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Crossword Help Forum
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kirky

21st November 2019, 13:05
How are the unclued connected?

Is the title "title" or "a little puzzle"? Can't see how either are connected?
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kt17

21st November 2019, 13:09
'Little' is the key, put some lateral thinking into your scanning of Brewer's!

Ungoogleable!
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xwordfan

21st November 2019, 16:00
Still no wiser? Any help please?
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malone

21st November 2019, 16:01
Another word for 'little' - not as un-PC as 'midget', but not far off!
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xwordfan

21st November 2019, 16:14
Thanks malone. My puzzle has a title "TITLE" not a little puzzle ......so would never have guessed where to look
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malone

21st November 2019, 16:16
Thanks, xwordfan. Even with the 'A little puzzle' title, it took me a little(!) while to track down the relevant reference.
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kt17

21st November 2019, 22:31
It wasn't the easiest of puzzles and imo a very enjoyable work out. There are a couple of solutions that I haven't yet parsed.

I rather like ungoogleable themes though some seem to get cheesed off by the need to have a Brewer's.
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malone

21st November 2019, 22:36
KT17, I too enjoyed the puzzle. I don't get 'cheesed off' by the need to have a copy of Brewer's - 'cheesed off' is milder than what I would say. I have a copy of Brewer's, but I don't think it should be compulsory! And even using the book didn't provide definitive answers for the theme, there's one unclued entry with two versions. That's never great in a puzzle.
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kt17

21st November 2019, 22:55
Malone, your points are well made.

The ambiguity was a little bit unfortunate.

But to your major point, books are wonderful, Brewer's is a wonderful book to cherish for a lifetime - cheaper than a month or so of BBC.

So if Google cheapens crossword solving - as I believe it can, then more arcane paper sources add to the challenge do they not?

In that case one might as well agree the source or sources to be splendid reference works like Brewer's?
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malone

22nd November 2019, 08:32
KT17, you're preaching to the converted with your 'books are wonderful...' stuff!

Using Brewer's as a source sounds fine in theory, but I think - in the Spectator's case - it's lead to too many unsatisfying puzzles. Doc, a setter and also the crossword editor, had a long run of giving us '...can be found in Brewer's' puzzles that simply involved working out the headword and then looking up a list of bananas, 'green' things, 'little' people, whatever … and fitting them in to available gaps. This certainly didn't 'add to the challenge' for me (and many other solvers, judging by the comments at the time).
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