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Hello, Elle!
You are not being too fussy at all.
it is not unusual on here to quibble at a clue or a setters interpretation of it.
That's part of the fun, and I doubt that the setters would mind.
You have had opinions from several folk on the forum and that is what the forum is for, surely?
i have had a look at Times online at the puzzle and it is (7,1,4),
which gives "catches a cold".
Clue is "Contracts minor illness and has financial difficulties".
Given that, "catches a cold" seems fine to me.
I do not understand Chambers "catches cold (at)".
Anyways, I discovered that the original meaning of the word "chauffeur" is "stoker".
And that a man with the amazing name of Roosevelt Zanders was the best known chauffeur around.
He was based in Harlem, NY, and drove JFK, Churchill, John Wayne, Fidel Castro, Ethel Merman, etc etc.
Another piece of useless info is that his Rolls Royce was used in the pop video "Uptown Girl".
Now for a coffee and Madeira cake!

Hey, Rusty!
I don't know how you come to discover these gems of information?
Or how one bit leads on to another.........?
"Uptown girl"..........Billy Joel?
I have given up on crosswords for today and have been reading.......
Tomorrow, I need to do some forward planning.......like organising the dog's booster vaccinations with the vet.......and phoning the dog groomer to arrange for her to be trimmed.
A coffee sounds like a good idea....... probably with a shortbread!


Epicentre, Chris?

Actually I'm doing Chambers an injustice on that one - my (relatively ancient edition) has it right.


"Centre" isn't a long enough word for pretentious idiots who are, by education, most likely to know that "epi" means "on top of", hence not "the absolute middle".

Hello, Elle!
Yes, in the video the Rolls is driven into the garage, where Billy Joel works.
Christie ? is in the back of the Rolls.
I did not know that a chauffeur was a stoker, though!
Yes, you have had enough tussles with setters for one day!
One crossword a day is plenty enough for me.
I have arranged (or had arranged for me, more like) outings to Pine Cone on Thursday and Saturday, with granddaughters.
Do you know of a Forest Hill, London?
I am going to buy a book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and in the course of my browsing, discovered that before the war he preached for a while in London, and there is a church in Forest Hill named after him.
I do not suppose you would know the church?
The problem is which book to get. There are many.
Decisions!

When I worked in London, once I got a car, I drove through Forest Hill every day, on my way from Denmark Hill to Catford.

Hi, Rusty!
Outings with your granddaughters will be good!
Something to which to look forward!
You will be busy!
Now....should I know of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, because I am afraid that I do not ?
He sounds to be German?
Who is he? and how come you are anxious to read about him?
Yes, I know of Forest Hill ; it is in South - East London .
Our motor mechanic friend lives there!
But I do not know of the church.

Hello, Elle!
I am not "anxious" to read about him.
But I am interested in learning about him.
There is no reason at all that you should know about him.
I first came across him when I read about Sophie Scholl and the White Rose (and that really impressed me).
And it stuck in my mind to find out a bit more about him.
He was a German pastor who opposed the Nazis, among many other things.
The Nazis hanged him at Flossenburg, along with Admiral Canaris, just before the Russians and Americans got there to free the prisoners.
There is a statue of him at Westminster Abbey.
So, I am going to get a biography of him and learn what made him tick!
Now, I am not sure which church he preached at, but it was damaged during the war, and there is now a church named for him in Forest Hill, in Dacres Road.
Now, do not tell me your motor mechanic friend lives in Dacres Road!

Good morning, Rusty!
Ah, now I know a little about Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Anti Nazi Resistance group.
She and her brother were both executed by guillotine, after being found guilty of treason, because they distributed anti-war leaflets.
I think maybe we have talked about her before?
Yes, it would be interesting to learn more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer.......
I did not even know of the statue of him at Westminster Abbey.
No, our mechanic friend does not live in Dacres Road...but it is only about a mile from where he does live!
I have probably passed very near to the location of the church in question!
Very black sky here .....it looks as though heavy rain is on its way.

Good morning, Elle!
But it's not!
Heavy rain here.
Yes, we discussed Sophie Scholl and the White Rose before.
I have found out a little bit more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's time in London.
The church he preached in was in Sydenham.
I think that is not far from Forest Hill?
Yes, his statue is in Westminster Abbey, there is one of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, too.
She was Tsarina Alexandra's sister.
I just discovered that her statue in in Westminster Abbey, too.
I do not know if I could get a book on her, though?
Again, I am unsure, but she may have been related to the Duke of Edinburgh?
Anyways!
I am home for the day!
I was out in my motor earlier and there are roadworks everywhere!

Good morning Elle and Rusty!

A rather nice day here - just right for you Elle.

Thanks to your enquiring mind Rusty, this thread offers a
wealth of information and whether I retain all of it or not, it
is interesting reading anyway! Thank you.
BTW, having just googled, I read that The Grand Duchess was indeed Prince Philip's great-aunt!
I am sure you knew Elle?