clue 1] to [clue 2]' all of which are lovely you get something like '[clue 1] of [clue 2]' (unpleasant but bearable} or '[clue 1] his [clue 2]' (horrible)...

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:32 (eighteen years ago) link

Is there a current clue?

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 04:33 (eighteen years ago) link

I would try to come up with one, but my brain is really really boring tonight.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 04:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Did this one ever get answered?

never odd or even? (10)

― lurker #2421, Wednesday, 15 March 2006 05:37 (eighteen years ago) link

Palindrome?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 05:40 (eighteen years ago) link

yes. palindrome is right... well done!

― art vandelay (what?), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 10:01 (eighteen years ago) link

These can be raw and red inside when lucky number comes up (6)

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:46 (eighteen years ago) link

That would be 'nerves'?

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:48 (eighteen years ago) link

Yes it would be.

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 14:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Tube station overhaul, get related transport (5,8,6)

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 16 March 2006 10:44 (eighteen years ago) link

Great Portland Street.

I didn't so much cheat as did research for that one.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 16 March 2006 11:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, I was inspired by this:
http://www.bikereader.com/forum/pics/undergroundanagram.gif

― ledge (ledge), Thursday, 16 March 2006 11:04 (eighteen years ago) link

omg, fantastic.

Chris owes us two clues...

I was admiring Bunthorne in the Guardian yesterday - even though I can never finish his puzzles his clues are always witty and elegant. Unlike this one:

Party about mushroom, spinning on it (9)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 16 March 2006 12:38 (eighteen years ago) link

Phlegm issues, I hear? (5)

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 16 March 2006 12:40 (eighteen years ago) link

sputa?

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Thursday, 16 March 2006 15:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Archel's one is "reception". I still don't have the confidence to make any up myself though, so fire in, anyone who wants to.

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 16 March 2006 19:05 (eighteen years ago) link

I think I was running on a clue defecit. But if my brain kicks in I'll post it.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 16 March 2006 19:39 (eighteen years ago) link

I quite liked this one from today's paper: Fish given low score? (4)

You could probably fill a whole book with fish-themed crosswords.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:51 (eighteen years ago) link

Inject heroin into depressed fish. (4)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link

Faux fish? (3)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Archel's is "bass", which is a nice clue.

Casuistry's first one is "shad". I didn't actually know that was a type of fish, I just guessed from the clue.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 18:47 (eighteen years ago) link

cod

A Spanish hello upon rising is hello, goodbye (5)

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:57 (eighteen years ago) link

Fictional don's utterance of surprise before spaghetti chef (8)

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 18:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Aloha

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 18:03 (eighteen years ago) link

Book 'em, ailsa!

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 18:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Corleone. But who is Leone?

― ledge (ledge), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Some spaghetti chef, perhaps?

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:20 (eighteen years ago) link

Sergio

― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Oh yeah. Chef?

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Spaghetti maker, perhaps.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 20:25 (eighteen years ago) link

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