Telegraph GK 26d and 48d

[Muzz]

Apologies if these have been answered already - I have tried to go back to yesterday's questions, but can't get any further than the ones on page 14.
48d A less commonly used title for an emperor or male monarch of Russia prior to 1917 (4) (I think it's CZAR or TZAR)
26d Extremely loud device used to drive metal tacks into a material such as wood by compressed air (7) (I have N?I?G?N))
Muzz x

[novalis]

Czar
Nailgun

[Catron]

Yes, Tzar or Czar - there has been a little debate about which one but this is Chambers entry if it helps:

tsar or czar, also (rare) tzar ,(hist)
n the title of the emperors of Russia and of the kings of Bulgaria; a great potentate or despot; a person appointed as an authority or adjudicator on some subject, eg a language tsar.

The other is nailgun

[Prudentia]

no its tzar
nailgun

[Aquagility]

Chambers gives tzar as rare, Prudentia. On balance, I prefer czar.

[Muzz]

Thanks to Novalis, Catron and Prudentia!
That's the GK crossword finished now (whew!) and I can get back to the �1000 one. I think I'll go with Tzar then! I thought there would have been discussion yesterday but I can't get back there (should I be on Life on Mars?!) so I can't answer the KM links either (not that I had any points anyway this month)
Many thanks again! Muzz

[Muzz]

Hmmm, think I'll go for CZAR then!
I found this at Free Dictionary -
'The word czar can also be spelled tsar. Czar is the most common form in American usage and the one nearly always employed in the extended senses "any tyrant" or informally, "one in authority." But tsar is preferred by most scholars of Slavic studies as a more accurate transliteration of the Russian and is often found in scholarly writing with reference to one of the Russian emperors.'

[Prudentia]

i,ll put my life on it, its tzar, my three dictionaries all agree if i,m wrong i,ll buy you a wrights pie

[Strix]

My personal choice, as with novalis and Aquagility, is for Czar really only on the basis that normally it is Tsar, and the origin for the word is Caesar.

[Muzz]

Oh dear, I didn't mean to start a huge debate!
Anyway, what's a Wright's pie? Or am I being dim?!

[Prudentia]

tzar
nailgun

[Catron]

Oh well, if we are all going to put our opinions, I am going with Tzar - 'less commonly used' means rare in my book and Chambers has Tzar as rare, suggesting the other spellings are not rare.

[Muzz]

Have now dug out the dictionary, Collins.
CZAR - variant spelling of tsar.
TSAR - emperor of Russia (prior to 1917) (and it says Tsar or Czar)
TZAR - a less common spelling of tsar.

So, that's as clear as mud then!
Methinks maybe Tzar ?
Thanks to all who have contributed here. Hubby has now joined in and he is going for Tzar.

[Prudentia]

its a very mediocre meat and potato pie produced by wrights of stoke on trent, not too bad if you,re very hungry but no substitute if you're looking for a decent tasty cafe produced quick snack