The Sphinx's Lair

7:42 AM

Perhaps the European city could be Cork. Souhern Eire is E -- the sothern tip of Eire in a down clue + R gives CORKER, which is something ecellent, but not necessarily one of great beauty.

@MOehm This is exactly right, well done :)

I tried to make the surface applicable specifically to Cork itself, as an additional allusion towards the city.

Now I'm surprised that you've materialized even if I hadn't summoned you. Thanks :)

In hindsight, perhaps I should have ended the clue with a question mark, but 'a corker' is also a synonym of 'a beaut', etc.

Ha! I happened to have the chat tab still open on my laptop and spotted the activity :)

Yes, I stumbled upon Cork by way of Southern Eire and first thought that the whole phrase would reer to it and "(Southern Eire)" was just there to misguide us into thinking that it was wordplay.

For the benefit of whoever updates the spreadsheet:

@Stiv It could be CORKER = CORK + (eir)E + R

For the benefit of whoever updates the spreadsheet:

THAT IS CORRECT

7:51 AM

For what it's worth, I'm familiar with the word "corker" mostly through fifteensquared, where a preamble might say "So-and-so has given us a corker of a puzzle today."

It's a word that isn't used anywhere near enough :)

CCCC: Be in a play as it rocks regularly in European city (9)

Jafe

is someone from cork also a corker?

I did play with that as a wordplay possibility for a while but it felt too self-referential!

(They're actually Corkonian - I checked...)

@MOehm BIALYSTOK = B_ I_ A _L_Y _S _T _O_K_

Jafe

the british isles have some weird demonyms.... i recently learned about "newportonian"

7:57 AM

Yes!

(I've returned to our old Polish-centredness after your brief detour to Ireland.)

Who knew we'd take this detour?!

Oh, I don't mind detours. Cork is a city I've actually been to.

Jafe

business or pleasure

Pleasure. It was a holiday tour through Ireland, maybe ten years ago or so.

On second thoughts, probably more than ten years, though. (It seems as if all interesting things in my life happened at least 15 years ago.)

CCCC: African city named twice over, like in America (6)

I've been to Cork once on a conference. Only place in the world I've ever been bitten by a spider.

8:15 AM

Ouch. At least there are no snakes in Cork.

Or Cork-odiles

8:53 AM

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AncientSwordRage

2:24 PM

@Stiv I'm stumped

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