Yahoo News Crosswords for beginners: from Inspector Morse to Barbara Windsor, it’s all Latin to me
Classical abbreviations are perfect for specifying particular letters in a clue – continuing our series for those tempted or daunted by cryptic crosswords
In the example clues below, I explain the two parts of each: there is a definition of the answer and there is some wordplay – a recipe for assembling its letters. In a genuine puzzle environment, of course, you also have the crossing letters, which hugely alleviate your solving load. Hence “crossword”. Also, the setters’ names tend to link to profiles of the individuals behind the pseudonyms.
The first words Inspector Morse says to DS Lewis are about a crossword clue. “Have a look at 14 down.” Fourteen down, Lewis sees, is:
Take in bachelor? It could do (3)
Morse has written BRA. Lewis isn’t sure what to say, so Morse airily dissects the clue:
‘“Bachelor” – that’s BA and “take” is the letter “r”, recipe in Latin. Did you never do any Latin?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Do you think I’m wasting your time, Lewis?’
Lewis was nobody’s fool and was a man of some honesty and integrity. ‘Yes, sir.’
This is when they know the partnership will work. The writer Colin Dexter devised a clue that demonstrates well the quirks a beginner needs to get his or her head round as the fun starts.
“Bachelor” for BA is fair enough, if a little tweedy – but Lewis is not expected to know that “recipe” is the second singular present imperative for “take”, nor that doctors have long written the charming symbol ℞ (an R with a cross through it to indicate that it’s an abbreviation) to mean “take” in a prescription. At least the answer is a normal word.
Here are some other Latin abbreviations that setters find handy and solvers quickly regard as second nature.
‘King’ = R
As we see on letterboxes, ER II and GR VI indicate monarchs Elizabeth and George via regina and rex. Hence the pillow that we are told belonged to Minder fan Prince Philip with the motto “ER II INDOORS”.
So when Vlad mentions this hapless monarch …
26a Anger that king has broken a bone (7)
[ definition: a bone ]
[ wordplay: synonym for “anger” (as a verb), “broken into by” abbrev for “king” ]
[ STIR UP containing R ]
… we turn him into an R before getting the bone in the ear we call a STIRRUP.
‘See’ = V
Once upon a time, a writer might refer you to another text by telling you in Latin to go “see” it: vide (as in video) or more curtly, “V”. In crosswords, we pretend this is still the case. So it is with this clue from late setter (and former National Union of Teachers president) Rover …
9a See Ingrid worried about using the car (7)
[ definition: using the car ]
[ wordplay: anagram (“worried”) of abbrev for “see” & INGRID ]
[ anagram of VINGRID ]
… for DRIVING.
‘That is’ = IE
A more familiar one, now, although one that gov.uk is phasing out with the advice “Try (re)writing sentences to avoid the need to use it”. So, when Boatman says “that is”, he wants you to change it via id est to IE …
17d Wait around – that is an intimately touching thing (8)
[ definition: an intimately touching thing ]
[ wordplay: synonym for “wait around” + abbrev for “that is” ]
[ LINGER + IE ]
… to obtain some LINGERIE.
‘Penny’ = D
When Lionel Bart’s furious producer Joan Littlewood yelled about the damage done to him by LSD, onlooker Barbara Windsor remarked: “That’s not fair. We’re all in it for the money, aren’t we?”
Windsor knew that the “D” in the old abbreviation for “pounds, shillings and pence” was for a penny – from the Latin denarius. And so “coin”, “penny” or “pence” may be asking you to look for a D, as with this clue from the recently departed Chifonie …
6d Flirting gets Penny a relationship (9)
[ definition: flirting ]
[ wordplay: abbrev for “penny” + synonym for “a relationship” ]
[ D + ALLIANCE ]
… for DALLIANCE. Of course, it could be a P, but not in this case as I don’t think PALLIANCE is a word.
‘Now’ = AD
In 2011, the BBC’s religion and ethics microsite explained why it used “BCE” in place of “BC” in its discussion of various faiths. Boris Johnson wrote a 1,000-word response as if the letters “BC” without the “E” had been banned across radio and television, notable for the aside: “I am afraid my faith is like a very wonky aerial, and I sometimes find the signal pretty scratchy”.
In crosswords, BCE would only really be useful for the answer JOBCENTRE; it’s AD that we encounter more often, though it takes a few examples before you intuitively try a leap from “now” or “these days” to the abbreviation for anno domini. Here’s Vulcan …
21d Very surprised these days to go round part of Hampton Court gardens (6)
[ definition: very surprised ]
[ wordplay: abbrev for “these days” outside (“to go round”) something seen at Hampton Court ]
[ AD outside MAZE ]
… leaving you AMAZED.
Beginners: any questions? Seasoned solvers and setters: which Latin abbreviations do you encounter more in crosswords than in “real life”?
Stay safe.
More guidance
Cryptic devices: hidden answers; double definitions; cryptic definitions; soundalikes; initial letters; spoonerisms; containers; reversals; alternate letters; cycling; stuttering; taking most of a word; naked words; first and last letters
Bits and bobs: Roman numerals; Nato alphabet; Greek letters; chemistry; abbreviations for countries; points of the compass; playing cards; capital letters; apostrophes; cricket; alcohol; the church; royals; newspapers; doctors; drugs; music; animals; cars; cities; rivers; boats; when the setter’s name appears; when the solver appears; ‘cheating’
Individual letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M
The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book by Alan Connor, which is partly but not predominantly cryptic, can be obtained from the Guardian Bookshop.
