Questions of style

I have recently had some (strongly worded) complaints based on the assertion that I clearly don’t know how to spell. In private and amongst friends, I am prepared to concede that spelling is not my strongest point and I do rely heavily spellchecks. (Here one can come a cropper, because more and more of them are American in origin.) So I am correspondingly relieved when I can say confidently that the complainant is wrong.

One reader called about a ‘frequent misspelling that he did not expect to see in a Guardian crossword’. Cryptic No 26,777 for 11 January, set by Rufus, had ‘Excellent publicity arranged by family member (8)’ for GRAND/ADS, when the ‘correct’ spelling is GRANDDADS. Here I was covered, not only by all the dictionaries but also by the Guardian style book, which declares that ‘grandad’ is the spelling to be used. (NB, however, that in the Guardian the old boys’ grandchild is a ‘granddaughter’, not a ‘grandaughter’,)

Next up (Quick No 14,255 for 16 January) was ‘Insect that spreads sleeping sickness (6,3)’. A reader, who had lived for many years in Zambia, was certain beyond any doubt that this insect is the TSETSE FLY and not the TZETZE FLY, which was what was needed in order for the solution to fit the grid. Here I was on rather less strong ground, because the style book does come down firmly for ‘tsetse’. However, against that Collins has ‘tzetze’ as a legitimate alternative and both the full Oxford English Dictionary and the 1-volume Chambers (much beloved of setters) offer not only ‘tzetze’ but also ‘tzetse’. If I were writing an article for the paper on African diseases, I should always, of course, obey the style book and write ‘tsetse’ but my view, given such solid dictionary backing, is that it is fair to cut the poor setter a little rope and allow TZETZE to fly occasionally, if needs must.

More difficult, though, is the problem of when is an actor an actress, raised by Quick No 14,235 on 23 December. ‘Belgian-born British actor, d. 1993 (6,7)’ was the clue for AUDREY HEPBURN. The style book is definite on this point: ‘Use actor for both male and female actors … except when in name of award, eg Oscar for best actress. The Guardian’s view is that actress comes into the same category as authoress, comedienne, manageress, “lady doctor”, “male nurse” and similar obsolete terms that date from a time when professions were largely the preserve of one sex (usually men).’ So far, so clear.

But my style bible then prevaricates by adding: ‘As always, use common sense’. It cites as a failure to do so the subbing of a piece about the film director Carlo Ponti that caused a sentence to say that, in his early career, he was ‘always a man with a good eye for pretty actors’. The trouble with common sense is that it can too easily be used as justification by this crossword editress or that crossword editor to suit their personal purpose.

I should be grateful for any views that would help me regain an island of stability in these shifting sands of style. In passing, though, I have to be honest and say that the modest element of misdirection, in causing some sexist solvers to jump to the assumption that the answer to the clue ‘actor’ must be a man, seemed to be fair fun in a crossword.
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The January Genius (No 151, set by a newcomer, Soup) again got off to a bad start, the original submission form lacking some solution numbers. PSC from Australia would have been the first in at 10:28 but for wrong solutions at 22 and 27 across. Of the next two, both in at 10:36, ME @tesco also had the wrong solution for 27 across, which makes Jeff G @live officially this month’s ‘first past the post’. AB112 @btinternet was the only other solver home before 11:00. There were 32 entrants on the first Monday and 301 in total by the deadline.

Belated congratulations, also, to Jeremy Outen, who was one of the winners of the Saturday prize puzzle for 9 January (No 26,776 set by Paul). When the list of winners was published on 18 January, his signature was wrongly transcribed as Jeremy Owen. We apologise for that and are happy to set the record straight.
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