Comments on The Irish Times Crosaire Blog ... unofficially!: WEB Crossword No: 042 - 7 Feb 10

Martina, Thanks for checking out the puzzle, even...

2010-02-08T12:20:41.202-08:00

Martina,

Thanks for checking out the puzzle, even though it clearly was not the expected 1/5. I reckon I'll have to set next week's 2/5 about the same level.

I'm glad you picked up on the historical note. I tried to pick some fact that wasn't too obvious, yet sufficiently clear to make the point!

I threw DONEGAL in there for you, Martina, so I am glad you liked it :)

Thanks for taking the extra time to comment. It really helps!

Hi Liz, Thanks for remembering to leave a comment...

2010-02-08T12:17:43.947-08:00

Hi Liz,

Thanks for remembering to leave a comment for me! I really do appreciate the feedback, and it is helping me when setting new puzzles.

It's pretty clear that I am much better at gauging the degree of difficulty with the harder puzzles, and always seem to have trouble getting down to the 1/5. I will be extra careful next month!

Re STINK BOMB
I try hard not to use chemical symbols too much, because I know they come easier to me than most, but sometimes I cannot help myself!

Re III
I thought twice about using III as an answer, seeing as it isn't really a "word", but when I checked my cryptic reference books, I found it to be acceptable, so went for it. I thought it might be a nice change to have a Roman numeral as answer instead of a clue!

Those anagram indicators are so tough to come up with, without being completely obvious. You guys keep me on my toes. Thanks for noting "terribly" glad about one for DONEGAL ... I was proud of that one!

As always, Liz, thanks for the comprehensive feedback.

Hi Bill I agree with the others that this was more...

2010-02-08T03:16:56.028-08:00

Hi Bill
I agree with the others that this was more challenging that I expected for a 1/5. A great way to pass a bit of Sunday. Like Liz, III was my last but thankfully I'd remembered that Henry VIII was Elizabeth I's father so the penny finally dropped. My favourites were DIPLOMA,DISOBEY,MOO,KUWAITI and obviously DONEGAL.

Martina

Hi Bill and Mike It's taken me til the MCC ho...

2010-02-07T16:51:27.717-08:00

Hi Bill and Mike

It's taken me til the MCC hour to get around to dropping by to comment!

Very nice puzzle Bill...and I'd agree with Mike...not a pushover for a 1/5...but still, it was gentle enough, with plenty of smiley stuff going on!

Got STINK BOMB...without fully realising why (or even that!) SN was substituted by T...but of course I should always remember that it's Bill-of-the-Chemiclues we're dealing with of a Sunday!

Last in was III...was trying to make a word, beginning and ending in 'I' before the aha moment! doh!

You're building up a nice little repertoire of anagram indicators Bill...and working them nicely into the clues...'terribly glad about one in Ulster?' read really well!...as did the 'at sea' clue!

Among my favourites today were
TEAKETTLE, SPLURGE (always think it's a very expressive word), smiley MOO, DARTS, EXCITED, WEAK-KNEED, DONEGAL, SURPASS and finally EAGLE, which was a great clue with all that lovely birdie wordplay!

And the inclusion of solutions to 9a and 22d got me thinking...today's wasn't MONT BLANC...more a gentle stroll in the Hills of Donegal...and nothing at all wrong with that!

Hope you're enjoying the Super Bowl...and a superglass of Guinness or something!

Liz

Hi Mike, Thanks for checking out the puzzle. You...

2010-02-07T14:30:02.566-08:00

Hi Mike,

Thanks for checking out the puzzle.

You know, I find it must difficult to set a 1/5 puzzle, and I always seem to miss the mark creating something more difficult than I intend. It's happened month after month now. I will have to get closer next time.

Yes, "at sea" is a great anagram indicator, I think. I like to use once in a while, but then throw "at sea" in a clue in a non-cryptic nautical sense too, just to keep the solver guessing :)

I'm working on a 2/5 puzzle for next Sunday, and I am thinking it shouldn't be too different than today's in terms of difficulty. It does have a Valentine's Day bent, given that Sunday is the 14th.

Sorry to hear about the cold. But hot whiskey is a great man ...

Thanks again, Mike.

Hello Bill, I just finished your WEB Crossword an...

2010-02-07T13:42:23.883-08:00

Hello Bill,

I just finished your WEB Crossword and found it more challenging than I expected for a 1/5.
However once I figured out TEAKETTLE and WAR ZONE things fell into place.

I felt EMINENT was right for 21 Down as an anagram of 'met' & 'nine' but your use of 'at sea' had me confused for a while.

Overall a very enjoyable quiz with some clever clues for a lazy Sunday.

Enjoy the Super Bowl tonight.
It's a hot whiskey and an early bed for me (trying to shake off a winter head-cold).

Mike