Saturday, December 31, 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011 - Mystery Theme

Introduction

From time to time, the theme of the puzzle is a mystery - and today this is literally - or literarily - the case. In today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon, in which the theme is spelled out in 3d, we are introduced to a six-pack of famous fictional detectives.

I just realized that I blogged the wrong puzzle yesterday, having failed to notice that the National Post had published both the Friday, December 30, 2011 and the Monday, January 2, 2012 puzzles yesterday. Well, at least Monday is taken care of - now back to Friday!

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   {NERO WOLFE}* - anagram (cultivated) of ONE FLOWER
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout.
6a   MA|SON - MA (mother) + (and) SON (child)
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner.
9a   A(LIMO)NY - LIMO (limousine) contained in (included in) ANY (some)

10a   RECLAIM* - anagram (plastic) of MIRACLE

11a   A|U|GUSTE D|UP|IN - A (†) + U (university) + GUSTED (blown) + UP (†) + (by) IN (popular)
Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin is a fictional detective created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841), widely considered the first detective fiction story. He reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" (1842) and "The Purloined Letter" (1844).
14a   WE|ARIES - WE (you and I) + ARIES (sign [of the zodiac])

15a   CA(BINE)T - BINE (twining plant) contained in (in) CAT (beatnik)

17a   M(IT)OSES - IT (the thing) contained in (held by) MOSES (Hebrew phophet)
Note: the setters have employed an inverted sentence structure in the clue.
19a   RI(CARD)O - CARD (comedian) contained in (in) RIO (Brazilian resort)
Ricardo Montalbán (1920 – 2009) was a Mexican radio, television, theatre and film actor.
20a   {SIMON TEMPLAR}* - anagram (confused) of SIMPLE MATRON
Simon Templar is a British fictional character known as The Saint featured in a long-running series of books by Leslie Charteris. Although The Saint functions as an ordinary detective in some stories, others depict ingenious plots to get even with vanity publishers and other ripoff artists, greedy bosses who exploit their workers, con men, etc.
24a   EARRING* - anagram (shifted) of NEAR RIG

25a   THE|ORE|M_ - THE () + ORE (valuable rock) + M {magazine's first; i.e., the first [letter] of M(agazine)}

26a   _SPA|DE_ - hidden in (carried by) VeSPA DEtained
Sam Spade, a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon,  is widely cited as the crystallizing figure in the development of the hard-boiled private detective genre.
27a   LE(W AR)CHER - LECHER (libertine) containing (holding) WAR (big fight)
Lew Archer, a fictional character created by Ross Macdonald, is a private detective working in Southern California.
Down
1d   (NO|AH}~ - sounds like (vocally) {KNOW (recognize) + A (†)}
The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family (his wife, three sons, and their wives) and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark. Note: the question mark in the clue indicates that the setters have exercised a degree of cryptic license with respect to the definition (zookeeper).
2d   _RAIN - [T]RAIN (coach) minus the first letter (after the first)

3d   WHODUNITS* - anagram (developed) of WITH SOUND

4d   LA(YOU)TS - LATS (muscles) containing (around) YOU (†)

5d   ER(RAT)IC - ERIC (Norse explorer) containing (catching) RAT (†)
Erik Thorvaldsson (950 – c. 1003), known as Erik the Red, is remembered in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland. Note: The setters have chosen to use an anglicized version of his name.
6d   M(ACE)D - MD (doctor) containing (acquires) ACE (hole in one; a golf term)

7d   SHAR(PEN)ERS - SHARERS (unselfish people) containing (keeping) PEN (quill)

8d   NO(MINA*)TION - NOTION (idea) containing (about) an anagram (changing) of AMIN
Idi Amin Dada (c. 1925 – 2003) was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.
12d   {TWO-MASTERS}* - anagram (sailing) of MOST WATERS

13d   SAN(TA MARI)A - TAMARI (soy sauce) contained in (in) SANA (Aden's capital)
La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción (Spanish for The Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception), was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage.
16d   BUCCANEER~ - sounds like (said) "BUCK AN EAR" ("Dollar for each cob of corn")

18d   {STEN|GEL}< - reversal (returning) of {LEG (flight segment) + NETS (brings home)}
Casey Stengel (1890 – 1975) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. Although his baseball career spanned a number of teams and cities, he is primarily associated with clubs in New York City. He is the only man to have worn four of New York's major league clubs' uniforms - as a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants and as a manager for the Dodgers, Yankees and Mets. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
19d   {ROPE TOW}* - anagram (lost) of POWER TO

21d   NO(I)SE - I (†) contained in (found in) NOSE (honker)

22d   ARCH - double definition; "clever" & "curve"

23d   O|MAR - O ([looks like] wheel) + MAR (damage)
Omar Bradley (1893 – 1981) was a senior U.S. Army field commander in North Africa and Europe during World War II, and a General of the Army in the United States Army.
Happy New Year to everyone - Falcon

Friday, December 30, 2011

Friday, December 30, 2011 - DT 26681

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26681
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Setter
Jay
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26681]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Pommers
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
██████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Friday Diversions page in the National Post edition of Friday, December 30, 2011

Introduction

I knew this puzzle was by Jay - both from the schedule and from the style. Some of the clues seemed to be very similar to others that I have seen, so much so that I was even led to wonder whether this might have been a puzzle that I had reviewed for Big Dave. But no, it was reviewed by Pommers when it appeared in the Daily Telegraph.

My Mistake

The review originally posted under this date was actually for the Monday, January 2, 2012 puzzle. At the time of my initial posting, I had failed to notice that puzzles for both Friday and Monday were published in the Friday, December 30, 2011 edition of the National Post.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

11a   Set off for appointment outside school (8)
Eton College[7], often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, and is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868.

In the UK, an independent school[7], is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by accepting state financing.

According to the above-cited Wikipedia article, (1) an independent school in the United Kingdom may also be referred to as a private school; (2) the term "public school" is often used to refer to a select group of independent schools in the UK which are in general older, have a greater emphasis on tradition and are members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference; and, (3) the term public school is now commonly used to describe private schools in general.

Thus, I suppose the conclusion to be drawn is that a public school in the UK is what North Americans would call a private school - but then, so is a British private school or independent school.
21a   Female dentist’s paradise?  (4)

In his review, Pommers presents one plausible interpretation for the wordplay. Another view would see the 's as meaning has in the cryptic reading - thus giving "Female dentist has paradise" with 'has' (meaning holds) serving as the hidden word indicator.

22a   Initially dubious, target peeress’s job in school (6,4)

For those not familiar with archery, the inner[5] is a division of the target next to the bullseye. In the UK, a dinner lady[5] is a woman who serves meals to children in a school. In North America, she would be called a lunch lady[7].

25a   One seeking political change — once soldiers get precedence (8)

The Royal Engineers (RE)[5] is the name of the field engineering and construction corps of the British army.

27a   Singer discovering mistress in a trance (7)

I needed a wee bit of help to find "Ol' Blue Eyes" hiding in the clue.

6d   Moody elk squashes rear of car (6)

For a North American to understand Pommers'  hint, it is crucial to know that moose are called elk in Europe (and elk are known only by the name wapiti). In North America, the names elk and wapiti are used interchangeably.
The elk[7] or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest land mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family (Cervidae), only the larger moose (Alces alces), which is called an "elk" in Europe, and the sambar (Rusa unicolor) rival the elk in size. Elk are similar to the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) found in Europe, of which they were long believed to be a subspecies. However, evidence from a 2004 study of the mitochondrial DNA indicates they are a distinct species.
17d   Television item from Slough following recent onset of salmonella (8)

In the surface reading (but not the cryptic reading) Slough[7] is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England.

20d   Mostly felt fans suffering in arrest (7)

The definition here seemed a bit strange, but I just presumed that some unfamiliar British slang was at play. However, Pommers also raises a question regarding the accuracy of it. Snaffle[2] means to to take sneakily or without permission or, in other words, to steal while arrest[2], under Scots and maritime law, means to seize (assets, property, freight, etc) by legal warrant. Are they synonyms? I'll let you be the judge.

23d   Itinerant worker chasing sin (6)

By convention, workers in Crosswordland are usually ants (but occasionally bees).
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Thursday, December 29, 2011 - DT 26680

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26680
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26680]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
██████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

1a   Initially arranged a wager with dodgy caliph outside (10)

There are two equally valid ways to parse this clue. One might interpret it as {A + BET} contained in (with ... outside) an anagram (dodgy) of CALIPH. On the other hand, it could also be A + {BET contained in (with ... outside) an anagram (dodgy) of CALIPH}.

9a   Master game and finally steal queen (5)

The game we are looking for is rugby union (RU)[5] and ER[5] (standing for Elizabetha Regina) is the royal monogram of Queen Elizabeth.

15a   Told fibs about American university being restrictive (7)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)[7] is a well-known university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

21a   An example is a type of lorry by the French (7)

In Britain, artic[5] is an informal term for an articulated lorry (truck).

30a   Risks coming with us to capture Royal Engineers (10)

The Royal Engineers (RE)[5] is the field engineering and construction corps of the British army.

1d   Area surrounding river is outstanding (4)

I needed a gentle nudge from my electronic assistants in order to find the solution to this clue. I had originally considered AIRS, being A (area) + {IS containing (surrounding) R (river)}. While the wordplay seems a bit convoluted, I find that this type of inverted construction is actually seen quite frequently. However, this attempt at a solution failed to satisfy the definition - thus prompting a search for an alternative.

8d   Ladies’ skills? (10)

In Britain, a women’s public toilet might be referred to as the Ladies[5]

21d   Break down changing lane, say (7)

Reader's with a predilection for American spelling should keep in mind that this is a British puzzle.

23d   Softly pulling up dead part of flower (5)

In music, the notation p (piano)[5] means soft or softly.
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - DT 26679

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26679
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, October 10, 2011
Setter
Rufus
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26679]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 26678 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, October 8, 2011

Introduction

Today we get a rather gentle offering from Rufus. I seemed to find the right wavelength quickly and made fairly short work of it. Although the Spanish gooseberries at 21a did cause a momentary holdup, I recognized the Spanish word from the checking letters. After checking the British expression in the dictionary, it dawned on me that I had actually encountered this term in a previous puzzle.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

9a   Track a bird (4)

In the "proper" solution to this clue, track is a noun (used in the railway context) and bird is specifically a small wading bird. However, some of the Brits interpreted the clue a bit differently, arriving at a slightly risqué result. They saw track as a verb (meaning to follow) and bird[5] in the British slang sense of a young woman or a man’s girlfriend. I was spared that outcome, since going methodically through the alphabet brought me to R before I could get to T.

16a   They admit being swingers (5)

My first attempt of DOORS was proven to be incorrect once the intersecting down clues had been solved.

17a   Large family, many in jail in America (4)

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the can[5] (meaning prison) is a North American expression (thus "jail in America"). The use of terms such as "many" or "a large number" to represent an unspecified large Roman numeral - e.g., L (fifty), C (one hundred), D (five hundred), M (one thousand) - is a cryptic crossword convention.

21a   Spanish gooseberries (7)

In Britain, a gooseberry[5] is a third person in the company of two people, especially lovers, who would prefer to be alone ● they didn’t want me playing gooseberry on their first date. Duenna[5]  would seem to be a Spanish word that has been adopted into the English language. It can mean either (1) an older woman acting as a governess and companion in charge of girls, especially in a Spanish family, or, more generally, (2) a chaperone.

29a   Introduce force, showing initiative (10)

Canadian readers will likely not have a problem with the latter part of this charade. However, American readers may think that it should be spelled prize[5].

5d   They are able to identify trite Latin quotations (4)

A tag is defined in various dictionaries as (1) a frequently repeated quotation or stock phrase (his writing is full of tags from the Bible and Shakespeare)[5], (2) a brief quotation used in a discourse to give it an air of erudition or authority (Shakespearean tags)[3]. or (3) a brief quotation, especially one in a foreign language (his speech was interlarded with Horatian tags)[4].

23d   A very strong atmosphere of romance (6)

In music, the notation ff (fortissimo)[5] means very loud.

25d   Talk of Tom in Paris (4)

There was some objection raised to this clue by a visitor to Big Dave's blog, suggesting that the clue is unfair to those who don't understand French, chat[8] being the French word for cat.
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - DT 26677

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26677
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, October 7, 2011
Setter
Giovanni
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26677]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
█████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Now that Christmas is over and our guests have departed, a backlog of puzzles awaits. I didn't have too much trouble with today's puzzle, although I did need Gazza to explain some of the finer points of the wordplay in the case of a couple of clues - not to mention a primer on obscene British hand gestures.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

1a   What a buccaneering student does in plot (10)

I must admit that I didn't fully comprehend the wordplay in this clue, having solved it mainly on the basis of the definition. Con[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing) • the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

9a   One getting in on the act, so to speak (10)

I saw through the homophone trap but was misled into thinking of a theatrical context. However, since only one word matched the checking letters, my electronic assistants were able to set me on the right path.

10a   Everyone joining start of march from avenue (4)

In both Britain and North America, an avenue[5] can be a broad road in a town or city, typically having trees at regular intervals along its sides. However, the word also has alternative meanings - which are different on either side of the Atlantic. In many North American cities, an avenue is merely a thoroughfare running at right angles to the streets in a city laid out on a grid pattern (as in New York City, for example). In Britain, on the other hand, an avenue is a tree-lined approach to a country house or similar building. Mall[4], as a short form for shopping mall, is a term that is used primarily in North America as well as Australia and New Zealand, but apparently not so much in Britain where it means a a shaded avenue (in the British sense of a tree lined promenade), especially one that is open to the public.

15a   Tramps making rude sign when accepting handout (8)

A V sign[7] made with the fingers and with the palm facing out may be a victory sign (as made famous by Sir Winston Churchill) or a peace sign (arising from the 1960s counterculture movement). However, in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, when made with the palm facing in, it means "F**k off". [It seems that the Brits need two fingers to get across an idea that North Americans manage to convey with a single finger.]
For a time in the UK, "a Harvey (Smith)" became a way of describing the insulting version of the V sign, much as "the word of Cambronne" is used in France, or "the Trudeau salute" is used to describe the one-fingered salute in Canada. This happened because, in 1971, show-jumper Harvey Smith was disqualified for making a televised V sign to the judges after winning the British Show Jumping Derby at Hickstead. (His win was reinstated two days later.)

Steve McQueen in Le Mans
Harvey Smith pleaded that he was using a Victory sign, a defence also used by other figures in the public eye. Sometimes foreigners visiting the countries mentioned above use the "two-fingered salute" without knowing it is offensive to the natives, for example when ordering two beers in a noisy pub, or in the case of the United States president George H. W. Bush, who, while touring Australia in 1992, attempted to give a "peace sign" to a group of farmers in Canberra—who were protesting about U.S. farm subsidies—and instead gave the insulting V sign.

Steve McQueen gives a British (knuckles outward) V sign in the closing scene in 1970s motorsport movie 'Le Mans'. A still picture of the gesture was also recorded by photographer Nigel Snowdon and has become an iconic image of both McQueen and the 24 hours of Le Mans.
20a   Bits of food, cooked — what may be provided by a golf club (4,4)

In North America, the snack food known to Brits as a potato crisp[5] is called a potato chip[5]. In Canada, depending on the context, chips may mean either potato chips or french fries[5] (especially in the expression fish and chips). A chip wagon[4] (apparently a distinctly Canadian term) is a small van in which chips [French fries] are cooked and sold. Chip wagons are usually a vans or trailers which may be moved from site to site, but in many cases they are permanently (or semi-permanently) parked at one location.

29a   Agree to provide answer after expression of surprise (10)

Cor[5] is an exclamation used in Britain to express surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm Cor! That’s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

1d   Player not yet big gun? (4)

In Britain, a member of a junior sports team is known as a colt[5] (likely equivalent to the North American term minor-leaguer[5]).

3d   Card mounting is obsolescent, a bit unfashionable (5-7)

A passe-partout[4] is a mat, often decorated, on which a picture is mounted.

5d   A hundred yobs — they’re supposed to disappear in June? (6)

Yob[5] (back slang for boy) is an informal British term for a rude, noisy, and aggressive youth. Clout[5] is an archaic word meaning a piece of cloth or article of clothing. There is an old English adage, "Ne'er cast a clout till May be out" meaning do not discard your warm, winter clothing before the end of May. There is actually some controversy whether "May be out" refers to the month or to the hawthorn being in bloom (the blossoms of the hawthorn are known as May flowers) [read more].

19d   Over a long time friendship can bring oppression (7)

In his review, Gazza states "The pictures offered by Google for this are not really suitable for pre-watershed viewing". In Britain, watershed[5] refers to the time after which programmes that are regarded as unsuitable for children are broadcast on television the 9 p.m. watershed.
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, December 26, 2011

Monday, December 26, 2011 - DT 26676

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26676
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Setter
Ray T
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26676]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★ / ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the National Post edition of Friday, December 23, 2011

Introduction

This is another catch-up posting, filling in the gap that occurred over the Christmas period. Today's puzzle has traces of Ray T's unmistakable fingerprints, in particular 11a (a bit tame by his standards) and 8d (the virtually obligatory reference to Queen).

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

5a   Fat one crying? (7)

The setter has exercised a modicum of cryptic license here (as indicated by the question mark). Blubber[5] is a noun meaning (formally) the fat of sea mammals, especially whales and seals and (informally) excessive human fat. Blubber[5] is also a verb meaning to cry noisily and uncontrollably or sob. However, as a noun meaning someone who is crying, it seems to be an invention of the compiler of the puzzle which he has derived from the British slang expression blub[4], a verb meaning to blubber. By logical extension from similar constructs, someone who blubs would be called a blubber, would they not?

11a   Strokes embracing hem of satin knickers (5)

Knickers[5] is the British term for panties while pants[5], in the UK, means either underpants[5] (referring, especially, to an undergarment for men or boys) or knickers (an undergarment for women or girls). While pants could be used to mean underpants in North America, this usage would likely only occur where the context made the meaning unambiguous. Generally the term underpants (or any of a multitude of alternative terms) would be used. The outer garment that is known as pants in North America would be called trousers in Britain. Thus, when extending an invitation to a British woman, a North American should be careful. If she happens to ask what she should wear, the answer probably should not be "It going to be a very informal affair. Just throw on some pants." For an example of how the Brits view pants, take a gander at the image that Big Dave uses to illustrate this clue.

12a   Model’s cold before interior shot (9)

It took me forever to solve this clue, but I loved it once the penny finally dropped. I think its juxtaposition with the previous clue added to the misdirection.

13a   Policeman’s dispatched to check identity for protester (9)

A detective inspector (DI)[5] is a senior police officer in the UK.
Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
17a   Sweetheart in bloke’s way (5)

Bloke[5] is British slang for a man.

25a   Airhead bird hit out off and on (5)

The phrase "off and on" indicates that we are to use the even-numbered letters in the fodder (bird hit out). Basically, the instruction tells us to turn off the odd-numbered letters and turn on the even-numbered letters (bIrD hIt OuT). Had the clue read "on and off", we would have used the odd-numbered letters instead.

28a   A compiler’s taking refuge showing mercy (7)

It is a cryptic crossword convention that the words setter or compiler (and I have even seen author used in this way) must be replaced by a first person pronoun, such as I or me. In this case, we have a possessive (compiler's), so we must employ a possessive pronoun (my).

1d   Caught drunk and given a hand (7)

When Big Dave suggests that lapped means "drunk or quaffed", I believe he is referring to a figurative use of the word. Literally, lap[5] means (referring to an animal) to take up (liquid) with quick movements of the tongue. However, it can also be used in a figurative sense meaning to take in greedily or readily (The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition).

2d   Nothing published including leader of Guardian newspaper (5)

The Guardian[7], formerly known as The Manchester Guardian (founded 1821), is a British national daily newspaper. It is a sister paper to The Observer (British Sunday paper) and The Guardian Weekly (an edition aimed at the international market).

3d   Halfway through schooner, surrounded by drink? (9)

A schooner[5] may be either (1) a sailing ship with two or more masts, typically with the foremast smaller than the mainmast, or (2) a glass for drinking alcoholic beverages. In the latter sense, Brits would expect to be served a large measure of sherry, whereas North Americans, Australians and New Zealanders would receive a large glass of beer. The clue is intended to make us think of the latter meaning, whereas the real meaning is a ship in the middle of the ocean (drink).

4d   Macbeth, I concede, has principles (5)

Dare I contradict Big Dave? I believe that the definition is "principles" having the solution ETHIC (an ethic[5] being a set of moral principles). The word "has" is the hidden word indicator.

5d   With dominant playing, bowled over for game (9)

The surface reading is all about cricket. An over[5] is a division of play in cricket consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end. The cryptic reading relies on the use (as found on cricket scorecards) of b. as as abbreviation for "bowled".

6d   Beeb, having lost head, is free (5)

In the UK, Beeb[5] is an informal name for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), as is Auntie[5].

7d   Good man in difficulty, legal sort (9)

Barristers and solicitors are two classes of lawyer. However, the distinction between them varies in different jurisdictions around the world. The following attempt to differentiate the two classes is likely highly oversimplified.
The UK has a split legal profession in which barristers and solicitors have separate and distinct roles. Solicitors are attorneys which means they can act in the place of their client for legal purposes. However, a solicitor is not a member of the bar and is therefore cannot speak on behalf of a client in court. A barrister is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or professional rules or both, from "conducting" litigation. This means that while the barrister speaks on the client's behalf in court, he or she can do so only when instructed by a solicitor or certain other qualified professional clients, such as patent agents.

In the US and Canada (with the exception of Quebec), there is generally no legal or regulatory distinction between a barrister and a solicitor - with any qualified lawyer being entitled to practice in either field. In the US, most lawyers call themselves attorneys while in Canada, lawyers will adopt different titles depending on the type of legal practice on which they choose to concentrate (barrister, solicitor, or barrister and solicitor). [read more]
Regardless of the details, a barrister is a legal sort in any jurisdiction.

16d   Craft, about new, put about a river (9)

Thankfully, I was able to solve the clue (mainly from the definition) without knowing the English river. The Tamar[7] is a river in South West England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west).

21d   Painter’s no single person of importance (5)

Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 1576), known in English as Titian[7], was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school.

24d   Syrup’s added to small drinks (5)

I concluded that "syrup" had to have some meaning beyond the obvious. Sure enough, syrup[5] is Cockney rhyming slang for a wig. It derives from syrup of figs[5], a laxative syrup made from dried figs, typically with senna[5] (a laxative prepared from the dried pods of the cassia tree) and carminatives[5] (drugs that relieve flatulence). [In case you are wondering why I claim not to have used assistance, I consider it fair game to look up words in the clue - especially when they are as obscure as this one.]
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Saturday, December 24, 2011 - Merry Christmas

Introduction

It took me a couple of days to find time to solve this puzzle from Cox and Rathvon. As I suspected, the theme was easy to spot.












Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
Across

1a   GRAPHED~ - sounds like (for an auditor) GRAFT (bribe)

5a   FAN| CLUB - FAN (whiff) + CLUB (bat)
Whiff[3] and fan[3] are both baseball terms. As an intransitive verb, either one means to strike out [used of a batter] and as a transitive verb, either one means to strike out (a batter) [used of a pitcher]. In addition, whiff[3] can also be used as a noun, meaning a strike out.
9a   {FATHER CHRISTMAS}* - anagram (playing) of MRS THATCHER AS IF

10a   RAM|IS - RAM (male with horns) + IS (†)
Harold Ramis[7] is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981), both of which he also co-wrote. As a writer/director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), Groundhog Day (1993), and Analyze This (1999). Ramis was the original head writer of the television series SCTV (in which he also performed), and one of three screenwriters for the film National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).
11a   RAP - double definition; "knock" & "modern musical style"

12a   YENTL - the even-numbered letters (oddly ignored) in the sequence (b)Y (m)E (i)N (I)T(a)L(y)
Barbra Streisand[7] is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. For Yentl (1983), she was producer, director, and star. Streisand also scripted Yentl, something she is not always given credit for. According to New York Times Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal in an interview with Allan Wolper, "the one thing that makes Barbra Streisand crazy is when nobody gives her the credit for having written Yentl."
13a   HO(T SP)OT - HOOT (laugh loudly) containing (holding) TSP (teaspoon)

15a   AD(MIRE)D - MIRE (wetland) contained in (in) ADD (total)

17a   T|ON - T (tenor) + ON (performing)

18a   {REDNES|S}< - reversal (seen from behind) of {S (small) + SENDER (transmitter)}

19a   POP - double definition; "commercially appealing" & "carbonated beverage"

21a   CA|STING - CA (California) + STING (rock star)
Sting[7] (born Gordon Sumner) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, activist, actor and philanthropist. Prior to starting his solo career, he was the principal songwriter, lead singer and bassist of the rock band The Police.
24a   BOL(S)TER - BOLTER (one dashing off) containing (around) S {initial letter (start) of S(how)}

26a   {ORNAMENTAL TREES}* - anagram (redistributed) of EASTERN MONTREAL

27a   FISHNET* - anagram (damaged) of THE FINS

28a   _DREI|DEL_ - hidden in (wraps) AnDREI DELicately

Down

1d   GO (FOR)TH - FOR (pro) contained in (sitting in) GOTH (dark rocker)
A goth[5] is a member of a subculture favouring black clothing, white and black make-up, and goth music (a style of rock music derived from punk, typically with apocalyptic or mystical lyrics).
2d   AU(TOMATO)N - AUN {aunt mostly; i.e., all but the last letter of AUN(t)} containing (eating) TOMATO (salad ingredient)

3d   HE|ELS - HE (the guy) + (with) ELS (golfer Ernie)
Ernie Els[7] is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s.
4d   DE(CO|RAT)ED - DEED (act) containing (interrupted by) {CO (fellow; as in words such as co-author and co-pilot) + RAT (singer; informer)}

5d   FI(REPLAC*)E - FIE (shame) containing (about) an anagram (ruined) of PARCEL
Santa Claus traditionally enters a house via the chimney and fireplace[7].
6d   NA(ST)Y - NAY (negative vote) containing (involving) ST (saint)

7d   LEMON D|R|OP - LEMOND (cyclist Greg) + R (right) + (before) OP (operation)
Greg LeMond[7] is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France.
8d   BUSTLED - BUST (sculpture) + LED (was first)

14d   PERS(I|MM)ON - PERSON (individual) containing (eating) {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + MM (M&M)}
Persimmon[7] is a color that closely resembles the tint of a very ripe persimmon fruit - a medium orange-red.
16d   MIST|LE(TO)E - MIST (spray) + {LEE (shelter) containing (coming around) TO (†)}

17d   TICK OFF - double definition; "check" & "incense"

20d   PERUS|AL - PERUS {South American land's (Peru's)} + AL ([chemical symbol for] aluminum)

22d   SIN|US - SIN (stray) + US (Yank)

23d   GEN(E)T - GENT (fellow) containing (catching) E {last letter (tail) of (on)E}

24d   BEAR|D - BEAR (produce) + D (down)

25d   T|WEED - T (true) + WEED (grass; marijuana)
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Merry Christmas everyone - Falcon

Friday, December 23, 2011

Friday, December 23, 2011 - DT 26675

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26675
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Setter
Jay
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26675]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Pommers
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
██████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Friday Diversions page in the National Post edition of Friday, December 23, 2011

Introduction

With lots of activities happening over the Christmas period - not to mention house guests - I fell a bit behind on the blog. Therefore this post is appearing more than a tad late.

I did fairly well on it until I arrived in the southwest corner, where I needed to call for assistance from my electronic aids.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

9a   Ditch worker for cutting (9)

Although workers in cryptic crossword puzzles may sometimes be straightforward options such as men, hands or crew, they are often ants or bees.

10a   What a warbler might do in source of trout stream? (5)

In his hint, Pommers alludes to Warbler, the nom de plume of one of the setters of the Toughie - another cryptic crossword puzzle that is published in the Daily Telegraph (and one that is, as its name implies, more difficult than the one appearing in the National Post).

21a   In what way is a lemon sweet? (8)

A rather obtuse anagram indicator (in what way) combined with a Briticism (sweet) and a dessert I had never heard of (semolina) made this clue more than a little bit of a challenge. In Britain, one meaning of sweet[5] is a pudding or dessert. Semolina[5] is (1) the hard grains left after the milling of flour, used in puddings and in pasta, or (2) a pudding made of semolina. I've never eaten this dessert - and judging by Pommers assessment of it, I haven't missed much.

26a   One dries a tear finally, swallowing anger (5)

In Britain, a frame or stand for airing or drying clothes is known as an airer[5].

6d   Run over? (5)

In cricket, an extra[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited to the batting side rather than to a batsman.

8d   One King George invading American state becomes a headache (8)

The abbreviation for King George is GR[5] (from Latin Georgius Rex).

14d   Fox exposes rise of public transport vehicle (8)

Although there seems to be nothing particularly noteworthy or difficult about this clue, I did require the services of my trusty electronic assistants.

16d   Key service elevators getting cosmetic alterations (9)

Lift[5] is the British term for an elevator[5]. Despite the fact that elevator is a North American term, the setter obviously expects that the term will be well-known in the UK. The word is probably familiar there through American movies and television programs - just as we are acquainted with the British word lift through films and television programmes from Britain.

18d   A way to support bankrupt flyer (7)

I was able to solve this clue only after filling in all the checking letters. The solution is a bird not found in North America.
References: 
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
Signing off for today - Falcon