The Barrow Downs Newspaper

[Galadriel55]

Just like Agan I've searched ROTK and googled HOME3, and read through the P&A (experts say such amount of craziness at once not good for sanity), and I used the search function in REB to possibly use some known letters, but that didn't yield anything either. I have a feeling I'm missing something obvious...

Originally Posted by Aganzir

REB III?

If it's something as obscure as that (and by "that" I mean that as far as I know every name in REB has like 10 different parody names, so it's pretty much impossible to find anything there) I'd either kill Pitch or myself.

Hmm, if we're already dead...



But I've made progress with another word. And I had a great idea for 19 down, just to find that it's 2 letters too long. :/


Eonwe, I didn't know you were doing this at all! And Legate - I think this was to be expected...

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

I have a lot of it done, and I only started it today. I wasn't expecting to finish first by a long shot. I am really very anxious to see what the answers are for this are, but I suppose that we'll have to just wait until Monday...

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

If it's something as obscure as that (and by "that" I mean that as far as I know every name in REB has like 10 different parody names, so it's pretty much impossible to find anything there) I'd either kill Pitch or myself.

It isn't really so very obscure in the end, in fact, it is about as obscure as anything else. Like with all things, once you get it, you will be like: "d'uh! So obvious! I am so stupid!" (No joking. You will say that. I can tell you that with 100% certainity. I have done that myself )

Eonwe, I didn't know you were doing this at all! And Legate - I think this was to be expected...

Not really. I mean, I had serious problems with 7. For a long long time, I had no freaking idea what it was referring to, even after I managed to guess the word based on pure logic. I could have very well still have been out here and not knowing anything, had I not been able to conjecture the word in the first place.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

It isn't really so very obscure in the end, in fact, it is about as obscure as anything else. Like with all things, once you get it, you will be like: "d'uh! So obvious! I am so stupid!" (No joking. You will say that. I can tell you that with 100% certainity. I have done that myself )

Yeah... you're right... (no sarcasm intended)

Not really.

Yes really.

I mean, I had serious problems with 7. For a long long time, I had no freaking idea what it was referring to, even after I managed to guess the word based on pure logic. I could have very well still have been out here and not knowing anything, had I not been able to conjecture the word in the first place.

I guessed that one yesterday! I feel so clever. After flipping through all kinds of nonesense solutions I finally had the sense to open a thesaurus that gave me the right answer at a glance. I'm having serious trouble with 13, 8, and 19 though. Ugh.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I guessed that one yesterday! I feel so clever. After flipping through all kinds of nonesense solutions I finally had the sense to open a thesaurus that gave me the right answer at a glance. I'm having serious trouble with 13, 8, and 19 though. Ugh.

You don't have 8? I wonder how did you interpretate 7, then.

But this is maybe time for some short feedback for Pitch - actually, I did not understand the question at "7" properly in the first place, to me, it was formulated in a really unclear way. That said, of course I had problems guessing the answer anyway, but I was not able to figure out what actually the question says in the first place. I thought that "time of day when 8 downs are the most active" refers to some time of the day, when some eight 'Downs are most active (as in: there are eight Barrow-mounds somewhere, and they are active only at some part of the day). It did not really connect to me with the other examples being all around. It seemed really confusing to me, not sure how it seemed to others, but given what G55 just said... it is obvious how you meant it when looking back, but not sure how well formulated it is in the beginning. Well, that's probably the only thing that really did not 100% "click in" after I had learned the answer

[Aganzir]

I got it. Before any of you others.

However, I used a word on #6 that's basically a synonym to the correct answer. They were equally long and ended with the same letter. Only the letter in green was different. Which means I lost my cement pizza to two upstarts. Grrr!

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I got it. Before any of you others.

Yes, you did... almost. Now claim your quarter before you get ninja'd by yet another one.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

If it's something as obscure as that (and by "that" I mean that as far as I know every name in REB has like 10 different parody names, so it's pretty much impossible to find anything there) I'd either kill Pitch or myself.

Obscure? REB? That classic of BD Roleplaying, that timeless masterpiece of parodistic writing, obscure? *harrumph* You need to broaden your literary education, young lady.

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

It isn't really so very obscure in the end, in fact, it is about as obscure as anything else.

Indeed, once you've figured out where to look, it should jump at you right off the page.

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

But this is maybe time for some short feedback for Pitch - actually, I did not understand the question at "7" properly in the first place, to me, it was formulated in a really unclear way. That said, of course I had problems guessing the answer anyway, but I was not able to figure out what actually the question says in the first place. I thought that "time of day when 8 downs are the most active" refers to some time of the day, when some eight 'Downs are most active (as in: there are eight Barrow-mounds somewhere, and they are active only at some part of the day). It did not really connect to me with the other examples being all around. It seemed really confusing to me, not sure how it seemed to others, but given what G55 just said... it is obvious how you meant it when looking back, but not sure how well formulated it is in the beginning. Well, that's probably the only thing that really did not 100% "click in" after I had learned the answer

Feedback appreciated. Honestly, with all the other cross-references to "across" and "down" in the clues, it didn't occur to me that somebody might read "8 downs" as "8 barrow-mounds" in this case rather than "plural of the word in vertical column No.8" - I would think that's standard usage in English crossword puzzles. But I'm interested in hearing other peoples' opinion on that - preferably after I've posted the solution, when everyone's on the same page.

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Agk! Another part of the Downs that I know literally nothing about.

Why are there questions related to WW on this thing? D: There are some Downers who still refuse to play WW.

You know, hard as it may seem to believe, there is a world out there beyond the pages of The Downer. (That said, a thorough perusal of the works of our esteemed editor is always time well spent.)
__________________________________________________ __

EDIT: x-ed with G55

EDITEDIT:

AGANZIR

has come in third and won the first quarter of the remaining pizza. (About time!)
She also gets bonus points for being the first to guess the mysterious 13 across, and for the creative audacity of suggesting MORSHUL as the answer to 19 down. (Explain that yourself, if you dare.)

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Obscure? REB? That classic of BD Roleplaying, that timeless masterpiece of parodistic writing, obscure? *harrumph* You need to broaden your literary education, young lady.

No, no, I meant an obscure name from REB. Unlike searching for Tolkien terms, searching REB terms is much harder.

Feedback appreciated. Honestly, with all the other cross-references to "across" and "down" in the clues, it didn't occur to me that somebody might read "8 downs" as "8 barrow-mounds" in this case rather than "plural of the word in vertical column No.8" - I would think that's standard usage in English crossword puzzles.

Aw, I liked the clue much better as a trick-clue... and it turns out that I only imagined the trick. :/

Edit: xed with the EDITEDIT. Well done, Agan!

[Galadriel55]

These are the answers, regardless of what Pitch and his crossword say: 8 down - laptop. 19 down - Amon Fridge. 13 across - East-west corner of the 3rd map. There!



Edit: I think I got 13... even though I don't get how it works, it's the only one that fits...And yeah, I could have though of that earlier....

But the answer is still the east-west corner! XD

Edit2: and 19 down!... is today my lucky day or something?

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Eonwe, I didn't know you were doing this at all!

Really? I was the first to comment on it.

But yeah, I suppose. I only gave it a quick glance until yesterday, when I decided to actually do it properly. Which is lucky, considering Legate's timing.


edit: x-ed with an indignant lion. Sorry Agan.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

I got it. Before any of you others.

However, I used a word on #6 that's basically a synonym to the correct answer. They were equally long and ended with the same letter. Only the letter in green was different. Which means I lost my cement pizza to two upstarts. Grrr!

I was wondering why wouldn't you get the prize since you said you had it. But then that makes me wonder what other word could you have used instead of the real one. (But, let's not maybe spoil that for those who are still working on it. Also so that they can make the same mistake as you did or something ) But hey, you can still get a cement... cookie, or whatnot. I can share a bit of my pizza, if it came to that, to be fair.

Originally Posted by Eönwë

But yeah, I suppose. I only gave it a quick glance until yesterday, when I decided to actually do it properly. Which is lucky, considering Legate's timing.

I wouldn't have worked on that yesterday had you not been out there and telling me that you were working on it. So, whichever way

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

Really? I was the first to comment on it.

Sorry, I forgot about that. It's just that unlike Legate, Agan, TGEW, and myself you didn't talk about it that much.

Originally Posted by Legate

You don't have 8? I wonder how did you interpretate 7, then.

Well, at first I also thought that it refers to eight barrows that are active at a certain point of day. But then....

And, knowing the question for 8 and having some ideas about at least the end of the word (though I'm not at all certain that it is correct thinking)... and then, there aren't that many "times of day" that fit. Elimination from there.

However, now that you asked me, I started doubting my answer again...

(If you're curious about what my answer is, I can PM it to you, since you know it anyways... )

But I have to disagree with what you said to Pitch. I like that clue, even though I'm not sure about the answer.

Originally Posted by Agan

However, I used a word on #6 that's basically a synonym to the correct answer. They were equally long and ended with the same letter. Only the letter in green was different. Which means I lost my cement pizza to two upstarts. Grrr!

The same thing happened to me, before I realised that I need the letter elsewhere!