Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make up
words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to
make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

--

Adam

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make up
words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to
make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie
leaves it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish
that crossword".

Apart from that.
How do you find the tap water in the south?
I'm in a soft water area and a bloke down south is telling me that the hard
water there is much nicer to drink. We disagree of course.
Dunno what the water is at your home.

On 27/02/2014 18:30, ARW wrote:

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

Many years ago, I knew someone who, on his way to work every morning,
always did the "Random word" thing with the Times crossword, which he
would then casually leave on the seat when he left the train before the
last stop, knowing that, due to their pride, nobody would cheat by
looking. He took about five minutes to fill the grid...

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

Does he know what a reptile actually is? Does he know what an insect is?
I'd have thought these are hardly difficult questions. Maybe one of the
childrens big print puzzle books would be a better investment?

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make up
words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to
make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie
leaves it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish
that crossword".

--

Adam

Hard water? Well I have lready had one kidney stone if that is an
indication, most of my pipes are furred up and the kettle filter is no good
any more, there are growths hanging down under the cold taps and the loo is
shrinking inside.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Mr Pounder" wrote in message
...

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and
then it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but
only have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and
he knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make
up words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words
to make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie
leaves it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish
that crossword".

Apart from that.
How do you find the tap water in the south?
I'm in a soft water area and a bloke down south is telling me that the
hard water there is much nicer to drink. We disagree of course.
Dunno what the water is at your home.

ARW wrote:
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make up
words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to
make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

Sounds the sort of chap that would do a jigsaw marked "3-5 years" and be
chuffed when he finished it in two.

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

ARW wrote:
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy
crossword.
First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and
then it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares
but only have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3
letters and he knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to
make up words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters
to words to make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie
leaves it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will
finish that crossword".

And that's what working with ARW does to apprentices - they lose their
marbles! ;-)

In article ,
says...

eg 3 Reptile 3
letters and he knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.


Never mind the apprentice.

There's "ASP", but are there any others apart from Cleopatra's bosom
buddy?

--
Sam

On Thursday, February 27, 2014 6:30:07 PM UTC, wrote:
Then I know how I well spend eternity.



It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an

apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.



First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then

it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only

have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he

knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.



When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make up

words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to

make them fit.



After that the nightmare begins and goes like this



"Adam?"

"Yes"

"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"



Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.



The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves

it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that

crossword".



--



Adam

Peter Wright (Spycatcher) got similarly irritated with a colleague in M15/6 doing the Times cryptic crossword every morning. He'd spend 10 minutes every morning doing the crossword in his head, without filling in any letters and claimed to complete it every day.

Wright challenged him, so he filled it in correctly without a pause.

Huge wrote:
On 2014-02-27, John Williamson wrote:
On 27/02/2014 18:30, ARW wrote:

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

Many years ago, I knew someone who, on his way to work every morning,
always did the "Random word" thing with the Times crossword, which he
would then casually leave on the seat when he left the train before the
last stop, knowing that, due to their pride, nobody would cheat by
looking. He took about five minutes to fill the grid...

My 'A' Level maths teacher used to do it in about 5 minutes, for real.

I once amazed the occupants of the doctor's waiting room by appearing to
do that. Of course I'd rehearsed it over breakfast. :-)

--
Mike Barnes
Cheshire, England

In message , Huge
writes
On 2014-02-27, John Williamson wrote:
On 27/02/2014 18:30, ARW wrote:

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

Many years ago, I knew someone who, on his way to work every morning,
always did the "Random word" thing with the Times crossword, which he
would then casually leave on the seat when he left the train before the
last stop, knowing that, due to their pride, nobody would cheat by
looking. He took about five minutes to fill the grid...

My 'A' Level maths teacher used to do it in about 5 minutes, for real.

Is it just my failing faculties or have cryptic crosswords actually got
harder over the last 30 or so years?

Given time, I could usually struggle through about half of the Telegraph
cryptic. Now I am reduced to picking out the 4 letter words and obvious
anagrams:-(

A total lack of interest in any *arts* material does not help:-)



--
Tim Lamb

On 27/02/2014 18:30, ARW wrote:
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

Asp? That took a while, because I was thinking of lizards. It is
interesting how you get into a particular mind-set.

On 28/02/2014 00:33, Sam Plusnet wrote:
In article ,
says...

eg 3 Reptile 3
letters and he knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.


Never mind the apprentice.

There's "ASP", but are there any others apart from Cleopatra's bosom
buddy?


Ah, I should have read all the way through before posting the same solution!

Is it just my failing faculties or have cryptic crosswords actually got
harder over the last 30 or so years?

Given time, I could usually struggle through about half of the Telegraph
cryptic. Now I am reduced to picking out the 4 letter words and obvious
anagrams:-(


I started doing the Telegraph quick crossword about 35 yrs ago. Leaving the
cryptic untouched. Fortunately my better half tore out the uncompleted ones,
inc. cryptics, and stashed them away. About 10 yrs ago I started on the
daily cryptics and now struggle with the quick ones. These days I can
normally knock off a Telegraph cryptic in 30-45 mins. Before breakfast and
it's better than going to work on an egg. Now, when on a longish car
journey, we can go through some very old crosswords. Not as mad as it
sounds, I find it an aid to concentration and a relief from boredom.
I wouldn't say Telegraph cryptics have become easier or harder in the past
few years. Like anything, if you know the answer, it's easy. Setters change
and it helps if you can get into the mindset of the setter. I really
struggle with some of the 80's-90's cryptics.
I enjoy cruciverbalism but it is merely a pastime. I struggle with the
Times. Fin.

On 28/02/2014 20:25, Nick wrote:
Is it just my failing faculties or have cryptic crosswords actually got
harder over the last 30 or so years?

Given time, I could usually struggle through about half of the Telegraph
cryptic. Now I am reduced to picking out the 4 letter words and obvious
anagrams:-(


I started doing the Telegraph quick crossword about 35 yrs ago. Leaving the
cryptic untouched. Fortunately my better half tore out the uncompleted ones,
inc. cryptics, and stashed them away. About 10 yrs ago I started on the
daily cryptics and now struggle with the quick ones. These days I can
normally knock off a Telegraph cryptic in 30-45 mins. Before breakfast and
it's better than going to work on an egg. Now, when on a longish car
journey, we can go through some very old crosswords. Not as mad as it
sounds, I find it an aid to concentration and a relief from boredom.
I wouldn't say Telegraph cryptics have become easier or harder in the past
few years. Like anything, if you know the answer, it's easy. Setters change
and it helps if you can get into the mindset of the setter. I really
struggle with some of the 80's-90's cryptics.
I enjoy cruciverbalism but it is merely a pastime. I struggle with the
Times. Fin.



Some papers use databases of clues and assemble them into crosswords.
This removes one of the elements I like, and you refer to, the mindset
of the setter of the crossword - and not just some individual clues.
Indeed, the attribution on Guardian crosswords has always been
appreciated partly because it reassures that the whole puzzle came from
one mind.

--
Rod

On 28/02/2014 20:25, Nick wrote:
....
I wouldn't say Telegraph cryptics have become easier or harder in the past
few years. Like anything, if you know the answer, it's easy. ....

At school, a group of three or four of my classmates made a big show of
completing the Times crossword every day. One day, there were two clues
they just couldn't get between them and, as I was the only other person
in the room at the time they asked me. As it happened, they were about
the only two things I knew in the whole crossword and I gave them the
answers immediately. After that they seemed to assume I didn't do the
Times crossword as I found it so easy. :-)

Colin Bignell

So slightly fewer wedgies, slightly less **** taking for a week or so ??

Jim K

"Mike Barnes" wrote in message
...
ARW wrote:
Then I know how I well spend eternity.

It will be on a return journey from work on the underground with an
apprentice that is attempting to do the Evening Standard easy crossword.

First of all he starts off by writing a few answers that he knows and
then
it goes downhill and he starts adding words that fit the squares but only
have a small semblance to the real answer eg 3 Reptile 3 letters and he
knows it begins with A so he puts in ANT.

When he runs out of words he knows that will fit he then starts to make
up
words or he just misses letters out of words or adds letters to words to
make them fit.

After that the nightmare begins and goes like this

"Adam?"
"Yes"
"What's another word for "insert crossword clue here"?"

Repeat for every clue he has not filled in.

The final torment is when we get off the train he bins the paper (ie
leaves
it on the train seat) and says "One of these days I will finish that
crossword".

Sounds the sort of chap that would do a jigsaw marked "3-5 years" and be
chuffed when he finished it in two.


He got stuck at Great Portland Street station yesterday morning. There are
only two barriers that lead directly onto Great Portland Street where we
want to be (one for in and one for out) the rest of the barriers lead onto
Marylebone Road etc. Normally the left hand barrier is the one we usually
use as it is "green". The barriers were swapped around on Thursday night and
he could not work out why the Oyster card would not work so he climbed over
the barrier.

--
Adam