Saturday, May 31, 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014 — Reasonably Awestruck


Introduction

I am back from a couple of weeks of touring central Europe — although not entirely recovered from jet lag.

I would like to thank Henry Jablonski for contributing a solution to last week's Cox & Rathvon puzzle (posted as a comment to the blog entry for Monday, May 26). Following my return, I created a blog entry for the Saturday, May 24, 2014 puzzle from Cox & Rathvon containing the puzzle as well as Henry's solution.

I have also updated the blog entry for the Saturday, May 17, 2014 puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, replacing the original smudged image of the puzzle with a clean version.

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon was a fairly gentle reintroduction to cryptic crosswords after having been away from them for a couple of weeks.






Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- yet to be solved

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

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

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across


1a   Bird of peace made a swoop (4)

DOVE — double definition

3a   Recite the letters of "jump" in a trance (10)

SPELL|BOUND — SPELL (recite the letters of) + BOUND (jump)

9a   Rodents in college building freeze (7)

DORM|ICE — DORM (college building) + ICE (freeze)

11a   Bad review hurt style (7)

PAN|ACHE — PAN (bad review) + ACHE (hurt)

12a   Fool and Georgia dance (5)

CON|GA — CON (fool) + GA ([US Postal Service abbreviation for] Georgia)

13a   Novel hero with one truck and garden tool (7)

I|VAN|HOE — I ([Roman numeral for] one) + VAN (truck) + (and) HOE (garden tool)

15a   Playing in game, I suppose (7)

IMAGINE* — anagram (playing) of IN GAME I

16a   Police action granted freely (7)

DRAGNET* — anagram (freely) of GRANTED

18a   Candidate in central Alberta entering Alaskan town (7)

NOM(IN|E)E — {IN (†) + E (central [letter of] AlbErta)} contained in (entering) NOME (Alaskan town)

21a   Colonel gone wild for perfume (7)

COL|OGNE* — COL (colonel) + an anagram (wild) of GONE

23a   More accurate author in speech (7)

RIGHTER~ — sounds like (in speech) WRITER (author)

25a   Courted and married, having two rings (5)

W(OO)ED — WED (married) containing (having) OO (two [letters shaped like] rings)

27a   Awfully moronic Greek character (7)

OMICRON* — anagram (awfully) of MORONIC

Omicron[5] is the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ο, ο).

28a   Cracked is covering an American president (7)

MAD|IS|ON — MAD (cracked; insane) + IS (†) + ON (covering)

James Madison[5] (1751–1836) was an American Democratic Republican statesman who was the 4th President of the US (1809–17).

Cracked[7] was an American humor magazine founded in 1958 and patterned on Mad magazine. It ceased publication in 2007 but continues as a website (Cracked.com).

29a   Share with associate in a reasonable way (10)

RATION|ALLY — RATION (share) + (with) ALLY (associate)

30a   Cheese, in short, cut (4)

BRIE_ — BRIEF (short) with the final letter deleted (cut)

A possible alternative explanation may be BRIEF (cut; as an adjective the cut version of  the film) with the final letter deleted (short)

Down


1d   Markdowns wrongly discounted (10)

DEDUCTIONS* — anagram (wrongly) of DISCOUNTED

2d   Oliver and Alvin displaying porch (7)

_VER|AND|A_ — hidden in (displaying) OliVER AND Alvin

4d   Exact recipes garbled (7)

PRECISE* — anagram (garbled) of RECIPES

5d   Boy has scheme for European region (7)

LA(PLAN)D — LAD (boy) containing (has) PLAN (scheme)

6d   As a manager, don't play Hall-of-Fame catcher (5)

BENCH — double definition

Johnny Bench[7] is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

7d   Dirty old man's brother with a bit of news (7)

UNCLE|A|N — UNCLE (old man's [father's] brother) + A (†) + N (bit [initial letter] of News)

8d   Carries out some deer (4)

DOES — double definition

10d   Nail it—a new European language (7)

ITALIAN* — anagram (new) of NAIL IT A

14d   Turnout at 10:00 ball (10)

AT|TEN|DANCE — AT (†) + TEN (10:00) + DANCE (ball)

17d   Everyone outstanding permitted (7)

ALL|OWED — ALL (everyone) + OWED (outstanding; as a debt)

19d   Red streetcar carrying sestet back (7)

{MAR(XIS)T}< — reversal (back) of {TRAM (streetcar) containing (carrying) SIX (sestet)}

20d   Baltic republic drifting into sea (7)

ESTONIA* — anagram (drifting) of INTO SEA

21d   Camel eating a piece of red candy (7)

C(A|R)AMEL — CAMEL (†) containing (eating) {A () + R (piece [initial letter] of Red}

22d   More disgusting store owner heard (7)

GROSSER~ — sounds like (heard) GROCER (store owner)

24d   Actress among vulgar boors (5)

_GAR|BO_ — hidden in (among) vulGAR BOors

Greta Garbo[5] (1905–1990) was a Swedish-born American actress; born Greta Gustafsson.

26d   Rain hard in opening in the ear (4)

POUR~ — sounds like (in the ear) PORE (opening)
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)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, May 30, 2014

Friday, May 30, 2014 — DT 27396

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27396
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27396 - Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27396 - Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
gnomethang (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Thursday, May 29, 2014 — DT 27395

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27395
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, January 24, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27395]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Wednesday, May 28, 2014 — DT 27394

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27394
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27394]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Tuesday, May 27, 2014 — DT 27393

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27393
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27393]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
scchua
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, May 26, 2014

Monday, May 26, 2014 — DT 27392

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27392
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27392]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Saturday, May 24, 2014 — Playing Catch Up


Note: This entry was posted on May 30, 2014 but backdated to maintain sequence.

Introduction

Freshly back from vacation, I am attempting to tie up a few loose ends. Here is the puzzle from Cox & Rathvon for May 24, 2014.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

I would like to thank Henry Jablonski for supplying a solution to the puzzle. Here is the solution which he posted — incorporating his subsequent revision — in comments attached to the Monday, May 26, 2014 blog entry.
For those looking for the solution to Saturday May 24, 2014, here is what I came up with - no guarantees they are right!

Across
1 APROPOS
5 SAVAGED
9 MEPHISTOPHELEAN
10 NONPAREIL
11 YALTA
12 SEDGE
13 FRAGRANCE
15 FORMALIST
17 PUMAS
19 LIVID
21 ATHEISTIC
24 WIND INSTRUMENTS
25 ROSETTE
26 HENNERY

Down
1 AMMAN
2 REPINED
3 PRIMAVERA
4 SATIE
5 SUPPLIANT
6 VEERY
7 GREMLIN
8 DUNGAREES
12 SAFFLOWER
13 FRICASSEE
14 REPAIRMAN
16 RAVINES
18 MATINEE
20 DRIFT
22 HARSH
23 CASEY

Signing off, Henry - a loyal Nat Post Cryptic Blog follower!
A kind soul also sent me a PDF file of the puzzle on the day it was published. However, I had neither the time nor the tools to post it to the blog. Either an Adroid tablet lacks the capabilities of a proper computer or I lack the skills needed to make it perform as one!

Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, May 23, 2014

Friday, May 23, 2014 — DT 27391

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27391
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, January 20, 2014
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27391]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Miffypops
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Thursday, May 22, 2014 — DT 27390

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27390
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27390]
 Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27390]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 — DT 27389

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27389
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, January 17, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27389]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 — DT 27388

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27388
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27388]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
pommers
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, May 19, 2014

Monday, May 19, 2014 — DT 27387


Post Mortem

The National Post did not publish an edition on this date — it being Victoria Day, a national holiday in Canada. Furthermore, the National Post did not publish a "Monday Diversions" page in the preceding edition of the paper as has sometimes been its practice in the past. The puzzle that otherwise would have appeared on this date has been skipped. Therefore, I suppose that my forecast below can be considered to be accurate to extent that I correctly predicted the puzzle that would have appeared had the paper been published.
Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27387
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27387]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
scchua
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Saturday, May 17, 2014 — Go West, Young Bishop

Introduction

Here is today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon.

Note: I have replaced the smudged image of the puzzle that was originally posted with a clear version.

I was unable to access the National Post ePaper today to download the puzzle. As a result the image of the puzzle is one that I have scanned from the newspaper. Unfortunately, I had already completed the puzzle when I discovered this problem. This explains the smudged condition of the puzzle — I had to erase my markings before scanning it. In case the clues should happen to be difficult to read, I have reproduced them below. I tried to find an old puzzle using the same grid so that I could provide a cleaner version, but it is a rarely used grid and I was unable to find one.

Of all days for this to happen, there couldn't have been a worse one. I am leaving for Europe this afternoon and really did not need this added aggravation today.

Finally, don't be surprised if next Saturday's puzzle appears late.

Clues For Today's Puzzle

ACROSS

1 True North American country composer (5)
4 Peachy expert in an Egyptian language (9)
9 Comic strip teen officer had a bite around gumshoe's church district (15)
10 Utilitarian cloth rug seen in movie (9)
11 Celebrity taking one step (5)
12 Broad joke about human leg (6)
13 Rob only stranger carrying $1000 in part of New York City (8)
16 Hence, explorer's grave? (8)
18 Mary's pet entered in Iron Jubilee (6)
21 Collars thugs in the audience (5)
23 Broadcasts in casual shirts, with jeans tucked in (9)
25 Reconstructed pioneer's chair or covered wagon (7,8)
26 European city prosecutor carried by thirsty camel (9)
27 Getting into grass, our group scattered seed (5)

DOWN

1 Paddled quietly in watery area (5)
2  Loosen up about northern quahog (7)
3 A former kingdom in conjunction with Anatolia (4,5)
4 Writer playing ace gets poker prize (6)
5 Mail slot outside shows returned piece of mail (8)
6 Ill-humoured about Arctic explorer (5)
7 Pain and anguish follow divided by a victory (7)
8 Taking heed, cancel convertible sale (9)
12 Mollusk's good parts in a stew (9)
14 Patent catching 51 without a clue (9)
15 Song by alto about a curse (8)
17 Puzzle fan with a look (7)
19 Nerdy students I’m backing fail to understand (7)
29 Brave pitcher, and fortunate (6)
22 Small egg burst (5)
24 Trapped in outbuilding, rattler initially bit (5)

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across


1a   True North American country composer (5)

SO|USA — SO (true; "I swear that it's so") + USA (North American country)

American composer John Philip Sousa

4a   Peachy expert in an Egyptian language (9)

COP(ACE)TIC — ACE (expert) contained in (in) COPTIC (an Egyptian language)

9a   Comic strip teen officer had a bite around gumshoe's church district (15)

ARCHIEPISCOPATE — {ARCHIE (comic strip teen; Archie Andrews) + COP (officer) + ATE (had bite)} containing (around) {PI (gumshoe; private investigator) + S ('s)}

10a   Utilitarian cloth rug seen in movie (9)

P(RAG|MAT)IC — {RAG (cloth) + MAT (rug)} contained in (in) PIC (movie)

11a   Celebrity taking one step (5)

STA(I)R — STAR (celebrity) containing (taking in) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

12a   Broad joke about human leg (6)

GA(PIN)G — GAG (joke) containing (about) PIN (human leg)

13a   Rob only stranger carrying $1000 in part of New York City (8)

BROO(K)LYN* — anagram (stranger) of ROB ONLY containing (carrying) K ($1000)

16a   Hence, explorer's grave? (8)

SO|BERING — SO (hence) + BERING (explorer; Danish explorer Vitus Bering)

18a   Mary's pet entered in Iron Jubilee (6)

F(LAMB)E — LAMB (Mary's pet; from the nursery rhyme 'Mary had a little lamb') contained in (in) FE ([symbol for the chemical element] iron)

21a   Collars thugs in the audience (5)

RUFFS — sounds like (in the audience) ROUGHS (thugs)

23a   Broadcasts in casual shirts, with jeans tucked in (9)

TE(LEVIS)ES — TEES (casual shirts) containing (with ... tucked in) LEVIS (jeans)

25a   Reconstructed pioneer's chair or covered wagon (7,8)

{PRAIRIE SCHOONER}* — anagram (reconstructed) of PIONEERS CHAIR OR

26a   European city prosecutor carried by thirsty camel (9)

D(ROME|DA)RY — {ROME (European city) + DA (prosecutor)} contained in (carried by) DRY (thirsty)

27a   Getting into grass, our group scattered seed (5)

SO(WE)D — WE (our group) contained in (getting into) SOD (grass)


Down


1d   Paddled quietly in watery area (5)

SWAM|P — SWAM (paddled) + P (quietly; piano, a musical direction)

2d   Loosen up about northern quahog (7)

U(N|CLAM)P — UP (†) containing (about) {N (northern) + CLAM (quahog)}

3d   A former kingdom in conjunction with Anatolia (4,5)

A|SIA M|IN|OR — A (†) + SIAM (former kingdom) + IN (†) + OR (conjunction)

4d   Writer playing ace gets poker prize (6)

CA(POT)E* — anagram (playing) of ACE containing (gets) POT (poker prize)

American writer Truman Capote.

5d   Mail slot outside shows returned piece of mail (8)

{PO(STCA)RD}< — DROP (mail slot) containing (outside) ACTS (shows)

6d   Ill-humoured about Arctic explorer (5)

C|ROSS — C (about; circa) + ROSS (explorer)

Either British Arctic explorer Sir John Ross or his nephew, British Arctic and Antarctic explorer Sir James Clark Ross.

7d   Pain and anguish follow divided by a victory (7)

TR(AV)AIL — TRAIL (follow) containing (divided by) {A (†) + V (victory; sign associated with British wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill)}

8d   Taking heed, cancel convertible sale (9)

CL(EAR)ANCE — anagram (convertible) of CANCEL containing (taking) EAR (heed)

12d   Mollusk's good parts in a stew (9)

GASTROPOD* — anagram (in a stew) of GOOD PARTS

14d   Patent catching 51 without a clue (9)

OB(LI)VIOUS — OBVIOUS (patent) containing (catching) LI ([Roman numeral for] 51)

15d   Song by alto about a curse (8)

AN(A)THEM|A — {ANTHEM (song) + A (alto)} containing (about) A (†)

17d   Puzzle fan with a look (7)

BUFF|A|LO — BUFF (fan) + A (†) + LO (look; archaic, "and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them")

19d   Nerdy students I’m backing fail to understand (7)

{MI|SNOW}< — reversal (backing) of {WONKS (nerdy students) + IM (†)}

A Scottish expression according to Collin's English Dictionary

20d   Brave pitcher, and fortunate (6)

P|LUCKY — P (pitcher; baseball player) + (and) LUCKY (fortunate)

22d   Small egg burst (5)

S|URGE — S (small) + URGE (egg)

24d   Trapped in outbuilding, rattler initially bit (5)

SH(R)ED — R (rattler initially; initial letter of Rattler) contained in (trapped in) SHED (outbuilding)

Shred is used as a noun, "not a shred of evidence"
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)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, May 16, 2014

Friday, May 16, 2014 — DT 27386

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27386
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27386]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Thursday, May 15, 2014 — DT 27385

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27385
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, January 13, 2014
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27385]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Miffypops
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 — DT 27384

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27384
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27384 - Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27384 - Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 — DT 27383

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27383
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, January 10, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27383]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, May 12, 2014

Monday, May 12, 2014 — DT 27382

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27382
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27382]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication pattern unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.


For the next three weeks, I will be absent from the blogging chair. Prior to my departure, I prepared a series of abbreviated "Vacation Edition" postings that will appear during my absence and cover the puzzles that I expect to be published during this period. However, there is no guarantee that the puzzles that are published will actually match my forecast — especially since May 19 will be a holiday and the National Post will almost certainly not publish an edition on that date.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Saturday, May 10, 2014 — From Dugouts to Pits


Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon starts out at the ballpark and finishes at the symphony.












Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- yet to be solved

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

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

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across


1a   Baseball manager with dollar and change catching exhibition (4,9)

BUCK (SHOW)ALTER — {BUCK (dollar) + (and) ALTER (change)} containing (catching) SHOW (exhibition)

Buck Showalter[7] is manager of the Baltimore Orioles, a team in the East Division of the American League of Major League Baseball (MLB).

9a   Fictional story about a sheep town in Wyoming (7)

L(A|RAM)IE — LIE (fictional story) containing (about) {A (†) + RAM (sheep)}

Laramie[5] is a city in southeastern Wyoming; population 27,664 (est. 2008). It was first settled in 1868, during the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad.

10a   Tundra dweller's auto payment pledge gaining good grade (7)

CAR|I(B)OU — CAR (auto) + IOU (payment pledge) containing (gaining) B (good grade)

11a   English girl's name for a little uniform decoration (9)

E|PAULETTE — E (English) + PAULETTE (girl's name)

12a   Vocally refuse middle section (5)

WAIST~ — sounds like (vocally) WASTE (refuse)

13a   Composer: "I live right and true" (5)

I|BE|R|T — I (†) + BE (live) + R (right) + (and) T (true)

Jacques Ibert[7] (1890–1962) was a French composer.

14a   Member of a secret society seen from a convertible (9)

FREEMASON* — anagram (convertible) of SEEN FROM A

16a   Pair of comedians sound asinine about pair of rings (3.3,3)

B(O|B AND) RAY — BRAY (sound asinine; i.e., sound like an ass or donkey) containing (about) {O ([letter that looks like a] ring [the first of the pair]) + BAND (ring [the second of the pair])}

The American comedy team of Bob and Ray[7] was comprised of Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding (1922–1990).

18a   Roman Catholic collecting high priest's souvenir (5)

R(ELI)C —RC (Roman Catholic) containing (collecting) ELI (high priest)

In the Bible, Eli[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

20a   Legendary ship captain's central dialect (5)

ARGO|T — ARGO (legendary ship) + T (capTain's central [letter])

In Greek mythology, the Argo[10] was the ship in which Jason sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.

22a   Somebody laughing about western user of a social network (9)

T(W)ITTERER — TITTERER (someone laughing) containing (about) W (western)

24a   Exposes the flaws in exits from a barracks bed? (7)

DEBUNKS — double definition; the second being somewhat whimsical [as the question mark suggests]

25a   Someone let out cheer, interrupting shave (7)

PAR(OLE)E — OLE ([Spanish] cheer) contained in (interrupting) PARE (shave)

26a   Stratospheric flying where some winds are encountered (9,4)

ORCHESTRA PITS — anagram (flying) of STRATOSPHERIC

Down


1d   Slug popular poets conveying love in tacky places? (8,6)

BULLET|IN| B(O)ARDS — BULLET (slug) + IN (popular) + BARDS (poets) containing (conveying) O (love; nil score in tennis)

... where "tacky places" are places where tacks may be found.

2d   Bunch of flowers get droopy, in essence (7)

COR(SAG)E — SAG (get droopy) contained in (in) CORE (essence)

3d   Small mischievous child gave away fool (9)

S|IMP||LET|ON — S (small) + IMP (mischievous child) + LET ON (gave away; divulged)

4d   Open on Tuesday, at first (5)

OVER|T — OVER (on; above) + T (Tuesday, at first; first letter of Tuesday)

5d   Henry came ill-prepared for main foe (9)

ARCHENEMY* — anagram (ill-prepared) of HENRY CAME

6d   Did the pitching, and finished for audience (5)

THREW~_ — sounds like (for audience) THROUGH (finished)

7d   Teacher's keeping time for some fast runners (7)

RABBI(T)S — RABBIS (teachers) containing (keeping) T (time)

In addition to being the title applied to a Jewish religious leader, rabbi[5] is also a term for a Jewish scholar or teacher, especially one who studies or teaches Jewish law.

8d   Reconstructing novel, taking the easy way out (7,7)

{CUTTING CORNERS}* — anagram (novel) of RECONSTRUCTING

14d   Anticipation of Greek characters in strength (9)

FOR(ETAS)TE — ETAS (Greek characters) contained in (in) FORTE (strength)

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

15d   Good talker adopted by Farrow rests (9)

M(ORATOR)IA — ORATOR (good talker) contained in (adopted by) MIA ([American actress Mia] Farrow)

Mia Farrow[7] is an American actress.

17d   Secretly listen to a ghost's word for a hobgoblin (7)

BUG|A|BOO — BUG (secretly listen to) + A (†) + BOO (ghost's word)

19d   Garland, after learning "Siren" (7)

LORE|LEI — LEI (garland) following (after) LORE (learning)

The surface reading suggests American singer Judy Garland[7] (1922-1969). Several songs have been entitled "Siren"[7].

In Greek mythology, a siren[5] was a woman or winged creature whose singing lured unwary sailors on to rocks.

Lorelei[5] is a siren said to live on the Lorelei rock, a rock on the bank of the Rhine.

21d   Bracing, running into jerk (5)

T(ON)IC — ON (running; operating) contained in (into) TIC (jerk)

23d   Some advice with bad pun in it (5)

I(NPU*)T — anagram (bad) of PUN contained in (in) IT (†)
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)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon