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

Nancy Mitford word list of social shibboleths was it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

"U and non-U English usage, with U standing for upper class, and non-U representing the aspiring middle classes, were part of the terminology of popular discourse of social dialects (sociolects) in 1950s Britain and New England. The debate did not concern itself with the speech of the working classes, which in many instances used the same words as the upper class."

(ie what fizzles said)

lol at today's guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/cryptic/25326

nood vague, it's part of a whole contrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroversy that's summarised in a book 'noblesse oblige' with contributions from a mitford and a waugh and a linguist/sociology wonk. the l/s/w. wrote some lazy half-serious piece about 'u' and 'non-u' usage - like for a roast or something - and mitford wrote a piece about how these were important and serious things and the last bastion of the genteel and waugh wrote a piece going 'tch' and shaking his head but basically agreeing. if you read it you will want to kill everyone involved

which is why i've not read it :D

spoilers (aforementioned crossword was based on ivor novello awards. 'scouting for girls', 'kylie minogue', 'plan b' etc. trendy vicar...)

did pretty badly at that, considering. colleague got scouting and plan b but none of us got the kylie anag. got everything everything by deduction but i'm not sure i've ever heard of them, certainly never heard them.

i'd always imagined the ivor novello as some kind of poncey 'high culture' awards, seems like they're just another brits.

kind of like a Geir-ified Brits iirc

criteria for winning = melody, whiteness

tinie and dizzee are white?

They didn't win the Ivor Novello award though did they?

Tinie Tempah won Best Contemporary Song, Dizzee Rascal won the Inspiration Award.

wtf get out get out get out

i only knew that because i was googling for crossword answers - i am old.

never been so outraged at a thread hijack you savages

Cross word (8)

outraged

crucifix

Crucifix is right. Outraged works as well I suppose.

better, tbh

incorrect word (all caps) (5)

:P

sorry guys :-(

WRONG

thought that myself, but couldn't work out why?

just a rejoinder to me, i think. All caps for common ilx emphasis

Tho i'd of gone wiv RONG myself

^ TWA indicating correctness (3)

otm

this was neat (observer, sunday)

Flat in which Frenchman entertains girlfriend? (4-1-4)

---- - a - ----

probably

dammit i thought it was pied-a-terre yesterday but gave it up cos of the number of letters

but i think you meant (4-1-5) koogs which would allow for pie - date - erre

arse, i do. yes, pierre with date in the middle.

sunday's xword still only half finished, worst performance in a while.

Learned today:
EXTRA = non-batted cricket run
IOM = Isle of Man

HINNY = Geordie or Scots tearm of endearment, variant of "Honey"

Nocuous cluing that makes me rationally angry: under-defining, e.g. 'condition' for narcolepsy. Yeah thanks a bunch, that's really gonna help me get the word.

I'm also increasingly weary of the 20+ word anagrams and charades beloved of Araucaria and Paul. If I get them at all, it's because of the definition and checked letters, and I don't even bother to go back and figure out how the rest of it worked.

agree about overlong anagrams or mangling clues just to fit in a belaboured definition

Elegance of clue is the sign of a quality setter imo

I've complained about this before but Araucaria's prize crossword at the weekend was exactly what I hate about Araucaria: of 26 clues, 11 directly referred to 22A and 3 others referred to clues from that 11, so if you can't get 22A then that's over half the puzzle wiped out for you

(all the across clues were references and 2 of the down clues - I suppose the idea is that even if you can't get that clue you should still aim to get the down clues with no filled-in letters to help, and then guess at the other words from the letters until you have some idea what the across clues are about, but I'm afraid I don't work that way)

anyway I'm just bitter because I do like some of his work on the rare occasions I can get a way in, but not finding that way in is very frustrating

so tempted to post 'lol aw diddums' but tbh that does sound infuriating.

Anywhere i can sample one of these?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/prize/25334

I agree about the frustration when you can't get find a way in, but I do go in for the solving-in-reverse method and and if you manage to figure out the key it can be even more satisfying than just getting it straight.

i got 22A without really understanding the answer. reverse burlesque?

'maybe head; = definition; BT = telecommunicators, which leaves ODYPAR or RAPYDO backwards... yeah i got nuthin'.

it's Parody

wait what was the clue?

Parody did jump out as the anagram but i was lost looking for context.

is RAPYDO a word? cos all google's getting me is python modules and flickr user names

xp, ok. i think.

Maybe head of telecommunicators accepting inverted burlesque (4,4)

ODY - PAR

inverted, it is a meaning of "burlesque"

not wholly satisfying i agree

So 'inverted' means cut in half and swap around, rather than the more usual backwards. That's the kind of thing that makes me grrr. - who knew I was such a traditionalist.