Coram

[derekpara]

In Saturday's Daily Telegraph (4th Feb) Quick Crossword was the clue,
' A glancing collision'. Five letters.

The answer was given today (Monday) as ' CORAM'.

I've never heard this word before and I can't find it in my (very good) dictionary.

Am I alone in being completely baffled ?

D

[bulliver]

Try here...

http://legal-dictiona...edictionary.com/Coram

[derekpara]

Thanks, B, but how does that relate to the clue ?

[bulliver]

'glancing collision' meaning 'in person' or 'face to face'

Better definition here...

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coram

[derekpara]

OK, bulliver, but it still seems a tad obtuse for a ' quick' crossword !

Thanks.

[Quizmonster]

I'm not familiar with this crossword, but your clue appears to have only wordplay and no definition. Coram, in itself, does not mean a glancing collision...it mean 'before' in Latin. Was there nothing there to suggest beforeness, as it were?
To ram certainly means to collide so, used as a noun, a ram is a collision. Presumably the 'co' indicates a sense of withness, as in co-conspirator.

[penelope2]

The DT Quick Crossword does not use wordplay, only definition (that's my interpretation), it's meant as a precursor to the back page 'Cryptic'. It often throws up an obscure word. It also uses the first, second and sometimes third clues to create a pun, i.e. todays: Honks Horn = Toots. and Sugary = Sweet .The pun = Tout Suite.

[Quizmonster]

Fair enough, Penelope, but toots DOES mean honks horn and sweet DOES mean sugary, whereas coram does NOT mean a glancing collision. I am, therefore, still puzzled.

[bibblebub]

Is it definitely coram and not CAROM which is a ricochet and a term used in billiards?

[rowanwitch]

Was it a typo for Carom a fast table game based on colliding pieces

[Quizmonster]

That's obviously it! A carom IS a glancing collision...end of problem. So who was responsible for the misprint...the paper or the questioner?

[derekpara]

Definitely not my error ! The answer in the next edition of the DT was Coram - and there was no subsequent apology.

Well done, bibblebub, I think you are spot on.

D

[Khandro]

Co=mutual. Ram=Collide. It isn't meant as a word.

[anneke]

http://thesaurus.com/browse/carom

[barryjbutler]

My Chambers gives "coram" as of Latin origin meaning "before, in the presence of". A glancing collision could sugggest a moment when youcan see something but it seems a bit far-fetched!