07 June 2010

Peccavi

I'm reminded a propos of nothing of my favourite crossword clue: 'Napier's admission of wrongdoing in India.'

The answer was - as any fule know, since General Napier took the town of Sind in India and needed to let HQ back home know without giving the game away - 'peccavi' (I have sinned).

Bet he was glad he paid attention in Latin class.

Another, 'Bottle Party? Impossible! (2,3,2)' with the answer 'No can do.'

I once went down to a crossword compilers' confab in Brighton. Great fun. Full of people admiring each other's more ingenious clues and introducing themselves in true fashion:

"Gumbrell's the name. Colin Gumbrell. That's 'Good parasol with no handle.'"

4 comments :

fotoLibrarian said...

FWIW my favourite crossword clue (I am crappier at crosswords than I am at most things) went something like this: "Timo starts without overweight fowl" (5,2,6)
Over to you.

Corfucius said...

oh god i cant do these.
"sinbad will do this in a trice."
[which sounds like a dashed good clue in itself]

thanks for teaching me FWIW. nice and english.

timo the designer or timo the racing car driver, i'm wondering

Anonymous said...

TIMON OF ATHENS.
TIMO starts, then NO FAT HENS.

Corfucius said...

god dont you hate the ingenuity? i remember my dad asking me, since i was in publishing, did i know the clue "impotent printer's command". stet.
ooh ouch yaroo. Dad was so pleased to see me writhe and cuss.