The Magic Crossword

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AJM
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The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 12th, 2020, 10:03 am

The latest in an occasional series of magic related cryptic crossword clues: -

Spirits had information before eleven (5)

Andrew

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 12th, 2020, 1:55 pm

Have you gone strange during the coronavirus, Andrew?
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

pixsmith
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 12th, 2020, 2:20 pm

There's a great YouTube channel called Cracking the Cryptic, which I confess I am addicted to, and the embarrassing part of it is how many hours of watching people solve Cryptic Crosswords and Sudoku puzzles. I am always fascinated with how thinking works, though, and there is a lot of that in this. That's also the reason so many of the non-trick magic books are my favorites.

Now, though, I'm torn with Andrew's clue - If I read it one way (and the way they are usually structured), the answer should be a kind of spirit- either liquor or ghost, but if I read it the other way (which does happen from time to time), Spirits could be Gin - homophoned to Gen - before (in front of) 11, which gives the best information in magic, Genii.

And if that's not the answer, then Andrew has brought an amazing doubly awesome clue to the table, and I'm stumped for an answer on the other end.

Well done, sir!

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 12th, 2020, 4:02 pm

Yes, of course Genii is the answer (the plural of Genie).

In this part of the world 'information' is commonly referred to as 'gen'.

Put this 'before eleven' and you have the answer.

I try and do the The Scotsman cryptic crossword regularly and this clue comes from one of the two I did today while sitting in the sunshine.

Magic related clues appear in this crossword frequently.

Cheers

Andrew

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 12th, 2020, 4:14 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:Have you gone strange during the coronavirus, Andrew?


Not at all - stranger perhaps...

:D

pixsmith
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 13th, 2020, 12:31 am

Andrew -

So, nice. The right answer comes from two ways on this one! LOL. Though I guess technically it would have said something like Spirits sounds had information before eleven (5)

You really should check out Cracking the Cryptic. It's a great channel, and they have two hosts - my favorite is the one named Simon, but mostly that's because his delight in clever is palpable.

Thanks for the schooling - I haven't run across "gen" in my colonial isolation.

Cheers,
Pix

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Q. Kumber » July 13th, 2020, 3:51 am

Though not a crossword, more of a quiz with clues, the first item I turned to every month in Genii (notice the plural) was Max Maven's Inquisition

Any possibility we could have more Inquisitions?

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Leo Garet » July 13th, 2020, 11:10 am

AJM wrote:
In this part of the world 'information' is commonly referred to as 'gen'.

Cheers

Andrew


In this part of the world, too. Hence "The Gen".

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 15th, 2020, 3:09 pm

Hi all

It's me again with another exciting episode of The Magic Crossword!

A straightforward one for you today: -

Strengthens in readiness to remove British winning cards (4)

I'll be right back after these messages...

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Dave Le Fevre » July 15th, 2020, 5:43 pm

Braces minus Br(itish) -> Aces

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 16th, 2020, 3:10 am

Correct.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Jack Shalom » July 16th, 2020, 11:11 am

Monsoons and rain have never stopped his memory (5-7)

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Dave Le Fevre » July 16th, 2020, 1:50 pm

Harry Lorayne, though the justification for Harry isn't obvious (to me)

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 16th, 2020, 1:53 pm

Nor to me.

I did think Harry Lorayne however the (5-7) indicated to me a hyphenated answer, as opposed to (5,7) for two words.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Jack Shalom » July 16th, 2020, 3:00 pm

Not Harry. Sorry, should be (5,7)--I didn't mean to indicate a hyphenated answer.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 16th, 2020, 3:17 pm

I like the anagram of Simon Aronson from "monsoons and rain" leaving over "and," the eternal conjunction, not used. Clever, and a bit of a brain twist there.

Edited to fix a typo. which matters in these kinds of things. . .

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 16th, 2020, 3:41 pm

Hmmm - the clue doesn’t make sense to me, perhaps it’s the different way cryptic crosswords clues are compiled in different parts of the world.

Adding the word ‘Stormy’ or ‘Wild’ to the start of the clue would have made clue ‘fit’ more with the standard convention.

Cheers

Andrew

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 16th, 2020, 7:15 pm

I wondered that as well Andrew. I know there's normally some kind of word play for an anagram aspect to the clue. I like the rhythm of "Wild monsoons and . . ." but then again, monsoons are wild rains, so it's in there a bit anyway, at least that's my explanation for heading that way in the solve.

And I'm not certain my answer is the correct one, but I think it's a correct one. :lol:

I wish I had started cryptics way earlier in my life though. Sometimes I just can't puzzle it out. But I am liking this particular thread as a way to practice, and it's certainly a nice distraction from things.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Jack Shalom » July 16th, 2020, 8:50 pm

Simon Aronson is correct! I will strive to be more rigorous in my cluemaking in the future. I was under the impression that the English style puzzle didn't need a marker for an anagram, but I am not that familiar with them.

My parsing of the clue was Monsoons +Rain(anag)=someone whose memory (the memory of) has never stopped (with the additional reference to memory work Simon was known for)

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 16th, 2020, 9:18 pm

Hi Jack,

I have seen them both ways. I never was that into them until I started watching the guys on Cracking the Cryptic. It's not a video over reading thing though (that old song in favor of DVDs) but a watching the process of the solve so my thinking could catch up. They will sometimes really overthink clues, so that has helped me learn to parse things differently. Again, I also like that your clue could give the same answer both the way you intended and the way I solved. That was lucky, I guess.

BTW, I really enjoy your blog. lots of good things to think about there, as well. Thanks for spending the time to create that cryptic!

Cheers,

Pix

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Dave Le Fevre » July 17th, 2020, 6:03 am

I'd assumed that the rayn in Lorayne was a homophone for rain. But the solution is patently Simon Aronson. Nice anagram!

And to answer an earlier question, UK cryptic crosswords have an indication that there's an anagram. At least, the better ones do.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 18th, 2020, 1:18 pm

Today’s clue:

Two hands dealt with a musical instrument of a magician (9)

You may need to have a Scottish connection to solve this one...

pixsmith
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 18th, 2020, 9:48 pm

So,

"Two hands dealt" ... Cards
"with a musical instrument" harp

= Cardsharp, (a magician) so there's a possibility. . .

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » July 20th, 2020, 7:44 am

Good attempt, Pix, that would work.

The answer in this case is:
Enchanter

Two hands dealt is E and N. (‘Hands’ or ‘Points’ usually refer to the points of the compass).

A chanter is a type of woodwind instrument, not unlike a recorder. Folks in this part of the world may recognise a chanter as being part of a set of bagpipes.

I wouldn’t normally have associated the word Enchanter with Magician - however with recent threads here on the topic of magicians creating ‘wonder’ then describing a magician as an enchanter appears to work quite well.

Andrew

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby pixsmith » July 20th, 2020, 11:44 am

Nice. Thanks for the pointer (ha!) on hands and points clue-wise.
As I mentioned, this makes for a nice break from time to time.

Cheers,

Pix

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » May 8th, 2021, 6:56 am

Container for playing cards? (8)

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Ian Kendall » May 8th, 2021, 8:25 am

Houlette?

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » May 8th, 2021, 8:44 am

Good attempt, Ian, however no cigar.

;)

Andrew

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Dave Le Fevre » May 8th, 2021, 9:15 am

Suitcase?

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Joe Lyons » May 8th, 2021, 9:17 am

Dave Le Fevre wrote:Suitcase?

If that’s not it, it should be.

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AJM
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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » May 8th, 2021, 10:14 am

Well done Dave, you are spot on.

Andrew

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Joe Lyons » May 10th, 2021, 7:13 am

Original items in Charles’s Okito box? (7, 5)

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » May 10th, 2021, 2:57 pm

I’m stumped Joe.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Ian Kendall » May 10th, 2021, 6:59 pm

I'm going with <something> pills, but it's hard to know the something until we know more about Charles...

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okito pills

Postby Jonathan Townsend » May 10th, 2021, 9:43 pm

Stomach, but aren't they all? :D

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Dave Le Fevre » May 11th, 2021, 4:10 am

I'm wondering whether the Charles reference gives chas in one of the words. But other than that thought, I'm completely lost on this one.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Joe Lyons » May 11th, 2021, 7:06 am

Very close Ian.

The answer is Carter’s Pills

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby Jon Pendragon » May 20th, 2021, 12:16 pm

This type of crossword was Alan Turing's forte' and he used it to find code breakers for Bletchley Park, much like Capt. Rochefort used musicians as code breakers in the US Navy "Hypo" unit at Pearl Harbor. The films The Imitation Game (I'm not a machine) and Midway show both these efforts.

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » May 20th, 2021, 5:28 pm

It is often reported that an ability to solve The Times crossword was one of the methods used to recruit new staff to the British Secret Services in the 1950s and 1960s.

Andrew

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Re: The Magic Crossword

Postby AJM » August 11th, 2021, 12:22 pm

So here we are with the next instalment of our occasional series of magic related crossword clues: -

Nine of Diamonds? Awa’ and bile yer heid! (5,2,8)

Should be pretty straightforward for you magic kids but perhaps slightly more problematic for your average crossword solver.

Bonus points for anyone who can translate the second part of the clue into English.

Andrew


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