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ChrisE, just for you...

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic, today

9 A. Aggravate player of forty-five, perhaps? (6)

Malone

Although this clue was not for me, is the answer "Wind Up". It has been winding me up for days.

Grunger

No, it's Needle. The misuse of 'aggravate' annoys ChrisE … if I've remembered correctly.

It does indeed, malone - thanks for that!

Radio Times listing for today:
Train your baby like a dog
.....She also demonstrates how to read body language in order to diffuse outbursts before they happen.

I suppose the writer could mean "diffuse", but "defuse" is surely more likely?

I agree that the writer meant defuse. Confusing that word with diffuse is common amongst journalists and is something that annoys me.

Even so, I have doubts about defuse. I think you can only defuse something that already exists, like a bomb. An outburst, however, is spontaneous - something that happens unexpectedly. So I think it would have been better to write prevent.

She also demonstrates how to read body language in order to prevent outbursts.

It is unnecessary to add "before they happen".

ChrisE, glad I remembered correctly, glad I could aggravate you (!) with that clue.

Orson

Your 'outbursts' sentence is definitely much, much better.

Thank you, malone. I read this headline in today's Shropshire Star:

Whole of the country should unite as one.

Or perhaps unite as two or three? And I'm not convinced that "whole" is necessary.

The country should unite.

That in itself implies the whole country, otherwise it would have said the south of the country or England and Wales should unite.

But maybe I'm being too critical and I don't blame the subeditor who wrote the headline because I know they have to fill the space available and that means padding things out sometimes.

Orson, I think the headline is a little overblown - but for dramatic effect. 'The country should unite' seems a little flat, so I can see why 'Whole of the country' was used. I'd definitely drop the 'as one'.

I agree. That's a fair comment, malone.

Malone

Thanks for the answer. I was on the right lines as I guessed it was a misuse of "aggravate". The only connection I could see with that and 45s was a "wind-up" record-player. I didn't think of "needle" as to me it is "stylus".

Thanks for your comment on my domestic woes. The strippress did some damage to the walls, but my daughter and I repaired it. The decorator said, "You would make good plastereresses."