This page is specifically intended for comments relating to aspects of the site itself, such as errors encountered, new features that you feel would be beneficial, or views on the site as a whole.
(Please leave comments relating to specific pages or posts on the relevant page/post; any other queries or observations regarding to clueing, grid construction etc should be left on the Ask the Doctor page.)
Good morning Dr Clue
Under the definition of Ximenean here the comment is made that “Things have changed a bit since Ximenes’ time, and certain constructions which he would have accepted are no longer in favour; unfortunately, we are stuck with this rather arcane term until someone comes up with an alternative that is adopted by the crossword community.”
Since Ximenean setters simply demand of a clue that, under strict adherence to grammatical rules, it should say what it means, may I venture to suggest that the Ximenean and Libertarian camps (and their clues) might alternatively be known as swimmers and non-swimmers? That, “at a stroke” 🙂 , might be more informative to the next generation.
Thank you, Monk, for floating that idea. It does frustrate me that setters who adhere to a basic principle are described using a term which is as ancient (in terms of the evolution of the crossword) as it is arcane, while those who fail (whether by accident or design) to do so receive an epithet which sounds both attractive and progressive.
I think the terms ‘swimmers’ and ‘non-swimmers’ much better reflect the approaches of the two groups, and lend themselves well to explanation by example of that single fundamental difference between the two groups.
Ah. I now see what you’ve done. Thanks for the feedback.
I think I am right in noticing that the ability to move through multiple pages in some sections of Clinical Data now only sits at the bottom of the page. it used to be both top and bottom – which was more user-friendly as, on some occasions, I know I want to be several pages in. With the new layout, I have to keep scrolling down to the bottom to move forward
Hi Mark
In response to a recent request, and in the absence of any dissenting voices, we lifted the default number of rows to display to 1,000 for each table, effectively meaning that the whole table is displayed at load time. However, it is still possible to select the number of rows that you wish to see on a page (25, 50 or 100), and therefore I have added the page selector to all tables between the ‘Entries per page’ box and the ‘Search’ box. In the default display mode, though, it should never be necessary (except for the Cryptic Lexicon) to select a page, since you can just keep scrolling down until you reach the bottom.
I hope that addresses your issue.