… and despite my lack of respect for the Telegraph crossword this clue has been brought to my attention (thank you, Trevor!): See odd perennials sprouting (5,3,5). At first glance it looks like an anagram, but how could ’see’ be 5,3,5? I am used to ’see’ indicating ‘lo’ and anything to do with vision, but the clue is beautifully misleading. It’s A see. And my ecclesiastical knowledge is limited so I had to look it up: and Rippon and Leeds IS a holy see!Well done, that Telegraph setter!
Suggest you move to the Guardian …
It can sometimes take a while, but we’ve finally finished Araucaria’s latest - and there were some damned classy clues in this weekend’s! Favourites were Student groups seize firm amid loud applause - they’re up to the neck in revolution (11) , though I would say it was (4-7). There were a couple of other times that we thought he was making up words, but it was an altogether lovely puzzle.I’ll put some clues in here once the answer’s been published (not wanting to encourage cheating!); it was a nice thing to have on a rainy weekend!
Hey, it’s a Bank Holiday here in the UK, which means only one thing - yes, a supercharged cryptic crossword from master-setter Araucaria from the Guardian. So there goes the weekend!
Aha! I am changing … and so far I’ve gone all green. There is more to come, but these things take time.
I’ve been doing a lot of solving, and a lot of setting. Including individually-themed crosswords, which are intriguing.
As they say, watch this space - for more examples of ‘how to’ guides and themed crosswords that would brighten up any newsletter. People often glance through newsletters then delete them. Not when there’s a top-notch themed cryptic puzzle, they don’t!
Keep dropping by and you can watch the evolution of the revamp as it happens. Much more fun than whitewater rafting, and also less damp.
We’re having great weather in the UK just now - no idea how long it’ll last. A lot of people are heading to the beach, and what better place to get down to a challenging cryptic crossword than by the sea!
I’ve been inside writing about systems for improving your memory, and I’ll put some more information about that on this site shortly … keep ‘em peeled! But now that’s done it’s time to Note slapdash 80s number 1 (5).
Very funny, hang on till the end of this Two Ronnies sketch …
Just back from a few days in the Alps turning from beginner to improving snowboarder. I had a couple of big wipe outs: one was an elegant somersault and the other left me poleaxed and needing rescuing by handsome Italians and a snowmobile.
So I apologise to everyone if I’m not quite feeling myself this week, it did knock the stuffing out of me. And I can’t WAIT to go back! Am persuading younger brother (author of the fantastic Tozzer strip) to come with me next year.
… but one that made us feel uneasy:
Creator of romance in politics (7)
Battled through Saturday’s Araucaria from the Guardian - when I say battled, the main problem was with not knowing that ‘trope‘ is a figure of speech. Even with my clever-clever masters’ degree in Applied Linguistics I had never heard of a trope. So this clearly demonstrates once again that cryptic crosswords are much easier than standard puzzles. Given the crytic clue it became clear that there the word had to exist.Well the clue was ‘River reduced into drink (figure of speech) … ‘ - what else could it be?
For my favourite clue (and the one that made us slightly ill), look at the ‘favourite clues’ section!
I have no idea how I managed this one:
Onu (10,14)
(diminished responsibility)
Not a moral man, unfit for public office (6,6)
(Norman Lamont)
