The Times Crossword Friday Masterclass: 26 April 2024

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** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
In the 63rd edition of our attempts to solve a Friday Times crossword, Simon tackles today's puzzle, which definitely contains some traps.
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
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25 апр 2024

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Комментарии : 167

@droid-droidsson Месяц назад

I cannot believe Simon would, completely out of the blue, spoil Wallace and Gromit for everyone like this! /s

@louisesuth8141 Месяц назад

I am constantly amazed by what Mark and Simon know, and equally bemused by what they don't as I see them as omniscient

@davidsteele8956 Месяц назад

Aren't we way past the point where any person can know everything?

@johnpauladamovsky86 Месяц назад

@@davidsteele8956 The Great Doctor Johnny von Neumann is considered the last person who to know everything that was known in his time, in other words, Johnny was the final universal renaissance polymath.

@ashfantastic3021 Месяц назад

Simon! Today's the first time I've heard you play your guitar, and my goodness did you play that beautifully. Here as always for the cryptic, but now I'll be hoping for more little guitar interludes as well. Thank you for these wonderful videos!

@bryantvia4478 Месяц назад

it surprises me when i know something that you don't. you have such a vast amount of knowledge that the hand vs feet and stop-motion trip you up so much, but your genius still comes through. well done, sir.

@craftsmanwoodturner Месяц назад

I particularly liked the clues for "strident" and "talon". Plenty of misdirection there, but Simon managed to avoid the bear-traps.

@Bacca839 Месяц назад

It's possible that "in charge" is in your Chambers app as "i/c" which is how the UK military commonly shortens it.

@MattSwain1 Месяц назад

It’s in the version of Chambers on my iPhone as i/c

@bristolrovers27 Месяц назад

Hand is the unit of measurement for the height of a horse (4 inches I believe) and a foot is 12 inches. Weekly crossword is a highlight for me of this excellent channel

@LednacekZ Месяц назад

a hand is also a unit of length. about 10cm foot is about 30cm.

@SirBradiator Месяц назад

Surprised you've never heard of stop motion animation. Wallace and Grommit being the foremost example.

@benphelan88 Месяц назад

Or the OGs, Gumby and Pokey.

@dglthrawn1 Месяц назад

Ray Harryhausen was a master of it. Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts being prime examples.

@Bacca839 Месяц назад

@@benphelan88 Surely Morph!

@afanofosc Месяц назад

Simon had heard of it but was not certain if the puzzle was calling it step-motion.

@garymacmillan6401 Месяц назад

The 'Hobby' is a bird of prey. Its Latin name is 'Falco Subbuteo', which is where the table top football got its name.

@richardfarrer5616 Месяц назад

Beat me to it. I'll add that the designer wanted to call the game Hobby but was told that was too generic, which is why he came up with this excellent bilingual wordplay.

@craftsmanwoodturner Месяц назад

I think you have to type in "I/C" to see the abbreviation for "in charge".

@stevewood8 Месяц назад

Interesting to read in other comments that the US pronunciation of Reveille is different to the British one. As a paperboy in the early 70s I would often deliver a weekly newspaper of that name that was pronounced 'ruh-valley' which I believe is the typical British pronunciation. French, meaning wake up, I believe. Great solve by Simon, avoiding a number of traps.

@B1GB1RDB4G3L Месяц назад

Loved the musical interlude today simon

@LednacekZ Месяц назад

i knew 3 today. that is way much more than usual.

@andyrooiam Месяц назад

The unit of hands is measured roughly by turning your hand on its side with the fingers together.

@imgpw1 Месяц назад

incredible solve as always. an addendum to your wallace and grommit example for stop motion: that film is claymation, which necessitates the use of stop-motion animation, but not all stop-motion uses clay. claymation is the square to stop-motion's rectangle. you can think of stop-motion as a more advance zoetrope because they use the same principle of multiple photos being taken and being played back quickly (usually 24 frames per second in movies) to give the illusion of motion

@Ruddigore Месяц назад

A hand is a unit of measurement as in the height of horses. A hand is 4 inches. A foot is 12 inches and therefore more than twice (x3) its length. Update: I see you got there in the end 😁

@profregan6937 Месяц назад

After a year i now shout out answers! An education.

@williambarnes3868 Месяц назад

Sept, Oct & Nov are the months of Meteorological Autumn. Winter being Dec to Feb, spring is March to May and the rest being summer. 22D a hand is a measure for a horse, approx 4 inches.

@sagov9 Месяц назад

northern hemisphere only, but I suppose it's okay for the puzzle to only be for northern hemispherians

@MichaelLamparty Месяц назад

According to the astronomical calendar Winter begins on December 21-23 (22 this year), which is the shortest day of the year. I prefer this system. I never been a fan of using the meteorological seasons as they really only reflect reality in certain places. In fact where I live we often have summer weather well into November.

@phyphor Месяц назад

A hand is now standardised as exactly 4 inches (10.16cm)

@richardfarrer5616 Месяц назад

@@MichaelLamparty That does, of course, mean that winter starts on Midwinter's Day which will confuse a lot of people. I agree with you for consistent usage but, for most people, it's the weather and the length of day that matters

@poppyholly1759 Месяц назад

@@richardfarrer5616 The weather lags approximately 6 weeks to the astonomical calendar. Therefore the start of the seasons happen to occur on the quarterdays. Like you I prefer midwinter and midsummer starting their respective season, and the equinoxes denoting the start of the spring or autumn.

@debrabowen4276 Месяц назад

Thank you for this video. Friday cryptic crossword is a highlight of my week!

@LorisLaboratory Месяц назад

Surprise mid-video guitar!! 😍

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

Loved Simon playing Sounds of Silence - one of my favorite all time songs. I’ve only heard “revile” pronounced “rev uh lee”. But I’ve only heard it in the song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B”

@davidrattner9 Месяц назад

Do you also enjoy other Simon and Garfunkel songs, The Boxer etc? 😀 Simon's guitar playing is such an absolute treat for us!!

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

@@davidrattner9 yes! I ❤️ their harmonies!! Paul Simon is a musical genius and Art Garfunkel has an angelic voice. Bridge Over Troubled Water brings me to tears! 🥹 Do you like S&G?

@davidrattner9 Месяц назад

@@longwaytotipperary OH YES!! ..Not Like..LOVE THEM. 😀🩵💙

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

@@davidrattner9 💛🩵🧡

@johnhantsuk8461 Месяц назад

The abbreviation for 'in charge' is i/c (listed as such in the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors), and interestingly 'account' is 'a/c' (which doesn't really make sense). I'm flabbergasted that Simon didn't get the feet and hands clue straight away. He probably doesn't even know how many chains there are in a furlong.

@davidsteele8956 Месяц назад

In my Chamber's dictionary app, it's listed. So, maybe Simon needs a newer version?!

@filkube8540 Месяц назад

i immediately thought of 2IC and HBIC as indicators of IC meaning In Charge :P

@DarklordZagarna Месяц назад

@@filkube8540 I thought of OIC (officer-in-charge), as in the military context.

@d4r4butler74 Месяц назад

Always love the crosswords! And as far as I know Horses are still measured in Hands.

@davidrattner9 Месяц назад

Thank Simon for giving us another great solve and explanations for all your answers!! Bonus for throwing in a guitar session!! Classic song by 2 exceptional musicians!!

@kolskit Месяц назад

I learned today that chili and chilli are both acceptable spelling for a hot pepper / a bowl of food seasoned with hot peppers. I've never seen chilli in my life before this.

@DarklordZagarna Месяц назад

I believe the double-L spelling is how to spell the name of the mom dog in Bluey.

@5t757 Месяц назад

Chilli is more commonly the UK spelling and chili the US spelling I believe.

@mathematicskid Месяц назад

I only know "chilli" from the Guardian training cryptic crosswords.

@nemuchan Месяц назад

un réveille (ou reveille-matin) in french is litterally an alarm clock

@oak3001 Месяц назад

Hooray for a Friday evening crossword video. Please, algorithm, keep these videos coming!

@st3phgr1ce Месяц назад

In the US we say rev uh lee. Very close to revelry just drop the final r and put the emphasis on rev and descend in tone for each subsequent syllable . 😂

@limegreenelevator Месяц назад

Rhymes with heavily.

@thescrewfly Месяц назад

I find the easiest way to indicate word stress in a YT comment is to use caps: REV-uh-lee. Although I personally say ruh-VAL-ee

@emisformaker Месяц назад

@@limegreenelevator and the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

@@emisformakeryep that’s my knowledge of the word! 😁

@filkube8540 Месяц назад

same in Aus. we just had Anzac Day, which in the memorial services always have the Last Post and Reveille bookending a minute's silence.

@mjhughes Месяц назад

Simon, please can we have a guitar moment in every Friday video. it was lovely! Love the vids 👍👍

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

I second that motion!

@davidrattner9 Месяц назад

Totally wonderful surprise that he broke out the guitar for us!!!

@longwaytotipperary Месяц назад

@@davidrattner9 yes! ❤️

@jamesmoriarty6782 Месяц назад

I think i was shouting out three answers at the screen. Unlikely to happen again. I remember lots of library books in my youth having a frontispiece. Lovely word.

@Draedaja Месяц назад

Oh my god, I got a word before Simon (after he already explained the wordplay and just couldn't think of the solution immediately)

@icecreamandsadness Месяц назад

I knew those were the fingers of a musician. Beautiful!

@heatherallan9767 Месяц назад

"that's so strangely phrased..." simon describes a cryptic crossword clue 🤣

@grenvillephillips6998 Месяц назад

I fell into the trap of 2 down but the misdirection makes it a great clue.

@Draedaja Месяц назад

Other solvers: trying to solve this in record time. Simon: busts out the guitar for a banger "sound of silence" rendition. (also I don't think you need to worry about a copyright strike - as a fellow "Simon" and all :D)

@MarcMcMillin Месяц назад

thank you for another great solve! 🙂

@nsrikand1 Месяц назад

Excellently explained. Very useful.

@Prazzie Месяц назад

Another cracking solve, thank you so much.

@user-ty6nm2yu4u Месяц назад

Feet plural of foot, foot in six inches; Hands is plural of hand, a hand is a measuring unit of four inches - this unit a measure calculating height of a horse etc.

@user-ty6nm2yu4u Месяц назад

meant to say 12 inches...

@brycecrux2730 Месяц назад

The only time I was (almost) screaming at you about the clue with "hand". Fantastic as always.

@francesT5877 Месяц назад

The hobby that you have in the UK is roughly similar to the falcon called the merlin here. Definitely a bird of prey. Though falcons have recently been found to be less closely related to the family of hawks and eagles than previously thought.

@iaincook5835 Месяц назад

IC for In Charge (for top boss) is definitely right in a business jargon sense. I still remember my colleague from interstate many years ago talking to a group of us and asking "who's your 2IC?" We all looked at each other in puzzlement and (metaphorically) wet ourselves when he explained "second in charge".

@phyphor Месяц назад

2ic is sometimes pronounced "twix"

@simonburling3762 Месяц назад

I/c is in charge in an English dictionary.

@richardfarrer5616 Месяц назад

Officer in charge is abbreviated as OIC.

@graemeesmith Месяц назад

Funnily enough IC is also common used to mean Individual Contributor (i.e. someone who is not a manager). Confusing!

@jordancabral8573 Месяц назад

IC can also stand for Incident Command. Something utilized by police/fire/ems to handle emergency situations. If you have Incident Command, you are very much in charge.

@haezan Месяц назад

I love how Simon was confused about IC not being in the dictionary for “in charge” when the exact same thing happened in episode 59 on the 29th March where it realised it was I/C that’s in the dictionary haha

@philipbrooks402 Месяц назад

Simon, thanks again. Meteorological autumn 1 Sept-30 Nov.

@jackportz Месяц назад

Mark originally created Cracking The Cryptic (4) (credit: Independent 11,571 by Quince)

@jackportz Месяц назад

Hints below…. Originally created = C ‘Cryptic’ is an anagram indicator

@iwishexamsneverhappened Месяц назад

Hmm I want to say tech, but it doesn’t start with c What’s the cracking doing?

@limegreenelevator Месяц назад

@@iwishexamsneverhappenedinsertion indicator?

@rhj5667 Месяц назад

Glad you liked it! (Quince here)

@Fortunalux Месяц назад

That's a lovely clue

@annastevenson27 Месяц назад

14:06 "I'm not thinking of the right answer." Yup. Happens to me all the time.

@johnciolfi5085 Месяц назад

As someone trying to get better at setting cryptics, it’s interesting seeing similarities in words and clues I’ve used versus how they’re used in the Times - for instance, I originally had 18-Across in a puzzle with a similar clue (“Tongue twisting prose? Neat”). I swapped it out for a different word in the end, but being able to gauge my clue-making abilities against the Times is always a nice bonus when watching these videos.

@HeroDarkStorn Месяц назад

"Some people like to have a birthday" Simon, 2024, out of context

@frankfilteau869 Месяц назад

I can't do these puzzles myself but really enjoy watching these videos. It's relaxing. About half the time I get one before Simon does. ......semi spoiler..... At 20 minutes right now and have two, but couldn't justify either, which is incredibly frustrating.

@bluerizlagirl Месяц назад

Hands and feet were both ancient units of measurements, equivalent to about 100mm. and 300mm. respectively.

@marksmith1721 Месяц назад

Brilliant. Did not even watch it yet

@thescrewfly Месяц назад

Actually got several answers before Simon this time, therefore it is definitely easier than usual! Also, frontispiece and stop-motion are surely not obscure terms.

@markgillespie3971 Месяц назад

In my Chambers, 'in charge' is listed under 'i/c'

@jbaidley Месяц назад

In charge is in Chambers as i/c rather than ic (at least in the latest app)

@yannygatto Месяц назад

I got Roman Numeral almost immediately for the complete wrong reason as I thought "Oman" was the country and worked it out from there via "one of seven letters". Couldn't figure out the rest of the wordplay but knew the answer was right so just took my win where I could get it.

@MoD366 Месяц назад

Dang, for "One of seven" I would have sworn it was referencing the seven dwarfs of Snow White, Dopey being possible if Sectarianism had a typo. Which I didn't check for. But I liked the actual answer to that clue.

@sanctionbuster Месяц назад

'IC' is certainty used all the time to mean the officer in charge of the team in the army.

@falconcoolchris Месяц назад

In Charge is abbreviated i/c so it will be at the start or end of the "I"s in your dictionary

@jonnevitu4979 Месяц назад

dont usually comment but man I will try to make sudoku only watchers give a chance to crossword vids, they are so good

@kevinmartin7760 Месяц назад

"very" is an adverb and needs an adjective to cling to, so "small" fills the part well.

@walterxplinge3867 Месяц назад

Not sure if this is right or not (always issues with pronunciation) but I always pronounce reveille as"re-valley"

@jmilleronaire Месяц назад

As an American I got 22 down and its meaning immediately. Feet (12 inches, 1 believe roughly 332 Celsius) are a measurement I grew up with, and being aroudn horses I know hands are too - standardized at 4 inches (10.16 cm).

@neodemonhawk Месяц назад

Never fear the ic abbreviation of in charge it is currently in the chambers dictionary. Unfortunately Simon is being let down by the outdated software version that he's using.

@maxwesterman5613 Месяц назад

I think the abbreviation favoured in Chambers is OIC (officer in charge), so it's part of an abbreviation, if that helps at all...

@Sgray-ep7se Месяц назад

Wallace and Gromit is a must-see

@Scy Месяц назад

I think hand measurement is sideways, perpendicular to the fingers, not the length of your hand. So if you were to measure several hands you would put them thumb to thumb or pinky to pinky going horizontal, or thumb to pinky going vertical. Hope that made sense.

@francesT5877 Месяц назад

I have a terrible habit of doing crosswords late at night and falling asleep and waking up to find the timer at 7:46:39. I’m assuming in this case when I finish the puzzle I should submit off the leaderboard? It would be interesting to create a new subset of neutrinos. Antiquark.

@nigelm5777 Месяц назад

Meteorological fall ends on the last day of November. The season ends at the solstice in December.

@lucasglanville2880 Месяц назад

commenting for the algorithm

@mussoletart8485 Месяц назад

guitar 🥰🥰🥰

@Roblilley999 Месяц назад

Hand is 4 inches, foot is 12 inches

@mooseteeq Месяц назад

I pronounce it ravioli

@sebastienlecoq3956 Месяц назад

I love how my first thought to earing that Silence was the opposite of sound was apparently the same as Simon...

@mikechappell5849 Месяц назад

I guess he sang the sound of silence, but luckily I muted the sound in time when he went for his guitar

@francesT5877 Месяц назад

Also I think they mean hands as in how you measure a horse. A hand is about 4 inches I think? I used to be quite horsey but I haven’t been around them much since I was young.

@BryanLu0 Месяц назад

13:59 I thought that you don't see clue answers in other clues?

@kurohone Месяц назад

OIC = Officer In Charge

@andrew_hulme Месяц назад

In the last Sunday Times cryptic crossword I'm sure there were two of those 'hidden' clues.

@mmmccomb7322 Месяц назад

The Sunday Times doesn't follow the same rules as the weekday puzzle, including the "only one hidden" and the "no one living apart from the monarch" rules.

@rowansumner9088 Месяц назад

November end of autumn sounds like global warming to me

@DontMockMySmock Месяц назад

The end of autumn is in December! 😡

@cputhrottler3898 Месяц назад

Can someone explain how fire controller is a clue for poker?

@stevewood8 Месяц назад

As a child I recall that a poker would be used on our open fire to rearrange the coals and allow the ashes to fall through

@garybrittain8210 Месяц назад

Watch Disturbed performing Sound of Silence

@matthewjoyce1849 Месяц назад

I'm sorry, but I'm going to object to the setter rather than to Simon for following the logic, on 21 down. The talon is the single rear claw of a bird of prey's foot which is used for stabbing or tearing, like the dew claw in felines. The front three claws, used for gripping after a successful strike, are called pounces.

@MultiNacnud Месяц назад

You have to be a bit GaGa to get 13D

@jasonhuk Месяц назад

We found “in charge” last month: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8nHT_9uLCGI.htmlm07s

@parkertan8440 Месяц назад

hasn't this issue of not being able to find the justification for IC happened before in a previous video? 😅

@stevenwilliamson6236 Месяц назад

It's a bit frustrating when I have it and he doesn't. A hand is a measurement of horses and a foot is longer.

@theosandstrom3945 Месяц назад

The last letter of autumN, in the NATO phonetic alphabet, could be NOVember?

@Raven-Creations Месяц назад

Feet (12 inches) are more than twice as long as hands (4 inches). It's a perfectly fair clue. Hands are still used for measuring horses, so it's not archaic like a perch or chain. The verb clue was very nice but tricky. Reveille is pronounced ri-valley in the UK armed forces (at least those I've had contact with). Our BB leaders included two people from the Black Watch, one of whom was a pipe major and played the bagpipes for reveille when we were on camp. That's what you call a very rude awakening. I think the other pronunciations are when people try to say it like the French would, even though it's not a French word, but derived from French. I can't believe how long it took you to get poker-faced. The step clue was a nicely themed clue, even if it was easy. Most of the clues were fairly easy. I was misled for a bit by knowing there are seven members of the Royal Family.

@thelobsterperson Месяц назад

All of those pronunciations of "reveille" are so different from how it is in French

@timotab Месяц назад

Hands are 4 inches and is usually used in the measurement of the height of horses. Feet are 12 inches, which is more than twice as long as 4.

@greetingcardboy Месяц назад

I think I = in and C = charge separately.

@user-gz4mt2fl4m Месяц назад

'in charge' is in Chambers as 'i/c'. Funnily enough, I only discovered this recently, when I saw it in a crossword video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8nHT_9uLCGI.htmlfeature=shared&t=2098

@HydrantRooster Месяц назад

A bit a' cryptic clue 'n' all tha', alrigh'?

@emisformaker Месяц назад

Simon not a Lady Gaga fan confirmed.

@andrewshelley410 Месяц назад

How apt that one of your dictionary's definitions of 'S' was the roman numeral for '7'. Nope, me neither.

@peterbiddlecombe1939 Месяц назад

S for 7 is a “medieval roman numeral”. At some point in the Middle Ages, it seems that practically every letter of the alphabet represented some number in this way. They are described in the Wikipedia article on Roman numerals. In cryptic crosswords, you only need to worry about them in barred grid crosswords that use anything in Chambers. Puzzles like the Times crossword don’t.

@gordonglenn2089 Месяц назад

US American here. That British spelling of "chili" with 2 Ls really made me uncomfortable. I would have rejected it and ended the word with a Y.

@bobblebardsley Месяц назад

36:21 So much for there only being seven [redacted]...

@ianmcconachie4598 Месяц назад

rev ill eh

@sh4dowchas3r Месяц назад

In the UK for the bugle piece it tends more towards "Ruh Val ee". Obviously the French is nearer "rev eh".

@rhysbart Месяц назад

Simon needs to listen to more Lady Gaga

@kevinmartin7760 Месяц назад

Maybe RU-vid isn't keen on the lack of motion on the screen... Chile: A country in South America Chili: a hot pepper, or a sauce or stew made from them Chilly: cold Chilli: a spelling mistake (Firefox's spell checker agrees with me)

@gordonglenn2089 Месяц назад

The pepper is also called chile (Espanol). UK spelling is good with CHILLI.