The Maori?
The use of ‘the French’ to signify LA, LE or LES, ‘the Italian’ to signify IL and so on is a long-established and often-used cryptic cluing device.
There are relatively few cryptic crosswords written in New Zealand so you might well think that using ’the Maori’ to signify TE (see 6 across) would be my or my predecessor’s innovation. I first came across it however years ago in one of Noel Jessop’s crosswords in that great old, now defunct, Australian magazine The Bulletin. I was a little surprised that Mr Jessop would assume any Australians would know this snippet of Te Reo Maori.
Crossword 751 solution
A mistake of numbers?
In a comment under the answers to crossword 749, Barrie Graham upbraids me for the mistaken use of 99 to signify IC in 13 down here, pointing out that 99 in Roman numerals should be rendered as XCIX. He helpfully suggests ‘one hundred’ or ‘a hundred’ as valid alternatives. I must admit my ignorance is exposed here though in my defence I must say I have used the same clue snippet a number of times before and, having received no adverse comments, assume people got it anyway.
I can and indeed do claim further mitigating evidence. Chambers XWD — A dictionary of crossword abbreviations by Michael Kindred and Derrick Knight lists IC as ninety-nine or 99. (Under the pseudonym of Mordred, Derrick Knight sets crosswords for The Independent.)
Furthermore, in Cryptic Crossword Dictionary by Jennifer Chandler (Herron Publications 1993) I read “… be aware that cryptic crossword compilers don’t always use Roman numerals the way the Romans did! … There are few words in the English language … which include CMXCIX but lots that have IM — hence the cryptic corruption of 999. The numbers 49 and 99 follow a similar pattern and have become part of cryptic lore as IL and IC.”
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 6 | TELEPHONE | |
| Call the Maori, help to change an individual (9) | Call = definition, the Maori = TE, help to change = LEPH anagram, an individual = ONE | |
| 8 | CALLS | |
| Bids, investing everything in caesium (5) | Charade, everything = ALL, caesium = CS. | |
| 9 | GOSSIP | |
| Chitchat reveals doctor going around is so backward (6) | doctor = GP, is so backward = OSSI | |
| 10 | AREA CODE | |
| The first thing you might enter on phoning about a fish in accident and emergency (4,4) | about = RE, a fish = A COD, in A&E | |
| 12 | WEIGHTED | |
| Showed patience, say, when carrying some extra kilograms (8) | Sounds like waited, (say = homophone indicator). | |
| 14 | SCARF | |
| A form of transport in science fiction: you wear it around your neck (5) | A form of transport = CAR, in = container indicator, science fiction = SF | |
| 15 | VERSIFY | |
| Confirm the truth about head of state to compose a limerick (7) | Confirm the truth = VERIFY, around = containment indicator, head of state = S. | |
| 17 | TEXTING | |
| Get back about ten: can see method of sending written 2 down by 21 down (7) | Get back = TEG, about = containmnent indicator, ten = X, can = TIN. | |
| 20 | TEMPT | |
| Worked on a casual basis, so they say, to charm (5) | Sounds like TEMPED (so they say = homophone indicator) | |
| 22 | UPBRAIDS | |
| Plaits strung over the head provoke reproaches (8) | Cryptic definition | |
| 24 | COMBINED | |
| With hair attended to, take trendy inside – like – the coalition (8) | with hair attended to = COMBED, trendy = IN | |
| 25 | NUMBER | |
| A less sensitive digit (6) | number = more numb | |
| 27 | DIMLY | |
| None too bright, a thousand and fifty indulged in home-made projects (5) | Charade, a thousand and fifty = ML (Roman numerals) inside DIY. | |
| 28 | SWEET TALK. | |
| Flattery in an after-dinner speech? (5,4) | Cryptic definition. | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | KENO | |
| Some chicken out from bingo (4) | Hidden word = chicKEN Out | |
| 2 | MESSAGES | |
| The teachings of my French wise men (8) | my French = MES, wise men = SAGES | |
| 3 | INNARDS | |
| Rebuilding drains around pole shows guts (7) | Rebuilding = anagram indicator, pole = N | |
| 4 | FASCIA | |
| The panel that is instrumental in giving half the Jaffas to American spies (6) | half the Jaffas = FAS, American spies = CIA | |
| 5 | ILL-DEFINED | |
| I end filled badly, being poorly described in the medical dictionary? (3-7) | badly = anagram indicator | |
| 7 | HOP IT | |
| Desire doesn’t end with information technology or go away! | Desire doesn’t end = HOP/e + IT | |
| 11 | ENSUE | |
| Result points to Ms Bradford (5) | points = EN, Ms Bradford = SUE | |
| 13 | ELECTRONIC | |
| Like a robot? Give your tick to old Reagan, 99 (10) | Give your tick to = ELECT, old Reagan = RON, 99 = IC (Roman numerals) | |
| 16 | FUTON | |
| It’s diverting going around to sleep here in Yokohama (5) | diverting = FUN | |
| 18 | TEAM-MATE | |
| Associate on the side minced meat twice (4-4) | minced = anagram indicator | |
| 19 | RUN DOWN | |
| Persistently chase and exhausted, in summary (3,4) | Triple defiinition | |
| 21 | MOBILE | |
| A suspended sculpture of a cellphone (6) | double defiinition | |
| 23 | BINGE | |
| Being silly, overindulge (5) | silly = anagram indicator | |
| 26 | EELS. | |
| Fish slumber endlessly when going north (4) | slumber endlessly = SLEE, when going north = reversal indicator. |
Webskite now fixed too thanks Barrie.
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No comments available for 752? (Not that I have any but I was going to point out that your own Webskite is a bit scrambled and some of the links have died).
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Fixed now.
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Re: 7 Down. Looks like a little blunder on my part, now corrected. It seems I had different drafts on my laptop and desktop computers.
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The clue you provide here for 7 down is different to that in the magazine. Is that correct?
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Barrie. My mistake re McDonald and Reagan. I had originally thought to use McDonald but realised I’d used that clown quite recently so went for Reagan, being unable then (or now) to think of another suitable RON. I see now that I reverted when sloppily writing the explanation. I will correct it now.
As for “cryptic license’, the relatively few but very passionate cryptic crossword setters and fans in the US tend to be much more strict about the “rules” than their British counterparts. See the Cryptic Crossword entry in Wikipedia. I blame Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon.
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OK, I’ll concede artistic licence with IC = 99. I note overseas cryptic bloggers are divided, some indeed accept ‘cryptic licence’ and others raise a disapproving eyebrow. I fell into the latter camp, mainly because I’d not seen it before. I will seek to be more accepting in future. Ditto I suppose with IL or IM or ID for 49, 999 or 499…be still my beating heart.
(Report Abuse) (Report Abuse)Incidentally I assume the rest of your explanation of the same clue was joking with the reference to MacDonald – Old Reagan means Ron(ald) Reagan, surely, not Ronald MacDonald? Or am I being a pedant yet again?
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You got me there. I used almost the identical clue back in May 2000 and the same slithery idea once in 2007. It is probably one of those constructions that many setters have used and one I shall now seek to permanently retire.
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Great to see the bigger grid at last and a really enjoyable set of clues to kick it off. Am I imagining it or do eels feature quite often in yourpuzzles? There was a distinct feeling of deja vu with 26d, though not complaining – always enjoy fish clues!
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