Catholic Herald

[porilo]

It's always the little ones which give problems. Can anyone help with these two please:

8a: Desert, being second to Ben in an epic (4). I have ???R and for some reason Ben Hur keeps coming to mind as that was an epic.

1d: Passage to India for the better-off, initially, becomes elegant and luxurious (4). I have ?O?? and am thinking it must start BO (initial letters of better-off).

Also the last letter of 1d is the 2nd letter of 8a.

[donny48]

1 posh

[Mamyalynne]

8 Shur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shur_(Bible)

[Captain2]

S-hur

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shur_(Bible)

[donny48]

Posh stands for "port out & starboard home, the coolest side of the ship.

[dannyk13]

Posh - portside outward -starboard homeward

[Mamyalynne]

Posh has been the subject of much debate over the decades and still is.


https://www.merriam-webster.com/help/faq-posh

[porilo]

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. I don't think I would have come up with either of those. Never heard of Shur so I've learnt something new today. :-)

[Palloons]

8 a Thar is a desert
1 d Posh is port out and starboard home

[Mamyalynne]

I agree Thar is a desert but doesn't fit this clue sadly.

[porilo]

Port out and starboard home? I would never have got that. The part of the clue "better-off initially" fixated my mind on "BO??"