The Times Crossword Masterclass: 6 December 2024

** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
In the latest edition of our attempts to solve a Friday Times crossword, Simon tackles today's puzzle - some awesome clues in a tricky puzzle - and it'll probably make you laugh at some of Simon's reactions.
(If you do enjoy these crossword videos, please do try and leave a "like" or "subscribe"; we would really appreciate it and hopefully other people who get recommended the video will come to love these puzzles as much as we all do.)
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
www.thetimes.c...
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[@ServantOfSatania]

As a Czech I am required by my culture to be mad at Czech republic being called Eastern European but also excited at it being mentioned, grrryay!

[@Antinomiste]

What about it being called Czechoslovakia? 😅

[@timrutherford-johnson7003]

A rat could be a singer, a sinner and a sinker (fleeing a ship); the editor's indecisiveness arises because the error could point to any one of the three. Great clue.

[@robertwhittaker6332]

Kaiserschmarrn is the name of the pancakes and apple you were thinking of. Literally a “king’s mess” - or more colloquially “a king’s trivia, a kings nothing”. Delicious dessert!!

[@constanzeschmitz5555]

Kaiserschmarrn is Austrian, in Bavaria I would guess he had "Apfelküchle" (little apple cake_ Can look like a small pancake enveloping a slice of apple, or almost like a Doughnut

[@robertwhittaker6332]

@ looking a your surname I suspect you know more about this than me:-) i had my dessert in the Austrian mountain huts where it was pancakes, currants, etc with apple purée. Thank you.

[@markhawthorn7438]

So funny how often Simon, whilst hammering home that we should be ready to split up phrases that might seem to go together, then gets fixated on a phrase like 'championship spectacle' and is not able to break it up into 'championship' which goes with 'crossword' in the WP and 'spectacle' which is the dictionary def of light show! Lovely to watch, as always, Simon.

[@esti369]

In a world of increasing uncertainty, I can always rely on the Friday crossword video. Thank you Simon. 😊

[@walterxplinge3867]

Flies in a theatre are where the scenery goes when it is lifted up. quick way of changing sets without having to carry it all on from the wings

[@Kradlum]

Came to say the same. I was a flier at the Bloomsbury theatre for a few performances.

[@jarvisa12345]

42:37 Did you stop watching the video or did you comment before Simon looked it up in the dictionary?

[@Kradlum]

@@jarvisa12345 I commented before he looked it up. I thought he was just going to go with BUTTERFLIES at that point. I should know Simon never commits his answer until he has figured out the word play :)

[@walterxplinge3867]

@@jarvisa12345 At the time of watching, which was about 1 minute after it was posted. Certainly well before the dictionary was referenced.

[@LutzSchroeer]

It's fun to see how much fun Simon has solving the puzzle.

[@annesorensen4004]

3:52 My very first word guessed 🎉🎉 I have been watching the videos for years, but this I my first clue guessed 😂 I

[@benphelan88]

Petition for Santa to bring Simon an updated Chambers for Christmas🎄

[@peterbiddlecombe1939]

There are several editions of Chambers more recent than the one used by Simon in these videos. But the one he uses was behind an old CD-Rom app which can still be used on Windows PCs if you bought it. Later electronic versions are iPad or similar apps.

[@danielharmon1204]

I can't get enough of these videos. I've watched I think every single video on this channel, and these have always remained incredibly high quality. I'm still not very good at solving cryptic crosswords on my own, but I'm getting better every time I try!

[@Cunningprof]

Banger of a puzzle and video, cheers. Got a few in before you this week - brain getting bigger

[@johnciolfi5085]

One of the tough parts about speed solving cryptics is that you sometimes don’t get to really appreciate the substance of a clue, so it is nice watching these videos and re-reading them on the surface - the clues for hangman and addressee are so much more clever than I’d initially realized (I did have a “wow” moment for both appointment and intestate while solving - tremendous clues).

[@nickr3115]

Well done Simon, another very enjoyable cracking the cryptic!

[@Emmibean77]

Some really great clues in this one! I did giggle when you got to the word “hangman” and then moved on before writing it in. Well solved and well explained as always. These videos are truly a treat!

[@girlfromthedwarf]

Treacherous had me laughing out loud. Brilliant as always. Best part of my Friday!

[@craftsmanwoodturner]

Yes, that "penny dropping" moment when I realised it was Lee Child being referenced was amazing. The setter even put it at the beginning of the clue to hide the capital C.

[@creaghant]

Fantastic solve Simon - some really fantastic clues this week. This is my favourite video of the week, please keep them coming 👍

[@debrabowen4276]

I adore cryptic crossword videos! Keep them coming, YT algorithm!!!

[@richardfarrer5616]

Because gutta-percha is so stiff, it can break when hit hard. There were rules in golf specifying that, if a guttie broke, a new ball could be dropped without penalty at the spot where the largest fragment landed.

[@phyphor]

A friend from the Czech Republic (Czechia), perhaps, as there hasn't been a Czechoslovakia since 1993!

[@kevinmartin7760]

It was interesting how Simon could only rattle off parts of the theatre on the audience (house) side, and not backstage: wings, flies, etc.

[@davidrattner9]

The best way to start the weekend!! 5 away from the Big 100!!! Continuous thank you Simon and Mark for these every Friday!!

[@Cunningprof]

Century party at Simon's

[@mrscraftalot]

What a great puzzle.

[@clivebrenchley5319]

Some lovely clues and a very enjoyable solve. Thanks, as always!

[@Zihuatanejo-]

40:51 "...described as fragrant" - like Lady Archer ?! lol

[@whirledpeas5717]

I'm sick today and it's comforting to watch this. Maybe I'll understand clues more easily in my haze. 😊

[@davidrattner9]

Feel better.

[@MicrobeStudent]

Absolutely love these videos! thank you, Simon

[@lolman123121]

I look forward to this upload every friday!!! Really hope these videos get more popular

[@juliannicholls]

Flies in the theatre are where all the ropes holding the scenery are. Presumably, by the end, you've discovered that.

[@Rob-ew9id]

Baffled by Simon's insistence that butterflies wouldn't be the answer despite it fitting everything. I'd never heard of flies in a theatre either, but it was obviously the right answer.

[@stevehickman8441]

Fantastic solve as always, brilliantly explained for solvers at all levels of experience. A real KZbin highlight. 'Goer' I thought of as 'fast' as in a person of loose morals, not a motor car. And 'rat' I thought of as singer as in the Rat Pack, not a grass. I struggled with a lot you got straight away but redeemed myself by getting 'checkmate' quickly and the Lee Child reference.

[@jonathansavage8221]

Thanks Simon. I'm really enjoying your videos and I'm slowly getting better. My grandparents loved cryptic crosswords and I'm getting the bug too!

[@nsrikand1]

Excellent, Simon. Pl keep e!

[@mycroft64089]

Thank You Simon.

[@Anne_Mahoney]

I do love the crossword videos! 😺💙

[@stevewood8]

Entertaining as ever - I really enjoy these videos and learn too along the way. Having seen the trick a few times now, I no longer get caught out be the BEST = WORST thing. Loved the interstate clue...

[@Landis963]

47:07 Speaking as a citizen of the US of A, I have never heard "gee" used that way ever. It's always been in the sarcastic, golly-gee-willikers sort of sense.

[@johnhantsuk8461]

I enjoy a nice cuppa cha while I'm watching the cricket.

[@OUdarling]

47:13 I’ve lived in the USA my entire life, both in the Great Lakes state of Michigan and the prairie state of Oklahoma, and I’ve never heard that usage of “gee”. It sounds like something I would expect to hear in an old-timey Western movie.

[@DontMockMySmock]

1 down is an &lit clue! "Drinking" is not only part of the definition, but it is also the thing that tells you that the reverse of cappuccino has "cuppa" inside it. And for the definition, since "cuppa" refers to tea, it's playfully saying that tea is the "reverse" of coffee, hence the "?" at the end.

[@LazyLuckyandFree]

American here - we do in fact say "He's a real G" I think it comes from "Gangsta (fond)"

[@joetinsley9552]

Hi Simon, great puzzle as usual! As someone who lived in Cornwall, I encountered plenty of emmet’s in my time! 😂

[@seanxkelly]

great solves!

[@trishcormack4596]

Thank you Simon, I've never done a cryptic, but that was a great lesson, so I might just attempt one now! However.... if you dictated every word in the grid to me I don't think I could write or type them in as fast as the fastest solvers 😅

[@A_CC_K]

Looking forward to this, come on KZbin, these videos are great.

[@andrewkitching9339]

I’m afraid I didn’t make a great deal of progress on this one yesterday. I seem to have a SNITCH barrier of about 120-125. But a great puzzle, and very well explained, Simon

[@VonBlade]

Incredibly rarely, the wordsmith in me found 1AC before Simon. It's a belter of a clue.

[@VonBlade]

38:19 Hey now Simon, you haven't reached 26AC yet.

[@bobblebardsley]

I was thinking all sorts of Superman-related words for "mighty caper". I thought calling him a 'caper' (i.e. someone who wears a cape) would have been super witty.

[@Alloid-j1j]

Gee (and haw) are, among other things, commands for sled dogs. So 'go' does fit.

[@RyanTschetter-g6t]

"It's quite useful to have a list of short synonyms for cheese at your disposal." Only 1 group of people will understand.

[@mikebrockmann7354]

Superman ist a "mighty caper"

[@StriderGW2]

lovely wordings

[@fenvizh]

today is my birthday! what a great present :-]

[@davidrattner9]

Happy birthday

[@Alex_Meadows]

Many happy returns!

[@bristolrovers27]

1 hour 20 minutes wow quality video

[@maurobraunstein9497]

I feel like this happens all the time, but O is how you say 0 in the US a lot of the time. For example, if my phone number were 405-xxxx, I would say "four oh five, ...". And if it's 1:08 PM, I would say "it's one oh eight". I know this is common in the US, but I bet there are some people who use this in the UK as well.

[@peterbiddlecombe1939]

You're right "Oh one for London", we used to say before London phone numbers got more complicated.

[@annas3059]

At 1:55 I'd love to try the Guardian Genius puzzle mentioned, but Genius ones don't seem to be in the Guardian app. Anyone know how to get these puzzles? (Commenting partly for the algorithm - these videos are a highlight of my week and I'm getting better at sometimes seeing answers before Simon.)

[@jamessmalley-bu2xw]

I found this somehow easier than any other puzzle this week. Go figure…

[@jonaclausson6698]

The german apple pancakes are called Apfelküchle. The pint of pig-fat must have been a joke. There is Schmalz in germany which is fat (can be pig or goose or duck) with onions and sometimes apple you eat as a spread on bread. But i doubt they serve you a pint full, usually it's just a small cup full.

[@stephenmccarthy1795]

He absolutely said that it was hangman.

[@Zihuatanejo-]

a Rat could be one of the Ratpack and therefore a singer?!

[@Frie_Jemi]

13D would've tried "treacherous" for untrustworthy

[@geodave227]

Not familiar with that meaning of "gee" specifically, but in America it does happen that a person may call another "G" as a nickname meaning 'gangster' -- which is usually a good thing.

[@thescrewfly]

It made me think of saying 'gee up' to a horse

[@skymotel2]

OH NO!!!!!!! I came eleventh. I'm such a terrible solver. Hmmmmmm.

[@GuidoHaverkort]

How someone would get these with an average of 20 seconds per clue is beyond me

[@sh4dowchas3r]

G Man = FBI agent aka Agent engaged in washington + Han for Chinese = Hangman and the game Hangman is a kind of diversion

[@GuidoHaverkort]

How someone would get these with an average of like 20 seconds per clue is beyond me

[@erickehr4475]

Interestingly I parsed 18d differently. One of the definitions of ‘ground’ is ‘to provide a basic education in’ which I took as a synonym for ‘train’. I suspect your parsing is the intended one though.

[@erickehr4475]

What I don’t really “get” about the fastest genuine times (in the quick cryptic and the concise) is how they do it so quickly without making any typos. Even if I were just trying to fill in the answers having already solved them, I don’t think I could match those times.

[@peterbiddlecombe1939]

As a former speedster, on paper mostly, but keyboards later, you just learn to check what you write/type while doing it.

[@vinyl1Earthlink]

Ha! Numbers clocked are times for The Times. Mine was 67 minutes for this puzzle. I had to biff trainee and treacherous, didn't have a clue about the parsing. When I solved the puzzle the SNITCH was at 22, due to the double posting of the Quick Cryptic on the Crossword Club - I would have liked to have seen Simon's face if it were still 22 when he started solving! However, I managed to contact the SNITCH owner, and he put in a quick fix.

[@michaelpdawson]

STARLESS and bible black.

[@henrymarkson3758]

Finding 'antic' from the wordplay is too tough. Much easier to guess the quick answer and then justify the wordplay.

[@explosingpigman2251]

I‘d like to ask about last video’s clue “One may need two knockouts to win (12)”, how does the wordplay work to get “semifinalist” ?

[@gedsimpson9854]

The whole clue is wordplay plus definition. A person has to knock out a semi-finalist and a finalist to win, so two knockouts.

[@Willd2p2]

It's a type of clue known as a cryptic definition. Rather than having wordplay and definition the clue as a whole is just a definition that needs to be considered in a cryptic way, meaning there is no wordplay in the way most clues have. This is different from an &lit, where the clue acts as both a direct definition and traditional wordplay.

[@explosingpigman2251]

@@Willd2p2 ic, thanks :)

[@heatherallan9767]

🌱i thought light show might mean the 💡>aha< when we get the answer ✏✨

[@mbstart]

As always, enjoyable to listen to the solve. Being an impatient man, I do wonder why after many many masterclasses, Simon doesnt seem to either compress the process by quickening some of the explanations, or develop the idea somehow. At present, every solve follows the same routine. Fine if you are new, but quite tedious to regular fans.

[@MikeKlinkert]

57:04 Apfelstrudel?

[@LesterLardenoye]

Kaiserschmarrn!

[@williambarnes3868]

I have stopped watching these videos. Simon spend far far too long on repetitive and boring explanations. He seems to be treating his viewers as little better than primary school pupils. Also these videos are much too long., this one over ONE HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES! yikes!!!

[@richardfarrer5616]

1 down is already disappointing. I was constructing all sorts of theories that "sov" (as in Soviet") possibly meant friend in Russian. In which case sovereign would have been perfect for 1 across. That's another damn fine plan thwarted.

[@thescrewfly]

Sovereign occurred to me too but it didn't really seem to work.