Crossword Bafflement

09 Dec 08 - 05:06 AM (#2510516)
Subject: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

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 !!!

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09 Dec 08 - 07:45 AM (#2510590)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: gnomad

Any letters already?

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09 Dec 08 - 08:47 AM (#2510623)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: clueless don

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

Don

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09 Dec 08 - 08:52 AM (#2510628)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: quokka

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

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09 Dec 08 - 08:59 AM (#2510631)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mr Happy

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
?

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09 Dec 08 - 09:02 AM (#2510633)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak

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

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09 Dec 08 - 09:11 AM (#2510642)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

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

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09 Dec 08 - 09:14 AM (#2510644)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Harmonium Hero

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.

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09 Dec 08 - 09:17 AM (#2510650)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak

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

LTS

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09 Dec 08 - 09:21 AM (#2510658)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Harmonium Hero

What are you - a polar bear?
JK

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09 Dec 08 - 09:25 AM (#2510666)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Liz the Squeak

No but it's cold enough!

LTS

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09 Dec 08 - 09:26 AM (#2510667)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL

Are any letters filled in?

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09 Dec 08 - 10:00 AM (#2510699)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Working Radish

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.

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09 Dec 08 - 10:24 AM (#2510710)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

IN FAVOUR

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09 Dec 08 - 10:30 AM (#2510712)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

un sealed?

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09 Dec 08 - 10:40 AM (#2510716)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

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

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09 Dec 08 - 10:49 AM (#2510723)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

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?

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09 Dec 08 - 11:16 AM (#2510743)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Raggytash

No prize, except my sanity.

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

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09 Dec 08 - 11:56 AM (#2510774)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mr Happy

wot sort've crossword has only 2 words?

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09 Dec 08 - 12:00 PM (#2510776)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

Ha! (maybe)

De-clawed

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09 Dec 08 - 12:57 PM (#2510842)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Rapparee

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.)

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09 Dec 08 - 02:31 PM (#2510942)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TheSnail

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

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09 Dec 08 - 03:10 PM (#2510967)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

That sounds right, Jeri!

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09 Dec 08 - 03:11 PM (#2510970)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Georgiansilver

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

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09 Dec 08 - 04:17 PM (#2511057)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: jeffp

Only if you spell NORTH with six letters.

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09 Dec 08 - 06:18 PM (#2511204)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

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

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09 Dec 08 - 06:22 PM (#2511207)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow

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.

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09 Dec 08 - 06:24 PM (#2511209)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: John MacKenzie

de icing

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09 Dec 08 - 06:24 PM (#2511212)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: John MacKenzie

silly me, didn't mean that

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09 Dec 08 - 07:43 PM (#2511276)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

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?"

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09 Dec 08 - 07:57 PM (#2511283)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

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.

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09 Dec 08 - 08:08 PM (#2511293)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Bee-dubya-ell

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'!")

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09 Dec 08 - 08:09 PM (#2511295)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

Have you got any news of iceberg?

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09 Dec 08 - 09:52 PM (#2511320)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT

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


q: Scrambled eggs?

A. Geggs!

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09 Dec 08 - 10:13 PM (#2511331)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT

Sorry - Gegs!

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09 Dec 08 - 10:18 PM (#2511333)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

Can't even misspell correctly! ;-)

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09 Dec 08 - 10:30 PM (#2511341)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: TRUBRIT

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

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09 Dec 08 - 11:27 PM (#2511362)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,marks (on the road)

an tartic
?

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09 Dec 08 - 11:53 PM (#2511369)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

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.

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10 Dec 08 - 01:42 AM (#2511402)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Cluin

de clawed

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10 Dec 08 - 01:55 AM (#2511410)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Cluin

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.

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10 Dec 08 - 02:10 AM (#2511415)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: VirginiaTam

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?

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10 Dec 08 - 03:08 AM (#2511432)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Paul Burke

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.

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10 Dec 08 - 07:50 AM (#2511589)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

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

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10 Dec 08 - 07:56 AM (#2511596)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: kendall

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

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10 Dec 08 - 07:58 AM (#2511599)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: VirginiaTam

bugger... I hate maths.

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10 Dec 08 - 08:05 AM (#2511607)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

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

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10 Dec 08 - 08:14 AM (#2511617)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL

I think de-clawed is right.

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

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10 Dec 08 - 08:49 AM (#2511645)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald

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.

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10 Dec 08 - 09:28 AM (#2511669)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: gnomad

The cartoon is, I guess, this one. Funnily enough I was quite sure that there had been a Punch cartoon around the 1920s with the same basic idea, though doubtless a different actual caption. I haven't traced it yet.

I'm still baffled by the idea of a crossword with no letters. Raggy usually only admits a problem when the puzzle is almost completed, which means blanks will have been filled. What gives?

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10 Dec 08 - 09:42 AM (#2511678)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald

Good Lord! Do you have a date for that Gnomad?

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10 Dec 08 - 10:45 AM (#2511718)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

There are some businesses (can't remember which at the moment) who advertise on the crossword pages with a single line crossword clue, so Raggy may not have any intersecting letters.

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10 Dec 08 - 10:52 AM (#2511724)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

I suppose we could go for "on notice"
i.e. having had a warning, or, on something which is not-ice!

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10 Dec 08 - 10:57 AM (#2511726)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

How about IN NORWAY

NO - (R)ight - WAY

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10 Dec 08 - 11:26 AM (#2511742)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: PoppaGator

Isn't about time for an answer? (I'm assuming that the newspaper, or whatever periodical where the puzzle appeared, provides solutions the next day or next issue...)

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10 Dec 08 - 11:28 AM (#2511744)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL

Could be a weekly

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10 Dec 08 - 11:31 AM (#2511749)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

Hmmmmm. Dictionary gives the word without a hyphen: "declawed"

Sounds right to me.

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10 Dec 08 - 12:47 PM (#2511824)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

declawed is a single eight-letter word - we're looking for two (unhyphenated) words of 2 and 6 letters.

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10 Dec 08 - 01:18 PM (#2511860)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

humph :)

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10 Dec 08 - 02:00 PM (#2511883)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

I imagine a lot of us thought of "bipolar" but not only is it the wrong number of letters, it's seldom even spelled with a hyphen, much less separated as two words.

"Unheated" is also one word.   

Ebbie, where did you find this crossword? Is it published somewhere that we might find online?

Here are all the 2-letter words that I think could be the first word (with examples of 6-letter nouns or adjectives that I'm sure aren't the right ones):

as (stupid) (hungry)
an (Eskimo)
by (walrus)
go (getter)
in (hunger)
my (sister) (dinner)
no (footed) (handed) (clawed)
on (notice)
of (origin) (Juneau)
so (stupid) (numbed)
up (stream)

A few other two-letter words might possibly fit by use of some really bad pun:
he
ho
lo
to
re

But I doubt it.

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10 Dec 08 - 02:05 PM (#2511890)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow

There's also or, at and Al.

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10 Dec 08 - 02:13 PM (#2511896)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Sorry, Raggy, I realize you were the stumped puzzle-worker, not Ebbie.

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

I've tried all the tricks generally used in this type of puzzle: anagrams ("polar bear" and "left pawed" both wrong # of letters), embedded words (none), backwards words (nope), puns and jokes. I think the answer has to be one of the latter two, but I can't think of one better than a couple that have already been suggested (no footed, no handed, in Norway, on notice).

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10 Dec 08 - 02:25 PM (#2511913)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

Did someone already guess "un handed?" I know, I know, they aren't separate! Arrgghhh!

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10 Dec 08 - 02:38 PM (#2511931)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Sorry, McGrath. I did include "at" in my initial list. It could be something like "at dinner."

But how could it be a conjunction like "or?"

The clue pretty clearly indicates we're looking for something a polar bear could BE. That means the 2-word phrase would have to serve as a noun (e.g., "an animal") or an adjective (e.g., "so stupid").   The 2-letter word has to be a preposition (e.g., "at") or an article ("an) or an adjective (e.g., "my") or an adverb (e.g., "so").

So that pretty much eliminates two-letter words like these (unless it's some weird pun):
be
do
go
hi
he
it
if
is
lo
me
or
us
we
ye

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10 Dec 08 - 06:55 PM (#2512120)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: skipy

I'm stuck on    "postman's large satchel"    help needed
Skipy

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10 Dec 08 - 06:56 PM (#2512122)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: wysiwyg

postman's large satchel = mailbag?

~S~

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10 Dec 08 - 07:15 PM (#2512134)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow

Remember there's no reason to assume the "Polar" bit is anything other than an indication that there is a "p" in there somewhere.

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10 Dec 08 - 07:22 PM (#2512137)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

I don't think it indicates even that, McGrath. I can't figure out any embedded words, anagrams, or backwards words from that clue that also fit the 2,6 format and the sense of the clue.   No reason to think there needs to be a "p" in there at all.

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10 Dec 08 - 07:30 PM (#2512143)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

Except in passing, no one seems to have mentioned 'an'. Since it would indicate the next word would begin with a vowel, might that help?

Where is Raggytash? Holed up somewhere no doubt, laughing maniacally.

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10 Dec 08 - 07:47 PM (#2512162)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Yeah, we did, Ebbie. It was on my list.
I just couldn't come up with what seemed to be a fitting 6-letter noun to go with it.

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11 Dec 08 - 03:51 AM (#2512345)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

This is not actually part of a crossword but a crossword clue in a frame in a local pub and if anyone there knows the solution they are not saying

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11 Dec 08 - 04:18 AM (#2512357)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald

Now that makes a difference! I took 'local' to be a newspaper.

Anyway, it suddenly struck me that 'polar' and 'bear' could be astronomical as in pole star and the great bear constellation, but I still can't get an answer that fits or works!

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11 Dec 08 - 04:42 AM (#2512384)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Maybe the answer is NO ANSWER!

I wrote this down in jest, then realised it's actually an anagram of A + N(polar) + WORSE.

Hmmmm.....

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11 Dec 08 - 04:56 AM (#2512392)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

Wysiwig:
postman's large satchel = mailbag?

Nice response! presumably Skipy was hoping someone would ask "How many letters"!

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11 Dec 08 - 06:08 AM (#2512433)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Sminky, thats the best guess to date!

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11 Dec 08 - 06:09 AM (#2512434)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

....and then I realised it wasn't an anagram after all!

But then what about this:

A + [N + S + W + E ("polar")]

carry ("bear") NO R (no right - "worse than being left pawed")

= NO ANSWER

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11 Dec 08 - 06:17 AM (#2512436)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Paul Burke

W and E aren't poles.

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11 Dec 08 - 06:26 AM (#2512443)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

Now I am totally confused - some would say thats par for the course for a banjo player- and I have given up. Please keep this thread active so if the answer is ever found we may all sleep in peace.
Have a great Christmas
Pete

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11 Dec 08 - 06:35 AM (#2512446)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

W and E aren't poles

Not geographical ones, true, but:

"characterized by opposite extremes; completely opposed;"

The biggest clue of all is that this is hanging on a pub wall.

Remember the "IITYWYBMAP" sign that (hopefully) has now disappeared from our local hostelries? The unsuspecting punter would ask the barmaid what it meant - she would answer "If I tell you will you buy me a pint?". Muggins replies "Yes" and all the regulars split their sides laughing. Because she had told him.

I reckon this is the same. Punter asks "What's the answer to that clue". Barmaid replies "No answer". Punter slopes off dejected, unaware that he's been told the answer!

That's my theory anyway.

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11 Dec 08 - 08:01 AM (#2512500)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: SINSULL

There is no answer? I am to go to my grave not knowing?

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11 Dec 08 - 08:18 AM (#2512512)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

There is no answer?

The answer IS 'no answer' - and it gives the pub staff the opportunity to give 'no answer' when asked.

I'm prepared to bet that when Raggytash asked the bar staff for the solution, he got a shrug of the shoulders or a shake of the head ie NO ANSWER.

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11 Dec 08 - 09:51 AM (#2512576)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: wysiwyg

Can't raggy give us a link to the puzzle?!?!?!?

~S~

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11 Dec 08 - 09:57 AM (#2512580)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jeri

"This is not actually part of a crossword but a crossword clue in a frame in a local pub..."

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11 Dec 08 - 11:24 AM (#2512642)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

The clue never appeared in any crossword.

It only 'works' if people have to ask someone else what the solution is (eg by hanging it on a pub wall).

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11 Dec 08 - 11:43 AM (#2512660)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

...and Raggytash gave the game away when he wrote:

...and if anyone there knows the solution they are not saying

Precisely! There must be no answer.

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11 Dec 08 - 11:53 AM (#2512674)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

This reminds me uncomfortably of, when in a newsletter that I do, I presented the riddle of what "other words" end in 'gry'. I didn't know the answer - the question had come to me via email - but I knew the Mudcat would give me the answer well before the next newsletter.

Well. Turned out that the question was a widely circulated one- and was a hoax.

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12 Dec 08 - 05:54 AM (#2513349)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

reminds me of an old childrens puzzle - If it takes a week to walk a fortnight then how long will ot take a spider with no legs to crawl through a pot of jam backwards?

Answer is - A Lemon - why? Suck it and see

No wiser?

" No Answer" is not an answer to the clue given about the Polar bear- If it ever appeared in a crossword then the answer has to be something a Polar bear could be
Despite my last message to say I have given up, I have lain awake trying to sort this one out, and will now make it my life's one ambition after I officially retire and become a member of the senior citizens club on Saturday.
Keep thinking - its good for the old grey cells
Pete

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13 Dec 08 - 02:05 AM (#2514093)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

The thing is, we may have already come up with the answer the puzzle maker had in mind.   Haven't had any "Aha! Of course!" reactions to any yet, but there are a handful that seem plausible.
Unless the answers are to be found somewhere, how would we know we haven't already mentioned it?

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13 Dec 08 - 03:01 AM (#2514098)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Georgiansilver

How about...."Found on the bottom of a bird cage".. the answer has four letters ending in IT.

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13 Dec 08 - 01:29 PM (#2514390)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

I know the answer to that, GS- parrots SPIT.

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13 Dec 08 - 01:41 PM (#2514399)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Georgiansilver

Sorry Ebbie wrong answer but close LOL

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13 Dec 08 - 01:43 PM (#2514401)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Dave the Gnome

Grit - Easy:-)

How about 'To egg on' 5 letters.

A - Toast

or

African Drum 3,3

A - Mud hut

finaly

Aquatic mammal 5,3

A - Ships cat

All genuine suggestions at the local pub!

DeG

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13 Dec 08 - 02:28 PM (#2514433)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Amos

The one thing worse for a polar bear than being left-pawed, it seems to me, would be to be no pawed, but that's 2,5. No-clawed, de-clawed or unclawed would work.


A

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13 Dec 08 - 03:16 PM (#2514469)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow

But being left-pawed is no kind of disadvabtage to a Polar Bear in the first place.

Fiddling around to get the etters to give "No Answer" is OK - but there has to be something in a crossword clue that serves as the definition. And there isn't - so if that were the answer, it'd be a defective clue.

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13 Dec 08 - 03:39 PM (#2514487)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: MartinRyan

left = "abandoned"?

Regards

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13 Dec 08 - 08:07 PM (#2514643)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Amos, you're right that "the one thing worse for a polar bear than being left-pawed would be being no-pawed.   2, 6 answers such as "no footed" and "no legged" have been suggested, and I still think they make the most sense. But, again, how will we know when we've found the answer the crossword puzzle creator had in mind?

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13 Dec 08 - 08:39 PM (#2514670)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Acorn4

Is there any significance in the Polar Bear being in capitals?

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13 Dec 08 - 10:09 PM (#2514707)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Leadfingers

I've given up worrying about it

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13 Dec 08 - 10:10 PM (#2514708)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Leadfingers

But I WILL grab a 100

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14 Dec 08 - 08:41 AM (#2514863)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

Its getting worse each day - will someone please rid me of my misery and come up with the right answer

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14 Dec 08 - 11:45 AM (#2514964)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,BanjoRay

What was the pub called?

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14 Dec 08 - 11:58 AM (#2514972)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Amos

uncoated

unsealed

No Kyotos

de-furred

unfurred

northpaw

You know what--I find thinking like a polar bear to be an exhausting effort!!

Is there no peace?


A

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14 Dec 08 - 01:19 PM (#2515040)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Amos, the answer's supposed to be 2 words (2, 6), not an 8-letter word or hyphenated one.
A term like "no pawed" can be written with or without the hyphen (I'm seeing hyphen usage on the decline these days) but a term like "declawed" is never two words. : D

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14 Dec 08 - 02:17 PM (#2515090)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Helen

A South-Paw is a left handed person. Worse than being South-Pawed would be no-handed, i.e. it would be worse to have no hands at all than to be left (or right) handed.

A Polar Bear lives in the north = "no", which is the opposite of south. Pawed (in this context) is "handed".

??

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14 Dec 08 - 03:08 PM (#2515128)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

No handed or no footed.   (Actually bears don't have hands in the first place ... )

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15 Dec 08 - 05:14 AM (#2515560)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Fiddling around to get the letters to give "No Answer" is OK - but there has to be something in a crossword clue that serves as the definition. And there isn't - so if that were the answer, it'd be a defective clue.

Exactly. A proper crossword clue would contain a definition. This one doesn't. It's not a proper crossword clue. It's hanging on a pub wall (why is that, do you think?).

Without a definition there can be no answer.
The clue evaluates to no answer.
The bar staff gave no answer.
Raggytash is not answering
He's laughing at you all.
So am I.
That's the whole purpose!

---

15 Dec 08 - 05:21 AM (#2515566)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

As a member of the Bear Family, the Polar bear is An Ursine so worse than being left pawed which most polar bears are, would to be - wait for it - UN URSINE
I think this is the most likely answer if this really is a crossword question
I.m now going to bed having, in my own mind anyway, solved the puzzle, unless of course anybody knows differently

pete

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15 Dec 08 - 05:41 AM (#2515576)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,cookieless Genie

Smirk, some types of crossword puzzles use cryptic clues, usually not actual definitions.
They may be sententences with the answer embedded as a hidden word. They may be puns or riddles or jokes. They may contain anagrams of the answer. They may contain the answer written backwards. Etc.

This particular clue is obviously not a definition. It's some sort of hint, but we're not sure.

: D

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15 Dec 08 - 05:44 AM (#2515577)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,guest Genie

Trouble with "un ursine" is that "un" isn't a word. At least not in English.
(In French it's an article, but "ursine" being an adjective, you wouldn't say "un ursine."

The "2,6" designation does not denote a hyphenated word, either, so even if you wrote "unursine" as "un-ursine," it wouldn't fit.

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15 Dec 08 - 06:46 AM (#2515611)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

"some types of crossword puzzles use cryptic clues"

We are dealing with a cryptic clue here.

"usually not actual definitions"

No, but cryptic clues usually contain a definition of the answer along with all the other devices you mentioned that enable one to arrive at the solution. The trick is to identify which is the definition and which are the devices.

This one contains the devices, but no definition. It is therefore unsolvable. There is no answer. It is merely a series of devices which lead to:

NO + A + NSWE + R

And if you ask anyone in the know for the answer, they will not tell you because THE ANSWER IS 'NO ANSWER'.

Raggytash - if you're still there, you rascal (stop laughing!). We both know you can't give us the answer, for the reasons I've just given above. Could you at least confirm whether the correct answer appears somewhere in this thread? Thanks.

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16 Dec 08 - 07:15 AM (#2516680)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Sminky I don't know the answer !!! That's why I thought I'd ask the good people on Mudcat because it's bugging me

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16 Dec 08 - 08:37 AM (#2516741)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Hmmmm....

OK, could you tell us what you meant by "if anyone there knows the solution they are not saying"?

Did they refuse to say - or did they simply not know (ie by saying "I don't know")? Exact words (or lack of them) is important.

Would it be possible to revisit the pub again?

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17 Dec 08 - 04:26 AM (#2517537)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

I believe only two people know the answer, the guy who put it up and his son and they are definately not saying.

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17 Dec 08 - 05:40 AM (#2517577)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Three people - I know the answer but I'm not saying (and that's a clue).

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17 Dec 08 - 07:07 AM (#2517645)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,lox

The first word (2 letters) is - for a polar bear

and the second (6 letters) is - worse than being left pawed


whaddaya say?

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17 Dec 08 - 06:37 PM (#2518382)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: BK Lick

To "be killed" or "be clawed" would be worse than being "left pawed."

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18 Dec 08 - 01:27 AM (#2518592)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

But you wouldn't say "It's worse to be be killed than to be a south paw."
You WOULD say "It's worse to be no footed than to be a south paw." (Plus "No." is short for "north."

---

18 Dec 08 - 01:53 AM (#2518600)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: BK Lick

One may interpret "being left pawed" with "left" as the past participle of "leave."

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18 Dec 08 - 08:37 AM (#2518789)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Bee-dubya-ell

And one may interpret "pawed" as the past tense of "paw". Thus, to be "left pawed" would mean to be "abandoned after having been molested". Note that in Raggytash's clue "left pawed" is two distinct words, not the compound "left-pawed", which is the form I would use if referring to one's preferrence for one paw over the other.

So, what's worse for a Polar Bear than being "abandoned after having been molested"?

---

18 Dec 08 - 09:26 AM (#2518830)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: McGrath of Harlow

I wonder if there's some Sarah Palin reference...

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19 Dec 08 - 04:06 AM (#2519566)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Come on Sminky do us all a favour if you know the answer please let us have it, there are now several people not sleeping at night or having anxiety attacks because of this. I feel a responsibility to these good people now as it twas I who started this thread, be a nice caring person and put us out of our misery !!

---

19 Dec 08 - 04:41 AM (#2519591)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Paul Burke

He's given you his answer several times already. If he's right, it's a pretty poorly constructed conundrum.

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19 Dec 08 - 05:51 AM (#2519631)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Thanks Paul, at least somebody has got it.

I shouldn't be doing this. The whole 'joke' depends on giving no answer.

BUT, for one last time:

For a Polar Bear, worse than being left pawed

As I have explained above, this is not a 'correct' crossword clue in that it gives no hint as to what the solution is. It does not contain a definition. Therefore, however ingenious the attempts to solve the clue, one can never know if such a solution is correct. There is no answer.

One possible solution is as follows:

"a" = A

"Polar" = opposite extremes = North-South West-East = NSWE

Put these together to get ANSWE

"Bear" = def: take on, ie the above letters are contained by the following:

"worse than being left pawed" = having no right paw = No Right = NO R

Therefore put ANSWE into NOR. Result = NO ANSWER

That is a perfectly plausible solution to the clue, using well-established crossword-solving methods. Except that there is no definition, so we cannot know if it is correct (though it does give a strong hint). So let's see if the definition lies elsewhere.

Raggytash asks mine host and gets no answer. Notice that! The landlord doesn't say "I don't know" or "I'm not telling you" or "Work it out for yourself" - he gives no answer.

And there you have it. The definition is not contained in the clue, it lies in the reaction of those 'in the know'.

Now I realise there are people who will find that hard to accept, who remain convinced that the answer is 'in there somewhere' and will continue to rack their brains in an attempt to solve it. I wish them luck!

However, I'm afraid they are wasting their time. If there were a 'normal' solution to the clue we would have found it by now.

This whole exercise was intended to bamboozle and frustrate people - and, boy, it worked a treat!.

Sleep well everybody!

---

19 Dec 08 - 06:34 AM (#2519644)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Bainbo

I've got to say, Sminky, having tried to work it out, I was satisfied when you posted your solution on December 11 that you'd got it right. It's the one that makes the most sense, even if it is a bit of a cheat. It struck me that it was a bit like trying to find the hidden tiger in this picture.

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19 Dec 08 - 07:22 AM (#2519681)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

At last I mcan sleep peacefully - if that is the answer or no answer at all

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19 Dec 08 - 07:26 AM (#2519687)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

Sminky I got your explanation but just found the result so unsatisfactory that I wondered if you had found another solution.

The whole thing is a tad poor to say the least, but I do appreciate your assistance with this.

Hope you and yours have a great Christmas & New Year

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19 Dec 08 - 09:00 AM (#2519743)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

Sorry Raggy, just entering into the spirit of the 'wheeze'!

The deliberately annoying thing about all this is that it is impossible to prove. If we ask the perpetrators we will get 'no answer' (except perhaps under torture - hmmm... there's a tempting thought).

I suggest you confront the culprits next time you visit the place. Tell then you know the answer (but don't say what it is) and that it only took you 5 minutes to solve!

All the best to you too.

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19 Dec 08 - 09:13 AM (#2519751)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mr Happy

NO ANSWER=near snow?

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19 Dec 08 - 06:24 PM (#2520192)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Riginslinger

Un-Thawed

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20 Dec 08 - 01:28 AM (#2520383)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: CamiSu

G Silver

I'm surprised no one has answered your riddle

On the bottom of the parrot's cage obIT!

That didn't take long! Just gotta keep your mind out of the gutter!

CamiSu

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20 Dec 08 - 09:38 PM (#2521043)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Riginslinger

At least we know the parrot's got it!

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21 Dec 08 - 07:17 AM (#2521247)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

Are we now saying that No Answer is NOT the answer - DAMN - more sleepless nights

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21 Dec 08 - 09:43 PM (#2521894)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Slag

Right maw. Solar flare. Dexter clawed. Sinister pawed? Worse, uh clawed? Ursa with bursa. Ask the nurse,uh. Is there a monetary reward posted for a correct answer and you are enlisting the Mudcats' combined creative abilities to come up with the correct answer? I take it that this is a "Brittish Crossword"? Bare with me. Ewe first. Snarled in rhyme again. Let me hibernate on it a while.

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23 Dec 08 - 09:17 AM (#2522918)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

I have just received an electronic Crossword Solver as a birthday present - when I entered the relevant information for this problem it displayed the message "No Answer" so draw your own conclusions. As for me I have spent too many sleepless nights agonising over this one so I am going to accept my crossword solvers answer and go away and enjoy Christmas although I may give it some thought in the new Year - a New year resolution to solve it once and for all perhaps??

Happy Christmas to crossworders and mud catters everywhere
Pete

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26 Dec 08 - 08:46 AM (#2524892)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

Still working on it

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26 Dec 08 - 02:06 PM (#2525050)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Helen

Sminky,

Thanks for the explanation. I think you are correct and the answer is "No answer". I didn't get it until you put it all together in "cryptic clue language".

Helen

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26 Dec 08 - 06:03 PM (#2525187)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

Well, I'm still not convinced that "no answer" is the intended response. "No footed" makes as much or more sense to me and sounds more like an actual answer.
But by definition, the possible answers in a crossword puzzle are supposed to be limited by at least one letter having to also fit with an intersecting word.
Unless we can fill in at least one letter by way of an intersecting word, and without a factually correct answer (as with, say, an author's name or a geographic location), unless the puzzle maker tells us what he/she had in mind, there really is no clear answer. (That means that even "no answer" can't be definitively shown to be the intended answer.)

Without an intersecting word/clue, that thing about what's worse for a polar bear than being a southpaw isn't really a crossword puzzle clue. It's just a riddle of sorts.

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27 Dec 08 - 08:40 AM (#2525450)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Big Al Whittle

I've just asked my wife - she does the Telegrsph crossword most days.

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27 Dec 08 - 04:49 PM (#2525734)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Slag

Abandoned Ma'd!?

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29 Dec 08 - 10:47 AM (#2526631)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

HELP Please stop take it away I.m slowly going nuts

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29 Dec 08 - 10:58 AM (#2526640)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

Nobody's commented on 'Bainbo's one:
I've got to say, Sminky, having tried to work it out, I was satisfied when you posted your solution on December 11 that you'd got it right. It's the one that makes the most sense, even if it is a bit of a cheat. It struck me that it was a bit like trying to find the hidden tiger in this picture.
Which I thought was rather neat!
Just remember, you're not looking for the tiger in plain view, you're looking for 'The hidden tiger'!

Cheers
Nigel

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29 Dec 08 - 10:21 PM (#2527093)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: fumblefingers

All polar bears are left pawed. I like No Clawed, as I saw here by Amos.

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29 Dec 08 - 11:08 PM (#2527116)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

Nigel, I didn't see the Hidden Tiger, but how about a Crouching Dragon?**BG**

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30 Dec 08 - 12:51 AM (#2527159)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

"No clawed" or "No footed" both fit the clue and the format (2, 6), and either one, I think, would be a better answer than "no answer." JMNSHO

Genie

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30 Dec 08 - 01:15 AM (#2527166)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Slag

I got The Hidden Tiger in about 3 seconds! By the same stripe so was the polar bare.

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30 Dec 08 - 01:40 AM (#2527169)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: fumblefingers

After consulting with my old buddy, former Bristow helicopter pilot and now a luminary in Kuala Lumpar social circles, Dato Steve Day, the answer(s) is/are:

Crossword clue: For a Polar Bear, worse than being left pawed (2, 6)

The simple answer is NO THUMBS. Polar bears through urban legend are said to be left handed. They are also known for hot having opposable thumbs. I believe that this is the answer the simple person who wrote the clue is looking for.

But if you want a cryptic answer how about this?

"AN ATTACK"

"For a Polar....Bear....."

- a Polar = a northern = AN
- bear = to bear against (i.e. as a lion bears against his prey) = "ATTACK"

An attack is "worse than being left pawed."

On balance, however, the answer is NO THUMBS,

---

30 Dec 08 - 02:03 AM (#2527176)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Genie

"No thumbs" works too. I really think the 2-letter word in the answer is "no."

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30 Dec 08 - 10:56 AM (#2527434)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST, Sminky

I have just received an electronic Crossword Solver as a birthday present - when I entered the relevant information for this problem it displayed the message "No Answer"

I rest my case!

I'm off now until the New Year. Very best wishes to everyone.

---

30 Dec 08 - 11:54 AM (#2527499)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: katlaughing

banjoman, how ya doin'? No Thumbs seems a good answer, eh?!:-)

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30 Dec 08 - 12:26 PM (#2527527)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald

Other than Sminky, everyone is being too literal - it's a crossword clue, after all, and meant to be devious. The fact that it's a stand-alone clue, on a pub wall, should imply that there is 'no answer.'

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30 Dec 08 - 12:36 PM (#2527532)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Amos

POlar bears have no thumbs to begin with, so I fail to see why having no thumbs would be worse than being left-handed.

No is also the abbreviation for North, which is the opposite of being a south-anything. "No Handed" would be a good answer.


A

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30 Dec 08 - 12:48 PM (#2527545)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: fumblefingers

Here's somethng in the way of justification for "No thumbs"

http://www.dullmen.com/trivia.htm

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=33d3e1d27634fc967665fd7f567e5478&showentry=580&blogid=165&autocom=blog

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30 Dec 08 - 03:42 PM (#2527711)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Bee-dubya-ell

No answer that's been given so far, including "no answer", has much in the way of "gotcha" to it. If anything that's been tossed out as a possibility is the actual answer the puzzler intended, then it's a pretty crappy puzzle.

Anyone can make up a "puzzle" for which "no answer" could be an appropriate answer. To prove my point, I'll make one up on the spot: "What's worse for a folk singer than having his foot run over by a steam roller?" There's no answer because I just pulled the elements of the question out of thin air. I had no connection in mind. But I could pretend there's a connection if I had nothing better to do than jerk a bunch of old folkies around for a few weeks.

The hidden tiger thing, on the other hand, has lots of "gotcha".

---

02 Jan 09 - 07:35 AM (#2529514)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

I think I have finally solved this one __

" ALL THUMBS" Nothing could be worse for a Polar Bear.
No doubt some will dispute this as No Answer at all but I dont care - it will do for me

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02 Jan 09 - 07:44 AM (#2529518)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: freda underhill

lovers of British crime have a head start on these two:

1. underground comic brings the roof down (3,3,3)





and

2. epitaph for a dumb dick (2. 4. 3)


any takers?

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02 Jan 09 - 08:27 AM (#2529534)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Terry McDonald

'All thumbs' is simply wrong - one too many letters. The answer consists of a two letter word followed by a six letter word.

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03 Jan 09 - 12:52 AM (#2530240)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Dave the Gnome

How about 'it stinks'?

:D

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03 Jan 09 - 07:45 AM (#2530352)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

Looks like I'll have to dig out the calculator and start again although Thumbs is a good start

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25 Mar 09 - 05:05 PM (#2597283)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Kampervan

In one sense I hate to resurrect this thread, but did we ever get a definitive answer to the original question?

Or did Raggytash ever receive proper punishment for starting it in the first place?

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26 Mar 09 - 01:13 AM (#2597518)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Neil D

Be headed

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26 Mar 09 - 03:04 AM (#2597540)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: DMcG

The local freebie has a 'coffee break' crossword. The clues are so cryptic that the composer must take extremely long coffee breaks. Here's a clue and the right answer; can anyone explain the connection?

Clue: Smear anchor to spin endlessly while making a rice dish.
Answer: Kedgeree

Kedgeree is certainly a rice dish, but what's all the rest about?

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26 Mar 09 - 03:09 AM (#2597541)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: DMcG

Oh, I should have said that a kedge is also a type of anchor, but I still don;t quite get it. What's smeared?

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26 Mar 09 - 05:46 AM (#2597603)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Llanfair

don't know, but ree(l) is spin endlessly.

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26 Mar 09 - 07:24 AM (#2597640)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: bobad

Smear (spread out) anchor (kedge) to spin endlessly (ree(l)) while making rice dish (kedgeree)

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08 Sep 11 - 10:13 AM (#3220038)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Chris

I saw this puzzle on a pub wall in Whitby this week, the chap who set the puzzle passed away and his surviving relatives are not giving up the answer, the frame to the puzzle has a few words coming down but with no clues to their solution, the last letter in the 6 may be a U as the 3 word answer that comes there starts with a Q and unless it is QED or something like that then a U would be the obvious letter. It has bugged me for a good few days but I may well drop it very soon!!!

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08 Sep 11 - 10:25 AM (#3220044)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Chris

oh and the first letter of the 2 answer must be a O as it leads down to a 2 letter clue ending in Z. That is of course if it is a real question and not as has been pointed out just a hoax clue........

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23 Jun 12 - 07:05 AM (#3366985)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Laura

No Thumbs!

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23 Jun 12 - 10:06 AM (#3367037)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,Raggytash

AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggh!!!!!!!

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23 Jun 12 - 11:07 AM (#3367062)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

But what about the "hidden" tiger? Is it there?

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23 Jun 12 - 08:25 PM (#3367226)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: kendall

My guess, Left behind. It came to me immediately.

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24 Jun 12 - 06:08 AM (#3367333)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: banjoman

I thought that this one had gone away for good. I still have the occasional sleepless night trying to find an answer. I have grown old and decrepid with this puzzle but can find nothing better to do , other than make another banjo, if she who must be obeyed would allow me

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24 Jun 12 - 03:07 PM (#3367497)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

Ebbie:
But what about the "hidden" tiger? Is it there?
As I said on the previous page:
It struck me that it was a bit like trying to find the hidden tiger in this picture.
Which I thought was rather neat!
Just remember, you're not looking for the tiger in plain view, you're looking for 'The hidden tiger'!

It is there!

Cheers

Nigel

---

24 Jun 12 - 04:24 PM (#3367514)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Ebbie

Thanks for the pm, Nigel. I doubt that I would ever have found it- unless I'd been paid to keep looking!

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14 Jan 13 - 04:19 PM (#3466081)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,SWIRLY

LAST DOWN CLUE BEGINS WITH Q - THEREFORE POLAR BEAR CLUE ENDS IN U - ANY IDEAS

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14 Jan 13 - 04:26 PM (#3466087)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,SWIRLY

16 OF US ON A DAY TRIPTO WHITBY ALWAYS START OFF OUR DAY IN THIS PUB IN WHITYBY AS PREVIOUS SOLVER !!! - WE DEBATE OVER THE CLUE CERTAINLY A TALKING POINT BUT DONBT KNOW IF WE WILL EVER SOLVE THIS CLUE - O - FIRST LETTER U LAST LETTER - WHAT GOES IN BETWEEN - HEAVENS KNOWS - CERTAINLY GOT EVERYBODY GOING CANT FIND ANY WORDS THAT WOULD FIT - ANY IDEAS

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14 Jan 13 - 05:28 PM (#3466115)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Jack the Sailor

Ormolu but it does not fit the definition.

There are some words that start with Q but do not have U as the second letter. What is that clue. Better yet do you have a copy of the puzzle to post on line. perhaps you can photograph it?

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14 Jan 13 - 05:32 PM (#3466116)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST

Good idea, Jack.

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15 Jan 13 - 09:11 AM (#3466407)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Mo the caller

Is the hidden tiger hiding behind his friend?

I agree that No Answer is the answer
..... except that, if it is the answer then there ISN'T 'no answer' so it isn't the answer.

oh, BTW can anyone tell me who shaves the barber who shaves everyone that doesn't shave himself?
Or what a man who always lies would say if you ask him if he is telling a lie (and would it be a lie)?

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15 Jan 13 - 11:47 AM (#3466478)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Rumncoke

de feeted you has it?

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15 Jan 13 - 12:54 PM (#3466503)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Stanron

There are 28 6 letter words ending with u if you google '6 letter words ending with u'. Most of which I've never heard and can't define.

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15 Jan 13 - 03:01 PM (#3466558)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: gnu

And one more... "cheatu"?

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16 Jan 13 - 05:12 AM (#3466882)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to end the italics after "would it be a lie)?"

Could some mud-elf please correct?

Cheers

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15 Jun 14 - 03:06 PM (#3633316)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,fred

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19 Dec 14 - 01:53 AM (#3686996)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: MGM·Lion

I can usually fit clue to solution, even if only retrospectively sometimes. But rationale of one in this morning's Guardian has me puzzled.

Clue: Italian with bride can cause disturbance (6)

Answer: Tuscan

Well I got it from letters I had and taking first word of clue as the definition word. But can anyone point out how the clue leads to the solution, please?

≈M≈

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19 Dec 14 - 01:58 AM (#3686997)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: MGM·Lion

Ah -- no, OK. Got it. "Disturbance" is anagram of "Tuscan bride".

Sorry to have troubled you all. But got there at last!.

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19 Dec 14 - 03:59 AM (#3687008)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: Nigel Parsons

Nice misleading clue. The use of "can cause" gets you rationalising that you've used the letters "can" and need to rationalise the rest.
"may cause" would have avoided the confusion.

Cheers

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23 May 15 - 10:31 AM (#3711191)
Subject: RE: Crossword Bafflement
From: GUEST,whitby local

The extra letters in the The polar bear clue should be ignored.
I would not want you to be left floundering too much on your own without help

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