DA in Health (12th of September edition)
(the circled answers were either wrong or not attempted)
The dreaded lurgy was not so fearsome this week and the DA was attempted with TH on Sunday at our customary venue, Sicilian Orange. Unfortunately, TH had to leave a little early and we couldn't devote so much time to the crossword's dregs, but, having seen the answers to the unsolved clues, unsolved they would most probably have remained.
Overall, though, this was perhaps not the greatest of DAs on record: there were not so many clever aural clues and there was a seeming surfeit of ordinary anagram clues. Nevertheless, it was a DA, and I did end up learning something about poetry.
One of these days, I plan to actually force myself to enjoy poetry. Until then, it will remain a curiousity as meaningless to me as abstract expressionism.
The Sickness Continues (the fifth of September)
Only in health do I thee wed, DA, and I could hardly bear looking at you on Friday.
The cough is abating, the sleep not so prolonged now; the coming Friday should see a reacquaintance.
I'm supposing, though, that others made a good fist of it. Explain said fist, please.
DA 29/8 – AS missing in action
A trip to Flavours Of Lakhoum in Richmond saw AS and I receive some spectacularly shambolic service, and the unfortunate AS bail early on the crossword due to illness. Not wanting to let DA get away that easily, I soldiered on alone, and here's where I got to:
Some points of interest (I should add here that I don't have the solution, so if anyone does, I'd be keen to see it):
10 across: Cleric frames pulpit speech minus Corinthians' Third Letter to poet (11). The answer makes sense in the context of the indirect clue: cleric = VERGER, pulpit speech = SERMON, minus Corinthians' Third Letter (R) = VERSEMONGER; but has anyone *ever* seen a poet referred to as a "versemonger" before??
2 down: One smart hat for reeling? (3-1-7). I have no idea about this at all. The only thing I can think of is that it's some sort of term for a fishing reel, with which I am not familiar. Ideas?
13 down: Almost good for Sarkozy to accept classification (9, 2). Also bewildered by this. The only thing I can think of is BORDERING ON, which works for "almost" as the direct clue... But where does Sarkozy come into it? The BO could be "almost good for Sarkozy" (ie. "bon" - French for good - minus the "n", meaning it's "almost good)... but then where's the direct clue?
Anyway, a decent effort - here's hoping our spiritual leader AS will be back on deck next week.
And where is RC??
TH
Sickness and a DA
Sickness got the better of me and I have nothing substantial to report.
I'm still feeling quite sickly and I'm still thinking life is sucky as a result.
