Sorry I'm later than usual in posting, for those of you eager to see how I bombed. OK, I knew I was in for it from the preamble. If I can't make much sense out of the preamble, I know there's too much in a crossword for me. And this time we've got misprints, numbers (but some single digits even though the numbers go to 26?), and some double digits that need multiples of 26 added to them, and some squares with two letters and possibly a number in them as well. Yikes!
Mr. E is also responsible for two almost-empty gridders in my experience, Workplace, and Yes. I poked and prodded at this one forever, got a few answers at a time, and started to put some bits together, but I still have only half the clues solved, and no idea what was meant to happen next.
The only two clashes I found were near the top right - and three of them in SCAPE. Since the letters (that so far) don't have clashes are C and E, then maybe they are part of the number region, that line would read 33335. Above that is an H and I that could be 8 or 9, not sure about the region under that. 40 across looks like where one of the two letters crammed together goes with A and I from B(AIL)OUT. I can't dream up anything that fits 27 down, so maybe that is another of the ones where the answer doesn't match the grid length?
This is not to say I didn't like the crossword, and I must single out 32 down (E for Ernie in Bert giving BERET) which is my favorite clue I've seen in ages! But after a good run there for a while, it looks like I'm slipping back into the old form of hit and miss. I only have a limited time online where I am right now, so when I get back home I can't wait to find out what it was I missed. Well played Mr. E - victory to the Listener Crossword!
2009 tally: Listener 3, George 11. Current streak: Listener 1.
4 comments:
Needless to say, beyond me too.
I had about the same proportion of the grid filled in, but a few more clashes. Had I got Amazon and Span (about which I am kicking myself looking at your solution) I would have guessed clashes from 1 up to 9 in row 3, having got 1, 2, 3 and 4. Off to the Times to see what went wrong.....
This crossword was just infuriating!!!! Mainly because I so wanted to understand the prreamble that I couldn't give up.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this and completed it the day before the deadline.
I was about 75% through before I spotted the theme. I had identified the likely are for the 0-9 digits, and this helped with some of the solving as it limited the letters availabe. I then spotted the 3x3 Key PAR, YOU & MRE - brilliant!! The numbers 1-9 across the top, and of course the PAR numbers could only be 3, 4 or 5.
This left the final column to be the 3 double figure numbers, i.e the total score.
Hmmm I was beginning to really enjoy this, but what of these infuriating special cells? I have to say that I had the four intersecting words but couldn't for the life of me work it out.....I did however identify the thematic word PUTT in a curve from one the cells to the other.....this meant that at the intersection of JEWELHOUSE & PIOLET, we should represent the hole on the green....but with the LOOROLL down clue (fantastic, made me laugh) I couldn't get the intersects to work......bloody hell, I must have made some solving errors as I couln't get the end of LOOROLL and the beginning of BAILOUT to intersect either.
Yes, I was incredibly dense, I had noticed that the intersection letters could spell HOLE, then it dawned on me, if you put two letters into the special cells from both of the intersecting solve you got HO from JEWELHOUSE, and LE from PIOLET.....there's the hole!
Then the BA from BAILOUT and the LL from LOOROLL, the BALL!!!!
Represent these with a small and large circle, PUTT the BALL into the HOLE to make a score of eight on the 9th hole, yielding a total of 63, one better than MRE!!!!
WHAT A CROSSWORD, loved it, thanks MRE....
Apache4D 14 Listener 0
P.S I had Motherland, then Anglicizing, before finally landing on IN CUBA TING.....great clue.
Back home and checked in on this - it struck me when I saw a bunch of clashes that added to what I thought was 3 but was actually 4 that this could be a game of golf. I might have gotten further if I'd picked that, but having PENTHOUSE instead of JEWELHOUSE I couldn't get LOO ROLL. Impressive crossword, far too good for me!
Note to self: Read the preamble carefully.
I had the 3x3 key sitting in front of me, but thought it meant it was part of the clash arrangement.
Agreed it was a very good crossword, wasted on the slow witted such as myself!
Post a Comment