Monthly Archives: November 2010

There’s a lot to talk about this week. Here are the bones of contention:

1. Ian reports what might make 11 across more sensible: a spear carrier is a film extra.
2. Aren’t pagans the opposite of atheists?
3. Am I right in think CAST SUP is a little tenuous for a wrap party? And isn’t throw forward not quite in the same direction as casts up?
4. Surely RED HAND = queen of hearts is a bit much Oopsies — that should be RED CARD, which makes more sense.
5. I’m OK with cosmopolitan = COCKTAIL even though it goes from particular to general, much like I would be OK if it was dog = PET — although something like dog = ANIMAL would be abominable.
6. Can anyone save promising = PALMIER?

Agree? Disagree? Did I forget something?

Let me start with my bugbear: ellipses.

In DA’s book, Puzzled, he mentioned that comfort with ellipses was a sign of cryptic mastery. I’m more than willing to concede that I am no cryptic master, but I think the inconsistent way ellipses are used is simply unfair.

This week, it was 7 and 8 across that were connected by ellipses, which ordinarily has no effect on how one interprets the clue, but on this occasion 8 across required the last word of 7 across, brothers, to make sense.

If such a reading were standard or if it was marked, I’d have no problem with it, but it’s the inconsistency — mostly you don’t need to worry about ellipses, sometimes you do — that annoys me.

Am I the only one howling at the moon?

Other controversial points:

1. I wouldn’t like pink = red or orange = yellow, and I reckon brown = maroon is just as weak;
2. I’m OK with rose referring to the wine — is the general consensus that that was crossing the line, though?
3. blind as an anagram indicator — can anyone justify that?
4. service as an anagram indicator: jnrj didn’t like it, but I find it acceptable.

So, your thoughts?