Alphabet associations - I

[Anna]

Do you know what Tapiola, when I set the question I just knew it would be on your wave length!! Although of course we have had a lot of Orson Welles references lately.

Brilliantly solved in record time. The only one missing was the 'green hue' which referred of course to Harry Lime, which was the famous piece of music alluded to. And the 'late' is of course the hour of midnight. So, would you like to have a P?

[Nick Armstrong]

Solved in 18 minutes... Blinding stuff. Can our archivist confirm if that is indeed an AA record?

[Anna]

Solved in 18 minutes... Blinding stuff. Can our archivist confirm if that is indeed an AA record?

I'm glad it was solved so quickly but I think I'll have to sit out the next few puzzles as I am really getting behind with work plus I need to organise a forthcoming trip plus it's far too addictive!!

[rubbernecker]

Solved in 18 minutes... Blinding stuff. Can our archivist confirm if that is indeed an AA record?

Nowhere near, I'm afraid. If you go back to pages 136-137 you will see what happened on a day known as "quick fire Wednesday". Tapiola took 3 mins to solve Anna's B for Britten, and yours truly took 4 mins to solve Tapiola's C for Crumb

[Nick Armstrong]

Nowhere near, I'm afraid. If you go back to pages 136-137 you will see what happened on a day known as "quick fire Wednesday". Tapiola took 3 mins to solve Anna's B for Britten, and yours truly took 4 mins to solve Tapiola's C for Crumb

Thank you! Conclusive proof that when Tapiola has an inkling, there's no stopping him! With yourself commendably quick on the draw when circumstances permit.

I feel a veritable tortoise by comparison

[Anna]

Nowhere near, I'm afraid. If you go back to pages 136-137 you will see what happened on a day known as "quick fire Wednesday". Tapiola took 3 mins to solve Anna's B for Britten, and yours truly took 4 mins to solve Tapiola's C for Crumb

I remember Tapiola solving my Britten in 3 minutes! It was the first one I had ever set., I was mortified! Just wondering, is there a record for the l o n g e s t time ever taken to solve one?

[rubbernecker]

I remember Tapiola solving my Britten in 3 minutes! It was the first one I had ever set., I was mortified! Just wondering, is there a record for the l o n g e s t time ever taken to solve one?

For that I suspect we need not go back very far when someone had the novel idea of setting E for, er... E. I think that one took over 48hrs...

[Nick Armstrong]

For that I suspect we need not go back very far when someone had the novel idea of setting E for, er... E. I think that one took over 48hrs...

I was going to ask the same question as Anna but thought I already knew the answer

Not a very novel idea - someone set an 'X' question involving the answer " names that end in 'x' " didn't they? Françaix et al. Struck me as somewhat more obscure as my 'initial Es'... but anyway, that's what gave me the idea. (Now I'm hoping that the 'X' wasn't also mine, and I've blotted it out...)

[Tapiola]

Harry Lime, which was the famous piece of music alluded to. And the 'late' is of course the hour of midnight. So, would you like to have a P[B]

I should have known.

Great puzzle, Anna. It was the magnificent bit which led to the "moment of clarity" that we AAers refer to

We all have our moments...

On the verge of a P.

[Nick Armstrong]

On the verge of a P.

Enjoy!

[Anna]

Struck me as somewhat more obscure as my 'initial Es'

No, I think your initial Es were more obscure! Tapiola seems to have wandered off to concoct something fiendish, so I wonder if I could ask another personal question Caliban? I was a bit nosy and looked at your profile, the picture of the car, would that be a Citroen Light 15? And also, rubbra, who is that in your avatar, is it Elgar or you with your bike?

[Nick Armstrong]

No, I think your initial Es were more obscure! Tapiola seems to have wandered off to concoct something fiendish, so I wonder if I could ask another personal question Caliban? I was a bit nosy and looked at your profile, the picture of the car, would that be a Citroen Light 15? And also, rubbra, who is that in your avatar, is it Elgar or you with your bike?

Anna - close. It's my old Citroen 11 Légère (so, the little Light 11, rather than the 15) which I used to potter around in during the '90s. Sold it a while ago, still have pangs... (though the presence of a CD Player and a heating system is more and more welcome in an automobile... )

[rubbernecker]

Not a very novel idea - someone set an 'X' question involving the answer " names that end in 'x' " didn't they? Françaix et al. Struck me as somewhat more obscure as my 'initial Es'... but anyway, that's what gave me the idea. (Now I'm hoping that the 'X' wasn't also mine, and I've blotted it out...)

Yes, that was Ofca. Rather a good one, I thought. And istr Taps and I solved it between us within 5 mins.

[Nick Armstrong]

No, I think your initial Es were more obscure! Tapiola seems to have wandered off to concoct something fiendish, so I wonder if I could ask another personal question Caliban? I was a bit nosy and looked at your profile, the picture of the car, would that be a Citroen Light 15? And also, rubbra, who is that in your avatar, is it Elgar or you with your bike?

PS Anna, check your inbox

PS2 It is indeed Sir Edward Rubbernecker.. erm, sorry, Elgar with the bike, rather than our esteemed archivist...

[rubbernecker]

No, I think your initial Es were more obscure! Tapiola seems to have wandered off to concoct something fiendish, so I wonder if I could ask another personal question Caliban? I was a bit nosy and looked at your profile, the picture of the car, would that be a Citroen Light 15? And also, rubbra, who is that in your avatar, is it Elgar or you with your bike?

Not being nosy at all, Anna. Actually, since you mentioned you had to do some work, I wondered what that was. I also wondered, more nosily, who was the lucky recipient of all your delicious-sounding cuisine - glazed welsh lamb and exotic curries don't smack of your average singleton's TV dinner??

That is, of course, Elgar with his beloved Sunbeam in my avatar. (I thought I'd spare the board the sight of the lycra-clad rubbernecker in a similar pose!).

Caliban's old Citroen reliably ferried me to my wedding 16 years ago, and the same ogreous one was my chauffeur and best man. That is why we can be rude about each other...