guardian 25550 Saturday February 4th 2012

[clog2]

still quite confused, help appreciated with the following 5 d, i think it is religious but no clue why ( I walk around institute beset by ground rules?),

9 ac I think it may be London, Capital is Bonaparte's core Iberian destination in Fielding's 23 (Ie diary), 6

26a Interminably long time covered by Defoe's 23 (4)

Many thanks

[Mamyalynne]

9a Lisbon (hidden)

[maurice]

religious: i go around i (-nstitute) in relus (anag rules)
lisbon:hidden in clue
year:yearn minus n,D's "Diary of the Plague Year"
How do you feel about 3d: ICONS or IDOLS? -- both justifiable (s. other threads) . if you're as irate as me, mail protest to editor! Not good enough for a professional after all the other rathe useless bother here, I feel!

[roslyn251254]

26a year - daniel defoe a jounal of the plague YEAR

[cupid04]

26a] aeon?

[Mamyalynne]

Maurice, you have explained the clue for 'Religious' well , but where is the definition please?

[roslyn251254]

mamyalynne - doesn't appear to be one! This xword is a disaster!

[Mamyalynne]

I do not have the puzzle so I cannot comment, am a bit puzzled about the fuss re 3down, Icons seems perfectly clear to me.

[clog2]

Maurice, I went for icons, coins, with the i on top.
Agree this was a horrible crossword.

[rrc]

a difficult crossword yes but horrible no

[Questoz]

The answer is LISBON - hidden in the question.

[maurice]

@ Mamyalynne: IDOLS rather than ICONS are surely what people worship; and dols=dollars is in my opinion just as good to correspond to "pieces". I still think it's worth a protest mail after all that effort: the thing's not professional enough for me as a PRIZE crossword as long as 2 answers can be regarded as equally valid, at least. You don't agree?

[Mamyalynne]

No I don't.

[Lie-in King]

May I?

Hi maurice - I believe the answer to be 'Icons', per clog2's explanation at post 8.

Using the dictionary definitions, one can have an icon representing a saint, but not an idol & a hagiolater is specifically a worshipper of saints.

Regarding 5d - 'Religious' - I can't see the definition either.

The above is IMO, of course :-)

[rainblue]

just a thought re coins v idols

There are coins called Saints see http://www.coinlink.c...-mint-state-saints-2/

[pangapilot]

Hagiolaters adore saints inc. icons of them.

If you want to worry about alternative possible answers, how about the two possible spellings for 7 down?

[dzug2]

<<how about the two possible spellings for 7 down? >>

???? don't see.