inquisitor 1176 by samuel

[bellabee]

i liked this but i think that there are 2 small errors in the clues to 8dn and 32ac.- or maybe i've got something wrong. i think the answer to 32ac is plural but the definition [after treatment] is singular. i'm more concerned about 8dn - i've gone for a 9 letter word that is usually a noun but can also be 'v/t to guard' and although it's not actually given in chambers it could take a regular suffix. the clue to 8dn is - 'wader nearly confused band watching canaries' [it's the 'nearly' that i have a problem with] can't give any letters as it is modified on entry. any ideas?

[bellabee]

should add that the noun or v/t = 6 letters [it's 9 letters with the ending]

[Sparafucile]

Hi bellabee,
I agree with you,8 dn. seems to be an anagram of WADER + Ring(band).
32 ac. is definitely a plural answer for a singular definition.22 dn. seems,to me,to be the same - definition singular,answer plural.
.

[bellabee]

thanks sparafucile, thought it might just be me. however, i think 22dn is ok '[in plural old informal] a lorgnette' is how chambers defines the singular entry. there used to be lots of mistakes in the inquisitor until fairly recently so maybe we are due a couple. but a nice puzzle i thought - thanks again.

[Sparafucile]

bellabee - re.22dn. - you're right,I should have read the entry in Chambers properly!

[bellabee]

sparafucile - i'm probably too fixated on chambers but i do think it's unfortunate the inquisitor doesn't suggest a standard reference - it helps in situations like this - best wishes b.

[boondoggle]

Hi bellabee,
I have'nt finished the grid yet but have worked out the unheeded warning.
I too think 8dn unsatisfactory with the 'nearly'. My suggestion is that the 'nearly' refers to the r of wader since that is the only part that is confused.

This is tenuous I know but with the unexplained plural of 32ac .....

[bellabee]

yet we need that dropped r boondoggle to construct the 9 letter word - WADER [anag]+ring before modifying to give the grid entry [as per the 'warning'] - maybe you could explain more fully? but glad we seem to have settled on the same words for 8 and 32. i'm always a bit hesitant when [like 8] i can't find the specific entry in chambers. thanks b.

[boondoggle]

Hi again,

Sorry I wasn't very clear. It is late.

The r is retained but moved. The rest of wade(r) is unchanged. Hence the r is the near letter and is confused.

It is a bit flimsy, but may be a device to indicate an anagram which is very close to the original word.

[bellabee]

hmm, don't know boondoggle that would be a very unorthodox use of a pretty common device ['nearly' = drop the end off + 'confused' = what's left is jumbled.] but you never know!

[Antmark]

I assumed wader was a misprint for waders. The clue then made sense.

[bellabee]

yes,me too - and it's in keeping with the doubtful use of pluralisation which forms a kind of sub-theme to this one!

[bellabee]

....and maybe there's a misquote in the final grid too - because it looks more like, 'i mentioned it twice, but i think i got away with it' - well no you didn't!

[boondoggle]

Antmark's suggestion is far more likely than my rather involved hypothesis. And bellabee is right about cruciverbalist conventions.

Perhaps Samuel intended the grid to be slightly faulty!

[turast]

Looks like I picked a bad week to start looking at "The Inquisitor".