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Re Lady Mondegreen -
for years my wife J. and I listened to the intellectually surreal lyric in the eponymous track on Judy Collins LP 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' - "Sad as Bernard Shaw, your fickle friends are leaving..."

Finally she came to the UK and we went to hear her live at the Albert Hall
(incidentally I sent her a bunch of violets - goofily sentimental about 'Young men holding violets are curious to know if you have cried' in 'Albatross' on 'Wildflowers'
- later I she wrote about having to wade through hundreds of bunches of violets piled outside her dressing-room that evening...)

Anyway - she comes to 'Who knows...' - J. and I look at each other in wild surmise as, clear as a bell:
'Sad deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving...'

Quixote
You may have come across it when sung by Judy Collins, but it's actually one of Sandy Denny's most famous songs, written when she was only 19 (also probably her most covered song).

I've not been able to find the recording I'm familiar with. Below is a live BBC one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsqztvHIB9Y

chrise - thank you - lovely.
The good die young.

Some pet pedantic hates:

Careening down the street

A bacteria
(Even on the BBC! Even by scientists! Even [can it really be true??] from Chris Packham!!!)

A criteria

Bored of
(I can't logically fault it - cf. 'tired of...' - but I still hate it)

I thought you guys .... and guyesses, of course, might get a kick from this clue in today's Everyman

26a - Has another think about Spooner’s women who see future (10)

Malone

I hope you had a good Christmas. I forgot to say that I loved the "Hucksteress" clue, no doubt Grunger will like it too. I am sure she has been one, or perhaps it was hustleress. Interesting clue, as I wondered if it was c or h that was dropped from "Chard". I suppose either might have been right, though it was c that was required.

Brendan

Sorry I cant solve your clue. What is the answer please.

Hi jigjag
It was REASSESSES - supposedly a Spoonerism of SEERESSES.

I didn't like it!

Jigjag,

Thanks for your post. I am glad you liked the Hucksteress clue, and I'm sure Grunger would have appreciated it too. A week or so later, I did a crossword where 'huckster' was the answer - the previous experience meant I got that one pretty quickly. There was another '-ess' clue in one of the weekend puzzles, but I won't say too much in case it's still being tackled. Grunger might have had a little 'tut' or raising of the eyebrows earlier tonight, if she'd watched University Challenge. One contestant, one female contestant, described herself as 'an actor'.

Brendan, Chrise, I really don't like the Everyman clue. I seldom enjoy Spooner stuff, but it's also a rather inelegant clue anyway, slightly clunky.

Re the female University Challenge 'actor'.

Whatever the actor said to the bishop was scarcely worth recording.

While I'm here - The Times had 'publically' in a news report recently. I assume it's not a valid alternative.

I think publical and publically are rare alternatives to public and publicly. They do seem to jar.

I wonder whether it's time for Jeremy Paxman to step aside on University Challenge. When someone interrupts a question he should stop immediately but he always carries on for a bit, giving the interrupter an unfair bonus. It's as though it takes a short while for the buzzer to register with him. Also, last night there was an odd pause when someone answered incorrectly and he had to think what to do next, namely offer the question to the other team.

They're all signs of ageing, perhaps. But on top of that he doesn't always pronounce uncommon words and names properly. He should do his homework before the programme starts.

At least he's better than John Humphrys was on Mastermind. He would always respond to a correct answer with a "yup". Clive Myrie is very good.