Thursday, March 17, 2011 (DT 26428)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26428
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, December 20, 2010
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26428]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26247 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, December 18, 2010

Introduction

Although I completed the puzzle without resorting to my Tool Chest, it was not without some strenuous mental effort - much more, in hindsight, than might seem warranted. In fact, I thought I had hit a dead end with only about a half dozen clues having been solved. As I was about to throw in the towel, a solution to another clue came to me - and then slowly so did more and more.

Today's Glossary

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

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues:

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

bag - noun 7 the amount of game shot by a hunter

perch³ - noun historical, chiefly British 

1. a measure of length, especially for land, equal to a quarter of a chain or 5 ¹/₂ yards (approximately 5.029 m).  Also called pole, rod
2. (also square perch) a measure of area, especially for land, equal to 160th of an acre or 30 ¹/₄ square yards (approximately 25.29 sq. metres).  Also called pole, rod, square pole, square rod

pole¹ - noun 2 historical, chiefly British 

• another term for perch³ (sense 1)
• (also square pole) another term for perch³ (sense 2)

proud - adjective 3 [1st entry] British slightly projecting from a surface: balls standing proud of the fabric

rod - noun 3 historical, chiefly British

• another term for perch³ (sense 1)
• (also square rod) another term for perch³ (sense 2)

Appearing in Solutions:

*CH - abbreviation  [1^st entry] (in the UK) Companion of Honour

dolly - noun

• 1 [2^nd entry] informal, dated an attractive but unintelligent young woman
• 3 Cricket, informal an easy catch

*tin - noun 1 [3^rd entry] British informal, dated money.

wryneck - noun 1 an Old World bird of the woodpecker family, with brown camouflaged plumage and a habit of twisting and writhing the neck when disturbed. Genus Jynx, family Picidae: two species, in particular the northern wryneck (J. torquilla) of Eurasia

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.

16a   Rod, pole or perch (5)

I was sure that there must be more to this clue than I was seeing - although there was no hint of it from Libellule's review.A bit of research revealed that rod, pole and perch are all names for an old British units of linear and areal measurement. I was aware of the first of these, but the latter two are totally new to me. Of course, another name for a perch (used in a different sense) is a roost and rods and poles are both common roosting spots.

13d   Too proud to take lodgers, honest (5,5)

The definition is "honest" with the solution being ABOVE BOARD. The wordplay is ABOVE (too proud) + BOARD (to take lodgers). In addition to the usual definition of "proud", in Britain it can also mean 'slightly projecting from a surface'. Big Dave gives the example, "Of eg a nail-head, projecting or standing out from a plane surface" - highly apropos in the context of this clue. Oxford gives a different example, "balls standing proud of the fabric" - one that I am sure might lend itself to some interesting commentary.

Happy St. Patrick's Day - Falcon