Thursday, December 3, 2009 (DT 26004)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, August 11, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

As I suspected, the Brits (for the most part, at least) found today's puzzle to be relatively easy. There were, however, a number of British terms that made it somewhat more challenging for those of us on this side of the pond - but, on the whole, it was not unduly difficult. I actually managed to decipher a number of previously unknown Briticisms from the wordplay alone. With a bit of perseverance, I completed the puzzle - including figuring out all of the wordplay (but just barely).

Today's Glossary

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

AGA - noun trademark a type of large British cooking stove (from the Swedish acronym of the company that originally manufactured them)

bent - adjective 2 informal, chiefly Brit. dishonest; corrupt

blackleg - noun Brit. derogatory a person who continues working when fellow workers are on strike

Colonel Blimp - British cartoon character

Nellie Dean - popular UK pub song

primero - n. A gambling card game, popular in Elizabethan England

Salad Days - a 1954 British Musical

sophister - n 1. (Social Science/Education) (esp formerly) a second-year undergraduate at certain British universities

stoppage - noun 4 (stoppages) Brit. deductions from wages by an employer for the payment of tax, National Insurance, etc.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26004].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

4d Another identical cooking range at home (4,5)

While not the last clue to be solved, the wordplay did remain a mystery until the bitter end (which made me question whether I did, in fact, have the right solution). I was fairly sure that the definition was "another", but I did not rule out the possibility that it might be "another identical". The wordplay "cooking range" led me to look for an anagram of "range" (or possibly "range at", in the event that IN were to be given by "home" rather than "at home"). I was nearly ready to throw in the towel when a search on AGA revealed that it is the trademark of a British (formerly Swedish) cooking stove.

16d Student nun organized hop inside (9)

Here the solution is a Briticism that seems to be obscure even to the Brits. However, for me, it was no more obscure than terms like blackleg and stoppage - or, especially, AGA.

20d Take away produce (6)

I presume this is a double definition, although one of the definitions seems a bit iffy to me. The first definition of "take away" meaning REMOVE is fine, but "produce" meaning REMOVE? Perhaps the setter has in mind that if one is asked, for example, to produce a driver's licence they may have to remove it from their wallet. It is interesting to note that the Brit's also appeared confused by this clue. However, Gazza does eventually arrive at a somewhat similar conclusion to mine - with probably an even better example. And a visitor to Big Dave's blog leaves a comment containing a similar example as well.

26d Speaks about a son and daughter making a musical (5,4)

Between the wordplay and the checking letters, I was able to decipher the name of this show - despite never having heard of this production. Prior to Oliver!, Salad Days was the longest-running show in British musical theatre history. Although it had a fairly successful run in Canada in 1958, it flopped badly when taken to Broadway in 1959. It seems that the Yanks just didn't "get it" then - and many North Americans may still not have gotten it today.

Signing off for today - Falcon