Generalist

[Ont-ice]

I'm stuck in LH bottom corner. I've Googled booze-cruise and found that it's a UK TV show. Will someone please give me some info about this and perhaps I can come up with the answer to 44A.

[slaney]

Not a TV show in this context, Ont-ice , but what you do when you go on a day-trip to buy French wine !

[Ont-ice]

Hi slaney
I know what I would do, but it doesn't fit the clue. I'll diddle around some more and see what I can find apart from TV shows.
Thanks
O-ice

[slaney]

Let me know if you want another hint.

[Ont-ice]

39A. How about the word for 'beggar?' I can't find anything that fits with my ????g?i?
I've checked all my dictionaries and my Bradford, but that G seems to be out of place and I'm sure that I have 32D correct.
If I had the beggar it's possible that I'd be able to unstick myself in this one corner. Possible, but perhaps improbable.

[slaney]

39a Besognio

[Ont-ice]

Thanks Slaney. I bet you found it in Chambers which is the only dictionary I don't possess. No answer required unless we come back to this link later.
Thanks again
O-ice

[Ont-ice]

LH corner completed. Thanks slaney.

[slaney]

Good, and good luck with the rest.
Bought a Chambers about a month ago,and it has been a great help...don't think I could do without it now.

[lector]

hi Ont-ice .... may be this will help for next time -

like you, I had ????G?O?

I looked at 39d) and found this site (Google 'marmot species) -
http://www.napak.com/marmots_of_the_world.html

which suggested only 14 species of marmot -

3 of which were 5 letters..... respectively beginning with letters A, B, H

I then used -
http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/wordg ames/word_wizards/wwizards.py/main

trying the three combinations ie

A???G?I?
B???G?I?
H???G?I?

the second combination came up with three words -
BADOGLIO
BESOGNIO
BRINGS IN
and then I looked at the first 2 as they seemed possible Italian words (many in this xword!)

re 44a)
It is an English phrase �literally' ..... not so easy for a Canadian to know the 'local jargon'!

If you want a further clue, then look at this site which includes the phrase!

http://www.thisistravel.co.uk/sitemap/city/hot els-in-Calais-city-hotel-383505.html

{and look under the section / Christmas comes early in Calais-}

31d) is another 'foreign word' in Chambers!
(seemingly, an erroneous form of an Italian word or of a Spanish word)

Good Luck

[Ont-ice]

Lector Thanks very much for the excellent clues. I had actually finished that corner before I read your answer and, great minds thinking alike, I had basically used your method - at least for 31D. I had, shall we say an 'educated' guess at 44 across, and the link you provided confirmed that my guess was correct.
I'm stuck with 22A and 17D. I thought I had both answers correctly, but if I try to fit them in the 4th letter of 17D makes mincemeat of my 22A and if I put in 22A first its 4th letter knocks out 17D. I guess there must be another word for 17D and I just haven't found it as yet.
Apart from those two and a guess at 16A, I'm finished.
Do you need any that I may have? One good turn deserving another etc.

[lector]

17d) and 22a) have caused trouble already! Look at this thread -

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Crosswords/Question385398.html

so 17a) is the answer that you would expect ....

17d) is another one of these scottish birds (seen in the Shetland Isles again!! - a favourite question of this compiler.

I am sure that your letters are now ?O?C?I?

I have given this site address out before for these scottish bird names -

http://www.bobbytulloch.com/categories.php?id= 1

(save it for future use - it has stood me in good stead)

little auk is in the list - use Edit / search tab from your toolbar !

once you have the answer .... it is in the dictionaries!!


16a) a guess can be dangerous! another scottish word!

the answer word is much used by Robert Burns .....

for an online check on your 'guess' use this site ....

http://members.shaw.ca/micheil/burns/burns.htm

(again save it for another time .... the compiler is always putting scottish words in his puzzle and many are used by Robert Burns)

just click on the first letter of your answer .... scroll down .... and see if your 'guess' is there !!

the 'correct' answer is listed and the English definition is given as 'poverty' !!

[lector]

ooops sorry, I did not respond to your offer of help .... I have 'finished' this one, a good run of googling and a few 'favoured' sites (eg the web addresses that I have given you above)

put my credits in the bank for next time!!

31d) make sure that you have 'chosen' wisely - the word is in Chambers, but not many other sources ....

there has been earlier comment -

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Crosswords/Question385398.html

and also in the above thread, comment on 4d) where the 'plural' seems favoured!

Happy to be more specific if you want ....

I thought that it was a challenging puzzle this month.

:-)

[Ont-ice]

Good Morning, Lector
I missed the previous thread between Aquagility, Sarumite and your good self as it began at 5AM Ontario time - little too early for moi.
I found 31D on this site which can be useful as I don't possess a Chambers:
http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3 &Keyword=emboscada&goquery=Find+it%21&Language =ESP
I'm grateful for the Bobby Tulloch site as I couldn't find the Little Auk anywhere. My 22A and 17D now lock together nicely.
I had guessed correctly for 16A, but don't ask me how my brain worked - I think it was going along the lines of tithing.
I've bookmarked Rabbie's site also.
I, too, went with the plural on 4D.
I never enter for the prize. I just enjoy the challenge.
Once again, thank you for your help and the excellent sites.
O-ice

[lector]

Ont-ice

The All.Words.com site does only give emboscaDa - which is the a spanish word'.

In Chambers - the word given is emboscaTa which is �an ambush, (Erroneous form of Ital imboscata or Sp embroscada

the Association of British scrabble Players list emboscaTa - � an erroneous form of Ital. imboscata, an ambuscade.�


either answer fits the clue -

As Chambers lists emboscaTa I have gone with that word + the fact that this puzzle has an Italian 'flavour' about it this month!!

take your pick

Good Luck

[Aquagility]

Evening all (I've just had a Tesco ad take over the whole of this window!) I was going to say - have you noticed that last month's solutions give Bunko or bunco? This is, I think, really unusual and I would never depend on it.

[Ont-ice]

Hi again,
I'll take your T if that is what Chambers states as I'm told that a lot of compilers use it like a holy book. I really must phone around the bookstores and see if I can get my hands on a copy of Chambers and, if not, will buy one sight unseen via the internet. Which version would you recommend?
I'll be off line now for approx an hour as have a different type of problem to work on, but will check later for your reply.
Thanks.

[Ont-ice]

Quickie - before I sign off.
How nice to 'see' you Aquagility.
Back from Coventry?

[sarumite]

Hi Ont -ice, sorry can't stop here for long as duty calls .. but will be around again about 2130.

Just to say that I agree entirely with lector concerning 31d and if you would like to use the on-line chambers, you will see that it does indeed only show EmboscaTa.

Here is the link to Chambers .. if you enter EMBOSCA?A into the crossword solving box it will come up with this version only.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Question385776.html

Best wishes from another prisoner on the loose!! ☺

[sarumite]

Sorry wrong link I don't know how that happened ..try this

http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/wordg ames/word_wizards/wwizards.py/main

[Aquagility]

Thanks for your kind welcome, Ont-ice. It feels great to be back - and I shall hope to be in the thick of it this weekend.