Just One Measly Letter To Go!

[laptoplou]

I think I have everything apart from one letter! Would anyone be able to tell me the first letter of 25 down? Clearly a vowel unless I have some other error, but nothing seems to give a 'real' word.

[fiction-factory]

Is it worth posting the clue? Or posting the letteers you have?

[jourdain2]

clue would definitely help!

[fiction-factory]

Even the name of the paper might help as those who have done it may see the thread. There must be lots of 25 downs this week

[Mamyalynne]

The Listener maybe?

[laptoplou]

Sorry everyone. I thought I had entered the details. It was Saturday's Listener in the Times 25 down. I have nderboy with missing first letter.

[jourdain2]

It still needs a bit more. Could you please type the clue in full and give the pattern of letters which you have? Please. :)

[Calibax]

One local race captures heart of top pupil (8)
Underboy? Un + (t)o(p) in Derby

[sunny-dave]

Chambers :

unˈder-boy noun
A boy in the lower or more junior part of a school

[laptoplou]

Thank you all. I had never heard of an underboy, even though I taught in schools for 40 years. I guess 'un' is French for 'one' but there is no suggestion of a Gallic twist in the clue.
I am new to the Listener, having done the Times Jumbo cryptic for years and am adjusting to the new challenge.

[Calibax]

'Un is (local) slang for one as in "that's a good 'un"

[laptoplou]

Ah, thank you Calibax. I get it all now. I had assigned 'local' to the noun 'race' and thus thought of it as a 'derby'. Of course a 'local derby' would be a 'match' not a 'race' whereas Derby is a race! Much to learn.

[sunny-dave]

Morning laptoplou

Welcome to the abstruse world of The Listener :)

It's always been difficult (and occasionally impossible) to do the puzzles without a copy of the current BRB (Big Red Book - Chambers Dictionary) - the vocabulary in there is 'quirky' (to be polite) and the setters exploit that.

I'd also say that, as the technological arms race between setters and solvers escalates, it has now become very difficult to do some of the puzzles without an electronic/searchable version of the BRB.

I've got the excellent iPad app, but also the iMac version which is even better (it adds a full text search and some anagram solving capability) - I presume the Windows version is similar.

They all cost (around) a tenner these days and are arguably better value than the £40 printed version - although that is currently £26 on Amazon and I do love real books ...

Dave

[laptoplou]

Thank you Dave. I think you are right and I am going to have to invest in big Chambers! These things are addictive.

[Peter Pedant]

o dear no wonder I cant do crosswords