for the pedantic types and wordsmiths

[ToffeeDan]

Auchinleckian wrote:

19 across is SERAPIS. Thought it may be associated with seraphim or something so googled the word, and hey ho! That makes 6 doon M---E-R-P, which looks a mighty funny word to me.

Mousetrap - Mo (doctor) use (resort) trap (gin)

I got that it is an anagram of Praises but I don't really recognise Serapis but appreciate the Seraphim angle. I guess since it's a hebrew word we can clearly spell it any way we like for the purposes of crosswords!

Some more good ones today I thought: Particularly the "Envious author on "the old 500" - GREEN-E-YE-D

For those who are still following this..

What the unsatisfied audience may shout (6) - Encore - which I thought was a clever use of English with regard to the word unsatisfied as opposed to dissatisfied.

What one may say when being shot (6) - Cheese!!

Can't get 19 down - is it Scraps? I had Peraps (perhaps?!) for Possible as an alternate.

[Auchinleckian]

I've got it as "scrape" as in a "serious scrape you've got into" but not entirely satisfied. However, it doesn't affect any other clues and unless I do better when I go back to it later tonight it'll stay there.

[ToffeeDan]

Auchinleckian wrote:

I've got it as "scrape" as in a "serious scrape you've got into" but not entirely satisfied. However, it doesn't affect any other clues and unless I do better when I go back to it later tonight it'll stay there.

Well I spose you could read it as.. Possible euphemism for (scrape) is (another word for) serious crime.. and I kind of read the rape bit in the answer but it's not wholly satisfying. I can only imagine that what goes through the setters mind is that it's perfectly clear to him.. but then again maybe the answer is stripe...strops.. scraps..

We'll know tomorrow. See if it's 2/2 this week..

[Auchinleckian]

Assuming 1 across is "bywards" as opposed to either towards or inwards. What does that make 1 down then "Oscar studies nymphs"? b-e-d-. Assuming studies is reads, does that make it "breads" which doesn't make sense?
Also, can't get 5 down p-r-t-r-n "Incinerator insufficient to contain rare insecticide"
That apart, have done the rest.

[ToffeeDan]

Auchinleckian wrote:

Assuming 1 across is "bywards" as opposed to either towards or inwards. What does that make 1 down then "Oscar studies nymphs"? b-e-d-. Assuming studies is reads, does that make it "breads" which doesn't make sense? Also, can't get 5 down p-r-t-r-n "Incinerator insufficient to contain rare insecticide" That apart, have done the rest.

ON WARDS.. I can't remember the word 1 down -- so maybe it's OREADS..

As for 5 down..dunno.. some sort of trade name? I'm working on it.

[Auchinleckian]

Chrissakes - had all the wards prefixes bar the one that actually made sense! A case of couldnae see the wood for the trees after so long looking at it.

[Auchinleckian]

Oreads were ancient Greek mountain nymphs. Not that they were that old though....

[ToffeeDan]

5 down p-r-t-r-n "Incinerator insufficient to contain rare insecticide"

PYRE TH-R-IN

Incinerator - Pyre
Insufficient - Thin (to retain/include) rare.. (rare stamp .. R) = insecticide..

Pyrethrin

Although I did go look it up.. 1st clue of the week to really stump me - at least in terms of the exact answer (well, if we exclude Oreads)

[Auchinleckian]

Aspired, praised, despair - one more with the same 7 letters. Clue - "may conatin American poo"

[slightfold]

Gee y'all know now that'll be DIAPERS

[Auchinleckian]

David Cameron - Avid Con Dream ( had that one printed in the Grauniad)

Tony Blair M.P. - I'm Tory Plan "B"

[ToffeeDan]

Grr. There goes my attempt at a perfect week in the Guardian crossword .. wtf is Notornis anyway - Google (now) tells me it's a genus of nonflying bird. And, somehow I couldn't get my head round "ipod" for music store (obviously really!)

Today I'm still working on 1 answer: O-t -f -o-k (3,2,4)

Clearly Out of -o-k .. which may be work?

Clue isn't very clear as it is simply 13, 10 - the answer to which was hors d'oeuvre - I'm thinking "OUT OF BOOK"

so A. do you have it?

EDIT - It's work cos hors d'oeuvre literally means "apart from the main work"

[Auchinleckian]

Redaction - the noble art of blacking out M.P.'s epense claims - "Tried a con" and "I don't care"

[ToffeeDan]

Well pretty much got me yesterday with all those composers.. but today Arucaria has excelled himself with some truly ghastly clues.. I'm 4 short of finishing at the moment..

You'll like this one tho..

Football manager's attendant in India eating a duck (3,9)

Ducks are the theme for the day in the clues....

Answer: Sam Allardyce - being "a mAllard" in Syce which is (apparently) a Hindi groom...

[Auchinleckian]

Have just finished nights and also had my grand daughter today so not had a lot of chance to get really stuck into it today yet. Let me know which clues you're still missing. I like the odd bod with dam at party.

[ToffeeDan]

Just one great clue from today's Guardian I thought I'd comment on:

Fighters' outfit inspires (9)

Answer later.. Perfect wordplay I think..