Monday, August 27, 2012 - DT 26890

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26890
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26890]
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 This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, August 25, 2012 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

The last few unsolved clues stubbornly resisted all efforts to crack them until I called in my electronic reinforcements. Not only did they vanquish the few remaining clues, with their help I discovered that I had wandered down the wrong path in a couple of places.

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.

3a   Peers go out together in a London suburb (5,5)

A peer^[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron • hereditary peers could still dominate the proceedings of the House of Lords. Earls Court^[7] is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-London district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles (5 km) west south-west of Charing Cross [Charing Cross is considered to be the centre of London]. It is home to the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, one of the country's largest indoor arenas and a popular concert venue.

20a   Spotted blunder by Greek character in retirement flat occasionally used? (4-1-5)

A pied-à-terre^[5] is a small flat [apartment], house, or room kept for occasional use. The wordplay is PIED (spotted; having two or more different colours, like the 'Pied Piper of Hamelin'^[7]) + a reversal (in retirement) of {ERR (blunder) + ETA (Greek character)}.

25a   Outspoken Shaw play, unfinished (6)

Candida^[7], a comedy by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950), was written in 1894 and first published in 1898.

4d   Theologian after game fish (4)

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

Rugby union (RU)^[5] is a form of rugby played in teams of fifteen, in contrast to rugby league^[5], which is played in teams of thirteen.

A rudd^[5] is a European freshwater fish (Scardinius erythrophthalmus) of the carp family with a silvery body and red fins.

16d   Service uniform, good worn by lad (8)

In the Christian Church, evensong^[5] is a service of evening prayers, psalms, and canticles, conducted according to a set form, especially that of the Anglican Church • choral evensong.

17d   Reportedly call boy to find a spice (8)

Tarragon almost fit, but for one checking letter. Gazza illustrates this clue with a photo of English comedian Eric Morecambe^[7] (1926 – 1984).

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[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)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon