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As a relative beginner I encounter occasional/ many, clues that seem unethical . . perhaps not quite the correct terminology

Others may direct questions to this thread . . but here is mine . .

In another post the very erudite Malone (who may well be a teacher of French) provided the answer "moue"; French for "pout" . . I can't check back while typing, but I don't think that there was an indicator (In Paris etc) but apart from that . .

When do words from other languages become acceptable answers to English language puzzles?

Opinions please . .

Hi Hannah,

I'm far from erudite, so could well be wrong, but I always understood the rule to be that no foreign language indicator is needed if the word is in common usage - like "moue", which is in Chambers and the Free Online dictionary. Otherwise an indicator should be given eg "the" in French or Spanish - because we haven't 'la' or 'el' into English.

This clue was in the Guardian crossword a couple of weeks ago:-

Water carrying duo entering arena for Ipswich Town telethon (11,4) PORTMANTEAU WORD

There is no French indicator for "eau" as it's in Chambers..."used in English in various combinations".

That is my understanding but I'm sure others will be able to provide a better explanation.

PS Congtats. on winning the WPR - a smooth surface and a great clue:-)

Thanks Brendan . . for both of the above

'Moue' is not commonly known, to me at least; and that is what prompted my question

Morning, Hannah

Your post was interesting - and so was Brendan's comprehensive reply. I agree with him entirely, foreign words that are widely known (though maybe not widely used) are quite legitimate in a crosswords.

I thought 'Moue' was an odd one. I explained its provenance because the clue featured in an Alpha Puzzle. Not only are no lengths given, but the clues are often on the basic side. Three recent ones were...
Flare up and go wild.
Gather a service.
On and On I split a veg.

If you/one is used to clues such as these, the answer 'moue' might be a little disconcerting. it really isn't that common a word. It's one of those that I feel I've always known, maybe picked up during all my years of reading.