An Ode to Cryptic Stations: ANSWERED AT LAST!

Can you identify a station from just a paving slab? Sadly, some people can
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RobbieM
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Clue 2

Post by RobbieM »

2. Juggling routes, with cold rage. Down in Zone One...

Poetic Comment: Aha! So our disgruntled warehouse worker is a tube challenger, who’s simply struggling hard (during his coffee break, of course) to calculate that perfect route for a 16:14 finish! And getting more and more angry, because he’s failing at it...

Solution: ...
‘Juggling’ suggests another anagram. In this case, it’s ’ROUTES’ with ‘COLD RAGE’.
(Note that the ‘with’ just links these two things that are juggled!)
We’re looking for a station that’s ‘Down in Zone One’.
This is standalone from the first question, so isn’t relative to Stanmore.
It actually means it’s one of the southernmost stations in Zone One...
... i.e. GLOUCESTER ROAD!
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RobbieM
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Clue 3

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3. ...Geoff starts, you and I chill out by the golf course.

Poetic Comment: Poetically this links to the ‘Down in Zone One’ line before. Though why Geoff wants to begin a record attempt in Zone One is anyone’s guess, but each to their own. I prefer to have a little break with a friend whilst watching golfers at work. (Well, I can’t play golf myself...)

Solution: ...
Geoff starts with ‘G’. ‘You and I’ are more commonly called ‘WE’.
That’s ‘GWE’, and we need ‘CHILL’ out (i.e. outside) of ‘GWE’. And breaking it at the right place...
...you get ‘CHIGWELL’ – a station which is right by the golf course! (Yes, check it on a map.)
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RobbieM
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Clue 4

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4. It’s a fine way to remember a Greek character – taking a little time out!

Poetic Comment: So whilst watching the golf, we discuss Pythagoras, and ponder the fact that, if he were alive today, he would no doubt come up with a cracking record-breaking route. (It’s well-known that the Ancient Greeks played ‘Mornington Crescent’ after all...)

Solution: ...
Let’s start with a Greek character. A letter from the Greek alphabet, for example.
In this case, it’s the thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet – ‘NU’.
What else would we call ‘a little time’? Perhaps a ‘MOMENT’?
And we need to take ‘MOMENT’ out (i.e. outside) of “NU”. And in the right place...
...we get ‘MONUMENT’! And a monument is certainly a ‘fine way to remember’ something!
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RobbieM
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Clue 5

Post by RobbieM »

5. Though Rob, losing time, striking hard, disturbing the town...

Poetic Comment: Hmmm – too much time discussing ancient Greeks. Now I’m way behind the other teams, and causing chaos to all around me...

Solution: ...
'THOUGH ROB' is what we start with here.
But we're 'losing time' (and 'T' is a common abbreviation for time)
But we're 'striking hard' ('H' for hard - think pencils, and we're 'striking' it out)
So, removing 'T' and 'H' leaves us with 'OUGH ROB'.
Then 'disturbing' is another anagram-indicator...
...giving us 'BOROUGH' - which is a 'town', as the clue required!
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RobbieM
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Clue 6

Post by RobbieM »

6. ...begins the exercise, moves platforms languidly, enquiring where there may be a good service.

Poetic Comment: At least I’ve started, but not with any real vigour. Just looking out for the best trains, really, and asking anyone who can help me find them...

Solution: ...
'Begins' suggests we're looking for starting letters of words.
Such as the six words that follow, which are:
'The Exercise Moving Platforms Languidly Enquiring'.
And can anyone tell me 'where there may be a good service'?...
...in a TEMPLE, of course! (A different kind of service.)
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RobbieM
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Clue 7

Post by RobbieM »

7. He’s in church, before a thousand common Tube Challengers start!

Poetic Comment: This is not strictly true. Most tube challengers start at around 6am, and I’m definitely not a ‘mornings’ person! (I’d probably have to be a monk to get to a church service in the middle of the night.) Neither am I separating myself from ‘common’ tube challengers , I just needed this to make the clue work! I guess my earlier question about ‘a good service’ was misunderstood...

Solution: ...
Now, 'church' you will often find abbreviated to 'CH'.
'Thousand' in Roman numerals is 'M'
'HE'S' and 'A' are directly taken from the clue.
So, 'HES' in 'CH' before 'AM'...
...can only be CHESHAM...
...which is surely a 'common Tube Challengers' start'!
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RobbieM
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Clue 8

Post by RobbieM »

8. The spirit within him, he sang elegantly as a child, and...

Poetic Comment: It’s true! I was a finalist in ‘Chorister of the Year 1985’. Though these days my voice isn’t quite what it once was...

Solution: ...
We're looking for a 'spirit', of some description.
And it's found somewhere within 'Him he sang elegantly as a child and'
What do we see, nestled between 'sANG' and 'ELegantly'?...
...ANGEL! A spiritual being. (And a tube station...)
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Clue 9

Post by RobbieM »

9. ...still, he’ll aim to patronize a place where the services are – less ‘regular’.

Poetic Comment: Perhaps true? The services at my church are a little different to what many people may expect...

Solution: ...
‘STILL HE'LL AIM’ to patronize - it's another anagram-indicator. (Honest!)
It can only be one of those places with a not-so-regular service...
...and therefore Tube Challengers have to plan carefully for this station...
...of course, it's MILL HILL EAST!
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Clue 10

Post by RobbieM »

10. To the north-east, there’s an atmosphere in the midst of failure,

Poetic Comment: Oh dear, it appears that someone’s just missed that Hainault connection at Woodford, meaning there’s misery that today’s record attempt has gone belly up...

Solution: ...
We're looking for 'an atmosphere'. In this case it's earth's atmosphere...
...often it's simply called 'AIR'.
A 'failure' is sometimes called a 'FLOP'
So, 'AIR' in the midst of 'FLOP'...
...could give you FAIRLOP! It's a station in the north-east, after all.
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RobbieM
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Clue 11

Post by RobbieM »

11. (It’s not in the south-west there’s shame at being beaten).

Poetic Comment: I guess this is just an elaborate way of reinforcing the previous statement. Very poetic, don’t you think?...

Solution: ...
We want a station that's 'not in the south-west'. Lots to choose from...
... but 'SHAME AT' being beaten - yes, yet another anagram...
... EAST HAM fits the bill, I think!
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RobbieM
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Clue 12

Post by RobbieM »

12. To the north, playing cello, Andi...

Poetic Comment: I know Andrew and myself are cellists, but I’m not aware that Andi plays the cello. And what’s he doing playing it on a tube challenge day, anyway?...

Solution: ...
We're looking for a station 'to the north'. Again, there's a few of them.
'Playing' is yet another anagram indicator. (Oh, there's hundreds of anagram indicators!)
In this case it's 'CELLO ANDI' we want to rearrange...
...and results in us heading to COLINDALE!
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RobbieM
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Clue 13

Post by RobbieM »

13. ...sprints with envy, near to the palace.

Poetic Comment: Perhaps Andi’s team-mate has made that all-important run a little quicker than Andi, so there’s a bit of jealousy? Well Andi, you shouldn’t be playing that cello whilst running between stations, however entertaining it may be...

Solution: ...
Our station is 'near to the palace'. Not Buckingham though; it's Alexandra I'm thinking of.
'Sprints' could be translated as 'BOUNDS'
(Yes, you can see where I'm going with this one now...)
'With Envy' means you're 'GREEN'...
...BOUNDS GREEN, of course!
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RobbieM
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Clue 14

Post by RobbieM »

14. But in the centre, with quiet longing to return east of the capital,

Poetic Comment: Central London may be where it all happens, but some people just want to be somewhere a little quieter. Though perhaps they don’t shout about it...

Solution: ...
A tricky clue this, and I might have deliberately thrown you off the scent geographically...
...this station isn't 'in the centre', it's actually 'east of the capital'.
We actually want 'But' in the centre - and that's the letter 'U'.
'Quiet', as every musician (and crossword solver) knows is 'P' (for 'piano')
There are many words for 'longing'; one of them is 'YEN'.
But our longing 'to return' means we want our 'YEN' backwards - that's 'NEY'.
So U-P-NEY ... it's UPNEY!
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RobbieM
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Clue 15

Post by RobbieM »

15. I limp about, half-cold, near the river.

Poetic Comment: Me again, with my dodgy ankle playing up. No more running, so I’m cooling down a bit. So it looks like none of us broke any records today!

Solution: ...
'About' is of course, another anagram indicator.
And 'I LIMP' is what we wish to scramble - perhaps to 'PIMLI'.
(Once again, you can see where I'm going with this...)
'Half-cold' - we want to take half of the word 'cold'. It can only be 'CO'...
...resulting in a station 'near the river' - PIMLICO!
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RobbieM
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Re: An Ode to Cryptic Stations: ANSWERS POSTED SHORTLY...

Post by RobbieM »

So, before the results, here's our Graham with a quick reminder:
  • Disgruntled chap in warehouse in North London, - STANMORE
    Juggling routes, with cold rage. Down in Zone One... - GLOUCESTER ROAD
    ...Geoff starts, you and I chill out by the golf course. - CHIGWELL
    It’s a fine way to remember a Greek character – taking a little time out! - MONUMENT

    Though Rob, losing time, striking hard, disturbing the town... - BOROUGH
    ...begins the exercise, moving platforms languidly, enquiring where there may be a good service. - TEMPLE
    He’s in church, before a thousand common Tube Challengers start! - CHESHAM
    The spirit within him, he sang elegantly as a child, and... - ANGEL
    ...still, he’ll aim to patronize a place where the services are – less ‘regular’. - MILL HILL EAST

    To the north-east, there’s an atmosphere in the midst of failure, - FAIRLOP
    (It’s not in the south-west there’s shame at being beaten). - EAST HAM
    To the north, playing cello, Andi... - COLINDALE
    ...sprints with envy, near to the palace. - BOUNDS GREEN

    But in the centre, with quiet longing to return east of the capital, - UPNEY
    I limp about, half-cold, near the river. - PIMLICO
Just like Blind Date, eh? Okay, let's pull the screen back...
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