Alan Connor finds forgetfulness and feminine funds in his pick of the best – and hoariest – cryptic clues
News of the clues
What characteristics are demanded in a newspaper's crossword editor? The most obvious answers are along the lines of being good at spelling, and spotting mistakes. But also ...
This position requires a flair for crossword-setting but also to have an impressive level of organisation and diplomacy to manage the network of Times crossword-setters sensitively and appropriately.
... a certain delicacy, according to the new job ad for the Times' cross-boss.
The news in clues
It's schadenfreude time regarding those driven into brutal paroxysms by the idea of a woman in their wallet. Scorpion's puzzle in the Independent made repeated reference to men "of note" – an enigmatic description which seemed to apply to scientists …
21d Man of note sees Ripleyarounddrama school (7)
… such as Michael FARADAY but also to architects ...
27d Man of noterightto dissectrevolutionary novel (4)
… such as Christopher WREN - until the penny dropped with the clue …
25 Future woman of note given goldstar (top 50%)in French (6)
… for Jane AUSTEN that these are all notables who have appeared on banknotes. And once a decision is recognised in crosswording, it becomes irrevocable. Ha!
Latter patter
Picaroon crammed into a Guardian puzzle a staggering number of related answers, including LONG IN THE TOOTH, GETTING ON, RAGING and the frankly wonderful DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT. For me, though, the highlight was the all-in-one-ish feel of the clue …
7d/5d Withonset of nineties, memoriesnotworking could result in one (6,6)
… for SENIOR MOMENT. Collins defines the phrase as …
(humorous) a lapse of memory common in elderly people
… and Oxford's earliest citation is from some 17 years ago:
1996 Re: probably Most Stupid Question to ask in this Group in rec.food.cooking (Usenet newsgroup) 3 May, Please ignore this person. He is obviously suffering from a senior moment.
Pharmaceutical firms, always of interest to word-watchers because of such coinages as VEPOLOXAMER and NEXBOLIZUMAB, as explained in this Gizmodo piece on what is and isn't allowed in drug names. They're also on the lookout for new pieces of argot themselves, if the memory-recall products being sold as "Senior Moment®" are anything to go by.
How did we describe forgetfulness before the internet was remembering 1990s coinages for us? Hmm. The only expression that springs to mind is one used by the Ghost in Hamlet:
And duller shouldst thou be
Then the fat weede which rootes it selfe in ease On Lethe wharffe.
Less jocose, to be sure, but no less evocative in its adding of a harbour to the Greek underworld river whose waters made you forgetful, and the subject of our next challenge. Reader, how would you clue LETHE WHARF?
Clueing competition
Thanks for your clues for Enigmatist's given name, JOHN. What a wonderful tour through the Johns of the world, as in jonemm's "Woo the director to hurt another actor?" and "Channel 4 newsreader casually injecting heroin in the toilet" and andyknott's valedictory "Old King Cole, RIP".
Of the many excellent lavatorial clues, my favourites included Truth101's "Sessions in the bathroom?", steveran's "Ladies' man?" and "He gives the Americans something to go on" and phitonelly's "Major inconvenience".
The most audacious clue in terms of construction and surface was surely ixioned's "Connor's delight when not being terminated, Hugh Stephenson is gutted". I was also tickled by the surprising surfaces of yungylek's "Playing e-mahjong's no game for him" and phitonelly's "Saint takes part in The Haj. Oh no!".
The runners-up are Clueso's Beatlesy "WC Fields always inspired him?" and machiajelly's fond "For starters, Biggles' creator loses 3 points"; the winner is andyknott, who just gets away with "Bullshitter?" for its economical exactitude. Kudos to Andy - please leave this fortnight's entries and your pick of the broadsheet cryptics below.
Clue of the fortnight
As the bookshops fill with various spurious celebrity memoirs, a note of caution from Mudd – known to Guardian solvers as Paul– in his FT clue ...
4d More than one fibencapsulatingfineautobiography (4,5)
… for LIFE STORY. Caveat emptor!