1 day ago
5
In February, this clue appeared as eight down in a puzzle from Tramp:
8d Guessing John, finally is eighty: posh spread? (13)
[wordplay: anagram of last letter of (“finally”) JOHN & ISEIGHTYPOSH]
[definition: guessing]
The answer is HYPOTHESISING. The following week, the Guardian received this charming letter:
My family are apparently arranging a tea party for my significant birthday in March, and it seems that your crossword setter Tramp has got wind of this. This is shown by a clue in the puzzle on 14 February: “Guessing John finally is 80: posh spread?” As for the solution, I’m hypothesising that Tramp is not only an excellent setter, but has great powers of clairvoyance too!
John Gooder
Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire
It was not just eight down: the whole puzzle was a birthday tribute with references throughout. I had edited Tramp’s puzzle in November and had been looking forward to its appearing.
It’s just that it was for a different John.
Guardian setters are remarkably adept at producing puzzles that have a theme and that work excellently for those solvers who don’t notice or have neither knowledge of nor interest in the theme. Just as you didn’t need to know that it was the 50th anniversary of the Supertramp album Crime of the Century to enjoy a different Tramp puzzle from October, so it was with this puzzle marking the 80th birthday of the Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell. (You can read more about Tramp and Supertramp in our Q&A.)
You might be wondering whether this leaves the other John – the solving, letter-writing, so far as we know non-saxophone-playing John – bereft. But no. John has, we’re told, since received his own personalised tribute puzzle and is keen to thank the setter, one Pendorne. And that puzzle is the real reason for telling this tale.
Pendorne is not Tramp. Pendorne is not me. I suspect Pendorne may be reading this. Who can help?
In our cluing conference for JANITOR, the runners-up are Patjberry47’s amorous “Juliet getting into a jam with Romeo? Who will clean it up?” and Schroduck’s all-in-one “New Year’s rubbish picked up by her?”; the winner is the hard-to-classify “I pick up some grot in a job”.
Kludos to Unmitigated. Please leave entries for COINCIDENCE below, along with any favourite clues or puzzles you have spotted.
English (US)