Victoria Coren Mitchell - Writer, Broadcaster & Poker Player


A New Connecting Wall

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

I’ve just been sent this by Dan B, and I thought perhaps it’s time we had one more.

For newcomers: you need to divide these 16 clues into four *connected* groups of four, and say what the connections are. It works like the final round of the quiz show Only Connect: there may be red herrings and false groups, but there should be only one perfect solution where all four groups work. I haven’t tried this one myself yet but it looks very clever…

RUBY / WAX / TROUBLE / FRAME
POPE / GREGORY / STUD / MUFFIN
KHYBER / PASS / CHARGES / ATTRACTION
GANG / NEEDLE / CRICKET / TEAM

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Dan at 4:33 pm on August 12th, 2009

wax, frame, team, needle - work


Dan at 5:29 pm on August 12th, 2009

Dare I say it?  Mule?

Muffin, stud mule, The Pope’s Mule (a book), and Ruby Mule (a purported cocktail). 

But this is probably wrong.


Jo at 6:36 pm on August 12th, 2009

I’ll be very surprised if this is right, but here goes:

WAX/FRAME/TEAM/NEEDLE - Ends in work
STUD/PASS/GANG/CHARGES - Begins with press
RUBY/GREGORY/TROUBLE/KHYBER - Cockney rhyming slang (Ruby Murray, Gregory Peck, Trouble and strife, Khyber pass)
POPE/MUFFIN/ATTRACTION/CRICKET - Backing bands (singular versions)


Dan Boxall at 7:35 pm on August 12th, 2009

Jo! First ball of the over! Absolutely bang on. Good work!


MarkP at 11:06 pm on August 12th, 2009

It’s a bit late but this is my attempt at a grid

BROAD / BATH / FILM / CADDY
ARENA / RABBIT / READING / LITTLE
HALL / PRIDE / FOX / SLIPKNOT
OPERA / DERBY / CHARLES I / FLOCK


David Young at 1:03 pm on August 13th, 2009

Watching Monday’s show made me glad I never appeared on the show. I’ve not felt that stupid in a long time ... not since I last played bridge anyway.

The race track on Top Gear names its bends? Chaff means tease? Who knows these things? Who picks out four words from sixteen and notices that they end in boys names (Fluke/Luke)???

Same time next week.

ps - Can I put in a good word for the Swedish show that comes afterwards? “Wallander” is excellent. Don’t miss.


David Bodycombe at 8:32 pm on August 13th, 2009

Although “official” OC walls don’t use more than one prefix/suffix-type clue, I thought Dan B’s wall was very good especially in the gimmick of the two-word phrases. Good work!

>The race track on Top Gear names its bends?

This is a perfect example of the paradox of “popularity”. Probably well over 10million people watch that show, BBC2’s highest-rating, on a semi-regular basis or more. I think that makes it more than fair game, but equally it does mean that some 50 million Britons will be mystified.


Peter H at 11:57 pm on August 13th, 2009

Monday’s show was chronicles of ridiclously difficult.  Think I got like two questions right but the grey-silver ensemble worn by Ms Coren was tres chic.


Brian at 1:37 pm on August 14th, 2009

I also found OC absurdly hard on Monday (and tweeted halfway through, a little intemperately - sorry about that), but that’s why it’s a team game. On Tuesday I found that my former teammate Keith could have got a few of the connections I had no idea of (eg the Billy Joel song) and so between us, we might have been ok. The teams that win are the ones that have a spread of knowledge and listen to each other.


Victoria Coren at 10:39 am on August 15th, 2009

Nobody’s having a go at Mark’s grid! Maybe it’s too hard? I can’t find any groups in there myself.. maybe something to do with books, but that’s about as far as I’ve got. Mark, perhaps we need a clue - or even for you to give us one of the groups to start off with..


MarkP at 12:14 pm on August 15th, 2009

Ooh, can I do an OC type reveal and say the groups are

BROAD / LITTLE / HALL / CHARLES I
BATH / FILM / READING / PRIDE
ARENA / SLIPKNOT / OPERA / FLOCK
CADDY / FOX / DERBY / RABBIT

And for an extra point…


Smylers at 12:21 pm on August 15th, 2009

The Wikipedia page on “slipknot” reveals “SlipKnot” to be the name of an early web browser.  Opera is a browser, as is Flock.

I didn’t think “Fox” as an abbreviation of “Firefox” was fair, but “Arena” seemed like the kind of thing a web browser would be called; I even guessed it may be related to Amaya (on the somewhat flimsy basis of them both starting and ending with “A”), and Wikipedia again shows that to be true.

So that leaves:

BROAD / BATH / FILM / CADDY
RABBIT / READING / LITTLE / HALL
PRIDE / FOX / DERBY / CHARLES I


Smylers at 12:38 pm on August 15th, 2009

Ah, I see that while I was researching web browsers Mark posted the groups.

Stuart Broad is a cricketer.  Stuart Little is a mouse.  Stuart Hall hosted ‘It’s a Knockout’.  And Charles I was from the House of Stuart.  So they’re all Stuarts.


Victoria Coren at 3:05 pm on August 15th, 2009

Is this one

BATH / FILM / READING / PRIDE

festival?

if so it would leave only CADDY / FOX / DERBY / RABBIT to be solved (assuming Smylers is right. Thanks for your grid too Smylers - but can’t put it up til the outstanding one is solved…)


MarkP at 5:57 pm on August 15th, 2009

Yes, well done Smylers and Victoria all correct…


Clyde at 6:07 pm on August 15th, 2009

Are CADDY / FOX / DERBY / RABBIT something to do with Volkswagen?


Suzanne at 8:06 pm on August 15th, 2009

If caddy / fox / derby / rabbit is the last group then the connection is they are all types of Volkswagen.


MarkP at 11:39 pm on August 15th, 2009

Yes, the final group being all models of VW cars. Too much time spent driving I fear and I changed Golf to its American counterpart of Rabbit because I thought it might be too easy


Smylers at 11:45 pm on August 15th, 2009

Here’s my attempt at a puzzle. I tried its initial version on a couple of friends (who’d seen ‘Only Connect’) last week, and have made a few modifications based on their feedback:

EDGWARE / BANK / MONUMENT / OVAL
PHARMACY / MILLENNIUM / EVANS / WEMBLEY
HAYMARKET / ACKROYD / ST JAMES PARK / LIST
MCGINTY / NAME / CRYSTAL PALACE / WALLSEND


Jimmy Arrier at 1:15 am on August 16th, 2009

Seems all a bit London orientated but….I think PHARMACY/BANK/NAME/LIST is linked by Lloyds.


David Young at 3:28 am on August 16th, 2009

Edgware, Evans, McGinty, Ackroyd

all characters appearing in the title of an Agatha Christie novel.


Smylers at 11:02 am on August 16th, 2009

Jimmy and David: Correct; those are both groups.

(And what do you mean London-oriented?!)


AndytheDealer at 3:17 pm on August 16th, 2009

OVAL / CRYSTAL PALACE / MILLENIUM / WEMBLEY
are all venues that have staged the F.A. CUP Final.

Leaving, HAYMARKET / ST JAMES PARK / MONUMENT / WALLSEND, which I think are all stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro.


Rain at 4:26 pm on August 16th, 2009

The Oval, Millennium Stadium, Wembley and Crystal Palace have all hosted FA Cup Finals….and I think the other four might be a Newcastle connection. Wallsend, Haymarket Theatre, St James Park and the Monument to Earl Grey.


Smylers at 5:05 pm on August 16th, 2009

Andy and Rain: Well done, that’s correct.

See, no London connection at all!  Though the misdirection with Tube stations served as a clue to the Metro connection ...


MarkP at 5:18 pm on August 16th, 2009

Have you checked St James’ Park (Newcastle) on Google maps? I’m shocked and outraged…I wonder if this was some prank by a Sunderland fan.


Jimmy Arrier at 10:58 pm on August 16th, 2009

It was just a first impression that Edgware (rd,tube station), Bank (of England, tube station), Monument (tube station), (Kennington) Oval, Wembley, Haymarket (nr Piccadilly?), St James Park, Crystal Palace, Lloyds (of London) seemed to indicate a capital flavour to your grid.

Nothing wrong whatsoever with that - and being a Scot, I completely missed the Newcastle connection….Doh


David Bodycombe at 12:07 am on August 17th, 2009

Smylers - another excellent grid. Please send me your address to david (at) qwertyuiop.co.uk and I’ll send you a prize.

(JB - yours is in the post)

DJB


Ace at 6:22 am on August 18th, 2009

NANA/RAY/CREAM/TEA

JUST/MORE/AGAIN/FOURTH

PTANG/YANG/KIPPER/BANG


Victoria Coren at 10:13 am on August 18th, 2009

That’s a joke one, isn’t it…


Ace at 8:10 pm on August 18th, 2009

The Answers are, as follows…

Cake
William
uur (the sound one would make hooting a clowns nose, sorry I’m terrible at spelling sounds)

:)


Hardhhhat at 2:21 pm on August 19th, 2009

Great show. I prefer our OC to the USA OC :o) will take a look at the walls and see if I can’t make one up myself. I don’t know anyone else who watches OC - where are they all? When I mention it to friends I just get that working out Pi to the millionth digit in their head kind of expression.


hardhhhat at 3:32 pm on August 19th, 2009

Well here is my first attempt at a connect wall:

NEWMARKET- FOCUS - CORK - STONES
RUG - MALLOW - MIRROR - VINYL
MILLSTREET - PIN - FLASH - MAT
STOCK - CARPET - CHARLEVILLE - SHUTTER

Hope it’s not too easy or too hard for you.

HH


baby fish at 8:55 am on August 20th, 2009

Think I’m pretty sure of the categories, not sure if I’ve got the right words in each ...

Co Cork: Newmarket, Charleville, Newmarket, Mallow
Camera parts: Flash, Focus, Shutter, Mirror
Rolling :Stones, Pin, Stock, Mat
Floor covering: Carpet, Rug, Cork, Vinyl


Ian at 9:22 am on August 20th, 2009

You may be tickled to learn that a bunch of American puzzle nerds adore the show (although we don’t do so well on questions about, say, Chancellors of the Exchequer.) We’ve been writing our own questions all summer; here are a few:

Round 1 style:
knickknack, razzamatazz, stresslessness, pizzazz
compulsion to move, I adjust, the king is dead, in passing
testament, angered, laudatory, yea
(pictures) job seeker, ambulance chaser, Groundskeeper Willie, eggbeater

Round 2 style:
Prop, But, Pent, ?
Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Plato, ?
Tongue-tied, puckering up for a kiss, sad face, ?
Hitler: 1, Goering: 2, Himmler: 2, ?


Dan Boxall at 1:43 pm on August 20th, 2009

Round 1:

Not sure if this is the answer you’re after, but it’s right!  The first lot are all words it’s impossible to make in a game of scrabble.

The next lot are English translations of French chess terms.

Round 2:
Hex(ane)
- -
Goebbels: 0 (number of reputed testicles in the old song)


Hardhhhat at 1:56 pm on August 20th, 2009

Babyfish: nice work, seems it was either too easy or you are on the same wavelength :o) was fun though - keep em peeled I may be back for more.

HH


Rain at 4:36 pm on August 20th, 2009

Rnd 2/2 is probably Socrates, as each was the prize pupil of the next in the list.

And as for 2/3, well I just don’t want to go there, as it takes me back all too depressingly to my teens….


Ian at 8:54 am on August 21st, 2009

All of those answers are correct. 1/1 is words that are legal (in the OSPD) but unplayable. Two of the terms in 1/2 are German and Persian.

1/3 is quite hard, but “yea” is supposed to be the giveaway. For 1/4, think kid literature; for 2/3, think Internet chatting. (and my players made the same joke about it being the sequence of events on a bad date!)


Hardhhhat at 11:37 am on August 21st, 2009

Hi,

Thought I’d try another connect wall for you - hopefully a little tougher than the last one :o)

Beatbox - Men - God - Maker
Organise - Launch procedure - Tapping - Tumble
Vexed morpheme - Turntablism - Chained - Benn
Solo brigde - Toga - Third bridge - Shore

How come the BBC haven’t got any online flash Only Connect games?


Hardhhhat at 3:23 pm on August 21st, 2009

Ian,

is 1/3 all anagrams of the word that still has the same/similar meaning?

Testament - Statement
Angered - Enraged
Laudatroy - Adulatory
Yea - Aye


MarkP at 10:10 am on August 22nd, 2009

MEN / GOD / BENN/ TUMBLE – All Mr
BEATBOX / TAPPING / TURNTABLISM / THIRD BRIDGE –  something to do with altering sounds?


Hardhhhat at 4:39 pm on August 23rd, 2009

MarkP.

You have one correct group:
BEATBOX / TAPPING / TURNTABLISM / THIRD BRIDGE - All extended musical techniques.

The Mr one is close but not right - they are a specific type of Mr and you don’t have the correct 4.

HH


MarkP at 8:33 pm on August 23rd, 2009

I’m going to stick with the Mr theme and say
MEN/ BENN / TUMBLE / MAKER
I’m guessing they’re kids TV shows Mr Men, the wonderful Mr Benn and Mr Tumble, and cbeebies says there is a show called Mr Maker.


suzanne at 10:50 pm on August 23rd, 2009

benn, maker, tumble and men - all types of mr with a relation to childrens tv and or books


MarkP at 11:19 pm on August 23rd, 2009

Also would these be descriptions of TV shows?
Launch procedure = Countdown
Shore = Coast
Solo bridge = Only Connect


Hardhhhat at 12:59 pm on August 24th, 2009

MarkP and Suzanne are both on the money with the Kids TV Mr.‘s, well done.

You have Only Connect and Countdown right but Shore is a different group. So you now have 2 for another connection… ah this one is a little harder than my first attempt it seems.

Nice working out so far.

HH


Pax at 2:56 pm on August 24th, 2009

How about four anagrams for animals:  god/dog, toga/goat, shore/horse and chained echidna

- could the vexed morpheme be ER?


MarkP at 10:26 pm on August 24th, 2009

The only other thing I can see is anagrams of animals
Toga = Goat
God = Dog
Shore = horse


Pax at 12:31 am on August 25th, 2009

organise: Law and Order a bit too wordy perhaps?


Pax at 1:15 am on August 25th, 2009

organise: maybe mastermind is better


hardhhhat at 10:42 am on August 25th, 2009

Seems you guys in a roundabout way have the answers:

Kids’ TV Mr.‘s - Tumble, Benn, Men, Maker
Animal anagrams - Goat, Dog, Horse & Echidna
Extended Musical Techniques - Tapped, Beatbox, Turntablism & Third bridge
Quizzes - Only Connect/Solo bridge, Mastermind/Organise, Countdown/Launch procedure and the one that everyone missed Crossword/Vexed Morpheme

Well done everyone, that was fun - maybe need to work on the first attempt (too easy) and this one (too hard) and get somewhere in the middle. Hope you liked it.

Later,

HH


Victoria Coren

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