The Week 1074

[TioMateo]

3 Queries today:-
1) "If B was Brown and C was Cameron....oh dear!" (6) D-----

2) "Model married unhappily" (7) A-M-R-R The word play and the checked letters shown make it obvious that the answer is an anagram of "married", for which the only option is "admirer". But, I simply don't understand how "admirer" can be seen as a meaning of "model". "admired" yes, or even "admiree" (if such a word existed), but the last letter is definitely an R.

Followers of this blog may remember I had a similar problem with a clue back in May (also from The Week) which involved the word "Model" as the definition :- "Model worked hard but not using head" (5) O-L-D. The answer was OILED, where the wordplay was obvious but nobody from The AnswerBank could explain "Model" as the definition. Can anyone throw any light on this similar recent problem, please.

3) "Century for fellow on quick pitch" (4) -A-T. The only word I can think of is "CANT", which seems to fit the wordplay and is defined in Chambers as "a sloping or tilted position or face". But does that fairly correspond to "quick pitch"? Or is "cant" an abstruse cricketing term for a sloping pitch which makes the ball travel/spin faster than a flat pitch?

Sorry for the length of this entry, but I really would appreciate some help on these.

[Captain2]

3 answered here

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1572470.html

[Captain2]

1 Dismay as in D is May

[Spoffy]

Re (2), it would be more natural to say 'unhappily married' than 'married unhappily', so I think that the setter required 'Model' and 'married' to be juxtaposed, with 'Model' being an anagram indicator in the imperative. I suspect he has then added a second anagrind ('unhappily') rather than a definition, perhaps forgetting momentarily that 'Model' was part of the wordplay rather than the definition. I could be wrong about the foregoing, but there just ain't no definition here. The clue should surely be something like "Model married fan" or "Lover unhappily married".

[TioMateo]

Thank you to Captain2 for resolving Queries 1 & 3 so promptly. But a particular thank you to Spoffy for your very precise and logical analysis of my problem with Query 2. It seems spot-on to me.

Tim Moorey is a very respected compiler by many, including myself, but the/his proof reading function for The Week crossword is, not infrequently, very imperfect - which is a shame as it could be perfect without a great deal of extra work.

I fully understand that "model" is often an anagram indicator, and that he may have had a moment's forgetfulness when compiling the clue but, Spoffy, can you find as lucid an explanation for the other clue back in May (also misusing the word "model") that I referred to in my original post. Too boring possibly, and you might suggest I ask Tim Moorey himself - which I have been reluctant to do before now.

[Spoffy]

I agree with all you say, and Mr M is indeed fond of 'verb and noun' anagram indicators such as 'model', 'doctor' and 'police' (='to put in order'). Regarding the OILED clue, my only suggestion is that it started life as 'Drunk worked hard but not using head', where oiled=drunk. When the setter reviewed the clue he focused on the surface reading and noticed that 'model' would read better than 'drunk', on the basis that 'drunk' was being used (as it often is) as an anagram indicator. Pure speculation, though!

[Tilly2]

That first clue was also in the Guardian Prize crossword two Saturdays ago. Do they share them?

[Spoffy]

I believe that it re-appeared here as Tim Moorey's 'Clue of the Week', which he selects from recently-published clues (in crosswords or clue-writing competitions).

[Tilly2]

Thank you, Spoffy.

[TioMateo]

Many thanks again, Spoffy, for taking the time out a second time. It is a shame, I think, that there are so many "typos" (for want of a better word) in his clues for The Week. I do it regularly and am surprised at how many small slips there are.

[Spoffy]

Yes - I never consider that I've 'solved' a clue unless I've parsed it, which makes faulty clues very frustrating!