The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: Episode 42

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** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
In the 42nd edition of our attempt to solve a Friday Times crossword, Simon takes on today's puzzle which features a brutal crossing entry!
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
www.thetimes.co.uk/puzzleclub...
You can find more information about the SNITCH rating here:
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[@uncluckable6535]

"This would have to mean 'zany skier' and Simon doesn't fit" got me

[@bigdmcc1]

7D is actually incredibly clever if you know enough music theory - "A ... do ... mi/E ... la" is not just the anagram fodder, it's also a description of the notes in the Aeolian mode. The Aeolian mode is made up of the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A in that order. Leave out B, D, F and G and you get "A ... C ... E ... A". Replace C and A with their sol-fa equivalents do and la, and you get "A ... do ... E ... la". Then do the same with E, replace it with mi/E (because they're the same thing), and you get "A ... do ... mi/E ... la" - which is a legitimate, if very contrived, description of the notes of the Aeolian mode, while also giving the anagram fodder to describe the Aeolian mode. Absolute genius, in my opinion.

[@flanmanistehbest]

That is absolutely incredible!

[@nfc153]

I was half expecting to see another clue that just said "7D (5,3)"

[@ohth8047]

I mean, those are also the base solfa notes of every other diatonic mode (and only correct for C-do). Also I don't think 'style' and musical scale are equivalents. Good enough for a crossword but it didn't sit right with me

[@AlonAltman]

I love how Simon explains simple things like single-letter acronyms ("O" standing for round) but not even remark on the fact that "anon" seems to be an archaic word for "soon".

[@Sandra_and_Nala]

I can solve 0% of these, but I do enjoy watching them every week :)

[@azrobbins01]

Same here. Thanks for your great sudoku puzzles, btw. I love doing them!

[@Alex_Meadows]

I've only solved one of them (a particularly easy one) but The Times also does a "Quick Cryptic" every weekday, which is sort of the GAS equivalent for crosswording and much more approachable than the main crossword. If anyone's interested, you can sign up to the puzzle section for £5 a month, which is a lot cheaper than a subscription to the whole newspaper.

[@sebastienlecoq3956]

I can solve one or two words every week, with a little nudge from Simon.

[@mariusnafe26]

Same. I've solved one in the whole series before Simon explained anything about it. Other than that I'm completely lost and amazed by his solving

[@davidcrisp5805]

Ammon with two m's is an old spelling, it's generally been Amon or Amun (as in Tutankhamun) for at least a century now. Surprised even an old Chambers only has the double m version.

[@damienknapman2308]

For 3d, "Lost" isn't being clued by "gone missing", just by "missing", since the "gone" part is being used for the "i" removal instruction.

[@arty9935]

Simon, I'm fairly certain that you told us in a crossword solve of a few years ago that US was shorthand for unserviceable. Great solve today, please keep up the good work.

[@coffee_cup]

Yes, that definition is in Chambers too

[@Antagony1960]

It's usually given in dictionaries as U/S, hence why he didn't spot it in Chambers.

[@marklee343]

Dear algorithm, I enjoy these crossword videos.

[@bobblebardsley]

If you need a source for U/S to mean "no longer working", it's used by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) to mean 'unserviceable' with reference to aircraft. If you google it there's an entry in the Collins Dictionary that specifies the abbreviation.

[@GavinWilsonsPage]

My dad (national service in the air force in the 60s) used this all the time, anything broken in our house was always us....

[@drwalton4310]

In the RAF we used U/S FOR Un-Serviceable

[@Teverell]

@@drwalton4310 In the British Army, too. I've had to write equipment off as being 'U/S no longer OEM supported' (because it was ancient and we couldn't get the parts to fix it!).

[@devonm8578]

Ah excellent. I guessed under service from the more common “out of service” we use in the US(a). Cheers for the source!

[@biaberg3448]

Holm/e is a tiny island in the Scandinavian languages. And Stockholm is build on many small islands.

[@darreljones8645]

No doubt its English-word status is a relic of Danish rule in medieval England.

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

@@darreljones8645 - Not so - holm was was in proto-Germanic as holmaz, and got carried into Old Saxon and hence into Old English.

[@francesT5877]

My game has been improved immensely. Thanks very much.

[@Juanchodh]

As you were solving, I thought that “madrileño”, with the spanish “ñ”, would fit perfectly in the answer. Imagine my surprise when that was indeed the answer, which, for me, is a testament of how hard these crosswords are, and how your deduction powers still baffle me to this day. Thank you for doing this.

[@eyvithorgeirsson6028]

I’m not even a native Spanish speaker and I laughed out loud at Simon’s pronounciation of Madrileño

[@fregus.]

I love seeing it's friday and going "ooh, new cryptic crossword video today!" this videos are really enjoyable to me! Sorry that youtube doesn't seem to agree yet.

[@arataya8706]

These videos are always so interesting!

[@Blithedale]

The algorithm might not love these videos but I look forward to them every week. As an American cryptic crosswords were always an intimidating mystery. Now I fumble through one daily. AARP has one daily obviously sourced from someplace in the UK given the occasional spelling or clueing tell. Great fun! Thank you, Simon!

[@LorisLaboratory]

I will never be able to do a single clue of these but it's always a pleasure watching you solve them! :)

[@Prazzie]

I'm sure that you could, especially if you start with some easier ones. I saw a nice and easy clue earlier this week: "Selfishly keep pig (3)". 😅

[@michaelpdawson]

Amilcare Ponchielli was an opera composer, and I guarantee you have heard his music. Look up "Dance of the Hours."

[@jacksonvance7219]

I am slowly starting to understand these, and I solved 4 of the clues on my own! Definitely more difficult being an 18 year old in the US, because so many of the words/definitions are unfamiliar to me. Love the videos!

[@mikechappell5849]

Amun, Amon and Ammon are all possible spellings of the same Egyptian god

[@Draedaja]

Respect the cryptic crosswords! Comment for the algorithm gods.

[@dumediat_]

These videos are always great fun for me to watch, please keep them coming! I recently started solving cryptic crosswords because of these videos, and have crossed the threshold where I solved about half of the clues of this week's daily cryptics in the Guardian (very similar to my trajectory of solving variant sudoku because of this channel). Thank you for the education and entertainment!

[@azrobbins01]

Love these! Thanks for continuing the series!

[@Emmibean77]

I look forward to these videos every single week! They are immensely enjoyable, and incredibly fascinating. Well solved, Simon!

[@jamesmoriarty6782]

Great solve. I always enjoy the Friday masterclass. Thank you Simon.

[@JohnLeeShaw]

As always, Simon, thanks for another wonderfully instructive masterclass. And well done for getting the better of the setter once again. It's interesting that you mention that these have been going for almost a year now, as word does certainly seem to be traveling at last. I used to be something like the 20-something like, and now I'm the 290th. That naughty KZbin algorithm is certainly getting an education from us Cracking The Cryptic Cruciverbalists! As far as 9a goes, I've often heard 'U. S.' used for useless ('... is absolutely U. S.') back home in the north-west of England. Hence, I did actually get that very quickly from the wordplay, along with 21d. That is happening more and more with me, thanks to your guidance. I think that your advice to build a bank of short synonyms is the golden piece of advice, and interestingly in all the books I have read on cryptic crosswords, it does seem to be absent in all of them. Maybe you should write one, I'd certainly buy it! Wishing you and all here a great weekend! ☺

[@adrever1986]

Superb as ever!

[@thedrunkenelf]

I want to get really good at cryptic crosswords just to show off to people honestly

[@waynethomas7406]

Have been waiting for this and always enjoy the way the clues are read. Even more enjoyable to watch you tie yourself in knots when you have already solved a clue, klosters being a great example today. Thanks again

[@davidperkins3621]

Steep Holm and Flat Holm, two islands off the Southern coast of Wales and in tree Bristol Channel.

[@Svetsdead]

I got 1 and 19 across before Simon :O Thank you for these videos, always an entertaining watch!

[@debrabowen4276]

I love watching Simon solve these puzzles!

[@grenvillephillips6998]

Definitely a treat of the week.

[@OskarMarszalek]

Thanks for the video!

[@arthurcharest9061]

Thanks Simon, these crosswords are my favorite!

[@LaytonBehelit]

Actually got 1, 5, 19 before Simon, I'm proud of myself

[@rockhopper_penguin]

Another excellent solve. Thank you Simon. This was very entertaining

[@emilywilliams3237]

I do like these, and I'm getting more certain that I can recognize the code - sometimes, at least! Thanks for doing them, Simon.

[@MarcMcMillin]

Great way to start December! Thanks Simon 🙂

[@louisesuth8141]

another fine friday chill, with this and tea!

[@bobblebardsley]

39:35 I loved their song 'Kayleigh' 😜

[@michaelpdawson]

Just what I was thinking!

[@stevewood8]

I noticed that Simon got a mention on the Times for The Times blog for this puzzle today, so maybe he'll get a few more views and help the KZbin algorithm. Hope so, cos I wouldn't want this series to stop - really enjoy them.

[@Sebablolsssssssss]

love these!

[@martinwilson5210]

Really enjoyed that solve, thank you

[@richardfarrer5616]

"Holm" is an island generally. In the Severn estuary there are Flat Holm and Steep Holm for example.

[@Anne_Mahoney]

I love the Friday crossword videos!😺

[@amysteele2488]

Back in the 1970s and 80s one of my uncles would use the phrase 'US' (with the two letters pronounced individually) to mean 'useless'. I think it was fairly current slang at the time. His name was Stan, hence his 'initials' from his nieces point of view were 'US'.

[@21deezer]

I don't do cryptic crosswords as would get frustrated with not being able to do them but I really look forward to Fridays and watching Simon's solving and explaining. I do sometimes get the answers before him (not very often though) lol roll on next friday

[@heatherallan9767]

loved the revisit of the mitchell poem

[@falconcoolchris]

U/S used to be military abbreviation for unserviceable but we changed it in WWII when we needed help from the US. Amon can be spelt a million different ways as with most transliterations but especially if they come from hieroglyphs

[@clara931]

I almos forgot today was a friday. I suppose the crazy week of non-stop snow shoveling and non stop work has finally fried my brain

[@jgreen2015]

Madrileño Mad (insane) Rile (anger) No. (No) One to close Spanish capital - definition. Eg a citizen of Madrid Gives o at the end for amorphous.

[@paul_harness]

A great help. I try to do this within the video these days and then watch through after. Good that Simon struggled on some similar clues to me eg Madrileno but generally he wizzes through many i found just as hard 😂 A great help to my crossword skill development, thank you!

[@gokufirespit8418]

This has been going on already for a while, but I adore the Professor Plum art meant to represent Simon in the thumbnails! Let’s get Mark some character art too, maybe he could be Mr. Green, or if he doesn’t take offense to this suggestion, perhaps Professor Farnsworth from Futurama!

[@B1GB1RDB4G3L]

Love the videos Simon :)

[@vanessaosborne3175]

Timed it perfectly

[@drullen5096]

A thousand small homes: the thousand small cots in stockholm. Over island capital: Stockholm is built on several islands. Stockholm: the holm(holme) with lumber (stock) around it. That is the old main part of 14th century Stockholm. A isle/holm with paĺlisades around it.

[@philipbrooks402]

9 across us =unserviceable

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

I was surprised that Simon hadn't heard of a Very light and didn't know U/S for unservicable - both are very common in UK cryptics. On the other hand, holm is a word that only scholars of Old and Middle English are likely to know. I can understand his problems with Madrileno and amorphous, as those were my last two as well. For the hiddens, only one forward hidden is allowed, but you can also have one that is backwards in the same puzzle.

[@archivist17]

U/S is an abbreviation meaning 'Unservicable', as any technician would tell you! 🙂

[@mathhits]

These videos have been cemented into my Saturday cleaning routine. Unfortunately, it slows me down some, as I have to jot down interesting indicators and synonyms every 5 minutes! That said, please do continue on your quest to bring cryptics to the masses - I love these solves!

[@Math.Bandit]

Love the series and learn a lot about cryptics from it, to the point I am starting to be able to do fairly easy ones now (like the New Yorker). One question I have though is when Simon looks up an answer to something he's not 100% sure of (like FLARE here) and says he won't change it even if its wrong. While I obviously trust that he's not trying to cheat, I do wonder what he would do if it turned out to be wrong and then he later solved a crossing clue which forced it to be wrong anyways. Feels like it would be safer to only look up after you have all the crossing words, since otherwise you might have been able to figure out it was wrong later in the puzzle.

[@nemuchan]

with S O and O and capital i was yelling Stockholm at you Simon ^_^

[@benphelan88]

“Very light” is a flare. Genesis fans are familiar with Vari-Lites, the technology used to create their incredible light shows.

[@michaelpdawson]

I was thinking that, too: I've never heard of very lights, but I've heard of Vari-Lites!

[@walterxplinge3867]

US can be unservicable

[@mikelooker3649]

or useless commonly put on broken machinery in factories

[@TheMajorr86]

There is an American football player with the first name Amon-Ra which is how I clued in that it was one M, so it must be an acceptable spelling of the name. I'm curious to see how widespread and used each acceptable variation spelling is.

[@finbarrhayes5878]

Yeah, Amon Ra St Brown, he plays for the Detroit Lions.

[@Prazzie]

Regarding the frequency of hidden clues, in his book, 'The Times How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords', Tim Moorey wrote the following: "Because they are considered to be the easiest type, there may be no hidden clue in any one daily puzzle and rarely more than two or three. I refer to 15 by 15 square puzzles; there may well be proportionately more in jumbo-style puzzles."

[@ashmeadowphoenix]

Lovely video as always. Amun/Amon/Amen has a variety of different spellings but usually without the second "n"

[@markcroxteth2108]

Super

[@markgillespie3971]

Aeolian Mode is another name for the Natural Minor scale, derived from the 6th step of the Major scale. Slightly dodgy clue I think as to play in a minor mode is not a 'style', it's a tonality.

[@barneytrubble]

James Bond is told to use his "Very Pistol" in one of the early films (maybe Thunderball??)

[@falconcoolchris]

Biggles was constantly using Very pistols

[@wossaaaat]

Let's gooooooo

[@ericpfannes3022]

For 11 across, if you look at the first letters of the first 5 words A Small Cravat Or Tie you find your answer ascot!

[@richardlyons7582]

Nice and early today.

[@no-feetmcgee5577]

"If you're firmer, you might indulge in higher powers" -Fermat, to Pythagoras (sorry, very niche math joke, couldn't resist)

[@ranajamal3848]

❤

[@bluerizlagirl]

5D: Insane -> Mad. To anger -> Rile. Number -> No = Madrileño, a native of Madrid, which would certainly be "one close to Spanish government". 9A: No longer working -> U/S -> unserviceable. I've encountered it in repair reports .....

[@colinstuartsmith]

we used the abbrevation US in the army to apply to anything UnServiceable

[@user-gj5gj4gf4c]

Love these videos, thanks for the walk through. How did 'chinchilla (a rodent) perhaps when' become 'catas'?

[@kevinmartin7760]

24 across is almost an &lit, since Piece of whatizname is both the definition and part of the wordplay. Actually if his works were becoming more popular lately, it would be a full &lit clue

[@CrusherUK2013]

US is what engineers use for Un Serviceable.

[@LednacekZ]

illumination makes me think Minions

[@da1e11oyd]

us is often used to mean unserviceable relating to machinery and the like.

[@c898dba]

No longer working = US = unserviceable :-)

[@Karboluk]

As you like comments, here's one especially for Simon: "Old Korean Pro by his home cafe- a real stunner! (9)"

[@glum_hippo]

It's interesting how there can only be one 'hidden', but an unlimited number (presumably) of things like just taking the odd or even letters from a string such as 'nomad seeks' - I wonder what the moral/ethical/philosophical/mechanical difference is.

[@michaelpdawson]

The New Yorker Cryptic Crossword, for one, does not follow this convention. Today's puzzle included two hiddens. One was "Distorted judgment is part of rehab, I assume (4)", and the other was "New York school tucked into dish of strawberries (7)."

[@sandmehlig]

Morpho... does having watched 'Silence of the Lambs' count as classical education? 😅

[@al129]

The "us" part of 9 across the un-serviceable which fits with the no longer working.... Simon has failed to pick up on the use of us previously.

[@fussyboy2000]

Are regular letter clues also restricted to one per puzzle? Also u/s is an abbreviation for Unserviceable.

[@nickr3115]

Is it me or is the image of this video blurred? I have some difficulty reading the clues. Still enjoyable of course but wondering if picture could be clearer.

[@LednacekZ]

chinchilla is a cat?

[@jonathancowles8488]

It's a rodent

[@mikelittle5839]

as always simon entertains us, oh us is useless/no good anymore.

[@robertberwick3856]

As many have mentioned U/S is an abbreviation for unserviceable, synonymous with useless but not a driect replacement I don't think.

[@sebastienlecoq3956]

Isn't 24A both an andlit and an hidden ?

[@chrismeekings]

US is shortened for unserviceable

[@stevenewcombe1487]

Us is military slang for unserviceable

[@stuartharris2165]

us maybe means unservicable

[@glynjones2893]

Hi Simon I know the abbreviation U/S to mean unserviceable !

[@PeterMoore66]

12D I don't get why "chinchilla, perhaps" is "cat". A chinchilla is a rodent, and so definitely not a cat!

[@michaelpdawson]

That's tricky: chinchilla is also the name of a breed of Persian cat.

[@PeterMoore66]

@michaelpdawson ah, thank you. That didn't come up when I Googled it. That's the thing that frustrates me most with cryptic crosswords - I often understand the wordplay and can see how the clue must work, but some of the constituent parts are just so obtuse, or eclectic.

[@timebandit7519]

US maybe unserviceable ie not working

[@richardj3880]

Equipment gets tagged out of service with "US" for UnServiceable

[@Teverell]

A week after you did this one but... No longer working = unserviceable, abbreviated U/S... Pretty sure I'm going to come back to edit this comment if I spot any more I can solve/explain.