Why is the excellent fish trying to cross the road?
MarkP at 5:38 pm on July 27th, 2009
I was reading your Observer article and it reminded me of a documentary I saw about Kirsten O’Brien who can’t get work as a serious presenter because of her kids TV image. She was pondering doing a lad’s mag but chose to do stand–up comedy instead.
Rad at 7:26 pm on July 27th, 2009
The fish is a little scary, but would make a good loofa.
If no-one else is gridding, how about this one?
Rad (who was wrongly accused of being a bloke the other day and is very much of the lady variety)
VINE / GORDON / GEORGE / LIGHT
ANNE / GILBERT / WHITE / DANCE
BREAD / TRUTH / DUSTIN / BLOOD
LAMB / FLOODS / ANNIVERSARY / EDD
Andrew H at 9:14 pm on July 27th, 2009
You wash your hair and then you can’t do a thing with it….I know how it feels.
Thingyame at 9:55 pm on July 27th, 2009
There’s something very Dr Seuss about it to me
Odds On at 11:51 pm on July 27th, 2009
I guess that that’s what happens when two genetic engineers can’t decide whether they want a cat or a goldfish.
LC at 11:52 pm on July 27th, 2009
The fish looks a bit… knitted.
Victoria Coren at 12:03 am on July 28th, 2009
I wish I’d had knitted fish when I was a child. Would have been a lot less traumatic.
As for the new grid.. hmm.. there seem to be a lot of biblical things in there. Is Jesus a connection? Truth / Light / Lamb and.. um.. er.. bread?
Rad at 2:37 am on July 28th, 2009
words to describe Jesus is a connection… you have 3/4 of them.
Diamond is also correct but which 4 of the 5 go with it…? (Getting the fourth set will help you figure that out)
Fulgur at 2:27 pm on July 28th, 2009
You told us in The Observer yesterday that you have a size 14 arse. You don’t have an arse, Victorear, you have a bottom. You may play a vulgar game, but it needn’t infect The Observer.
Matt M at 7:32 pm on July 28th, 2009
“For the second series, inspired by gorgeous fat Joan from Mad Men, I decided to turn up with a new wardrobe of close-fitting dresses and show off my “womanly curves” as if they were a good thing. Nobody spotted the difference”
I think people did spot the difference and I was actually going to congratulate you for sacking whoever was responsible for the ill fitting series 1 suits. I assumed it was a conscious decision to avoid setting BBC4 pulses racing but it produced a faux “back to school, you’ll grow into them” chic. As it was your own choice I’m glad I kept my mouth shut and ....
(grape - vine, white, gilbert, ?)
David Bodycombe at 10:20 pm on July 28th, 2009
Ok, so this has been going on for a while so fair game I have a go.
What about puppets?
DUSTIN the Turkey (Ireland’s Eurovision entry)
GEORGE (Rainbow, I’m guessing)
GILBERT (as in ITV kid’s show Gilbert’s Fridge)
EDD the Duck
Seems like quite a disparate group but I think it works.
Rain at 10:29 pm on July 28th, 2009
I think the Site Moderator should come down like a ton of bricks on unwelcome interlopers who are prepared to befoul these threads with unseemly anatomical references such as ‘****’,’*******’ and ‘size **’, when the people here are only playing harmless parlour games or looking at excellent fish. Fulgur can no more distinguish between this blog and the Whiners’ comments section of the Observer than he can between his **** and his elbow.
Victoria Coren at 11:32 pm on July 28th, 2009
David, of course you should have a go! Why should you have all the hard work and none of the fun?
So, Team Coren Blog’s attempt at this grid currently looks like
- and then one other category that might be puppets or might be grape. And some of the clues above might be in the wrong category - but assuming the ‘flash’ category is correct. Remaining clues:
P.S. Only got the poker hands connection correct on last week’s programme, so not expecting this to be right
Rad at 9:18 am on July 29th, 2009
[MOD. THIS CAME IN BEFORE THE POST ABOVE AND GAVE THE ANSWER, BABY FISH’S SOLUTION IS CORRECT!]
Hello all.
davidbod got the puppets right.
and between you you’ve pretty much got it…
I thought that was actually easier than it turned out to be… Well done all…
adam at 2:21 pm on July 29th, 2009
i was still looking for the dr seuss connection, guess that was the fish, huh? didn’t do much better on the show on monday and even messed up on one of the poker questions on university challenge (yes!)
paxo could learn a thing or two about being a sympathetic host from vicky.
JB at 7:07 pm on July 29th, 2009
Arriving ridiculously late onto the bandwagon, I have a grid for those who find them fun.
LIVINGSTONE / STANLEY / HORNE / WEBB
GAMA / NELSON / HARDY / CORDEN
TON / WILLIAMS / PORTER / BRANAGH
SINGLE / POINT / DUCK / WISE
On the grounds that I’m about two weeks late for this, however, I don’t mind if people have had enough!
Andrew H at 10:48 pm on July 29th, 2009
I think I may be getting the hang of these.
How about LIVINGSTONE/HORNE/WILLIAMS/BRANAGH = all Kenneths/Kens.
Saw the repeat of the show, but didn’t do too well.
Fitch at 11:21 pm on July 29th, 2009
After Kefalonia I went to Newquay, I found the cliffs very high. I was frightened.
Sad eh!
baby fish at 12:32 pm on July 30th, 2009
second half of comedy duos? - (Morecombe and) WISE, (Laurel and) HARDY, (Horne and) CORDEN, (Mitchell and) WEBB
JB at 1:40 pm on July 30th, 2009
Spot on, Andrew H.
David Bodycombe at 1:41 pm on July 30th, 2009
Well, assuming the Kens are right, this is quite an interesting grid to unpick. I think the connections are explorers, cricket scores and halves of comedy double acts, but POINT has me foxed. Unfortunately, there are actually quite a few semi-famous explorers with surnames like WEBB and CORDEN but I’m assuming the setter’s restricting us to well-known examples.
STANLEY
GAMA
NELSON (also a cricket score)
TON
SINGLE
DUCK
HARDY
PORTER
WISE
CORDEN
WEBB
POINT (cricket position but not a score)
AndytheDealer at 5:04 pm on July 30th, 2009
SINGLE / POINT / DUCK / TON - Cricket?
JB at 9:00 pm on July 30th, 2009
baby fish is also correct in her group and reasoning, so we have:
Livingstone / Horne / Williams / Branagh - all famous Kens or Kenneths
Wise / Hardy / Corden / Webb - second half of famous double acts.
David Bodycombe has sort of got a group correct without perhaps wholly realising it (and I can’t give more of a clue than that!), and AndytheDealer can’t really get any closer without being correct, but isn’t quite right in either group or category.
Robert Duboff at 12:30 am on July 31st, 2009
Hey Vicky,
Congrats on the blackjack in vegas.
You will make an illegible bloggers dream with a link to his blog on your blog.
If you link my blog I will reciprocrate with a shout out on my twitter. I currently have 5 followers and one is my sister.
Thanks
Robert
Victoria Coren at 2:14 am on July 31st, 2009
Well yes that’s fine but you have to *include the link*....
Robert Duboff at 3:25 am on July 31st, 2009
www.pokerwithrobert.blogspot.com
Thanks
David Bodycombe at 9:17 am on July 31st, 2009
Thinking laterally, are they binary numbers?
Duck = 0
Single = 1
Ton = 100
Nelson = 111
JB at 11:48 am on July 31st, 2009
That’s the group, and you were right first time in terms of category - they’re cricketing terms for a number of runs - duck=0, single=1, ton=100, nelson=111.
So that leaves Stanley / Gama / Porter / Point as the final (and hardest group, probably). Perhaps Point might have a song to sing, O in order to help you out!
AndytheDealer at 12:53 pm on August 3rd, 2009
General STANLEY
King GAMA
Sir John PORTER
Jack POINT
They are all comic Baritones in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. Thanks for the clue!
David Bodycombe at 5:26 pm on August 3rd, 2009
Very cunning indeed. I think this deserves a prize as the best knitted-together grid of those submitted. JB, please email me your postal address to david (at) qwertyuiop.co.uk and - after checking with VC - I’ll send you a couple of puzzle books.
JB at 11:38 pm on August 3rd, 2009
AndytheDealer is correct (though on a point of pure pedantry, it should be Major-General Stanley and Sir Joseph Porter, KCB).
Whilst that is the connection I was thinking about, I would also have had to accept the solution that they were all parts created by George Grossmith in the original D’Oyly Carte productions - it therefore coming as no surprise to know he was the original comic baritone of the company (pace Fred Sullivan, who was the original Judge in Trial by Jury).
Comments
Rainbow at 4:24 pm on July 27th, 2009
Why is the excellent fish trying to cross the road?
MarkP at 5:38 pm on July 27th, 2009
I was reading your Observer article and it reminded me of a documentary I saw about Kirsten O’Brien who can’t get work as a serious presenter because of her kids TV image. She was pondering doing a lad’s mag but chose to do stand–up comedy instead.
Rad at 7:26 pm on July 27th, 2009
The fish is a little scary, but would make a good loofa.
If no-one else is gridding, how about this one?
Rad (who was wrongly accused of being a bloke the other day and is very much of the lady variety)
VINE / GORDON / GEORGE / LIGHT
ANNE / GILBERT / WHITE / DANCE
BREAD / TRUTH / DUSTIN / BLOOD
LAMB / FLOODS / ANNIVERSARY / EDD
Andrew H at 9:14 pm on July 27th, 2009
You wash your hair and then you can’t do a thing with it….I know how it feels.
Thingyame at 9:55 pm on July 27th, 2009
There’s something very Dr Seuss about it to me
Odds On at 11:51 pm on July 27th, 2009
I guess that that’s what happens when two genetic engineers can’t decide whether they want a cat or a goldfish.
LC at 11:52 pm on July 27th, 2009
The fish looks a bit… knitted.
Victoria Coren at 12:03 am on July 28th, 2009
I wish I’d had knitted fish when I was a child. Would have been a lot less traumatic.
As for the new grid.. hmm.. there seem to be a lot of biblical things in there. Is Jesus a connection? Truth / Light / Lamb and.. um.. er.. bread?
Rad at 2:37 am on July 28th, 2009
words to describe Jesus is a connection… you have 3/4 of them.
Rain at 10:06 am on July 28th, 2009
Flash - Gordon, Light, Floods, Dance
Diamond - Anne, Dustin, Blood, Anniversary/White
Rad at 2:24 pm on July 28th, 2009
Rain - Flash is correct
Diamond is also correct but which 4 of the 5 go with it…? (Getting the fourth set will help you figure that out)
Fulgur at 2:27 pm on July 28th, 2009
You told us in The Observer yesterday that you have a size 14 arse. You don’t have an arse, Victorear, you have a bottom. You may play a vulgar game, but it needn’t infect The Observer.
Matt M at 7:32 pm on July 28th, 2009
“For the second series, inspired by gorgeous fat Joan from Mad Men, I decided to turn up with a new wardrobe of close-fitting dresses and show off my “womanly curves” as if they were a good thing. Nobody spotted the difference”
I think people did spot the difference and I was actually going to congratulate you for sacking whoever was responsible for the ill fitting series 1 suits. I assumed it was a conscious decision to avoid setting BBC4 pulses racing but it produced a faux “back to school, you’ll grow into them” chic. As it was your own choice I’m glad I kept my mouth shut and ....
(grape - vine, white, gilbert, ?)
David Bodycombe at 10:20 pm on July 28th, 2009
Ok, so this has been going on for a while so fair game I have a go.
What about puppets?
DUSTIN the Turkey (Ireland’s Eurovision entry)
GEORGE (Rainbow, I’m guessing)
GILBERT (as in ITV kid’s show Gilbert’s Fridge)
EDD the Duck
Seems like quite a disparate group but I think it works.
Rain at 10:29 pm on July 28th, 2009
I think the Site Moderator should come down like a ton of bricks on unwelcome interlopers who are prepared to befoul these threads with unseemly anatomical references such as ‘****’,’*******’ and ‘size **’, when the people here are only playing harmless parlour games or looking at excellent fish. Fulgur can no more distinguish between this blog and the Whiners’ comments section of the Observer than he can between his **** and his elbow.
Victoria Coren at 11:32 pm on July 28th, 2009
David, of course you should have a go! Why should you have all the hard work and none of the fun?
So, Team Coren Blog’s attempt at this grid currently looks like
FLASH: GORDON/ LIGHT/ DANCE /FLOODS
DIAMOND: BLOOD / WHITE/ ANNE/ ?
JESUS: TRUTH / LAMB/ ?/ ?
- and then one other category that might be puppets or might be grape. And some of the clues above might be in the wrong category - but assuming the ‘flash’ category is correct. Remaining clues:
DUSTIN/ GEORGE/ GILBERT/ EDD / VINE/ BREAD / ANNIVERSARY
I think we need Rad’s answer on the grape / puppets question…
(PS. Rain, thanks for your last post, made me laugh).
baby fish at 8:44 am on July 29th, 2009
“Standing on the shoulders of giants”, can I suggest the following?:
FLASH: GORDON/ LIGHT/ DANCE /FLOODS
DIAMOND: BLOOD / WHITE/ ANNE/ Anniversary
JESUS: TRUTH / LAMB/ Vine / Bread (misspent youth in Sunday School)
David’s puppets: DUSTIN/ GEORGE/ GILBERT/ EDD
P.S. Only got the poker hands connection correct on last week’s programme, so not expecting this to be right
Rad at 9:18 am on July 29th, 2009
[MOD. THIS CAME IN BEFORE THE POST ABOVE AND GAVE THE ANSWER, BABY FISH’S SOLUTION IS CORRECT!]
Hello all.
davidbod got the puppets right.
and between you you’ve pretty much got it…
I thought that was actually easier than it turned out to be… Well done all…
adam at 2:21 pm on July 29th, 2009
i was still looking for the dr seuss connection, guess that was the fish, huh? didn’t do much better on the show on monday and even messed up on one of the poker questions on university challenge (yes!)
paxo could learn a thing or two about being a sympathetic host from vicky.
JB at 7:07 pm on July 29th, 2009
Arriving ridiculously late onto the bandwagon, I have a grid for those who find them fun.
LIVINGSTONE / STANLEY / HORNE / WEBB
GAMA / NELSON / HARDY / CORDEN
TON / WILLIAMS / PORTER / BRANAGH
SINGLE / POINT / DUCK / WISE
On the grounds that I’m about two weeks late for this, however, I don’t mind if people have had enough!
Andrew H at 10:48 pm on July 29th, 2009
I think I may be getting the hang of these.
How about LIVINGSTONE/HORNE/WILLIAMS/BRANAGH = all Kenneths/Kens.
Saw the repeat of the show, but didn’t do too well.
Fitch at 11:21 pm on July 29th, 2009
After Kefalonia I went to Newquay, I found the cliffs very high. I was frightened.
Sad eh!
baby fish at 12:32 pm on July 30th, 2009
second half of comedy duos? - (Morecombe and) WISE, (Laurel and) HARDY, (Horne and) CORDEN, (Mitchell and) WEBB
JB at 1:40 pm on July 30th, 2009
Spot on, Andrew H.
David Bodycombe at 1:41 pm on July 30th, 2009
Well, assuming the Kens are right, this is quite an interesting grid to unpick. I think the connections are explorers, cricket scores and halves of comedy double acts, but POINT has me foxed. Unfortunately, there are actually quite a few semi-famous explorers with surnames like WEBB and CORDEN but I’m assuming the setter’s restricting us to well-known examples.
STANLEY
GAMA
NELSON (also a cricket score)
TON
SINGLE
DUCK
HARDY
PORTER
WISE
CORDEN
WEBB
POINT (cricket position but not a score)
AndytheDealer at 5:04 pm on July 30th, 2009
SINGLE / POINT / DUCK / TON - Cricket?
JB at 9:00 pm on July 30th, 2009
baby fish is also correct in her group and reasoning, so we have:
Livingstone / Horne / Williams / Branagh - all famous Kens or Kenneths
Wise / Hardy / Corden / Webb - second half of famous double acts.
David Bodycombe has sort of got a group correct without perhaps wholly realising it (and I can’t give more of a clue than that!), and AndytheDealer can’t really get any closer without being correct, but isn’t quite right in either group or category.
Robert Duboff at 12:30 am on July 31st, 2009
Hey Vicky,
Congrats on the blackjack in vegas.
You will make an illegible bloggers dream with a link to his blog on your blog.
If you link my blog I will reciprocrate with a shout out on my twitter. I currently have 5 followers and one is my sister.
Thanks
Robert
Victoria Coren at 2:14 am on July 31st, 2009
Well yes that’s fine but you have to *include the link*....
Robert Duboff at 3:25 am on July 31st, 2009
www.pokerwithrobert.blogspot.com
Thanks
David Bodycombe at 9:17 am on July 31st, 2009
Thinking laterally, are they binary numbers?
Duck = 0
Single = 1
Ton = 100
Nelson = 111
JB at 11:48 am on July 31st, 2009
That’s the group, and you were right first time in terms of category - they’re cricketing terms for a number of runs - duck=0, single=1, ton=100, nelson=111.
So that leaves Stanley / Gama / Porter / Point as the final (and hardest group, probably). Perhaps Point might have a song to sing, O in order to help you out!
AndytheDealer at 12:53 pm on August 3rd, 2009
General STANLEY
King GAMA
Sir John PORTER
Jack POINT
They are all comic Baritones in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas. Thanks for the clue!
David Bodycombe at 5:26 pm on August 3rd, 2009
Very cunning indeed. I think this deserves a prize as the best knitted-together grid of those submitted. JB, please email me your postal address to david (at) qwertyuiop.co.uk and - after checking with VC - I’ll send you a couple of puzzle books.
JB at 11:38 pm on August 3rd, 2009
AndytheDealer is correct (though on a point of pure pedantry, it should be Major-General Stanley and Sir Joseph Porter, KCB).
Whilst that is the connection I was thinking about, I would also have had to accept the solution that they were all parts created by George Grossmith in the original D’Oyly Carte productions - it therefore coming as no surprise to know he was the original comic baritone of the company (pace Fred Sullivan, who was the original Judge in Trial by Jury).
daniel maris at 2:07 am on August 26th, 2009
Pimp my fish!