A Crossword With An Amazing Hidden Trick

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** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
This crossword was recommended to us by Mike Hutchinson, The Independent's puzzle editor. It's by Rodriguez and was published on 25 August 2022. It contains an amazing hidden theme (revealed by one of the clues) and it's definitely worth having a crack at!!
You can try it at the link below:
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[@ShadowBeatzInc]

Simon: "You may serve on a tennis court" Me, an American: "You get served food at a food court"

[@57thorns]

And once being served, you may have to appear in court, right?

[@joshuaadams7091]

Damn dude seeing your name pop up just gave me so much nostalgia. Hope all is well with you, admittedly I haven't kept up with any of "The Crew" for a while now but y'all were a huge part of my high school days back in 2012 and I still go back every now and again for a good ol' nostalgia trip.

[@omarzepedaaguilar]

Is this the town of Salem guy?

[@longwaytotipperary]

It’s like watching an ancient Egyptologist read hieroglyphs on a cave wall, or a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat - totally entertaining and totally out of my skill set! 😍

[@davidrattner9]

You always say the most perfect summary!!! :-)

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@davidrattner9 Thanks, David! 😊

[@emilywilliams3237]

Wizardry indeed.

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@emilywilliams3237 🙂

[@bryanroland9402]

As any child knows, cows GO moo, ducks GO quack. Also used informally for people, often with sounds like "aagh" etc. Thanks Simon. Enjoyed the solve.

[@darreljones8645]

A usage popularized in the USA due to appearing in the "Dick and Jane" textbooks Baby Boomers often read in their elementary-school writing classes.

[@clausewitzianwar]

This definition is actually listed when he looks it up in the dictionary at the end, 6th line down: " to make a (specified) noise, as in 'go bang,' 'go moo' "

[@jejejow]

You can go on and on

[@Cally.Summer]

And the elephant goes "toot" (but what does the fox say?)

[@fashnek]

@@clausewitzianwarNope, it’s under vt further down: “to say (used when reporting speech)”. And so then he goes, … And then I went, … Just go, like, …

[@stephenlamb90]

You might "go ow!" when you are in pain, and Evelyn John was a diarist - a record producer of a different sort! Great work though, and a pleasure to watch the master at work!

[@harstar12345]

Sometimes I think in kinda smart, then I come to watch these guys solve cryptic crosswords and I feel like I'm in a distant galaxy where the language is similar to what I speak but it's a mystery what people are saying. Geniuses.

[@andrewzmorris]

They're very good, but I think their aptitude comes more from practice than from genius. Cryptic crosswords are just a skill, and like any other skill the more you practice, the better you get.

[@fulltimeslackerii8229]

@@andrewzmorris i’m inclined to agree but after watching dozens of their videos on cryptic crosswords, i’m no better than from before i found this channel. meanwhile their sudoku videos taught me so much in a similar time span

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@fulltimeslackerii8229 ditto

[@AFastidiousCuber]

@@fulltimeslackerii8229 Getting better at cryptic crosswords requires more deliberate practice and research than Sudoku I think. It is more like chess or solving a Rubik's Cube.

[@jaxweby4343]

You say it doesn't look like magic, but the combination of standard cryptic crossword tricks I'm not aware of and words I'm simply unfamiliar with due to their age(/lack of frequency today) makes it hard to think any different. Always stunning to watch you unfold one of these!

[@stephaniemcintosh1930]

"Go" meaning "say" : Simon goes "Bobbins!" whenever he makes a mistake.

[@highpath4776]

Sago ?

[@terracottapie]

Can confirm, it's common where I live, in NYC, but I am pretty sure that's a US thing which is why Simon might not know that meaning of "go"

[@davidcarter4454]

@@terracottapie You hear it on this side of the pond too, but not that often. It’s normally used in reported speech e.g. “And she goes ‘what’s the point of that?’”.

[@terracottapie]

@@davidcarter4454 Yes, that's exactly how it is used here. I didn't know it was a UK thing too.

[@shifttheshaman]

"He goes..." is pretty common here in Australia when talking about what somebody else says. "Then the teacher comes in. She goes "Who put the underpants on the fan?" and we all start laughing"

[@Michieldecuyper]

"It's not wizardry". Yes it is 😛 As a non-native English speaker, all you say makes sense, yet the way you reach the solution is pure magic

[@DipanGhosh]

Well.. watching Mark doing these is just too much for us. When Simon explains them for us mere mortals, it is enjoyable.

[@gustavojuca6926]

@@jpryan90 I tried and only got "court". Granted I thought of serve as in serfdom.

[@GeoffCanyon]

Native speaker checking in, all I can say is, "Yer a wizard, Simon!"

[@nendwr]

Always enjoy the crossword videos! That "Continue" button on the Indy's website has caught me out before - it's the much smaller "Hide" button in the top left that you actually want to click.

[@danielbluebisson]

Haha it’s quite funny because the continue button has also caught Simon out in exactly this way before

[@playhardtotame1122]

I am from Germany and I love watching your videos. You help me deciphering these crosswords which I can't solve because I not only lack sufficient knowledge in the English language but also it's culture. And seeing Essen being mentioned in one of the crosswords made me genuinely smile. It's my hometown!!

[@bobblebardsley]

I wonder which will happen first, Simon remembers to click 'Hide' instead of 'Continue' at the end of the puzzle, or the Independent fix what is an obvious usability problem with their software...? 😅

[@Astervista]

A good match. By experience, bad user experience is hard to eradicate. On the other hand, Simon probably lives on another universe and will never have the time to learn such a mortal task as this. Still bugs me because these automatic check/continue vs hide shenanigans are so counterintuitive

[@SomeRandomGuyOnYouTube]

They could at least relabel that button to something more accurate, like Obliterate All Your Work

[@bobblebardsley]

@@SomeRandomGuyOnKZbin Probably the least-work option which means if anything, this is what they'll do 😁

[@amysteele2488]

Only one I got straight away was court. For the rest I needed Simon's brilliant brain

[@razielhamalakh9813]

Cats go "Meow", Simons go "Bobbins". But there's one sound that no one knows: what does the fox say?

[@moeafram2520]

I love cryptic crosswords, but these clues are on a whole other level. Very, very sneaky. Thank you Simon for breaking down your thought process!

[@teamcyeborg]

I've been getting so into CTC crossword videos recently that I've even started making my own cryptic!

[@thedrunkenelf]

I got frigate right away due to years of playing Battleship as a child. I loved the city clue.

[@postmodernist1848]

I am not a native English speaker, so the way Simon comes up with these solutions to the puzzles (which are, indeed, cryptic) blows my mind

[@PeterMoore66]

You may also serve (on a jury) in a criminal or civil court.

[@technoneko8108]

Its crazy that the cryptic part can give you a word youve never heard of before

[@GenWivern2]

Thanks Simon: I wasn't bowled over by the crossword all told, but the gimmick is most unusual. Very much an Indy puzzle. 🙂

[@Azeria]

I wonder if you could’ve pressed ‘reveal’ after you’d solved it to get the answers back up?

[@MrPartylala]

12:30 today I learned there was a diarist called John Evelyn (hence he produced records of things) also, what a brilliant trick and a brilliant solve :)

[@Astervista]

It fascinates me the way Simon’s mind works. He remembers all the possible synonyms for anagram indicators, but still doesn’t remember that he has to use the “hide” button at the top after having finished a puzzle on the independent, which is the only thing I can remember

[@Varksterable]

Ikr. 'He' (for Helium, a transparent gas which disappears upwards) surrounding 'identity' (ID). Ending with 'Digital Evaluation' (DE). All meaning 'don't show' your 'personal' 'score.' A simple clue compared to some of the others; it's really weird he didn't get that.

[@zmaj12321]

Remembering anagram indicators is easy. There are so many, you can just pretend that every word in the dictionary is one and you'll probably be right most of the time anyways.

[@Astervista]

@@zmaj12321 You are right, the problem is not remembering which word in an anagram indicator, but for every word in the dictionary knowing if in that definition it is an anagram indicator, an abbreviation, a cricket term for ball, a hidden clue or the way Buddha called his lunch one day. “Oh yes scrambling, this word in Victorian English was the call of a seagull, so it is clearly a homophone indicator”

[@nickburton5871]

Loved your solve, Simon! Most I was miles away from, but a couple I beat you to, which pleased me unreasonably! Say = go, as in cows "go" moo. And I solved Vagrants having postulated Agra as the city. Thanks very much, Simon!

[@hobbyist518]

It's one thing to know that solving cryptic crosswords is a matter of practice. It's quite another to ACQUIRE that practice. Where do you even START when it's so archaic? Is there an extremely basic introductory guide somewhere? Or do you just start with standard crosswords that primarily rely on trivia and synonyms, and after years of solving THOSE, you move on to cryptics when standard become too easy? The reason I'd LIKE to get into cryptic crosswords is that they sometimes seem more solvable than your standard crosswords, because it looks like there are multiple pathways to the same solve in a single clue. If there was an easier version, cryptic crosswords for beginners, I think I'd be able to get into it. But I've never liked standard crosswords because it's often a matter of 'either you know the word or you don't, and if you don't you can't solve it'. Trivia, in other words. I prefer sudoku puzzles because anybody anywhere can theoretically solve them, no background knowledge or trivia necessary, though of course solving techniques help.

[@pelahnar4]

I wonder if there could be, like, teaching cryptic crosswords. Where you could get clues/explanations for each of the clues. Like, the first clue you get indicates how you should be looking at it, the second gives some sort of trivia you'd need to know, and eventually (either once you get the answer or give up) it breaks down the full reasoning behind it. That sort of thing would make it easier to get the practice you'd need to attack a puzzle without the clues. I don't know that anything like that exists other than, like, these videos.

[@grahamhawes7146]

If you go back to the Independent site and scroll down the games there is a daiy "easy" cryptic. I like to do these first thing in the morning to wake the brain up. Oh, sometimes I think they might be stretching the definition of easy but there are usually a few clues with hidden answers.

[@saschabaer3327]

You get yourself a friend who is better at them than you, sit together and do them, while laughing about how ridiculous the clues are. It’s great fun and you do quickly get better.

[@nickellis999]

It's funny how Simon goes: "Does go mean say?"

[@robinbrown6530]

For those wondering, Ruairi is the Irish/Gaelic way of spelling Rory often pronounced Ror Ree. Or I suppose the more accurate way to say that is Rory is the English spelling of Ruairi. Edit: Well if I had waited 5 secs there at the end Simon would have said basically the same thing. Lol

[@zak3744]

So I was in the pub with my friend the other day, and I go to him: "There was this bloke on the internet wondering what go means in the crossword". And then he's like: "What do you mean?" And I go to him: "Well it was a synonym for say. And he didn't get how it was." And then he goes to me: "Maybe this fellow's a bit too 'formal RP' in his thinking?" And I was like: "Yeah, maybe." And then we both kind of went: "Well whatever." And then we finished up and went. 😉

[@nicktecky55]

Go = Say??? The song "Walk on the Wild Side" - Lou Reed. Simon's youth was clearly not sufficiently badly spent!

[@tonyroberts3926]

Simon reveals he is not an Archers Addict Ruairi, and his descent into being a gigolo, is a current storyline. (Yes, it is a story of farming folk but you have to keep up with the times.)

[@DumbMuscle]

I love the fact that Simon can spend half an hour spotting the most obscure clues to solve the crossword, and then completely miss the "REVEAL" button to show the answers when he goes back to talk through it (though agree that the UX on that isn't great on the site itself).

[@hannaverlie6747]

This is insane to watch! Love it 😍😍😍

[@roxirossetti6250]

That was so cool - I get a lot of tips from you. Love cryptic puzzles - they have spoiled other crosswords for me. Lovatt's are very easy but I have to remember to hear the clues in an Aussie accent to get some of the homonyms. Here in Canada we hear "go" to mean "say" and "went" to mean "said" a lot, especially when younger people recount conversations. Eg., "The teacher told me to be quiet, so I go, "Make me!" and she goes, "Vice principle Skinner would be happy to make you" so I went, "I'm not afraid of her!" etc., etc...Switching verb tenses is common in these accounts as well. Also the word, "like" which I neglected to sprinkle liberally throughout; it would be more realistic if I had done.

[@andrewzmorris]

"Go" is a very informal way of saying "say". "I said 'x', then he goes 'blah blah blah'"

[@seinfan9]

This is rendered more difficult for me not living in the UK.

[@steve470]

Yeah, these are completely inaccessible to anyone who's not totally steeped in British culture. (This is probably why the sudoku variants took off for this channel, and not the cryptic crosswords.) Simon only notices/admits it occasionally, but it happens frequently. A non-Brit isn't going to see "publisher" and think of the letters "OUP", or see the word "church" and think of the letters "CE". (The latter was from a puzzle that Simon did previously, and which pretty much ensured that I'll never bother trying cryptic crosswords myself).

[@NavyBlueMan]

I think "go" can work, for some reason the only context I can think of is as an instruction to say something. If I said, "You go, 'ouch'" maybe in the context of acting, it would work. But it's extra convoluted when trying to write it down Edit - this is off the definition page on Google INFORMAL say. "the kids go, ‘Yeah, sure.’"

[@msclrhd]

There's also the phrase "to go off on someone/one" and derivatives -- i.e. to become angry (sometimes referenced w.r.t. shouting, and sometimes speaking). E.g. "He went off on a rant about the difficulties of crosswords again today." where "went" is the past tense of "go".

[@elLooto]

At a protest you used to hear the chant of "here we go."

[@maurobraunstein9497]

The duck goes "Quack!" Simon goes "Bobbins!"

[@jodyvanliew2514]

Very clever construction . Enjoyed this solve very much .

[@AdamGaffney96]

I think cryptic crosswords will always be one of those things I just enjoy from the sidelines, I've tried around 5-10 in my time and I think I've solved maybe 2 clues total, not puzzles, individual clues! Just so many works that are unfamiliar to me and it feels like futility to sit with a dictionary unless you know what you're looking for! I'll continue to do the sudoku and enjoy watching the crosswords from a safe distance. 😂 I've always been a mathematician not a linguist anyway (don't tell Suzie Dent though!) Also I feel like "Continue" with a smaller "Hide" in the box isn't as clear as they could make that. You're supposed to try be as explicit as you can in what the action of a button actually does. It should be "Return" or "Next Puzzle" or something like that. I feel like the "Hide" button should also be the same size and in line as I feel like it's a common thing to want to look at the puzzle when you're done.

[@MF-fd2ug]

these are all extremly impressive but wow the first one stunned me. so clever.

[@mrkitewine7700]

It’s like those bizarre unfair riddles they used to have on the 3-2-1 game show in the 70’s. I’m sure if Simon was to go back in time and go on that show he would certainly win the top prize Mini Metro

[@highpath4776]

Or get the dustbin - I am sure they made up the definitions after each clue to get the prize they had that week given out regardless of your guesses

[@SomeRandomGuyOnYouTube]

@@highpath4776 I'm absolutely sure that Ted Rogers was provided different explanations for each clue so that whatever happened you ended up with the deluxe three-piece suite and matching dinette.

[@highpath4776]

@@SomeRandomGuyOnKZbin I wonder if this (or other cryptics) solve with different words to the same clues !)

[@FluxMC3867]

just to let Simon and the others know about the puzzle the last and final city that would be found would be "Lomé" which is a city in Togo so now we know it's not "Rome" if he didn't hit continue.

[@AndyeKAA]

As a native hungarian i really don't understand how to solve this type of puzzle... I needed to read it on Wikipedia, how cryptic crossword puzzles work. I still don't understand. I still enjoy it to watch. Im really confused now....

[@Nanokarp]

simon has never heard the song 'what does the fox say', else he wouldnt have doubted 'go' as a synonym for 'say'

[@beveragino]

this feels less like purposeful knowledge and more like instinctual intuition. It's got my brain all jumbled trying to associate these clues with the words they provide.

[@andrewgrant6516]

Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes, each one she passes GOes "ahhh!"

[@archivist17]

Fantastic fun, but some grunty clues. Oddly, Frigate was the only one I got straight away. I think it's less so now, but classes of warship was the sort of military knowledge (like Other Ranks) that used to come up a lot in the past, especially in the Telegraph, which was my dad's paper, and the Times. Loads of aging Colonels, I expect.

[@bristolrovers27]

Great to see an excellent solve of an even excellenter puzzle !

[@VonBlade]

I know of Ulm primarily through Johann Gambolputty. But then his name was quite memorable.

[@mjswart73]

He goes "Can 'go' mean 'say' in some sense?" And I'm like "totally"

[@taintedstrike7513]

This seems like wizardry...

[@matthewjohnson6360]

reefer- marijuana leaves rolled into a cigarette for smoking marijuana cigarette, spliff, joint, stick cannabis, ganja, marihuana, marijuana- the most commonly used illicit drug; considered a soft drug, it consists of the dried leaves of the hemp plant; smoked or chewed for euphoric effect

[@GordonjSmith1]

Loved it, more please!

[@ronniebrown]

On 25D you might say (for example), "he goes, 'look at that'", which would be the same as saying, "he says, 'look at that'"

[@mwoody_]

19:00 Q25 - I thought if you have your say, you have your go; or, When you're telling a story about something someone said, you might say " and then he goes: 'blah' "

[@Bouncyman8]

"It's sourcecode, not coursecode. I'm totally inept." Ah right, we were all thinking that...

[@mrmidlife2546]

I only spotted a few, but were there forms of currency in the down answers?

[@davidcarter4454]

What is bobbins? To prevent what just happened, you could take off one letter which you know for sure and put it in again at the end when you’ve done the others. The fact that you can’t re-review your answers is a bug they need to fix. Maybe you can if you are logged in, or a subscriber? Great solve and lovely puzzle, well done you and setter.

[@stevieinselby]

I enjoyed the clever hiding of cities in the across answers, but this video just reminds me why I don't like cryptic crosswords - they require too much eclectic and arcane "general" knowledge, along with knowing all the secret codes and handshakes, before you even get to the actual lateral thinking part of the clues. With a sudoku or pencil puzzle, you can _in theory_ work everything out from first principles (even if sometimes the logic is way beyond what I'm capable of), but if you didn't know that there was a write called John Evelyn or that soldiers are known as OR then you're completely bobbinsed and no amount of thinking will help you.

[@stevewesh7327]

Simon, didn't you notice a few currencies also in the down clues? Steve K.

[@highpath4776]

Ohh, get Christopher Collects to take a look, was there a down clue for cash ?

[@TrekBeatTK]

I'm getting better. I got three before watching this one

[@gatlygat]

As Little Britain said.... "and she goes...she goes...... she just goes"

[@bazcuda]

22:05 Why is it the world never remembered the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern -schplenden -schlitter -crasscrenbon -fried -digger -dangle -dungle -burstein -von -knacker -thrasher -apple -banger -horowitz -ticoleensic -grander -knotty -spelltinkle -grandlich -grumblemeyer -spelterwasser -kürstlich -himbleeisen -bahnwagen -ggutenabend -bitte -eine -nürnburger -bratwustle -gerspurten -mit -zweimache -luber -hundsfut -gumberaber -shönenddanker -kalbsfleisch -mittler -raucher von Hautkopft......of Ulm? 🤣🤣🤣

[@zmaj12321]

Oh, apparently John Evelyn is a famous diarist, aka a "record producer." Fun!

[@pintpullinggeek]

25 across is a bit tricksy because it puts the "scowl" part between the "...say.... "I'm in pain"". If you were to say you're in pain you might "Go ow"

[@kevinmartin7760]

At 31:44 I was shouting "click 'HIDE', not 'CONTINUE'" Simon's been here before on a previous puzzle...

[@phileo_ss]

It was my first time seeing a cryptic crossword. Didn't have a clue.... (pun intended)

[@highpath4776]

We must make one where every answer is one of Simon's phrases - Scooby , Doo, Bobbins, Three In The Corner, etc

[@nemuchan]

To go = to say as in for example : She was angry and went "get out of here !" and then i went "you wish!"

[@joelstevens5670]

What a brilliant idea, hide cities in most of the clues of one type and then use the remaining clue as an indicator! Of course Ur had to be in there (it is indeed Biblical, often referred to as Ur of the Chaldees). Incredibly surprised/delighted to also get ENGINE ROOM (I was looking at the words ‘mooring need’ backwards and stumbled across the answer, then realised why it worked). Finally getting to grips with some of these anagram and reversal indicators!! 😅

[@Melissanoma]

Is there a good source of cryptic puzzles that an american could do? These are always too british for me to possibly figure out. B road, OUP, hibernia, etc.

[@fryboy2164]

if you look at 34:35 under the section that says vt, end of the second line, it says "to say (used when reporting on speach)"

[@skasperl]

Some down clues do have currencies in them, is there a clue hinting at that?

[@squallleonhardtt327]

goodness me, i thought it was just me! Had to scroll quite far in the comments to see someone else mention this....

[@Pigeon0fDoom]

As a non native English man, I just can get a grasp on your explanation.

[@lordofthe6string]

I've been trying these a lot more lately, but I get maybe 1 or 2 each time haha. 2 down on this one, I was sure it was 'some' because it's composed of the melody parts so and me (I now realise it's mi) and not all of something is some of it lol.

[@emilywilliams3237]

A current slangy way of telling a story these days is 'So I go "Hey, Simon!" ' and Simon goes "Hello, Emily" " and I go "how're ya doin'?" and he goes "Fine, and you?" and so on. It is almost always present tense even when the story took place some time ago. Maybe that was the reference in that GOSLOW clue/answer. I love these cryptic crossword solves on the channel. They are fascinating the way watching a chess match or a bridge game by grandmasters is for me - I understand a lot of what I am seeing, but could never, ever think of doing it myself.

[@cabbage-soup]

I'm not sure if it's all that current, as far as slang goes xD while i was reading your comment, I was reminded of Chicago's I Can't Do It Alone, and that musical is 50 years old now

[@emilywilliams3237]

@@cabbage-soup Funny, I heard it just tonight in conversation with some friends. I do think it is "current" as in, used by younger folks (younger than I am). But perhaps not a comment slang in the UK, as Simon did not seem even to be able to put it into a sentence.

[@bibliopolist]

When that dude went, like, "is go a synonym for say?", I went, like, "yeah". And is Ulm a city? Yes, the birthplace of Einstein, and it's pronounced more like "oolm" (but with a short vowel). You might have heard it as the last part of the name of that famous German baroque composer, Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-Schplenden-Schlitter-Crasscrembon-Fried-Digger-Dingel-Dangel-Dongel-Dungel-Burstein von Knacker-Trasher-Apple-Banger-Horowitz-Ticolensic-Grander-Knotty-Spelltinkel-Grandlich-Grumbelmeyer-Spelterwasser-Kurstlich-Himbeleisen-Bahnwagen-Gutenabend-Bitte-Ein-Nürnberger-Bratwurscht'l-Gespurtn-Mitz-Weimache-Luber-Hundsfut-Gumberaber-Schönendanker-Kalbsfleisch-Mittler-Aucher von Hautkopf of Ulm. The city is also featured in a famous German tongue-breaker: "In Ulm, um Ulm, um Ulm herum".

[@th.nd.r]

What’s the city in “inner city” though?? Nercit? Erci? Er City? Also, brilliant video. Love the cryptic crosswords on the channel, and I loved the theme of this one. The clues on their own are good, but seeing the cities in all of them just made it that much more impressive

[@essentialatom]

"Each OTHER across answer" :)

[@th.nd.r]

@@essentialatom thank you!!

[@insectbah]

So cool!!

[@shadowfox1221]

"It's probably pronounced Ronan" made me laugh. Gaelic names are notorious. I'm Irish but work with people in continental Europe and India, and hearing attempts to pronounce Aoife or Medhbh is hilarious.

[@nemuchan]

Wait you're a Monty Python fan right ? Then surely you've heard of the German composer Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schiltter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumeraber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm ?

[@sebastienlecoq3956]

Thanks for all great and clear explaining. Still wizzardry.

[@TrekBeatTK]

Ruairi sounds like "Rory".

[@tomjackson3432]

Great solve but, as an Irishman, your pronunciation of Ruairi (in English it'd be Rory) wasn't quite so good! Irish spelling actually has pretty strong logic but, similar to English, it doesn't really have Latin roots and created its own logic when people started using the Latin alphabet. It's arguably less confusing (if much less common) than English. See "ough" as in thorough, tough, cough, hiccough, Lough, through, though, thought, though and plough.

[@MrJungle123]

Ruairi is pronounced 'Rory'. I know. I know. Me either.

[@highpath4776]

As in Mrs Brown ?! Never Knew

[@MrJungle123]

@@highpath4776 no. As in 'Rory'.

[@ThePeadar2211]

"Carmen Burana"

[@agirldownunder9299]

I love seeing the crosswords and the game streams. You've got me signed up for daily crosswords to solve recently

[@justarandomdood]

18:36 I think I got this one (paused the vid here, dunno if Simon realized later) but I think "and say" is indicating "lo" as in "lo and behold"

[@Pwecko]

I got seven right before watching the video. I would never have finished it.

[@mikeimho]

"Ulm, is that a German city?" Yes, Albert Einstein was born there in 1879.

[@mikeimho]

And Monty Python also briefly mentioned Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitzweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönendanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm

[@MarushiaDark316]

I really don't understand how you're supposed to know which words indicate annagrams, abbreviations, puns, or things crammed into other words. Doing regular crossword seems hard enough if you're not big on trivia.

[@zmaj12321]

Words that indicate confusion or mixing, in any sense, are for anagrams. This is the vaguest type of indicator, and there are LOTS of examples (some are more kosher than others). Cramming things into other words is indicated by anything involving containment. Hugging, wearing, surrounding, enclosing, putting on, fencing, involving, etc. "Entertaining" is a tricky synonym for "hosting (a guest)" that is used multiple times in this video. Abbreviations and synonyms do not need indication. If something has an abbreviation or synonym that appears in the dictionary, then they may be replaced with their synonym/abbreviation at any point. If by "puns," you mean stuff like "supply" and "Carmen" in this video, then these also do not need indication. Regardless of the context the word appears to have in the clue, any definition for the word may be used. With practice, one can look at a word and think "does this have a definition that is non-obvious? Oh yes it does!" and then use that to solve a clue.

[@SamuraiPipotchi]

Words like Hibernia... how do you learn about words like that without direct research?

[@chrislewis-n3v]

"go" as "say" is a working class way of speaking so this may explain why you have not come across it before...

[@RoderickEtheria]

If you have a say, do you have a go?

[@brock2k1]

I probably couldn't get half of these even after watching the video.

[@sacredsock8031]

i think you need to press 'hide' not 'continue' at the end. Sure you've had this issue before

[@lizzyvv447]

Minute or second? Strange outside inquiry (4)

[@Coyotek4]

Johann Gambolputty ... of Ulm

[@isabellflorence4956]

Olivia John?

[@pgn42]

How many people in the world could solve this.