Thursday, June 30, 2011 (DT 26520)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26520
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, April 7, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26520]
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction
This is definitely the most difficult puzzle we have seen in a long time - and maybe ever. I was able to solve all but six clues unaided and got three more with the aid of my Tool Chest. However, I needed Big Dave's help to solve three clues (12a, 22a, and 3d) as well as his explanation of the wordplay for a couple of others which I did not understand despite having found the correct solution.

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.

shot² - adjective [1^st entry] 1 (of coloured cloth) woven with a warp and weft of different colours, giving a contrasting effect when looked at from different angles: a dress of shot silk

Appearing in Solutions:

*B³ - symbol 1 chess bishop.

*CE - abbreviation [1^st entry] Church of England

[Desperate] Dan - a wild west character in the British comic The Dandy.

gutter - verb 1 [no object] (of a candle or flame) flicker and burn unsteadily.

*mo - noun [in singular] informal, chiefly British a short period of time: hang on a mo!

*N³ - symbol chess knight.

opalescent - adjective showing many small points of shifting colour against a pale or dark ground.

Signing off for today - Falcon