Crossword Bafflement

Subject: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 05:06 AM

A crossword clue from my local is bugging me and several others, the clue is

"For a Polar Bear, worse than being left pawed" (2,6)

HELP !!!

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: gnomad
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:45 AM

Any letters already?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: clueless don
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:47 AM

What does "(2,6)" mean? Two words, six letters?

Don

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: quokka
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:52 AM

I think it means 'first word 2 letters, second word 6 letters'

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:59 AM

you can easy work out the 1st word, after all how many 2 letter words are there?

at
an
as
so,to
of
on
be
is
up
or
am
me
it
we
my
be
by
go
?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:02 AM

There is an urban legend that all polar bears are left-pawed, so to be a right-pawed polar bear would mean starvation.

Any help?

LTS

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:11 AM

'in thawed'?
I know it's lame, but without any letters, it's my best guess.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:14 AM

Isn't a left-handed person referred to as a 'south-paw'? And Polar Bears inhabit the North Polar region. Does this get us anywhere?
John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:17 AM

Call me a south paw and I'll poke you with my left hand!

LTS

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:21 AM

What are you - a polar bear?
JK

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:25 AM

No but it's cold enough!

LTS

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:26 AM

Are any letters filled in?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Working Radish
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:00 AM

To be 'no handed' would be worse than being 'left pawed' - and 'Polar' could just about be a clue for 'N' (for north). How you get 'ohanded' out of 'bear' is another matter.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:24 AM

IN FAVOUR

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:30 AM

un sealed?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:40 AM

Don't 'spose it would have anything to do with "faux pax?"

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:49 AM

pawed = popular = "In flavour"

remove the l ("left") to give "In favour"

In favour = "For"

The Polar Bear is an obvious red herring! What's the prize?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:16 AM

No prize, except my sanity.

There are no letters in the puzzle just two words, one of two letters one of six letters

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mr Happy
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:56 AM

wot sort've crossword has only 2 words?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 12:00 PM

Ha! (maybe)

De-clawed

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 12:57 PM

I think that the number of possible two letter "words" in a total set of 26 letters would be something like 403,291,461,126,605,635,584,000,000/2, but I'm not very mathematically inclined right now. (I'm sort of listing to port.)

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TheSnail
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 02:31 PM

Er, no, it's 676 not all of which are words.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:10 PM

That sounds right, Jeri!

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 03:11 PM

The answer must be "IN NORTH" or "UP NORTH" surely

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: jeffp
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 04:17 PM

Only if you spell NORTH with six letters.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:18 PM

Well, somthing that would compare to being "left pawed" (adjective) would have to start with the 2-letter word being:

at
as
by
in
my or me (by a wild stretch) -- e.g., "my dinner" [but that doesn't make much sense]
no
so
to (again a stretch)
up


So I'd think it' be something like
at dinner
as
by
in hunger
my or me (by a wild stretch) -- e.g., "my dinner" [but that doesn't make much sense]
no footed
so hungry
to dinner
up rivers

OK - maybe that's it! No-footed!

Seems kind of lame (no pun intended, but I honestly can't come up with anything better).

Genie

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:22 PM

Could have "In Arctic" or "In Alaska" instead of "In North" to give six letters - but I can't see how either would fit the clue.

Normally a puzzle would indicate if it was a hyphenated word rather than two words, which would seem to rule out answers such as de-clawed.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:24 PM

de icing

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 06:24 PM

silly me, didn't mean that

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:43 PM

I don't think it's real. I think Raggytash just started this to torture us and is never going to come back and tell us the answer!**BG**

It would be worse for a polar bear to be SOUTH (geologically hinted with "south paw"=left paw) as it would be too warm, right, so maybe to do with that, somehow? Maybe "In jungle?"

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 07:57 PM

I really think it's 'un sealed' unless your crossword puzzles don't do prefixes.

A package that is 'left pawed' is somewhat damaged. A package that is unsealed is worse than one pawed. A polar bear who's unsealed is a hungry polar bear, which is worse than one who's just left pawed.

Of course I'm probably barking up the wrong iceberg. I hope to hear what the real answer is.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:08 PM

The obvious answer is "an orange". It makes no sense and has nothing to do with polar bears or their paws, but it appeals on a "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" level. Salvador Dali would have liked it.

(Now watch, some smartass will come along and say, "Bee-dubya, you are SO wrong! It's 'an apple'!")

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 08:09 PM

Have you got any news of iceberg?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 09:52 PM

???????? so WHAT is the answer???One of my favorite crossword clues of all time is:


q: Scrambled eggs?

A. Geggs!

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:13 PM

Sorry - Gegs!

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:18 PM

Can't even misspell correctly! ;-)

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 10:30 PM

True, true!!! My 'tag line' as a realtor is 'Trust in the TruBrits' -- I rest my case!

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,marks (on the road)
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:27 PM

an tartic
?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie
Date: 09 Dec 08 - 11:53 PM

LOL, marks.

I still think it's "no-footed."   The one thing worse for a polar bear than being "south (left) pawed" would be to have no paws at all.

And FWIW, I've never known crossword puzzles to acknowledge the existence of hyphens.

Of course, it it's a crossword puzzle, there has to be at least ONE letter that intersects with another word. That should give us a clue.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 01:05 AM

OK, let's look at this logically. Quote: "For a Polar Bear, worse than being left pawed"

If being 'left pawed' is the norm for a polar bear, then it is not bad, so saying it's "even worse" makes no sense.

If 'left' is the key, it could denote being abandoned, i.e. left behind.

If 'pawed' is the key, then it may refer to an enemy - but hey, a polar bear doesn't have an enemy in its natural habitat. Except for man.

If 'left pawed' is meant to evoke a left-brain, right-brain thought process...?

Anything help?

Oh, Raggytash? Come back.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 01:42 AM

de clawed

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 01:55 AM

Apparently, all polar bears are left handed. When stalking prey on the ice, a polar bear draws his right paw across his black nose, hiding his primary dark body part, the better to successfully sneak up on his next meal. (Some polar bears also squeeze their eyes almost closed, for even more complete camouflage.) Then, the bear batters his lunch to death with his stronger, dominant, left paw.

But one unfortunate polar bear did not get with the program. This bear, when stalking prey, would begin to cover his nose with his left paw while raising his right paw for the kill then suddenly become all confused and flustered. He'd begin to switch paws, often whacking himself painfully in the nose with his ready-for-action right paw in the process. By this time, lunch was usually several ice floes away. One observer theorized that this particular bear probably did not survive long, again lending credence to the theory of natural selection.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 02:10 AM

Sometimes you can sort the letter order of one or more words in the clue to come up with the answer. I would guess Polar Bear are the words to be sorted as they are capitalised and they add up to 8 (2,6) letters.

How many 2 letter words can be derived from Polar Bear? What is left over?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Paul Burke
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 03:08 AM

Hyphens are usually clued, as in (6-2) rather than (6,2).

I suggest "bi-sexual"- a bi-polar bear is worse than a polar bear, and "pawed" has a clear connection with sexuality.

Tam, 5+4=9, even in Colchester.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:50 AM

I spent hours trying to sort this one - almost all of the suggestions make sense and I came up with a few more including No Better Un Heated and No Handed but I think the last one (Bi Polar) is about the best. Can anyone find a copy of this crossword as it would be easier to work from the original

Pete

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: kendall
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:56 AM

..any news of the ice berg.. that is so funny! Les Barker, right?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 07:58 AM

bugger... I hate maths.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:05 AM

Bi-polar might be a good choice, if 'polar' had 6 letters.

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:14 AM

I think de-clawed is right.

Any news of the iceberg - LOL. And besides that how did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 08:49 AM

I remember 'Any news of the iceberg' as a cartoon by Bill Tidy in the late 1950s/early 1960s. It depicted a crowd outside a shipping office obviouslt enuiring about relatives whilst a man with a polar bear on a chain asked the slightly different one.