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Thanks, Tyke, Rosalind and ChrisE.

I've been too busy trying to ignore Christmas to keep an eye on apostrophes, grammar, clunky sentences etc.

From today's Daily Telegraph cryptic:

Iron brace fixed without carbon, like a hang-glider must be (7)

I don't like "like" used as a conjunction, although it's very common these days and I see it often in The Times. "As" would correct.

Malone

I heard a review of your book on the radio this morning - "Tales from the Seven Seas". I thought it would be a swashbuckling adventure about cocky coxswains and boozy bosuns pursuing pursers around flipping fo'c's'les. But apparently it was;

Cryptic Crossword Clues Can't Confuse Clever Cruciverbalists

Not bloodthirsty but very interesting.

orson

I don't like like either. Also don't like "I was like.............." used by youngsters and the like.

Even worse is "I was happy, like"

jigjag

I heard the book review too. I have asked for it as a Christmas present.

Orson and Grunger

I too - like most right-thinking people - hate the use and spread of 'like'. I've just inadvertently clicked on the first page of this thread - and Rossim's post there referred to the same topic. That was on 30th January - almost a year later, we're still, like, finding ourselves irritated by uses like that.

Jigjag

Glad you're showing such a keen interest in my book. I'm sure you weren't too disappointed to miss out on sailing stuff - checking the apostrophes were all in the right places would have disrupted the rhythm of your reading. The 'correct' title seems a little … cumbersome, clunky, charmless...

Has anyone noticed the growing use of SO. Asked a question, the trendy young things reply "So, I was like on the bus" etc. Celeb's are now joining the ranks, or maybe they started it.

One cannot but help notice it, Leapy. I often listen to You and Yours on Radio 4 in which various people are interviewed and they often begin each response with that word. And yet these people have been chosen to go on radio because they're good at speaking, I presume.

Leapy & Orson

I also listen to Radio 4 a lot - if the person being interviewed starts with a `So` I immediately expect them to spout a load of rubbish ... I`m rarely disappointed !

My copy of the Times was not delivered today. Could anybody please e-mail the Crossword to me doris@downingst.co.uk

But please be quick - I am moving tomorrow.