Final Word

This week's Final Word comes from a conspicuous 19th-century American author of Norwegian descent:

"The advantage of the accredited locutions lies in their reputability; they are reputable because they are cumbrous and out of date, and therefore argue waste of time and exemption from the use and the need of direct and forcible speech."

The winner of last week's competition, who correctly identified Arthur Koestler's The Sleepwalkers , is Linda Harding of Plymouth.