Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013 - DT 27024

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27024
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Setter
Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27024]
Big Dave's Review Written By
pommers
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

Introduction

Shamus gives us a pleasant workout today — enjoyable while not overly taxing.

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.

7a   Dilemma produced by number transported by bike and a railway (8)

In Britain, quad[5] is short for quad bike[5], a motorcycle with four large tyres [tires], for off-road use [or, in North American terms, an ATV (all-terrain vehicle)[5]].

9a   Regard alike English queen and retired foreign character (6)

Eta[5] is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Η, η).

11a   Copper consuming a second fine drink largely in disguise (10)

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu[5]. In the UK, mo[5] [abbreviation of moment] is an informal term for a short period of time hang on a mo!.

14a   Fanciful Scot, say, with love for bit of alcohol (8)

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of love equating to this letter.

23a   Clean motor manufactured in gambling venue (5,5)

Monte Carlo[5] is a resort in Monaco, forming one of the four communes of the principality; population 14,600 (est. 2008). It is famous as a gambling resort and as the terminus of the annual Monte Carlo rally.

On December 28, Rufus gave us a similar clue which focused on the connection of this resort with racing rather than gambling.
  • 1a   Clean motor off to get set for a rally? (5,5)
24a   Gullible fellow, English, trailing Northern Ireland politicians (4)

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)[5] is an extreme Loyalist political party in Northern Ireland, co-founded by Ian Paisley in 1972.

25a   List of business from mature Northern lawyer (6)

In the US, a district attorney[5] is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state in a particular district.

26a  Tie duly designed around opening to exhibition in festive period (8)

Read pommers' hint in the context of when the puzzle appeared in the UK.

1d   Person easily persuaded to linger after raising drink (8)

As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle. As a noun, it means (1) a sip of liquid he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

2d   Unexpected  game (4)

Snap[4] is a British card game [although one well-known to me as a child in Canada] in which the word snap is called when two cards of equal value are turned up on the separate piles dealt by each player.

3d   First bit of marketing course producing figure with luck? (6)

Ascot[5] is a town in southern England, south-west of Windsor. Its racecourse is the site of an annual race meeting.

6d   Greek character entertaining leader of Turkey? Sign of shame (6)

Sigma[5] is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Σ, σ).

22d   British money originally taken out for protection against the elements (6)

Lolly[5] is British slang for (1) a lollipop and (2) money ⇒ you’ve done brilliantly raising all that lovely lolly. The latter sense dates from the 1940s, so perhaps was derived somehow from the former.

Brolly[5] is an informal British term for an umbrella.
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

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - DT 27023

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27023
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27023]
Big Dave's Review Written By
scchua
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

Introduction

I patted myself on the back having seemingly solved 11a by tracking down a bit of what may be British drug culture slang. However, as I was to discover, all I needed was a common kitchen utensil.

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.

1a   Loyalist beginning to accept law-breaking (8)

Although there is only one way to parse the wordplay [START (beginning) containing (to accept) an anagram (breaking) of LAW], you can actually construct the solution in either of two ways: STA(LWA)RT or ST(ALW)ART.

6a   Sanctimonious and risqué form of stealing (6)

Pi[5] is an informal British short form for pious.

10a   Clinger-on lost balance crossing river (8)

I would say that lost[2], appearing here as an anagram indicator, is being used in the sense of confused or puzzled.

11a   Instruments for pot smokers? (3-5)

I thought I had a great solution for this clue in BAG-PIPES with bag[2,10] (according to a couple of British dictionaries) being a slang term for a measure of marijuana, heroin, etc, in folded paper. However, the setter had something else in mind. From the comments on Big Dave's site, other solvers arrived at the same solution as I did, but through different associations (i.e., billiards and hunting).

Perhaps the hyphen should have been the giveaway, as the word bagpipes does not have a hyphen. But, then again, neither does panpipes (also Pan pipes, Pan's pipes, or pipes of Pan)[2,5,10] — at least anywhere other than The Chambers Dictionary. Even Chambers 21st Century Dictionary does not show panpipes[2] spelled with a hyphen.

23a   Name a European working for a military commander (8)

Napoleon I[5] (1769 – 1821) was emperor of France from 1804–14 and again in 1815; full name Napoleon Bonaparte; known as Napoleon. In 1799 Napoleon joined a conspiracy which overthrew the Directory, becoming the supreme ruler of France. He declared himself emperor in 1804, and established an empire stretching from Spain to Poland. After defeats at Trafalgar (1805) and in Russia (1812), he abdicated and was exiled to the island of Elba (1814). He returned to power in 1815, but was defeated at Waterloo [by an army under the command of the Duke of Wellington[5], from whom the wellington boot (also known as a welly or wellie)[5] got its name] and exiled to the island of St Helena.

25a   Header misdirected -- getting stick! (6)

In soccer, a header[5] is a shot or pass made with the head. Stick[10] is verbal abuse or criticism ⇒ I got some stick for that blunder

26a   Adore old ruined city full of riches (8)

El Dorado[5] is the name of a fictitious country or city abounding in gold, formerly believed to exist somewhere in the region of the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers. As a noun, El Dorado (also eldorado) refers to a place of great abundance.

4d   George perhaps, and Paul too -- it is fantastic! (9)

The surface reading may point to a couple of members of The Beatles[7] George Harrison and Paul McCartney. However, we need to redirect our gaze skyward — to the field of aeronautics.

One explanation of why the autopilot is traditionally called "George" is because George DeBeeson, a pilot/inventor, patented an "Automatic Airplane Control" autopilot in 1931. (read more)

8d   Porter's rule for salad (8)

Cole Porter[7] (1891 – 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. He began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike most successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote both the lyrics and the music for his songs.

14d   Turned oars flat -- hated reef being turbulent (9)

In rowing, feather[5] means to turn (an oar) so that it passes through the air edgeways [thereby lessening the air resistance] he turned, feathering one oar slowly.

15d   Reference point for the Stars and Stripes, say (8)

... the Stars and Stripes[5], of course, being the national flag of the US.

17d   Income for soldiers on location (7)

The Corps of Royal Engineers (RE)[5] is the field engineering and construction corps of the British army.

18d   A French family with daughter showing no mercy (6)

Un[8] is the masculine singular form of the French indefinite article.

22d   Drive from heath across top of town (5)

In Britain, a moor[5] is a tract of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather — which is also known as a heath[5].
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

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - DT 27022

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27022
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27022]
Big Dave's Review Written By
gnomethang
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

Introduction

After seeing the reaction of the Brits to this puzzle, I was more than satisfied with my performance today. I only had one unsolved clue when I called in my electronic support team, although I did have a half dozen clues with question marks beside them indicating that I did not fully understand the wordplay. Of those, only one turned out to be incorrect.

No one at Big Dave's site hazards a guess as to the setter beyond gnomethang's cryptic statement "I suspect I know who the setter is ...". Personally, I would guess it might be Petitjean (John Pidgeon) based on some of the cultural references.

There is one clue (28a) where the clue published in the National Post differs from what appeared in The Daily Telegraph (at least in the online version of The Daily Telegraph). Sometimes the clue appearing on the website gets changed at the last minute after the paper has already been printed. In such cases, we often get the clue that appeared in the paper (even when there is an error in the clue). In a quick scan of the comments at Big Dave's site, I did not find any mention that the clues differed between the printed and online editions of The Daily Telegraph. I can't imagine that the change was done to cater to an overseas audience, as the abbreviation that was retained (TA) is by far less well known on this side of the Atlantic than the one that was removed (TT).

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.

10a   Sue is so proper (7)

This was the first of my questionable solutions — and I discovered from gnomethang's review that my attempt fell short of the mark. My entry here was POLITIC which I think can be construed as meaning "proper"; politic[5] being defined as (with respect to an action) seeming sensible and judicious in the circumstances [with infinitive] I did not think it politic to express my reservations. Of course, I was at a loss to explain the remainder of the clue.

Sue[5] is used in the formal sense of to appeal formally to a person for something the rebels were forced to sue for peace.

11a   Lump welcomes lunchtime -- he likes to fill his face (8)

I have observed that the Brits — at least those who dwell in Crosswordland — seem to prefer a 1:00 PM lunch.

12a   Buffet with beer (6)

This was the site of my second question mark — and here my guess turned out to be correct. In Britain, wallop[5] means alcoholic drink, especially beer an endless supply of free wallop. Buffet, in this clue, is a verb.

13a   This gets carelessly misplaced -- perhaps too carelessly (10)

In his review, gnomethang refers to apostrophe's being "misplaced by greengrocers [a British term for retailers of fruit and vegetables]". In Britain, the misuse of apostrophes with plural nouns is known as the ‘greengrocer’s apostrophe’ because of its association with the prices of fruit and vegetables displayed in shops, as in banana’s 65p per kilo and lovely, ripe tomatoe’s.

In Canada, we also have issues with apostrophes, with Québec's Office de la langue française[7] engaged in a campaign to eradicate the possessive apostrophe within the boundaries of the province, it being seen as a threat to the survival of the French language.

15a   Ashmolean regularly reviewed charitable donations (4)

The Ashmolean[10] (or, in full, Ashmolean Museum) is a museum, attached to Oxford University and founded in 1683, noted for its paintings and archaeological collections. It is named after Elias Ashmole (1617 – 1692), an English antiquary who donated the first collection.

16a   Are they boring to do this pop trios like? (6,3)

I don't share gnomethang's reservations about the definition here. He seems to focus on the word "they" leading him to expect the solution to be a noun representing those ("oil strikers") performing the action (which would be a subject). I would have to think that the key words in the definition are "to do this" for which the result is phrase comprising a verb and an object (STRIKE OIL).

However, I was troubled by the surface reading of the clue, which initially seemed totally nonsensical to me. After reading and rereading the clue several times, I concluded that it must mean 'Are they boring because they perform this pop [music] that trios like?'.

21a   All right to uncork wine? (4)

Tokay[5] is a sweet aromatic wine, originally made near Tokaj in Hungary.

22a   Generous care of two French gentlemen provoking hatred (10)

Monsieur[8] (abbreviation M) is the French word meaning gentleman.

25a   Individually do something with no chance of success (4,4)

This was another clue with a question mark, but my solution proved to be correct. My uncertainty stemmed largely from the more restrictive meaning of the solution on this side of the Atlantic. In North America, a dead duck is one doomed to failure or to death[3] but, in Britain, it is a person or thing doomed to death, failure, etc., especially because of a mistake or misjudgment[4].

 I failed to understand the wordplay until I read gnomethang's review. The individual letters forming the word "do" mean DEAD (d) and DUCK (o).

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] he was out for a duck. The term is short for duck's egg, used for the figure 0 because of its similar outline. In North America, the counterpart to this term is goose egg[5] (which, I am quite sure, we would never shorten to goose).

28a   Ragged volunteers times were wrong not right (8)

The clue appearing in the National Post differs considerably from that which appeared in The Daily Telegraph where it was:
  • 28a   Volunteers not drinking before start of dinner, getting ragged (8)
The wordplay in today's clue is TA (volunteers) + T ([first] time) + T ([second] time) + ER[R]ED (were wrong) with R (right) deleted (not right).

In the UK, the Territorial Army (TA)[5] is a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency.

2d   'Rocky' a bad role inspiring great affection (8)

This clue marks a rate occurrence — a pair of quotation marks that has survived the journey across the Atlantic.

Rocky[7] is a 1976 American sports drama film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rocky starts out as a club fighter who later gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship.

3d   Close broadcast with no current issue (8)

Another rarity, a homophone which has survived the trip across the ocean.

4d   Perfect referee to control Northern Ireland and Austria heading for draw (10)

A[5] is the International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Austria. As alluded to by gnomethang in his review, in cricket (as in baseball) an official who rules on the playing of a game is known as an umpire[10].

5d   It's nonsense some characters in Branagh's 'Othello' are upset (4)

It looks like the string of good fortune has ended. The quotation marks here seem to have perished during the crossing.

Sir Kenneth Branagh[7] is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He has directed and/or starred in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V (1989) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Othello (1995), Hamlet (1996) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay), Love's Labour's Lost (2000), and As You Like It (2006).

Tosh[5] is British slang meaning rubbish or nonsense it’s sentimental tosh.

7d   Bound to be hot below opening either side of chimney (7)

Galumph[10] means to to leap or move about clumsily or joyfully. The word was coined by Lewis Carroll, probably as a blend of gallop + triumph.

In the Scottish and Northern English dialects, lum[5] is a chimney.

8d   Born in chirpy milieu of East London (7)

The definition is "of East London" making the solution an adjective. The word [5] means originally called or born (used before the name by which a man was originally known) Al Kelly, né Kabish. While I am familiar with née (or nee)[10] being used in a similar sense for a woman, I don't recall ever having seen used in English (which precipitated another question mark on my answer sheet).

East London is the northeastern part of London, United Kingdom. Although without an official definition, it is generally considered to include all of Greater London east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is a subset of East London, corresponding to areas close to the the medieval walled City of London.

A cockney[5] is a native of East London [specifically the East End], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the H from the beginning of words and the use of rhyming slang[5].

11d   See business routinely being as regular as this? (9)

Another question mark here, as I was not aware that, to the Brits, clock[5] means to notice or watch I noticed him clocking her in the mirror.

I wrestled with the question of how much of the clue makes up the definition. I finally concluded that technically the entire clue is a cryptic definition (which happens to have some wordplay embedded in it). On the other hand, gnomethang has indicated that the definition is "being as regular as this". My first thought was that "being" would be a link word. However, I could not convince myself that "as regular as this" (or even "being as regular as this") stood on its own as a complete definition.

14d   One could make strides with this  drill possibly (10)

I think this clue elicited more than a single question mark. I was vaguely aware of the meaning of drill and successfully guessed the meaning of strides and trousering. Strides[5] is British slang for trousers. Trousering[1] is material for trousers [which, judging by its notable absence from most dictionaries, seems to be a rare commodity]. Drill[5] is a coarse twilled cotton or linen fabric (i) sturdy clothes in drill, denim and linen; (ii) top quality cotton drill with reinforced seams.

Thus one might interpret the clue (as did I) to be a double definition with the definitions being "one could make strides with this" and "drill possibly".

However, according to gnomethang, there may be another possibility. He equates drill[10] with punishment, although I could not find it strictly defined as such, with the nearest meanings being (1) [military] training in procedures or movements, as for ceremonial parades or the use of weapons and (2) strict and often repetitious training or exercises used as a method of teaching. I had even less success in finding a source to substantiate his assertion that trousering also means punishment (so I guess we will have to accept his word that the British use it in that way).

17d   Reluctant air settled over gigolo (8)

Loth[3,4] is a variant spelling of loath. In cricket, an over (abbreviation O)[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end. The word settled[2] is used as an anagram indicator, presumably in the sense of to make or become securely, comfortably or satisfactorily positioned or established. Presumably, taken in their original order, the letters forming the word "air" where either not secure, not comfortable, or (most likely) not satisfactorily positioned.

19d   Detective stifled by a town's bitterness (7)

A detective inspector (DI)[5] is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

20d   Mike interrupting garbled patois that's laid on thick (7)

In art, impasto[5] is (1) the process or technique of laying on paint or pigment thickly so that it stands out from a surface or (2) paint applied thickly. Mike[5] is a code word representing the letter M, used in radio communication.

23d   Twerps docked point -- or lots (6)

Twerp[4] is slang for a silly, weak-minded, or contemptible person. A noodle[4] is a simpleton.

26d   'Three Men In A Boat' perhaps vaunted (4)

There may be three men in the boat but the quotation marks appear to have gone overboard. Three Men in a Boat[7] [full title: Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)], published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.

Vaunt[5], which usually appears as an adjective vaunted, means to boast about or praise (something), especially excessively the much vaunted information superhighway. Crew is a part tense of crow[5] meaning to express great pride or triumph, especially in a tone of gloating satisfaction. Since I would have said crowed, this clue occasioned my final question mark.
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

Monday, January 28, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013 - DT 27021

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27021
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, November 12, 2012
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27021]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Libellule
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

Introduction

It is becoming rather difficult to predict what puzzle will appear in the National Post. This week, neither the "Saturday" nor the "Monday" puzzle have been skipped. It remains to be seen what lies ahead for the rest of the week. I would certainly concur with Libellule's assessment that today's puzzle is a bit more difficult than usual for a Rufus puzzle.

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.

10a   He keeps mum in order (8)

A Trappist[5] is a member of the Trappist order, a branch of the Cistercian order of monks founded in 1664 and noted for an austere rule that includes remaining silent for much of the time.

12a   Fastener for a jumper (4)

A frog[4] is a decorative fastening of looped braid or cord, as on the front of a 19th-century military uniform.

22a   Underground  TV (4)

The Tube[5] (British trademark) is (1) the underground railway system in London, England a cross-London trek on the Tube or (2) a train running on the Tube I caught the tube home. In Britain, underground[5] (often the Underground) means an underground railway, especially the one in London travel chaos on the Underground.

25a   Ascot  starter? (6)

Ascot[5] is a town in southern England, south-west of Windsor. Its racecourse is the site of an annual race meeting. Starter[5] is a chiefly British term [but one also encountered in Canada] meaning the first course of a meal.

The Brits, of course, should have easily recognized Ascot as being a racecourse. However, the opportunity for misdirection lies in the solver mistakenly assuming that a "starter" is either a racecourse official or a horse that starts a race.

26a   Cinerama spread from the States (8)

As the clue indicates, Cinerama did originate in the United States. Cinerama[7] is the trademarked name for a widescreen motion picture process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen. The first Cinerama film, This Is Cinerama, premiered on 30 September 1952, at The Broadway Theatre in New York.

The original Cinerama system involved shooting with three synchronized cameras sharing a single shutter. This was later abandoned in favor of a system using a single camera and 70mm prints. This latter system lost the 146° field of view of the original system and the resolution was markedly lower.

Cinerama films were shown in specially-modified or purpose-built theatres — very few of which remain today.

Although most of the films produced using the original Cinerama process were full feature length or longer, they were mostly travelogues or episodic documentaries. Only two films with traditional story lines were made, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm and How the West Was Won. In addition, a number of films shot using other widescreen processes were converted for presentation in Cinerama theatres.

Finally, apropos to today's clue, it has been suggested that Cinerama could have been an intentional anagram of the word American; but an online posting by Dick Babish, describing the meeting at which it was named, says that this is "purely accidental, however delightful." 

1d   Scatter-brain child (5)

In the Scottish and Northern English dialects, bairn[5] means a child.

2d   Extra large, troublesome delivery (6)

In this double definition, not only is the latter one a cricket term — it is a dated cricket term, to boot. Bumper[5] is another term for bouncer[5], a ball bowled fast and short so as to rise high after pitching. Judging by the comments on Big Dave's blog, the former term is still current in Australia — and, futhermore, the Brits seem to have forgotten that they apparently once used it!

3d   A gremlin disposed to swing the lead (8)

Swing the lead[5] is a British expression meaning to shirk one’s duty or malinger. [with nautical allusion to the lump of lead suspended by a string, slowly lowered to ascertain the depth of water]

16d   When to have a drink and perhaps eat? (3-5)

The wordplay here ("perhaps eat?") clues an inverse anagram. This wordplay is telling us that we need to find something that could produce the word "eat" — which just happens to be an anagram (BREAK) of TEA. In other words, the solution to the clue consists of an anagram indicator (BREAK) preceded by its fodder (TEA) and the clue itself contains the outcome of the anagram operation, namely "eat". For a discussion of inverse wordplay clues, see my posting for Thursday, January 17, 2013 - DT 27013.

In Britain, a tea break[5] is a short rest period during the working day, in which people typically drink a cup of tea or coffee the men were on a tea break. On the other hand, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, a coffee break[5] is a short break during the working day, during which people typically drink a cup of coffee or tea.

By the way, not a single one of my favourite British dictionaries spell tea break with a hyphen.

18d   How the skipper may be caught unawares? (2,3,3)

In Britain, on the hop[10] means unawares or unprepared ⇒ the new ruling caught me on the hop.

19d   A jolly girl's joined the fighting ships (7)

Jolly[4] is British slang for a member of the Royal Marines (RM)[5], a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

A single armada alone would contain many fighting ships, so multiple armadas would certainly constitute a considerable number of ships.

23d   'Gay Lib' -- the novel (6)

As usual, the quotation marks seem to have perished during the ocean crossing (and perhaps were buried at sea). Moreover, as best that I could determine, this novel does not exist outside Crosswordland.

Blithe[5] can mean either (1) showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper a blithe disregard for the rules of the road or (2) [in literary usage] happy or carefree a blithe seaside comedy. It is the latter sense which is of interest to us today.

24d   Girl getting over a fever (5)

Lassa fever[5] is n acute and often fatal viral disease, with fever, occurring chiefly in West Africa. It is usually acquired from infected rats.
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

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Saturday, January 26, 2013 — Prehistoric Beasts

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon takes a step back in time — a very big step — to the days when dinosaurs trod the Earth.











Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across


1a   STEGOSAURUS* — anagram (awful) of GUST AROUSES


9a   BAN|FF — BAN (don't allow) + F ([first] female) + F ([second] female)

10a   DESI(CC)ATE — {DESI (Lucille's husband; Cuban-born American bandleader Desi Arnaz[7] (1917 – 1986), husband of American comedienne Lucille Ball[7](1911 – 1989)) + ATE (swallowed)} containing (about) {C ([first] cup) + C ([second] cup)}

11a   {REINS IN}~ — sounds like (talked of) {RAINS (showers) + INN (hotel)}

12a   RUMOURS~ — sounds like (overheard) ROOMERS (lodgers)

13a   ARCH — double definition; "chief" & "bridge structure"

15a   DIME|TROD|ON — {TROD (walked) + ON (running)} following (after) DIME (small change)


18a   DIP|LO(DO)CUS — DIP (duck) + LOCUS (site) containing (captivating) DO (party)


19a   SYNC~ — sounds like (vocalized) SINK (lower)

22a   THOUGH|T — THOUGH (however) + T (true)

24a   {EGO TRIP}* — anagram (apart) of PIG TORE

26a   M(ORATOR)IA — ORATOR (speaker) contained in (filling) MIA (Farrow; American actress Mia Farrow[7])

27a   O(U)NCE — U ([symbol for the chemical element] uranium) contained in (in) ONCE (uniquely)

28a   TRICERATOPS* — anagram (swirling) of AIR PROTECTS


Down


1d   S|IBERIA — S (southern) + IBERIA (European peninsula)

2d   ENNUI~ — sounds like (said) {ON + WE}

3d   OF|FISH — double definition; "aloof" (offish) & "piscine" (of fish)

4d   ANDANTINO — anagram (changing) of NAT AND I ON
Andantino[3,4] is a musical direction that can mean either slightly faster, or slightly more slowly, than andante [thus seemingly giving the performer a great deal of latitude in interpreting the work]
5d   _RIS|ER_ — hidden in (in) PaRIS ERroneously

6d   SYCAMORE~ — sounds like (you might say) {SICK (unhealthy)  + AMOUR (love)}

7d   S(A)TURD(A)Y — A (article) contained twice in (appearing two times in) STURDY (solid)

8d   LESS|ON — LESS (not so much) + ON (about)

14d   C(UP|BOAR)D — {UP (raised) + BOAR (pig)} contained in {C (Conservative) + D (Democrat)}

16d   ENUMERATE* — anagram (playing) of A MERE TUNE
Perhaps "Count" is a reference to American bandleader Count Basie[7].
17d   FORGE|T IT — TIT (little songbird) following (behind) FORGE (smithy)
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa.These birds are called either "chickadees" (onomatopoeic, derived from their distinctive "chick-a dee dee dee" alarm call) or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English-speaking world.[7]
18d   DO T(IM)E — IM (I'm) contained in (overwhelmed by) DOTE (lavish attention)
In the surface reading, "lavish" is an adjective but it becomes a verb in the cryptic reading.
20d   CYPRESS~ — sounds like (pronounced) CYPRUS (Mediterranean island)

21d   BO|GOT|A — BO (bad smell; body odour) + GOT (puzzled) + A (†)
... got meaning puzzled as in "She got me with a trick question".
23d   TARSI* — anagram (going to pot) of ART IS

25d   RAN T|O — RANT (diatribe) + O ([a letter that looks like a] bagel)
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

Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday, January 25, 2013 - DT 27020

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27020
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)*
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27020 - Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27020 - Review] 
Big Dave's Review Written By
Tilsit (Hints) / gnomethang (Review)
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
*I am assuming that this puzzle has been set by Cephas (Peter Chamberlain) who I understand to be the regular setter of the "Saturday" puzzle.

Introduction

It is beginning to appear that the National Post may have embarked on a new publication pattern whereby the "Monday" puzzle (set by Roger Squires) is skipped. In its place, we receive (for the second week in succession) the "Saturday" puzzle (set by Peter Chamberlain) — the days mentioned being those on which the puzzle originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph.

Despite this being rated three stars for difficulty, I managed to complete it without outside assistance — albeit spread over two sessions separated by a trip to the gym.

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.

1a   House worker perhaps, I toil furiously in dreadful panic (10)

In the UK [as in Canada], the House of Commons[5] is the elected chamber of Parliament. Westminster[5] (full name City of Westminster) — which is mentioned by Tilsit in his hint — is an inner London borough which contains the Houses of Parliament and many government offices. The name of the city is frequently used as an alternative method to refer to the British Parliament Westminster must become more effective in holding the government to account.

6a   Writer of plays safe for audience (4)

This is one of those British homophones that totally fails on this side of the Atlantic. The word "sure" pronounced with a soft British R would seemingly sound like "Shaw" — or, at least, like the way a Brit would pronounce "Shaw"! Given the number of different dialects present in the UK (more than fifty, I've been told), these homophone clues often fail to work in many areas within Britain itself.

George Bernard Shaw[5] (1856 – 1950) was an Irish dramatist and writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. His best-known plays combine comedy with a questioning of conventional morality and thought; they include Man and Superman (1903), Pygmalion (1913), and St Joan (1923).

9a   Bird needs a moment, being fabulous (10)

Fabulous[5] here means having no basis in reality or mythical fabulous creatures.

In heraldry, a cockatrice[5] (also known as a basilisk[5]) is a mythical animal depicted as a two-legged dragon (or wyvern) with a cock’s head.

Even after I had the correct solution, it took me a while to identify the definition precisely. My first idea was that the definition might be "fabulous", but that would require "fabulous" to be a noun. I checked to see if "fabulous" might possibly exist as a noun in the field of heraldry or be used as a noun by the Brits (who often employ adjectives as nouns). However, I could find no evidence of that, meaning that the definition cannot be simply "fabulous".

The next thought to enter my mind was that this must be a semi-all-in-one clue (which, I see, is what gnomethang interpreted it to be). Then I saw another explanation. I believe that the definition is "being fabulous" where "being" is a noun and "fabulous" is a postpositive adjective (one that follows the word it modifies). This would fit nicely with the heraldic theme of the clue, as heraldic descriptions are usually overflowing with postpositive adjectives.

13a   Get little beauty outside car (8)

The Mini[7] is a small economy car that was made by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000. In 1994, the marque (brand) was acquired by BMW who launched a new generation MINI[7] in 2001.

15a   Coach in job a 1 Across means to secure delivery (7,5)

Here "1 Across" is a cross reference to clue 1a. You must substitute the solution to clue 1a into the current clue in place of the cross reference indicator (i.e., "1 Across") to obtain the full clue. Note that since there are two clues in this puzzle originating from square 1 (1a and 1d), the setter must specifically identify which of the two clues is being cross referenced.

In systems of parliamentary government, such as Britain [or Canada, for that matter], an elected representative is known as a Member of Parliament (or MP[5] for short).

24a   Avoid  failure to score (4)

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] he was out for a duck. The term is short for duck's egg, used for the figure 0 because of its similar outline. We have a similar term in North America, namely goose egg[5] (which, I am quite sure, we would never shorten to goose).

25a   Perhaps Babe's heart goes to hunter of boar (3-7)

Babe[7] is a 1995 film adapted from Dick King-Smith's 1983 novel The Sheep-Pig (also known as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the US) which tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheepdog.

A pig-sticker[5] is one who engages in the sport of pig-sticking, the activity of hunting wild boar with a spear, carried out on horseback.

27a   Garage gets building concrete materials (10)

B&Q plc[7] (mentioned by Tilsit in his hint) is a British multinational DIY [do it yourself] and home improvement retailing company. The company was originally called Block & Quayle. It would appear to be a UK counterpart to Home Depot - right down to the orange logo!


3d   Control ball aiming for goal in sport (4-8)

In soccer [and I couldn't help but notice that Oxford Dictionaries Online refers to it as soccer, not football], trap[5] means to bring (the ball) under control with the foot or other part of the body on receiving it the ball bounced near Scott and he trapped it with his left foot.

Bisley[7] [mentioned by Tilsit in his hint] is a village in Surrey, England, which is noted for its rifle shooting ranges.

5d   A cricket club phone sound cut short in Stanley's place (10)

Just as FC[5] is short for football club, CC[5] is used as an abbreviation for cricket club. Strangely, Oxford Dictionaries Online characterises the former usage as British, but not the latter. After all, even soccer teams in Canada use the name FC (Toronto FC).

Accrington Stanley Football Club[7] is an English football [soccer] club based in Accrington, Lancashire. The club participates in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system.

The team appears to be well-known in the UK, not for their play on the field, but because of a commercial. In the 1980s, the club was mentioned in a British advertisement for milk, which briefly brought the club to the attention of the general public. The advertisement featured two young boys in Liverpool replica shirts and made reference to Accrington Stanley's obscurity in comparison to Liverpool's success at the time.

BOY 1: "Milk! Urghh!"
BOY 2: "It's what Ian Rush drinks." [Ian Rush being one of Liverpool's leading players of the time.]
BOY 1: "Ian Rush?"
BOY 2: "Yeah. And he said if I didn't drink lots of milk, when I grow up, I'll only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley."
BOY 1: "Accrington Stanley, who are they?"
BOY 2: "Exactly."

8d   Dignitaries or head of state beset by cats (8)

In attempting to decipher the wordplay, my first thought was that "hips" might be a British slang term for jazz fans (cats). Then I remembered the punishment inflicted on the poor trainee in yesterday's puzzle. Cat[5] is short for cat-o'-nine-tails[5], a rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used (especially at sea) to flog offenders.

11d   Liberal is redrafting Parliamentary process (5,7)

First reading[5] is the first presentation of a bill to a legislative assembly, to permit its introduction.

The Liberal Party[7] was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries [the other being the Conservatives]. It fell to the status of third largest political party throughout the latter half of the 20th century [behind Labour]. In 1981, the Liberals allied with the newly formed SDP to form the SDP-Liberal Alliance and, in 1988, they formally merged with the SDP to form the Liberal Democrats.

17d   Loudly criticises  accommodation (8)

In Britain, barrack[5] means to jeer loudly at (someone performing or speaking in public) in order to express disapproval or to distract them opponents barracked him when he addressed the opening parliamentary session. On the other hand, in Australia and New Zealand, it means (when followed by the word "for") to give support and encouragement to I take it you’ll be barracking for Labour tonight?.

19d   Forwards alien parcel (6)

In rugby, the pack[5] refers to a team’s forwards considered as a group I had doubts about Swansea’s pack at the beginning of the season.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg that tells the story of Elliott, a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

20d   Ruins partly inside Bristol (6)

Bristol[5] is a city in SW England; population 374,000 (est. 2009). Situated on the River Avon about 10 km (6 miles) from the Bristol Channel, it has been a leading port since the 12th century.

23d   Druggie, Liverpudlian but not Scot mostly (4)

In Britain, Scouser[5] is an informal term for a person from Liverpool.
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