Monday, November 15, 2010 (DT 26317)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26317
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 12, 2010
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26317]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

After completing today's puzzle in record-breaking time, I was not surprised to see that it merited only two stars for difficulty. However, despite the puzzle being not overly challenging, solving it was not an unenjoyable exercise. By the way, I may have just given you a hint to 21d.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues:

dicky ² - [Collins English Dictionary] adjective colloquial 1 shaky; unsteady. 2 not in good condition. ETYMOLOGY: 19c: possibly from Tom and Dick, Cockney rhyming slang for sick.

dicky ² - [Oxford Dictionaries Online] (of a part of the body, a structure, or a device) not strong, healthy, or functioning reliably: a pianist with a dicky heart;  Origin: late 18th century (in the sense ‘almost over’): perhaps from the given name Dick, in the old saying as queer as Dick's hatband.

Appearing in Solutions:

Alph - A fictional river mentioned in the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem begins:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree :

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

bagatelle - [Collins English Dictionary] noun

• 2. a board game in which balls are struck into holes, with pins as obstacles; pinball
• 3. another name for bar billiards: British a table game in pubs, etc., in which short cues are used to pocket balls into holes scoring various points and guarded by wooden pegs that incur penalties if they are knocked over

dutch - noun (usually one's old dutch) British informal (especially among cockneys) one's wife

As Kath comments on Big Dave's site "Have also learnt that there are two Cockney rhyming slang thingies for wife. I only knew ‘trouble and strife’ but, having looked up ‘dutch’ have discovered that it’s also ‘duchess of Fife’! Inventive chaps these Cockneys!!"

litotes - noun ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary: (e.g. I shan't be sorry meaning I shall be glad)

midinette - noun a seamstress or assistant in a Parisian fashion house; Origin: French, from midi 'midday' + dînette 'light dinner' (because only a short break was taken at lunchtime)

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

13a Fellow attached to the Spanish church (6)

I carelessly entered "the French" instead of "the Spanish" here, which certainly made solving 3d more difficult than it needed to be.

4d Private room near top of tower (6)

While the word closet can take similar meanings in Britain and North America, it would also appear that the word may have some different connotations on opposite sides of the Atlantic. The American Heritage Dictionary gives one definition as "a small private chamber, as for study or prayer", similar to the Collins English Dictionary's entry "a small private room". However, in Britain, closet may also be short for water closet (toilet) - yet another type of small private room. The more common usage in North America is "a cabinet or enclosed recess for linens, household supplies, or clothing". Collins does provide the definition "a small cupboard or recess". However, in North America, a closet would be a large cupboard - not a small one. For example, most kitchens have a number of half-height storage units under and above the counter which would be called cupboards as well as a full-height unit (generally intended for the storage of brooms, mops, etc.) which would be called a closet (or broom closet). One definition for closet found in Oxford Dictionaries Online is "chiefly North American a cupboard or wardrobe, especially one tall enough to walk into". Perhaps Oxford should have completed the thought by adding "... if it weren't crammed full of junk".

Signing off for today - Falcon