Comments on: Guardian 24137 Araucaria Posted by Simply_Simon July 24th 2007

By: mark

mark — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:16:10 +0000

Stan

Thanks for your modest reply

A gimme hey.

By: muck

muck — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:33:23 +0000

Today’s Guardian ‘Correction & Clarifications’ admits that “A geographical error crept into cryptic crossword No 24,137 … Alston … is not in Northumberland but in Cumbria”.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:04:55 +0000

After posting my comment above, I looked at an online gazetteer and there were several Alstons, not one of them in Northumberland.

By: Colin Blackburn

Colin Blackburn — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 06:53:28 +0000

Hmm, I sometimes think Araucaria’s geography is a bit suspect. I know of no Alston in Northumberland—at least nothing that makes it into a decent sized gazetteer—and living in the North Pennines we definitely cross the border into Cumbria when going to Alston.

By: Stan

Stan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:46:47 +0000

Mark – “O Men” is like “O Calcutta” or “O what fools these mortals be”. It’s a bit of an old crossword cliche – it’s not usual for Araucaria to hand out gimmes like that.

By: mark

mark — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:43:09 +0000

Thanks Debbie for those explanations. CASH is very good and, sigh, so obvious when you see it.

I’ll not be convinced on OMEN though!

cheers

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:46:43 +0000

Mark,
The forerunners (first letters) of 1D) Cents And Shillings Have are CASH.
I thought omen 22D was OK.
Norland is a training college for nannies.
And, yes, I thought Alston was Cumbria too.

By: mark

mark — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 19:18:43 +0000

A few words I’ve never heard and aren’t in my dictionary but i guessed.

Simon – can i humbly request that when you post answers you explain fully for those of us slower on the uptake.

Still baffled by
1D – CASH – is that C=cent A=and (?!)and then SH (not just S?) for shilling. And why is cash a forerunner?
22D OMEN – how is O MEN an address to lots of chaps? YO MEN, HI MEN (plenty of wordplay from both I realise) but O (as in Oh?) Men.

Finally, 21 A I got it but I wasn’t well brought up. What/Who is NORLAND

Thanks and sighs

By: Simply_Simon

Simply_Simon — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:22:25 +0000

I think that CA refers to Carlisle, rather than Cumbria………..but I agree there seems to be an element of confusion, and the town features on a website called VisitCumbria.com.

By: muck

muck — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:00:32 +0000

My 1974 atlas shows Alston in Cumberland, but almost surrounded by Northumberland. “Alston, Northumberland” appears to have postcode CA9, so presumably is in Cumbria now.