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13ac Crying small boy rejects gift (8)
F?A?R?N?
I can only see FLAGRANT - it is ALF backwards + GRANT for gift, but why is "crying" a definition?

Perhaps as in "crying need" etc?

crying is a synonym of flagrant

Morning chrise,

Just had a look in the thesaurus and crying is there with flagrant. Never knew that. This is a change -- it's is usually you helping me with the Telegraph -- Happy Christmas

Thanks AB - not very good though, is it?

Thanks chrisg, but I don't see that. My Chambers gives "FLAGRANT: notorious; outrageous or conspicuous; burning or raging" (archaic) and "CRYING: any loud sound esp of gried or pain; a call or shout; a fit of weeping; a pack of hounds, hence of people; a particular sound uttered by an animal; bawling; lamentation; prayer; clamour; report or rumour; a general utterance; a watchword, battle-cry, or slogan; a street cry of wares for sale or services offered"
I don't see much in common between those definitions.

Thanks bobsmum - as I said above, I'm not convinced!

Happy Christmas to you too.

Chambers 12 later in the entry for "cry" gives a separate definition of "crying" as "claiming notice and immediate action or redress", which is pretty close to "flagrant" which is "outrageous or conspicuous".

Hi chrise
I picked up the definition from this site
http://thesaurus.com/browse/flagrant?__utma=1.1350074549.1352804821.1356242132.1356341716.82&__utmb=1.6.9.1356341789611&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1356341716.82.82.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=39521187

OK I'm convinced! Thanks to both.

Chris: I suppose this little postscript is probably redundant if you're already convinced, but think of the exp. "a crying shame" or even "for crying out loud", then perhaps it becomes a little more obvious. I admit it wouldn't have been immediately clear to me, though, either. Happy Christmas!