The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: 26 July 2024

[@dibbydoda]

Love that Simon recognised the latest fad as brat. He's definitely ready for when the times do their next modern lingo cryptics!

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@dibbydoda I just recently heard that term.

[@andymoss]

A definite litmus test of one being old is coming across a latest language fad and asking “what the bloody hell does that mean?!” followed by “that’s bloody stupid”.

[@darreljones8645]

@@andymoss One being old and British, at least... us Americans don't use "bloody" as an intensifier.

[@marksmith1721]

Simon’s weekly Abbreviations explanation are the equivalent of his daily secret on Sudoku. Every video it comes up. Yes - it is worth repeating!

[@henrymarkson3758]

"Simon, you never told me THE SECRET" "You are not one of my favourite people", said Simon "Why is this?", I enquired "Because you use abbreviations that are not supported by the dictionary"

[@ventsiR]

If I were introducing someone to Cryptic Crosswords, this is an absolute go-to video. Amazing job of covering all the base concepts and mechanics of the game near the start, paired with a well-crafted set of clues that make for interesting wordplay!

[@Emmibean77]

All week I look forward to sitting down with my morning tea and watching the masterclass. It’s fascinating, entertaining, and I always learn something new. Thank you for sharing these, and explaining so thoroughly how you approach and break each clue down!

[@longwaytotipperary]

@Emmibean so very well said! Totally agree!! ❤

[@davidrattner9]

Absolutely perfectly written from you!!!

[@bobblebardsley]

33:54 I love that an alternative definition of flute is "to make fluty sounds".

[@PeterMoore66]

c/o and c/f for carried over and carried forward are definitely valid abbreviations in accounting circles.

[@Anne_Mahoney]

I would have thought so, and was therefore surprised that the former investment banker didn't immediately think of that. A strange and rare miss for Simon.

[@Torenhire]

Commanding Officer (CO) carried over a (Carried over meaning copy/repeat the CO again, over top of the letter a) - Cocoa. That's how I interpreted that clue! Interesting that the first letter of each clue word also spells out the answer. Clever!

[@Anne_Mahoney]

I got the "repeat" = "carry over" but hadn't noticed the acronym!

[@Revenant77x]

For the algorithm I shall comment on this lovely video. I do look forward to these every Friday.

[@xenoalvis7866]

this is my first time watching a cryptic crossword video, but thanks to Simon's explanations I was able to keep up with him (although some of these I would never have guessed lol). Great video :)

[@davidrattner9]

Always cherish you solving these for us Simon. Brings such a joy to my Fridays. Never enough thank yous!!

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@davidrattner9 always ❤️your replies!

[@ryang4335]

I look forward to these every Friday! Always learn something and am constantly amazed at your knowledge of vocabulary!! Great fun!

[@annastevenson27]

My fav YT video of the week. I try the puzzle in the morning and then wait to get home after work on a Friday to see what I couldn't get. I say "aah" quite often.

[@stevehickman8441]

A highlight of the KZbin week. I usually manage about 80% of the Friday puzzle within an hour or two, then settle down to listen to Simon's analysis. What a clear, intelligent, entertaining and humorous communicator. It's gratifying when his thought process was similar to mine, instructive when he solves the ones I couldn't get and thrilling (but rare) when he takes quite a long time to solve one I got straight away! It's lucky Simon only does this on a Friday otherwise I'd never get any work done!

[@creaghant]

Fantastic solve Simon, and your quick cryptic was nothing less than astonishing - don't give yourself a hard time !!

[@philipbrooks402]

Thank you once again. Three minute thirteen seconds for the quickie, I would be lucky to do it in three hours thirteen minutes!

[@Anne_Mahoney]

My Friday evening routine: cook dinner, sip some wine, watch the crossword master class. Sure, I could watch it earlier (it comes out in the morning here in Boston), but I love winding down the week this way! Keep 'em coming, Simon and Mark -- many thanks. 😺💚

[@A_CC_K]

Brilliant video, I always love watching these videos, one day I will be brave enough to try a cryptic crossword.

[@geoffreyclark9909]

Great solve that. Hard puzzle, well done simon

[@tomaltmann9483]

I used to do the Sat cryptic crossword out of the Toronto Globe and Mail religiously for years, and I'm delighted that I can even see things Simon hasn't yet, something that is very rare for me when watching his Sudoku vids. Great video! 👽🖖🏻

[@Faith276]

My friend and I have recently started doing cryptic crosswords- easier ones than these, but CTC has been such an inspiration and I’ve picked up so many tips! I never thought I could solve one when I first found out about them but now I’ve gotten so many clues on my own and I’m so proud of that. Thank you for making these videos :)

[@jackspinner947]

As it is my hometown, so glad to see Ipswich mentioned! And we have many rum old bois in Sleepy Suffolk!

[@nsrikand1]

Excellently explained, Simon.

[@mjkluck]

Yahoo! Times Cryptic Friday!

[@VonBlade]

39:50 And after all these years I finally connect why bowlers "shy at the stumps". Learn something new every day.

[@danjones9224]

What a great video. Perfect for anyone looking to learn!

[@louisesuth8141]

as ever, enjoyed Fridays solve, but especially what was my dad's favourite joke: Artie Chokes

[@debrabowen4276]

Love these cryptic crossword videos!!!

[@HalcyonAcorn]

I’m so glad Simon went to the same punchline I did with artichokes 😂 the joke doesn’t pop up as often as it should!

[@MarcMcMillin]

Thanks Simon! this was great again 🙂

[@grenvillephillips6998]

Love these, so thanks again!

[@Neopolis3]

Always glad to see these videos. And the mental image of a bishop in a Rolls Royce is quite funny to me...

[@waynethomas7406]

Mark is in the Olympics and gullible is not included in the dictionary. As always, great fun, you definitely did your duty. 🙏

[@Ruddigore]

Another great video.

[@jeffwhite9987]

I always like a video if I see the one thing Simon doesn't. CO🤣 he was hovering right over it. I feel temporarily superior and then Simon speaks again and I go back to my corner to listen with awe.

[@bristolrovers27]

Enjoy these every friday

[@BryanLu0]

49:25 underneath in agonist, it says a competitor in public games, I'm guessing that conflict = competition

[@johnciolfi5085]

Man, that puzzle roughed me up, both in the NE and SW corners - took over 15 minutes and I still whiffed on 6-Across (never heard that definition for flute, nor the word crim). Redeemed myself a bit with the 2:07 on the quick, though. It’s wild that you picked up goshawk and Ismaili so quickly - great stuff, as always. And now I could go for some penne carbonara…

[@jamesmurdoch8313]

I thank my mother for knowing the “crimp” clue. To “flute” the edges of a pie crust when baking is to crimp

[@dk0932]

I feel like the word son and its abbreviation is the equivalent to the sudoku secret, as it's very helpful and reoccuring once a while :D

[@Astervista]

Carried over is abbreviated to c/o when referring to tables in books or accounting that are carried over to and from another page for space reasons. Maybe chambers doesn’t have it, maybe it’s under c/o with the slash

[@auximenes]

I checked on my Chambers phone app, and c/o is defined as “care of”. No mention of the accounting term.

[@andreaisntavailable]

Me, an Italian, when I don't know all 11 meanings of boss: :( Me, again an Italian, when I can instantly anagram carbonara: :)

[@mikechappell5849]

agon does mean 'contest' in ancient Greek; because this often referred to the contests at festivals such as the Olympics, it could also be used just to mean a festival. In 18d I don't think glosses = 'explains away' is 'glosses over' as Simon suggested - to gloss a difficult word in a text is to explain its meaning

[@scarletmanuka6170]

I was very surprised it took Simon so long to divide 7 down as "doctrine / briefly troubles" rather than "doctrine briefly / troubles". Of course, it's the only thing I saw ahead of him :)

[@p16r]

Simon please we need more of the Sign of the Times cryptic from last month.

[@korenchkin]

Grog contains one or more of the following: kerosene, propylene glycol, sulphuric acid, artificial sweeteners, red dye no2, rum, acetone, battery acid, scumm, axle grease, and/or pepperoni. On a more serious note, traditionally, it's rum diluted with water. Often, one also adds sugar and/or lime juice.

[@artyonehundred]

Just be thankful it's just Maverick, we have Eurofighters and Apache Attack helicopters having simulated combat overhead sometimes! Eurofighters are extremely loud when they are only two or three hundred feet above you!

[@gjzgodd]

"I'm sure you can think of a 3 letter word ending in T meaning scoff" -I can! TUT .. "I hope you're thinking of EAT" -Oh... :3

[@falconcoolchris]

C/O is carried over in accounting

[@Jrakula10]

Cocoa, could carried over mean repeat? As in repeat the commanding officer giving COCO then add in the A?

[@dibbydoda]

This was my interpretation too.

[@emoore06905]

I'm inclined to believe that Maverick is intentionally buzzing your house to be in the video :)

[@nfc153]

Yes - interlocking 'R's are the company logo. "The angel" was not.

[@Nothitman]

I hope Mark was okay in Paris with everything that is happening there at the moment!

[@jakstrike1]

See "fluted bezel" on a lot of watches.

[@bobblebardsley]

11 Across, I wonder if it's thinking of games (especially computer games) where you might say you have "three lives" or "three goes". That's the example that comes to mind for me if I try to equate 'life' with 'go'.

[@warrenbrodsky7409]

"Ism" is in fact a word in Chambers and not an abbreviation, used very frequently in American crosswords

[@peterowe1345]

Gnarl - ‘boss’ as in when something is embossed.

[@VTEC_12345]

But thanks for your amazing crossword solves

[@cypher686]

Mark is in the Olympics?!?

[@archivist17]

Disappointed to find they didn’t wrap in mention of the Spirit of Ecstasy with the Rolls Royce

[@transrightsrodneymckay]

I'm a big fan of Simon knowing about drug abbreviations from playing crosswords rather than going out and partying 😂

[@anomalousresult]

Commenting for the al gore ithm. I've found the guardian quick crytpics approachable as they restrict the crytpic tricks and let you know which ones are being used, still lack "the bank of short synonyms" but having fun nonetheless.

[@n8style]

Simon solves and types answers in faster than I could just type them in "Shocking, appalling" Me: 😐

[@VTEC_12345]

It no longer bears repetition :0)

[@profregan6937]

28 across-regent royal type ?

[@4our241]

Sorry if this is stupud but why at the end is the "S" in "nasal" and "glosses" marked in red, does that mean its the incorrect solution, this is my first time doing a cryptic and im just convfused

[@SirBradiator]

If Mark is off to the Olympics hope he's not on the Eurostar.

[@MichaelPaine]

surely 6 down is just the first letters

[@supportsquid]

Seems fairly obvious that the times of 1:30 for the quick crossword are cheated. They must be solving them in a private window and then copying the answers over as quickly as possible.

[@rbettsx]

Lost my voice shouting at this one, especially at 48:40😊

[@26acorn34]

I know that Charli xcx really has broken into the mainstream when Simon of all people is talking about brat 😮 hope you’re enjoying your brat summer, Simon!

[@LiquidElectron]

I will never understand the typists or their obsession with ruining a leaderboard.

[@hauntedmasc]

oh Simon, you *must* try rum if you drink, it's delightful.

[@greekgodedess]

Is Simon a secret Charli XCX stan?? 🤔

[@eclectichoosier5474]

Why do people pronounce "Regina" to rhyme with a body part? According to all the Latin courses I've perused, the G is always hard, (as in "good," and never as in "gem,") and the I is pronounced like the I in either "machine" (long) or "sit" (short.) Thus: Reg - ee - nah

[@BryanLu0]

It's because English doesn't do that, so some people will pronounce it using English pronunciation rules

[@eclectichoosier5474]

@BryanLu0 in English, it seems that every rule has more exceptions than applications.

[@AngoDecay]

First

[@PostMarkCryptic]

Ref: AGON. Greek contests included competitions in music/writing. Akin to an Eisteddfod?