Tuesday, June 23, 2009 (DT 25856)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, February 19, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Having found today's puzzle relatively easy as compared to yesterday's puzzle, I was surprised to see the British blogs rate it as more difficult. In fact, I was able to get down to only three clues remaining before even opening my tool chest. Moreover, unlike yesterday, I was able to solve most clues based on the wordplay (rather than "reverse engineering" the wordplay after finding the solution). Maybe my brain is just wired differently than the British brain :-)

Tip of the Day

Today's puzzle contains a type of clue that occurs fairly rarely - one that incorporates the solution of another clue through a reference using its clue number.

4d Display of 24 on church show (6)

In clue 4d ("the referencing clue"), the number "24" is a "reference" to clue 24d ("the referenced clue"). Here, the wordplay indicates that the solution to the referenced clue is to be substituted for the reference in the referencing clue. That is, the referencing clue is to be read as:

4d Display of vein on church show (6)

for which the solution is:

4d {Display of (anagram indicator) VEIN → EVIN} {on (positional indicator)} church {CE (Church of England)} /\ show [EVIN*|CE] (6)

Note 1: This clue is dependent on there being only a single clue starting in cell 24 (i.e., there is no clue 24ac in this puzzle). Although I do not recall ever having seen this type of clue occurring in a situation where more than a single clue originates in the referenced cell position, it may be possible (see following section).

Note 2: Since this is a down clue, the positional indicator {on} shows that EVIN precedes (i.e., is on top of) CE.

Reference by Clue Number (Two Clues Starting at Referenced Cell Position)

I do not recall ever having seen a clue involving a reference by clue number in an instance in which there is both an across and a down clue starting in the referenced cell position, but I suppose it might be possible. Clearly, such a clue would need to incorporate wordplay to identify which of the two clues originating at the referenced cell position is the clue being referenced.

I have attempted to construct an example of such a clue. If my example is too outlandish, I am sure it will elicit a comment - or two.

In a puzzle, suppose the solution to clue 4d is POINT and there also happens to be a clue 4ac in the same puzzle (for the purposes of this discussion, we don't care what that clue is). I postulate that a referencing clue along the lines of:

Player 4 dropping watch (5, 5)

might be used to produce the solution POINT GUARD (a position on a basketball team, i.e., "player") where the word "dropping" is used to indicate which of the two clues starting in cell 4 is the clue being referenced (in this case, 4d) .

I emphasize that I have never seen a clue like this and I am only surmising that such a clue might be possible. Moreover, given that this is a hypothetical example, it may well fail to comply with cryptic clue conventions on other grounds.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

U - Brit. colloq. acceptable ( to the upper classes) (defn. 2)

Today's Links

I found three questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They (together with the clues to which they relate) are:

AnswerBank [DT 25856]-a: 1ac, 13ac

AnswerBank [DT 25856]-b: 17ac

AnswerBank [DT 25856]-c: 20ac

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25856].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

21ac Was undecided and fiddled around that place (8)

Before reading Gazza's review, I hadn't fully appreciated why "fiddled" means "did".

3d Appropriate remark left unfinished - almost certain to cover a source of tension (12)

In solving this clue, I had the same debate with myself that Big Dave and Gazza have on Big Dave's blog. My conclusion was the same as Gazza's final suggestion - that "almost certain" in this clue must have been intended to mean SURE.

5d Argument following fine after this, oddly (4)

"Following fine" producing FF - I got it, but it's hardly the most elegant of clues.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1ac W(AR CHES)T - [W]ai[T] + (ARCHES)

9ac {ICE CREAM}~ - sounds like {I SCREAM}

10ac A|TOM_ - A + [TOM]e

11ac MEN OF LETTERS - CD

13ac COUNT_ESS - [COUNTLESS] - [L]osses

15ac A|G|END|A

16ac MEN|U

17ac CUR(S)E

18ac DE_FY - [DEIFY] - [I]

20ac S(CRAM)S

21ac DI(THERE)D

23ac {HAVE COLD FEET}* - {CHEF VOTED ALE}*

26ac ERA*|S_ - ARE* + [S]aving

27ac EPITHETS* - {PISTE THE}*

28ac HARD SELL - CD

Down

2d ANTE|LOPE

3d COMMEN_|SUR(A|T_)E - [COMMEN]t + SUR^E + (A + [T]ension)

4d EVIN*|CE = VEIN* + CE

5d T_I_|FF - [T]h[I]s + FF

6d GEN|ERA|T|E

7d FE(T)E

8d E|MISS|A|R_Y - [R]ac[Y]

12d TREND|SETTERS

14d SH|RED

16d M(IS)CHIEF

17d C(USTOMER*)R - C^R + {SUE TOM}*

19d F|REE F|ALL

22d _TREMOR_ - withou[T REMOR]se

24d VEIN

25d D|A|S|H

Signing off for today - Falcon