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Good morning, Elle!
Bit dreich here today.
Of course you are not talking rubbish!
Good points regarding tennis and golf.
I honestly do not know if golfers get tested.
I cannot recall hearing about it.
I remember reading, years ago, that competitors in the shooting events took something to keep them calm and steady the nerves.
So, it's horses for courses, I think.
What would benefit a sprinter in an explosive event like the 100 metres would be unlikely to help a distance runner?
Good old Andy Murray says to ban Maria!
Good to hear young Laura Robson is making a pain free recovery from her injury.

Good afternoon, Rusty!
A very successful day out !
First of all... the sun came out - it ended up being a lovely day and relatively mild.
I bought three outfits for the baby and a game for BB.
Lunch and company were good!
The tram ride was pleasant.
Have you had a good day? Did you go for a walk?
Now today's Times QC has come up with yet another homophone! this is getting to be a (daily) habit!
19A: Was aware of talking animal (3)
I have been singing Flanders and Swann's song ever since.......
"I'm a g-nu ........a g-nother g-nu....... the g-nicest work of g-nature in the zoo"...........
I haven't got around to the Times 15 x 15 yet.... I wonder what that will have in store?

hello you lovely people, i thought you might be interested in a cockney clue from today's Guardian.

21a. 8 cockney fixer (4) N?L?
the answer to 8 is watercourse.

I have lived most of my life in SE London and this made me laugh out loud. it's just wrong.


1d was another homophone clue. it's here if you're interested.

https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26829

i couldn't be bothered to do this crossword when i realised it was partly a geography test

21 is more like Aussie than cockney !

Hi, Trev!
I'm presuming "nail" is meant to sound like "Nile" when spoken by a Cockney?
I know two "Cockneys" who are very "broad" - I shall make a point of asking them when they return from their cruise!
But on the face of it, I am with Eirlys - to me it sounds more "Aussie"
(but there again, I'm not very good on local accents!)

agreed Eirlys,
i only occasionally look into this thread, just been reading the most recent.
earn and urn sound the same to me (Eric and him).
For bad soundalikes, i think Elle's gnu will take some beating (although i'm against animal cruelty).

Hi Elle,
none of the cockneys i've ever met would pronounce nail as nile (maybe Dick Van Dyke did).
still, i think we can normally 'see' what the setter is getting at when they use clues based on accent and they are sometimes quite amusing.

I have a book on Aussie Strine by "Emma Chisit"

Actually, gnu is supposedly pronounced as "new" or "noo", according to whether you are English or American!
The "g" is silent unless you are Flanders and/or Swann!

wow - who gknew? that song must've tainted me.