Introduction
Big Dave rated this puzzle "on the easy side". I'm not sure that I would concur with that opinion. I did get off to a much better start than yesterday and made excellent progress until I hit the upper right-hand corner where I totally came to a standstill. However, with a great deal of effort - and the support of some of the crossword puzzle solving aids in my Tool Chest - I did eventually succeed in completing the puzzle.
Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
John Cage - American composer
Erskine Childers - author and Irish nationalist Robert Eskine Childers, or his son, former Irish President Erskine Hamilton Childers
childminder - Brit. a babysitter
choc - colloq. chocolate or a chocolate
hyaline - clear or transparent
portiere - a heavy curtain hung across a doorway
Today's Links
I found a single question on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. It (together with the clues to which it relates) is:
- AnswerBank [DT 25887]-a: 6ac, 7d
Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25887].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
12ac School magazine chief working with partner? (2-2)
Update
I wrote my original comment (below) based on what is likely a misinterpretation of Big Dave's analysis of the clue as "this abbreviation for a CO-EDucational school is made up from CO- being a partner and ED(itor) being a magazine chief". After having slept on it, I think I may have missed the intent of his explanation.
I believe that this clue is intended to be a cryptic definition in the form of a pun built around the fact that if a "magazine chief" is an ED, then his/her partner would be a CO-ED. I think that "school" does not specify a synonym for school, but rather implies "type of school".
Original Post
I must say that I have trouble accepting this clue. I can find no source that would suggest that "co-ed" is a synonym for "school". Chambers, Oxford, Cambridge and The Free Dictionary all define "co-ed" as a female student at a co-educational institution. "Co-ed" can also be used as an adjective (meaning "co-educational"), but to say that an adjective is a synonym for a noun that it might modify is obviously nonsense.
Given that the British dictionaries identify this as a North American expression, perhaps this is a case of the British setter misunderstanding the meaning of the word. Or is this some undocumented (or, at least, undiscovered by yours truly) British usage?
Signing off for today - Falcon
Falcon
ReplyDeleteYou should have trusted me!
Coed is an abbreviation for Coeducational School, and you would talk about someone going to a Coed school.
I can see how Chambers has confused the issue, but we don't use that term for a person, only the establishnent.
coed
noun
* a girl or woman educated at a coeducational institution (chiefly North American)
* a coeducational school
Big Dave,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarification.
I presume that you are quoting from the print version of Chambers. Interestingly enough, the online version of Chambers does not provide the second definition for "co-ed" as a noun.
It would appear that British and North American usage are almost diametrically opposed on this point. I would never expect to see "co-ed" used as a noun to mean an educational institution. As a noun, it would almost certainly mean a female student at a co-educational institution. "Co-ed" could also be used here as an adjective, as in "a co-ed school".
I have noted that the British do seem to have a bit of a proclivity to turn adjectives into nouns, as in the use of "Indian" to mean "Indian restaurant" (as identified in comments to one of my previous posts).
Falcon
The definition was cut and pasted from the subscription-only online version of Chambers which has a wider vocubulary than the free version.
ReplyDeleteNot only does Indian refer to the restaurant, but can also refer to the meal itself, as in "going for an Indian". This was wonderfully parodied in the TV program "Goodness Gracious Me" where the Indians would "go for an English". For the North American market, I should point out that the video is a parody of the behaviour of a group of English people in an Indian restaurant.