I hope Mick Hodgkin will not mind me posting an extract from his Times Puzzles Newsletter to bring it to the attention of TfTT users who may not have seen it, as it’s of general interest and deals with a number of issues that are raised in our discussions almost daily.
“I have been attempting The Times cryptic crossword puzzles for many years,” writes Alan Vincent. “When I started, I was told that the unwritten rule was that, except for proper nouns, all answers to be entered in the grid must appear in Chambers Dictionary. More than once recently – the latest being “brain candy” in puzzle 29183 – I have had to resort to online sources to confirm the answer, which does not appear in Chambers.
“Have your compilers now abandoned Chambers as the ultimate reference in favour of the internet, that infamous provider of suspicious and/or misleading information?”
I was able to reassure Alan that we have not abandoned reputable dictionaries for any old definitions found on the world wide web. Setters are advised that answer words should ideally be justifiable in at least one of Chambers, Collins or the Concise Oxford Dictionary, with Collins preferred for its range of proper nouns.
The other advantage of Collins is that its online version is continually updated so it is more likely to have newer coinages such “brain candy”, defined as “something that is entertaining or enjoyable but lacks depth or significance”. Like a crossword, some might say – though I would be bound to disagree.
Others’ recollections may vary, but I think this is the first time there’s been an official acknowledgement that Chambers is one of the source dictionaries for Times puzzles other than the Mephisto. I’m pleased to see this as it has been apparent for some time that occasionally we get words or meanings that are in Chambers but not in the Oxfords or Collins and it’s good to know these have not slipped in by accident.
It’s also useful to be told that Collins is the preferred source and it’s continually updated – 3 or 4 times a year, I understand from another source.
As for the Concise Oxford (English) Dictionary, the most recent printed edition was published in 2011, and its slightly larger relative the Oxford Dictionary of English was last printed in 2010. Both are now very much out of date which might be limiting for setters if they are relying on treeware. One would hope that they are permitted access to OUP dictionaries online where a version based on the content of both – Premium Oxford (English) Dictionary – is updated annually. The most recent additions were made in June 2024, so another update should be due soon.
Sadly one has to pay for access at the current rate of £16.66 p.a. but this also includes many English / Foreign Language dictionaries, dictionaries of English usage, etc etc etc, so it’s pretty good value if you are enthusiastic about words.
Thank you Jack for that. Very interesting. François.
I thought for one minute that you were suggesting £16.66 is the annual subscription to the online OED. Alas not, it’s £100 p.a. for private individuals. Too expensive for amateur enthusiasts though I do own the 1st and 2nd printed editions.