Tuesday, November 23, 2010 (DT 26324)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26324
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 20, 2010
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26324]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

For the second day in a row, I was able to complete a puzzle unaided which, I believe, is the first time that I have accomplished that achievement. This one is definitely a more substantial challenge than the one presented to us yesterday.

Solving Tip - Cryptic Clichés

Today's puzzle contains a number of instances of standard cryptic substitutions that appear so frequently in puzzles that they can be considered to be clichés. Among them are:

• old lover - EX
• gangster - AL (Capone)
• rocker - TED (short for Teddy Boy; see Today's Glossary)
• sailor - TAR
• the Parisian - LE (French word for 'the')
• ship - SS
• hesitation - ER (when its not UM)
• of French - DE (French word for 'of')

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

bags - noun (bag 3) British dated loose-fitting trousers

maiden (abbreviation M; e.g., in game summaries) - noun 2 (also maiden over) Cricket an over in which no runs are scored

Westminster - [Collins English Dictionary] 2. the [British] Houses of Parliament at Westminster [in London, England]

Appearing in Solutions:

disco - noun 1 a discotheque. 2 a party with dancing to recorded music. 3 the mobile hi-fi and lighting equipment used for such a party. [Note: only the first definition would likely be recognized in North America].

gust - noun a sudden burst of something such as rain, sound, or emotion

lords and ladies - noun The European wake-robin (Arum maculatum) - those with purplish spadix the lords, and those with pale spadix the ladies. Range: Lords and ladies is very common across most of the British Isles, being absent only from North Scotland. It also occurs frequently in Europe.

Description: Wild arum or lords and ladies (just one of this abundant plant’s local names), has a striking appearance when in flower. From amongst the shiny-green, black-speckled, arrow-shaped leaves, arises a tall slender cowl. This opens on one side to reveal a slender purple spike. This ‘spadix’ is the true flower of the wild arum, and it gave rise to another of the plant’s local names ‘cuckoo pint’. This derives from the time of the flower’s appearance – usually with the first cuckoos – whilst ‘pint’ (once pronounced to rhyme with ‘mint’) is an Old English slang for ‘pintle’, meaning penis.

Ted - noun British informal a Teddy boy: (in the 1950s ) a young man of a subculture characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music

ton ¹ - noun 4 British informal a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more , or a sum of £100: he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour

trouser - verb British informal receive or take (something, especially money) for oneself; pocket: they claimed that he had trousered a £2 million advance

South East England - one of the nine official regions of England. Its boundaries include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. In common usage, however, the area referred to as the 'south east' can vary considerably [and would likely include London]. The South East is a very prosperous region, having the second largest regional economy in the UK (after London), as well as the second largest GDP per capita (again second behind only London). Finally, I couldn't help but notice that, by some strange twist of geography, the South East Region is located to the south west of the East Region (with London between them).

Signing off for today - Falcon