The official bored-at-work cryptic crossword pass it on thread.

I think lispers would have trouble with both sibilants and pronounce it ethicth.

Mr. Botts's was an Earthworm (7)

I am absolutely astounded I got this one. Just seeing if anyone else knows the obscure reference.

no.

http://www.farmcollector.com/Farm-life/The-Natural-Born-Salesman.aspx

clue a bit lacking imo.

Agree. Frank W. Lewis (The Nation has a lot of those purely cryptic clues that aren't anagrams or other wordplay, they're just arcane references to things. I guessed this one only because I had spotted the movie title Earthworm Tractors in Leonard Maltin's guide. (Joe E. Brown, 1936. I've never seen it.)

Took my own stab at it. Don't know if this exactly works, but I think so?

Model T, cart or farm vehicle. (7)

Flurry of penetrating rain washed away camping equipment (4,3)

you got it?

yeah

arachne is vg today

i did yesterday's online and it took less than 10 mins. arachne is pretty good as i remember

One for the lex from today's grauniad:

Going further shaking bottom, extremely cute singer (7)

And I wouldn't have got this if I didn't watch Family Guy:

Clam — 50p with a pig? (6)

And this neologism:

One following chatter incessantly, partial to rubbish, their characters limited (10)

Ha nice!

I liked this one from today as well:

14d Like this clue: "Bowel disorder" — its location? (4,5)

i liked the beyoncé one obv but this was my favourite clue in that crossword:

Change of heart in a little Australian prayer (5)

yesterday's enigmatist prize crossword was actually impossible beyond three obvious ones. completely stumped otherwise.

Today's Guardian:

Coldplay's latest hit (newer compilation) (3,7,4)

Beware of misleading David Essex influences.

This is driving me crazy:

Mathematicians tables (8)

--B-T-RS

There are only 6 words in my online Crossword Solver that fit those letters, and none of them seem to fit the definitions.

Gah, finally solved it myself. Mathematicians and tables are both counters, which was my initial inclination. That makes the B incorrect, because the down clue was:

Johnny Reb's counterpart?

...and I had BILLY YANK, because according to wiki:

Johnny Reb or Johnny Rebel is the national personification of the Southern states of the United States.[1] The latter part of his name is derived from Rebellion. Patriots used Johnny Reb and his Union counterpart Billy Yank to symbolize the common soldiers in the American Civil War of the 1860s.

The actual answer was UNION JACK, and it's effing horrible.

Not particularly hard but a nice clue from today's Guardian:

Anne McGregor is, perhaps, being alarmist (14)

ha

good but was slightly more impressed by

Those leading clubs ruffed Omar Sharif's spade in new game of bridge (8)

Another nice one from today's Grauniad:

10 Liam Brady played like this (9)

Setter obv an Arsenal fan.

thought about posting here, one of the wotd things (nice words today at both dictionary.reference.com and merriam-webster) but didn't bother. had a look at previous words of the day on the one site out of boredom, first time in a month or so.

i go back to observer crossword and realise one of the answers is one of the previous words of the day i've just looked at. thanks dictionary.reference.com

14A Unhappy keeping scholarly woman (12)

this crossword also contains 'plighting' and 'omerty' and i'm struggling a bit...

just plugging my friend's book about cryptics, which is funny and informative and full of good clues and well-produced. The ideal Christmas present etc.

(it cited ilx in one draft, but I think that changed in the final version)

John Graham (AKA Araucaria, Cinephile etc) RIP

my favourite. RIP

RIP :(

Damn. RIP.

aw RIP, will miss his insane Xmas crossword, though maybe he did one more before passing on for old time's sake

yeah i was selfishly hoping for a few unreleased puzzles, but tbh maybe they could just rerun v. old ones

When d crozier passed a few years back they released a book of crosaire so maybe something similar to be hoped for

RIP. Heavy bummer. He was also 1/4 of Biggles with three other complilers, all called John, or we Johns ie W.E. Johns. A lovely little bit of wordplay that I've done a horrendous job of describing.

RIP

expecting to see a lot of tribute xwords/clues in the coming days

Aw RIP.

I think I said something somewhat uncharitable on this thread previously. I came around in the end.

Begin to take drugs regularly for that dreamy feeling (8)

from today's Graun. i have the answer but i am a little peeved about the work "regularly" is doing there, unless my reasoning is off

btw if anybody else has done it today i need 23 down and the first word of 1 down, had enough tbh

think i have 23 down but the logic is a little iffy

never mind, finished

Less than pleased with the two main clues having no definition except each other. Throw us a freaking bone.

i liked the two big ones, they get easy enough once you've enough letters in

I couldn't see 'em. Have come across that line in an xword before but hadn't internalized it. Mea culpa.

Araucaria clues galore
http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2013/nov/27/crossword-blog-araucaria-john-graham

Today's Guardian. I like Boatman, tricky but not too devious!

’70s rock instrument used in Wales (9)

hmm, not sure what work "used" is doing there

yeah, it doesn't break the clue though?

the Graun is much fun today imo

Thats nae fuckin good to us

Hey remember we used to post clues in here?

How far behind time am I to be this lonely? Fifty!(8)

xp wellll i cheated on a few and idk if charlie for **** is one level of indirection too many... but i liked the ones i got, especially 20 ac, and yeah good theme well done mustn't grumble.

How far behind time am I to be this lonely? Fifty!(8)

I think you mean five hundred but I'll let you off as I half cheated to figure that out.

Very likely crosaire was the only reason i even knew my romans