Crosswords

[SusanDoris]

Blimey Susan, am I getting paid for this? 

Well, you did ask - even though it was a bit more than one word!!

OK:

Yes it is. SPEND can have either meaning.

Bit confused by this (is this one clue or two?) but the answer is SILENCE (so the "L" isn't wrong). To keep Mum is silence, so that’s the synonym. “Following” gives you “SINCE”, which “grasps” (ie, wraps around) half of “idLE”, ie the LE in the middle.

Ah yes, of course. I was forgetting about being mum being silent. I had seen that silence fitted but didn't know why.
Yes the other part I quoted was from previous clue.

SKUNK. “King” is “K” which is “shown” in “reduced” – ie, SUNK. The skunk is the resulting stripey critter.

Thank you again - much appreciated. Do you in fact do the Telegraph crosswords regularly anyway?

[ad_orientem]

Blimey Susan, am I getting paid for this? 

OK:

Yes it is. SPEND can have either meaning.

Bit confused by this (is this one clue or two?) but the answer is SILENCE (so the "L" isn't wrong). To keep Mum is silence, so that’s the synonym. “Following” gives you “SINCE”, which “grasps” (ie, wraps around) half of “idLE”, ie the LE in the middle.

SKUNK. “King” is “K” which is “shown” in “reduced” – ie, SUNK. The skunk is the resulting stripey critter.

Eh?

[bluehillside Retd.]

Top of the mornin' to ya Susan,

Thank you again - much appreciated. Do you in fact do the Telegraph crosswords regularly anyway?

No problem - I can see  this becoming a weekly event!

No, I never look at the Torygraph. Many, many years ago (ie, pre-Murdoch) I used to do the Times crossword every morning on the train to work - finishing it meant I'd have a good day and vice versa!

The Times & Telegraph crosswords work in more or less the same way though - the one that was always weird was the Guardian, which seemed to plough its own furrow for some reason. Once you get the code ("flower" means a river - ie, rhymes with "grower", "confused", "upset" etc means it's an anagram, "sounds like" means it's a homonym, "in", "within" etc often means there's a portmanteau word hiding in there somewhere and so on).

[bluehillside Retd.]

ad,

Eh?

Confused? Interrogate disciple after he returns.

[bluehillside Retd.]

NS,

And Presbyterians and Britney Spears are also anagrams of Nearby Priests - my hat is doffed to bhs for this point made some time ago

Actually I don't remember that, but I'm sufficiently shameless to take the doff nonetheless 

[SusanDoris]

Top of the mornin' to ya Susan,

No problem - I can see  this becoming a weekly event!

sounds like a good idea!

Today, about 7:45 a.m. I printed off quick and cryptic.  By 8:15 I had only three (connected) clues left on the quick, so I can see that after a while, I might find them a bit too easy, but reserve judgement for now. The three remaining clues I completedwhen I got home from tap.

The cryptic I read slowlythrough  but so far have only managed three answers, one of which might be wrong! 1 down: RAINCOAT – CROATIA,  Last one across: SECURE - RESCUE.
I’ve been out to tea with a friend this afternoon, but will see what I can do now. I’m definitely a morning person though!
 

No, I never look at the Torygraph. Many, many years ago (ie pre-Murdoch) I used to do the Times crossword every morning on the train to work - finishing it meant I'd have a good day and vice versa!

The Times & Telegraph crosswords work in more or less the same way though - the one that was always weird was the Guardian, which seemed to plough its own furrow for some reason. Once you get the code ("flower" means a river - ie, rhymes with "grower", "confused", "upset" etc means it's an anagram, "sounds like" means it's a homonym, "in", "within" etc often means there's a portmanteau word hiding in there somewhere and so on).

[bluehillside Retd.]

Hi Susan,

sounds like a good idea!

Today, about 7:45 a.m. I printed off quick and cryptic.  By 8:15 I had only three (connected) clues left on the quick, so I can see that after a while, I might find them a bit too easy, but reserve judgement for now. The three remaining clues I completedwhen I got home from tap.

The cryptic I read slowlythrough  but so far have only managed three answers, one of which might be wrong! 1 down: RAINCOAT – CROATIA,  Last one across: SECURE - RESCUE.
I’ve been out to tea with a friend this afternoon, but will see what I can do now. I’m definitely a morning person though!

Sounds like a lovely day. I'm definitely an evening person, so between us I reckon we've got this covered!

Presumably the Daily Telegraph prints the answers the following day so you won't have long to wait. Maybe we should focus on the Sat one instead so you're not left wondering all week? 

[SteveH]

SteveH,

The "wire" is redundant. "She meets copper, thin...etc" say would be better. "She"and "her" aren't synonyms either - the perfect clue has to be exact and every word should punch its weight. Something like, "Britney Spears confused religious folk (13)" perhaps.

"Wire" is there to make sense of "thin but very strong". If she has copper wire, it is her Cu.

[SusanDoris]

Presumably the Daily Telegraph prints the answers the following day so you won't have long to wait. Maybe we should focus on the Sat one instead so you're not left wondering all week? 

Yes, I agree. By the way, I shall not, on principle, look at the answers today, especially as I've managed a few more clues.

ETA to remove smiley!! Pleas assume them on this topic! I might, though, add a frown if a Saturday clue is particularly annoying.

[bluehillside Retd.]

SteveH,

"Wire" is there to make sense of "thin but very strong". If she has copper wire, it is her Cu.

Nah, it's weaker than it should be. I can explain why if you're interested?

[bluehillside Retd.]

Hi Susan,

Yes, I agree. By the way, I shall not, on principle, look at the answers today, especially as I've managed a few more clues.

ETA to remove smiley!! Pleas assume them on this topic! I might, though, add a frown if a Saturday clue is particularly annoying.

Good for you. I'll have an extra strong coffee on Saturday to be ready for you!

[SusanDoris]

Synthetic Dave is not speaking! I have re-started the computer several times, but no luck. I will ask my neighbour to come in later and see if she can find out why, but otherwise I'll try using the laptop but it is not easy to do.

So requests for hints and help may have to be delayed!! 

I can't hear if I have made any tpos! *sighs* Why does this sort of thing always happen at weekends?

Workiong with huge magnification, I have managed to print off Quick and Cryptic so I shall not be idle ...

[SusanDoris]

My  lovely neighbour has been in and followed S/N instructions to get Synthetic Dave back - I must have accidentally pressed the key combination which changes voice synthesiser. 

The Quick one is a bit hard today, still plenty of gaps to fill.
Cryptic I have done several clues, but will be back for help later, I  think.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Hi SUsan.

My  lovely neighbour has been in and followed S/N instructions to get Synthetic Dave back - I must have accidentally pressed the key combination which changes voice synthesiser. 

The Quick one is a bit hard today, still plenty of gaps to fill.
Cryptic I have done several clues, but will be back for help later, I  think.

No problem Susan. Family over for dinner tonight (Nick Nairn's halibut on shredded cabbage with smoked bacon lardons & a cream tarragon sauce  - one of my faves - since you ask) so may struggle for time but I'll do my best 

[SusanDoris]

Hi SUsan.

No problem Susan. Family over for dinner tonight (Nick Nairn's halibut on shredded cabbage with smoked bacon lardons & a cream tarragon sauce  - one of my faves - since you ask) so may struggle for time but I'll do my best 

Sounds delicious!   
clues can of course wait until tomorrow, when I would be grateful for 1 Across: Suffering Samson was, fatally (10)
No letters  - all I can think of so far is hairlessly! Hmmm, probably wrong"

[bluehillside Retd.]

Susan,

Sounds delicious!   
clues can of course wait until tomorrow, when I would be grateful for 1 Across: Suffering Samson was, fatally (10)
No letters  - all I can think of so far is hairlessly! Hmmm, probably wrong"

It is!

OK, Samson had his hair cut off by Delilah right? A length of hair is a "tress". Samson was therefore "dis-tressed", and DISTRESSED is a synonym for "suffering".

[SteveH]

Susan,

It is!

OK, Samson had his hair cut off by Delilah right? A length of hair is a "tress". Samson was therefore "dis-tressed", and DISTRESSED is a synonym for "suffering".

That's why I don't do crosswords: they infuriate me!

[bluehillside Retd.]

Steve H,

That's why I don't do crosswords: they infuriate me!

You'd be even more infuriated if you let me tell you what was wrong with the "copper" clue 

[SteveH]

Steve H,

You'd be even more infuriated if you let me tell you what was wrong with the "copper" clue 

Go on, then. If you mean the word "wire", which is irrelevant to the answer and only there to make the clue make more sense, I agree: it always irritated me a bit.

[SusanDoris]

Susan,

It is!

OK, Samson had his hair cut off by Delilah right? A length of hair is a "tress". Samson was therefore "dis-tressed", and DISTRESSED is a synonym for "suffering".

Thank you very much -  I will now turn off computer  making sure I do not turn off Syn.dave too.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Steve H,

Go on, then. If you mean the word "wire", which is irrelevant to the answer and only there to make the clue make more sense, I agree: it always irritated me a bit.

It’s worse than that. Here’s the clue again:

“She has copper wire, thin but very strong (9)"

It's weak because the perfect clue should make sense but also be as misleading as possible. Think of “Bar of soap (6,6)” for example. “Bar of soap” makes good sense in English ok, but it takes you away from the answer (“ROVER’S RETURN”).

In your clue the “copper wire” immediately gives away that it’s referring to the element copper, so the CU is obvious. Had it just been “She has copper, thin but very strong” (or better yet, “she meets copper, thin…etc” or similar) on the other hand there’d have been some ambiguity – ie, why has she met a policeman?

“She” and “her” aren’t interchangeable either by the way.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Thank you very much -  I will now turn off computer  making sure I do not turn off Syn.dave too.

No problem Susan. Have a good evening.

[SteveH]

Steve H,

It’s worse than that. Here’s the clue again:

“She has copper wire, thin but very strong (9)"

It's weak because the perfect clue should make sense but also be as misleading as possible. Think of “Bar of soap (6,6)” for example. “Bar of soap” makes good sense in English ok, but it takes you away from the answer (“ROVER’S RETURN”).

In your clue the “copper wire” immediately gives away that it’s referring to the element copper, so the CU is obvious. Had it just been “She has copper, thin but very strong” (or better yet, “she meets copper, thin…etc” or similar) on the other hand there’d have been some ambiguity – ie, why has she met a policeman?

“She” and “her” aren’t interchangeable either by the way.

Good points. I love "bar of soap"!

[SusanDoris]

Having walked my 4.7 miles - still a bit slower than I used to! - I am now looking at the solutions to yesterday's Quick. 2 across was Calmer. The answer is STILLER - now that is a dreadful word, which I doubt anyone ever uses. Huh!

I can see I'll have to have a mental file for: suffering = DISTRESS with or without suffix; ruin = WRECK and add to it for the words that come up regularly under various guises.

Or, as Joshua Foer finds out, in the book I have nearly come to the end of, about the Memory Championships a 'palace'.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Steve H,

Good points.

Thank you.

I love "bar of soap"!

Me too!