TenPoundHammer wrote:"Body of water where WHAT happens?!?" was all I could think this whole time. I don't even understand the clue. Explain?
I agree that this was a tortuously written clue. This merits discussion right here in the main thread, not in some ghetto. Everyone should read that clue again in all its glory:
- THE ZAMBEZI RIVER REACHES THE OCEAN
IN THIS COUNTRY THAT LENDS ITS NAME TO
THE BODY OF WATER WHERE IT HAPPENS
I gotta tell you, I would NOT want to be under the lights and have that clue thrown at me. I happened to parse the clue correctly first time around. So I didn't really read it again; I just started thinking of possible responses. This is actually a failing of mine. I've missed several FJs because I didn't re-read the clue to make sure I understood it. I keep forgetting that I need to do that. But on this clue, I think my failing helped me out.
Note that the clue has the word "its" and the word "it". It's not unnatural on a quick read to link both "it" words back to the same antecedent,
viz. "this country." That ends you up with "the body of water where THIS COUNTRY happens." Only that makes no sense. So are they talking about "the body of water where THE ZAMBEZI RIVER happens"? Where "THE OCEAN happens"? Where "ITS NAME happens"? There is no obvious antecedent to that second "it".
Now you're panicking, trying to figure out what "it" even refers to (even though your calmer self might notice that you don't really need to know). Turns out "it" refers back to "the Zambezi river reaching the ocean." Yeah. That's not good writing.