Comments on: Guardian 25,257 by Rufus

By: Geoff Chapman

Geoff Chapman — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:22:53 +0000

Thank you PeterO. Chambers listing it without the accent clears things up for me.

By: grandpuzzler

grandpuzzler — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:36:41 +0000

Thanks PeterO, etal, for your responses to my rhyming slang inquiry. There is a lot for me to learn. I don’t think I’ll be ready for tomorrow’s test (unless it’s open-book).

Cheers…

By: PeterO

PeterO — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 23:29:25 +0000

Geoff Chapman @23 – I’m not sure where your concern lies. It can hardly be that the two words have different meanings; that is the nature of a double definition clue. That they are pronounced differently? Crosswords are a quintessentially written diversion, and solvers must take such in their stride. That one is spelled with an accent, one without? There are two counters to that: a) crosswords regularly ignore accents along with punctuation; and b) Chambers at least lists the tea as mate with or without the accent.

By: morpheus

morpheus — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:37:08 +0000

Grandpuzzler, if you can get it in the States let me recommend the excellent if slightly corny show “Only Fools and Horses” which will provide you with many amusing opportunities to practise you knowledge of Cockney Rhyming Slang.

By: Carrots

Carrots — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:55:19 +0000

Stella/Rufus/K`s Dad/ Oh! THAT kind of scorer: Rufus, you should have said(!!)

K`s D:……er, wots a “chill-pill” ?? Never heard of this either: bettter reply via e-mail if it involves exotic substances!

Thanks all.

By: Geoff Chapman

Geoff Chapman — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:18:58 +0000

Re 27, “Mate”

China (plate) – Mate
Tea – Ma-te (Mar-tay)

Those are two totally different words. I guess I’m missing something. For the record, Yerba Mate is HUGE in Argentina and southern Chile. Whole shops devoted to it. People drink it in the street. Some even smoke it.

By: tupu

tupu — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 18:03:47 +0000

Hi grandpuzzler
As others say, it can be a problem, but in some cases (like rabbit = prattle and china = mate) one just gets to know the words and the rhyming slang is just the etymology. I didn’t even remember about rhyming slang today with ‘mate’ since I know the expression ‘my old china’ anyway. Like PeterO, I didn’t consciously know about ‘rabbit and pork’ though I may well have seen it at some time or other.

By: LoriB

LoriB — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:13:35 +0000

Grandpuzzler,

As a fellow Yank, I have found the rhyming slang a challenge as well. As I’ve been doing these puzzles over the last year, I find that it often just comes down to deciding that it has to be a rhyming slang answer because there’s no other way to parse it, and with a combination of crossing letters and (regretfully) consulting google I can usually come up with it.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:58:31 +0000

Carrots @ no 17 … take a chill pill (or perhaps another pinta).

I think SCORER is fine. As someone who’s spent many a Saturday afternoon with pen in hand recording the goings on of the men (and increasingly now at our cricket club, women) in white, the clue works for me.

By: Rufus

Rufus — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:54:14 +0000

Thanks for the comments above.
Some of the queries have been answered. For Carrots query, may I suggest a scorer “makes a record of the score”?