Maced when
― Finn McCoolit (wins), Tuesday, 7 April 2015 12:40 (nine years ago) link
yes, iow.
― ledge, Tuesday, 7 April 2015 12:42 (nine years ago) link
I didn't think that was that difficult but I am very smug at how I took advantage of the "as" in "as per" being redundant
― Finn McCoolit (wins), Tuesday, 7 April 2015 12:46 (nine years ago) link
back to my usual level post-bank hol: on the paul crossword full of the mysterious affairs/places i managed to get a meagre seven clues and have literally no ideas about any of the rest :((((
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 15:22 (nine years ago) link
then again i've ONLY JUST got "maced when" despite having actually read that post yesterday
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 15:29 (nine years ago) link
Mysterious affair, yeti? Mysterious place (4,5-3)
This is out and out cheating, imo.
― ledge, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 15:49 (nine years ago) link
Rot13 nern svsgl bar if you can't be bothered.
― ledge, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 15:52 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, that's too clever by half.
― The job killing and likely illegal (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 8 April 2015 16:20 (nine years ago) link
yeah that's a foul imo
― division of bowker (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 8 April 2015 17:38 (nine years ago) link
Happy to give a pass sometimes e.g. for the ungrammatical solution to araucaria's "a y is one also" (axis) because lol cuet. But not here.
― ledge, Wednesday, 8 April 2015 17:54 (nine years ago) link
groan
21 US president, a two-dimensional pussy (8)
― Keith Moom (Neil S), Saturday, 11 April 2015 18:13 (nine years ago) link
a couple of nice ones in today's Graun:
Stage a coup? Balls might (9)Tree-hugger repeatedly getting Sturgeon's vote? (3-3)
― Keith Moom (Neil S), Wednesday, 22 April 2015 12:45 (nine years ago) link
more cheating for ledge to enjoy:
December 25th but not April 5th or July 3rd? (4)
― nults of 2 ppl don't amount to a will have beens in this crazy (wins), Sunday, 26 April 2015 06:15 (nine years ago) link
it's taken me two days to think of two four letter words for christmas, one of them is more promising than the other but i can't justify it, cheating or otherwise.
― ledge, Tuesday, 28 April 2015 08:27 (nine years ago) link
Noel. No-el.
Don't fight it.
― koogs, Tuesday, 28 April 2015 08:32 (nine years ago) link
Shoots self
― ledge, Tuesday, 28 April 2015 09:35 (nine years ago) link
Right? That question mark is being made to work overtime. "L" rendered as a word is "ell"! Any dictionary will tell you that.
― nults of 2 ppl don't amount to a will have beens in this crazy (wins), Tuesday, 28 April 2015 16:38 (nine years ago) link
That doesn't bother me next to my inability to think of three four letter words for Christmas.
― ledge, Tuesday, 28 April 2015 21:13 (nine years ago) link
my objection to that is, why is "l" clued twice? why do we need july 3rd there at all? i dislike inefficient cluing almost as much as archaic slang.
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 29 April 2015 11:35 (nine years ago) link
This one, for being an Everyman, I could not parse for the life of me, even after I figured out the answer:
Doctor with obligations guarding against inducements (7)
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:04 (eight years ago) link
inducements are IOUs
docious? doesn't really mean what the clue says tho
― ☂ (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:08 (eight years ago) link
If you want hints, it involves a medical abbreviation I've never seen before, and another for "against" that I have seen but it just wasn't registering.
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:14 (eight years ago) link
drivers?
― ☂ (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:20 (eight years ago) link
MOTIVES
― ☂ (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:21 (eight years ago) link
yeah, you see MO for doctor occasionally, short for "medical officer" iirc
― ☂ (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:22 (eight years ago) link
MO was new to me, and I just wasn't getting the V either. Totally fair once I saw the solution, though.
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 12 May 2015 21:29 (eight years ago) link
Speaking of Everyman, the new one is vexing me greatly. I just can't parse most of these, I only have one answer so far. 13 and 14 letter words, really?
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 14 May 2015 18:20 (eight years ago) link
On 3578 I got one 3-letter word.
Doing slightly better this week, but only slightly.
― koogs, Thursday, 14 May 2015 18:37 (eight years ago) link
I finished 3578, although didn't understand the MOTIVES clue above. 3579 is the one I'm on, and I only have 9 down. I think I read they changed setters?
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 14 May 2015 18:41 (eight years ago) link
idk I just loaded it up on my phone to see what a difficult Everyman looks like & I'm getting thru it at the normal rate, not seen anything that's made me go "oh c'mon!". It helps that I got three of the long clues almost instantly. Having said that I'm sure I'll hit a wall now
― italosVEVO (wins), Thursday, 14 May 2015 19:59 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, this isn't as hard as I first thought, I just think the cluing and my brain are not quite on the same wavelength sometimes. I'm about halfway in.
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Friday, 15 May 2015 16:41 (eight years ago) link
Finally finished, with a bit on online research. These are examples of "harder than past Everyman puzzles" imo:
14 King with work in store around westward citadelACROPOLIS
24 Capital account without pound in it is abandonedTBILISI
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Friday, 22 May 2015 15:05 (eight years ago) link
Although this one I liked a lot!
27 Employ glam rock band with energy coming backEXERT
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Friday, 22 May 2015 15:20 (eight years ago) link
Yeah that was nice.
― time trafel 2015 💨 2012 (wins), Friday, 22 May 2015 15:30 (eight years ago) link
Not really enjoying cryptics all that much at the mo. Probably because since moving jobs I'm doing them on my own, where before I'd do them with a couple of colleagues every lunchtime. Maybe because I'm doing them at my desk, instead of in the pub. Perhaps because I'm no longer having a pint alongside.
― ledge, Saturday, 23 May 2015 11:26 (eight years ago) link
all that stuff takes the shine off, true
― gong mad (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 23 May 2015 13:34 (eight years ago) link
Yeah those are the best contexts
Been doing crosswords at work with the deputy lab manager - not my boss, but my immediate superior. He's a novice so still learning the conventions/frustrations. It's been fun, yesterday we had like half an hour longer for break cause he wanted to finish it!
― So You've Been Pubically Shaved (wins), Saturday, 23 May 2015 13:52 (eight years ago) link
Been meaning to ask: why are setters always using "rejected" to mean backwards/inverted? It's one of those things you just accept but I'm not convinced it actually makes sense.
― So You've Been Pubically Shaved (wins), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 13:40 (eight years ago) link
Is the thinking "rejected"="sent back"?
― So You've Been Pubically Shaved (wins), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 13:42 (eight years ago) link
that wd be my guess. it's not the best but so much of cryptics is learning the jargon
― gong mad (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 13:43 (eight years ago) link
Cryptics are a solo experience for me (being American, anyone I've ever showed them to reacts like I'm explaining quantum physics.) No pubs either, puzzles are mainly for my train ride to/from work. Although I've taken long car trips with my parents and had them read the clues out loud, and I solve them in my head as I drive.
Was anyone able to solve this one in the Everyman unaided?
Flower in good composition held by small child (10)
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 26 May 2015 14:05 (eight years ago) link
my botanical knowledge would have to be a hell of a lot better to get that unaided.
― ledge, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 12:30 (eight years ago) link
in the grauniad today "up the eiffel tower" indicates a french word. "in paris" or similar is common enough and i guess i don't mind setters getting a bit more florid if it leads to a nice surface. that wasn't the case here.
― ledge, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 12:46 (eight years ago) link
is there a list of French indicators anywhere?
― koogs, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 13:10 (eight years ago) link
Yeah that was awful even if he did question-mark it. Liked the grid on the whole though - nice and easy!
― So You've Been Pubically Shaved (wins), Wednesday, 27 May 2015 13:21 (eight years ago) link
In general I think "in [place in france]" or "for [french person]" is acceptable, there's nothing wrong with "the Eiffel Tower" per se except it's awkward & feels like he's going for some weak euphemism w "poked my darling up the Eiffel Tower"
― So You've Been Pubically Shaved (wins), Wednesday, 27 May 2015 13:25 (eight years ago) link
Flower in good composition held by small child = Mignonette, by the way, which I'd never heard of. Add in that "composition" = nonet and "small child" = mite, and I couldn't get this even with all the crossers.
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 27 May 2015 14:01 (eight years ago) link
yeah that's v tough for everyman. still at least it was an actual flower, not a river. (flower = thing that flows, if you haven't come across that delightful construction before.)
― ledge, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 14:46 (eight years ago) link
I have come across that so many times I usually think of it *before* I think of an actual flower.
― emil.y, Wednesday, 27 May 2015 14:52 (eight years ago) link
Me too!
― Competent Cracker Barrel Manager (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 27 May 2015 15:14 (eight years ago) link