My university alumni magazine (quarterly, only ever look at the crossword and skim the obituaries for anyone my age) includes a barred-grid crossword with several unclued answers and a twist, e.g. ignore one word of each clue or remove one letter from each answer, use these to spell unclued answers, that kind of thing.
I can never get anywhere with them, except one time when I got the whole thing except one letter and thought "now I am elite crossword demon and am tuned into the art of these things and will demolish the next one", only to find next issue that, uh, I wasn't.
Azeds seem much the same.
― a passing spacecadet, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:26 (sixteen years ago)
Nah, Azed only pulls something weird (like this one) once every couple of months. It's not like The Listener (king of insane rubrics).
― woofwoofwoof, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:36 (sixteen years ago)
i am a noob: what on earth is an 'unclued answer'?
― thomp, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:36 (sixteen years ago)
Space in the grid for which there's no clue at all. So 1ac will be marked, and take up seven squares, but there's no clue. They turn up in barred grid crosswords mostly, and are gettable via checked letters and/or a theme and/or jammy stab in the dark.
― woofwoofwoof, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 11:44 (sixteen years ago)
what's the point of that, then?
― thomp, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 12:18 (sixteen years ago)
Beast chasing loud predator (3)NEA head after delinquent Op Art supporter (6)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 23 September 2009 12:32 (sixteen years ago)
(although y'all probably don't know what the NEA is)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 23 September 2009 12:33 (sixteen years ago)
Naughty Erotic Adventures.
First is FOX
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Wednesday, 23 September 2009 12:46 (sixteen years ago)
No.Yes.
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 23 September 2009 12:52 (sixteen years ago)
Thomp: they only really make sense when in a theme or scheme. It's quite nice to crack the heart of a puzzle and open up a load of answers at once after crawling along. And it makes a change from straight solving. The Azed one mentioned is a bit meh, but in a really neat themed puzzle there's an exciting seeing-the-light moment (Slightly embarrassed to be using the word 'exciting' there).
#2 = Patron (nice).
― woofwoofwoof, Wednesday, 23 September 2009 13:14 (sixteen years ago)
Thousand and one plus five hundred times two plus fifty equals average (6)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 24 September 2009 14:57 (sixteen years ago)
median
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Thursday, 24 September 2009 14:59 (sixteen years ago)
Middle. Great clue! 'e' for 'equals' notwithstanding ;)
er xp...
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:00 (sixteen years ago)
oh, nice
co-worker is stuck on this, in the times:
Such ores featuring in workings? (14)
― thomp, Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:06 (sixteen years ago)
i'll go with ledge too, i just got caught up with 'thousand and one' equals average.
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:06 (sixteen years ago)
operations, or something like?
it's argentiferous. knew it was an anag but still had to get most of the letters before we got it.
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:07 (sixteen years ago)
that was my second guess
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:08 (sixteen years ago)
oh, i mean argentiferous (xp)
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:09 (sixteen years ago)
doh, i had the wrong anagrind. ta tho
― thomp, Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:17 (sixteen years ago)
Pirate company take electronic tape from records, to broadcast (7)
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Thursday, 24 September 2009 15:19 (sixteen years ago)
Corsair. Nice again.
First try:
Nauseatingly cute model to 'make pee-pee' (4)
― woofwoofwoof, Thursday, 24 September 2009 16:24 (sixteen years ago)
twee
― thomp, Thursday, 24 September 2009 16:33 (sixteen years ago)
i spent eight of those nine minutes trying to work out if i could make 'piss' fit btw
― thomp, Thursday, 24 September 2009 16:34 (sixteen years ago)
Cats lost her knickers (5)I see antelope in volcanic country (7)Woodentop soul singer's drugstore (9)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 25 September 2009 04:12 (sixteen years ago)
pants
― ailsa, Friday, 25 September 2009 06:56 (sixteen years ago)
(panthers minus her)
Yes. What about the second one? (Third one probably doesn't work outside US)
Boy getting fifty-fifty split to seek favor of five hundred in movie production capital (9)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:33 (sixteen years ago)
hollywood, but what is the boy?
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Friday, 25 September 2009 13:41 (sixteen years ago)
oh wait it's bollywood.
Second one is Iceland. Got from 'volcanic country'. My brain shuts down when it sees 'antelope' in a clue.
― woofwoofwoof, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:55 (sixteen years ago)
Geographical handicap beaten! Google confirms Walgreens. (eliminated 'warethras' first).
― woofwoofwoof, Friday, 25 September 2009 13:59 (sixteen years ago)
Where we used to hang out, Will shall go (7, 4)
― thomp, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:15 (sixteen years ago)
Gallows Hill
― Bacon is the new Pirates (onimo), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:34 (sixteen years ago)
Can and Neu! play together – dead subtle (6)
― woofwoofwoof, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:37 (sixteen years ago)
nuance
― Bacon is the new Pirates (onimo), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:39 (sixteen years ago)
Arranging mating fort (10)
― Bacon is the new Pirates (onimo), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:41 (sixteen years ago)
Fuck. Mine should be (7)
― woofwoofwoof, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:41 (sixteen years ago)
That wasn't a clue, btw
nuanced?
― Bacon is the new Pirates (onimo), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:42 (sixteen years ago)
Yes. Exactly. Formatting?
― woofwoofwoof, Friday, 25 September 2009 14:43 (sixteen years ago)
Yes. Exactly.
― Bacon is the new Pirates (onimo), Friday, 25 September 2009 14:47 (sixteen years ago)
Backwards glance, cross to return on paths - obvious transport instruction to the general public4,8,5
― menelaus, Sunday, 27 September 2009 09:22 (sixteen years ago)
Keep buslanes clear? tramways? railways? er...
― this must be what FAIL is really like (ledge), Sunday, 27 September 2009 20:07 (sixteen years ago)
'Doorways', I reckon (rood/cross).
With gleeful expression, setter thanks infamous tween (6)
― woofwoofwoof, Monday, 28 September 2009 13:52 (sixteen years ago)
Dunno.
Norwegian in woolens (3)Queen of geraniums (4)Cares about block of ice (5)
― Garnet Memes (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 00:15 (sixteen years ago)
OleRanidunno the third one
― ailsa, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 07:21 (sixteen years ago)
YesYesIt's not a common word.
― Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Hamletmachine (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 10:39 (sixteen years ago)
Maybe should have written:Cares about block of glacial ice (5)
― Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Hamletmachine (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 29 September 2009 11:16 (sixteen years ago)
Sérac
― krakow, Tuesday, 29 September 2009 11:32 (sixteen years ago)