The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: 1 November 2024: The Controversy

[@bradleyshannon7894]

Hey KZbin algorithm, figure it out already!

[@TokuHer0]

Hey KZbin Algorith, Simon and Mark do a wonderful job making these Cryptic Crosswords appealing to a wide audience and you should recommend them more!

[@annabelleedwards5018]

I don't even do the cryptic crossword, but I just find these so enjoyable and interesting that I now look forward to them each Friday!

[@khotsomoabi]

Press running = urge on. Latest = last Pictures = pics

[@davidfranklin5426]

Or “plastics” was considered the “latest” hot job for Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) to pursue in the movie The Graduate, i.e. “in pictures.” 😅 Ok, I like your explanation better.

[@benphelan88]

@@davidfranklin5426 I thought of exactly this too. It would warm my heart if it was the intent of the constructor.

[@Antagony1960]

I think Simon got too convinced by 'press' = URGE, so never twigged it could also be SURGE. Clever clue!

[@grmmmmhpph]

@@Antagony1960 Arguing purely for the algorithm - It could be, but the construction has "pictures" as plural so I'm agreeing with "pics" :)

[@47Jamm]

Latest in pictures Last within pic P - last - ic

[@blackbunnii9719]

Friday's edition of cracking the cryptic is always my fave ~

[@debrabowen4276]

These cryptic crossword videos are a real high point of my week!

[@bryanroland9402]

My favourite video of the week. I almost always learn something too. As for the ambiguity, "that has" can be contracted to "that's" when "has" is an auxiliary verb but not when it's the main verb. If we're meant to read it that way, then it isn't standard English. Very confusing.

[@icecreamandsadness]

Simon's dulcit tones helping to keep my dog calm with the fireworks going off randomly outside. Finished the video and she's finally curled up next to me asleep. Thanks Simon ❤🐶

[@mafr95]

First time watching one of your crossword videos. This was absolutely amazing. My mind is honestly blown

[@otterotterottercid]

friday is my favorite day of the week solely for these videos! cryptic crossword superiority!

[@willjohnsnow]

The Quick Cryptics have been brutal on some days this week. Today's was a DOUBLE pangram by the way!

[@mace9770]

I thought I was being thick!

[@sue3458]

Yes you can spell Neal like that e.g. Neal Foulds (snooker player). Great video as always

[@aang_arang]

You have no idea how much I look forward to watching this video before bed every Friday

[@waynethomas7406]

Simon, the shouting at the screen part is just an indication of how well you are teaching this content. Without spoilers, the two clues you are unsure of parsing, you have explained brilliantly previously and the fact that you sometimes struggle gives the rest of us great succour 🙏

[@glum_hippo]

The possibility that I will miss ALL of the sudoku solves in a week is higher than the possibility that I will miss the cryptic solve.

[@sterling50]

Long time watcher from texas! These are hard puzzles especially since i dont understand most of the british slang, but it is very entertaining and fun to watch and learn. Crack on!

[@Meowsma]

Howdy from the Dallas area! It's always interesting to learn just how much British slang I am *completely* unaware of.

[@sterling50]

@@Meowsma Yea absolutely! I often have caught myself saying Daft now when making a slight against myself and its fun to explain the origin of that word for myself being from a cracking the cryptic video series ha!

[@mikechappell5849]

I was amused by how Simon, who is always on the lookout for pangrams, commented on all the weird letters in the quick crossword wihout noticing that it's a pangram

[@ChairboyRules]

Always love the Cryptic crossword.

[@david.james.t.kirk27]

My favourite videos to watch right after coaching my Friday morning fitness class

[@longwaytotipperary]

❤to see these every week

[@davidrattner9]

Been such a pleasure for us that he and Mark have kept these going for nearly 2 years ❤❤

[@longwaytotipperary]

@ absolutely!!! ❤️💜💙🩷

[@sue3458]

Quick Cryptic double pangram!

[@nsrikand1]

Excellent Simon!! Please keep it up! Great learning for us!!

[@tamishea6198]

Thanks for the wonderful explanation of the clues!!! Watching your video gives me the courage to try these crosswords again ❤.

[@weirdandlazy1]

These videos are my favorite to fall asleep to, then watch again during the day.

[@katy-music]

A leg is also part of a stage! It’s the hanging curtain that helps define the backstage area 🦵

[@mitrisharaiha8916]

I love your channel so so much I’ve been watching since Covid times and absolutely love these cryptic crosswords. When Mark would complete the monthly special it was a joy to watch a master at work. These weekly Friday crosswords are amazing too it’s immense seeing you work these clues out so easily.

[@toanoradian]

1:19 Simon: "Where's Matthew, Mark-" Me: "Luke, and John?"

[@joanabbott9531]

I very much enjoy these solves. Thank you Simon.

[@Byron418]

Love these cryptic solves! 🎉🎉🎉

[@davidbennett1316]

I can usually manage the concise and never the cryptic so made my day to get three of these before you did - I love your humility. (And I couldn't remember some of the concise answers even though I solved (most of) it last week 😬)

[@satchury]

absolutely love your cryptic crossword solves! I cant imagine ever solving one myself though

[@rpb424]

I was waiting for you to go back and look at 'Plastic Surgeon' again at the end and try and work out why plastic didn't seem to be clued, but I guess the whole Hamburg/Homburg thing meant that got forgotten

[@barrycross8952]

Latest = last Pictures = pics P last ics Simon confused himself by reading it as the latest letter of pictures.

[@rpb424]

@@barrycross8952 Ah yes, or course. Easy when you see it!

[@discostoo]

This is the content I subbed for. Double pangrams ftw.

[@johnciolfi5085]

It’s funny, I put Hamburg in the puzzle when I solved it last night, but watching the video, I honestly couldn’t remember which one I’d put. I was probably saved by the fact that I just visited Hamburg a few weeks ago (lovely city, the city hall is tremendous and the franzbrötchen was delightful). It’s a shame so many people got caught out by that clue. Also, I think your fuselage troubles might come from the word fusillade, which is a volley of bullets (from the French word fusil - rifle).

[@Anne_Mahoney]

Another Friday, another crossword video: it doesn't get any better than that! 😸💚

[@romanthompson2024]

Best episode of the week

[@mr_enigma]

Thank you, Simon, I love these videos!

[@leonhardeuler675]

Love the cryptic crosswords. I remember back in the day when it alternated between the crosswords and the sudoku (or something like that). It really is invaluable to have such an authoritative place to point people who want to get started with them.

[@willygetssilly]

I love these videos, they are my favourite!

[@konstantinosadamopoulos9918]

These have been very helpful for helping me in my cryptic crossword journey

[@andrewgrant6516]

I prefer my version. A container for ashes is an urn. A second container for ashes is Mo' Urn. Mo' urn, mo' problems.

[@colej.banning2419]

That was my interpretation too before I heard Simon's explanation.

[@Antagony1960]

I really didn't understand this comment, so I used my Google fu to glean that "mo’" is American (maybe Ebonics) slang for "more". If so, that _does_ work, but most Brits - i.e. the primary target audience for The Times - wouldn't get it. "Mo’" for "more" is not in any _British_ dictionary I can find.

[@limegreenelevator]

For the ambiguous one, I think the reason it's HAMBURG and not HOMBURG is the substitution indicator. "Key for Oscar" suggests an A taking the place of an O, and _that_ goes in just one direction. (I'd think "O for A" would suggest "HOMBURG" as correct, but not "A for O.") I do agree that the ambiguity in the linking indicators makes it much, much more difficult though.

[@homewort-gf2ni]

I politely disagree that A for O generalIy means replace an O with an A; to me it reads more as replace an A with an O! It's funny we interpret things definitely, and does mean this clue is definitely ambigious! I think that it's more likely clueing Hamburg as the correct answer because the instruction makes more sense that way (i.e. you have the word for hat and then do something with it, rather than you do something to a word you don't have yet). An unfair clue, imo, but lovely work as always, Simon.

[@homewort-gf2ni]

For example, if a sign read '£2 for a lolly', you expect to pay £2 and receive a lolly, not give a lolly and get £2!

[@limegreenelevator]

@@homewort-gf2ni interesting, I've always seen in in cryptics as "A comes in for O" rather than "A goes out for O." Certainly raises questions about its use as a substitution indicator.

[@Willd2p2]

@@homewort-gf2ni I think the context is doing almost all of the work there though. A sign that said "lolly for £2" would also be read in the same way you imply. In this clue specifically I think with any reading of the contraction "that's" it only really makes sense to be read the way it was intended. I.e. in both "A that is X for Y [from B]" and "B that has X for Y [giving A]" I personally can only really parse that as X replacing Y and it meaning the opposite would feel very wrong. I do agree that the clue could have been worded better though - even just swapping the words Hat and City in the clue would be less ambiguous to me at least.

[@PotmosHetoimos]

I think the “for” can be comfortably read either way, but in terms of the linking, “in” suggests to me that the substitution is taking place IN the city.

[@emilywilliams3237]

I definitely enjoy these. Thanks, Simon!

[@royston1928]

I love these videos!

[@Majorr86]

The "Mass Extinction" is probably a bit tricky because the wordplay partially plays upon the other wordplay instead of the intended answer directly. An extinction does not precede a mass necessarily, but it would precede a funeral mass, or requiem.

[@DadgeCity]

Yes, Simon was reading the answer instead of the clue.

[@aljones27uk]

Helping you help the algorithm as you help me improve my solving!

[@archivist17]

This cryptic video is a highlight every week! I do try to feed the algorithm each week.

[@oscarbarnes2130]

Love these videos!

[@MarcMcMillin]

can't belive it's almost been two years!! Love these 🙂

[@missioncardiac7599]

Michael Tippett, English composer, 1905-1988. So allowable by the old rules. Apart from the hat/city problem, not quite taken with Mass extinction.

[@Willd2p2]

Mass extinction seems perfectly fine to me. A requiem is specifically a mass following a death, and extinction certainly implies death, so "requiem" gives Mass and "what it follows" gives Extinction in the sense that a requiem could certainly follow an extinction of life.

[@foxmitten1443]

I love these videos! more cryptics

[@Di0nysiac]

boo to the algorithm! I learned how to do cryptic crosswords watching these videos and never miss an episode.

[@mrsstrople]

I think all the Only Connect I watch lead my algorithm in this direction 👍

[@Sgray-ep7se]

love how the Quick Cryptic turned out to be a pangram

[@skullsNscalps]

I have been trying to solve cryptic puzzles since high school. Now I just watch.

[@duncanwilliamson3242]

Highlight of my week as alway

[@A_CC_K]

Best part of a Friday morning/mid afternoon.

[@TheMacabreTavern]

Ended up on Tippett myself because a tip would be at the end, and I just remember the composer.

[@cameronnall1664]

Keep these puzzles coming. And KZbin keep recommending these

[@GalagoShogi]

50:52 - There goes Maverick again!

[@karimmaasri1723]

Another fantastic solve by Simon.

[@Waldemar-10811]

Great video as always

[@OUdarling]

On the quick cryptic - you were likely conflating fuselage with fusillade, which have their first two syllables in common. Thank you for the solves and the explanation!

[@vickikaye2170]

Simon! Sir Michael Tippett indeed!

[@krisposkett]

Best videos on the channel!

[@cumulus888]

always enjoy the crossword video.

[@davidotoole9328]

Forgotten how much I enjoy this. I've five unfilled and wondering when you'll find a stinker (or not).

[@johanneshasund2571]

I'm just in pure awe 😮

[@nickr3115]

Very enjoyable, as always.

[@christhecyclist5998]

Thank you as always

[@MarkBennet10001]

Love these videos. Quick Cryptic is pangram.

[@richardrusson7528]

It's a double pangram!

[@MarkBennet10001]

@@richardrusson7528 Amazing - I saw afterwards

[@davidrattner9]

Easily these make my Friday mornings so much more enjoyable!!!

[@ranajamal3848]

Great solve as always

[@garrettsmith9788]

A comment for the all powerful algorithm!

[@RSDonovan]

Robert throws out mild expletive (7)

[@jbftcmof]

I got my first ever full clue before you in this puzzle. 28 across. Now I just have to stop pausing the video so much :)

[@mikaylaalford5062]

Always love

[@grenvillephillips6998]

Thanks!

[@missioncardiac7599]

Enjoyable as always

[@Emmibean77]

Come on Algorithm!!! There videos are the best

[@brycecrux2730]

my fave as well, many thanks

[@WrathOfAnima]

These videos are the only vids of yours I watch usually, figure it out already, algorithm! (Nothing against your sudoku/other puzzle videos, I'm just stumped enough by cryptics 😅)

[@cheeseonhead]

Hey algo, this vid is good

[@andrewkitching9339]

Great video Simon! I went for HAMBURG, but failed with the game, biffing HALLA rather carelessly. Otherwise I found it straightforward, but admired the elegant clues.

[@5t757]

Commenting for engagement and to say please keep making these videos. At sudoku I can routinely match your and Mark's solves but in cryptic crosswords you are Messi and Ronaldo levels of magnitude better than me and I enjoy watching the best solvers in the game solve them.

[@mjkluck]

Good stuff, Bubs.

[@MrBileDuct]

I love Cryptic too! - Algorithms - less so!

[@GeorgeFrideric71]

I like these videos.

[@repand1]

Let's get it together algorithm

[@annastevenson27]

Friday Fav.

[@simonb670213]

Was very taken with Simon’s tiara in the thumbnail.

[@timrutherford-johnson7003]

Tippett is Sir Michael (as others have pointed out), but "Wanting Tippett" is a great name for something. Maybe a cat.

[@Revenant77x]

That clue was rather unfair, no wonder it was tripping everyone up. Excellent video as always.

[@Cunningprof]

Banger

[@Fortunalux]

Commenting on this ancient controversy for the algorithm. I think a justification for [city] over [hat] is that A is the key letter of "that's" - I'm sure I've seen 'key' used as a 'take the middle letter(s)' indicator. So if you have the key of "that's" for Oscar, the clue only works in one direction, since there is no Oscar in [city]. But the other reading still legitimises [hat], of course, so the clue needed to be fixed.

[@shellmichael9665]

Let’s go, algorithm. Just figure it out already.

[@bloodspatteredguitar]

The Requiem (rest) Mass is the Mass for the Dead. Requiems-specifically, rather than Masses in general-therefore follow death=extinction. As an aside, I had the privilege of singing the ancient chants of the Requiem Mass this Saturday for the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.

[@danbanks9325]

Algorithm we LOVE this videos 🤩🤩

[@artyonehundred]

Personally I think "that's" is not usually a contraction for "that has", and there is still that trailing "in" to explain!

[@Biddlebum]

In cryptic clues, whether A usually means B doesn’t matter. If A can mean B, that’s enough. And in a statement like “Here’s a puzzle that’s been solved by Simon”, ‘that’s’ can only mean ‘that has’. There is some debate about allowing “A that’s B” to mean A+B, as the “has” in real life usage of “that’s” is always an indication of past tense. “Simon has a computer” would never be converted to “Simon’s a computer on his desk”, and that’s(!) the meaning you very often need to understand, with “has” meaning that the computer is close to Simon.

[@thescrewfly]

Dear Sir/Madam Algorithm, kindly allow CTC to crack these cryptic crosswords to their hearts and minds' content. And take these videos seriously. This is engagement, dammit!