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The Hardest Times Crossword In Months
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Жыл бұрын** BONUS PUZZLE **
Today's Times cryptic crossword is the hardest for months. Simon decides to try and solve it live...
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@no-feetmcgee5577 Жыл бұрын
"Anthony adverse" is when Simon thinks Mark has sent him a puzzle as a prank.
@TiagoMorbusSa Жыл бұрын
Simon: "I'm sure most of you have already gotten this" Me: didn't get a single one
@Wecoc1 Жыл бұрын
"Don't be misled by thoughts of exotic lacy lingerie... you have to think of tops" That isn't helping, Simon 😆
@rubix4716 Жыл бұрын
1D is COVE + RAGE for the wordplay. Just like road rage is a driving incident, COVE RAGE might a sailing incident.
@TheMeanAdmin Жыл бұрын
That was the only wordplay I got before Simon did. After he helpfully solved it, of course.
@Christopher0601 Жыл бұрын
I love the sudoku content, but oh man I wish we got more frequent crosswords -- they're so fun to watch. Nice job simon :)
@ericcork34 Жыл бұрын
Cave Canem is quite famous as it was found on a mosaic in the ruins of Pompeii.
@highpath4776 Жыл бұрын
cave benedict from some kind of public school I think comes to mind
@kf6eml Жыл бұрын
Cave canem! Beware of the dog!
@KeplersDream Жыл бұрын
Cave Canem was the only one I actually got 😄
@Rob-ew9id Жыл бұрын
It never ceases to amaze me how Simon solves these puzzles that I can hardly get anywhere with, but then needs five minutes to work out why "side with monarch" can mean heads. Instantaneous for me and I can hardly do cryptics at all.
@emilywilliams3237 Жыл бұрын
Me too - and I only "do" cryptics by watching Simon and Mark do them.
@EkuuleusNorth Жыл бұрын
There must be something in that. I'm awful at cryptic, yet I got side with Monarch instantly too.
@ConManAU Жыл бұрын
Sometimes it helps that you’re not familiar with so many cryptic tricks because you don’t get misdirected.
@kevevev Жыл бұрын
Love when you delve back into cryptic crosswords, thanks for showcasing this Simon. Fiendishly dfficult!
@davidrattner9 Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much Simon for releasing this bonus video for us!! Your solves of cryptic crosswords and how you take the time to fully explain each answer is masterclass!!
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
Totally agree!
@Ruddigore Жыл бұрын
More, more, more..... I live for Cryptic Crosswords. It's why I joined CTC way back when.
@RikusNel Жыл бұрын
Cove rage... Raging pirate at the cove..
@emilywilliams3237 Жыл бұрын
I don't get why, entirely, but only on that last word, HEADSTAY, I knew immediately that "side with monarch" was the opposite of tails on a coin. But in a way, that is a tribute to you and Mark who have taught me to think out of my usual pathway when reading cryptic crossword clues. Now, maybe in another 10 years I will be able to do one or two clues all by myself. (And no I did not get cross with you in the slightest ...) Thanks for this bonus content, always love the crosswords.
@Dysiode Жыл бұрын
You make it so easy to follow along, I felt so smart just recognizing what you were explaining!
@FullazInTheHood Жыл бұрын
“Be not misled with thoughts in your head of exotic lacy lingerie.” Ahhh… now I know why I have never been able to solve a cryptic😂😂😂
@bobblebardsley Жыл бұрын
If the only mistake you make is a single incorrect vowel in an answer that isn't even in English, I don't think you can feel too bad about that 👍
@sssoleil Жыл бұрын
Literally the only clue I got before Simon was the last clue that stumped him. That's how it goes.
@LexicographicalPedant Жыл бұрын
Somehow, in a rare stroke of luck, I did get the cave canem clue from a deep dive into latin I had 6 years ago, triggered by a QI episode
@Dysiode Жыл бұрын
"Cove rage" is really clever
@grenvillephillips6998 Жыл бұрын
I always enjoy these because I treat them as a lesson in "crossword" thinking, which I often find is difficult to maintain.
@nendwr Жыл бұрын
Anthony Adverse is one of those extremely long, confusing historical dramas that cinematographers could get away with in the 1930s. Orphan has Sliding Doors moment with beloved and goes off to Africa to make money in the slave trade sort of thing. Different times...
@MrBigrig5 Жыл бұрын
Thank goodness this was posted… tried to take a stab at it earlier today and thought it was monstrous. Well done Simon!!!
@maxstunner100 Жыл бұрын
Awesome! Please can you do more cryptic crosswords. 😊
@skymotel2 Жыл бұрын
Simon, I love watching you solve cryptic crosswords... I am useless with words and just love the odd time that I get just one clue before you. It happens in one video in four.... Please do more.❤
@th.nd.r Жыл бұрын
INCREDIBLE! Gosh this must take a month to set, ya know? Such incredible clues all around. Well solved!
@andrewjanssen8663 Жыл бұрын
Once there were a few letters in 1 Across, I was reading “mind the setter” as “beware the dog”, not as anything to do with the puzzle setter.
@deaneshort4111 Жыл бұрын
Great effort Simon. I tried this on the day and never did get HEADSTAY. Presume the last comment was something to do with the Magpie’s 20th anniversary. Would love to see more advanced cryptic content on here. Love Magpie btw. Thanks to you and Mark for starting it (and the rest of the editorial team)
@howardwilde Жыл бұрын
Thanks for doing crossword content! Also, kudos to the setter (!) for a stupendous puzzle. Truly beautiful clues, and one of the best regular cryptics I've seen in ages.
@peterdunlop7691 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for giving me almost an hour of incredible entertainment.
@michaellott3575 Жыл бұрын
Simon, absolutely no consolation but I got stuck on those 2 clues as well; a most artful compiler. And yes more videos like this one please.
@mjkluck Жыл бұрын
Always like watching these solves. Wish more were posted.
@nickburton5871 Жыл бұрын
I managed about a third of them, but I did get the last 2 you struggled with, which gave me a most uncharitable level of pleasure! Having learned Latin years ago it's nice to have a use for it at last, and living afloat I scanned 16d. differently. Feeling very smug! Thank you so much for the extra video today!
@peterjongsma2779 Жыл бұрын
If Simon didn't have to explain it to us, I'm sure he'd be the quickest solver. Except for the last clue , because he's too stubborn to use Chambers Dictionary.
@purplezart Жыл бұрын
the end of this puzzle turns out to be a real cointoss! XD
@Teverell Жыл бұрын
1A is a simply genius bit of word-play... 'would you mind' = watch out, beware = cave (in Latin). 'The setter, maybe' - a setter is a type of dog (The 'maybe' indicates it's a dog, doesn't have to be any particular breed). 'using Latin' - 'beware of the dog' in Latin is 'cave canem'. Absolutely genius.... and very very hard if you don't know any Latin. Definitely one of the more common Latin expressions and one well worth remembering in the future!!
@heydh. Жыл бұрын
I never studied Latin but I've known one across ever since seeing a mosaic from ancient Rome in my local museum with that phrase on it. ;) Always love these puzzles and am always surprised when I get a few of them right!
@barneytrubble Жыл бұрын
I was happy to get butterfly (from the letters Simon had already provided), as that was the only clue I managed to get
@Anne_Mahoney Жыл бұрын
Simon, you keep meowing that you don't have any Latin. Well, I teach Latin (among other things), so here are a couple of pointers. Tore Janson, "A Natural History of Latin" (Oxford, 2007), is a good overview of how the language works and where it comes from, with some basic grammar and vocabulary thrown in. Coulter George, "How Dead Languages Work" (Oxford, 2020), covers Latin as well as Greek, Sanskrit, Old English, and more, with less grammatical detail but more literature; I assign this to first-year university students. Frederick Bodmer, "The Loom of Language" (London, 1944, with many reprints), is designed for the intelligent adult who wants to pick up a bit of one or more modern European languages, and also explains Latin in some detail. Or just take the Wikipedia "List of Latin phrases (full)" and browse that until some of the common ones stick in your head 😸 As for the phrase in the puzzle, it's properly pronounced "KAA-way KAA-nem" (but the "way" part shouldn't be a diphthong). Cave is from the verb caveo, cavere, meaning to beware of something, fear it, look out for it. Canem is the direct object form of the noun canis, meaning a dog (from which we get canine). Singular direct objects often end in -m but the previous vowel depends on which kind of noun it is: feminam, woman (A noun); lupum, wolf (O noun); mulierem, woman (consonant noun); exercitum, army (U noun); rem, thing (E noun). You'd written canum at first, but that would be the possessive plural, like dogs' in English. Latin can be lots of fun: don't hesitate to jump in and start playing with it!
@ThePlebicide Жыл бұрын
I got to Heads as in coin a bit before Simon, which makes me happy. Anthony Adverse is a book and film, I had never heard of. It won an Oscar apparently.
@stephenjames2951 Жыл бұрын
Waiting in anticipation for when Simon gets ‘side with a monarch’ was hilarious
@inwalters Жыл бұрын
Yes. Gale Sondergaard won the very first Best Supporting Actress Oscar and it was the third movie role for Dame Olivia de Havilland.
@inwalters Жыл бұрын
42:29 - "Beware of the Dog" always reminds me of the famous Roald Dahl World War II short story of that name, which was adopted into the James Garner movie '36 hours". No spoilers, so you'll have to go read it yourself.
@GordonjSmith1 Жыл бұрын
Really enjoyed it, rather peculiarly for me the two clues you stumbled on I got quite quickly (but not much of the rest). However I did study Latin a little, and love sailing! More like this please ! So engaging to watch.
@ChrisProfrock Жыл бұрын
21:30 I also think a "Mark of Democracy" could be seen as Taxes.
@elLooto Жыл бұрын
In construction a stay is a support that stops something tall and thin (like a wall or a post) from falling over during construction
@highpath4776 Жыл бұрын
I think boiler stays, mostly railway locomotive, to keep the walls of the pressure vessel expanding or falling in on themselves.
@hoofa2000 Жыл бұрын
That was glorious. Watching your pains on HEADS was so funny. I was hanging for that lightbulb moment. More Crosswords please. One per week maybe?
@phyphor Жыл бұрын
Nice to see my friend Matthew getting yet another shout out! And nice to see you doing an incredibly tough cryptic with great skill and finesse!
@timotab Жыл бұрын
*waves* why am I not surprised to see you here? :)
@Shif80 Жыл бұрын
Hearing Simon say “side with monarch” over and over…..
@bluerizlagirl Жыл бұрын
I was screaming at Simon about 16D! He even had the right answer earlier, but didn't bother to try to reverse-engineer the wordplay from the answer!
@_mnejing Жыл бұрын
"Ana" may be easy for some of your viewers to understand if you consider the word "Americana." Which is, more or less, things that represent the "story" of America or are distinctly "American." According to Wiktionary, they share the same root.
@Stephen-Fox Жыл бұрын
Always enjoy a cryptic crossword video.
@bibliopolist Жыл бұрын
A very good solve, especially as I actually got two way earlier than Simon did (usually I get none at all, not being anative speaker): Cave Canem (yes, I did take Latin, but am proud to have spotted the setter) and "headstay" (with the right idea as to how the clue worked well). Was putting Anthony in the description maybe a prank? I loved that part. Still I don't see why that novel should be a "historic work" at all.
@RiseofPerfection Жыл бұрын
49:11 Yeah, Simon, you could say we want some cross words with you! ..i‘ll let myself out thanks. Awesome solve though. For me almost all clues were utter gibberish
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
Yes please - tell us about your venture with Mark before CTC!! ❤
@Anne_Mahoney Жыл бұрын
The Magpie, I assume?
@razercore7591 Жыл бұрын
My mind just does not work like this. I've never gotten a single one in any of these crossword puzzles that you do. I actually watch these videos because they're relaxing even though I can't get any of the answers. XD
@vinyl1Earthlink Жыл бұрын
My time was 56 minutes, so I did solve it. Ana is a back-formation from words like Johnsoniana or Shakespeariana.
@kutludenizilgaz2175 Жыл бұрын
Anthony Adverse is a historical novel set in the Napoleonic era and spans three continents
@ambigyouus1 7 ай бұрын
1a: early on you seem to refer to presumably a "vade mecum" - a portable handbook again named from the Latin. 8d: perhaps the Edda not the ana?
@zachpekarsky6905 Жыл бұрын
I don't know what you're planning exactly, but just the thought of magpie content is getting me excited
@Mujaki Жыл бұрын
For 9 across, the "king" abbreviation could also be from playing cards. KQJ, King Queen Jack.
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
Lovely surprise this morning!
@davidrattner9 Жыл бұрын
Absolutely gorgeous to have this to get your day going!!!
@onlyonewayrm Жыл бұрын
I adore a crossword video!! Made my day! I got the head of the coin thing but also didn't believe headstay to be a word so dismissed it... asides from that I got nothing 🤣🤣🤣
@yaboyJJJJJ Жыл бұрын
Hey, I'm not sure if you guys read replies often, but I would like to ask that in future cryptic crosswords you would explain a bit more about why certain answers fit the questions. In sudoku videos you explain every single time that the digits of a row sum to 45, but in this puzzle you just say "twig can be get" without any explanation. I want to like cryptic crosswords but they mostly seem like absolute gibberish to me, and even with the answers I still often have no clue how that's a fair puzzle.
@robertfoster6070 Жыл бұрын
I usually complete the Saturday Express prize crossword in my head before writing anything in.
@martinwilson5210 Жыл бұрын
Enjoyed it very much, doubt I would ever have solved it.
@Raven-Creations Жыл бұрын
1D is cove rage, like road rage gives rise to an incident in the street, using the language of tabloid reporters. The Sally Army is the Salvation Army - I'm sure you know this, but it seemed to slip your mind. That was a tough puzzle, but apart from cave canem and Anthony Adverse, which required specific knowledge, the clues were very fair. Once you spot the answer, most of them are just really clever clues, with superb misdirection. I did like the Lord's single, and that side with monarch was brilliantly evil. That bein=bat was also fiendish. The buffet car was just a lovely bit of cluing. Even "don" was taking a classic cryptic clue and using it in a different sense. I wouldn't have got Anthony Adverse, but apparently it's "a 1936 American epic historical drama film", and even this subverts ones idea of a historic work.
@RoderickEtheria Жыл бұрын
Road rage for cars, cove rage for boats?
@oregonexpat Жыл бұрын
The only thing I can lay claim to is seeing that it was a coin reference, everything else was outside my experience, and I can only take solace in the fact that I am not English, and thus mostly don’t have a clue what they are thinking about when they made the puzzle . What is a Bovverboy?
@thescrewfly Жыл бұрын
A nickname for a skinhead troublemaker, one seeking "bother".
@poppyholly1759 Жыл бұрын
(UK) A hooligan who creates bother (trouble), specifically a member of a skinhead gang. In South London accent Bother pronounced as Bovver.
@lovelifetothefull1 Жыл бұрын
Simon, got “Headstay” 15 seconds before you did😊. Excellent work. Well done.
@andrewgrant6516 Жыл бұрын
The best presenter before the start of the week is back. (5)
@hoagy_ytfc Жыл бұрын
“Setter” is clue for dog is beautifully mischievous.
@pascalpp Жыл бұрын
Yelling "coin" at my screen for 10 minutes 😛
@Enkil01 Жыл бұрын
Yah! Love the crossword videos wish there was more. I thought of that last clue headstay, as i thought it meant 'side with Monarch' stay with the head eg stay with king. Never got the coin connection, so think was lucky. Think headstay is something to do with sailing.
@lizzyvv447 Жыл бұрын
I was inspired by one of your videos a while ago to come up with a few cryptic clues myself. Here is one I'm quite proud of: Minute or second? Strange outside inquiry. (4) But let's just say I'll mainly stick with sudokus, cuz most of this cryptic stuff is way beyond me....
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
What is the answer?
@lizzyvv447 Жыл бұрын
@@longwaytotipperary tiny
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
I understand “outside inquiry” = “iy”. How does “Strange” = “tn?”
@lizzyvv447 Жыл бұрын
@@longwaytotipperary Minute = second strange + outside inquiry; T iny
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
@@lizzyvv447 ah - the “?” was camouflage.
@peterjohnclayton Жыл бұрын
Cave Canum - Beware of the dog! It bit you...
@nendwr Жыл бұрын
*Canem. It's third declension. Like Romanes. ;-)
@purplezart Жыл бұрын
@@nendwr "people called 'romanes' they go the house"?!
@forthrightgambitia1032 Жыл бұрын
K King is also an abbreviation in playing cards...
@waneasle Жыл бұрын
I'm going on a first date today! ☺️ Not that it has anything to do with the video but wanted to share anyways.
@CrackingTheCryptic Жыл бұрын
Good luck, hope it goes great!
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
Have fun!
@TheMeanAdmin Жыл бұрын
Not as fast solve as we would normally see from Mark - maybe that's why I managed to keep up with a good quarter of it. Not sure about the rest - maybe because English is not my first (or second, or third) language, maybe because my education severely lacked in cricket curriculum, so it cannot qualify as sufficiently classic, or maybe because I'm not nearly as terminally British as the setter is ^^;
@markbennet9058 Жыл бұрын
What a brilliant puzzle
@wdvorak Жыл бұрын
Monarch is the head for a country, but I don't think I've every heard of that term/word.
@HeroDarkStorn Жыл бұрын
There are people who set cross-words. There are people who solve cross-words. There are people who solve cross-words for best time. There are people who fake their solve to get best time. TIL: There are also people, who prove fake cross-word solvers to be fake cross-word solvers.
@LandOfForeverSummer Жыл бұрын
Always enjoy these videos
@Fogmeister Жыл бұрын
I knew the first one was using "setter" as an example of a dog. And "canum" is the latin for dog. I didn't realise until I googled that "Cave Canum" is latin for "beware of the dog" :D
@bibliopolist Жыл бұрын
Well, not really. Canum is the genitive plural, as in "of the dogs". Dog is "canis" or, a bit older-fashioned, "canes" (both words exist). The accusative of the latter is "canem", as found on that classical mosaic from Pompei.
@mitrisharaiha8916 Жыл бұрын
I love these cryptic crosswords
@johnsouza4391 Жыл бұрын
Cove is a bay. So 'rage' in a 'cove'...coverage. clever.
@matthewjohnson6360 Жыл бұрын
You fill in a bubble, like with tests when it comes to voting in the states.
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
As in Irish Setter.
@sumyrda2772 Жыл бұрын
Those tests where you fill in bubbles on a scannable card are also a US thing. It's not done like that in Europe.
@Rockki2 Жыл бұрын
I get cove rage sometimes in my boat 😊
@leonardopalozzi620 Жыл бұрын
Side with Monarch Scottish banker providing support
@oldinion Жыл бұрын
setter maybe = doggo, => cave canem
@leonardopalozzi620 Жыл бұрын
Leedstay
@johnsouza4391 Жыл бұрын
Were you thinking of 'edda' not 'ana'?
@lanaevans8319 Жыл бұрын
monarch is head, headstay is a part of a baost
@kumquats1000 Жыл бұрын
Can we get a video of you trying to speed solve one of these once?
@shalaz1981 Жыл бұрын
Nibs and nobs is indeed from cribbage.
@highpath4776 Жыл бұрын
are they interchangable ? I know one relates to the Jack/Knave
@shalaz1981 Жыл бұрын
@@highpath4776 they both relate the Jack. If the dealer cuts a Jack, the dealer pegs two points before play starts. This is known as a nib. When a player has a Jack in their hand that matches the suit of the cut card, the player pegs one additional point during scoring. This is known as a nob.
@longwaytotipperary Жыл бұрын
@@shalaz1981 thanks for the explanation!
@cakemonitor842 Жыл бұрын
I've always played it as 'two for his heels' and 'one for his nob'. I've not heard of 'nibs' before, is that a regional thing?
@highpath4776 Жыл бұрын
@@shalaz1981 Cheers, no wonder I was confused.
@lizzyvv447 Жыл бұрын
I thought Simon had heard of the phrase Cave Canem? I'm pretty sure I've heard him say it on this channel a few times!
@archivist17 Жыл бұрын
What a stinker! But an enjoyable one. 😀
@nwdreamer Жыл бұрын
Well, I can tell I won't be doing any of these any time soon! Most of the answers are unknowable for Americans using our version of English!
@elLooto Жыл бұрын
That and the numerous cricket references in this one.
@tomrussell7899 Жыл бұрын
cave canem beware of dog(a setter?)
@ZahraIsMyDog Жыл бұрын
This is fantastic. Please do more of these! BTW, most of America uses voting machines.
@Sponsie1000 Жыл бұрын
it's kinda weird how so many clues are to do with cricket in particular. Like, l understand that the main demographic is Brittain and that sport is quite big over there, but it's still way more niche than for instance knowing the abbreviations for the chess-pieces
@highpath4776 Жыл бұрын
The american ones were a bit baseball / NFL orientated !!
@TheClawNinja Жыл бұрын
This is some messed up stuff here...
@sarahnash7174 Жыл бұрын
Yes indeed, one for his non (or his nibs) is cribbage
@henrymarkson3758 Жыл бұрын
noballs, arundel, holbein. Too many cricket references.
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