Wednesday 22 February 2012

Happy 80th Birthday, Rufus!

Roger Squires, Rufus, Dante A very happy birthday to Roger Squires aka Rufus/Dante, one of the best-loved crossword setters in the world. There's a nice profile of him up on the Guardian blog today, a special cryptic crossword by Enigmatist in the Guardian [25565] and many glowing tributes written for him on fifteensquared. Do check them out.

And if you haven't yet, read Roger's interview on Crossword Unclued – the most visited post on my blog in 2011.

Here's a selection of 10 superbly crafted clues by the inimitable setter. Enjoy solving.

1. News rooms (8) Q_______

2. Well-fed, he is round in form (9) N_______

3. Loaf around for a while? (5,5) S____ ____D

4. Physical training instructor (6) M_____

5. Still to come or already gone? (4) L___

6. Father is up and about (4) S___

7. Asian playing solitaire, but not having to? (7) I______

8. Gay Lib - the organisation (6) B_____

9. Lincoln died sleeping? Apparently so (4) A___

10. Out of sight, out of mind (5,3,4) R____ ___ ___D

Update: More birthday posts for Roger Squires – a special puzzle on Big Dave's blog and an interview by Alan Connor.

Related Posts:

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20 comments

sriks7 said...

Still to come or already gone? (4)
Late?

Shuchi said...

LATE is right, a double-definition.

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

News rooms: Quarters? rooms being def, and NEWS standing for the four quarters

Well fed.... straightforward anagram I believe, as also Gay Lib...

Loved the Asian playing solitaire... I make this out to be Israeli

Shuchi said...

Hi Bhala, Right on all counts.

I loved #7 too, very nicely done deletion from anagram fodder.

Sumitra said...

6.SI<RE
9.A BED

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

No other offerings, so just to progress this further:

#6 SIRE

#10 ROUND THE BEND

#9 ABED?

I am not sure about 3 and 4

Shuchi said...

Well solved Sumitra and Bhala.

9. The parsing is ABE (Lincoln) + D (died)

Hints for the remaining ones: #3 is a cryptic definition, #4 a double definition.

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

#3 I am guessing this is SHORT LIVED

#4 MASTER? but no I don't get it!

Shuchi said...

#3 S____ B___D
#4 M____L

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

oh oh #4 MANUAL -- grey cell fatigue!

Let me reflect on #3 and come back

Sumitra said...

4.MANUAL[dd]

Sumitra said...

3.SHORT BREAD?

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

I had thought of SHORT BREAD earlier, but discarded because for one I thought it is either a single word or hyphenated, and secondly in parsing, one can get the 2 components, but where is the def?

Perhaps Shuchi will throw some light

Shuchi said...

Nearly there :)

S____ BREAD

Bhalchandra Pasupathy said...

Tantalising but I'm not biting -- being mildly hung over could be my excuse. Not able to use my loaf, please rescue

Shuchi said...

Giving it out...

STALE BREAD.

Anonymous said...

Weighing in late, but I would like to thank Rufus for his excellent offerings and wish him all the very best.

veer said...

One of my favorite chuckle inducing clues, think this is Rufus's clue from memory,

Two girls, one on each knee (7)

Navneeth said...

Give only the first-letter constraint, wouldn't LEFT also fit "Still to come or already gone? (4)"?

Shuchi said...

Hi Navneeth, That's a fair point. LEFT fits well too...didn't strike me when solving. Good choice for grid-fill in a puzzle like the NYT Election Day one!