The Mail on Sunday Prize Crossword 1558 Sunday September 16th 2012

[HAMMEROFTHOR]

Afternoon all.... need some advice about spelling for 27d... the answer is obviously boadicea, but which spelling? There are two ways of spelling this name I know of;-BOADICEA and BOUDICCA..... and I've got BO-D-C-A so the letters that make the difference are all dead letters... which spelling is correct? anyone got any ideas?

[Lie-in King]

IMO, either should be acceptable

[HAMMEROFTHOR]

Ok Thankyou Lie-in King

[HowardKennitby]

Chambers Biog. Dict. gives it as "BOUDICCA - incorrectly called BOADICEA"

[Baldric]

I went with BOUDICCA after a bit of checking

[Lie-in King]

My Chambers Biog. Dict. gives "...also known as..."

It depends where you look & how recent the entry - I can't see the checkers discounting either form.

[HowardKennitby]

My Chambers is the Updated Centenary edition of 1997.

[Lie-in King]

Howard - my apologies, I have a Cambridge Dict. - doh!

Oxford Dict. of National Biog. (online) gives -

"Boudicca [Boadicea] (d. AD 60/61), queen of the Iceni, popularly known as Boadicea since the eighteenth century as a result of misreading manuscripts of the works of the Roman historian Tacitus..."

Also - http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Boudicca - etc...

I don't think this one is worth much more attention from us, but have emailed the Puzzles Ed to see what he says... :-)

[Lie-in King]

From the Puzzles Ed -

"...I'll make sure that the checkers know to accept both alternatives..."

HTH

[HAMMEROFTHOR]

Well, thanks for all your answers, and thanks Lie-In King for contacting the puzzles editor and printing his quote!

[wendyl]

it really annoys me to hear the spelling Boudicca I have lived near
Colchester all my 75 years and it has always been Boadicea so in my book that is the correct spelling Sorry to blast of but I feel strongly when spellings like this are changed for no apparent good reason