Spectator 2042 Saturday December 3rd 2011

[mintyman99]

http://www.spectator....7438903/crossword.pdf

[Farrnorth]

Thanks kayakamina. From what I've read above it's a waste of my time trying to figure it out. Can you give me a couple of hints so I can send it in. Thanks

[kayakamina]

It was not an enjoyable Speccie at all.

If you think of 'bad taste' as being tacky you should get the theme.

The pairs are 2d & 40a , 42/43a

Good luck K

[roslyn251254]

I agree K - not enjoyable at all! Speccie is usually my favourite , but not this week, thought the clues were poor and the theme weak.

[Farrnorth]

I really hate this crossword! With all the help I've been given I still don't get it. Have I got 35d wrong with tepee. The clue is meaningless to me but at least it is a mobile home! Help!

[roslyn251254]

yes tepee is correct - t being the 3rd letter of motorist + epee for spit
The connecting word is TACK top right area

[Farrnorth]

Thanks roslyn and kayakamina - I've finally got it. Phew!

[haggis58]

How I managed to finish this crossword is beyond me as it was pure guesswork with little or no understanding at how certain answers were derived. Dumpynose - you must try harder and if you're going to be obscure at least justify it in the clueing. A very poor and unenjoyable offering as most of the posts on this thread agree.

[Helveticus]

Normally I relish sparring with Dumpynose, but this week's puzzle left me feeling as if my opponent was not following the Marquis of Queensbury's rules. I'm close to throwing in the towel, as I can't get all the unclued lights. I hope that Doc has a quiet word with Dumpynose about the boundary between "difficult" and "unfair".

[roslyn251254]

helveticus - have a look on http://www.crosswords...197881/spectator-2042
All the unclueds are on there i think with the theme

[Bootlebarth]

Hi again everyone.

I'm glad I wasn't the only disgruntled, frustrated solver. Dumpynose's latest was one to annoy most, and make the dictionary-grubbing super-brains feel smugger than ever. Well done you guys and gals!

Special note to kayakamina: why not post the solution immediately you have it, instead of waiting for bemused lesser beings to seek enlightenment at the feet of the master?

Note to Dumpynose: why restrict your solutions to French? How long do we have to wait for Bart Simpson's alleged Scrabble word 'kwyjibo', defining it as "a big, dumb, balding North American ape, with no chin.."?

Dumpynose might clue: Young American's imagined bonus (7)

Excuse me, this isn't fair. Nem beszel magyarul. Ipagpaumanhin mo. C'mon Dumpynose, include solutions from lesser known languages.

THIS PUZZLE WAS SO ANNOYING THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO ANOTHER, AS I SAID SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.

[Voulez-vous]

Eek! This puzzle seems to have really annoyed you, Bootlebarth!
I agree that it is not a great puzzle, however it's "just a puzzle" after all.....hopefully knuckles will be rapped. I am just walking away from it, as for me it's not fun.
As for kayakamina, he is a legend to me. AND, he never ever gloats..........

[novalis]

Bootlebarth,

While I agree with your sentiments about the puzzle itself I managed to struggle through it after a few "detours" but I am very far from being a "super brain", I am certainly not a "dictionary grubber" nor do I feel "smug" when I finish the Spectator - or any other crossword for that matter. I always try to learn something from them and this was no exception.

Kayakamina is a highly skilled cruciverbalist and we should be grateful that he is prepared to share his expertise with us.

[jamesah]

I found this enjoyable and don't understand all the above complaints! 'mal vu' is in Chambers and the clue is entirely fair. The key word has many definitions which were included in the final grid. The only answer I am unsure about is the Texan one which I assume is an anagram of choir and beers. The answer to that one would be much appreciated.

[toalisi]

41a seborrheic.

As the preamble stated Chambers' 2008/11 do not list the word.

Can I say that I also deplore the remarks about kayakamina who is one
of the most respected solvers on this site.

[jamesah]

Many thanks.

[whatsthat]

For words like 41a which are not in Chambers (why should everything be in Chambers anyway?) a good place for anagrams is http://wordsmith.org/anagram/ - with English obscure words as well as French and a few other languages including Latin. No Welsh though, although there was a Speccie once with Welsh months.

Like jamesah I also enjoyed the puzzle although difficult.

[mintyman99]

Just come on to this page again. I don't dare look until I've finished the puzzle. Too many answers in theanswerbank.
I am surprised at the extreme response to this crossword. It seemed fairly standard for the Speccie, good cluing and no inconsistencies. Chambers is part of the game and essential to solve these puzzles. I can quite see why it would be impossible without it. The Chambers iPad/iphone app is very good and only £5, I think.