Solution to 18A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
Questions, questions and questions as usual!!
Rangoli by Gowri for Nonbu
ACROSS
6 Rating excellent for girl on a scale of hotness (7) RANKINE RANKIN(-g+e)E Excellent/E ? See comments
7 Texas city’s doing well — an old grassy plain (5) LLANO [T] What's the Telescopic indicator? This could also be a DD? What's the role of 'doing'?
10 Ground rules established in team abruptly with a... (5,5) TERRA FIRMA {TE{RR}Am}{FIRM}{A} If established is firm the solution will read {RR}{FIRM} in {TEAm}{A}
11 ... view to return fire about the German strain (8) COLANDER {C{LO<=}AN}{DER} Definition should be 'strainer' and not just strain!!
13 Like a garden tool in style? (6) RAKISH [DD]
18 Some cones without this whipped dressing (4) R?D? (Addendum - REDS - See comments)
19 Rash move, returning empty-handed from European nation to America? (6) ECZEMA {E}{CZ}{MovE<=}{A}
20 Paragon’s first pair of chappals, new one to walk all over — abruptly returned up front (8) NONESUCH {CHa...s}<=>{N}{ONE}SUC Anno for SU not clear (Addendum - {CHa...s}<=>{N}{ONE}{USe<=} - See comments)
23 “Person who treats? My foot!” After eating, complaint lacking bite — no appeal (10) PODIATRIST Anno pending (Addendum - PO{DIATRIbe}ST} - See comments)
26 Fleece distributed in secret by sheep tender in African country (4) CEDI [T] What's the role of 'sheep'?
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DOWN
1 Each separately transformed into a team with enthusiasm in the beginning (3,2,1,4) ONE AT A TIME {INTO+A+TEAM}*{En...m}
2 Dripping with love, missing dearie turned up at the outskirts and teared up (6) MISTED {MoIST}{DeariE<=}
3 Come closer in private, lend me an ear (4) NEAR [T] What's the role of 'Private, lend me'? See comments
6 Run out of songs abruptly on the way to competition (5) RODEO {RO}DEO Anno pending (Addendum - {R{ODEs}O} - See comments)
8 Mixed no drugs in some doses curiously (7) OSMOSED If there are no drugs both E's will be removed and there is an extra S in the fodder!! Mixed or Diffused? {Addendum - {SOMe+DOSEs}*See comments
12 Heard someone from Castamere is to rule? (5) REIGN (~rain)
14 Former Soviet leader’s hard manoeuvres crush onset of hostility in non-independent Kiev (10) KHRUSHCHEV {H}{CRUSH*}{Ho...y} in {KiEV}
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17 Dress tailor returning jersey finally - groom's top (8) BEAUTIFY {FIT<=}{j...eY}<=>{BEAU}
21 Rat! Stray rat in University (6) NUTRIA {RAT+IN+U}*
24 Vodafone partner not quite the best (4) IDEA IDEAl
25 Excellent returns? Earning trimmed not a bit (4) IOTA {1{nOT}A<=}
Reference List
Excellent = E, Girl = G, Edited = ED, Rule = R, View = LO, European = E, The in German = DER, America = A, New = N, Criminal = AL, Run out = RO, Drug = E, Hard = H, Independent = I, Caught = C, Luxembourg = L, University = U, Notice = AD, Time = CE(Common era)
20a walk all over is "use" abruptly, returned
ReplyDelete6d R{ODE(-s)}O
ReplyDelete23A: After=Post
ReplyDeleteComplaint=Diatribe lacking BE from B(-it)E
PO{DIATRI(-be)}ST
DeleteIT from appeal?
DeleteDiatribe- BE and BE for BITE-IT. Deletion within deletion.
Somehow I couldn't get diatribe to mellow down to complaint.
DeleteExcellent solve. I solved only BITE-IE = BE. the word Diatribe was amazing. Altermatively close to the Noice & voilance.
DeleteGreat solve, thank you. What a feet!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteTH: Why this Kollavari?
ReplyDelete😀😀😀
DeleteYes, absolutely! Why indeed?
Delete+1
Delete:D
Delete27ac.SHEAF S(HEA)F
ReplyDeleteS... F?? How do you get s f?
ReplyDeleteSF sforzando:with force
DeleteThat's correct.
DeleteTried to kick start,sputtered and finally gave up. It is for the experts to TRY to unscramble. Not for me.
ReplyDeleteYes, one gets nothing from the surface reading.
ReplyDeleteIf the setter can use redundant words, complex faulty wordplays, at least he/she should put a decent surface in clues.
DeleteThanks for the tip. Will consider writing clues with decent surfaces. :)
DeleteI think i will stick to Rangolis & stories. After 15 mins - got just 6 answers & a beating to my confidence. 😊😊😊
ReplyDeleteI neither have Rangoli (nonbu was superb) nor story to write. So ? Better to do some other CW or read a book.
DeleteNothing to lose confidence about.
Thanx Paddy!!! (😊)
DeleteGreat to hear. sometimes I got aha moments. by geting answers really our confidence level reaches further height. Nice Rangoli on the eve of Karadyaan Nonbu. very famous and traditional.
DeleteExcellent Rangoli.
DeleteSurfaces make absolutely no sense...I gave up on solving :(
ReplyDeleteToo many abrupt returns!
ReplyDeleteI leave it to the experts.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, no India/SL cricket, for a healthy time pass.
Managed to solve just five of the clues (17-A, 3-D, 6-D, 14-D and 24-D). Compiler WrdPlougher's grid is too complex since the possible inklings on the links have been eclipsed beyond one's comprehension.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the clues have to be ideal brain-teasers and also an exercise for wordplay but today's grid is not in tune with this logic.
"OM Namah Shivaaya! Peace". Setter seems to be telling us this through Nina
ReplyDeleteI confess WrdPlougher, My tranquility got thoroughly tested today!
DeleteOh, CPC, good observation on NINA
DeleteGood spot, sir. Thank you for noticing the Nina. The grid was meant for March 1, but seems to have been postponed, perhaps to test my patience? :)
DeleteWhat's the highest award for blogging? Colonel deserves that.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the puzzle is concerned,less said the better
+1. Kudos to Col. for getting this far when all of us were still ploughing around.
DeleteTrue .
Delete+1 I truly understand a soldier's commitment now. (I had stopped solving and only try those leftovers.)
Delete18 A
ReplyDeleteAnswer is REDS
Anno not easy to decipher
Could it be Rods? Rods & cones....
ReplyDeleteREDS is correct ✅ I presume but not able to get at the anno
DeleteYes sir. The answer is REDS. The original clue was ‘Left some cones (4)’. DD — The Left collectively are REDS. REDS are also 64% of the three types of photoreceptor colour cones found in the human eye.
DeleteThe other clue I had submitted was ‘Some cones squeak with this whipped dressing (4)’. Composite anagram where Squeak is SING, and REDS + SING is an an anagram (whipped) of dressing.
Apologies if this was too hard to “see”.
17A Your clue reads: Some cones without this whipped dressing(4)
DeleteHow does one remove 'sing' from the anagram of Dressing? You mean to say without
means 'left'? Your definition is itself dubious. How does one equate 'some cones' with
only 'reds'? Why not ice cream cones?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIf THC is allowing this type of clue, assuming squeak (was missed out in whatever devil)
DeleteThen I should apologise to AJ ji for pointing out in the Sunday special.
But they are connected with our eyes and vision.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the tough experience. As a setter, one small tip. I suggest that we should not try to conquer the puzzle and then feel frustrated by failure. Instead, we can try to enjoy the vivid story told by each clue’s surface and the creative twists and turns of language available in each bit of wordplay. Promise you, this positive and non-judgmental mindset will allow us to solve more clues successfully! We are not here to impress anybody or pass judgment. Cryptic crosswords (setting and solving) is a quiet earnest activity of inward enjoyment. All the best,
ReplyDeleteRegards
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am commenting here for the first time. Forced to write here after a series of terrible crosswords by WrdPlougher month after month. Vivid story in each clue? Let me give you some news. The surfaces of your clues are exceptionally bad and completely senseless. Sorry, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are an amateur. You are dramatically lowering the quality of crosswords in TH. How you can continue setting for TH after getting such feedback from solvers for every single one of your crosswords is surprising. Request you to see the writing on the wall and stop setting. Please!
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I will be writing a letter to the TH editor re these poor crosswords.
I request all tormented solvers to do the same.
WrdPlougher, most of the people on this blog are experienced solvers, so stop giving tips
ReplyDeleteand concentrate on writing sensible clues. To quote you "we can try to enjoy the vivid
story told by each clue’s surface and the creative twists and turns of language
available in each bit of wordplay". My God! Which world are you living in?
Am a bit surprised to read such unkind remarks from experienced setters and solvers. I never thought I was so bad! My aforementioned “tip” was just to alleviate solvers’ distress, and not to be arrogant. But I know it's not wise to argue with veterans of this pastime. Am not perfect, and I do make mistakes just like all other THC setters, and am happy to stand corrected wherever have erred. I reiterate that I believe each and every surface of my clues is highly sensible and entertaining, and the cryptic grammar largely passable if not pretty sound. Maybe am mistaken. If someone can point out even a single surface that was senseless and explain why, I am happy to learn from them and improve. Would be rather unfortunate if everyone collectively blackballs me simply because my grids are more challenging than what this community of solvers is used to. That said, if my work is receiving so much vitriol, maybe I do need to go back to the drawing board after all. Peace!
ReplyDeleteThe owner of this blog has kindly and patiently pointed out what is problematic by his comments on several clues. Read them! Do you really think so many solvers will complain without any reason?
ReplyDeleteNot a veteran, still learning the tricks of solving. I would be happy to get answers from you. Here's a few questions:
ReplyDelete1. Wise men can imagine esoteric things (4) - what is the answer to this clue? Is MAGI the correct answer? Is it a telescopic clue? If yes, what is the telescopic indicator? What are the roles played by the words 'can', 'esoteric' and 'thing'?
2. Fleece distributed in secret by sheep tender in African country (4) What could the surface possibly mean? Sheep does not play a role in wordplay or definition.
3. Come closer in private, lend me an ear (4) Is it a telescopic clue? Should the word not be totally contained within the fodder? Why lend me? I assume in private is the indicator.
4. Ground rules established in team abruptly with a... (5,5) Is the anno provided by Col correct? If so, do you see the problem there? Also, what does the surface mean?
How, as a solver, am I supposed to know which words are to be used and which words are simply sitting there doing nothing? I am aware there are rules. I am also aware that rules can be broken, but that cannot be the norm. Extra words are not encouraged in a grid. The idea of a grid is not to throw off a solver with random extra words but to guide them with a fodder, an indicator what to do with the fodder, and a definition. And an occasional connector maybe. And of course, the surface should mean something. Every now and then I come across challenging grids with clues that are short and precise, with clear instructions, still difficult to crack. I enjoy those, I work hard on them, sometimes fail, but most of the times I learn. With those grids I don't have to play a little probability game called "is this word a part of wordplay or is it just a word setter thought would look pretty?"
At the end of the day, you are setting the grid for people solving TH grids. Why you would not listen to them beats me. Anyway, although you seem to be happy with what you have achieved, I am willing to engage with you, with my limited knowledge.
This setter inspite of pointing out uses with in the sense of without
ReplyDeleteSo the anno for 10a is
Te(RR+firm)A without a.
12d it's a ref to member of house of reyne. The rain in the song is actually a play on the reyne.
ReplyDeleteSorry I have to say this here. But next time this setter appears and I find that there is no improvement whatsoever in the standard of cluing I will not be blogging on it and will take a holiday. Something which I have not done since I started this blog in Feb 2009.
ReplyDeleteRespected Colonel sir, request you not to ostracise me when am taking such pains and working so hard to acquaint our community of solvers with myself and my approach to writing clues. Without solvers, a setter may as well be swatting flies all day. You may go through my clarifications and see if you are persuaded to revise your opinion of me. Thank you and namaskarams.
DeleteSorry, I went through your laborious replies and I am not convinced.
DeleteHowever, so as to not spoil the enjoyment, if any, of some of the visitors to my blog I will post the blank clue. The comments section will be closed for that day.
ReplyDeleteSure, Nr. Venkatesh. Having gone through the pending or incorrect annos in this blogpost, am happy to respond to the problems raised by the honourable Col. Will be giving my elucidations in a separate comment below.
ReplyDeleteDebasmita-ji, I appreciate your concerns regarding surfaces and redundant words. A surface is meaningful prima facie, and it is up to the solver to either see the self-evident meaning in it or not. Also, will respond to the issue of redundant words in another post. Agree with you about the importance of avoiding superfluous terms, although have seen many setters resort to them in their grids. Hope you understand that I'm fully in favour of lending an ear to solvers. That is why I am here participating in this comments section to explain my viewpoints reasonably. With thanks and kind regards, WrdPlougher
My comments to the pending or incomplete annos in the blogging of today's grid.
ReplyDeleteIMHO, in a telescopic clue, we need to have a definition, a hidden word indicator and the answer may be held anywhere in the rest of the surface. I don’t understand why the bogey of superfluous words is being raised here when, besides the def and the ind, any part of the clue is allowed to contain the answer. And the hidden answer is usually visible in plain sight, offsetting the challenge often posed by redundant words in other clue types. Making it very easy for solvers.
6A — E for Excellent is a common abbreviation that I’ve known since childhood. It is also listed in Collins dictionary. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/e
7A — This one has a mixture of devices, as the Colonel noticed. LLANO is a ‘Texas city’ as well as a ‘grassy plain’. ‘Is doing’ is also a fair hidden word indicator — ‘is doing’ in the sense “is occupied with/by” or “is arresting”.
10A ‘rules’ = RR; ‘established’ = FIRM; ‘team abruptly’ = TEA; ‘in’ means insert RRFIRM inside TEA, making TERRFIRMA; finally, ‘with a’ = insertion of A. Had explained last puzzle that ‘with’ is a valid containment indicator with this example — if a woman is “with child”, she is bearing a foetus inside her body. So, ‘with’ denotes containment.
11A I have always colloquially heard of a ‘soup strainer’ being called a ‘soup strain’. Most solvers are colloquial users of English and only rely on the dictionary to find unheard-of words. Agreed that this may be considered unfair. Can try to avoid this pitfall in future. My apologies.
18A As already mentioned, there was an issue with submission of multiple clue versions, which seems to have confused the keen eyes of TH desk. They have changed it online now. The intended clue was ‘Left some cones (4)’ The capitalised L is significant in connoting the collective political group with a Communist leaning.
20A ‘first pair of chappals’ = CH; ‘new’ = N; ‘ones’ = ONES; ‘to walk all over abruptly’ = USE minus E = US; ‘returned’ = reversal into SU; ‘up front’ = position indicator to place NONESU at the very front, before CH.
26A Pls see my note on hidden word clues. ‘Sheep’ is the fleece padding the surface as is legally allowed in a hidden word clue. The surface is self-evident — it is literally talking about fleece that is distributed in secret by a sheep tender in an African country.
27A ‘Forcefully’ = SF for sforzando in western classical music notation; ‘grabbing’ = containment/insertion; ‘cHEAt’s midriff’ = HEA. ‘chunk’ = def = SHEAF. Hope the Annos c can be updated once solvers/commenters have correctly figured it out.
3D Pls see my note on hidden word clues. ‘In private’ denotes secrecy and therefore is indication of hidden word.
6D ‘Run out’ = RO; ‘songs abruptly’ = ODES; ‘of’ denotes containment like a ‘bag of chips’ is a bag that contains chips.
8D ‘curiously’ = anagrind; ‘some doses’ OSMOSEDES ‘no’ = deletion indicator; ‘drug’ = E; the ‘s’ at the end of that word is the S to be removed along with E. Since osmosis is an intermingling of fluids through diffusion, ‘mixed’ is an apt synonym for OSMOSED.
12D Not “rain”. This is an easy Game of Thrones pop-culture GK reference. The Reynes are a dynastic family from the fictional region of Castamere. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rains_of_Castamere_(song)
14D There is a grammatical issue here, and no one has caught it. Ideally, I ought to have avoided using ‘manoeuvres’ as an anagrind in the present tense form here since it is preceding the fodder.
Hopefully, I have managed in some small way to persuade solvers on this hearty-yet-harsh blog to see the cryptic and surface validity of my clues, my clueing ethics, and that I am always open to correcting myself and clarifying wherever I find it necessary. Ideally, I owe explanations and clarifications only to the TH desk, but hey, I value my friendship with my solvers too!
Thanks,
Regards
WrdPlougher
Superfluous us superfluous as the name suggests, it cannot be justified.
DeleteE for Excellent is not 8n Chambers
I don't know in which part of the world a Soup Strainer is called a Soup Strain!!
The E and S gaffe has been questioned below
I stand by my decision about blogging your CW unless I find it fit enough to be blogged.
Ok sir. Respect your views. Will keep ploughing on till you find my work fit enough to be blogged.
Delete"with child" is an idiom?/euphemism. Which means own/private/peculiar.
DeleteDoes any of them mean general, rule or anything remotely transposable?
Which is why also there seems to be no other example to justify "with".
One can't cut a word out of an idiom and attribute it a general meaning.
But idioms seem to be the norm and general an exception
You refuse to see it inspite of pointing out last time.
"I have been hearing it since my childhood"
Hope TH hears it.
We hear different things, a lot of different things.
This platform (THC) is not a platform to decipher you, pleas don't make it one.
It's a platform to decipher English language, really.
E for excellent is listed under American usage, which means not a native of THC or we have moved out of British English?
And then that excellent was a grading system way before many of us were born, it was standardised to A-F system. Not in general use anymore!
Dictionaries sometimes, like encyclo's, keep the meaning of the words for time travellers!!
Not for us souls living in the present.
Archaic listed in British OED itself is frowned upon, not to mention lost words in an obscure Foreign setting that had limited time usage.
I have come across E for excellent in used goods markets. But it hasn't yet moved to general or main stream.
Please stop searching for archaic/lost/limited foreign in a futile search to beat solvers.
And if you follow fifteensquared, everyman is frowned upon usage of perfectly normal Britain only words for the paper it publishes is British. Even he gets flaked for archaic, parochial usages.
Col, you still want to try and solve?
Sir, setters avoid superfluity in order to declutter the clue so that solvers are not sent on wild goose chases wondering which is an indicator, which the fodder and which the definition. My point was that in a Telescopic clue, since the word is visible in plain sight, the solver is not as disadvantaged as they might be by the superfluous words we avoid in other clue types, and therefore I consider it fair. In Telescopic clues alone, mind.
DeleteIdioms, expressions, and conventional usages are the best way to understand the syntactical function of a word, I believe. They are the source from we derive word meanings and usage rules. Just like old musical compositions are the source of our knowledge of each raga, just like literature is our doorway into the English language. Yes, I too don't like to cut out single-letter abbreviations from compound abbreviations like for example plucking out E for Excellency from HE, or B for Bodied from AB, etc. Those are not on. E for Excellent would strike even a toddler. And certainly it would strike veteran crossword-solvers. That's my litmus test.
When I want to use an Archaic word or abbreviation, I try to ensure that I indicate it with suitable words like ‘old’, ‘previously’ ‘former’, ‘back in the day’ etc.
Sorry. A lot of it went above my head. But
ReplyDelete@Prasad/ Ajeesh
In 8d - drugs to be taken as ES? Or EE?
Then rules will be taken as RS & not RR?
Kindly explain.
Thanx
Ditto
DeleteThe annotation provided by Wrdplougher is more confusing than the clues! Phew!!
DeleteTo add the last word:you never ever can justify writing bad clues. Period.
DeleteI feel that Wrdplougher is part of the crossword editorial team(otherwise who would publish this puzzle). In fact the recent hash made of some clues set by respectable setters shows the level of the crossword editorial team. Request the editor, who I think is Wrdplougher himself, should completely take a break from crosswords.
DeleteI had a very long answer but cut and saved for another time.
DeleteAfter ranger, I reply only because my name was taken.
In short: the art of getting e&s is if it were drug's. Not drugs (Unless there is a drug S).
If this is true Vasant, this is shocking! But it explains everything. I will be sending a DM to Nambath about this on Twitter.
DeleteIf he is a member of the editorial team or the TH desk as he calls it, them it's unethical
Deleteof him to grade other setters' work, being a setter himself. I will definitely take it
up with the higher authorities in the Hindu. This is blatantly unfair and no wonder he
says 'I owe explanations and clarifications only to the TH desk'.
Both EE and ES are fair choices for a solver to make when they see ‘drugs’. In the first case, we abbreviate Ecstasy, an example of a drug, as E and select it twice. In the second case, we use elision to separate ‘drug’ and ‘s’ and select E and S separately. Both are fair IMO. Have studied Arden’s puzzles closely, and he is a well-known exponent of the lift-and-separate technique. Gridman used it too, I believe. Same goes for Rules = RR and/or RS. Although, perhaps RR/RS is more fair to solver since ‘rule = R’ is a straight standard abbreviation, whereas EE/ES involves one more step of selecting one option from a several possible synonyms.
DeleteDear WrdPlougher
ReplyDeleteToday has been a day of intense debate muchly unfavourable to you. I am not going to add to it. But I have a few words. To set context, 7 more persons have set more puzzles than me here. 2 of them unfortunately are no more. 2 stopped setting. 3 are still active. So I am assuming that I have some credibility in saying what I am about to say.
1) As a setter, I feel that I win when the grid is completed
2) As a solver, I feel contented when the grid is completed
3) As a setter while I want to set a challenging puzzle, when solvers complain I think of them as consumers and if my product needs to sell, they should like it and thus I should tweak
4) As a setter, I like innovations but only when they are slipped in as one or two clues and not the whole grid
5) In the initial days of my setting, I was using one Beresford's list of abbreviations. It was a compilation of all the abbreviations used then. But amateur solvers know common ones only. Even today I have a Chambers Crossword Dictionary of Abbreviations but many of them are odd. So, if we want them to succeed, which should be our only motive, then we should let them.
6) Even today, every now & then I switch to Basic English as against Default because words are simpler. Beacuse Alcatraz reaches lesser.
7) Someone like Arden who has set 500 puzzles - you just hear him. Open the mouth to clarify doubts. No it's not slavish. Its learning
8) This is a community. We don't blackball anyone. We just get disinterested. In the last 14 years, I have never seen Colonel asking so many questions. He is the one who provided the platform for many of us starting from Yours Truly
9) The community will help test solving. My quadraple was run through Colonel many times before it was submitted.
10) We are delighted when our people win. Join the community. Spar with us. Learn, teach, make the art better
11) This is the one of the games where both sides play on the same side. Never forget that.
I see your eagerness, your ability but convention is different from a rule book. There are many things that are legal,yet we don't do.
Thank you, Afterdark sir. I find your empathetic advice truly enlightening, and will continue to strive for the consumer’s approval like you recommend. Consumer is king, and maybe I need a break from setting to fully assimilate this notion.
DeleteI know you will. You had put in efforts. You were genuine. Well intentioned. I don't want today's negative comments to de-track you. In puzzles I feel the victory is in making the users feel genius. We are just caterers. Best of luck for your next. Open to help. We all mean good only
DeleteAnd I have always felt that relationship with Afterdark happened much later than the relationship with the clues happened. It's never us. It's the clues.
DeleteVery good factual summing up by Shrikanth. As he stated at first a completed Grid brings/ should bring satisfaction to both the solver and setter alike. If CW's are set with that in mind both will be happy.
ReplyDeleteOne big plus point of TH is the CW prepared by its own setters and not a syndicated one. And that should be liked by all solvers and be solvable by them using known conventions. Otherwise what is the point?
There should be no need for setters to 'explain'their clues- they should just speak for themselves.
+1
DeleteActually I try to keep 1 across as simple as possible. That's the hook. It's like an opening scene of a film. Setters don't exist if solvers aren't . So tease. Never armwrestle
DeleteThanks Shri for the encouraging and enlightening words on the art of setting. Have learnt a lot from you over the last year.
ReplyDeleteIt is heartening to see that this niche (and might I add, dying) obsession is getting this sort of backing and push to ensure it lives and flourishes.
Kind of Scorsese pushing for film preservation :)
Is crossword setting a dying art??? No.... i think. Scorsese is pushing for shooting in film vs digital medium.
ReplyDeleteI think CW setting has already crossed that barrier - from paper pencil to interactive versions.
But, yes
Shrikanth - Thanx for
- such an informative & thoughtful post
- a mature & inclusive attitude, giving every person ample opportunity to learn & improve.
Such a positive approach to create a win - win situation for all.
I would love to learn & emulate.
Wow, checking this blog after a long time and looks like Wordplougher has kicked up quite a storm.
ReplyDeleteWrdplougher,
I see that you're quite sincere in your efforts and that you want to be better at whatever you do. The problem, as I observe, is that you've started setting puzzles without understanding how cryptic crosswords work and this could happen to any amateur setter looking to set puzzles for the first time. From the way you’ve justified the surface readings and cryptic grammar it is obvious that your comprehension of the norms and rules of the game, with all due respect, is a bit off.
Well, nobody that sets for THC is a professional and they have all learned and are learning from their interactions with the community and are getting better in the process. I'm sure the same is going to be the case with you too
You could contact me through mail (address mentioned in the profile) and perhaps share one of your sample puzzles which you might use in the future, and maybe I could fine tune it for you with all necessary explanations on why the clue works or does not work and what could be done to make it better. It’s up to you. I'm no expert, but I'm just trying to help just so you don't feel “blackballed” or “ostracized” in the future.
I feel it’s the understanding that makes all the difference.