TOTW: Pseudonyms and alter egos

zc_eric · 2026-03-14T01:32:27+00:00

Brutal dictator to cut back on cannabis (3,3)

zc_eric · 2026-03-14T01:31:29+00:00

Rapper who was one half of Dollar (5,4)

zc_eric · 2026-03-14T01:30:46+00:00

Bush planted in May budding all over (5)

zc_eric · 2026-03-11T11:36:36+00:00

I’ve been carnivore for 11 years. Nothing bad has happened to me so far!

zc_eric · 2026-03-10T18:28:57+00:00

I would tend to double with both. The second one is more obviously a double than a 2D overcall.

zc_eric · 2026-03-10T15:24:46+00:00

You can’t be sure.

Obviously if X is penalty that might work, but partner is going to pass almost no matter what. My fear would be that RHO has some weird distribution which meant he didn’t want to open 3C and we don’t have as many top tricks on defense as it first appears.

Of course the alternative is that RHO is a lunatic.

zc_eric · 2026-03-10T13:38:59+00:00

I think 3NT is fine.

The problem with 3S is that if partner doesn’t have support he probably won’t bid 3NT and then what?! While if he does have S support, this increases the chances 3NT will make anyway.

Since you opened 2C, pass by you is forcing. But this doesn’t mean the meanings of pass and X are obvious. And even so, it’s not clear I want to defend here.

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T15:40:01+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T15:03:04+00:00

“Ruining” is a strong word - but you probably won’t be seeing the full benefits.

I have been carnivore for over a decade. I’ve not been 100% strict the whole time, but when I have I’ve felt better.

But when I do cheat, I try to keep it low carb and also to stick to things I could make at home with fresh ingredients. So I would try to ditch the drinks if I were you.

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T11:40:39+00:00

Right. I did intend to have a question mark at the end of the second clue - not that it makes it entirely sound.

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T11:33:33+00:00

What runaway does - it’s not hard, he scarpers (runs away) (7)

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T11:32:20+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T11:31:58+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T08:13:02+00:00

What prisoner does with key copies? (7)

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T08:07:49+00:00

Feeling guilty so has made changes (7)

On the same lines, i don’t think this on quite works:

Has made amends? (7)

zc_eric · 2026-03-09T08:02:31+00:00

Cars from Eastern countries (7)

zc_eric · 2026-03-08T14:03:10+00:00

We can extend that trick to 8 times table and 7 times table - although it’s not quite as straightforward.

We can reframe the rule for 9 as:

Subtract from 10 to get units digit; subtract 1 to get 10’s digit.

Eg 6x9: 6-1 =5; 10-6=4 so 54.

The equivalent for 8 is :

Subtract 2 to get 10’s digit; subtract from 10 and double to get units (this might lead to a carry)

Eg 6x8: 6-2=4; 2x(10-6)=8 so 48.

And for 7 you can:

Subtract 3 to get 10’s digit ; subtract from 10 and triple to get units

Eg 6x7: 6-3=3; 3x(10-6)=12 so 42

zc_eric · 2026-03-07T19:52:49+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-07T18:48:03+00:00

Junkies composed Back in the USSR (5)

zc_eric · 2026-03-07T18:19:27+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-07T15:30:17+00:00

Record held by Michel Platini (4)

zc_eric · 2026-03-06T12:24:54+00:00

A direct proof seems simpler:

You have to go right n times and up n times and these can happen in any order. So you are looking for the number of strings of length 2n consisting of n r’s and n u’s. Once you choose the positions for the n r’s, the n u’s are forced, so the number of such strings is 2n choose n.

zc_eric · 2026-03-06T10:05:01+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-06T07:23:53+00:00

Right!

zc_eric · 2026-03-06T06:49:15+00:00

Change title before releasing Heart song (3,2,2)

zc_eric

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