Saturday, August 13, 2011 - Just for Starters ...

Introduction

Sometimes it is difficult to find an entry point into a puzzle, but that should not be an issue today as this puzzle from Cox and Rathvon has an ample supply of starters.










Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a   FOUNDERS - double definition; "sinks" (as a ship might do in a storm) & "starters" (as those who start a company or organization"

5a   A S|HARP - AS (for instance; as used here) + HARP (stringed instrument)

9a   R|EELS - R (red) + EELS (fish)

10a   NEOPHYTES* - anagram (altered) of THE PEONYS

12a   BREAD|TH_ - BREAD (loaf of dough) + (with) TH (most of the; i.e., TH(e) with the final letter deleted)

13a   TOR(MEN)T - TORT (legal wrongdoing) contains (has) MEN (guys)

14a   A|ESOP< - A + reversal (backward) of POSE

16a   NO|VICES - NO + VICES (flaws)

18a   ROOKIES - ROCKIES with C replace by O (making C [into] O)

19a   L|I|BRA - L (large) + I (Roman numeral for one) + (by) BRA (women's underwear)

22a   N(O|IS)OME -  {O (nothing) + IS} contained in (in) NOME (Alaskan town)

Note: for effect presumably, the setters have inverted the natural order of the clue.

23a   HERTZ|OG - HERTZ (car rental company) + a reversal (back) of GO

J. B. M. Hertzog - (1866 – 1942) was a Boer general during the second Anglo-Boer War who later went on to become Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939.

25a   BEG(INNER)S - BEGS (makes entreaties) containing (about) INNER (private)

26a   FERAL - anagram (shot) of FLARE

27a   EDDIES - EDDIE ([American] Jockey [Eddie] Arcaro) + S ('S)

28a   TRAINEES* - anagram (mobile) of SEE ART IN

The surface reading is likely a reference to Mobile, Alabama.

Down

1d   {FORE|BEAR}~ - sounds like (speaking) {FOR + BARE (naked)}

2d   U(SELES)S - SELES (Monica of tennis; Serbian-born American-Hungarian tennis player Monica Seles) contained in (in) US (U.S.)

3d   DOS|ED - DOS (two in Spanish; i.e., Spanish word meaning 'two') + ED (education)

4d   RAN|CH - RAN (operated) + (by) CH (church)

6d   SPHERICAL* - anagram (oddly) of HIS PARCEL

7d   AC|TRESS - AC ([alternating] current) + TRESS (hair bit)

8d   PE(SET)A - SET (lodged) contained in (inside) PEA (green veggie)

11d   OCTAVES* - anagram (shifting) of AVOCETS

15d   P(RON)OUNCE - POUNCE (suddenly attack) containing (capturing) RON (Ronald)

16d   NA(IVE)TE - NATE contains (maintains) IVE (I've; shortened form of 'I have')

17d   {TANG|ELOS}< - reversal (going back) of {SOLE (only) + GNAT (insect)}

18d   {RAIN GOD}* - anagram (nuts) of ADORING

20d   BIZARRE~ - sounds like (sound of) BAZAAR (Middle Eastern market)

21d   {ENAB|LE}< - reversal of (return of) {LE (the Spanish; i.e., Spanish word meaning 'the') + BANE (ruin)}

23d   HOSER* - anagram (about) of HORSE

hoser - noun Canadian informal a foolish or uncultivated person. [Origin: (1980s), of uncertain origin; popularized by characters on the Canadian television show SCTV (1980–82)]

24d   {RAF|FI} - reversal (back) of {IF (provided) + FAR (way; as an adverb, e.g., "The quality of Korean-made automobiles today is way beyond what it was twenty years ago.")}

Raffi Cavoukian, better known by his stage name Raffi, is a Canadian-Armenian singer-songwriter, who has been called “the most popular children’s singer in the English-speaking world” (Washington Post, May 31, 1992).

Signing off for today - Falcon