The Times Crossword Masterclass

A live-solve of the exceptionally interesting (and difficult) puzzle on 28 August 2019.

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Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the eleven-time winner of The Times championship and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.

Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark

[ValeriePallaoro]

All of us, yelling at the screen 'A', 'A' ... put in the 'A'!!!

[waimariemclean]

So surprised to see Ngaio (my native Maori language) on here! The "ng" is pronounced the same way it is in the word king. "ai" is pronounced like eye. And "o" is pronounced like o in or. So ng-eye-or, basically 😊

[powtwn]

what a crossword! being somewhat new to this i’m not sure i would have got any in.


15 across was a hidden answer! empLOY ALTO AS Tenor. and i guess the 'casually' in 27 down might mean that cos is a casual way of saying cosine?

[GordonjSmith]

For someone who studies/researches 'information', and its creation, this was a wonderful 'watch'. How often does an answer 'come from somewhere one doesn't just don't know', for me to is often, and that is fascinating. Great vlog, loved the struggle, so very far ahead of me.

[davidbod]

I wondered if COS was a triple definition, with "casually, for" = 'COS / because.

[InfernalMachinePict]

Peter Quince is a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. He's one of the mechanicals.

[Goryus]

I got so little in this, except that "loyal toast" was one of those clues written in full in the word play. :)

This one is still beyond my capabilities, I'm afraid.

[parlabaneisback]

So that's where Ngaio Marsh got her name.

[MariaVlasiou]

1:09 laughing in 2022, where 45 min is an approachable puzzle and 32 min is 5 GASes in one go.

[raquelmoss]

Ngaio is a type of tree of New Zealand, and New Zealand is also one of the antipodes :). It's pronounced "nigh-oh"

[PetaJBread]

Irrelevant, but te is pronounced "TAY", rather than "TEE" (spelled ti) but is also a lesser known solfege note that you get when you flat ti.

[MitsuoRLCoach]

Dickens = Shakespeare? lol great video Simon

[vinylEarthlink]

I have a starting time but not a finishing time on my copy, so I must have really struggled with this one. However, my copy is complete and correct, so I must have figured it out eventually.

[Shif]

Does anyone know what ‘Antipodean timber supplier’ means tree?

[Cryolemon]

I just about got AUCKLAND, and that was about it.

[Thepianman]

I really like the concept of these cryptic puzzles, and I've tried to get into them. But as a non native speaker I regularly just don't know some part of the solution, which scares me from thinking too long about clues, because it's very possible I just don't know a word. Which in turn makes it painful when I miss a clue I could have gotten with some more thinking, ending in a fairly nonsatisfying experience.
Let's hope I get better if I keep trying, or someone starts doing this type of puzzle in Dutch

[hejdanli]

The numbers in the wrong date sudoku blue boxes that weren't carried over to the Oct 12 2017 sudoku, could be rearranged to this date... but I am at a loss.

[benhall]

15across the answer is spelt out in the question - empLOY ALTO AS Like the Soduko vids you do.

[kukubird]

28 across: could “in general” be taken to mean “rule of thumb” with “very small drink” giving the “sup”?

[BlueCyann]

This must be the fifth time I've tried to get into one of those these and I just can't. I get literally angry just hearing the explanations for the clues. Sorry, will continue to skip them.