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The Iconoclast

Friday, 3 July 2009

Never A Crossword Be There, But One That Shouldn’t Be Spoken Of

...as Franklin might have said. It’s John Messner from Lexcentrics Ltd. here – back at work after a slight, inconvenient but protracted, illness, and monitoring all you good folk who enjoy the Crossword at NER that we provide.

May I echo Ms. Bynum’s congratulations to Michael Farr of Queensland, Australia, on behalf of all of us at Lexcentrics. It’s great to see that NER’s puzzle is appreciated by at least one ‘banana bender’ from the Sunshine State and I hope that the Broncos are still doing as well as when I last enjoyed the superb hospitality and great weather of Mr. Farr’s home State!

Can I also voice my congrats to Aymenn Jawad, from Wales (UK) for another honourable mention – well done!

Now to the serious bit! There is an error in July’s NER Crossword. The clue for 54 Down reads, at present, “Roguish hero in type of noel that originated in Spain (6)” but Spanish Christmases have absolutely nothing to do with wanted answer. The clue for 54 Down should read, “Roguish hero in type of novel that originated in Spain (6)” – the wanted answer being about a typical hero of a literary genre that originated in Spain rather than any odd, Iberian person related to the celebration of Christmas in that part of the world.

As soon as I can organise it a correct version of the clues will go up at the website but that can take a day or two to accomplish due to the hectic schedule at this end. I only have to be away from my desk for a week or three and all sorts of things go wrong! It’s nice to know that I’m indispensable but really, ‘noel’ and ‘novel’ – that’s a typo that should have been spotted long before publication and I apologise to all you keen NER puzzlers out there. You have my guarantee that the people responsible will be flogged – I’ll see to it myself! I might even enjoy it (pace, Ms. Jackson!).

From Ms. Bynum's post here:

About last month's puzzle, George McCallum wrote: "I believe that these crosswords were designed by the Lexcentrics people in London as revenge for losing the Revolutionary War."

All I can say is: “Well, yes. Revenge is a dish best served cold and late – or hot, of course (sometimes): see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_York, and for the revenge for the burnings in York (Toronto) in 1813 please use Google and look up ‘Washington burning’ and the brave ‘Dolley Madison’ in 1814 – and, of course, one has to remember that we British simply don’t ever forget (we know how to nurse a grudge par excellence).”

Seriously, though, we are glad that Mr. McCallum (good Scottish name, there) finds the NER Crosswords to be fiendish; but, if I remember correctly, Mr. McCallum has actually won one of the Crosswords – so belated congrats to him, and we all hope that he, and all of you, continues to enjoy our take on the world as presented in the NER Crossword.

To move on, my favorite clue from last month's NER Crossword was 10 Across – “Goatskin drum, used alongside tambou manman, used in petwo and YaYa TiKongo rhythms (4)”. For most of us, certainly for me, I assume that that was just complete nonsense. It led me into a voyage of discovery about a type of music that I didn’t know existed and, in my searches, I came across a very badly written explanation at this site. Now, to quote from that site, “YaYa TiKongo; an influential family of Kongo rhythms from northern Haiti. These drums are played for Ganga and Madanlawe. The YaYa TiKongo also include a Mambo rhythm where the two goat skin covered drums, the Manman and the Rale are played by hand only.”

Well, ‘RALE’ was the answer that we were looking for, obviously. Anyone got anything better about this type of rhythm?

That’s all, folks, but I’ll reply to anything that you choose to ask. Leave your comments or email me.

John Messner.

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Posted on 07/03/2009 6:50 AM by NER

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Comments

3 Jul 2009

reactionry

The Olde Durante Times

Or: Custard's Last Stand

Or: With Rue My Heart Is Baden*

Alright, you British cowardy lions**, I won't risk taking a bath*** (the water to be thrown out with the "cute, dimpled atheist baby") on this one by offering a prize, but whose name which rhymes with "Noel"**** showed the sort of courage which could make for a prequel for my The Last Boy Scout? Clues: He was never rusticated. Nor did he ever estivate, not even while off watch while under siege. Nor did he run a summer camp for children of a lesser godlessness.

-Sorry gotta' go and catch up on the news about the Jackson kids and the vicious custardy battle.

With Much Mafikeng*****,

Bruce "Big Willy" Willis

* Shouldn't that be "bade," "bid," or "bidden"? -Just bidin' my time - The Veep

** See also Karl Malden, The Wizard of Nov Schnoz [sic] Ka Pop. Also see Walter (not Jimmy) Duranty's I got a million of 'em - actually several million deaths in the Ukraine which I'm sitting on.

*** bath - Or, as might be said in the Fatherland, hinterland or Halford Mackinder's Heartland, "bath-bath"

****No, not as in Noel Coward; try Pope Gregory I's (ht MJ) The first Noel, the Angles did say.....

***** See (Enoch) Powell's Like the Boer, I seem to see the River Molopo foaming with much blood

4 Jul 2009

John Messner

Baden-Powell, by any chance? Scouting For Boys is, I presume, the required hand-book?

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