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Hello, Elle!
Yes, I can understand the crossword editor letting "fina/finer" go, as many (not me) folk may speak thus.
But "er" for "a" is plain wrong...in my opinion.
24, To be honest, Elle, as soon as I see Clackmannanshire, I think Alloa, and did not do the parse.
And I do not know what Cockneys shout when they are 'unting.
I knew there was a "view halloo" shout in hunting.
But Chambers assures me "halloo" and "halloa" are used, too.
I can go forward 7 days in my EPG to set my programme on TV.
i am amazed your Chambers lacks "son(s)".
Mine has,
s or s. abbrev: second(s); section; shilling; singular; son(s); succeeded.

Update, Elle!
I looked up the Oxford Dictionaries website,
They have "s" for "son(s)" too.

If I may intrude on the subject of 'er' sounding like 'a', this is quite common, particularly with the indefinite article when a solitary 'a' is used. If my EFL teaching memory is correct, this is known as a schwa.
I stand ready to be corrected!

Hello, Kenyatta.
You are certainly not intruding!
I will not be correcting you as I have not the faintest idea what an indefinite article is!
I shall investigate "schwa". New to me, and that's good!
I like to learn things!
"Er" does not sound like "a" to me, though.

Hi, Rusty!
My Chambers 13th edition of ill repute has the following:-
S or S. abbrev: Sabbath; Saint; schilling; Society; soprano (music); South; Southern; spades(cards) ; special; square; stokes; strangeness (phys); sun; Sweden (IVR).
Surprisingly, very different from yours!
Our rainy day never arrived, so we have been out doing a bit of gardening.
We do not have a particularly large garden - not very many London properties do - unless you reach the millionaire class!
But it is of a manageable size.
I have a lot of pots on my patio - and I really love these.......more so than the garden flower beds.
They are looking very pretty.
Will your son be arriving shortly?



Hello, Kenyatta!
I do not know anything about teaching English as a foreign language.....so cannot comment on what you have just said in that respect.
I thought though that "schwa" meant an indistinct sound?
I have never heard anyone who annunciates clearly sounding "a" as "er"?
One surely, for instance, would not say ' "er" cat' when meaning 'a cat'?

How would anyone here pronounce the first vowel in 'alone' ?
I think, for me that would be similar to 'er' or even 'uh'. Does that count as a schwa ?

Either "a" (ah-lone) or the notorious "schwa" (uhlone) for me, cerasus (depending on how careful I was being), but never "er", I think!

If that were how you would pronounce the word - as "erlone" or "uhlone" - then yes, I think that would be a "schwa"?
Kenyatta may get back to us and elucidate?
It isn't how I would say "alone" though?

Hello, Elle!
Ah, I think I know what the difference is.
You are looking under "S", rather than "s", surely?
...You are!... I have just looked at mine!
You and your senior moments!
The golf has been stopped due to an electrical storm.
They are concerned about lightning.
Yet, I am only a few miles further North and it is fine here.
A pity, because Ha Na Jang was almost finished and she often does a bit of dancing around the green when she finishes.
It is frowned upon back home in South Korea.
My son has texted to say he is going to the Esk fishing, and will call tomorrow.
There was a big fish of 30 lbs caught on the Tay yesterday.
Biggest of the year (that we know about).
Not all the beats report their catches.

Hello, Cerasus.
"ah"lone for me.
Why would anyone pronounce it "er"lone?