Comments on: Financial Times 12,754 / by Jason

By: C G Rishikesh

C G Rishikesh — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:10:16 +0000

Thanks, Smiffy. I do realise that “to get one’s head down” is a reference to sleeping rather than eating. We have parallels in Tamil and other regional languages in India.

In India “boarding and lodging” houses are common. The latter term is taken to mean ‘being provided with a place to stay’ and the former term to mean ‘being provided with food’. As the answer is BOARDING SCHOOL, I had the ‘food or meals in general’ sense of ‘board’ in mind.

By: smiffy

smiffy — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:22:58 +0000

4D “to get one’s head down” is surely a reference to sleeping rather than eating?

On some past occasions my feedback on Jason’s puzzles has been less than constructive. However, I thought that today’s was a good ‘un - so credit wherewhen it’s due.

By: Pogel

Pogel — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:07:28 +0000

I also got stuck on the bottom left corner but being a fan of Cockney Rhyming Slang I didn’t have a problem with shampoo (sign outside barbers: shampoo £5, real poo £10…)

I also didn’t have a problem with the surface of 7d. Again might be a British thing - “ratty ape” tied in for me with the old chimpanzees tea party adverts.

2d - “is a bore” = (i)s a tire

By: neildubya

neildubya — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:33:33 +0000

24 - Barnet is cockney rhyming slang. “Barnet fair” - hair.

By: C G Rishikesh

C G Rishikesh — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:18:50 +0000

Thanks.

Sham, poo(-l). ‘Barnet’s’, I guess, is a brand name. Is it? The other two I should have got.

pen - jail, tafficker - pusher; ‘Clerk on fixed programme’ seems to be the def.

More - ref. to Thomas More

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:07:55 +0000

Thank you for the edits. I suggest: 21 Penpusher; 24 Shampoo; 16 Utopists.

By: Fletch

Fletch — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:56:23 +0000

It would be helpful if you posted the clues.