Crossword roundup: why do they call them ‘limousines’?

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In the sample clues below, the links take you to explainers from our beginners series. The setter’s name often links to an interview with him or her, in case you feel like getting to know these people better.

The news in clues

A couple of timely images in the Telegraph. From a Tuesday setter, it could have been any of many professions …

1d Train drivers have been going on these small vehicles (7)
[ wordplay: abbrev. for “small” + example of “vehicles” ]
[ S + TRIKES ]
[ definition: train drivers have been going on these ]

… but train drivers best fit the “vehicles” en route to STRIKES. And from a previous Tuesday setter, a plea for royal gossip …

5d King and Harry – we longed for information (9)
[ wordplay: abbrev. for “king” + jumble (“harry”) of WELONGED ]
[ K + NOWLEDGE ]
[ definition: information ]

… or, perhaps, KNOWLEDGE which has since been answered. He will; she won’t.

Fooled again

I plan to discuss the puzzles of 1 April once various competition deadlines have passed. But might I be missing some? I have Soup’s Guardian, two in the FT, Atrica’s Independent, the New York Times and possibly some barred weekend puzzles which I shouldn’t yet mention. Any others?

Puzzling elsewhere

If you enjoy what goes on here, there’s an excellent chance you may enjoy the latest episode of Off-Grid, the “not-really-about-crosswords podcast”.

I am of course looking forward to watching Hugh Laurie’s adaptation of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? But I have one concern. In the book, Agatha Christie gives us one of the most sensible pieces of dialogue about crosswords (and puzzles in mysteries in general) that I’ve read. It’s about a pitfall that all setters, quiz writers and other creators of puzzles should be aware of. I hope it was not considered surplus to TV’s requirements. More to follow.

Latter patter

Six months ago, a new setter announced himself …

… so we know that Bartland – who has been setting for the quiptic, the Guardian’s puzzle “for beginners and those in a hurry” – is poet Ashley Smith, who also sets as Hasslethymi. I’ve counted three more since, including the one with this clue …

4d Large cars garaged by official I’m ostracising (5)
[ wordplay: hidden within (“garaged by”) OFFICIALIMOSTRACISING ]
[ definition: large cars ]

… for LIMOS, with its splendid “hiding indicator”. Why are they called limousines? After the old French region of Limousin, everyone agrees. What’s the connection? People in Limoges used to wear distinctive hoods, everyone agrees. What’s that got to do with a fancy car? Did the original “hooded” limousines resemble the hoods? Did the drivers’ hoods resemble the French hoods? Nobody knows.

And when exactly did the limousine stop being an indicator of opulence (“limousine liberals”) and the limousine itself become a vehicle you presume is stuffed with acne-ridden promgoers? It’s impossible to say.

What we do know is how the driver got his or her name. In the days of steam engines, a stoker was quite literally one who provided the heat, and the name stuck around even when that job was taken over by internal combustion and the rest of it. Reader: how would you clue CHAUFFEUR?

Cluing competition

Many thanks for your clues for SPEAKEASY. I appreciated Radnag’s continuation of a recent theme in “Bar ChatGPT – no good, no point, and not difficult” and something beyond an audacity award goes to CrypticBlah for the scandalous (to me, unsolvable) “As Kay pees pants, has she been‽”

The runners-up are Harlobarlo’s plausible “Wayward kids pay with ease (no ID required) in illegal bar” and Patjberry47’s on-topic “Criminal, say, keeps a bar in business during Prohibition”. But the winner could only be the lithe “Dive from height into waters unknown”.

Kludos to Dunnart. Please leave entries for the current competition – as well as your non-print finds and picks from the broadsheet cryptics – in the comments.

Clue of the fortnight

The annotated solution is now available for Qaos’s typically mathematical prize puzzle, which includes this eye-catching clue …

10a In Paris, 1 + 1 + 1/3 of 2 = 1? (4)
[ wordplay: French for “one” (“in Paris, 1”) + Roman numeral for “1” + first third of the word TWO (“1/3 of 2”) ]
[ definition: 1 ]

… for UNIT. Good one.

Find a collection of explainers, interviews and other helpful bits and bobs at alanconnor.com. The Shipping Forecast Puzzle Book by Alan Connor, which is partly but not predominantly cryptic, can be ordered from the Guardian Bookshop

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