MEGA! 15 – Judge Sums Up

Sibyl’s prophecy
for a Stinker
A simple spelling mistake caught out some Stinker-lovers at 1dn. ‘Prophetess’ needed SIBYL not SYBIL. Sibyl’s were depicted as old women who lived in caves making prophecies. The most famous was the one who assisted Aeneas in his journey to the underworld.
Another often misspelt name caught out others of you at 103ac. ‘Othello plotter’ needed IAGO not LAGO.
Interestingly a sibyl appears in Shakespeare’s play. Othello gives Desdemona a handkerchief which he says was woven by a 200-year-old sibyl. The handkerchief is a symbol of loyalty, but Iago uses it to convince Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity.
The conniving Iago could perhaps be described as a roué, but not as a roux! ROUX not ROUÉ was the answer to 49dn ‘White sauce base’. Roux comes, like many cooking terms, from French and is related to the word russet, coming from the Latin russus, meaning ‘brownish’.
Our clue at 42dn was ‘Box-shaped solid’, but what is a box-shape? Our compiler was thinking of a regular cube-shaped box, but surely a box can have other than six sides. This was something we had to consider when faced with the answer DECAHEDRON instead of the expected HEXAHEDRON. Should we allow it? So back to maths class we went.
Hedron is a suffix meaning a solid with a specific number of faces. A polyhedron is a solid bounded by polygons, that is, closed planes of at least three sides (e.g. triangles, squares, rectangles). So far so good. A hexahedron has six faces, i.e. is a cube when those faces are squares. But a tetrahedron is 3-sided, a pentahedron is 5-sided and a heptahedron is 7-sided. Are they not still boxes? None of these fitted the space in our grid but DECAHEDRON did, and as it can be argued that you can have a 10-sided box, after due deliberation we accepted it as an alternative answer to our clue.
Imminent, coming from the Latin for ‘project over’ means ‘impending’. Immanent, coming from the Latin for ‘remain in’ means ‘existing within’. Our clue at 139dn ‘Inherent’ needed IMMANENT not IMMINENT. One little letter, but a whole world of difference!
The answer to 167dn, ‘Southerly’ was AUSTRAL. DUSTPAN and QUETZAL fitted the space but can only be described as wild guesses.
The Greeks used the word australis to mean the southern part of the world and terra australis incognita was the ‘unknown southern land’ that became Australia.
Austral is used for things relating to, or from the south, so an austral breeze or austral summer. It is used quite a lot by southern hemisphere businesses; Austral Gold, Austral Bricks, Air Austral are examples.
Now I feel in need of some refreshment, how about you? Look no further than 177dn where you’ll find ‘Drink, mint …’. A mint JULEP (not JULIP) originated in Kentucky as a mix of bourbon, ice, sugar syrup and mint.
According to Oxford the word julep comes from the Persian gulab or ‘rose water’. A similar drink is a mojito, which has the addition of lime.
In the Mega Mix, clue 70ac, ‘Ireland’s new PM since March 2011’ proved hard to find for some. Many of you wanted to fit Brian Cowen, who was in fact the previous leader of the Republic of Ireland. ENDA KENNY leads the Finn Gael party and heads a coalition government formed on March 9, 2011.
It is no surprise that Iran and Iraq are often mistaken, as they are neighbours and differ in English by just one letter. The ‘Gulf War nation’ was IRAQ at 55dn in the Mighty Mega, not IRAN.
The United States invaded Iraq in 1991 following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. This is sometimes called the First Gulf War because of the coalition invasion in 2003, usually known as the Iraq War. Just to confuse things further, both are sometimes referred to as Desert Storm. And if that wasn’t enough confusion, there was also a conflict in the 1980s between the two nations known as the Iran-Iraq War.
Not much else to mention from the Mighty Mega I’m pleased to say. Just a couple of AVIARIES instead of APIARIES for 72ac ‘Bee farms’ and one or two ABASE instead of ABATE for 12dn ‘Diminish’.
Well done to all our contestants on another cluster of challenging clues conquered.
I would like to wish a very happy New Year to all you crossword lovers. I look forward to joining you in making 2012 the best puzzling year yet.

BIG 227 – Judge Sums Up

Winner in the Bigcash
I hope you liked our first clue in the Bigcash from this issue – the very optimistic ‘Successful competitor’ for the answer WINNER. Unfortunately you can’t all be winners, well not all the time anyway, so our judges continue to peruse your entries making note of errors.
Coming off WINNER at 1dn was WOOLLY for the clue ‘Fleecy’. Our cousins in the US sometimes spell this WOOLY, which didn’t have enough letters for our Bigcash, but WOOLEY was definitely incorrect. Interesting that we double the l for woolly but don’t double the d in woody. Just one of the many anomalies of our wonderful language.
The second most common error in the Bigcash was at 115dn. ‘Worked (dough)’ was KNEADED not KNEEDED, which sounds a bit like you used your knees for this strenuous task.
A couple of you also came unstuck with the spelling of the answer at 84dn. ‘The final conflict’ referred to the biblical battle between the forces of good and evil, or ARMAGEDDON. According to Collins this word is derived from Megiddo, a mountain district of North Palestine that was the site of quite a few Old Testament battles.
‘Made assurances’ at 13ac needed GUARANTEED not GUARANTIED, ‘Offhandedly’ at 55ac needed to be IDLY not IDLE and 118dn ‘Lightly touched’ needed DABBED not DUBBED, which is associated with knights and film soundtracks.
On a happier note, at 101ac for ‘Set down’ we expected LAID but also accepted LAND, which appeared in a number of entries. Also, at 123dn ‘Rescreened (movie)’ could be RERAN or RERUN.
The Goliathon must have been a bit easier, as our judges struggled to find any errors at all.
One they did note was at 145ac. For the fairly gruesome ‘Japanese suicide (4-4)’ the answer was HARA-KIRI but a couple of entries tried KAMA-KIZI, an attempt at KAMIKAZE.
‘Misappropriating’ at 121dn also saw a couple of you trip. The answer was EMBEZZLING not EMBEZELING.
Over to our favourite puzzling devil, The Demon, and again not too many errors to mention, showing that your brains were firing on all cylinders and your research skills didn’t let you down!
MOPPET was the answer to ‘Endearing infant’ at 10ac. POPPET is an alternative but didn’t fit with 10dn MISTRAL for ‘Mediterranean wind’. A MUPPET is a puppet; one of the characters created by Jim Henson for Sesame Street, and who also had their own very popular TV show. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are two of the most famous Muppets.
With so few errors it gives me a chance to indulge in a bit of Christmas word trivia.
Yuletide is one of my favourite Christmas words. It means the season of Yule. Yule was an ancient winter festival of 12 days. I love words that have a history going way back into our past. They are like a link with our ancient ancestors.
Baubles is another favourite, though not strictly just a Christmas word. To me it conjures up images of shiny smooth round glass balls hanging on a tree lovingly decorated. The word comes from a French word for ‘plaything’.
Lastly one you don’t hear much anymore – figgy pudding. Figgy just means full of figs. Using the words from the carol where this once popular sweet treat still remains; we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Colossus 238 Judge Sums Up

Stows away
in the shop
Let’s start with clue 169dn in the Stinker, which was a little ambiguous. ‘Stores’ suggests a few different answers including two that fitted the spaces on our grid; the noun SHOPS, places you buy things, or the verb STOWS, stashes away. We accepted both answers.
One of the world’s endangered animals is a Himalayan creature called a Hispid Hare. The hare is so named because of its bristly coat. Stinker clue 72ac was ‘Covered with bristles’ and needed HISPID as the answer. HISUID and HISHID were incorrect.
At 63dn the ‘Dramatist’ was ‘BERTOLT Brecht’ not BERTOIT or BERTORT. This German playwright and poet is perhaps best remembered for his collaboration with Kurt Weill on the satirical musical, The Threepenny Opera. One of the songs from the show, the murder ballad known as Mack The Knife, has been recorded many times since its creation in the 1920s.
Intrepid is a word that is quite well-known; an intrepid explorer is one who is fearless even while facing unknown dangers. The word comes from the Latin trepidus meaning alarmed or anxious and so the lesser-known TREPID was the answer to 35dn ‘Quaking’. TREVID and TREMID were incorrect.
‘Jot’ was the clue at 87ac and while a simple little word, it did cause some trouble. Jot means to write down quickly and briefly. By extension it means a little bit, especially in the phrase, “I don’t care a jot”. WHIT has a similar meaning and was the answer we were looking for. CHIT means a voucher for food or drink, a memorandum, or an impudent girl.
For 136dn ‘Kin’ both RELATIVES and RELATIONS seemed to be suitable, but only RELATIVES would fit with 186ac APE for ‘Tailless primate’.
At 76dn the clue ‘Do penance’ needed EXPIATE. The second part of expiate shares its Latin root word pius with pious, which we might clue as ‘devout’ or ‘reverent’. EXPLANE, is unfortunately not a word , perhaps those who opted for this were thinking of EXPLAIN.
A few simple spelling errors to note include CHARLATON, which needed to be CHARLATAN for ‘Quack’ at 15ac, INADVERTANT, which needed to be INADVERTENT for ‘Unwitting’ at 129dn and USERER, which needed to be USURER for ‘Greedy moneylender’ at 291dn.
Over in the Giant Cryptic and 61dn was ‘Centre area of club is a candy store? (5,4)’. The answer was SWEET SPOT, the clue containing two meanings. A sweet spot on a golf club, tennis racquet or bat is the centre area from where the most effective shots are made. A sweet spot could also be a place to sell ‘candy’. A couple of entries had SCENT SPOT.
We had a lot of discussion about 63ac as many different answers appeared in entries including IFS, ITS and ILS. The ins and outs of something are the intricacies or details, so INS was the answer to ‘Half of the finer details’.
In Cashwords entries we noticed quite a few blank squares. This can easily happen when you leave a letter to check the spelling in a dictionary and then forget to go back and fill it in. It’s a shame to do all the work of filling in the answers to then be disqualified for one or two blank squares. So, a friendly reminder from our judges to recheck your entries before posting.
‘Narrow river crossing’ at 1dn was FORD not FEED and ‘Unlatch’ at 157ac was UNBOLT not UNBELT.
‘Be an omen of’ at 61ac needed BODE not MODE, RODE or CODE. I could say that this didn’t bode well for the rest of the Cashwords, but that would seem a bit cruel!
There were two acceptable spellings at 132dn. ‘Car’s petrol-mixing device’ was either CARBURETTOR or CARBURETTER.
‘Soundest of mind’ at 71ac was SANEST not SAFEST and 141dn ‘Happiest’ was CHEERIEST, not CHEEKIEST. For both these answers I am reminded of that strange idiom, ‘close but no cigar’, meaning your worthy efforts unfortunately fall just short and receive no reward.
The expression, which was used in the 1935 film of Annie Oakley, apparently comes from a time in the US when cigars were given out as fairground prizes.
I’m sure you eager-beavers are all as keen as mustard to tackle the next lot of contests. May you fare well in your quest for the sweet smell of victory!

BIG Crossword 232 – Gremlin

  The Demon –  page 30

Clue 59dn indicates (5-3) for the answer but this should read (6-3).

Thanks to Linda Howes, of Kent, for alerting us to this number error.

Puzzle Collection 78 Gremlin

The entry coupon lists the Do Your Block as being on page 70 but it is actually on page 66.

Thanks to Anne Earls for alerting us to this error.

Colossus Winners (Issue 239)

BAFFLER No 239
5 x £50 Prize Cheques
L Barker, Ripon; G Burch, Beckenham; M Cannon, Selly Oak; Joyce Dodd, Barnton; Joyce Regan, Wykencroft.

GIANT CRYPTIC No 239
1 x Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine
E Chapman, Buxton.

4 x I Love Coffee Prize Packs
Dave Carter, Newark; Peggy Cox, March; Elizabeth Fenwick, Winston; P Norris, Formby; A Sturgess, Finedon.

CASHWORDS No 239
1 x £300
Nichola Corbett, Barnsley.

5 x £40
Sue & Ken Candler, Southport; Sheila Ely, Colchester; S Forde, Craigavon; S Jones, Northwich; Cindy Rabet, Jersey.

STINKER No 239
1 x BUSH 5.1 600W DVD Home Cinema Kit
Mike Cleary, Aylesbury.

5 x Lovatts Stationery Set Prize Pack
A Burt, Poole; Ann Forde, Spain; Kevin McDonagh, Newton Heath; Sharon Rowe, Sheerness; N Veasey, Nailsea.

THE KNOWLEDGE No 239
2 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
Judy Murrells, Ipswich; Elaine Rhodes, Northampton.

MEGA Winners (Issue 15)

Mighty Mega
1 x £200
J Parish, Northampton.

3 x Lovatts Out & About Prize Packs Inc – Shopping Bag, Trolley Token, Handbag Hanger & Notepad
Penny Carnell, Radcliffe-on-Trent; P Middup, Eastbourne; Penny Paterson, Northwood Hills.

Mega Mix
1 x £100
Tommy Wilson, Kilsyth.

3 x Lovatts Gadget Prize Packs Inc – Flashlight Keyring, Magnifier & 8-In-1 Map Measurer
Mary Greenfield, Bourne End; S Jones, Bridgend; Emma Leadbitter, Goole.

Mega Stinker
1 x 19 Inch HD Ready Digital LCD TV & DVD Combi
Kathleen Boyles, Lytham-St.Annes.

2 x HoMedics Soundspa Classic Clock Radio
Pauline Carpenter, Eastbourne; Jan Johnston, Fawdon.

3 x Collins Gem Prize Packs Inc – Pocket World Atlas & 2 x Gem Books
Carol Harrop, Sudbury; Jackie Lee, Perton; Mary Richards, Ryde.

Cryptic Crossword Winners (Issue 10)

Cryptic Arrow Contest
1 x BT Stratus 1500 Telephone with Answer Machine
Carole Rigden, Ramsgate.

5 x Lovatts ‘I Love Coffee Prize Packs’ Inc – Coffee Mug, Coffee & Biscuits
Carol Barnard, Kibworth; Vicky Delaney, Newhaven; J Highgate, Holmbury St Mary; S Mugridge, Blunham; C Rodley, Todwick.

Cryptic Contest
1 x £200
Janet Craig, Swaffham.

5 x Lovatts Stationery Sets Inc – Magnetic Paperweight, Notepad & Highlighter Pen Sets
B Clancy, Dublin; W Duthie, Inverallochy; John Macgregor, Heathhall; Ruth Parkinson, Hastings; Mary Scott, Aberdeen.

Colossus Winners – Issue 238

BAFFLER No 238
5 x £50 Prize Cheques
D Anderson, Belvedere; Louise Bierley, Boston; G Ellinsworth, Fleetwood; Jackie Lee, Perton; Carol Mullett, Spain.

GIANT CRYPTIC No 238
1 x Nescafe Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine
Ivan Smith, Flitwick.

4 x I Love Coffee Prize Packs
T Alexander, Hoddesdon; Dave Claxton, Newbury; Joan Loveday, Swindon; Victoria Nethercott, Greece; G Williams, Coleford.

CASHWORDS No 238
1 X £300
S Mills, Kingswood.

5 x £40
Rosemary Green, Grantham; C Hollings, Hebden Bridge; J Kerins, Chorley; Tracy Knight, London; Brenda Smedley, Woodthorpe.

STINKER No 238
1 x BUSH 5.1 600W DVD Home Cinema Kit
Chris Womack, Kent.
5 x Lovatts Stationery Set Prize Pack
Helen Dolman, Hednesford; M Frost, Goole; Ian Glenn, Felixstowe; M Taylor, Horsham; A Westwood, Atherton.

THE KNOWLEDGE No 238
2 x Collins Concise English Dictionaries
G Harmer, Crawley; Gregory Porilo, London.

Lucky Subscriber Draw Winners – September/October 2011

Congratulations to these five lucky puzzles, winners of the September/October Lucky Subscriber Draw:

Mrs Anne Armstrong, Holmrook, Cumbria
Mr D Booth, Gillingham, Kent
Mrs L Crocker, Romsey, Hampshire
Mr T Osborne, Norwich
Ms J Sillitoe, Crawley, West Sussex

Each will have his or her subscription outlay returned.

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