Thursday, April 28, 2011 (DT 26461)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26461
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, January 28, 2011
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26461]
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog

Introduction

I think the the chart above makes my performance look a bit worse than it really was. I initially entered an incorrect solution at 5d (having put in PRODUCTS) which would have made this a very poor cryptic definition. With the help of my Tool Chest I was able to find the solution to 16a which also clearly showed that my solution for 5d was wrong. As I was soon to discover, 5d is actually a very nice anagram. Having sorted out that mess, I was then able to solve several more clues unaided (although I have not given myself credit for them in the chart).

The date that this puzzle was published in the U.K. marked the second anniversary of Big Dave's Crossword Blog. I would like to reiterate my congratulations to Big Dave on reaching this milestone that I originally extended to him in my blog of January 28.

Today's Glossary

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

[An asterisk beside an entry merely indicates that it has been taken it from a Cumulative Glossary of entries which have previously appeared, 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.

divine¹ - noun 1 dated a cleric or theologian.

Appearing in Solutions:

Axminster carpet - noun a type of patterned carpet with a cut pile Often shortened to Axminster. [after Axminster, in Devon, where such carpets are made]

*DD - abbreviation Doctor of Divinity.

dead letter - noun 1 a law or treaty which has not been repealed but is ineffectual or defunct in practice; a thing which is unimportant or obsolete: theoretical reasoning is a dead letter to a child. 2 chiefly North American an unclaimed or undelivered piece of mail.

mail drop - noun 1 North American a receptacle for mail, especially one in which mail is kept until the addressee collects it. 2 British a delivery of mail.

Sir Robert Peel - (1788–1850), British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1834-5 and 1841-6. As Home Secretary (1828–30) he established the Metropolitan Police (hence the nicknames bobby and peeler). His repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 split the Conservatives and forced his resignation.

*rum² - adjective British informal, dated odd; peculiar: it's a rum business, certainly

tartare - adjective [postpositive] (of fish) served raw, typically seasoned and shaped into small cakes.

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.

12a   Mottled piece of fruit - divine on the outside (7)

My initial inclination on seeing the phrase "piece of fruit" was to look for the name of a fruit with the final letter(s) deleted. However, the word "fruit" can be either singular or plural. So, if someone offered you a bowl of fruit, you might select a "piece of fruit", perhaps a pear - or an apple.

7d   Sort of delivery man said to fall down when fatigued? (4,4)

This clue has very smooth (and deceiving) surface reading. My immediate reaction was to look for some sort of delivery man as the solution. However, the definition is actually "sort of delivery" which is MAIL DROP (a term which has a somewhat different meaning in Britain than it does in North America, as can be seen from Today's Glossary).

Signing off for today - Falcon