Crossword Unclued

Clue-Writing Contests

2010-03-18T09:33:00.000+05:30

Clue writing contests (CWCs) provide a great way to polish clueing skills and improve crossword knowledge.

Here are some recommendations for CWCs on the web. Check them out, participate and have fun.

DIY COW Clue-Writing Contests

A weekly contest on the site owned by Anax, a setter with the Times UK. Anyone can register to participate.

Link: http://www.ukpuzzle.com/phpBB3/index.php

How It Works:

Each week (generally on a Sunday), the judge for the current round sets a word.
Participants post their clues for the word with an explanation.
Judging happens over the weekend. The judge evaluations the clues and picks the best clues. The winner goes on to become the judge for the next round.

The Rules:

The clue should preferably be Times-style; for more look at their Basic Rules page.
Multiple entries are allowed.
Revisions to old entries are allowed.
Entries are open for around a week; the exact duration/dates may vary. See the judge's opening notes for the round.

The Winner Gets: A chance to set the word for and evaluate the next round, and an entry into The Winners archive.

My Comments/Tips: The friendliest clue-writing forum that I know of. You'll find here a wealth of clue-writing talent, some brilliant evaluation of clues (sample 1, sample 2) and a cheerful atmosphere. For a new setter, this is a great place to start and learn.

As all entries are visible publicly, it works out better (at least for me) to avoid looking at others’ clues before writing your own.

In-jokes develop rapidly on this forum. If you keep away for a stretch, you might be mystified by some of the jargon when you return. (e.g. an "otter" = a bad clue, I haven't figured why!)

Times Clue Challenge

A monthly clue writing contest open for members of the Times Crossword Club. Judged by a Times setter, currently Richard Rogan.

Link: (Login required) http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/games_and_puzzles/crossword/club/specials/

How It Works:

At the start of the month, the word for the clue challenge is announced.
Participants send in their clues by email.
Results are announced when the month is over. All the clues with the judge's comments are published. The top-3 winners and the runners-up are named. Along with the results, the word for the next challenge is also set.

The Rules:

The clue must be in the style of the Times daily crossword. Look at the page on ‘Clue Challenge Rules’ for more.
Only one entry per person is allowed.
Only the first entry is considered. No revisions are allowed.
The entry needs to carry a separate explanation of the clue's workings, else it might be disqualified.

The Winner Gets: An award of £50, and entry into the Clue Challenge Hall of Fame.

My Comments/Tips: This contest is pretty strict about admissible indicators, connectors and abbreviations. I have been submitting clues in this contest for a few months now and each time find out something new about what Times does not consider valid. Lesson learnt: When your wordplay looks questionable, it's wiser to err on the side of caution. Double-check abbreviations or obscure words with the COED and the Collins English Dictionary. Make sure that your clue satisfies all the listed Clue Challenge Rules.

Since only the first entry by a participant is considered and no revisions are allowed, send in your clue only when you're sure it is your best effort. There is a month's time - hold on to that impulsively written clue, you might think of something nicer soon.

CCCWC by &lit

A monthly clue-writing competition open to all members of The Crossword Centre (crossword.org.uk) mailing list.

Link: http://www.andlit.org.uk/cccwc/main.php

How It Works:

The organizers set a word for clueing each month. Some contests come with special instructions such as Printer's Devilry or Wrong Number.
Participants put in their entries through the Entry Page (login required) on the site.
After entries are closed, the clues are displayed for voting. Any registered member can vote, even if they have not entered a clue in the contest.
Clues can be awarded points on a scale of 0-5. The voter can give a maximum of 5 points to any clue, and up to 15 points in total. Comments can be included, too.
After voting closes, the result is announced. The clue that gathers the highest points during voting is declared winner. The clue-writer’s name is shown if the clue features in the top ten. All comments are linked along with the relevant clues.

To understand the process better, see the competition help page, and a competition result page.

The Rules:

Only one entry per person is allowed.
Clues can be edited any number of times or withdrawn, up to the entry closing date. When voting begins, the latest version of the clue is considered.
The entry can carry a separate explanation of the clue's workings.

The Winner Gets: The top clue each month gets a prize donated by Collins. The top ten clues are awarded Annual Honours points, which go towards the Annual results.

My Comments/Tips:

A very well-organized forum. The best setting talents, including professional setters from reputed publications, participate on this CWC. The hidden voting system (only the clues are shown during voting, not the clue-writers' names) ensures that there's no elitism.

The Ximenean style of clueing is preferred, though the contest sometimes throws up surprises (e.g. in the Jan 2010 contest, an unXimenean clue was third). Some voters leave detailed and well-thought out feedback (sample). Note: Not all clues get feedback, only the ones the voters choose to comment on.

For the newbie setter, it helps to be mentally tough while participating here as the comments can sometimes be harsh. It can also be unsettling to see your clue languish at the bottom of the result table with near-zero points. For all that, it's worth the experience as you learn a lot by participating alongside very talented setters. Popular voting gives a real-world simulation of how your clue would be taken by solvers in print.

--------------
[Thanks to Vinod Raman, an active participant on CWCs, for his inputs.]

Related Posts:

Make Your Own Crossword Grid (written by Chaturvasi)
Across Lite for Interactive Crosswords

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Attention film-makers: Crossworders are not oddballs!

2010-03-15T09:30:00.001+05:30

Have you seen the film No Reservations (2007)? A by-the-book rom com, except for a significant fact.

The leading lady is a crossword solver.

Each day she sits with her colleagues at the lunch table, armed with a pen and crossword grid. While the others laugh and chat, she is immersed in the crossword with a glum expression. She is also unkempt, unfriendly, has no "life" and no boyfriend. She is in therapy.

Along comes the hero. As it happens in such films, they spar then become friends. The lady grows cheerful and beautiful. After predictable twists, the movie moves towards the inevitable happy end.

Once Love enters the lady's life, she is never again to be seen solving the crossword.

In All About Steve (2009), the heroine is a crossword compiler for the (fictional) paper Sacramento Herald. She is also socially inept, clingy and spouts random facts to anyone within hearing range.

She gets so besotted with a man Steve (whom she has barely met) that she writes her next crossword themed entirely on him, titled "All About Steve". The crossword when printed frustrates the readers. (The paper obviously follows The Hindu's model of allowing anything by the setter to get published without checks.) She is fired from her job for this crossword.

Now unemployed, the lady stalks the man all across the country and gives him the creeps.

----
Any cruciverbalists up for a dharna against such unflattering stereotyping? :)

Related Posts:

Killer Clue: A suicide-inducing cryptic clue in a Jeffrey Archer short story
New York Times Election Day Crossword: A crossword that dared to predict the 1996 US election result
Garson Hampfield, Crossword Inker: A parody about the most underappreciated member of the crossword design team
Cryptic Crosswords A Threat To Criminal Justice?: "Research" that shows the dangerous impact of cryptic crosswords on face recognition

Have No Enemy But Time

2010-03-10T09:45:00.000+05:30

"The innocent and the beautiful, Have no enemy but time", wrote W B Yeats.

Innocent and beautiful or not, crossword solvers must treat "time" as their foremost enemy. TIME = The Enemy is the cryptic setter's favoured device.

Example: a clue from yesterday's Hindustan Times 21777:
Left with this, as the enemy hasn't caught up? (4,2,4,5) TIME ON ONE'S HANDS

Some trivia about the expression "time is the enemy" -

Brewer's online dictionary of Phrase and Fable lists this phrase: "Time is the enemy of man, especially of those who are behind time."
"How goes the enemy?", "What says the enemy" were popular ways of asking "What time is it?" in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The catchphrase apparently originates from a dialogue of the play The Dramatist (1789) by Frederick Reynolds.

Ennui. I've an idea, I don't like this Lady Waitfor't—she wishes to trick me out of my match with Miss Courtney, and if I could trick her in return—[Takes out his Watch.] How goes the enemy?—only one o'clock!—I thought it had been that an hour ago!

In the play, the character Ennui who speaks these lines is described as "the time-killer, whose only business in life is to murder the hour".
There are various references in popular culture, such as a music album titled "Time is the Enemy" (1997) and an SFF novel called "No Enemy But Time" (1982).

Solve These

Have fun with these clues that use the time=enemy connection:

Sunday Times 4326: Having the enemy in to complete a quartet? (4-11)
Times 23947: Shrub the enemy talked of (5)
Times 23480: Opportunity to overcome the enemy when the first orders come (7,4)
Guardian 24814 (Enigmatist): So the enemy's winning nothing - area's within limit (7)

Related Posts:

Not Quite Homophones To The Indian Ear

2010-03-04T08:35:00.000+05:30

Homophone clues in crosswords set by British compilers can be confounding to the Indian solver.

Take this one:
ET 4392: Listened to you vulgarly speaking the language (4) URDU {~heard you}

For me, 'heard you' sounds nothing like 'Urdu'.

On the solving blogs of UK crosswords, there is often debate surrounding homophones. Someone or the other protests that the words don't sound identical. Strict crossworders expect both the pronunciation and emphasis to correspond exactly.

However, even the homophones that go without question can be tricky to Indian solvers. In this clue for example,

Guardian 24705 (Pasquale): Asian drunk, reported office worker (6) TYPIST {~Thai pissed}
'Thai' is supposed to be pronounced like 'tie', but most Indians pronounce it with a sound which isn't even present in the English alphabet.

If your accent differs from that of the primary audience for which the crossword has been designed, homophones in the crossword can be tough to resolve.

How should one approach intractable homophones?

The good part is, it is easy to know that we have a homophone on hand. The homophone indicator can be spotted quickly; what remains is to discover the words that share pronunciation. I keep in mind that the words need not sound identical in my accent, and work from there. When in doubt, looking up on the dictionary for pronunciation and/or checking the audio online helps. That plus the crossing letters make it not so formidable a challenge.

Solve These

Have a go at these clues, meant to be homophones:

Times Jumbo 672: Author pronounced Indian food good as side-dish (5)
Everyman 3298: A hardy grass from an Indonesian island, reportedly (6)
Guardian 24932 (Gordius): Plant confusingly spoken of for some time to come? (7)
FT 13290 (Gozo): Backstreet hair-dresser suggested as pantomime character (3,4)

Related Posts:

The "No Living Persons" Rule

2010-02-27T18:11:00.001+05:30

"No living persons except the Queen (or King!)" is an ancient tradition of The Times UK Crossword. No crossword clue, either in its solution or wordplay, makes reference to a person alive.

The Times may have good reasons for this restriction: to keep the crossword away from expressing political leanings (as many clues about politicians do), or to avoid giving celebrities free advertisement. The rule also wards off potential embarrassment that can ensue if a clue making flattering reference to a famous person is closely followed by the some appalling discovery about that person, or a clue poking fun at a celebrity is published on a day that person meets with some misfortune.

Other British crosswords like the Guardian, Independent and Financial Times are relaxed about this rule, which I think is great for solvers. Some of the wittiest, most memorable clues are those that make tongue-in-cheek allusions to famous people.

An old Guardian clue by Araucaria, which made a topical reference to Jeffrey Archer, is perhaps the best known of its kind:

Poetic scene has surprisingly chaste Lord Archer vegetating (3, 3, 8, 12)

This clue was published in the Guardian at the time Jeffrey Archer was lying low at his property, The Old Vicarage Grantchester, after the notorious scandal. The answer, THE OLD VICARAGE GRANTCHESTER, is an anagram of (chaste Lord Archer vegetating)*. The word "surprisingly" not just functions as anagrind but also makes a tongue-in-cheek statement about Archer's character.

The clue also finds mention on the Wikipedia page of The Old Vicarage, Grantchester.

The Hindu Crossword does not have a stated policy about referring to living people, to my knowledge. There was a reference to Obama once, but nothing controversial and I can't recall any more. Can anyone quote other such THC clues?

Update: Mohan writes in that there are plenty of THC references to Cho Ramaswamy. A recent clue:
THC 9768 (Sankalak): Food fish gets navy confused about actor-politician (7)

Solve These!

Here's a selection of some fine &lit clues for which the answers are names of living persons. Have fun figuring them out.

Guardian 24841 (Enigmatist): He buggers off having acquired nothing (6,4)
Guardian 24930 (Brendan): World leader, so-called (4)
Guardian 24854 (Brendan): I notably contrived end of Major (4, 5)
FT 13161 (Alberich): His interpretation of Islam sure had notoriety at first (6,7)

Related Posts:

Cryptic Double-Definitions

2010-02-22T08:55:00.000+05:30

The cryptic double-definition (d&cd) clue type is a hybrid of the double definition (dd) and cryptic definition (cd) clue types. The clue has two definitions, with a twist - at least one of those definitions is cryptic.

Oinking tendency? (8) PENCHANT
Two definitions here - 'oinking' and 'tendency' - but unlike a regular dd clue, one of those definitions is a lateral one. 'Oinking' gives PEN CHANT, but that is not a dictionary meaning of the word.

d&cd Clue Characteristics

The 'cd' bit of the d&cd clue can be more lateral than a pure cryptic definition. As there is another half of the clue to help the solver derive the answer, setters take some creative liberties here.

Times 24451: Somewhat swollen condition of female diving bird? (9) PUFFINESS
The first definition 'somewhat swollen condition' is straight, the second 'female diving bird' is cryptic. PUFFIN is a diving bird, therefore PUFFIN-ESS is a 'female diving bird'.
The cryptic half of a d&cd clue need not be a standalone definition for the answer, unlike a pure dd clue in which both definitions can independently stand for the answer.
The cryptic part may be the first or the second definition in the clue. On crossword solving forums, the shorthand used is d&cd (where the cryptic definition appears second), or cd&d (where the cryptic definition appears first).
A d&cd clue usually (but not always) has a '?' in it. As with pure dd/cd clues, there is no other indicator for this clue type.

Solve These!

Everyman 3303: Nothing left in safe (3,5)
FT 13215 (Falcon): Something added, or removed? (8)
FT 13305 (Armonie): One has aspirations before the bid (9)

Related Posts:

Other Clue Types: Cryptic Definitions, Double Definitions, Anagrams, Hidden Words,
Deletions, Reversals, Homophones, Substitutions, Charades, Containers,
Acrostics, Letter Shifting, Letter Exchange, &Lit.

Blog for Hindustan Times Crossword, Anyone?

2010-02-18T14:48:00.001+05:30

Since December 2009, Hindustan Times (HT) has been carrying the syndicated Times UK cryptic crossword of eight years ago. There have been a couple of queries from solvers, about whether a dedicated blog exists to tackle the HT puzzle daily.

So far I don't think there is one. I'm writing this post so that, if you're a keen solver but don't have the bandwidth to set up and run a daily blog single-handed, you could express your interest here and maybe a group could get together and start something. The current Times UK crossword is solved on a group blog Times for the Times where solvers take turns to write, and the model seems to work well. Or, there could be a forum like the THC Hub or the Orkut THC community, where each participant enters a small fixed quota of answers each day to finish the puzzle.

I might not be able to participate as a blogger, my hands are already full, but I'll gladly set up a blog for you if needed.

The Hindustan Times crossword is an extremely good one, and I hope that solvers in India make the most of its availability. [Times UK crossword is, otherwise, not available for free.]

Leave a comment on this post if you have further ideas on this or if you can contribute to a solving blog/forum. You could also mail in your views to me at .

Related Posts:

How A Crossword Fan Pops The Question

2010-02-14T09:40:00.001+05:30

In The Boston Globe Sunday crossword puzzle published on 23rd Sep 2007, clue 111 Across was 'Generic Proposal'. The answer: 'Will you marry me?'

For Aric Egmont, the answer was also the marriage proposal to his girlfriend and crossword fan Jennie Bass.

In the summer of 2007, Aric Egmont contacted The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine to ask if the puzzle setters would be willing to write a crossword especially for him. Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, a married puzzle-setter team for the paper, agreed to Egmont's request.

The setters created a themed crossword with the title 'Popping The Question'. Each themed entry was based on proposals, such as 22A 'Macrame artist’s proposal' (answer: 'Let's tie the knot').

The challenge for the setters was to make the theme clear to the couple, at the same time not obscure to their other solvers. Apart from the themed clues based on proposals, the setters put in words of personal significance in the grid, such as Egmont's last name, Jennie's sister's and best friend's names. The key clue 'Generic Proposal' was also phonetic play of the couple's first names: Jen and Aric.

The couple solved this special crossword together on the Sunday morning of its appearance in the paper. When they got to 111 Across, Aric Egmont popped the question. Jennie's answer, not surprisingly, was also the answer to clue 115 Down 'Hoped-for reply to 111A'.

Read the news reports about this special puzzle here and here, and check out the special crossword here.

Related Posts:

Plug and Play Puzzles

2010-02-10T14:45:00.000+05:30

Paul wrote this classic clue a few years ago, for the Guardian crossword:

Play Ankoolger? (4,4,2,5)

Taking inspiration from that, here's one of my own:

Play Amiseg? (6, 6)

Can you solve them?

Update: The Answers

Congrats to everyone who got the answers right, especially Susan's colleague who worked out Broken Images.

Play Ankoolger? (4,4,2,5) LOOK BACK IN ANGER An{kool<-}ger

This clue appeared in the Guardian crossword (link) on 23rd March 2002, in a prize puzzle with theatrical works as theme.
Look Back in Anger (1956) is a John Osborne play, one of the first of the genre described as 'kitchen sink drama' (a style of theatre using working class settings).

Play Amiseg? (6, 6) BROKEN IMAGES Anagram of (AMISEG)

Broken Images (2005) is an unusual one-performer play in which the actor has an intense conversation with a reflection of herself. Originally written in Kannada, it was later translated to English (Broken Images) and Hindi (Bikhre Bimb).

Answers to the clues posted in the comments (with apologies to Ximenes):

(Vinod's clue) Play Ist ODI there (5,6) THREE IDIOTS
Anagram of (IST ODI THERE), with play doing double-duty.

Think of a number. Tom, Dick or Harry - play! (4,5,7) FIVE POINT SOMEONE
FIVE (a number) POINT (.) SOMEONE (Tom, Dick or Harry)
A play by Evam based on Chetan Bhagat's book Five Point Someone.

Play Aod? (4,3,5,7) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING AD (much 'ADo') around O (nothing)
The comedy by Shakespeare, need I say more.

Play The CUL? (3,3,6) THE ODD COUPLE THE C[o]U[p]L[e]
The Odd Couple (1965), a Broadway play, also staged by Evam in India.

The Plug!

Are the answers to the clues above of interest to you? Then you might want to follow DramaDose, my other blog about Indian theatre.

Related Posts:

Best Crossword Guides Online

2010-02-08T08:27:00.000+05:30

Recommendations for cryptic crossword solving guides on the net.

Click on the adjacent logos to reach each site.

	Theresa's Guide to Solving Cryptic Crosswords This is a brief guide to the basic clue types, written in an easy style with simple examples to illustrate each clue type. A good starting point if you're very new to the game. Also includes a 6x6 practice puzzle.
	Big Dave’s Little Guide To Cryptic Crosswords Big Dave's guide covers a lot of ground including clue types, miscellaneous constructs and a glossary of crossword terminology. A section called The Mine has useful information on wordplay components and standard crossword abbreviations.
	YAGCC Unassumingly named Yet Another Guide to Cryptic Crosswords, Peter Biddlecombe's site is a must-read for any cryptic crossword enthusiast. I particularly like his solving tips and thoughts on what makes crosswords bad.
	UKPuzzle Crossword Guide This guide by Anax, a setter for Times and Independent, has information of interest to both solvers and setters. Other than notes about cryptic clue types (with quite brilliant clues as examples), it also talks about setting style, fairness and grids. This guide is best appreciated if you already have a little introduction to cryptic crosswords.

Related Posts:

NATO Phonetic Alphabet in Crosswords

2010-02-05T08:11:00.000+05:30

The NATO phonetic alphabet or "radio alphabet" is a standard spelling alphabet – it assigns code words to letters, so that voice messages can be pronounced and understood correctly over phone or radio. (e.g. When you're giving your initials D.K. over the phone, you could use the NATO alphabet to say 'D for Delta, K for Kilo').

Cryptic clues use the phonetic alphabet in devious ways.

Clue Examples

Guardian 24774 (Brendan): Instrument of top player gripping India on the radio? (5) S{I}TAR
'India' = I in the phonetic alphabet. "on the radio" is an indicator that the phonetic alphabet is being used. (Note that it isn't necessary for such an indicator to be present, as the following examples show.)

Times 24080: Two old men, one after Oscar (4) PA PA
'Papa' follows 'Oscar' in the phonetic alphabet. No indicator here.

A contest-winning clue by Don Manley at &lit CWC:
November — then what? Carols being blasted, pounds being spent (5) OSCAR [(CAROLS)* – L]
The definition 'November – then what?' gives 'Oscar', which follows 'November' in the phonetic alphabet. The surface of course, misdirects you into thinking of the Christmas season.

The Phonetic Alphabet Reference Table

A reference list of NATO codes for all the letters of the English alphabet.

Letter	Code Word
A	Alpha
B	Bravo
C	Charlie
D	Delta
E	Echo
F	Foxtrot
G	Golf
H	Hotel
I	India
J	Juliet
K	Kilo
L	Lima
M	Mike

Letter	Code Word
N	November
O	Oscar
P	Papa
Q	Quebec
R	Romeo
S	Sierra
T	Tango
U	Uniform
V	Victor
W	Whiskey
X	X-ray
Y	Yankee
Z	Zulu

Solving Tips

Make a mental note of the code words (you can remember the list, it's not that much!). If you see a word from this list in a clue, check if the phonetic alphabet is involved.
The easier the word is to disguise, the likelier it is to appear in a clue. You'll run into Golf more often than Quebec.
The clue might have an indicator like "on the radio", "over the phone", "broadcast". These are similar to homophone indicators.

Solve These

Try solving these clues which make use of the radio alphabet:

Guardian 24322 (Chifonie): Lecherous Romeo pushed into watercourse (6)
From this puzzle by Boaz: Putting nasty Mike in nursery is a bit rash (5-3-4)
Times 24436: I broadcast for the nation (5)

Related Posts

Novel = SHE

2010-02-02T08:12:00.000+05:30

By naming his novel "She", H. Rider Haggard unintentionally did a good turn to cryptic crossword setters. The name affords the interesting possibility of using "novel" in the clue to lead to an otherwise unrelated word SHE in the answer.

Novel = SHE is a pretty popular wordplay device. It takes beginners by surprise, and isn't such a giveaway for old solvers either, as "novel" need not always be SHE (it can, for example, be an anagram indicator).

There was this clue in The Hindu Crossword yesterday:
THC 9754 (Gridman): Everything involved in novel report (7) SHE BANG

More such instances from old crosswords:

Times 23917: Novel written by a female making a bundle (5) SHE A F
Times 24173: Book into posh establishment (3) SHE [T]

You'd also have noticed that the author's name "Rider Haggard" is pliable for punning. Here are clues that put that to good use:

Times 23491: Rider's novel way to refer to mare (3) SHE [2]
Guardian 24396 (Audreus): Haggard heroine comes upon first religious Father to be a mountaineer (6) SHE R PA

The next few clues reverse the novel = SHE association. "She" in the clue is to be interpreted as the novel to get the answer.

Guardian 24325 (Enigmatist): She, indeed, has modelled (6) AYE SHA*
Ayesha is the name of the main character of the novel.

NIE 9710: She was one of his heroines (5, 7) RIDER HAGGARD [cd]
Times 23510: She possibly uses Christmas to assimilate verse (5) NO{V}EL

Related Posts:

My Interview!

2010-01-27T14:30:00.002+05:30

Colonel Gopinath and readers of his blog The Hindu Crossword Corner, conducted this interview of sorts with me.

Thank you Colonel, and all of you who asked me the questions. It gave me a chance for self-introspection and was good fun.

I really enjoyed participating, and I hope you enjoy reading:

A tête-à-tête with Shuchismita Upadhyay (Shuchi)

Related Posts:

Interviews with Ace Solvers

Answers to Quiz: What's unXimenean about it?

2010-01-23T01:26:00.001+05:30

Three days ago, we had a "quiz" in which six unXimenean clues were put before us for scrutiny.

Thanks to all who wrote about them, it was enlightening to hear different well-thought out perspectives.

This post announces the answers. Well not exactly answers (there may not be a single correct way of looking at it) - a summary of the responses, my understanding of the Ximenean stance on the subject and my own views.

(To read the readers' responses in full, visit the comments section on Quiz: What's unXimenean about it?)

The Clues & Feedback/Analysis

1. Guardian 24902 (Bronxie): One who thinks about fluid (5) MUSER
Anagram of SERUM (fluid), with "about" as anagrind.

There were comments from you about the indirect anagram, and the validity and placement of 'about' as anagrind.

My take: I have no quarrel with 'about' as anagrind. 'about' also means 'in motion' (e.g. She was up and about at six), which is a good enough indication for anagrams in my book. I agree that 'about' works better after the fodder.

Maddy does not mind the indirect anagram (as he has said in the past too) and Ramna makes a suggestion for indicating SERUM more strongly in the clue.

I think indirect anagrams should be considered only when the clue is very easy and there is some very persuasive reason for using it. I don't think this clue has such a clever idea going that it absolutely could not do without the indirect anagram.

I'm not sure if Ximenes made any mention of the de/merits of 'about' as anagrind, but he did strongly censure indirect anagrams. The example he quoted - Tough form of monster (5) HARDY (anagram of HYDRA) – is often cited in discussions about the unfairness of this device.

2. Independent 7215 (Radian): Derringer's exploits? (6) PISTOL
Anagram of PLOITS. PISTOL is ex-PLOITS.

There were objections to equating exploits with ex-ploits. Most of you aren't keen on 'ex-' as anagrind either.

When this clue appeared in the paper, it had strongly polarized opinions. One commenter "admired his [Radian's] courage", Quixote (Don Manley) called the clue "absolute completely unjustifiable rubbish". The Indy editor Eimi himself stepped in and said:

I didn’t particularly like the clue to PISTOL and advised Radian that it would upset the Ximeneans, as, indeed, it has, but he was happy to stand by it and, as I have explained previously, I’m an enlightened despot.

You can read all the comments here.

My take: If I listen to the logical side of my brain, I will have to say the clue is not good at all. Usages like figurehead=F, pigtail=G, indeed = in DE{..}ED are not grammatically correct, which is what Ximeneans object to. Many Libertarian setters don't follow this rule strictly though, and Alberich who sets for FT and is largely Ximenean seems relaxed about this as well (link).

I really like the idea of using ex- as anagrind. 'ex-' can mean 'used to be', which is a novel way of indicating an anagram. It seems convincing enough to me.

If I were crossword editor, would I have let this clue be published? I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but the answer is Yes.

On a related note, look at the adjacent clue #20 from FT 13290 (Gozo), which cleverly works around the grammatical problem of using 'rainstorm' to indicate (RAIN)*.

The clue splits over two lines. The hyphen in 'rainstorm' makes you think it's because the word is too long, when actually it serves the purpose of deliberately spelling it as 'rain-storm'.

3. Guardian 24070 (Rufus): Madly devouring without end, showing gusto (6) VIGOUR
Anagram of (DEVOURING – END), with "madly" as anagrind.

As rightly pointed out in the comments, the Ximenean rule is that the letters to be deleted from the anagram fodder must be in the same order as in the anagram fodder. That's not the case with this clue.

My take: I learnt of this rule about anagrams only a few months on Anax's clue-writing forum. Many publications don't follow this; Times does. To me, it seems not such a necessary condition. If I read the anagram fodder and deletion segment as set and not a sequence of letters, then the clue works well enough.

4. Sunday Times 4356: Secured, however noted error (8) BUTTONED
BUT (however) + (NOTED)*, with "error" as anagrind.

Nounal anagrinds are not OK by Ximenean rules, unless they occur in the form 'error in noted = (NOTED)*'. I like how dram says "‘incorrectly’ would work, and does not deteriorate the surface much because it is pretty poor already."

My take: I am with Ximenes at least on this particular clue, although "[fodder] organization" seems all right to me. Note that this clue is from the Sunday Times which has different setters/editors from the weekday Times; the clueing in Sunday Times is looser than in the weekday Times.

The Times weekday crossword, too, sometimes allows nounal anagrinds.

5. THC 9566 (Gridman): Engine parts from crate burst or fell apart (12) CARBURETTORS
(CRATE BURST OR)*, with "fell apart" as anagrind.

This clue seemed to raise the least objections. Commenters are generally happy with the indicator, definition and the rest.

My take: I think that for the grammar to work correctly, the anagrind in this clue needs the participle form and not the simple past form. "Engine parts from crate burst or fallen apart (12)" [Past participle] or, as Vinod suggests, "Engine parts from crate burst or falling apart (12)" [Present participle] are the better variants grammatically. As it stands, the connector "from" does not blend with the wordplay, which it must by Ximenean standards.

(If the words are moved around, then "Crate burst or fell apart to give engine parts (12)" also looks all right to me in wordplay though the surface gets spoilt.)

For further reading: An article on Crossword Unclued which talks of the grammar of anagram indicators, by US-based crossword setter Tony Le.

6. THC 9546 (Neyartha): Half-witted doctor declines aid from the vocal bishop’s neighbour (7,5) TWELFTH NIGHT
    Anagram of (HALFWITTED – AID) with "doctor" as anagrind.
    NIGHT is a homophone of KNIGHT, which is bishop's neighbour in chess.
   (Ignore the missing definition – this clue was part of a themed puzzle, in which answers were Shakespeare's plays.)

…and this clue raised the most objections!

To quote Vinod's detailed comment:

Whoa! This would certainly have made Ximenes turn in his grave. In this case, it's not even a nounal anagrind. It's a verbal anagrind that occurs after the anagram-fodder! If "doctor" is intended as an imperative verb, i.e. as an advice to the solver, then it should precede the fodder. If it's to follow the fodder, it should be "doctored". The subtraction is Ximenean, since the letters are in order.

"from" is inappropriate as a concatenation connector. Because of "from", it's unclear whether "aid" is to be removed from "the vocal bishop’s neighbour" or from "Half-witted doctor". "vocal bishop" only just manages to convey the homophone, but "the vocal" completely obscures even that.

Yes, there are too many things going on in the clue - first the solver has to come up with "bishop's neighbour=knight", then get the homophone of "knight", then somehow magically ignore "from" (how would the solver know when to ignore/include it?)

My take: Agree with the above mostly, but I'm with maddy in liking bishop's neighbour = KNIGHT.

Closing Thoughts

With Ximenean standards, as with religious texts, it is possible that followers sometimes take a narrow or rigid interpretation of the teachings that might not have been the original intent of the text. Who knows, some of the clues we tear apart for being unXimenean might have been accepted more leniently by Ximenes himself.

I work closely with quality control in the IT industry, and I find that no matter how robust our body of standards are, they will never cater to every possible scenario, and there will be some cases where it makes better sense to bypass the standard. I think that's true not just in IT but anywhere.

Your thoughts? How closely aligned are your own crossword sensibilities with those of Ximenes/Ximeneans?

Related Posts:

Quiz: What's unXimenean About It?

2010-01-20T00:05:00.001+05:30

As a follow-up to previous posts about Ximenes and Ximenean vs. Libertarian approaches to clueing, here is a little quiz for you.

A list of anagram clues, with their annotated solutions, is given below.

Each clue has some element that will make Ximeneans (i.e. crossword setters/enthusiasts who uphold the standards laid down by Ximenes) frown.

Your task is to

Say what is unXimenean about the clue.
Say whether you like the clue or not.

Put your thinking caps on and have your say. Comments will be held unpublished till Friday 22nd Jan 2010, so that those who visit late also get a fair chance to try.

1. Guardian 24902 (Bronxie): One who thinks about fluid (5) MUSER
Anagram of SERUM (fluid), with "about" as anagrind.

2. Independent 7215 (Radian): Derringer's exploits? (6) PISTOL
Anagram of PLOITS. PISTOL is ex-PLOITS.

3. Guardian 24070 (Rufus): Madly devouring without end, showing gusto (6) VIGOUR
Anagram of (DEVOURING – END), with "madly" as anagrind.

4. Sunday Times 4356: Secured, however noted error (8) BUTTONED
BUT (however) + (NOTED)*, with "error" as anagrind.

5. THC 9566 (Gridman): Engine parts from crate burst or fell apart (12) CARBURETTORS
(CRATE BURST OR)*, with "fell apart" as anagrind.

6. THC 9546 (Neyartha): Half-witted doctor declines aid from the vocal bishop’s neighbour (7,5) TWELFTH NIGHT
    Anagram of (HALFWITTED – AID) with "doctor" as anagrind.
    NIGHT is a homophone of KNIGHT, which is bishop's neighbour in chess.
   (Ignore the missing definition – this clue was part of a themed puzzle, in which answers were Shakespeare's plays.
    That's not the error here. Thanks to Ramna for pointing this out.)

Bring on those comments!

Related Posts:

Of Ximeneans and Libertarians

2010-01-14T16:14:00.001+05:30

Chaturvasi commented on The Hindu Crossword Hub, about the Everyman crossword:

One of the original composers of this crossword is Ximenes, who framed some strict conventions for the crossword.

Those who still follow them are known as Ximeneans. Those who don't follow them are libertarians.
(Who can say who among THC setters belong to which school?)

It is hardly such a black-and-white classification, I think. Many setters are Ximenean in varying degrees, and have good reasons why they differ from Ximenes at a few places. Setters who are tagged "Libertarian" can be fair and logical in their own way, which is what Ximenes essentially advocated. Libertarians, too, follow many of Ximenes' principles, if not all of them.

Not every non-Ximenean setter is Libertarian by default. He/she may simply be sloppy. There is a difference between deviating from a Ximenean rule because you're convinced that the rule is flawed or not applicable for your clue, and deviating because you cannot think of a better clue.

No proper setter - Ximenean or Libertarian - will write a clue in which the definition and the answer do not agree in part of speech, or in which "the French" passes off for any French word (THC solvers will know what I'm talking about!).

This calls for a Venn diagram representation.

The picture on the left is not a realistic way of looking at the two camps. Ximenean and Libertarian styles are not wholly disjoint. The diagram on the right is closer to how the styles of setting interrelate: there is overlap, and it shows that the translation Ximenean vs Libertarian=good vs bad may not be true.

Hindu Crossword Setters: Ximenean or not?

Which brings us to the original question, about which school THC setters belong to.

My thoughts:

Out of Gridman, Neyartha and Sankalak, Sankalak is closest to being purely Ximenean. (I was about to quote a few of his clues that are exceptions, but then decided to set them as an exercise for readers in a follow-up post.)

Over-cautious Ximenean setters can get predictable sometimes. I guess that's true of Sankalak. His clues are technically sound but can be too easy for experienced solvers.

Gridman experiments outside the boundaries of Ximenean-ness, without straying too far. He isn't strictly Ximenean but is fair, and generally has something unexpected to offer the solvers.

Neyartha often crosses the thin line between clever and unfair. Not very Ximenean!

In Closing

Enthusiasts like to analyse styles and place setters into Libertarian and Ximenean camps, but what matters to the normal solver is whether the crossword has been entertaining and fair. Whether that happens by following standards set by Ximenes or anyone else isn't so important.

What do you think?

Coming soon: List of clues by a variety of setters. You have to tell what's unXimenean about them.

Related Posts:

Themed Crossword Variations

2010-01-12T14:17:00.000+05:30

As the outcome of the Neyartha vocabulary poll suggests, many of us are not too happy with Neyartha's themed puzzles in The Hindu Crossword.

To summarize our objections:

the themes are dry, academic, lack humour
the answers are obscure words, unlikely to be known to those who have no interest in those specialized areas. Since the wordplay is complex too, the crossword requires heavy use of external aids for solving.
the entire set of answers is easily obtained with one Google search, after which the game is over – it's just a matter of matching the words with the grid.

I have some suggestions that would retain the concept of thematic grids but also keep non-scholarly solvers entertained. Here goes.

Unstated Themes

Neyartha does unstated themes even now but that's hardly a change from the starred clues without definition style, because the definitions are the same in all clues, like "dance" (THC 9515) or "a pattern in the sky" (THC 9733). The theme is obvious even before we start solving.

How much more enjoyable the crossword will be if the theme unfolds slowly as the grid fills up. This can happen if the commonality depends on the answers and not their definitions.

If we find words in the grid like CACAPHONY, VITAL STATISTICS, IMPEDIMENT, GET A FIX, we'd exclaim - "Hold on, these are words on which names of Asterix characters are based." Knowing the theme might help to fill up the slots for OBELISK and FULLY AUTOMATIC, but we'll need to solve some before that can happen.

Open-Ended Themes

Themes in which all the answers aren't from a fixed, definite set and cannot be looked up at one place on the internet.

The setter can challenge the solver to think of related words in various, unexpected directions. A list like WAVE, RAPUNZEL, SHOCK TREATMENT, HAIR-SPLITTING, SPRAY, CHAETOPHOBIA, FRINGE are all linked to the theme 'HAIR', but it's not a list you'll find on a single Wikipedia page.

Subtle Themes

Themes can be made difficult to discover, and will provide a lot of satisfaction to solvers who do work them out.

For example, words like GENTLEMAN, INDIAN, JEANS, BOYS, STRANGER, ROBOT have no obvious link, but the Tamil movie buff will see that they're names, or translations of names, of movies directed by S. Shankar.

===

In all the above examples, solving does not suffer if the theme is undiscovered, and gives a thrill when it is.

I'll be happy to see The Hindu Crossword do something like this for a change.

Related Posts:

Poll Result: Should Neyartha use fewer “GK words”?

2010-01-11T17:20:00.001+05:30

Thanks to all who voted and spread the word about the poll: Should Neyartha use fewer "GK words" in The Hindu Crossword grid?

For those who came in late, this poll was set up on 7th Jan 2010 for Hindu Crossword solvers to say what they think of compiler Neyartha's use of scholarly themes and obscure words.

It's now time to declare the much-awaited result.

Result Announcement

A total of 90 votes were cast. The findings:

80% want Neyartha to use more accessible words
18% do not mind the specialist trivia, but want fair clues
2% are happy with status quo

View the poll result online here.

This may or may not be an accurate representation of the opinion of all The Hindu Crossword solvers, but like all such studies, we extrapolate the results from a subsection to reach an estimate.

What Next?

Neyartha has responded on the blog in the past (link: THC 9639), and comes across as a compiler who cares about solvers' feedback, so I hope he reads this and takes our views into consideration.

Neyartha clearly has a flair for themed grid fills; it'd be great if he would choose themes more entertaining to the ordinary solver. A detailed post tomorrow with further thoughts on crossword themes.

Related Posts:

Poll: Should Neyartha use fewer “GK words”?

2010-01-07T07:38:00.001+05:30

The Hindu Crossword solvers are all too familiar with Neyartha's heavy use of specialist vocabulary. Yesterday's puzzle (THC 9733) had so many obscure words that I didn't even have enough crossings for guesswork.

If a crossword themed on patterns in the sky appeared in a magazine on astronomy, I wouldn't object. But is this crossword really appropriate for a general newspaper, that many of us (like me) do on our commute without access to any internet-enabled device?

I'd like to know how many of us feel the same way. Maybe if a majority says one thing, Neyartha might listen!

Answer this poll. Please spread the word to other Hindu crossword solvers. Entries close on Monday 11th Jan 2010, 10AM IST. Results that evening.

Should Neyartha to put in fewer &ampampquotGK words" in The Hindu Crossword grid?(poll)

Only one vote per person, please! Duplicate votes can be tracked and will be deleted.

Update: Poll result announced.

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What are Ximenean clues?

2010-01-05T20:06:00.001+05:30

A few years ago, I came across the word 'Ximenean' in an esoteric discussion on a crossword forum. A clue was being scoffed at for being devoid of this quality. Having never read a book about cryptics or known anyone who could explain that, I was awestruck. (There is something about the word 'Ximenean' that has that effect.) A frantic search online followed, which led to my introduction to the art and precision that lies behind cryptic crosswords.

If this is the first time you're hearing the word 'Ximenean', I hope to make the experience less nerve-racking for you :) Read on…

Origin of the word 'Ximenean'

The word comes from 'Ximenes', the pseudonym of compiler Derrick Somerset Macnutt who set crosswords for The Observer from 1939 until his death in 1971.

Ximenes is regarded the finest compiler ever, and is often called the "father of the modern cryptic crossword".

Ximenes' repute is not just for his puzzles, but for the standards he laid down for creating good crosswords. His principles of crossword composition were gradually recognized and adopted as a kind of model for setting by other daily puzzles too.

So when people say that a clue, crossword grid or setter is Ximenean, they mean that the clue/grid/setter abides by the standards set by Ximenes. Likewise, an unXimenean (or non-Ximenean) clue/grid is one that violates Ximenes' principles.

An overview of Ximenean principles

The essence of Ximenes' canons is to be fair to the solver at all times. His guidelines cover various aspects of crossword design – from making and populating the grid, to writing scrupulously fair clues.

Some of the important clue-writing standards are:

Appropriate indicators for all clue types
No indirect anagrams
No misleading connectors or punctuation
Unambiguous, unique answer to every clue

For a full understanding of Ximenean standards, I'll refer you directly to the master himself. Read:

The Book: Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword

This 1966 book - Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword (reissued 2001) – is Ximenes' comprehensive work about cryptic crosswords. The book is a must-read for any crossword enthusiast, with information of interest to solvers and setters alike.

Look here for an excerpt from the book, and reader reviews.

(Residents of India - beg, borrow, steal from friends overseas - the book is not available in the country. If you find any online bookstore that delivers to an Indian address, please leave a comment about it on this post.)

For Further Reading

Two articles about Ximenean clueing written by one of the most brilliant compilers I know of today. Read Alberich on What is Ximenean clueing all about? and More thoughts on Ximenean clueing.
Derek Harrison's page on the life and work of Ximenes. This also includes a poem written by author Colin Dexter as a tribute to Ximenes.
Crossword by Ximenes, of the barred grid style. Also from Derek Harrison's site.

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THC 9729 Has A Hidden Message!

2010-01-01T08:51:00.000+05:30

The Hindu Crossword 9729 appeared in the paper today with the by-line of Gridman, out of turn as M.Manna's sequence of 7 grids is not yet over.

The Hindu doesn't generally shuffle its setter sequence, so this was curious. More so because the grid did not look like Gridman's at all. It isn't one of his standard grids, and it isn't a particularly pretty grid either. Black patches at the top-right/bottom-left? Two consecutive unches at the start of words? What's happened to Gridman, was my first reaction.

With the puzzle solved, all of it made sense. It's a special puzzle, with a message encoded in the grid. Did you see it while solving? If not, do you see it now?

The filled-in grid is below. A few hours later, I'll replace it with another that highlights the message. Look for the message meanwhile, and leave a comment about it. Update: Grid replaced!

Hidden Message Deciphered

The perimeter spells out, starting from the bottom-right in clockwise direction:

WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Congrats to Ganesh, sriks7, Bhavan, Col Gopinath, Musical Scientist, raghunath – you got it right!

To accommodate the message around the entire perimeter, perhaps, Gridman chose a grid with unusually high blacks/unches. A better option might have been to hide in a longer message to avoid blacks in the perimeter. Or to put the message in other parts of the grid, such as the circle spanning the 2nd row-column. The special grid would have also retained its fairness/aesthetic value that way.

Of course, the clues are uniformly sound so the grid does not cause difficulty in solving.

A secret message of this kind is called a Nina, which I wrote about a couple of months ago over here: What is a Nina?

This was a treat, a promising cruciverbal beginning to the New Year 2010. Thank you, The Hindu and Gridman, for giving us solvers an unexpected New Year gift.

Related Posts:

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2009: Year-End Round Up

2009-12-29T16:12:00.001+05:30

As the year comes to a close, sharing with you the five most popular articles written in 2009 on Crossword Unclued. In case you're new here or have missed them earlier, do check them out.

Hope you are taking time off during the holiday week. Enjoy the festive season and have a great New Year!

Top 5 Popular (Most-Read) Articles

	Cryptic Crosswords A Threat To Criminal Justice? A"research" which concludes that exposure to cryptic crosswords messes up one's ability to recognize people. This article was most viewed by readers from Twitter.
	New York Times Election Day Crossword A special crossword published in 1996 in the New York Times, which is evidently popular even now given the number of Google searches for it each day.
	Seth Godin Defines Enormity A linguistic faux pas by the business guru Seth Godin. An error that a cruciverbalist will never make.
	Hindu Crossword Compilers: Your Views? Lively discussion in the comments section about the Hindu crossword compilers. Most viewed by readers from India.
	More Tips For Solving Cryptic Crosswords Some tips to help you become a better solver. This article got me the most emailed responses.

A big thank you for reading!

What was your favourite Crossword Unclued post of 2009? Is there any specific topic you'd like me write about in 2010? Let me know, I'll try to plan an article around it. Please leave a comment or email any feedback/suggestions to me at []. Best wishes for the New Year once again!

How to track updates on Crossword Unclued

2009-12-23T16:53:00.001+05:30

A quick reminder about the ways in which you can stay informed about new content on Crossword Unclued. If you like this site, sign up using your favourite option. Keep in touch!

Wish you a most enjoyable Yuletide and a very happy New Year 2010!

	Subscribe via RSS Gives you instant updates and you can categorize and share posts. If you aren't familiar with RSS, see this 3-min video: RSS in Plain English. Click here to subscribe via RSS.
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	Follow me on twitter New post links are shared through twitter @ShuchiU. I occasionally share other links/trivia of interest to cryptic crossword solvers, which I might not post about on the blog. Follow @ShuchiU on twitter.

Special Grid in The Hindu Crossword 9719

2009-12-20T22:56:00.000+05:30

The completed grid of today's The Hindu Crossword 9719 (Gridman) looks like this -

Notice something special?

It's a pangram!

A pangram in cryptic crosswords is a grid that uses each letter of the alphabet at least once. More about pangrams here.

First time ever?

I haven't come across a pangrammatic grid in the Hindu crossword before, but that may be because I haven't looked hard enough. Can other solvers confirm?

Grid Analysis

Pangrammatic grids tend to have more obscure words than usual, since the setter has an additional restriction to take care of when assigning answers to the lights.

I must compliment Gridman for creating a pangram - including "difficult" letters like X and Y not once but multiple times - without resorting to esoteric vocabulary. There's a setter with consummate command over grid fills.

THC 9719 contains 156 letters, spanning the alphabet as below:

Related Posts:

Pangrammatic Grids
Gridman Trivia: Word usage patterns in Gridman's puzzles
GridmANalysis (by guest author Chaturvasi) – An analysis of the lattices used by Gridman.
The Hindu Crossword 9564 (Gridman)

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On clues that reveal too much

2009-12-15T21:24:00.001+05:30

Some time ago, this question came up on the Hindu crossword forum:

Isn't there a limit to the length of the word that is given gratis in a clue?

THC 9575 (M.Manna): Editor accepted strange way to be removed (9) E{STRANGE}D

Sometimes we might get a, the or similar small components without our having to scratch our heads for it.
But a seven-letter word?
What do you think?

A clue that divulges a large chunk of the solution without some form of 'encoding' is generally considered defective.

What’s wrong with reusing part of the clue in the answer?

The commonly associated reasons –

It makes solving too easy to be enjoyable for the solver
It shows that the clue-writer has not worked hard enough to make the clue suitably cryptic

These objections are certainly valid for the bulk of clues with this property.

Revisiting the quoted Manna clue:
THC 9575 (M.Manna): Editor accepted strange way to be removed (9) E{STRANGE}D
"strange" is directly taken from the clue into the answer. This is jarring, since the setter could have easily used another word in its place without loss of meaning.

A second example, the unbeatable classic in which the full solution is revealed in the clue.
[If ever a compilation is made of the worst clues published in a national daily, this will be a strong contender for the top position.]
THC 9370 (Nita Jaggi): A different diet, combined into one for the United Nations (6) UNITED

In poor clues, the appearance of a large portion of the answer in the clue is usually not its only problem, as the clues above exemplify.

But consider this.

What if…

the clue has other forms of complexity, such as a lateral definition, which makes it not-so-simple even if the wordplay exposes much of the answer?
the clue-writer has carefully considered possibilities and then concluded that the surface is the most compelling with the portion given as-is, than with any replacement?

Examples where the clue is better because of the letters given free

A clue by Afrit:
This looks like a serious shortage, and a penny less would look like nothing on earth! (6)
Solution: DEARTH. A penny (D) less makes it EARTH, which is nothing on EARTH.
The beauty of this clue lies in the clever use of the idiom "like nothing on earth". A simple replacement won't work here – it can't be rewritten as "like nothing on a planet". The clue may be easy, but isn't it better easy & witty, than tough & dull?

Another clue, by dram from Anax's clue-writing contests:
Tomb originally raided by the young Lara Croft perhaps? (6)
Solution: TOMBOY. TOMB + OY, 'raided' indicating removing the insides of 'OriginallY'.
One could argue that "TOMB" makes up more than 50% of the answer, and knock off points for that. What a pity that would be. This clue, brilliantly themed after the Tomb Raider video games/films, will be butchered if we conform to some rule about word segment lengths and substitute "tomb" with a synonym.

In Closing

The real issue is not with the solution being spelt out in the clue, it is with the clue not being challenging enough or entertaining enough. As long as the setter can address those concerns and create a satisfying solving experience, why then should this be treated as a flaw?

Instead of thinking of parameters like "what percentage of letters can the setter give away gratis", let's look at the overall effect of the clue and not bind it to unyielding standards of technical precision.

Related Posts:

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