Gunnerkross Words

[the bandit]

It remains unsolved? Sounds challenging. OK, I'll give it a whirl.

EDIT: I think traditional cross-words get away with this level of obscurity/inference because they average more than two intersections per word. (A criticism of ArmourPenguin more than blackboe.) It also ensures that answers can't be faked. Is there a repeat answer?

[blackboe]

Repeat Answer?

Also: yeah, maybe I should try making a revised version by hand or something.

[Casey]

There is a repeat answer, yes. Either that, or one of the two spaces for which I have the same answer has another possible answer that matches the cross-words the same way.

And I do agree with bandit that part of the reason this is so hard is because there are so few cross-clues to build from... in a real crossword puzzle there is very little black. I didn't want to be the one to complain though, because I'm sure it was a fair amount of effort to produce any crossword puzzle at all, and for that I'm sure we're all grateful. However, since it's been mentioned... there are a number of crossword puzzle conventions that I would have like to have seen followed better, as bandit said.

[cheddarius]

The problem is the website he used to make it, I believe it was implied that it didn't allow multiple intersections.

EDIT: Giving it a cursory glance, it seems that multiple intersections would be very difficult, don't you think? Of course, you can have two words intersecting one word - but then what? You have to have more and more words intersecting each new word, until they have to become very short. Or, like a professional crossword, you have to be very, very smart and figure out ways to make them intersect in just the right way, so that it intersects upon itself, if you understand my meaning.

[Casey]

I didn't understand your meaning, but to be clear, I think both bandit and I were faulting the software, not blackboe.

[cheddarius]

Ah, I see.

Er, to rephrase it better, my point is this: To have a crossword with a lot of words where a lot of words intersect, you have to get the perfect chain of words. If you have only one intersection for a word, it's easy. For example, if you have "delicious" and "apple", just have the l's intersect, and you're done. But if you want to have a square-like construction, "delicious"-L-"apple"-P-"Pigeon"-E-"CityFace", where each is rotated 90 degrees to the right, City Face is going to intersect Delicious. And what if they don't match up? It's much harder this way.

[the bandit]

Nobody said it would be easy. I've always been more impressed with the people who create traditional crossword puzzles (and before computers?!) than people who solve them.

I've only a few eluding me at this point; I can't remember where a graveyard is ever mentioned and my brain is too quick to put "boy," "dog," or "bye" at the prompt of Good _____. (And then, of course, there is the set of all things not an orange.)

Apr 23, 2010 0:37:54 GMT blackboe said:

Repeat Answer?

15 down and 21 across.

[Casey]

Apr 23, 2010 14:27:47 GMT the bandit said:

I can't remember where a graveyard is ever mentioned

It's in there, keep scanning the comic and you'll find it. It's a little obscure but when I remembered it I was like "Oh, of course!"

and my brain is too quick to put "boy," "dog," or "bye" at the prompt of Good _____.

This one's a little more straightforward. You may be overlooking something. It's definitely story-related.

(And then, of course, there is the set of all things not an orange.)

Yup. I'm still baffled by that one.

Apr 23, 2010 0:37:54 GMT blackboe said:

Repeat Answer?

15 down and 21 across.

I concur.

[blackboe]

Curses. I'm making a thing for someone right now, but I'll try my hand at making one by hand, in a bit.

[Casey]

Don't sweat it man. It's still been fun, there's just a small number of snags that aren't entirely your fault. Maybe better to take a break and spread out the crosswords by a few weeks or so, so they're still fresh and interesting each time.

[cheddarius]

Good ____:
Hint: It's about Annie.
Further Hint: It's a place.
Even further hint: It's a place in Annie's past.
Answer: Hope

[cheddarius]

Anyone doing this?
Note: On "not an orange", maybe it's related to "tangerine" or "apple" or something?

[Casey]

I have all the answers except one now, and the one that I don't have I actually realized I had the wrong cross-letters in (because I'm not filling this in on an actual sheet, just eyeballing it on a text document) so now I have to go back and start looking again.

BTW I got 'not an orange' and I am NOT telling, sorry!

[Casey]

I've PMed my fully complete answer sheet to blackboe, just waiting for a confirmation that they're all correct.

[blackboe]

Ok, in the vein of Cheddarius because almost no-one will get it otherwise, I'm sure:

Not an orange:
Hint:A cultural reference.
Further hint: Something to do with the movie: 'A clockwork orange'
Extensively Further Hint: Something clockwork
Answer: Awww, come on. It wouldn't be fair. :(

[Casey]

The hint that I got "Not An Orange" from was the much better clue that blackboe gave earlier in the thread of "Temporary Home". That alone should/could have been the original clue. The reason why I think the original clue (and its subsequent hints above) aren't so hot, I've written here in highlight-text: Technically, it's not "clockwork" at all. There's a page where you can see inside it, and nothing clockwork is involved. End highlight text.

Yes, once blackboe confirms that my answers are all right, there are other clues that I want to discuss as well... not to rip you down, blackboe, but just as an explanation as to why some of them might have been harder than you had intended, because the clue wasn't completely accurate.

[cheddarius]

I don't think that's a very strong clue, blackboe, though I don't intend offense. A clue, if you know the answer, should leap out at you. Like the others - the answer to "terrible" is immediately obvious once you find it. But this one is a chain. Even if you do figure out the clue, you have to figure out another clue, and it relies on chancing upon the one correct book/film that has "orange" in it. There must be thousands, and there's no way to know that "A Clockwork Orange" is the right one; it's not like Kat talked about it or anything...

[the bandit]

Now I'm even more confused.

[blackboe]

Oh no, that's cool. I don't take offense.

[Casey]

So I won I guess?

Do the rest of you want the answers?

[the bandit]

'Grats!

I just want clarification on what's going on with 14 across.

[Casey]

I'll highlight text my interpretation below. Don't highlight this if you are a masochist and still want to figure it out on your own! I'll explain in stages, the actual answer won't be in here... but it should be pretty clear by the end.

The original clue was "Not an Orange". In order to figure out this clue you would have to figure out that the specific "orange" blackboe was referencing was "A Clockwork Orange".

Therefore the answer is "Not A Clockwork Orange... but a clockwork something-else. Only, the answer isn't actually a clockwork anything.

The other clue that was given in the thread for this answer was "A temporary home".

So the answer comes down to being "A temporary home, that is a clockwork item, but not really".

If you still can't get it after that, let me know.

[linnabean]

oh. i get it now.

thanks!