Password

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Nope

[Pervinca Took]

Dorthonion, which borders the Ered Gorgoroth.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

It's not that one either. This one is not going to be an easy answer to guess (this year at least), but it should be fairly easy to work out on cryptic principles and check by search engine.

[Pervinca Took]

Just copying it onto the current page for ease of viewing:

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: D Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

8. RODNOR.

Rod + Ron. Another name for Gil-Galad.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Not Rodnor, I'm afraid.

[Pervinca Took]

Smiley's People had a courier called Raven. Could that be the driver element of that clue?

[Mithalwen]

Is 11 just "Debatable Land" - the North Marches of Nargothrond?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Originally Posted by Pervinca

Smiley's People had a courier called Raven. Could that be the driver element of that clue?

No. Only the most basic Le Carré knowledge is required for that clue.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Is 11 just "Debatable Land" - the North Marches of Nargothrond?

Yes it is.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: H Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Mithalwen]

Can't get this to work properly since the clue suggests a person and this is a place but I won't think of any other possibility until I have got it out of my system. Hill of Spies ? Smiley was a spy-master IIRC and Hill of spies was where Nienor suffered dragon-induced memory loss.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

You're spot on. The missing part of the clue is a driver's name. Take your pick between Graham and Damon.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: HILL OF SPIES Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: R King's call received by two men
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

Two quick points: I won't be around now until Sunday and I'm not completely satisfied with my clue for 8, which might need rephrasing if nobody gets it soon.

[Mithalwen]

Oh Damon please. I used to have a bit of crush on him back in the day and Graham was a bit louche for my tastes...

[Pervinca Took]

I still don't see how the driver part works.

[Mithalwen]

Graham Hill and his son Damon were both successful British racing drivers.

[Pervinca Took]

Ah! Hadn't heard of Graham, but I remember Damon.

[Mithalwen]

Graham Hill was killed in 1975 so a bit before I started watching F1 . He was a dead ringer for Dick Dastardly.

[Pervinca Took]

This did make me smile, because I remember Harry Enfield as one of the Self-Righteous brothers, giving the *real* Damon Hill a dressing-down. It was hilarious, but almost too painful to watch. 'Oi! Hill! Noooooooo!!!'

[Galadriel55]

Bumping this because I ran out of ideas long ago and it seems like everyone else did too.

I could guess "Royal Dub" for the last clue, but I have doubts of being taken seriously.

Unless there was a king named "Ringpair"?

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Reading the clue through again, it doesn't quite work. Here's a revised version.

8: King's call received by two outlaws in a row.

See how you get on with that one.

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by The Squatter of Amon Rûdh

Reading the clue through again, it doesn't quite work. Here's a revised version.

8: King's call received by two outlaws in a row.

See how you get on with that one.

Badly. More hints please!

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Fair enough. I think the answer has been mentioned by another, better known name already. Obviously you've worked out that there's a theme to the clues, which should narrow down the personnel a bit. One bit of standard British crossword shorthand involving 'call' may not travel as well as I thought it might.

[Galadriel55]

If you mean ring, it comes across well but I couldn't fit it with other elements. If you mean something else, I can't argue there.

[Nerwen]

Wait, is it the Ring of Barahir?

[Pervinca Took]

That looks like a brilliant answer ... only thing is, how can it have already been named ? What other names did the Ring of Barahir have?

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

That looks like a brilliant answer ... only thing is, how can it have already been named ? What other names did the Ring of Barahir have?

None, as far as I know. However G55 mentioned it in reference to one of the other clues.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Indeed she did, and I remembered it as a guess on this clue instead of 5. The Ring of Barahir isn't the right answer, but it's very close.

[Pervinca Took]

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

Huh, I didn't know it was actually called that.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

Originally Posted by Pervinca

Ring of Felagund, its original name?

I didn't know it was actually called that.

Neither did I until quite recently. But where's the fun in calling something by a name that anybody knows?

Pervinca has the right answer and Galadriel got the password, so at last the horror is over. The solution looks like this.

1: NAROG Shot and fled up to the water
2: ARMINAS Farm in a southern land hides one worth hearing
3: RINGWIL Flower's deranged smirk on tree? Not half!
4: GLAURUNG Nag swallows line on golden ladder: it's a hot one
5: OATH OF FËANOR Round on father of a terrible promise
6: TAUR EN FAROTH Wood's awful threat for a French one
7: HILL OF SPIES Driver of Smiley's people that girl forgot.
8: RING OF FELAGUND King's call received by two outlaws in a row.
9: ORODRETH Herd root around for fallen leader
10: NEITHAN Wronged outlaw replaced bad boss
11: DEBATABLE LAND Questionable country bordering on hostile

[Pervinca Took]

I didn't know either, but I remembered Beren saying something like 'By the Ring of Barahir, which was given to (me? my father?) by Finrod Felagund ...' - so just on the offchance I googled 'Ring of Felagund' to see if it existed as an alternative name for the circlet in question.

Look forward to G55's password!

[Mithalwen]

I knew. I just didn't make the connection between ring and call. Well done Gally, I don't suppose anyone would like to have a go at Palantir of Fortune so I don't feel I am hogging it while the next Password is incubating.

[Galadriel55]

Cheers for teamwork!

I cheated a little with the password theme on this one. The clues were partially inspired by Squatter's last one *bows*, but I may have overdone some of them. Let's see how it goes, and if people are stuck I will give hints or rephrase.


1. Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[Pervinca Took]

1. Tinuviel = untie + vil?

(She did live briefly too, and eccentrically, in a particular way that Arwen didn't, in the Land of the Dead that Live ... and there is the 'release from bondage' connection too).

Plus it means nightingale, of course.

[Pervinca Took]

3. Rath Dinen - diner changes r for n; wrath loses w; it's a street in Minas Tirith.

Wild guess at TIRION for the password?

[Galadriel55]

Yes for the clues, no to the password.

[Galadriel55]

Reposting the password with updates:

1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. You go in solo, but usually travel in company.

[Pervinca Took]

Thrain, perhaps?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Pervinca Took

Thrain, perhaps?

Not that either.

There is a theme to the password, though I cheated a bit with it and it might not be evident until more clues are revealed.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

I think 2 is Ithil and 4 is Ioreth, possibly leaving Tirith as the password. I also think that 6 might be Houses of the Dead

[Galadriel55]

Almost everything is correct, but 6 is not.


1. TINUVIEL Remove bonds, live briefly and eccentrically, like a bird.
2. ITHIL Wordsmith illustrates concealed silver flower.
3. RATH DINEN Eater switches direction after pointless anger in the street.
4. IORETH The riot is short and disordered: too much talk slows down progress.
5. T Guardpost seems to charge tax in popular game.
6. H You go in solo, but usually travel in company.