Comments on: Guardian 25,447 / Araucaria

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:13:02 +0000

NORTON – that’s the one I couldnt solve and I am kicking my self as that’s the way my wife pronounces “northern” as in “come on Northern Ireland” – she’s from Tyrone (pronounced ti as in tin roan). As for Eileen and RCW tiff, calm down. Otherwise as bogbrush would say “great stuff guys”. Now I must get on with tonight’s pub quiz.

By: Martin P

Martin P — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 00:12:10 +0000

“Arsey writing” as Jonathan Ross might say.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:20:51 +0000

Thank goodness I’m not a teacher any more. This is where I do give up!

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:42:31 +0000

“definition in 8ac is not ‘in the home’ but ‘the home’”
That’s presumptuous!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:57:20 +0000

Oops! – thankfulLy, I do!

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:55:34 +0000

RCWhiting

If this were not my blog, I wouldn’t be coming back to you [in fact, I probably wouldn't have risen to your previous comment, since we both know we're poles apart on [among other things] what I call ‘loose cluing’ and you call ‘allusive definitions’] but, as a former teacher, I [often irritatingly, to myself, and, I'm sure, to others!] find I can’t not respond to queries that arise on my watch.

However, I can’t think of anything to add to my previous comment, so I’ll just have to paraphrase: the definition in 8ac is not ‘in the home’ but ‘the home’, for which, unlike ‘kitchen’ or ‘security’, ‘fireside’ is a dictionary definition, as I quoted earlier.

“You knew the synecdochic connection only after you had decided the answer was ‘fireside’ because it fits the cryptic.” is a rather presumptuous statement. I would quite naturally talk of ‘my own fireside’ [and I'm sure I have], even if I didn’t literally have one. Thankfuly, i do – a rather nice Edwardian one.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:53:04 +0000

If you haven’t done so, go back to yesterday and read Arachne’s late comment.

By: RCWhiting

RCWhiting — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:47:56 +0000

I am sorry, Eileen, but ‘in the home’ could have a thousand meanings, all as equally related as ‘fireside’
You knew the synecdochic connection only after you had decided the answer was ‘fireside’ because it fits the cryptic.
If the cryptic had clearly given me ‘kitchen’ or ‘security’ etc I would have written them in with equal alacrity.
I am not complaining, I like vague definitions which insist that you solve the cryptic – as you know.

By: chas

chas — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 16:00:07 +0000

RCWhiting
If I had known of such a critic then I might, perhaps, have grasped Norton. At least I have heard of those motor bikes.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:42:14 +0000

RCWhiting

The definition in 8ac is not vague nor allusive but synecdochic: in fact, Chambers gives ‘home’ and Collins ‘the home’ as a definition of ‘fireside’. Unlike 18ac on which I commented, ‘in’ here is simply a joining word.