I got my three cryptic clues down this morning. It's a rushing sort of week and my mind is on deadlines rather than on crosswords - except I did do the mega Monday last night, which had a few cryptics in amongst the regular clues. It is fun though how cryptic clues fuse with the act of punning and wordplay.
eg Q A horse's whinny sounds like a denial! ((5)
A Neigh
That feels like almost 30 days. Has anyone been counting!?
Showing posts with label intellectual challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label intellectual challenge. Show all posts
Monday, 12 September 2011
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Cryptically Mitzi Day Aug 28 - September 1
Sunday to Wednesday. A stretch of some four days. I did the bulk of the Monday 'Omega' but was not able to crack some of those pesky cryptics embedded with the rest. I did get some great clues out, explained below (after this disclaimer!)
Cryptic crosswords are like yoga: if your mind isn't in the right place of stillness, you will topple over. My mind has been busy at work, so much so that even when I did try my cryptic crossword in the past few mornings, I literally could not balance on the cyrptic beam. Added to that, I have a funny excuse - Dylan Moran. I went to hear the Irish comedian on Tuesday night. His performance was brilliant and his manner with the audience is respectful and generous.
A night at the opera following northern style Chinese dumplings tied up my Wednesday night. I am finally home and able to concentrate on my crossword. No matter how hard on tried - on buses and trains in the past few days - nothing sank in. I could tell my concentration was at a weird ebb, because I lost my ATM card. Needless to say, I was in a furious funk of irritation as a result.
The Monday Omega contained a few clues with the word "converted".
eg Q Salacious in-flight society, converted
I knew the answer was related to The Mile High Club (wolf whistle!) but how? What is meant by 'converted'?
Answer: a conversion of measurements from American 'miles' to Aussie 'kilometres'...hence The One Point Six Kilometre High Club.
Same for the heavy rock industrial goth band Nine Inch Nails...who, 'converted', became 'twenty-three centimetre nails'.
Now that my brain has settled down, here are four clues from the Thursday mini.
Q Rides his bike around on the worst windstorms (8)
A cyclones
(cycle + cyclone)
Q Encroachment in the street (6)
A Inroad
Q Destiny, it's said, is a celebration (4)
A Fete
(Fate + fete)
Q Start off in the thing I ingested (8)
A initiate
(to initiate + ate/ingested!)
Cryptic crosswords are like yoga: if your mind isn't in the right place of stillness, you will topple over. My mind has been busy at work, so much so that even when I did try my cryptic crossword in the past few mornings, I literally could not balance on the cyrptic beam. Added to that, I have a funny excuse - Dylan Moran. I went to hear the Irish comedian on Tuesday night. His performance was brilliant and his manner with the audience is respectful and generous.
A night at the opera following northern style Chinese dumplings tied up my Wednesday night. I am finally home and able to concentrate on my crossword. No matter how hard on tried - on buses and trains in the past few days - nothing sank in. I could tell my concentration was at a weird ebb, because I lost my ATM card. Needless to say, I was in a furious funk of irritation as a result.
The Monday Omega contained a few clues with the word "converted".
eg Q Salacious in-flight society, converted
I knew the answer was related to The Mile High Club (wolf whistle!) but how? What is meant by 'converted'?
Answer: a conversion of measurements from American 'miles' to Aussie 'kilometres'...hence The One Point Six Kilometre High Club.
Same for the heavy rock industrial goth band Nine Inch Nails...who, 'converted', became 'twenty-three centimetre nails'.
Now that my brain has settled down, here are four clues from the Thursday mini.
Q Rides his bike around on the worst windstorms (8)
A cyclones
(cycle + cyclone)
Q Encroachment in the street (6)
A Inroad
Q Destiny, it's said, is a celebration (4)
A Fete
(Fate + fete)
Q Start off in the thing I ingested (8)
A initiate
(to initiate + ate/ingested!)
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Mitzicryptic catchup
I have been crypticising diligently.
Here are some more accurate results of my efforts.
Q New piece of fiction (5)
A Novel
Q Meeting up once more on a French island (7)
A Reunion
(this relied on general knowledge; post-colonial island near Mauritius.)
Q Piggy friend to whom one writes (3-3)
A pen-pal
Q Reforms only in French city
A Lyon
(anagram of 'only'; gen knowledge of French geog required! plus, what's with the Frenchness? Bloody Dominic Strauss-Kahn.)
Just realised I have lost a cryptic (or mislabelled soemthing, somewhere) because I can't find the solutions for the "pen-pal" edition...oh well!
Onwards to 'Friday'.
Q Spotted area on Adriatic Coast (8)
A Dalmatia
Q After starters, be with her for choice language (6/2)
A Either/or (I mainly got this from the use of the / !)
This was my favourite.
Q Dusty whodunnit a welcome sight at a summer barbie? (ie Barbecue) (4, 4)
A cold case
Here are some more accurate results of my efforts.
Q New piece of fiction (5)
A Novel
Q Meeting up once more on a French island (7)
A Reunion
(this relied on general knowledge; post-colonial island near Mauritius.)
Q Piggy friend to whom one writes (3-3)
A pen-pal
Q Reforms only in French city
A Lyon
(anagram of 'only'; gen knowledge of French geog required! plus, what's with the Frenchness? Bloody Dominic Strauss-Kahn.)
Just realised I have lost a cryptic (or mislabelled soemthing, somewhere) because I can't find the solutions for the "pen-pal" edition...oh well!
Onwards to 'Friday'.
Q Spotted area on Adriatic Coast (8)
A Dalmatia
Q After starters, be with her for choice language (6/2)
A Either/or (I mainly got this from the use of the / !)
This was my favourite.
Q Dusty whodunnit a welcome sight at a summer barbie? (ie Barbecue) (4, 4)
A cold case
Mitzicryptic August 27
3 clues from yesterday, and a couple from the day before. Many activities in meat-space have prevented me attended to the blogging part of the challenge, but I find it's good to prioritise 3-D activities and not become a slave drone to technology (said daucer-eyed with itching typing fingers.)
I am curious about how much cryptic crosswords rely on one's general knowledge beyond the vocab-knowledge that is concealed in the actual clue.
My recent reliance on Aussie slang was incorrect. While a "terrible blue" is related to fury', the clue simply needed me to mix up the letters in 'blue', at it to the letter "c", and think of a word related to 'cell'...the answer was CUBICLE (not 'century'...): it was not a cricket question.
Either way, from 'cubicle', I worked out another answer.
Q Bloke has right to be concealed (6)
A Covers
('cove' is old-fashioned cockney word for bloke)
Q Lubricates tablets in tanker's mishaps (3, 6)
A Oil Spills
(the tanker mishap was a bit of a giveaway, but the "tablets" reference is a synonym for 'pills'.)
Q Omen Sean misplaced for windflowers (8)
A Anemones
(my friend T used to have Japanese windflowers in a pot; it took me a while, and I would not have known anemones were the nerd name for windflowers, but I went with a gut instinct, seeing as the letters were 'misplaced', as you can see.)
Q Model in sleep ruined grinding tool (6)
A Pestle
I am curious about how much cryptic crosswords rely on one's general knowledge beyond the vocab-knowledge that is concealed in the actual clue.
My recent reliance on Aussie slang was incorrect. While a "terrible blue" is related to fury', the clue simply needed me to mix up the letters in 'blue', at it to the letter "c", and think of a word related to 'cell'...the answer was CUBICLE (not 'century'...): it was not a cricket question.
Either way, from 'cubicle', I worked out another answer.
Q Bloke has right to be concealed (6)
A Covers
('cove' is old-fashioned cockney word for bloke)
Q Lubricates tablets in tanker's mishaps (3, 6)
A Oil Spills
(the tanker mishap was a bit of a giveaway, but the "tablets" reference is a synonym for 'pills'.)
Q Omen Sean misplaced for windflowers (8)
A Anemones
(my friend T used to have Japanese windflowers in a pot; it took me a while, and I would not have known anemones were the nerd name for windflowers, but I went with a gut instinct, seeing as the letters were 'misplaced', as you can see.)
Q Model in sleep ruined grinding tool (6)
A Pestle
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Mitzicryptic Day August 24
Tackling cryptic xwords is a humbling pastime, because I reckon there are word nerds out there who must fly through it in a "Harry initially joined curry" (hurry).
Hence, I should not be mortified when I can only get 2.5 clues out of 3; well, I'm 99% sure of my aptness for number 3, but there's that doubtful niggle.
Q Captain has terrible blue about nearly a hundred in cell (7)
A Century
(cricket term - 100 runs; a "blue" in Aussie slang is a fight/row, ie fury (rhymes with tury....I think I got there: I'm suspicious of the "nearly a hundred" part - which refers to "ce" in cell, but could be something I've missed.)
The next two are worry free!
Q Twin flags reveal flexibility of principles. (6, 9)
A DOUBLE STANDARDS!
(I was quite proud of this one.)
Q Diplomacy of South American City read to those misbehaving badly (4, 3)
A Riot Act
... I was up late in bed counting off on my fingers all the South American cities I know; Rio got me there (my baby must have smiled at me...) and I still didn't even see the "diplomacy" part until now (tact, joining Rio to Act.)
There are a few more clues where I annoyingly felt I was a third or two thirds of the way to the correct answer: and the frustration can be agonising*. This is why one shouldn't attempt cryptic xwords around breakable glass or grindable teeth, and perhaps taking up yoga would provide the ultimate calming effect?
*exhilirating, you know I love it.
Hence, I should not be mortified when I can only get 2.5 clues out of 3; well, I'm 99% sure of my aptness for number 3, but there's that doubtful niggle.
Q Captain has terrible blue about nearly a hundred in cell (7)
A Century
(cricket term - 100 runs; a "blue" in Aussie slang is a fight/row, ie fury (rhymes with tury....I think I got there: I'm suspicious of the "nearly a hundred" part - which refers to "ce" in cell, but could be something I've missed.)
The next two are worry free!
Q Twin flags reveal flexibility of principles. (6, 9)
A DOUBLE STANDARDS!
(I was quite proud of this one.)
Q Diplomacy of South American City read to those misbehaving badly (4, 3)
A Riot Act
... I was up late in bed counting off on my fingers all the South American cities I know; Rio got me there (my baby must have smiled at me...) and I still didn't even see the "diplomacy" part until now (tact, joining Rio to Act.)
There are a few more clues where I annoyingly felt I was a third or two thirds of the way to the correct answer: and the frustration can be agonising*. This is why one shouldn't attempt cryptic xwords around breakable glass or grindable teeth, and perhaps taking up yoga would provide the ultimate calming effect?
*exhilirating, you know I love it.
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
Mitzicryptic Day 8
Q Two Days off sound like a feeble goal (7)
A weekend
Q Canberra finds the cash (7)
A capital
(NB Canberra is the capital city of Australia. It's alright, I keep forgetting too.)
Not sure about this one:
Q Drum that got a good run in France (5)
A snare? (the word "ran" is backwards in 'snare')
Those 2 from the mini, and here's a dreaded clue from the Monday Omega:
Q Tool used to get rid of workers you no longer need (3)
A Axe
Time to hide the crossword book and get back to real work!
A weekend
Q Canberra finds the cash (7)
A capital
(NB Canberra is the capital city of Australia. It's alright, I keep forgetting too.)
Not sure about this one:
Q Drum that got a good run in France (5)
A snare? (the word "ran" is backwards in 'snare')
Those 2 from the mini, and here's a dreaded clue from the Monday Omega:
Q Tool used to get rid of workers you no longer need (3)
A Axe
Time to hide the crossword book and get back to real work!
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Cryptically Mitzi Day 6 & 7
My challenge is progressing. The grade of this challenge is so steep, it's almost vertical. Partially, I suspect the cryptic crosswords get harder as the week goes on. Or maybe I got tireder?
Still, I got some clues out.
Q Head brought back gem and spice (6)
A NUTMEG
Q Mine history ends in shame (4)
A PITY
Q Old mathematician reversed half-size curved structures outside (10)
A ARCHIMEDES
(I liked this one: arch + the maths dude in the bath Archimedes + demi backwards)
QFive hundred each? Remainders is the most expensive? (7)
A DEAREST
Q This occasion completed the opening? (5)
A EVENT
Q Certain old town in the southeast (4)
A SURE
(That 'old town' being Ur, the town which the biblical Abraham came from; see? all those years of Jewish education paid off!)
So that's my six successfully answered cyrptic clues. The endorphins effect of getting over-excited about my newly exercised skills can be deceptive - as the crosswords start difficult, stay tricky and grow more cunning by the day. I was right ot stick with only 3 clues a day. Any more is like that extra martini - dangerous!
Still, I got some clues out.
Q Head brought back gem and spice (6)
A NUTMEG
Q Mine history ends in shame (4)
A PITY
Q Old mathematician reversed half-size curved structures outside (10)
A ARCHIMEDES
(I liked this one: arch + the maths dude in the bath Archimedes + demi backwards)
QFive hundred each? Remainders is the most expensive? (7)
A DEAREST
Q This occasion completed the opening? (5)
A EVENT
Q Certain old town in the southeast (4)
A SURE
(That 'old town' being Ur, the town which the biblical Abraham came from; see? all those years of Jewish education paid off!)
So that's my six successfully answered cyrptic clues. The endorphins effect of getting over-excited about my newly exercised skills can be deceptive - as the crosswords start difficult, stay tricky and grow more cunning by the day. I was right ot stick with only 3 clues a day. Any more is like that extra martini - dangerous!
Friday, 19 August 2011
Cryptically Mitzi Day 4 & 5
An uninvited headache and asthma got me all exhasuted and hypochondriacked last night, so my post is delayed to what is actually Day 5.
I'm off to the swimming pool shortly to continue my Round 1 Legacy of daily exercise. Yesterday I did my serious kilometres while listening to her highness Tina Fey reading Bossypants - memoir - into my jogging ears. She rocks. "Gay people are just as good and screaming at their hockey-playing kids as straight poeople" (or something to that effect, and other gems.)
Matters Arising
* duck-bill is definitely (4-4)
*I have been going over the limit of 3 where possible.
Wed 17.8
Q 1A Some fakery in hte building trades? (3-2, 3)
A Put-up job
Q 11A It fixes tooth holder (3)
A gum
Q 29A steer and span two universities (8)
A oxbridge
Those were achieved without extra assistance.
Extra assistance are like "second tier" recognitions (guesses) when you have a letter or two provided by a previous answer.
eg
Q17D Storage for driver's mittens (5-3)
A glove-box
20 A What causes reaction making everything sort of green? (8)
A Allergen
This next one was my EUREAKA moment.
Q 13d Relative destruction of nice dangers (5-5)
A grand-niece
which led to ...
Q 21d Smiled when rending another way (7)
A grinned
A lot of these depend on anagrams, as I am learning. Then, there are the harder logical leaps to make.
So that's about 7 clues over two days. I have attempted four clues from today's cryptic and will view the results later on in today's paper.
I think my challenge is working well, perhaps too well. I return far too feverish with excitment to my comfy chair for cryptical conundra.
Q too comfortable beneath when glass is shattered
A ass
I'm off to the swimming pool shortly to continue my Round 1 Legacy of daily exercise. Yesterday I did my serious kilometres while listening to her highness Tina Fey reading Bossypants - memoir - into my jogging ears. She rocks. "Gay people are just as good and screaming at their hockey-playing kids as straight poeople" (or something to that effect, and other gems.)
Matters Arising
* duck-bill is definitely (4-4)
*I have been going over the limit of 3 where possible.
Wed 17.8
Q 1A Some fakery in hte building trades? (3-2, 3)
A Put-up job
Q 11A It fixes tooth holder (3)
A gum
Q 29A steer and span two universities (8)
A oxbridge
Those were achieved without extra assistance.
Extra assistance are like "second tier" recognitions (guesses) when you have a letter or two provided by a previous answer.
eg
Q17D Storage for driver's mittens (5-3)
A glove-box
20 A What causes reaction making everything sort of green? (8)
A Allergen
This next one was my EUREAKA moment.
Q 13d Relative destruction of nice dangers (5-5)
A grand-niece
which led to ...
Q 21d Smiled when rending another way (7)
A grinned
A lot of these depend on anagrams, as I am learning. Then, there are the harder logical leaps to make.
So that's about 7 clues over two days. I have attempted four clues from today's cryptic and will view the results later on in today's paper.
I think my challenge is working well, perhaps too well. I return far too feverish with excitment to my comfy chair for cryptical conundra.
Q too comfortable beneath when glass is shattered
A ass
Wednesday, 17 August 2011
Cryptically Mitzi, Day 3
Matters Arising:
Following some consultation with Parental Unit-M, I have revised some answers to Omega cryptic clues.
Now, "Youngster's Horses (3-4)" is not cryptic but I would never have known this. Apparently Uiver knew the phrase all along, and I'm foolishing for not asking him. The answer? Gee-gees. Weird. Ancient cockney or Aussie slang?
I also revised "identity nucleus if a neat plan" - the answer is IDEA based on gee-gees.
Just checked another answer from the Monday mini-cryptic. "Repossess" was correct for "what the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist".
From the Tuesday mini-cryptic, I attempted 5 but I believe I only got three right.
Q Remove old North Brit in sketch (6)
A Scotch
Q Affirmative Returning after family doctor involved in sex research (6)
A Kinsey
(the "yes" of affirmative is "reversed" - clever, ha?)
Q Avoid invoice for monotreme (4-3)
A duck-bill
Ba-bowm. I got two out of three. My error was in the old North Brit.
the answer is DEPICT. That was very tricky. I was thinking of the slang term "scotch a plan".
Despite the 2 out of 3 success rate, I am getting a little addicted to the cryptic challenge. I am toddling through the Wednesday cryptic and looking forward to the solutions tomorrow. Major geek attack from within responds sharply (3): eek!
Following some consultation with Parental Unit-M, I have revised some answers to Omega cryptic clues.
Now, "Youngster's Horses (3-4)" is not cryptic but I would never have known this. Apparently Uiver knew the phrase all along, and I'm foolishing for not asking him. The answer? Gee-gees. Weird. Ancient cockney or Aussie slang?
I also revised "identity nucleus if a neat plan" - the answer is IDEA based on gee-gees.
Just checked another answer from the Monday mini-cryptic. "Repossess" was correct for "what the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist".
From the Tuesday mini-cryptic, I attempted 5 but I believe I only got three right.
Q Remove old North Brit in sketch (6)
A Scotch
Q Affirmative Returning after family doctor involved in sex research (6)
A Kinsey
(the "yes" of affirmative is "reversed" - clever, ha?)
Q Avoid invoice for monotreme (4-3)
A duck-bill
Ba-bowm. I got two out of three. My error was in the old North Brit.
the answer is DEPICT. That was very tricky. I was thinking of the slang term "scotch a plan".
Despite the 2 out of 3 success rate, I am getting a little addicted to the cryptic challenge. I am toddling through the Wednesday cryptic and looking forward to the solutions tomorrow. Major geek attack from within responds sharply (3): eek!
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Cryptically Mitzi, Day 2
Some of us are going beyond our comfort zones. That is what we taught our boys at school camp (when I taught at high school) when encouraging them to drop down from 15 foot ledges attached to a rope and carabine; or to climb 20 vertical feet on a ropes course, wearing a helmet and safety rope. In all of those team-building activities, the poor sucker trapped on a fashioned log at way too high metres is forced to trust the people below, and the person within.
Metaphorically, here in 30 Days land, we are holding each other's safety rope. I am so at the edge of my comfort zone I am in danger of falling off! Still, the second security feature on this madcap challenge - attempting 3 cryptic clues only - has got the second half of my August off to a cracking start.
Yesterday's answers - I won't know if they're correct until Monday.
I also attempted the mini-xword below the Omega, and I am able to check my answers using the Tuesday edition.
Here goes (and by the way, the first two are totally non-traditional cryptics, in my humble op!)
1. (weird, does not use the letters of the questions words)
Q Young and Grizzly (4, 3)
A Bear Cub
2 (weird, also does not use letters from question words, but it's bloody funny.)
Q What the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist? (9)
A Repossess
3 (I tried this because the answer was only three letters. I got two out of the three letters. )
Q sounds like little dog gets every last bit of scrap (3)
A Yap
(I got "pup" and "ap" but could not make it from "pap" to "yap"...this one was a learning experience)
BONUS GLORY
(The answer was three letters, and this was a trad the-answer-is-in-the-question cryptic clue.)
Q Reach the abyss but not by donkey (3)
A Ass
Nerd note: I am cutting and pasting the crosswords into a special book. Am regressing to teenage geekdom. Fun!
Metaphorically, here in 30 Days land, we are holding each other's safety rope. I am so at the edge of my comfort zone I am in danger of falling off! Still, the second security feature on this madcap challenge - attempting 3 cryptic clues only - has got the second half of my August off to a cracking start.
Yesterday's answers - I won't know if they're correct until Monday.
I also attempted the mini-xword below the Omega, and I am able to check my answers using the Tuesday edition.
Here goes (and by the way, the first two are totally non-traditional cryptics, in my humble op!)
1. (weird, does not use the letters of the questions words)
Q Young and Grizzly (4, 3)
A Bear Cub
2 (weird, also does not use letters from question words, but it's bloody funny.)
Q What the devil may do if you don't pay the exorcist? (9)
A Repossess
3 (I tried this because the answer was only three letters. I got two out of the three letters. )
Q sounds like little dog gets every last bit of scrap (3)
A Yap
(I got "pup" and "ap" but could not make it from "pap" to "yap"...this one was a learning experience)
BONUS GLORY
(The answer was three letters, and this was a trad the-answer-is-in-the-question cryptic clue.)
Q Reach the abyss but not by donkey (3)
A Ass
Nerd note: I am cutting and pasting the crosswords into a special book. Am regressing to teenage geekdom. Fun!
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