Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26356 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, September 27, 2010 | |
Setter Rufus | |
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26356] | |
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule | |
Big Dave's Rating | |
| Difficulty - ** | Enjoyment - *** |
Falcon's Performance *** | |
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26355 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, September 25, 2010 | |
Introduction
Solvers on this side of the Atlantic likely found this puzzle to be a bit more challenging than did the Brits. For instance, 10a was undoubtedly a dead give-away to most in the UK; however, I had no idea what the Norwich football club is called (until I googled it)..
I'm afraid that I fell a bit behind in my blog postings over the holiday period. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.
Today's Glossary
Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle
Appearing in Clues:
Norwich City Football Club (FC) - an English professional football (soccer) club, known as The Canaries or "The Yellows", based in Norwich, Norfolk.
Appearing in Solutions:
River Dee - a 70-mile (110 km) long river in the United Kingdom which travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries. It is but one of several rivers by that name in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.
enosis - noun the political union of Cyprus and Greece, as an aim or ideal of certain Greeks and Cypriots.
inner - noun
- (in archery and shooting) a division of the target next to the bullseye.
- a shot that strikes the inner.
maths - plural noun (treated as singular) British mathematics.
c.f. math - noun (mass noun) North American mathematics.nap3 - [Collins English Dictionary] noun
- 1. a card game similar to whist, usually played for stakes (also called napoleon).
- 2. a call in this card game, undertaking to win all five tricks.
- 1. [Seemingly chiefly British] a safe, till, or cash box.
- 4. Chiefly US a slang word for penis.
Royal Marines - a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.
up - adverb 4 [2nd entry] British at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge: they were up at Cambridge about the same time.
Appearing at Big Dave's Blog
Delia Smith - British celebrity cook and television presenter, who is not only the UK's best-selling cookery author, but joint majority shareholder at Norwich City F.C. where her partner in the shareholding is her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones.
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 Abandon Britain, say, to live in isolation here? (6,6)
The wordplay is DESERT (abandon) ISLAND (Britain,say; an example of an island).
15d Barrister who has joined the family after the match? (3-2-3)
This clue generated the most comments at Big Dave's site today - people either loved the clue or hated it. It is a cryptic definition that plays on the fact that a barrister who marries into the family is not only a son-in-law, but might (should he be warmly accepted into the family and treated "just like a son") also be thought of as a son in law (i.e., a 'son' working in the field of law). Thinking of the new addition to the family as a 'son' rather than a son-in-law is apparent in the sentiment often expressed at weddings by the parents of the bride, "We have not lost a daughter, but gained a son".
20d Breaks up the band (5)
The definition here is "breaks" (not "breaks up" as I first thought) and the solution is PARTS (i.e., 'parts' in the sense of a string breaking, rather than a couple breaking up). The wordplay is a reversal (up, in a down clue) of STRAP (the band).
Signing off for today - Falcon
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