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philo

11th January 2025, 19:35
Hear hear Roof

My trajectory was similar to yours. However, I still want to read the other bits in the comment section.

FOI 8d - I stupidly thought I might be in for an easy day.

Here's hoping for a gentler ride tomorrow.
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chrise

11th January 2025, 19:50
I think perhaps the most baffling is 11a. The answer is obvious enough, but what does it have to do with 50 year olds and Vespas? Is it significant that vespa is Italian for wasp?
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jono

11th January 2025, 20:03
You need to see the Collins definition of the first five letters. It includes the words “middle-aged” (hence 50-something) and “powerful motorbike” which one might consider the antithesis of a Vespa, hence “no!”.

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chrise

11th January 2025, 20:07
Thanks jono. I don't have Collins, but I found it online. It seems rather unfair as a clue - an obscure acronym!
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chrise

11th January 2025, 20:09
No, I would go further - it's an awful clue, worst I've seen for ages (even worse than 23d!). Not a great experience, this one.
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prospero

11th January 2025, 22:57
I think "cycling" implies that you put the "no" before the "bambi", as well as serving as the reason why he's not a bambi. I liked 23, though it was my last one in - but then more than 50 years ago I directed Serjeant Musgrave in which he is a character ...
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quisling

11th January 2025, 23:13
I don’t understand your reasoning at all, prospero. “Cycling” is not in the clue, or the acronym, and the vehicles involved are all motorised. It may be Enigmatist, but that Is a stretch too far. I think Jono has it spot on at #83
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geeker

11th January 2025, 23:20
Agreed that 11 and 23d were lemons. Aside from those two, it would have been a rather accessible puzzle by Enigmatist standards. So perhaps he included those to goose up the difficulty level? 😏
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prospero

11th January 2025, 23:32
sorry - I forgot cycling is not in the clue - but I think "on a Vespa!" is meant to suggest it.
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a1philosopher

12th January 2025, 01:47
How common is it for a crossword to contain every letter of the alphabet? Is there a word (cf nina) to describe such a crossword?
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