Introduction
A rather quick solve today. With nothing to assist me other than my pencil, eraser, scrap paper and cup of coffee, I was finished in about an hour. Probably not great by British standards - but quite respectable for myself. I know the Londoners, stormed in and without home delivery, who slogged through the snow "to collect their DT from the local Co-op" probably had the puzzle solved in the time it took them to return home.
Yesterday, I think I narrowly avoided a public self-flagellation (or whatever the equivalent word is for kicking oneself). Having initially been unable to solve one clue, the answer later came to me out of the blue. It seems to have happened at the very moment that both Big Dave and xwd_fiend were in the midst of composing messages providing the solution. I would almost be tempted to think that one or both of you is capable of telepathic communication!!!
Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, place names, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
Bill Hill - not a British actor (as I had surmised); check out CEIV for the real goods
grass - (Brit. slang) to inform on someone (e.g., to the police) or, in other words, to sing (verb, defn. 3)
oval - a cricket ground, in general, and, in particular, The Oval (to which, I believe, James Cary is making reference on CEIV)
stop-go - (economics) characterized by alternate periods of expansion and contraction
Today's Links
1. Crossword Ends in Violence (5) [DT 25844]: CEIV discusses all but a couple of the clues in today's puzzle.
I found three questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They are, together with the clues to which they pertain:
2. AnswerBank [DT 25844]-a: 27ac (incorrectly identified as 28ac on AnswerBank), 16d, 17d
3. AnswerBank [DT 25844]-b: 28ac
4. AnswerBank [DT 25844]-c: 20d
I note that correspondents on both sites were still expressing their distaste for yesterday's puzzle.
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
Unlike some recent puzzles, today's was not a grueling exercise. More like a pleasant jog on a beautiful spring morning. Despite the speed with which I was able to solve it, I did not find the clues simplistic - some of them were rather quite clever, I thought.
A lot of clues in today's puzzle were essentially cryptic definitions - but they almost invariably contained some other cryptic device, such as an anagram, as well. Since cryptic definitions do not necessarily adhere rigidly to the strict conventions followed by regular cryptic clues, it sometimes creates the possibility of arriving at a solution via more than one route. As an example, I came up with a slightly different solution than that proposed by Big Dave for:
24d Love to see a student chasing victory at this ground (4)
As in Big Dave's solution, "love" is "O" (a score of nil in tennis) and "a student" is "A L" (a learner - I believe student drivers in Britain must attach a sign with the letter L on it to their vehicle). However, I saw "V" for "victory" in the clue (think Sir Winston Churchill). Putting it all together:
24d Love [O] to see a [A] student [L] {chasing (i.e., following)} victory [V] /\ at this ground [O|V|A|L] (4)
Solution to Today's Puzzle
| Legend: | "CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition |
| "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed | |
| "( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted |
Across
1ac C|HOPPER
5ac B(LOSS)OM<
9ac AC|TOR
10ac CUR|T|AILED
11ac MOUTH ORGAN - CD
12ac _E_T_U_I_ - b[E]a[T] m[U]s[I]c
14ac WEDDING MARCH
18ac SIGHT-READING
21ac U|NIT
22ac AS(SO|CIA)TES* - SE^ATS*
25ac GRIEVANCE* - {VEGAN RICE}*
26ac A(S)PIC - [A] short film [PIC] {about (containership indicator)} walrus' {tail (last letter of walrus) = (S)}
27ac SING|LES
28ac _ANEMONE_ - ins[ANE MONE]ylenders
Down
1d CH|ARMS
2d OUT|PUT
3d PAR(CH|M)ENTS
4d DECOR* - CREDO*
5d BAR|GAINED
6d O|MAN
7d SOLITARY* - ROYALIST*
8d MID<|NIGH|T
13d EMANCIPATE* - {CIA PET NAME}*
15d DRESS|IN|G_S - [G]oe[S]
16d ASS|UAGES~ - UAGES sounds like WAGES (salary)
17d {IG|NIT|I|ON}< style="font-weight: bold;">STOP|-GO
20d P_S_Y_C_H_E - [P]eople [S]ay [Y]ou [C]an [H]elp [E]veryone
23d O|PE|R_A_ - [R]e[A]l
24d O|V|A|L
Signing off for today - Falcon
You'll have to get used to "student = L". Although so common that it doesn't cause any serious difficulty, it's a lazy bit of "crossword convention". Outside cryptic xwds, L is never used as an abbreviation for student in general, though you might talk of a beginner at something "having L plates on". Indeed, it's not used as an abbreviation even for the drivers, just as a symbol - no-one talks or writes about "L drivers".
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