Thursday, December 24, 2009 (DT 26027)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, September 7, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26026 which was published Saturday, September 5, 2009 in the Daily Telegraph

Introduction

There were a considerable number of very clever clues in today's puzzle. Although I got off to a good start, I bogged down somewhat when the puzzle was about three-quarters completed. I must admit that I failed to solve a few of the final clues solely from the wordplay; instead I had to resort to picking solutions from lists of words or phrases matching the checking letters. However, in this process, the correct solution was easy to match to the wordplay. In fact, once the wordplay was understood, I often felt like kicking myself for not being able to see it right away.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

all-rounder - noun Brit. a person competent in a range of skills

rounders - plural noun treated as sing. a ball game similar to baseball, in which players run round a circuit of bases after hitting the ball with a cylindrical wooden bat, scoring a rounder if all four bases are reached before the ball is fielded

sago - noun 1 edible starch obtained from a palm, dried and processed to produce a flour or granules. 2 (also sago pudding) a sweet dish made from sago and milk

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26027].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a For this pudding turn gas to zero (4)

Sago is a substance that I have only ever encountered in crossword puzzles, although I understand that it is quite similar to tapioca, a dessert that my mother often served.

29a Eight in a row (4)

Although I was on the right course with my initial attempt, CREW, I eventually determined that I needed a different word to describe a rowing team. And I see from Big Dave's site that I was not alone in heading down the wrong path here.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas - Falcon