The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: 26 April 2024

[@louisesuth8141]

I am constantly amazed by what Mark and Simon know, and equally bemused by what they don't as I see them as omniscient

[@davidsteele8956]

Aren't we way past the point where any person can know everything?

[@johnpauladamovsky86]

​@@davidsteele8956 The Great Doctor Johnny von Neumann is considered the last person who to know everything that was known in his time, in other words, Johnny was the final universal renaissance polymath.

[@TheAshFantastic]

Simon! Today's the first time I've heard you play your guitar, and my goodness did you play that beautifully. Here as always for the cryptic, but now I'll be hoping for more little guitar interludes as well. Thank you for these wonderful videos!

[@bristolrovers27]

Hand is the unit of measurement for the height of a horse (4 inches I believe) and a foot is 12 inches. Weekly crossword is a highlight for me of this excellent channel

[@droid-droidsson]

I cannot believe Simon would, completely out of the blue, spoil Wallace and Gromit for everyone like this! /s

[@bryantvia4478]

it surprises me when i know something that you don't. you have such a vast amount of knowledge that the hand vs feet and stop-motion trip you up so much, but your genius still comes through. well done, sir.

[@B1GB1RDB4G3L]

Loved the musical interlude today simon

[@craftsmanwoodturner]

I particularly liked the clues for "strident" and "talon". Plenty of misdirection there, but Simon managed to avoid the bear-traps.

[@LednacekZ]

a hand is also a unit of length. about 10cm foot is about 30cm.

[@Bacca839]

It's possible that "in charge" is in your Chambers app as "i/c" which is how the UK military commonly shortens it.

[@MattSwain1]

It’s in the version of Chambers on my iPhone as i/c

[@imgpw1]

incredible solve as always. an addendum to your wallace and grommit example for stop motion: that film is claymation, which necessitates the use of stop-motion animation, but not all stop-motion uses clay. claymation is the square to stop-motion's rectangle. you can think of stop-motion as a more advance zoetrope because they use the same principle of multiple photos being taken and being played back quickly (usually 24 frames per second in movies) to give the illusion of motion

[@craftsmanwoodturner]

I think you have to type in "I/C" to see the abbreviation for "in charge".

[@andyrooiam]

The unit of hands is measured roughly by turning your hand on its side with the fingers together.

[@stevewood8]

Interesting to read in other comments that the US pronunciation of Reveille is different to the British one. As a paperboy in the early 70s I would often deliver a weekly newspaper of that name that was pronounced 'ruh-valley' which I believe is the typical British pronunciation. French, meaning wake up, I believe. Great solve by Simon, avoiding a number of traps.

[@davidrattner9]

Thank Simon for giving us another great solve and explanations for all your answers!! Bonus for throwing in a guitar session!! Classic song by 2 exceptional musicians!!

[@jamesmoriarty6782]

I think i was shouting out three answers at the screen. Unlikely to happen again. I remember lots of library books in my youth having a frontispiece. Lovely word.

[@debrabowen4276]

Thank you for this video. Friday cryptic crossword is a highlight of my week!

[@LednacekZ]

i knew 3 today. that is way much more than usual.

[@oak3001]

Hooray for a Friday evening crossword video. Please, algorithm, keep these videos coming!

[@icecreamandsadness]

I knew those were the fingers of a musician. Beautiful!

[@d4r4butler74]

Always love the crosswords! And as far as I know Horses are still measured in Hands.

[@annastevenson27]

14:06 "I'm not thinking of the right answer." Yup. Happens to me all the time.

[@williambarnes3868]

Sept, Oct & Nov are the months of Meteorological Autumn. Winter being Dec to Feb, spring is March to May and the rest being summer. 22D a hand is a measure for a horse, approx 4 inches.

[@sagov9]

northern hemisphere only, but I suppose it's okay for the puzzle to only be for northern hemispherians

[@MichaelLamparty]

According to the astronomical calendar Winter begins on December 21-23 (22 this year), which is the shortest day of the year. I prefer this system. I never been a fan of using the meteorological seasons as they really only reflect reality in certain places. In fact where I live we often have summer weather well into November.

[@phyphor]

A hand is now standardised as exactly 4 inches (10.16cm)

[@richardfarrer5616]

@@MichaelLamparty That does, of course, mean that winter starts on Midwinter's Day which will confuse a lot of people. I agree with you for consistent usage but, for most people, it's the weather and the length of day that matters

[@poppyholly1759]

@@richardfarrer5616 The weather lags approximately 6 weeks to the astonomical calendar. Therefore the start of the seasons happen to occur on the quarterdays. Like you I prefer midwinter and midsummer starting their respective season, and the equinoxes denoting the start of the spring or autumn.

[@Prazzie]

Another cracking solve, thank you so much.

[@longwaytotipperary]

Loved Simon playing Sounds of Silence - one of my favorite all time songs. I’ve only heard “revile” pronounced “rev uh lee”. But I’ve only heard it in the song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B”

[@davidrattner9]

Do you also enjoy other Simon and Garfunkel songs, The Boxer etc? 😀 Simon's guitar playing is such an absolute treat for us!!

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@davidrattner9 yes! I ❤️ their harmonies!! Paul Simon is a musical genius and Art Garfunkel has an angelic voice. Bridge Over Troubled Water brings me to tears! 🥹 Do you like S&G?

[@davidrattner9]

@@longwaytotipperary OH YES!! ..Not Like..LOVE THEM. 😀🩵💙

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@davidrattner9 💛🩵🧡

[@profregan6937]

After a year i now shout out answers! An education.

[@SirBradiator]

Surprised you've never heard of stop motion animation. Wallace and Grommit being the foremost example.

[@benphelan88]

Or the OGs, Gumby and Pokey.

[@dglthrawn1]

Ray Harryhausen was a master of it. Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts being prime examples.

[@Bacca839]

@@benphelan88 Surely Morph!

[@afanofosc]

Simon had heard of it but was not certain if the puzzle was calling it step-motion.

[@nsrikand1]

Excellently explained. Very useful.

[@Ruddigore]

A hand is a unit of measurement as in the height of horses. A hand is 4 inches. A foot is 12 inches and therefore more than twice (x3) its length. Update: I see you got there in the end 😁

[@brycecrux2730]

The only time I was (almost) screaming at you about the clue with "hand". Fantastic as always.

[@philipbrooks402]

Simon, thanks again. Meteorological autumn 1 Sept-30 Nov.

[@johnciolfi5085]

As someone trying to get better at setting cryptics, it’s interesting seeing similarities in words and clues I’ve used versus how they’re used in the Times - for instance, I originally had 18-Across in a puzzle with a similar clue (“Tongue twisting prose? Neat”). I swapped it out for a different word in the end, but being able to gauge my clue-making abilities against the Times is always a nice bonus when watching these videos.

[@jordancabral8573]

IC can also stand for Incident Command. Something utilized by police/fire/ems to handle emergency situations. If you have Incident Command, you are very much in charge.

[@steveallan-l3n]

Feet plural of foot, foot in six inches; Hands is plural of hand, a hand is a measuring unit of four inches - this unit a measure calculating height of a horse etc.

[@steveallan-l3n]

meant to say 12 inches...

[@MarcMcMillin]

thank you for another great solve! 🙂

[@frankfilteau869]

I can't do these puzzles myself but really enjoy watching these videos. It's relaxing. About half the time I get one before Simon does. ......semi spoiler..... At 20 minutes right now and have two, but couldn't justify either, which is incredibly frustrating.

[@grenvillephillips6998]

I fell into the trap of 2 down but the misdirection makes it a great clue.

[@LorisLaboratory]

Surprise mid-video guitar!! 😍

[@francesT5877]

The hobby that you have in the UK is roughly similar to the falcon called the merlin here. Definitely a bird of prey. Though falcons have recently been found to be less closely related to the family of hawks and eagles than previously thought.

[@kolskit]

I learned today that chili and chilli are both acceptable spelling for a hot pepper / a bowl of food seasoned with hot peppers. I've never seen chilli in my life before this.

[@DarklordZagarna]

I believe the double-L spelling is how to spell the name of the mom dog in Bluey.

[@5t757]

Chilli is more commonly the UK spelling and chili the US spelling I believe.

[@mathematicskid]

I only know "chilli" from the Guardian training cryptic crosswords.

[@st3phgr1ce]

In the US we say rev uh lee. Very close to revelry just drop the final r and put the emphasis on rev and descend in tone for each subsequent syllable . 😂

[@limegreenelevator]

Rhymes with heavily.

[@thescrewfly]

I find the easiest way to indicate word stress in a YT comment is to use caps: REV-uh-lee. Although I personally say ruh-VAL-ee

[@emisformaker]

@@limegreenelevator and the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@emisformakeryep that’s my knowledge of the word! 😁

[@filkube8540]

same in Aus. we just had Anzac Day, which in the memorial services always have the Last Post and Reveille bookending a minute's silence.

[@Draedaja]

Other solvers: trying to solve this in record time. Simon: busts out the guitar for a banger "sound of silence" rendition. (also I don't think you need to worry about a copyright strike - as a fellow "Simon" and all :D)

[@nemuchan]

un réveille (ou reveille-matin) in french is litterally an alarm clock

[@jbaidley]

In charge is in Chambers as i/c rather than ic (at least in the latest app)

[@Draedaja]

Oh my god, I got a word before Simon (after he already explained the wordplay and just couldn't think of the solution immediately)

[@bluerizlagirl]

Hands and feet were both ancient units of measurements, equivalent to about 100mm. and 300mm. respectively.

[@falconcoolchris]

In Charge is abbreviated i/c so it will be at the start or end of the "I"s in your dictionary

[@jmilleronaire]

As an American I got 22 down and its meaning immediately. Feet (12 inches, 1 believe roughly 332 Celsius) are a measurement I grew up with, and being aroudn horses I know hands are too - standardized at 4 inches (10.16 cm).

[@johnhantsuk8461]

The abbreviation for 'in charge' is i/c (listed as such in the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors), and interestingly 'account' is 'a/c' (which doesn't really make sense). I'm flabbergasted that Simon didn't get the feet and hands clue straight away. He probably doesn't even know how many chains there are in a furlong.

[@davidsteele8956]

In my Chamber's dictionary app, it's listed. So, maybe Simon needs a newer version?!

[@filkube8540]

i immediately thought of 2IC and HBIC as indicators of IC meaning In Charge :P

[@DarklordZagarna]

@@filkube8540 I thought of OIC (officer-in-charge), as in the military context.

[@iaincook5835]

IC for In Charge (for top boss) is definitely right in a business jargon sense. I still remember my colleague from interstate many years ago talking to a group of us and asking "who's your 2IC?" We all looked at each other in puzzlement and (metaphorically) wet ourselves when he explained "second in charge".

[@phyphor]

2ic is sometimes pronounced "twix"

[@simonburling3762]

I/c is in charge in an English dictionary.

[@richardfarrer5616]

Officer in charge is abbreviated as OIC.

[@graemeesmith]

Funnily enough IC is also common used to mean Individual Contributor (i.e. someone who is not a manager). Confusing!

[@marksmith1721]

Brilliant. Did not even watch it yet

[@markgillespie3971]

In my Chambers, 'in charge' is listed under 'i/c'

[@kevinmartin7760]

"very" is an adverb and needs an adjective to cling to, so "small" fills the part well.

[@heatherallan9767]

"that's so strangely phrased..." simon describes a cryptic crossword clue 🤣

[@haezan]

I love how Simon was confused about IC not being in the dictionary for “in charge” when the exact same thing happened in episode 59 on the 29th March where it realised it was I/C that’s in the dictionary haha

[@kylenorris2836]

I’m late to the game here, but hands and feet are a unit of measurement (I.e. that horse is 17 hands tall, and the fence surrounding the stable is 100 feet long)

[@francesT5877]

I have a terrible habit of doing crosswords late at night and falling asleep and waking up to find the timer at 7:46:39. I’m assuming in this case when I finish the puzzle I should submit off the leaderboard? It would be interesting to create a new subset of neutrinos. Antiquark.

[@jackportz]

Mark originally created Cracking The Cryptic (4) (credit: Independent 11,571 by Quince)

[@jackportz]

Hints below…. Originally created = C ‘Cryptic’ is an anagram indicator

[@iwishexamsneverhappened]

Hmm I want to say tech, but it doesn’t start with c What’s the cracking doing?

[@limegreenelevator]

​@@iwishexamsneverhappenedinsertion indicator?

[@rhj5667]

Glad you liked it! (Quince here)

[@Fortunalux]

That's a lovely clue

[@yannygatto]

I got Roman Numeral almost immediately for the complete wrong reason as I thought "Oman" was the country and worked it out from there via "one of seven letters". Couldn't figure out the rest of the wordplay but knew the answer was right so just took my win where I could get it.

[@sanctionbuster]

'IC' is certainty used all the time to mean the officer in charge of the team in the army.

[@garymacmillan6401]

The 'Hobby' is a bird of prey. Its Latin name is 'Falco Subbuteo', which is where the table top football got its name.

[@richardfarrer5616]

Beat me to it. I'll add that the designer wanted to call the game Hobby but was told that was too generic, which is why he came up with this excellent bilingual wordplay.

[@walterxplinge3867]

Not sure if this is right or not (always issues with pronunciation) but I always pronounce reveille as"re-valley"

[@MoD366]

Dang, for "One of seven" I would have sworn it was referencing the seven dwarfs of Snow White, Dopey being possible if Sectarianism had a typo. Which I didn't check for. But I liked the actual answer to that clue.

[@Sgray-ep7se]

Wallace and Gromit is a must-see

[@BryanLu0]

13:59 I thought that you don't see clue answers in other clues?

[@Scy]

I think hand measurement is sideways, perpendicular to the fingers, not the length of your hand. So if you were to measure several hands you would put them thumb to thumb or pinky to pinky going horizontal, or thumb to pinky going vertical. Hope that made sense.

[@VonBlade]

10:18 I agreed entirely regarding November and Autumn - as a November baby myself - until I thought it through. If we assume 12 months in 4 seasons is 3 months per season, and spring definitely begins in March, it's untenable to suggest November is anything other than an Autumnal month. To use your Sudoku terminology, where is the season in August? It's Summer, but if December is Winter it follows that September, October and November _must_ be Autumn.

[@VonBlade]

Oh my goodness we got some music. How delightful. Thank you.

[@thescrewfly]

Actually got several answers before Simon this time, therefore it is definitely easier than usual! Also, frontispiece and stop-motion are surely not obscure terms.

[@mjhughes]

Simon, please can we have a guitar moment in every Friday video. it was lovely! Love the vids 👍👍

[@longwaytotipperary]

I second that motion!

[@davidrattner9]

Totally wonderful surprise that he broke out the guitar for us!!!

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@davidrattner9 yes! ❤️

[@HeroDarkStorn]

"Some people like to have a birthday" Simon, 2024, out of context

[@jonnevitu4979]

dont usually comment but man I will try to make sudoku only watchers give a chance to crossword vids, they are so good

[@Roblilley999]

Hand is 4 inches, foot is 12 inches

[@nigelm5777]

Meteorological fall ends on the last day of November. The season ends at the solstice in December.

[@jactitation]

We found “in charge” last month: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bp-rhZJvqrF2fasm07s

[@francesT5877]

Also I think they mean hands as in how you measure a horse. A hand is about 4 inches I think? I used to be quite horsey but I haven’t been around them much since I was young.

[@neodemonhawk]

Never fear the ic abbreviation of in charge it is currently in the chambers dictionary. Unfortunately Simon is being let down by the outdated software version that he's using.

[@maxwesterman5613]

I think the abbreviation favoured in Chambers is OIC (officer in charge), so it's part of an abbreviation, if that helps at all...

[@mussoletart8485]

guitar 🥰🥰🥰

[@lucasglanville2880]

commenting for the algorithm

[@cputhrottler3898]

Can someone explain how fire controller is a clue for poker?

[@stevewood8]

As a child I recall that a poker would be used on our open fire to rearrange the coals and allow the ashes to fall through

[@kurohone]

OIC = Officer In Charge

[@timotab]

Hands are 4 inches and is usually used in the measurement of the height of horses. Feet are 12 inches, which is more than twice as long as 4.

[@mooseteeq]

I pronounce it ravioli

[@garybrittain8210]

Watch Disturbed performing Sound of Silence

[@matthewjoyce1849]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to object to the setter rather than to Simon for following the logic, on 21 down. The talon is the single rear claw of a bird of prey's foot which is used for stabbing or tearing, like the dew claw in felines. The front three claws, used for gripping after a successful strike, are called pounces.

[@Raven-Creations]

Feet (12 inches) are more than twice as long as hands (4 inches). It's a perfectly fair clue. Hands are still used for measuring horses, so it's not archaic like a perch or chain. The verb clue was very nice but tricky. Reveille is pronounced ri-valley in the UK armed forces (at least those I've had contact with). Our BB leaders included two people from the Black Watch, one of whom was a pipe major and played the bagpipes for reveille when we were on camp. That's what you call a very rude awakening. I think the other pronunciations are when people try to say it like the French would, even though it's not a French word, but derived from French. I can't believe how long it took you to get poker-faced. The step clue was a nicely themed clue, even if it was easy. Most of the clues were fairly easy. I was misled for a bit by knowing there are seven members of the Royal Family.

[@sebastienlecoq3956]

I love how my first thought to earing that Silence was the opposite of sound was apparently the same as Simon...

[@mikechappell5849]

I guess he sang the sound of silence, but luckily I muted the sound in time when he went for his guitar

[@stevenwilliamson6236]

It's a bit frustrating when I have it and he doesn't. A hand is a measurement of horses and a foot is longer.

[@andrew_hulme]

In the last Sunday Times cryptic crossword I'm sure there were two of those 'hidden' clues.

[@mmmccomb7322]

The Sunday Times doesn't follow the same rules as the weekday puzzle, including the "only one hidden" and the "no one living apart from the monarch" rules.

[@kevinmartin7760]

Maybe KZbin isn't keen on the lack of motion on the screen... Chile: A country in South America Chili: a hot pepper, or a sauce or stew made from them Chilly: cold Chilli: a spelling mistake (Firefox's spell checker agrees with me)

[@gordonglenn2089]

The pepper is also called chile (Espanol). UK spelling is good with CHILLI.

[@parkertan8440]

hasn't this issue of not being able to find the justification for IC happened before in a previous video? 😅

[@DontMockMySmock]

The end of autumn is in December! 😡

[@rowansumner9088]

November end of autumn sounds like global warming to me

[@theosandstrom3945]

The last letter of autumN, in the NATO phonetic alphabet, could be NOVember?

[@MultiNacnud]

You have to be a bit GaGa to get 13D

[@thelobsterperson]

All of those pronunciations of "reveille" are so different from how it is in French

[@emisformaker]

Simon not a Lady Gaga fan confirmed.

[@bobblebardsley]

36:21 So much for there only being seven [redacted]...

[@gordonglenn2089]

US American here. That British spelling of "chili" with 2 Ls really made me uncomfortable. I would have rejected it and ended the word with a Y.

[@andrewshelley410]

How apt that one of your dictionary's definitions of 'S' was the roman numeral for '7'. Nope, me neither.

[@peterbiddlecombe1939]

S for 7 is a “medieval roman numeral”. At some point in the Middle Ages, it seems that practically every letter of the alphabet represented some number in this way. They are described in the Wikipedia article on Roman numerals. In cryptic crosswords, you only need to worry about them in barred grid crosswords that use anything in Chambers. Puzzles like the Times crossword don’t.

[@HydrantRooster]

A bit a' cryptic clue 'n' all tha', alrigh'?

[@rhysbart]

Simon needs to listen to more Lady Gaga