Earlier this year a correspondent, picking up on the fact that I regularly make positive remarks about an Oxford dictionary, asked which one I was referring to, since the OUP publishes several. The answer is that I have indeed become a fan of the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, first published in 1998, with a second edition in 2003, revised in 2005 (and not to be confused with the grandfather of them all, the OED). The other two dictionaries in constant use are Chambers and Collins. Chambers is usually considered to be the crossword setters' dictionary of choice, partly because it offers them authority for a wider range of the more arcane words, especially Scottish, Australian, Shakespearean and Spenserian words and those whose usage is now regarded as archaic (or as being well on the way to that status). I willingly concede that these qualities, attractive to setters, may not be selling points for solvers.
The bane of the most recent edition of Collins is that, for some unknown reason, it has chosen to drop all proper nouns. Some crosswords ban people's names entirely as solutions, so for them this does not create a problem (the Times allows people's names, but only if they are dead). The Guardian has always allowed them, which limits the usefulness of the new Collins. The attraction of the Oxford Dictionary of English is that it has a good selection of proper nouns, though not as many as the old Collins, and has a clearer presentation of words and phrases than Chambers. It lists them separately in alphabetical order, where Chambers still tends to group them under one head word, which makes them more difficult to find. A couple of years ago a correspondent recommended to me the OneLook site as a useful source for gathering new information and answering clues for those without the strength and energy to search through printed dictionaries and other works of reference.
As to the great multi-volume Oxford English Dictionary itself, here is a top tip. I cannot imagine that many of you have the space to house it (or the money to buy it). But it is available online and costs you nothing to access in the UK, if you take the simple step of registering to get a membership card from your local authority library. Armed with that membership number you can access the OED (and other key reference works) from the comfort of your own home. Let us hope that this boon does not become a victim of the current or any future round of public spending cuts.
_____
There was considerable response to my comments last month on Googling and cheating. First, my apologies for having been guilty of ageism in suggesting that there might be a generational difference in attitude towards the internet. "At 76 I may well be in the bracket 'a certain age' but for a year or two now I have been an inveterate and unashamed Googler" was a typical response. Another was that, in doing a crossword, you were "essentially competing against yourself and attempting to improve your own par", so what aids you use are up to you.
Second, Americans and other foreign persons find Google absolutely essential in tackling British cryptic crosswords in order to pick up on specifically British cultural references. And the 'cheat' button is a godsend to those starting out on cryptics for the first time, as they could otherwise be permanently stuck at square one. A couple of you, while agreeing with the general proposition that Google is a brilliant and legitimate tool of the solvers' trade, were not happy if a themed puzzle could, in practice, only be solved by recourse to the internet. Araucaria's August Bank Holiday tribute to Alan Plater was mentioned here. Both Araucaria and I were aware of this problem but came to the conclusion that Plater was such a quintessentially Guardian figure (he and his wife also did the Guardian crossword daily) and such a great modern playwright that an exceptional memorial puzzle was legitimate.
Third, I owe an apology also to King Canute (or Knut) for saying that any attempt to keep the internet away from crosswords was Canute-like. In trying to keep back the rising tide he was, of course, not showing that he was a twit but was demonstrating the limits of his authority to his sycophantic supporters.
_____
September's Genius (No 87 by Lavatch) attracted 302 entries. First in was Tony of Ealing, London W5 at 02:14, pipping Ian of London N14 by just two minutes. (Incidentally, my apologies to Ian for relocating him in recent newsletters to London N16. He points out that N16 is Arsenal territory, which is upsetting for a Spurs fan.) The first correct entry from abroad came from Jeremy at Harrison, Canberra at 03:08 and there were 25 in by the end of the first day.
Congratulations to Nora Boswell from Thornton, Bradford, who is September's Genius winner.
We hope you enjoy our crossword service. If you have any problems with it, please email [email protected] . If you have any comments or queries about the crosswords, please email [email protected]. For Observer crosswords please email [email protected].
