Monday, July 20, 2009 (DT 25875)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, March 13, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I quickly progressed about half way through this puzzle before bogging down. There were quite a few terms with which I was unfamiliar (as evidenced by Today's Glossary). Finally, with one clue remaining unsolved, I consulted Big Dave's blog which enabled me to complete the puzzle.

I also owe an apology to Big Dave for failing (in my blog of this Friday past) to properly attribute the warning on setters sometimes putting cross-reference clue numbers in words. That advice, in fact, came from Big Dave, and not, as I incorrectly indicated, from Peter Biddlecombe.

Today's Glossary

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

adumbrate - to overshadow (defn. 4)

emmet - Cornish nickname for tourists

Erebus - Greek Mythology the dark region of the underworld through which the dead must pass before they reach Hades

Indra - Hindu god of rain and thunder

IOW - abbrev. Isle of Wight

pi - Brit. slang a short form of pious

Solent - a narrow channel between the Isle of Wight and the southern mainland of England

Villa - short form for the Aston Villa Football Club

water meadow - a meadow kept fertile by flooding

Today's Links

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

AnswerBank [DT 25875]-a: 26d

AnswerBank [DT 25875]-b: 30ac, 21d

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25875].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

14d Man given perch, famous French soldier (6)

I did not perceive "given" as a linking word, and therefore I was looking (in vain) for a famous French soldier with six letters in his name. However, with Libellule's guidance, I saw the solution immediately.

Signing off for today - Falcon