The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: Episode 29

[@timotab]

For those still wondering, the "and-lit" (also "&lit") is short for "and literally so!" ie, the whole clue is the word play, and it's also literally the answer. Simon has explained they are "&lit" clues a few times, but I don't recall him explaining what "&lit" actually means.

[@arthurnegus9852]

Always held Simon in the highest regard for his cryptic crossword and sudoku knowledge but now find out he's a Half Man Half Biscuit fan as well. It doesn't get any better than that.

[@andrewmonteleone4323]

1985 Jul 15 Mo Margaret Thatcher Speech to American Bar Association ("we must try to find ways to starve the terrorist and the hijacker of the oxygen of publicity on which they depend") I learn so much in every one of these crossword videos. Thank you!

[@richardfarrer5616]

Women's Institute: - commonly described as Jam and Jerusalem. Bootstrap originally comes from the story of the boy who fell into a bog, so he reached down, grabbed his own bootstraps, and pulled himself out. Hence a program which runs on a computer to get the computer able to run programs.

[@KeplersDream]

The reason I like 22 down is because "Oh a van" is a perfect reaction to seeing one. (Although we can quibble over the use of 'truck' as a synonym.)

[@bloodspatteredguitar]

For reference, within monasteries you might find: brothers, novices, priests, canons, friars, priors, abbots. Abbreviated titles include: br, rev, rt rev, fr, dom. Abbots also hold a similar rank to bishops and could therefore conceivably be clued as Lords.

[@jarvisa12345]

14:40 ‘E’ from ‘EP’ - ‘Extended Play’ - perhaps.

[@Ruddigore]

Exactly what I was going to say.

[@bryanroland9402]

The Friday crossword solve is my favourite CTC video of the week. Perhaps they have a more limited appeal than the sudoku videos because the clues and solutions can be rather Anglocentric but they're very much appreciated by me at least.

[@BRBTheFireball]

31:06 The F-word in print form sneaks into a CTC video. Well done.

[@93mainer]

"also other things" 🤣🤣

[@sarahlowes1501]

The WI was started in Canada in 1897 and came to the UK in 1915. There are WI's also in South Africa and New Zealand. There has been only one incident of a gentleman (Colonel Stapleton-Cotton and his dog Tinker) who was accepted as fully paid up members of the WI since he was highly influential in the start of the WI in the UK.

[@davidrattner9]

Hour crossword!?!? Great way to ring in September along with new Patreon reward! Continous THANK YOU Simon for your Friday solves.

[@dsfjhkhbk5y7]

watching from Asia and roommate caught me exclaiming "yes it IS Pyongyang Simon! I promise!" Loving these videos as always!!

[@RiseofPerfection]

12:41 I think the best thing about the fridays masterclass (aside from existing in the first place) is Simon's joy and appreciation for clever riddles, though it is STILL just gibberish to me even after watching nearly every cryptic crossword solve.

[@JonathanCorwin]

'(Re)Booting' your computer (or tablet) originally comes from the phrase 'Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps'. The computer has to run a program in order to be able to run a program!

[@amysteele2488]

Nice one! Thank you, exactly what I was going to say

[@archivist17]

A lot of pleasingly elegant clues.

[@dekbrown]

Simon, I’ve been half-finishing the Times cryptic for years. These watch along are brilliant, you are a born presenter and the speed/timing is perfect for while I do the ironing. PS: It isn’t Hibernian Academically.. It’s Hamilton Academicals. But you’re forgiven

[@Revenant77x]

This might be a difference in spelling from British to American but Navajo is spelt with a J here not an H was sure that was an error. Have never seen it spelt with an H.

[@Sarahr98998]

It's 3:37 AM and I'm about to listen to Simon's lovely voice working through this crossword as I (hopefully) fall asleep lol

[@JohnLeeShaw]

Well done Simon! Not only for another masterful solving of what is obviously a very hard Friday crossword, but also for adding songs and impressions for our watching pleasure! (There goes your knighthood!) I really enjoyed this hour with you and very much look forward to next week! I also want to say a huge thanks, as always! This week has been by far my best as a cruciverbalist, and I am very proud to have got Vegetable and Navaho before you (though, not with the added pressure of having to explain my thoughts, and with my computer squealing at me, obviously!) I also thought Diplomat quite quickly for 1A, but couldn't make it work in my head so didn't put it in. I should start writing things in before discarding them I think, then I might have had another answer to boast about. And believe me, from thinking I just wasn't cut out for these things and being on the point of giving up, to actually solving multiple clues in a week, is reason to boast! And it is all thanks to you! Have a great weekend 😀

[@longwaytotipperary]

Very much appreciate Simon explaining everything particularly “&lit”

[@jgreen2015]

With the 'and cake' issue .. I see it as almost like 'and..hey presto!' "And..." Can definitely be used as a lead into the conclusion 'Whisk some eggs, add milk add a pinch of salt and... Pancake batter!'

[@ilancaron5410]

Is the trailing E in 8d YIPPEE perhaps justified by EP=extended play?

[@orosma868]

Excellent crossword, beautifully solved as always. Hope everyone will give it a like. Thank you Simon and mark for keeping this going. xxx

[@Ruddigore]

Another fantastic hour spent watching Simon working his magic on today's Times Cryptic.

[@SnugglesPlays]

Brilliant solve today, as always. Love the longer videos. Please do continue and maybe try some cryptics from other newspapers/magazines as well. 🙂

[@profregan6937]

Yet again a blinder ! Fabulous entertainment and educational too!

[@puritan7473]

I love these Friday masterclasses!

[@longwaytotipperary]

Ditto!

[@paul_harness]

I found this one very hard and this video invaluable for keeping my spirits up! Thank you Simon 👍

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

In the past, I have struggled with supposedly easy puzzles, but this is the first time I sped through a hard one. There is such a thing as wavelength! I can't say why, but I saw how many of the clues worked immediately, getting 17 answers on the first read-through. I did get stuck on Haifa, thinking I was looking for a port in Maine. I finished in my average time, if I were a SNITCH solver I'd come in at 100.

[@trisha2584]

I am solving more clues each week (or at least part of them) thanks to Simon

[@mariusnafe26]

I didn't find the time to watch this on Friday and was looking forward to it all Saturday😊

[@azrobbins01]

I really enjoy these! Please keep making them.

[@longwaytotipperary]

Looking forward to this one with Simon and the other one with Mark! Yay CTC!!

[@Landis963]

6:35 I want to say this clue is "Navaho" (sic), but I've only heard that tribe's name transliterated as "Navajo." (Same pronunciation, just with the Spanish spelling)

[@emilywilliams3237]

I always love this Friday special - thanks so much, Simon.

[@SametHorses]

Wonderful video, keep em coming!

[@MarcMcMillin]

great way to start September 2023! 🙂

[@thedivinemrm5832]

Half Man Half Biscuit getting a shout-out was not on my CTC bingo card. Utterly delighted, nonetheless!

[@mrembeh1848]

Thorax is not also the middle part of “things” like insects, but also the middle part of Simons ;) it’s the chest area of the body

[@theskyisteal8346]

I never would have known that Navaho was an alternate spelling for Navajo

[@yassinelserafy2114]

Im 21 years old why am I watching this and why is this my favorite channel

[@neothepenguin1257]

Feeling sick this week so I got back into watching your videos. Thanks for the content :)

[@plusjeremy]

31:07 "also other things" 🤣

[@michaelmatter1222]

I was slightly confused when Simon was explaining 4D, but then I realized "without" was meaning the opposite of within and not what it usually means which is lacking.

[@d4r4butler74]

Always love the Crossword content!

[@andrewjanssen8663]

I would have gotten tripped up on 22 Down because the more common American spelling of the tribe's name is "Navajo", although the "Navaho" spelling is closer to the actual pronounciation.

[@leehazell7633]

Such an oddly satisfying way to spend Friday lunchtime.

[@twobitera]

Stuff like 7-down is why, even though I'm confident in my ability to parse cryptic clues, I don't think I'll ever attempt the Times (or any other British publication.) The New Yorker has the best cryptic I've found for the States, but the clues tend to be simpler IMO.

[@richardlyons7582]

Keep the croswords coming. my Friday brain teaser time.

[@kevinmartin7760]

I don't understand at all where the 'Break' comes from in 30 across. Simon seemed to go to great lengths to explain where the 'tea' comes from ('leaves, bags packed'), but not the 'break' because with 'this short time off work?' being the definition there is nothing left in the clue.

[@Neophlegm]

8 months late, but it's just a cryptic definition I think. The whole thing functions as the clue. Right?

[@peterdunlop7691]

Wonderful content.

[@peternamey4430]

My favourite of the week. Can we go to everyday?

[@Enkil01]

Love these, and love the fact Simons only slip up on this hard puzzle was when he described the Vegetable clue by saying Swede is a Vegetable, same as saying Tomato, However Tomato's a Fruit!! 😘

[@auximenes]

Thank you for pointing out this distinction. As has been said, “ Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is never including one in the fruit salad”

[@jlang]

A tomato is biologically a fruit (has seeds) but from a culinary perspective, many people would consider a tomato to be a vegetable based on how it's used in cooking

[@brennan985]

5:45, tipping it down outside, short synonym, raining?

[@andymullins7187]

In 30ac I had “bags packed for this” = break. It’s Hamilton Academicals btw. Football fans in one half of Edinburgh will have your guts for garters.

[@chipsounder4633]

Symmetrical puzzle 😁 down the y axis

[@ahouyearno]

Thatcher would have been an awesome definition for Mayhem though

[@ronniebrown]

Might be mentioned elsewhere but it's just Hibernian (aka Hibs). You're thinking of Hamilton Academical (or Hamilton Accies, for short).

[@NathanParmar]

Might also be worth mentioning for those interested that the other Edinburgh club is Hearts, short for Heart of Midlothian, which might be where Simon's confusion about Hibs having a second word in their name has come from.

[@brianvernel2907]

That would Hibs (Hibernian), and Hamilton Academical (Accies)

[@shovalis]

Ooh, could you have a go at the 155 or the 158 we can see in the Snitch?

[@barneytrubble]

The thorax is the middle part of humans, not just insects. Amazingly I got two clues (1 across & 22 down) before Simon got his first answer... but it was all downhill from there

[@bertbergers9171]

romulus and remus! jeej i know something (i hope, will have to watch the rest of the video to see if correct), i have utter respect for linguistic wizards like you who can squeeze these answers out of pure nothingness. Ah and while typing you found me to be wrong allready.

[@no-feetmcgee5577]

For 28a, I think it's meant to be "with a west bit made up of hospital". But I agree that it would've made more sense just to say east, since that doesn't worsen the surface meaning. I was proud of knowing how to spell Pyongyang, but had never seen Navajo spelled with an H instead. Surprised Simon didn't know Navajo, they're one of the largest first peoples nations in the US.

[@charliejoseph6465]

I thought it meant the west letter of Hospital, so H, but since that's already an abbreviation, yeah East of Hospital works much better!

[@hoagy_ytfc]

I definitely went down the wrong path at first when trying to find the word-play for Brownie. I saw the word "cheese", and thought of the thing people say when using a camera - such as a Box Brownie...

[@michaelpdawson]

Simon seemed to be confusing Pyongyang with Phnom Penh.

[@nendwr]

I've never met anyone who claims to have been to both; they're evidently the same place.

[@ConManAU]

I don’t know if E normally stands for Extended on its own, but EP meaning Extended Play for a record is established, at least.

[@ConManAU]

Also, the Australian equivalent of the WI is probably the CWA - the Country Women’s Association - although I think they’re known more for their scones than for jam and they’re a less useful abbreviation for cryptics.

[@Prynde]

Living in a country that drinks the most coffee per person, hearing "Teabreak" really caught me off guard 🤣

[@TheFrogfather1]

Yay I got 7 down a few seconds before Simon!

[@TiagoMorbusSa]

52:45 why does the R in "mar" drop, and what is a "mar"? Maritime?

[@KeplersDream]

It's 'Ma', a synonym for mother. 'Pa' is the father equivalent. Pronounced with the long 'a' sound, so there's no 'r' to drop.

[@TiagoMorbusSa]

I can clearly hear him say "mar" with the R.@@KeplersDream

[@philipjames1599]

Any reference to HMHB is always welcome

[@sebastienlecoq3956]

click play, see one hour... look at the work my boss think i'm doing... Click play anyway.

[@davidfranklin5426]

My problem with 21 Down is not the “and”, it’s the order of the preceding words. {“Have”, [which] “cheese” sandwiches} is slightly unkosher wordplay, to this (American) solver. I’d much sooner clue BROWNIE as something like “Cheese sandwiches have cake (7)”.

[@selenasilverstep7981]

"Magaret Thatcher?? I've never heard of Magaret Thatcher referred to as Meg"

[@maxstunner100]

But tomato is a fruit, Simon! 😂

[@AlonAltman]

It's funny that the few words I knew were the ones Simon had difficulty with: Pyongyang, bootstrapping, and the Navajo tribe. I was born in Haifa and I still didn't get it from the clue.

[@JasonVaysberg]

How do you access the Chambers dictionary in the format he has it?

[@owie34]

I believe it’s from a CD

[@ranajamal3848]

Great solve

[@andymullins7187]

Pleased with my 13 mins in paper - struggled for ages with wordplay for vegetable.

[@philipbrooks402]

Re the Snitch. How on earth does someone solve in nine seconds? I know they are not playing the game but you can't type in the clues that fast even if the answers have already been solved.

[@steveunderwood3683]

Someone interested in the cryptic, who doesn't know Navaho? Weird. :)

[@zealot2147]

Yon Gang is hilarious

[@glum_hippo]

To me it feels like the 'widowhood' clue is one where the wordplay and the definition kind of overlap, rather than that the whole thing is wordplay as well as definition. Dido herself was never widowed. So the definition is 'State of old wife' and 'old wife Dido who's etc' is the wordplay. Does that have a precedent?

[@glum_hippo]

The Pyongyang clue was amazeballs. But it was also pretty juvenile. Made me laugh. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia.

[@glum_hippo]

As for the 'differential' across the pond, us Muricans not knowing the Hibs... every American has heard of the Navajo nation. Navaho(?) is a spelling I hadn't seen before. Nowadays the Navajo are referred to as 'Diné' if I'm not mistaken. Navajo is an outdated term maybe, like Eskimo.

[@theadjectiveform]

Dido was widowed. In the Aeneid, Pygmalion is described, in the first book, as killing Dido's husband Sichaeus. Here is the Dryden translation: Great were her wrongs, her story full of fate; Which I will sum in short. Sichaeus, known For wealth, and brother to the Punic throne, Possess'd fair Dido's bed; and either heart At once was wounded with an equal dart. Her father gave her, yet a spotless maid; Pygmalion then the Tyrian scepter sway'd: One who condemn'd divine and human laws. Then strife ensued, and cursed gold the cause. The monarch, blinded with desire of wealth, With steel invades his brother's life by stealth; Before the sacred altar made him bleed, And long from her conceal'd the cruel deed.

[@glum_hippo]

Thanks for that background! I appreciate it and sorry for any misdirection, Simon.@@theadjectiveform

[@grenvillephillips6998]

WI= Jam & Jerusalem

[@rowansumner9088]

Thanks for explaining the deeply concerning homophone.

[@bruzie900]

AI = A1 (as a main road)?

[@sotek2784]

I got 22 down when Simon first looked at it, my first time getting a cryptic clue more-or-less completely unaided! \o/ (to be fair, I have the advantage of being more aware of the possible answers for that clue...)

[@ann_onn]

Do you wash plates, down the W.I.? Thatcher wanted to starve the IRA of the "oxygen of publicity". You might have been thinking of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

[@Maenamburi1]

Navaho, Eskimo, swing their bodies to and fro, hit me with your rythm stick.

[@markrobinson8237]

Navaho, Arapaho I think

[@michaelpdawson]

Eskimo, Arapaho. No Navajo (as we spell it here) in the song.

[@Maenamburi1]

Fair enough. I blame it on Ian's diction and my appalling memory.

[@GeorgeFrideric71]

'Brother' for 'my' seemed a stretch.

[@darreljones8645]

Maybe it's just my being American, but when I saw "ME" in the 28 Across clue, I thought of the state of Maine. "ME" is Maine's two-letter abbreviation.

[@williambarnes3868]

Teaching Graduate = BeD.

[@garybrittain8210]

FAH then H goes West