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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
Adri,

Thanks for clarification -- I thought that's what you meant, but... So I'll have a go at publishing my attempt at using your grid of 3rd June (with new clues and words, of course) some time on 1st July...

Hope you're having a good trip!

Cheers - Al

P.S. English has lots of oddities like the last/this/next weekend thing, which can be a nuisance if ambiguity results. It is not helped by there often being major differences between American and U.K. usage (not to mention Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and other variants!)

For instance, I'm still trying to work out why many Americans say "I could care less" when it appears they couldn't care less :-)
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Sgt.Joe
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
For instance, I'm still trying to work out why many Americans say "I could care less" when it appears they couldn't care less :-)

Yes, people really should use the second phrase which conveys the meaning better. With the first phrase, it is not complete without the ending (which is implied). Thus: "I could care less but I can't think of how I might."
English can be confusingly complex in part because it is an amalgam of many languages and is in a constant state of change along with idioms borrowed from hither and yon.
Cheers
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Sgt. Joe
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[Edit 1 times, last edit by Sgt.Joe at Jun 30, 2023 2:18:22 PM]
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adriverhoef
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
The trip has been good so far, we're still in Amsterdam, but we've got to move on this weekend wink. It will be exciting to see your puzzle, Al, your first one I guess? I'd love to participate.

When you wrote that you would be using 3rd June's grid I had to take a look and my first thought was "Oh, wow! This is big! Did I do this?" wink biggrin
The upcoming puzzle must be gigantic. hugs

Enjoy what you do.

Adri
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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
For instance, I'm still trying to work out why many Americans say "I could care less" when it appears they couldn't care less :-)

Yes, people really should use the second phrase which conveys the meaning better. With the first phrase, it is not complete without the ending (which is implied). Thus: "I could care less but I can't think of how I might."
English can be confusingly complex in part because it is an amalgam of many languages and is in a constant state of change along with idioms borrowed from hither and yon.
Cheers
Thanks, Sgt. Joe -- I wondered if you might offer an insight :-)

Cheers - Al.
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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
Adri,

When you wrote that you would be using 3rd June's grid I had to take a look and my first thought was "Oh, wow! This is big! Did I do this?" wink biggrin
The upcoming puzzle must be gigantic. hugs

I wanted something that wouldn't be a "five minutes and done" puzzle, so I needed a fairly big grid :-) When I used to set the occasional crossword at University (50+ years ago!) I did 15x15 cryptics which I reckoned might be a bit much for here, even if I could still manage to set one (and the thought of trying to construct a grid for the puzzle post wasn't appealing either!) So I thought I'd "borrow" yours and do a "five-letter words" puzzle :-)

So let's see how it goes. [Next post...]

Cheers - Al.
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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
A puzzle similar to the one Adri posted at the beginning of June. The main difference is that instead of having four three-letter words to fill the hole in the centre I have two five-letter words for the two diagonal clues, entered from top to bottom.

I hope that I haven't got anything too "British" to solve :-) Some of the clues already offer multiple definitions and if you get stuck I might be able to offer alternatives for some of them -- just ask :-)

┌──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐      ┌──────┐      ┌──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│1     │      │2     │      │3     │      │4     │      │5     │      │6     │      │7     │
│      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│      │******│      │******│8     │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
│      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│9     │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│10    │      │      │      │      │
│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│      │******│      │******│11    │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
│      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│12    │13    │      │14    │15    │******│      │******│16    │17    │      │18    │      │
│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │
└──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┘
       │      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │
       │      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │
┌──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┐
│19    │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│20    │      │      │      │      │
│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │
└──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┘
       │      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │
       │      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │******│      │
┌──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┐
│21    │      │22    │      │23    │******│24    │******│25    │      │26    │      │27    │
│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│      │******│      │******│28    │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
│      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│29    │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│30    │      │      │      │      │
│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│      │******│      │******│31    │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
│      │******│      │******│      │      │      │      │      │******│      │******│      │
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│32    │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │33    │      │      │      │      │
│      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │      │
└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘      └──────┘      └──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘

Across:
1. 19th Century French composer, best known for Carmen.
5. Composer of The Sorcerer's Apprentice
8. Hot Lead _____ (Lenny Bruce)
9. Type of venomous snake, found in Africa and Asia
10. Shaving implement
11. To scrounge or beg
12. Welsh town;  poetic word for under/below
16. Violent disturbance of weather, with high winds and rain, hail or snow
19. A bird;  to make a [verbal] attack
20. Measuring instrument
21. 19th Century Hungarian composer/pianist
25. French composer of Daphnis and Chloe, Bolero (and much more)
28. Spanish wine (named after its region of origin)
29. A sport involving a non-spherical ball; an English town
30. Horse race; English City
31. A Brazilian dance
32. A wood or grove; a sandbank
33. The upright portion of a step

Down:
1. Did he write some of Shakespeare's plays?
2. Striped African animal
3. Attempt to impart knowledge
4. Italian composer of many operas (died 1901)
5. Who _____ wins
6. [Musical?] instrument that buzzes when blown
7. To shut down a nuclear reactor
13. Boredom or weariness
14. A precious stone
17. Richly jewelled semicircular head-ornament
18. An unprincipled person; a rascal
21. Member of a group of deciduous conifers.
22. A natural sweetener
23. [Archaic] An appointment or agreement to meet
24. A hollow in a hillside;  four bushels
25. The use of radio pulses for object location
26. Something neither you nor your computer want to catch!
27. Stratum;  hen?

Diagonally (five letters, downwards and across!):
15. _____ the Horrible (Comic strip)
16. Vision, scenery


Good luck - Al.
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[Edit 1 times, last edit by alanb1951 at Jul 1, 2023 8:54:43 AM]
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Sgt.Joe
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
An intriguing puzzle. I learned several new words and a name for Spanish wine. I suspect at least 3 of the words are probably used in Britain, but not here. It is possible they are used somewhere over here, but they were certainly new to me. It is always nice to be able to expand my vocabulary even though the opportunities to use any of them will be few and far between.
Thanks for the puzzle.
Cheers
----------------------------------------
Sgt. Joe
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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
Sgt. Joe,

Thanks for the feedback, and glad you found it interesting.

I was a bit worried about one or two of the words, and I'll comment more fully later on.

Cheers - Al.
----------------------------------------
[Edit 1 times, last edit by alanb1951 at Jul 2, 2023 5:30:16 AM]
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MJH333
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
Hi Al,
Thanks very much for this excellent puzzle!
I had to look up 5 and 32 Across and 24 Down. The answers to the latter two were particularly interesting, as I now realise that they explain (part of) the names of a number of towns and villages in the UK.[1]
Cheers,
Mark
[1] I hope I am not giving too much away here (or, possibly, creating confusion!).
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alanb1951
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Re: Weekend Puzzles
Mark,

Thanks for the feedback. You picked up on the two words I was most worried about, and the comment you made about them probably isn't over-helpful (especially for 24 down|) for non-Brits, I suspect :-)

I'll comment more later...

Cheers - Al.
----------------------------------------
[Edit 1 times, last edit by alanb1951 at Jul 2, 2023 12:34:43 PM]
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