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malone

Yes I have seen a couple of celebrants at non-religious funerals. They did a good job, though I dont like the word.

I dont know why they did not just say "steak pie". It was clearly made on the premises and you could see what you were getting. I suppose they have to embellish all dishes. I get fed up with "Deep-fried Cod Mediterranean style in crispy beer batter and French Fried Potatoes", when it is simply fish and chips.

I too like Quiche Lorraine, the answer not the flan, and look forward to a report of the crossword final, whether jigjag goes to it or not!

Granger

I think there's a slight air of desperation in some restaurant menus. Are 'triple-fried' chips better than 'hand-cut chips'? Is 'jus' better than 'gravy'? (In my opinion, certainly not.) Some Scottish restaurants seem to be getting carried away with it all. Not only do they say 'beer-battered...', but some of them specify the beer/ale involved. If your menu had said only 'steak pie', I might have wondered if this was really 'bought, in huge trays, from Costco, steak pie.'

Like you, I used to dislike the word 'celebrant', but I told myself that it is perfectly valid - especially when I remind myself of the real origin of 'celebrate', to mark an occasion. This made it easier to accommodate the idea of celebrants at funerals, who weren't there just to make sure we all had a good, old time.

PS The crossword setters are still following me. Today's Times has a cricket-related clue and an '-ess' answer.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. Pretentiousness is a dish best served with quinoa and a raspberry coulis.

Malone

I feel tempted to tell them to fry the chips once, but do it properly. I cant accept an extra charge for doing it more than once.

I liked the clues you mentioned and I see you got one of your dreaded SA clues, though it went well for you.

I am struggling on the Academist one, and the Olympians. Any hints, please?

SW @918
You have reminded me one of my favourite sayings (first heard by me in the Genetics Department at Cambridge in 1972!)

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

Hi, Chris. I'm sure I saw your "time" quote on the cover of an album one of my friends had in the early 70s. I can't for the life of me remember what the album or band was.

ChrisE, the old ones are sometimes the best. I think your 'fruit flies' quote had been around for quite a while by the time you heard it!

Grunger, even my mother - one of the worst cooks ever - knew that chips are much better if cooked twice. This results in fluffy insides and crispy outsides. The Academist clue involves an anagram, the Olympians has a four-letter 'main' inside a four-letter 'our opponents' - leading to 'rule of Olympians'.

I didn't see any SA clues, maybe my brain now filters out those?!

M

I hope this message reaches you in your new (dis)guise.

I cant go to the Times final as it clashes with football. However, the "factual" report could be written now as the winner is already known. At least I could say that most years, but the regular champion made an error last year. That's the problem for the stars - putting in answers without parsing, to save time.

I will happily do a 200-word report after the event, from a different perspective.

Grunger

If you are still stuck after M's hints, for the Academist one, think of what you have to do to eat your pies. For the other one, try "us and them", but how you would say it in Wigan!

Malone

My mother also did that with chips. She half-cooked them, as she said, wrapped them in a tea towel for a few hours, then completed the cooking. I suppose Grunger means it is too much trouble to do that, and there must be a way of doing it once. I dont know - I have never cooked a chip in my life - except frozen ones in the oven.

The SA clue threw me - I assumed it would an IT one but "SA team" was just SA side, so OK