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Malone

I have sung in church, but have never used chantress. It reminds me of enchantress, another word I avoid.

Re woman - in my opinion, because a word is defined in dictionaries, this does not make the use acceptable. I suppose it is OK in crosswords though.

Grunger

I'm so used to 'chanter' meaning a thing (in bagpipes, the pipe with fingerholes, on which the melody is played), that 'chantress' looked distinctly odd!

Yes, woman= cleaner, domestic help would never be acceptable in the real world. It's OK, but just OK, in crosswords. And I suppose it gave the much-loved char and daily a day off?

My goodness, WOMAN for "cleaner" is completely unacceptable nowadays, and I speak as a man!

I would also claim "cook"!

Grunger/Malone

Isn't CANTRESS an eight-letter solution, the feminine of CANTOR, a male singer?

Mmm - I'm not an expert in Jewish religion, but I think that women aren't even allowed on the ground floor in their temples (is that the right word)?, so a female cantor seems rather unlikely?

...synagogues...

...and I may be confusing them with mosques. Shut up now!

Paul...

Thanks. I'd simply given the wrong letter count, but I'm sure Grunger will add your Cantress to her collection of '-ess' words.

Malone/Grunger

I am getting cold feet about CANTRESS now. I found it online at Wiktionary, but it's not in my Chambers (admittedly only the 1993 edition) nor is it allowable in Scrabble.

Also, going back to the clue, perhaps C can't be church, even though the C in C (of) E could be construed as such.

Paul Malone

I think "cantress" is a great word whatever Chambers and Scrabble organisers say. I think there is a difference between "cantress" and "chantress", and would love to see a clue using one, with the answer being the other. I dont like C for church though.

Chambers omits some -ess words e.g. executionress. Some interesting clues in the Times today.

Chrise

Ae women really not allowed in those places? I though it was just Scottish golf clubs who were behind the times.