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I'm a bit late on this one. S.Times 4327 (3 May 2009). 22d: After last letter I send snappy answer(6). -I-O-T. Is intended answer RIPOST? Surely has to be RIPOSTE? 10 May: solution published as PIGOUT. Explanation please? Winners' names to be published 24 May. Can anyone have been successful?

Good morning Paul,

According to the dictionaries I have looked at - and the Free Dictionary, which accesses more than one dictionary - the word PIGOUT doesn't exist!

The slang expression 'pig out' is described as "an act or instance of voracious eating by a person or group" but I suspect that you already
knew that.

Best wishes,

Caravaggio

I agree, Caravaggio. Thanks for your comment. And I don't think RIPOST is an alternative to RIPOSTE either. I have not yet seen any published correction, if indeed there has been an error. It will be interesting to see if any comment is printed next Sunday with the winners' names. I don't send in solutions myself nowadays.

As I see this, the wordplay gives RIPOST as the answer.
AfteR last letter = R + I POST (I send).
In the dictionary on this site the following definition is given.
Ripost In fencing, a return thrust after a parry.
I agree with you that "snappy answer" should be riposte.
I suspect PIGOUT is an error. I've never particularly looked before, but I can't recall ever seeing a correction or apology printed for a crossword error. But let's wait and see next week's paper.

On the Times web site the solution is given as "ripost" so presumably "pigout" is a rather weird typo in the printed edition.

eleanormcn.
Do you have to pay to see the answers on the Times site? Maybe PIGOUT was the answer from the previous week?

A similar thing did happen a month or so ago with the answers to the "Jumbo" crossword in the Times. They "straight" answer matched the clues, but the answer given for the "cryptic" one was completely wrong, and didnt match the one given on the website either.

The Alchemist

Yes, you have to be a subscription member to access the crossword online.

I found RIPOST in seven dictionaries and PIGOUT in four.

Thanks for all replies. I use Chambers 2000 reprint of the 1998 Edition which does not give RIPOST. Nor does my old Official Scrabble Words (based on Chambers). However, I notice that the new Collins OSW does allow RIPOST. So the conclusion seems to be that RIPOST is the answer and PIGOUT (also allowable in Scrabble, I see) was a typo. I doubt if S. Times will think this worth mentioning, and I would agree.