Comments on: Financial Times 14,164 by Cincinnus

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:55:01 +0000

Keeper, thanks for commenting.

I did not understand that “mattress at the side of the road” bit either.

‘Bunk’ by itself can work as a synonym for abscond but ‘do a bunk’ is more common, and actually very common usage, I believe, at least in the UK. I could well be wrong about “takings”.

By: Keeper

Keeper — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:16:36 +0000

Bamberger @ 1: One type of abstainer is a non-drinker, who is likely to abandon (rather than occupy) a seat in a bar. I don’t understand your comment about a “mattress at the side of the road”.

Pete: Thanks for the blog. I didn’t realize bunk was a synonym for abscond. I’m not sure “takings” is more common than “take” (at least in the US, where we can describe a corrupt official as “on the take”.)

By: Pete Maclean

Pete Maclean — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:53:03 +0000

Hi Bamberger, That is most interesting about 12a. In the sense that it means there would be no wasted words in the clue, SOMA works better than ETNA. On the other hand, Mt. Etna is way better known. I have never heard of Mt. Soma — and I have been in NSW.

‘Takings’ is, I fancy, a more common term than ‘take’ for money received but both are frequently heard.

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:36:27 +0000

Arrg 12a not 1a

By: Bamberger

Bamberger — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:35:21 +0000

I couldn’t get 7d because I had 1a very confidently as as soma -it just had to use tam and o and shanter and mr google later confirmed it http://www.exploroz.com/Places/17970/NSW/Soma_Mountain.aspx.
I also couldn’t get 20a even with t?k?. I would have thought money received was takings not take.
24d also eluded me even with ?i?n.
I guessed 8d but can’t see how it works. Surely an abstainer is a fence sitter not someone who abandons a mattress at the side of the road?