Sunday 6 June 2010

Word Games

Ok brainy bloggie friends!

I try to do The Guardian quick crossword every Saturday.

I rarely finish but yesterday I came very very , very close.

I was stopped by this fiendish clue:

Expurgate the indelicate unnecessarily” 10 letters.

These are the letters I have so far: R_W_L_R_ _ _

If you know the answer, I promise to have a chocolate muffin in your honour!

If you know what the phrase "Expurgate the indelicate unnecessarily" means, I’ll have the double choccie one!

Charlie says: nope the answer ain’t in these pots. (Those are my next door neighbour’s pots btw, not mine!!! Mine has flowers in them!)

Have a super Sunday everyone!

35 comments:

iasa said...

well bowdlerise means to expurgate the obscene passages in a book unnecessarily. Named after some twat bowdler who went through shakespeare with his nose outta joint iirc.

As an american I am genetically unable to cope with your cryptic crosswords, but also being american i have to butt my nose in even when i'm not helpful. Good luck!

Ann Best said...

Oh, I love to come into your blog and see what original thoughts and photos you've posted. (Jen says hi, too, to you and to Charlie.) She works crosswords but she can't figure out this phrase. I'm terrible with crosswords and can't figure this out either. No doubt someone will. I'll check back to see who did. UPI have a lovely Sunday too! (I love photos. This one makes me feel like I'm right there in your neighbor's yard!!)

Anonymous said...

I know the answer, but not because I am some brainy lass... but because I have sinned:

I CHEATED!

Lookie, if you like: http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/quick/12502

Not saying the word here, in case you'd rather solve it yourself :P

-Reenie

Summer Frey said...

I know what the phrase means, but I'm not sure about the word. I have to see them in the crossword. :-) I'm guessing it's going to start with R-E, though...

Good luck!

Katnip Lounge said...

helifweno!

You must be a genius to even get one clue. Mommy does the New York Times Sunday crossword...yours across the pond are far harder!

She's gonna think about it...

Susan Fields said...

Wow - if you figure out what that clue means, let us know! I'm totally lost on that one, course I'm always kind of lost with crossword puzzles. :(

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I feel bad for your neighbor, empty pots are so sad. :(

Bossy Betty said...

OH! Kitty! My brain is not working right now! I hope others can help you!

Jacqueline said...

Not a clue, sorry Jenn; keep looking darling Charlie!...xo...Calle, Halle, Sukki

SF said...

Rew
Row
Raw
Riw
Ruw...
nup, don't have a clue. But please tell us the answer when you get it, it's doing my head in!

Kea said...

Well, I did guess what "expurgate" means, though didn't realize it related particularly to "objectionable parts before publication or presentation."

Main Entry: ex·pur·gate
Function: transitive verb
Date: 1678

: to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous; especially : to expunge objectionable parts from before publication or presentation

But as for the crossword, well, that's far too difficult and too clever for me!

I hope someone has the answer. :-)

Unknown said...

oh, oh, oh I know that one !
(well my wife did) - bowdlerise (13 down is vibrato, but we're still stuck on 20 accross

fairyhedgehog said...

I'm rubbish at crossword so I'm afraid I can't help you. I hope some of your other readers can!

oliveobrien1978 said...

Wow, that's a tricky one. I even cheated and looked up an online crossword solver, which came back with no results! Sorry, I couldn't have been of more help. www.writeolive.com

Ann said...

Nope! Can't help you with the clue or the answer.

Theresa Milstein said...

Even without jet lag, I have NO idea what that could mean. It's over my head!

I agree - it sounds chocolate related...

Guinevere said...

Huh, interesting. I learned a new word today (bowdlerize) which always makes me happy! Thanks for a fun post and another cute Charlie pic. He's quite photogenic - my cat acts like an overphotographed only child and blinks or turns her head as soon as I click the camera. Charlie's such a good model!

Brian's Home Blog said...

I guess I had better study my human some more, I don't even know most of those words!

DJ Kirkby said...

I'm assuming that the four letters you do have are not in the correct order. I shall have to come back now in the hopes that you post the word once you've figured it out.

Hannah and Lucy said...

You got us there!! We looked up the answer but that didn't leave us any further forward as we hadn't heard of that word either!!

joanne fox said...

Oh I'm so useless at anything cryptic! My brain just doesn't go that way!

SASS....Sammy Andy Shelly Sierra said...

Sorry, we don't know the answer, but we hope you will have a chocolate muffin in our honor anyway!!!!!

Hey, Charlie, we're happy to see you're out there snoopervising. xxxxxxxxxx

Kat_RN said...

I am glad someone helped to figure it out, that was cruel. I get rather frustrated with cross words as I have a great vocabulary but I am a lousy speller. Thank goodness for spell check. Pet Charlie for me please.
Kat

Kat_RN said...

I am glad someone helped to figure it out, that was cruel. I get rather frustrated with cross words as I have a great vocabulary but I am a lousy speller. Thank goodness for spell check. Pet Charlie for me please.
Kat

Marg said...

WEll we don't have a clue what the answer is but it sounds like some of these people here have been a help. Our assistant doesn't do big words very well. We stick with the little ones and sometimes have trouble with them.
Charlie, what a good boy to look for the answer for your Mum.
Have a great Sunday.

Talli Roland said...

No answer here, I'm afraid! I have NO idea - I am so rubbish at crosswords.

Hope you and Charlie are having a fantastic weekend!

lupie said...

Charlie! What are you planning to do with those pots??!??

Jenn - I love reading your post, always learning something new, be it a word, an animal or simply - a good laugh!

Take care! Monday now (here +8!)!!

Felted House said...

My friend came up for the weekend and three of us were trying to do this one yesterday and we got stuck just the same! Having read the other comments I now know the answer, although haven't done 7 down yet, will have to look that one up! xx

Private said...

I can certainly picture you doing the crossword every week-end, just like Isabel Dalhousie in Alexander McCall Smith's novels. Lovely! I tried doing the Times' crossword once, but I gave up because me self esteem took a steep turn down to the gutter:) I hate crosswords.

Anonymous said...

I'd really check the word going the other direction that give you the initial R... bowdlerise (or bowdlerize) looks just too perfect for it to be anything else! Sorry!

Feel free to crumble the muffin up and thtow it annoyedly in my general direction if you want - I think you need to aim sort of south west :)

notesfromnadir said...

Hi O.K., Hi Charlie,
I'm not very good at crossword puzzles--don't have time. But thanks for the hint, Reenie!

Charlie, what did you find in those pots? :)

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

WE do hope you will post the answer!

We unfortunately will not be able to help you -- we are not good at crosswords but this has been fun!

Hi Charlie, I bet you have the answer!

purrs
Abby

laughingwolf said...

not a clue... :(

keep looking, charlie ;) lol

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I read through all your comments to see if anyone got it. Tough one! I have no idea, drat!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

LOL! I can't even guess! I blog instead of doing crossword puzzles. The challenge to blog is more fun than filling in little boxes.