Bravura performance from @BlancheLivermore this morning. I regard the ability to solve crosswords as evidence of a mis-spent youth. I clearly mis-spent my youth some other way. Wish I could remember how.
I love cryptic clues, thanks to @stjohn for another cryptic Christmas cracker
I remember the first clue that was explained to me, by an English teacher when I was about twelve:
Vast fire destroyed top hotel (4,4)
FIVE STAR
I knew then that I wanted to learn how to solve them, but didn't teach myself until I was at uni - when I was meant to be learning maths
I've solved a few more clues from this puzzle, but I don't want to hog the whole thing..
I learnt by watching and helping my mum with the Independent's cryptic when I was a teenager. It's a lot easier and less intimidating to get started when you only need to do one or two clues and you already have several intersecting words to give you some known letters, compared to starting with an entire blank grid. I'm not very good though and I find how well I do depends somewhat on the style of the setter...
Christmas Day should be about the man who came from the stars to save humanity on multiple occasions and died doing so but came back to life but for this year for me it isn't.
But this year my main focus isn't on Doctor Who but Wallace & Gromit (TV wise.)
13 down. RORY STEWART former Secretary of State for International Development - TORY WETS + last letters (finally) of prioR and walkeR + A, all anagrammed (reshuffled)
The snow has melted here in New York. No White Christmas after all.
I went on X/Twitter, and I see Iceland’s new government is promising a referendum on EU membership (current support, 54%), while Douglas Carswell, former Brexit luminary, is now tweeting support for mass deportations.
15 down. TONBRIDGE is the name of the constituency won by Tom Tugendhat, (number 9 across), in the last two general elections - TON (many) + BRIDGE (a game
The snow has melted here in New York. No White Christmas after all.
I went on X/Twitter, and I see Iceland’s new government is promising a referendum on EU membership (current support, 54%), while Douglas Carswell, former Brexit luminary, is now tweeting support for mass deportations.
I predict 2025 will be as crazy as 2024.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Doesn't he live in the States? Please don't let them start with him.
On the subject of AI I have been playing with an AI photo editor - Picsart - I am seriously impressed. Excellent for removing/replacing background from photos
Doctor Who was really good, even though some of the reviewers didn't like it. I worked out the last scene about 5 minutes beforehand, even down to one of the lines ("Oh, of course..."). Nice to see Moffat didn't f*** up the ending as he has done so often.
OK, goose is overrated. Best bit was the parsnips roasted in goose fat.
Goose is not overrated, which is precisely why hardly anyone has goose.
Fair point. Frankly, I preferred my vegetarian lasagne that I made for the non meat eaters.
Now re-roasting the carcass to make stock out of the remains.
The fat is nice, though.
Happy Christmas from Burgundy, where our fancy new electrics in the converted barn kept tripping the main circuit breaker in the house and plunging us into darkness.
Our goose was under strict instructions to be good because I paid a fortune for it at the Cluny butcher. It’s a faff to make though and you don’t get much meat for your money. I cut it up into joints, confited the legs last night, cooked the breasts pink at the last minute today, and made stock and gravy with the rest of the carcass and a bottle of wine. A good litre or so of fat.
Next year we’ll go back to Capon I think. Much more meat for the price, and you can cook it all in one with less faff.
Doctor Who was really good, even though some of the reviewers didn't like it. I worked out the last scene about 5 minutes beforehand, even down to one of the lines ("Oh, of course..."). Nice to see Moffat didn't f*** up the ending as he has done so often.
I went in with low expectations, not the best or the worst one of the Christmas specials. thankfully no poor Christmas themed monsters.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Doctor Who was really good, even though some of the reviewers didn't like it. I worked out the last scene about 5 minutes beforehand, even down to one of the lines ("Oh, of course..."). Nice to see Moffat didn't f*** up the ending as he has done so often.
But it mentioned the Downing Street lockdown parties.
I expect The Telegraph and Mail will lose their poop.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
Doctor Who was really good, even though some of the reviewers didn't like it. I worked out the last scene about 5 minutes beforehand, even down to one of the lines ("Oh, of course..."). Nice to see Moffat didn't f*** up the ending as he has done so often.
But it mentioned the Downing Street lockdown parties.
I expect The Telegraph and Mail will lose their poop.
Since they're absolutely full of it that will make Thames Water's job impossible.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
I don't think you would have enjoyed living in the house of an ordinary person in Georgian times.
And they certainly weren’t well built. That’s the advantage of a terrace - they are all falling down in different directions so remain as stable as a house of cards
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
And who do you think lived in it in a Georgian times? Clue - it wasn’t the working classes.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
I don't think you would have enjoyed living in the house of an ordinary person in Georgian times.
And they certainly weren’t well built. That’s the advantage of a terrace - they are all falling down in different directions so remain as stable as a house of cards
Ours is a bit more recent: early Victorian. Bit the same townhouse shape with flat sashes, and the same house of cards construction. The walls aren’t pinned together and the floors just sit on them, so they have a tendency to topple forward and backwards.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
And who do you think lived in it in a Georgian times? Clue - it wasn’t the working classes.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
And who do you think lived in it in a Georgian times? Clue - it wasn’t the working classes.
Except for the servants.
Well if you fancy waking before dawn and being at the beck and call of your social ‘betters’ then by all means become a drudge.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
And who do you think lived in it in a Georgian times? Clue - it wasn’t the working classes.
Mews houses in london going for millions used to be servant quarters.
What puzzles me is why The Poster In Question would try to disguise his identity by using no caps at all and then blow his cover good and proper by referring to his bizarre hatred of Newent.
I can only assume he's past all reason on the subject.
Which if anyone other than he, I and @Mexicanpete has ever been there, will find baffling given it's a pretty and perfectly inoffensive if rather dull town.
Nothing will dissuade me from the view the poor quality of new builds in the uk is deliberate to keep the natives depressed and in low vibrational states.
Leon not turning up is a shame. I was genuinely curious about whether his AI machine can solve the crossword.
I gave it a blast with web-search enabled and some pointers as to the website it came from. It was quite good at solving some of the questions, but overall hit'n'miss. Unlike human PBers. In a way.
Nothing will dissuade me from the view the poor quality of new builds in the uk is deliberate to keep the natives depressed and in low vibrational states.
Low vibrational states? Is that some new(ent) age bullshit?
Nothing will dissuade me from the view the poor quality of new builds in the uk is deliberate to keep the natives depressed and in low vibrational states.
Low vibrational states? Is that some new(ent) age bullshit?
I wouldnt expect a philistine like yourself to understand. A low vibrational state is someone acting out of anxiety and fear just the ways the elites like the populace acting.
Wrt uk housing. These are the types of houses our elites live in. Well built and airy. Then for us plebs we have new builds in newent with tiny rooms in which you can barely swing a cat. We really peaked in georgian times.
Are Georgian townhouses all they are cracked up to be? Tiny rooms spread over five floors with no lift. And these days, how will you charge your electric car?
The nicest flat i ever lived in was in a georgian townhouse. Bright and airy and healthy.
And who do you think lived in it in a Georgian times? Clue - it wasn’t the working classes.
Except for the servants.
Well if you fancy waking before dawn and being at the beck and call of your social ‘betters’ then by all means become a drudge.
I think you'll find "valued member of our team" is the HR-friendly version of "drudge". I'd hate to have to send you on those courses. Again.
OK, goose is overrated. Best bit was the parsnips roasted in goose fat.
Goose is not overrated, which is precisely why hardly anyone has goose.
Fair point. Frankly, I preferred my vegetarian lasagne that I made for the non meat eaters.
Now re-roasting the carcass to make stock out of the remains.
The fat is nice, though.
Happy Christmas from Burgundy, where our fancy new electrics in the converted barn kept tripping the main circuit breaker in the house and plunging us into darkness.
Our goose was under strict instructions to be good because I paid a fortune for it at the Cluny butcher. It’s a faff to make though and you don’t get much meat for your money. I cut it up into joints, confited the legs last night, cooked the breasts pink at the last minute today, and made stock and gravy with the rest of the carcass and a bottle of wine. A good litre or so of fat.
Next year we’ll go back to Capon I think. Much more meat for the price, and you can cook it all in one with less faff.
Oh and here’s the head:
Brings to mind that tale of degenerate aristos slamming a drawer on the neck of a live goose while indulging in…activities. That would be fully utilising the animal.
FFS, have none of you heard of the Rump Parliament?
Have a guess which President that completes the wordplay for..
Only through the Monty Python song. The problem I have with most cryptic crosswords is they mostly make reference to things I'd forgotten years ago or never knew in the first place.
Nothing will dissuade me from the view the poor quality of new builds in the uk is deliberate to keep the natives depressed and in low vibrational states.
Low vibrational states? Is that some new(ent) age bullshit?
I wouldnt expect a philistine like yourself to understand. A low vibrational state is someone acting out of anxiety and fear just the ways the elites like the populace acting.
So yes, some new age bullshit. Social sciences have always tried to make their bullshit sound scientific, leading to Sokal’s brilliance.
Comments
NATO
- TAN (Brown) reflected) + O (over)
Thanks for keeping this going Blanche. Very short on other solvers this year!
Booth's mulled wine.
Very nice it is too.
GOVERN
RN (Royal Navy, service) after GOVE (former minister)
I just feel like I'm hogging all the fun and glory
We need @SandraMc to come in and grab a few..
1648
- RN (service - Royal Navy) after (led by) (Michael) GOVE (Tory who was a minister many times).
Doctors, engineers, lawyers and teachers are stumped
And a postie comes along with all the answers
RORY STEWART
Anagram (reshuffled) of TORY WETS with walkeR and prioR (finally) and A
But this year my main focus isn't on Doctor Who but Wallace & Gromit (TV wise.)
It's why we earn the big tips
I ended up with £380, six boxes of chocolates, two boxes of biscuits, a pack of beers and three bottles of wine
The wine looks surprisingly good: a NZ Sauvignon Blanc, a Sicilian Nero D'Avola from the Wine Society and a Maud Heath English Chardonnay
Shiraz & cinnamon & nutmeg & OJ.
- TORY WETS + last letters (finally) of prioR and walkeR + A, all anagrammed
(reshuffled)
Best bit was the parsnips roasted in goose fat.
SPAD
SPAR (fight) with R (Rep) swapped for D (Dem)
OPT
nul (O) points (PT)
I think it's PLO
With R to L (changing sides, right to left) in PRO (for)
- O (nil) + PT (point). Nil or zero point is the worst score in Eurovision
24 across SPAD. Special Adviser, a political appointee hired to support a minister
- SPAR (fight) with R (Republican) replaced by D (Democrat)
- PRO (in favour of) with R (Right side) changing to L (Left side)
I think it’s ok as (3) but I see your point
Across 16, 19, 28. Down 6, 15, 20, 23.
Street ?
Can't see the former mayor bit but in and G (Germany's capital) rejected from Streeting
I then read cooking instructions...
"Remove bag of giblets from cavity"
Duck hastily removed from oven and extraction performed.
Disaster averted!
Isn't there an "easy" version of the crossword?
Doctor Who is on at 5:10
STREET Andy. Former West Midlands mayor.
- IN G (Germany’s capital) rejected by (Wes) STREET(ING) Secretary of State
for Health and Social Care
Perhaps St.John could do a picture crossword for us next year?
TONBRIDGE
where Tugendhat won a TON of BRIDGE
No White Christmas after all.
I went on X/Twitter, and I see Iceland’s new government is promising a referendum on EU membership (current support, 54%), while Douglas Carswell, former Brexit luminary, is now tweeting support for mass deportations.
I predict 2025 will be as crazy as 2024.
Merry Christmas everyone!
(number 9 across), in the last two general elections
- TON (many) + BRIDGE (a game
What wording and implied letter transformations adds or removes additional 'p's' I can't exactly fathom.
I've given a MASSIVE clue: 1648
Come on historians..
Please don't let them start with him.
One time my wife forgot - the giblets bag was a sous vide grade thing. Didn’t leak or burst, just cooked with the duck.
- sounds like (on the air) RIPON (northern city)
Now re-roasting the carcass to make stock out of the remains.
The fat is nice, though.
A?
Aye Gromit.
Just letting it all digest before tackling a slice of yule log.
Our goose was under strict instructions to be good because I paid a fortune for it at the Cluny butcher. It’s a faff to make though and you don’t get much meat for your money. I cut it up into joints, confited the legs last night, cooked the breasts pink at the last minute today, and made stock and gravy with the rest of the carcass and a bottle of wine. A good litre or so of fat.
Next year we’ll go back to Capon I think. Much more meat for the price, and you can cook it all in one with less faff.
Oh and here’s the head:
https://x.com/theoldbuilding/status/1871571419391484080
I expect The Telegraph and Mail will lose their poop.
Or it would, if they were trying to do it.
I can only assume he's past all reason on the subject.
Which if anyone other than he, I and @Mexicanpete has ever been there, will find baffling given it's a pretty and perfectly inoffensive if rather dull town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNvua9HJJt8
Seemed like a pretty decent roast duck recipe.
Have a guess which President that completes the wordplay for..
Anybody who says otherwise is utterly wrong.
Not that this distinguished them from say, the 2019 Parliament.