When my Cryptic Crosswords For Dummies book was being checked by the American editors at Wiley, they decided that my handful of risqué clues couldn't stay in. So I edited the offending 11 clues to tame them down. But it's a pity to see such naughtiness go to waste. So I thought you'd like to have a try of them here! I've put the puzzle reference in, too, so you can find the edited versions in the book (which should be available in bookshops in a few weeks now). As ever, my chihuahuas Petal and Griff are the Guardians of the Answers. Have a good try of the clues yourself, and scroll below the pups to see full explanations of the clues, and the answers. The (Slightly) Rude Clues 1. Rampantly sexy, without a kiss? Absolutely! (3) Crossword 5, 21 Down, pg 36 2. Mesmerist has weird phony tits (9) Crossword 15, 1 Across, pg 56 3. Naughty escort's laced undergarment (6) Crossword 24, 24 Across, pg 74 4. 101 in advertisement for tar...
I finally learnt how to spell Minuscule because of the French animated TV series. and I do that thing of pronouncing it as spelt when I'm trying to spell a word, or thinking of another form of the word - minus is spelt with a 'u', so minuscule is. cartilaginous is spelt with an 'a', so cartilage is.
ReplyDeleteand the fyoosha is named after a guy called Fuchs, so should actually be pronounced Fuksya, but understandably isn't :-)
I still struggle with sodding fluorescent jackets. maybe I can break it into Flu? or Escent?...
I learnt to spell Minuscule from that show too Deb! LOL.
DeletePity about the proper pronunciation of fuchsia ... ah well!
Yeah, flu-or-escent would work. I might use that too!
Hi Denise
ReplyDeleteAlso, yacht and rhythm. These are words I still chant in my head, letter by letter, despite having learnt to write them 40+ years ago ;-)
I was very embarrassed to discover a couple of years ago that I'd written 'dessicated' instead of 'desiccated' in a couple of spots on my food blog. Whoops. Lucky I don't have many readers ... or many readers who are editors ...!
Cheers, Karin
Desiccated / dessicated is a mistake I've made frequently too! And yes, yacht and rhythm nearly made it to the list!
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