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

Lol

Wait, I've got one, it's my first go at a clue so be easy on me

Picture from the mad sight, get kicks (3,3,4)

Ah shit excitement got the better of me, that should be (3,3,5)

Brit not quite overcome by a task all too tricky for Li Na? (6,6)

:D

^^^ I glanced at that, and the rest of that puzzle. Gave up after 5 minutes, way too tough. I didn't get this one even looking at the answer:

Film notice written by pundits about that year’s output? (1,3,2,3,5)

An envelope (‘about’) of AYATTHER, an anagram (‘output’) of ‘that year’ in AD (‘notice’) plus ACES (‘pundits’), for the Marx Brothers film.

clear as mud eh. 'output' as anag indicator is weak, and 'aces' for 'pundits' hardly squares with most of the rentagobs you get on tv.

qiqing's has me stumped i'm afraid.

wth is ayatther?

it's all there...

Wait, what? I can't find this via Google or dictionary. Is this one of those that's too British for me?

an anagram (‘output’) of ‘that year’

But doesn't ayatther have to be a real word? Sorry, I'm completely not getting this.

the clue says "write 'ad' and 'aces' about an anagram of 'that year'", the anag doesn't have be a word. it's sound, but it's probably not fair, if you've got no hint as to what the anag should be.

Thanks! I have never seen one where the anagram is not a real word. Good example of why I could not do this puzzle.

I'm not sure it's that unfair actually, there is a hint for the "word" you need, it's the one that will complete the clue to make the name of a film. And I thought "film" was a bit of a thin definition but "marx bros film" would be too easy, and lots of people at fifteensquared.net got it from the letter count. I think it's a bit of a setter's fave due to its length and being full of common letters, pretty sure I've seen it before.

also worth pointing out that the setter of that clue was Enigmatist whose puzzles are always some of the hardest to solve

Yup that too.

Last ever Araucaria today, finished by Philistine. Might have enjoyed it (or been hugely frustrated) if I hadn't spoiled the key clue by skimming the article about it, just like it warned me not to.

Puzzle:
http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26427
Article:
http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2014/nov/25/unexpected-treat-fans-araucaria-guardian-crossword-setter

I suppose enough time has passed for revelation

ledge mine upthread is The Red Shoes

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.

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

nice

i liked these from the everyman this week

Rim around gold dish (5)

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

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

the zero gravity bit at the end gave it away

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

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

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

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.

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

Weapon offering promise of American woman? (10)

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)

^ Culture, yeah that works fine.

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

No idea!

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

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

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

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

Oh I hate those ftmp

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

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

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

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

(4,4)

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--/---

I'm stumped

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

Oh, 'outpost in Devon' makes sense though.

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?

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

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

Omg just got it

radiator key!

:)

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

It gets by because we like "little bleeder"